Ask The Trainer

At FastTwitch Fitness Performance, we have a four-pronged approach to beginning any training program:

• Learn how to lift correctly: Before you can commit to a training program, you have to learn how to train. Lifting won’t do your body any good without first mastering the correct form—which often won’t feel the most natural to your body. A professional trainer can watch you lift and help perfect your form.
• Eat proactively: Always eat with both your last lift and your next lift in mind. You need a minimum of about .8 grams of protein for every pound of lean body mass you have to support your muscles growth. It’s also important to make sure you’re eating complete protein sources, like poultry, beef, fish, eggs, and dairy. 
  You also need carbohydrates to help replenish your energy stores and encourage your body to burn fat while supporting muscle growth. Be sure to eat unsaturated fats such as fish, nuts, seeds, avocado and olive oil, and of course, water intake is vital to any training regimen. A good rule of thumb is to take your body weight, divide it by two, and that’s the number of fluid ounces you should drink in a day.
• Target every muscle group: Lifting for size means lifting for your body’s largest muscle groups: the legs, back, and chest. These muscle groups will show the most growth, the fastest, and achieve the results you’re looking for. Every large muscle group needs between five and seven days to recover, so you need to cycle between the three in your training schedule.
• Prioritize recovery and avoid overtraining: Keep your workouts between 45 minutes and an hour. If you lift any longer, you’re likely to discourage muscle growth (atrophy) rather than encourage it (hypertrophy).

Looking to start lifting? We can help. Call us at (813) 294-2836 to make your first appointment and start building muscle.

This depends entirely on your fitness goals. If you’re working toward fat loss, full-body training is a useful tool. However, if you’re hoping to build strength and muscle volume, it could be counterproductive. The nervous system takes between five and seven days to recover, so working every muscle group every time you hit the gym could do more harm than good. For more on these, see our fitness blog, written by our certified trainers.

Every workout should address at least two, if not all, of your three major muscle groups—your back, chest, and legs. These muscle groups are naturally stronger and require more than just one exercise to properly work them out.

Unless you’re specifically working toward muscle endurance, you should be doing between six and twelve reps of every lift. Doing more is likely to tax your heart and lungs. Instead, use heavy weights, and focus on proper recovery and nutrition.

 A professional trainer can help you strike this delicate balance. Call use at (813) 294-2836 to set up your first appointment.

As you’re starting to lift, weight is the least of your concerns. Your first priority is learning to lift correctly. Once you’ve perfected your form and are following a training program, a professional trainer can help you determine how much weight you can handle, and how to increase the amount over time to best suit your fitness goals.

At FastTwitch Fitness Performance, we believe that there are three lifts that every beginner should start with: the squat, the barbell bench press and the deadlift. Other excellent lifts are the multi-joint, structural exercises, which help you target several muscle groups at once. These include rows, presses, and lunges. Above all else, do not use machines. No matter what your fitness goals, free weights will always help you reach them in a safer, healthier and faster way.

If you are in the Apollo Beach, Ruskin, or Sun City Center schedule a consultation your first session with FastTwitch Fitness Performance, and we’ll teach you how to do these safely and correctly, for the best results.

In addition to having access to more equipment and professional trainers, the gym gives you a space that is only for your workout. Your home is where you relax—having a place that you identify with training came help get you into the right headspace quickly. Get in, do your workout, and continue with your day.