x
Breaking News
More () »

FIVE THINGS | Get ready before you get ripped

As a trainer and owner of Dynamics Fitness and Performance in Scarborough, Joe Schacht sees a lot of people who try to take shortcuts to their ideal beach body

SCARBOROUGH (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- Your body works like an engine. And it needs to be primed before you throw it into high gear with an intensive workout regimen.

As a trainer and owner of Dynamics Fitness and Performance in Scarborough, Joe Schacht sees a lot of people who try to take shortcuts to their ideal beach body. In order to be successful, he says the work should begin before entering his gym.

Schacht offers five tips to lay the foundation for a fitter lifestyle.

  1. NUTRITION IS IMPORTANT: Your body can't go far without fuel, or with the wrong fuel. Find what works for you. And keep yourself hydrated.
  2. BREATHE AND FOCUS: Mentally review your workout, but keep your breathing steady.

We take about 20,000 breaths a day. Focus on a long inhale through the nose and a lengthy exhale. Do this about eight times.

  • RELIEVE TENSION: Work out the tension in your muscles, and increase blood flow with foam rolling. Find your tense spots and roll for three to five minutes.
  • RESIST INACTIVITY: We need to fight the effects of sitting, driving, texting or using our devices for long periods of time. Inactivity impacts your overall mobility. Open up with about eight to ten reps using things like side-to-side movement, running in place or jumping rope.
  • ACTIVATE MUSCLES: Once your core temperature is up and your body feels mobile, perform a couple of sets of upper and lower body activation such as band pulls and lateral band walking. This alerts your body of the workout to come and completes the steps to get ready to train.
  • Before You Leave, Check This Out