Patrick Dale

1 week ago | fitnessvolt.com | Patrick Dale

I’ve been a personal trainer for more than 30 years. During that time, I’ve studied some of the most well-known training programs ever written. I’ve tried many of them for myself to discover if they live up to the hype. In my experience, the best workout plans are often the simplest, as they’re usually the ones that are easiest to stick to. That’s not to say that complex training programs don’t work—they definitely do.

2 weeks ago | fitnessvolt.com | Patrick Dale

Most exercisers lift and lower their weights using a fairly standard rep speed or tempo. This usually involves a 1-2 second concentric (lifting) phase followed by a 1-2 second eccentric (lowering) phase. Some may also add a pause at the top or the bottom of each rep, but many don’t. While paying so little attention to rep speed doesn’t automatically make a workout ineffective, exercisers who ignore tempo may be leaving gains on the table.

2 weeks ago | fitnessvolt.com | Patrick Dale

Working out is good for everybody’s body. It enhances all aspects of mental and physical health and can do wonders for your appearance and self-esteem. Paying your dues at the gym can even extend your life (1).   All that said, there are plenty of people who work out for a much more specific reason—they just want to be “swole.”Yes, I’m talking about bodybuilders.

2 weeks ago | fitnessvolt.com | Patrick Dale

As a former British Royal Marine, I never had the option of skipping a workout because of the weather. Consequently, I’ve trained in jungles with 100% humidity, the arid desert of the Middle East, and the icy rain of the Scottish Highlands. And while I can’t say that exercising in extreme weather was ever fun, it was certainly character-building and taught me a lot about discipline and determination. A few years after leaving the Marines, I moved to Cyprus—an island country in the Mediterranean.

2 weeks ago | fitnessvolt.com | Patrick Dale

As a lifelong exerciser and veteran personal trainer, I know first-hand that most progress in the gym comes from consistency, sensible programming, and sustained effort. You just have to keep turning up, doing the work, and paying attention to rest, recovery, and nutrition. But sometimes, even the most dedicated exercisers hit a wall, and progress grinds to a halt. Weights stop increasing, muscles stop growing, and motivation starts to slip.