20 Common Workout Mistakes & Solutions

The last few weeks I have been really getting into and writing about the nutritional sides of things. There is so much to be spoken about nutrition and all of the new research and discoveries that have been made in the field; it is an breathtaking and heinous time.

But I am going back to exercise this interval.

Firstly I want to say I ' m not here to magistrate anyone. I have made all these mistakes myself at some point; lets say these are just observations.

I go to a gym as a normal section to train myself and I go to gyms as a personal trainer. I sometimes can’ t help but look around and evaluate other people’ s workout.

Some people don ' t even sweat! They talk or read magazines for longer than they train.

I used to think these people were wasting their time but I have now realised that they are still getting something from it, even if it is just a social thing.

I peg many people in there working really hard and training correctly but sadly I distinguish twice as many people ambulatory around aimlessly, using poor technique and going too easy on some things and too hard on others.

None of these mistake alone are a big deal, but when you do lots of them every tryst and never cease to do it for the next few senility, it becomes a big problem, as you could be getting so much more out of all the venture.

So to help you avoid making too many mistakes I put it into a catalogue of Common Workout Mistakes together.

These will help you get more progress for the struggle you are putting in.

There are 20 to get through so I’ ll get straight into it:

1. No Toasty Up

I regard a lot of people tramp into the gym, jacket off, straight to the weights, pick them up and start bench pressing! Their body is nowhere near ready to start lifting proper weights. It’ s advisable to do a few temperate up sets with lighter weights but even before that you should be getting the body ready to exercise. A quick pulse raiser is needed to increase your heart standard, body temperature, circulation and range of motion. If you are lifting weights you could try and do some specific movements to your get-together quite than 5 min on the treadmill or bike. More and more people are using lather rollers now to release any tight muscles before the start their conference. ( I will be writing more about soapsuds roller and how to use them away ). Mingle up some go-getting stretches ( high knees, heel lifts, swinging the arms etc ) with some body weight exercises like press ups and burpees to prepare you mentally and your body physically to start training properly.

2. Not Stretching

Stretching may not be the most fun part of a workout but it is needed. The more flexible your muscles are the less chance they have of getting injured. Stretching pre - exercise will help to increase the elasticity of the muscles and help your range of movement during your assemblage. Always stretch after you have warmed up.

Before exercise - go-getting stretching like swinging your arms and lifting your knees up to your chest.

After exercise - static stretching like adjacent your toes. Purchase these post exercise stretches for 2 - 3 minutes for best results.

3. Long, Slow Cardio ( all the time )

I’ m going to say this now: if you want to unlock and experience all of the fantastic health benefits that regular exercise can bring please do not read a book while you exercise. I can safely say if you are exercising at an intensity setting you are able to read a book then you are not going hard enough. There is a common inaccuracy that the best way to lose weight is to do cardiovascular work in the " fat burning zone ".

It ' s not the situation. You need to be mixing it up a bit with high intensity training moderately than straight cardio. So many people will come in with an hour workout in mind and spend it on 1 perhaps 2 machines at a constant speed; this is not good, sorry. If you are training for a marathon or long distance race then go ahead, but if you want to lose fat you really need to homogenize things up. An efficient high intensity interval training can stingy that you can get better results in probably ¼ the time of long steady aerobic training. Try going all out for 30s rest for 90s and repeat 5 - 10 times.

Note: Cardio training is a great way of de - stressing and thermal ( broiling is good for you ). That ' s what I use it for, a therapeutic waves. It chills me out and re - energises me at the same time if that makes sense.

4. Poor Technique

This doesn’ t annoy me just considering I am a personal trainer and I like to eye people exercise right, it is more to do with the detail that it can be dangerous. The most common thing I survey is people squatting BADLY ( like an senile countess going to the washroom ). The squat is THE most important exercise and a fundamental movement in life, so please squat with your feet flat to the asphalt! the other one I flash lots of is doing press ups incorrectly. I also note people lament that their back hurts after the squat and their shoulders hurt after lifting weights. If you do the exercises right then the pain should just come from the muscles you have been working.

5. Sit Ups to Lose Belly Fat

Sadly we can’ t just cleverly decide latitude we are going to lose the fat. Doing sit ups won’ t burn your belly fat, doing tricep extensions won’ t burn your upper arm fat; it ' s called spot reduction and is not possible. Just so these exercises will strengthen your muscles and sufferance a better look but not get rid of body fat.

Tip - Don ' t do typical sit ups if you have any pouching or distension in your abdomen ( it will make it worse ), try to do planks and leg raises.

6. Working Out Every Single Day

If you have the motivation to train every day then I take my trilby off to you. I only do it for myself 3 - 4 times a instant, but I do train other people 6 days a future so I ' m not forcible if i break this rule or not!

So many people struggle to find motivation to go once a present let alone once a day. You must be careful though, as your muscles improve during rest. They get unbecoming down during training and then they remake during rest and come back stronger. This is how we improve. The hour after training is crucial in rebuilding your muscles and potentially improving them, so good quality nutrition and rest is needed. Not allowing your muscles enough time to rest limits the muscles opportunities to revamp and can lead to flat results, limited training ability and eventually injury. If you are going to exercise each day then change the exercises and activities you do. Alloy up cardio and resistance training for different days and try and cover different sports like tennis / squash as opposed to else gym cattle call on exercise days: don’ t stick to the same routine 7 days a lastingness. If you need to train or your day is not the same and if you are spending longer and longer up the gym you may have an exercise addiction which is dangerous. ( If that sounds like you or someone you know, you need help or will suffer massive depression in the long term. ) Iron man and marathon runners are most prone to this.

7. Considerably Relying On Machines

The machines they have in gyms I think are a good start to introducing you to strength training but they should not be used instead of free weights in my thesis. These machines can sometimes put you into unnatural positions which could be more dangerous than free weight training. Machine training isolates the muscle so you are only working that specific muscle. You may think that is good, but it isn’ t. Free weight training means that much more muscles are used during the movement. Your core muscles are worked to help give you a stable base and balance, and many other different muscles are needed to stabilise and aid the main muscle being worked. Free weights have much more potpourri and are more functional than machine training.

A lot of people are scared of free weights owing to it has a separate gym area and as they don’ t know what to do. Just speak to a gym instructor / personal trainer and they should get you off to a good start. Start with box squats and shoulder press, master these and variation onto lunges and press ups and hereafter try dead lift and pull ups.

Some women think they can ' t do some of these exercises, but the good story is you can with the right strategics, techniques and equipment. I have women over 60 doing 20 press ups, assisted pull ups and 40kg dead lifts ( the dead lift is sequentially lifting something heavy off the pave ).

8. Trying to Cram Circumstance into One Workout

If you can honestly only get to the gym once a hour then you can’ t expect to get a week’ s worth of training into that one hour quickie. You should still go to the gym but if you are only training once a turn it is likely that you will not be fit enough to take on a massive confrontation.

I would push for trying to fit in 3 - 4 workouts of 10 - 15 minutes at home or at work during the generation to increase your fitness which will avow you to do a bit more in your gym gig at the stump of the turn.

9. Getting Distracted During Your Workout

I may seem fairly unsociable making this point but you should do all of your language after your rally, not during. It does annoy me when I notice someone complete a set talk for 5 minutes then do the second set. This is no good. You need to time how long you have between each set, use the clock or your wristwatch and keep concern running smoothly. Without patrol your rest you hypocrisy detector your progress. You will not achieve the best results if you own too much time to rest between sets; you confess your muscles to recover completely which lessens the gains. If you and your muscles feel certainly fine after a weights set it doesn’ t tight you are strong and fit... it means you probably used too much rest and used too light a weight. Also by timing your rests you’ ll likely be able to get out of there 10 minutes earlier every introduction.

10. Not Pushing Yourself

3 sets of 10 reps with 50kg for bench press may be very burdensome for someone when they start exercising. It is likely that for the first few weeks they have only managed to get 8, 9 reps, then as they improve they can do 10, 10, 8. Double time after though they hit 10, 10, 10; now is the time to push it along and up the weight but so many people don’ t make that step. In adjustment to improve you need to overload yourself. Once your body gets used to a movement it will stop improving and plunge into to plateau, so you won’ t get any weaker but you won’ t get any stronger.

In disposal to be successful and achieve results you need to be constantly setting targets, achieve them, then set else target. Always have something to aim for and you will always be motivated.

Side note: some people are too sick and flagging to push themselves and if they do push themselves they need to go to sleep after they have been to the gym. If this is you, you need to detox and rest to get your natural energy back.

11. Promiscuous Sessions

In tidiness to avoid motile from machine to machine aimlessly and using that one owing to it’ s free, you need to have a workout succession. Before stepping foot in the gym you need to have a good thought what your goal for the confrontation is and how you are going to reach it. People who plan properly have much better results, and they are also more booked to seal their meet. If you have no routine then there is zilch stopping you from walking out the door after ten minutes. Plan every powwow and make direct that every workout brings you a step closer to achieving your goal.

12. Copying

The gym can be a good place to learn new exercisers and poke up new workout ideas but it is also a good place to muster up horrendous habits. Try to avoid copying people, and ask your orator if you want some good advice. Chances are a lot of the people you are copying are making 5 - 8 of the mistakes written down in this catalogue. Obviously a lot of people do workout well, so have a discussion with some colloquial gym members who are in good shape at the point of the turnout to glimpse how they are getting their results. Don’ t exasperate them during their assemblage because they will not be happy ( touch to point 9 – getting befuddled during your workout! )

13. Easy Sessions

This one is a alloy of points 3, 9, 10 and 11. They all crowd to manage a long congress with fleeting benefits. I mercenary it is good that people are going to the gym and they are doing a lot more than those sat at home with their feet up, but the actuality that they have made it to the gym point they intelligence as well do a going more and get the full benefits. Many people have no estimate how to exercise but are happy to carry on moderately than entreaty for help, thinking they are doing well. If you green light the gym without a red face and a good pry into on then you should be doing more. So quick tips: swap your long cardio for intervals, articulation your rest time between sets, plan your concourse beforehand and always set yourself new goals. This way your workout will be done in half the time and you will get double the results.

14. Doing the Askew Type of Workout

If you have a set goal then you want every convocation to bring you that one step closer to achieving it. If you are unsure of how to achieve it ask a personal trainer and I’ m decisive they will be more than happy to help. If you want to run a marathon then you should be spending a bit less time in the weights room and if you want to improve your muscular strength get off the petulant trainer!

Tip: there is no perfect exercise routine for the ultimate body! You need to - lift heavy weights - do cardio ( run, row, bike, swim ) - do travel - do speed work / power - vary things up all the time.

15. Neglecting Weights

This one goes out to the females out there. Doing regular weights training will not allowance you looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger! It will just help you to burn tons more calories, have a more toned physique, and be strong enough to perform daily tasks easily. Science does not allow you to build muscle like males do, and unless you set your goal to be as big and ripped as possible then this won’ t happen. Incorporate weights into your workouts it will help a great deal.

16. Lifting Too Heavy

I examine so many people eager to lift innumerable weights thanks to it ‘ looks better‘ and completely relinquishment their technique to do so. You know when you start to twist your whole body and lean and stroke about too much that you are lifting too heavy, and this may acquiesce you to complete the rep but it will prevent you from getting the full gains of the exercise as you aren’ t just using the muscles you are supposed to. You are also a lot more likely to get injured. Just start with lower weights and build it up gradually.

17. Not Drinking Enough

If you feel fervid while you are training you are present-day dehydrated which is going to negatively affect your performance. You need to constantly make an accomplishment to drink during the day, not just during and after training. Drinking too much during training can assent you excitement gilded so make convinced you drink enough beforehand. Also don’ t rely on a lucozade or powerade to give you energy; water is fine and a lot cheaper!

18. Neglecting Cooling Down

As away as a lot of people complete their last rep they are straight out the door in a flash. Or if they are on a cardio machine as these days as the time is complete they will hit stop. Always perform an life which will help to gradually bring your heart proportion back down. This will reduce your chances of getting injured and give you a few minutes just to relax. Stretching is great to biting down, and as I oral earlier, mastery the stretches for 2 - 3 minutes.

19. Thinking You Can Eat What You Want

This applies to so many people and is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. If you head straight for a takeaway after the gym being ‘ you feel you deserve one’ then you are going to undo all of the hard work you have just done in the gym. YOU CAN ' T OUT TRAIN A BAD DIET.

The first hour post workout is crucial in re - fueling the body and ensuring that it is able to revamp and improve. You need to make clear-cut that you get some good quality carbohydrates into your body to help protect and recreate the muscles. A piece of fruit is a great first thing to have after a workout.

20. Setting Utopian Goals

In disposition to stay motivated you need to set a stimulating goal which is hard to achieve but achievable. If you set a goal like lose 4 stone in a month before your connubial then you will not achieve it... certainly not in a healthy way anyway! You shouldn’ t set a goal for the interest of it; you need to want to achieve it. Have a proper think about what you totally want and how you are going to do it. Be honest with yourself and take into tally your fitness levels, physique, lifestyle, nutritional habits and set something true-to-life to you. If you need help ask a licensed.

So there we have my top 20 common workout mistakes.

Its been a long post but that just shows how many people I gape making mistakes. They are all easy to cut out to make certain you are getting maximum benefits from your sessions.

Take care, and good luck