7 Biggest Workout Mistakes

Okay, I am going to stand on my personal trainer soap-box a minute. Forgive me… I hope this is not you. 

1. Repeating the same workout over and over again- this will only maintain your current condition and not improve it. The old saying: “If you keep doing what you do, you’ll keep getting what you have.” If you want to progress, I and know you do because that’s why your working out in the first place, then get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. You must improve to move forward. Expect no less of yourself. Changing up your routine also prevents you from getting bored. Even changing things slightly will provide a new stimulus to the body.

2. Using poor form – ouch… Need I say more? Nobody wants an injury or a muscle imbalance. If you don’t know what you are doing, get help from a personal trainer who does, even if you just do to a few sessions. The money spent far out weighs the set back (temporary or permanent) of an injury.

3. Lifting weights too fast- Slow down! Enjoy the moment, you are on a journey to a wonderful body! Embrace the process, love the rewards. When you go too fast you will risk injury because your form and technique will be compromised. You will be using your momentum rather than using your muscles efficiently. Notice the difference… a little harder now isn’t it?

4. Thinking that doing lots of ab exercises will lose the fat on your tummy – If you cannot see your abs, it isn’t because they are not strong or developed. It is because you do not have low body fat. Your fat is simply covering up the muscle you cannot see, this is true with any body part for that matter. Most people store their body fat in their tummies. You probably won’t ever see those abs if you don’t include cardio, proper nutrition, an all over body strength training program, and the mindset to do them all consistently.

5. Lifting weights that are too light- I do not want to confuse this with lifting weights that are too heavy and cause injury, that’s another mistake by the way… but if you can do over 15 reps with the weight you are using for a particular exercise… it’s definitely time to increase your weight! Listen up ladies… you will not get big muscles, you will get tone, especially if you keep the fat off with proper nutrition as well. If you think you are “bulking up” it is because you are getting muscular and fat. Don’t forget the cardio and the nutrition that go along with it.

6. Not having an effective cardio workout- have you ever watched someone on a piece of cardio equipment reading a book or watching tv, moving like a slug and think they are doing great because they did cardio for an hour? Contrast that with the person pushing it either with the speed or the resistance, sweating and breathing hard totally focused on exceeding their own wildest expectations. If you want to burn more fat, intensity, duration and frequency combined are all factors to consider.

7. Not including weight training to burn fat and calories- most people think that weight training is only to build muscle. I see a lot of people at the gym only doing cardio, and guess what? I do not see their bodies make any significant change. By combining strength training, you will increase your muscle or lean body mass and speed up your metabolism. Your body will burn more calories to meet the demands of maintaining your lean muscle mass. How many calories you burn at rest is determined by how much lean muscle mass you have. More muscle mass… faster metabolism… more calorie burn! 

Be well, and train smart,

Lauren

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