While some of the common workout mistakes seen in the gym may be minor, many of them can not only hinder progress a bit, but they can also cause injuries.
The following are some of the most common workout mistakes we have seen in gyms across the world:
Common Workout Mistakes
No warm-up. One of the most common workout mistakes seen in the gym is people working out without a proper warmup and without stretching. If you want to stay injury free, your body absolutely must warm up properly. Do something to gently increase the temperature of your muscles - walk easy on a treadmill for a few minutes or do a light weight set of reps on the machines.
Not stretching. Not stretching is also a common workout mistake. When you don't stretch, your
body loses flexibility. Good flexibility not only increases athletic performance but also plays an important role in helping you stay injury free. Studies now show if you are going to stretch to reduce your chance of injury, stretch after you train, and employ active-isolated stretching techniques.
Talking too much in the gym. If you're at the gym to make progress, cut down on the talking and focus on your workout. If you are there to socialize try to chat before and after your workout and keep conversations to a minimum during your workout. Your workouts will be more intense, you will make better gains and you'll spend less time at the gym.
Lack of intensity. When working out you do need to work intensely enough to get results. If you do not train with intensity you will limit your gains. Make sure you are working out hard, which means not resting to long between sets and exercises. It also means working each rep to failure (or at least close to it) and using weights that are challenging. You should concentrate on the form and on squeezing each muscle for a full contraction.
Training to much or too often. Another very common workout mistake is training to often, without giving the body time to rest and repair. The fastest way to derail your long term gains in the gym is to overtrain. When you overtrain you end up breaking down your body faster than it can repair itself. ‘When I train my clients I go for three or four sessions in the gym a week with three days off within that,' says Los Angeles based trainer Jeff Behar. ‘When you rest is when you grow, and people don't realize how long they have to rest. Listen to your body and if a muscle is aching don't work it until it stops. Overtraining is one of most common workout mistakes that prevent people from reaching their fitness goals.
Using too heavy of a weight. More is not always better. To avoid possible injuries, make sure that you use the co
rrect weight that will allow you to use proper form and full range of motion. Using too heavy of a weight can lead to poor form, and possible an injury. To avoid this common workout mistake use an appropriate weight that can be properly controlled at the correct speed for the correct number of reps, without breaking form.
Using too light of a weight. If the weight is too light, you will limit your gains. If you can do more than 12 reps, it's too light and you need to add a little. To avoid this common workout mistake add enough weight that will again allow you to only get eight to ten reps.
Using an incorrect speed. When you use an incorrect speed, like performing repetitions too fast, you are using momentum to lift the weight providing for less muscle fiber to be worked, thus creating less muscle growth. By using incorrect speed you will also be open for a possible injury by not controlling the weight. To correct this common workout mistake use a slower movement. The more controlled the movement is and the less likely you'll get hurt from it. Your muscles will be working more with controlled weight instead of depending upon momentum.
Training supporting muscles before target muscles. You do NOT want to train the smaller supporting (secondary muscles) before the target muscle. Supporting muscles help lift the weight use for the target muscle's growth. If supporting muscles are fatigue you will not be able to lift as much weight needed to develop the larger target muscle. An example of this common workout mistake would be working triceps before chest; or working out biceps before back.
Skipping body parts. How many times have you seen top heavy bodybuilders strutting around with
hefty shoulders on skimpy little legs? With this common workout mistake your not only choosing to work only a few muscles but also gives the body an unbalanced appearance. This workout mistake also sets you up for problems later through muscle imbalances which can lead to injuries.
Sticking with the same workout. Once we find a workout that suits us we usually stick to it. The best way to not make improvements in the gym is to not change your workout. To avoid this common wokout mistake change up your workout routine. This can be done in a variety of ways, including but not limited to (1) order of exercises (2) types of exercises (3) amount of weight used (4) number of reps used (5) types of exercises used (dumbbell vs. barbell, cable vs. machine, etc.). Consider major changes to your workout program after four to six weeks, to avoid a pattern where you stop producing results because your body has hit a plateau. Besides changing your workout, mix up your training by cross training - try circuit training or high intensity (HIT) training once a week. With using these suggestions, you will not only see better results but it will keep your workouts fresh and from becoming boring.
Exercising too hard all the time. High Intensity in the gym is good, but not all the time. What we are talking about here when we refer to high intensity training is employing training methods techniques, like high intensity interval training (HIIT) and other advanced training techniques routinely. Using these techniques too often can result in overtraining, less gains, slower recovery and possible injury. All things that you do NOT want in the first place. You can avoid this common workout mistake by remembering less can mean more.
Copying the hardcore gym members. It's easy to think getting as ripped as the hard core gym members, you simply have to follow their lead. Don't just copy someone when you see them lifting heavy weights or using a certain technique. The problem is without knowing what someone elses fitness aims are, copying them could land you with unexpected results or an injury. To avoid this common workout mistake is to do your homework before you hit the gym and know what is best for you.
Weekend Warrior Mentality. If you've skipped several workouts, don't try to make up for lost time in one session. With this workout mistake you're only setting yourself up for soreness and possible injury.
Working out too long. It's a common misbelief that in order for your exercise plan to keep being effective, you have to add more exercises or to do longer stretches of cardio. Taking too long to complete your workout can result in sub par results. To avoid this workout mistake, the trick is to work harder, not longer. That's done by lifting heavier, resting less in between sets; in other words accomplishing more in the same amount of time, or as much in less time.
Working upper abs before working lower abs. The lower ab muscles are smaller, weaker and less developed than the upper ab muscles. If you train the upper ab muscles first, as most people do with crunches or sit-ups, then you will be too tired to train the lower ab muscles adequately. As a result, the upper ab muscles receive most of the training at the expense of the lower ab muscles. And that's why the "pooch" below the belly button is so hard to lose. One of the best exercises to avoid this workout mistake is to first do hanging leg raises. If you lack arm strength, you can also do leg raises while lying on a bench or the floor. The key to a flat tummy and sexy waistline is to train the lower abs first.
Poor Posture. Poor posture can result in injuries. There are several exercises where posture is extremely important but none are more relevant than in heavy weighted power exercises such as deadlift, squat and bench press.
Poor form. Poor form can not only slow your results, but poor form
can result in torn or pulled muscles, torn tendons, and back problems. Examples of poor form include:
- Jerking the weight. Jerking the weight causes you not only to lose proper form and lead to a possible injury, but it also takes the resistance off the muscle and will diminish effectiveness. In order to avoid this workout mistake use a smooth controlled movement and proper form when performing all exercises.
- Swinging the weight. Swinging the weight will create momentum providing for less muscle fiber to be worked, less muscle growth and be open for a possible injury due to poor form.This unfortunately is a very common workout mistake for many when working the back or working the biceps.
- Twisting or jerking your body. Another common workout mistake is twisting your body or using a jerking motion to lift the weight which will definitely put you at risk for injury.
- Movement performed too fast. When movement is performed to fast, less muscle fiber will be worked and less growth will occur.
- Not using full range of motion. When weight training you need to use a full range of motion. Muscle strength increases when exercises are done through a complete extension/flexion and joints stay more mobile. Using full range of motion increases the force of contraction during each rep and as a result can greatly enhance your results. No matter how fast you go or how many reps you do, it won't be as effective as fewer and easier exercises done with a complete range of motion.
- Pulling on your neck when doing stomach crunches. When you place your hands behind
your neck and pull your neck forward as you come up when doing stomach crunches you can injure your neck. In order to avoid this workout mistake put your hands on your chest, or by your side. - Arching the back when doing bench presses. Arching the back with your butt off the bench can injure your lower back; specifically the intervertebral disc which can experience compression when force into this position. Poor posture is not often thought about when performing bench exercises, such as bench presses, but it is relevant. To avoid this workout mistake, remember to keep your feet flat on the floor and butt on the bench with no more than slight arch in your lower back.
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Not keeping your back straight when deadlifting. Performing deadlifts with poor posture increase risk of spinal disc injuries like hernias. When performing a deadlift, it is extremely important that you do not round out your lower back at any point during the deadlift exercise. To avoid this workout mistake, keep your back straight with head nether looking up or down (neutral position) at all times.
- Bending too far forward when squatting. This workout mistake can cause you to lose your balance. It can also put too much stress on your lower back.When squatting make sure your back is arched, head up, abs are tight and your body is in proper alignment. Do not bend past your knees.
Training while sick. Thinking when you have a cold or flu, that you'll go to the gym and work it out of your system, is pure nonsense. Besides contaminating others, when you train you weaken your immune system while repairing damaged muscles. If you have a cold or flu already, lowering the immune system is going to bring that cold or flu on even more. To avoid this workout mistake and from keeping other gym goers from becomming ill stay home. If you're feeling ill, eat well and take few days off to recover until you're fully fit to begin training again.
Doing too much cardio. By doing too much cardio your body perceives cardio exercising as a
stressor, and chemically reacts the same way it does to "bad" stress. Therefore, too much cardio can have negative effects on your metabolism the same way that eating too few calories can. In addition, too much cardio exercise can result in muscle loss. Too much cardio also puts a lot of wear and tear on your body, which could leave you open to injury and overtraining.
Doing cardio before weight training. There are reasons you do NOT want to do your cardio before weight training. Once the cardio is done, the quality of your lifting will most likely suffer. Your energy sources may be used up. Since you reap the most benefit from the last two or three reps of weight lifting, it is essential that you have the necessary energy to achieve those reps. Consistently training in a weakened state actually lead to decrease in strength over time because it discourages your muscles from being adequately challenged. Cardio burns fat and carbs. If you do your cardio first, the carbs may not be there to fuel your weight training.
Pushing yourself too hard when doing cardio. Avoid this workout mistake if you are wanting to lose fat and not muscle you should NOT set cardio equipment at the fast cardio pace. Target heart rates for fat burning are posted on treadmills, elliptical machines and stationary exercise bikes. The measurements used to get those numbers are designed to avoid litigation as much as they are as to benefit users.
Poor posture on cardio machines. Poor posture, like bending forward can result in injuries to your
lower back, and can also put pressure on your knee and hip joints. When using cardio equipment, stand tall. On treadmills, keep the incline and speed adjusted so you can walk without having to hold on to the machine. Avoid leaning back while hanging on with your hands. For stair steppers, keep your upper body lifted. Leaning forward and resting the upper body on the machine means the effort is too difficult. Lighten the load or slow down so that you can stand as you normally would walking up a flight of stairs. When using an elliptical trainer go for a full extension of the legs each time. And, on cycles sit upright.
No cool-down. To avoid this workout mistake and stay injury free, you should allow yourself time to cool down. Cooling down will help your body to recover and this recovery will help you be prepared for the next workout. Cool down is just as important in allowing your heart rate to lower as your warm up is for increasing the heart rate.
Not stretching at all. Good flexibility not only increases athletic performance but also plays an important role in helping you stay injury free when done at the right time and when using the right stretching technique.Post workout stretching using active-isolated stretching techniques is the best way to reduce muscle soreness, improve flexibility and reduce chances of injuries.
The Bottom Line on Common Workout Mistakes
What is perhaps the biggest workout mistake of all is not learning from your mistakes. Workout mistakes happen. If you realize you’ve been making a lot of these mistakes, don’t beat yourself up. Instead learn from mistakes and stop making them. The benefits from avoiding these workout mistakes are huge which includes having more definition, quicker strength gains, less chance of injury, more energy, and less body fat!