5 Workout Mistakes You Might Be Making

Do you feel you are working hard or maybe even over working and yet not seeing the results you want?

I've been there! I totally feel you! I too struggled for years to reach my health and fitness goals. Battling back and forth with weight gain when I was dedicated to the gym, feeling hopeless at the end of the day. I don't want my clients to feel the same way, so I want to share some tips when it comes to exercise mistakes that many of us make that can set us back and affect our desired results.

1. Skipping warmups

Skipping the pre-workout warmup might seem like a time-saver, but it leaves your muscles cold, your joints stiff, and your mindset unprepared. Neglecting this crucial step increases the risk of injury. Many people put a lot of emphasis on the workout itself, while warmups are equally important. When taking time to warmup and stretch you are helping to increase the blood and oxygen flow to your muscles, which will help get your muscles and joints ready for action and help prevent injury.

Fix

Create a standard warmup routine. This may include using bodyweight exercises such as lunges, squats, push-ups or jumping jacks. Activities such as this will help raise your heart rate prior to your weight training to help increase your blood flow and prepare your body for the upcoming physical exertion.

2. Going to the gym without a plan

What is so wrong with working out without a plan? Well, for one you are not consistently working every muscle group. You'll find yourself wandering between machines, only doing the same exercises and never pushing yourself outside your comfort zone. You'll end up wasting time wandering around and trying to figure out what to do, getting distracted by your phone, which can result in spending more time than required. Without a plan and routine you don't push yourself to the max and you aren't tracking your progress effectively. Therefore, this leads to you being inconsistent without a plan holding you accountable.

Fix

Pre-plan your workout by detailing the exercises, sets, reps, and the sequence to streamline your path within the strength training area.

Want help with creating a plan? I got you! Everyone is unique, everyone's plan will defer based on individual needs! That's whats great with working with a health coach with a background in Exercise and Wellness; Fitness and Performance. I have the training and the experience to work with individuals or groups based on needs. Learn More Here.

3. Thinking you have to go hard and do complicated workouts to see results

While there's nothing inherently wrong with complex exercises and workout routines, they aren't essential for achieving your desired results.

It's common for individuals to overexert themselves by increasing the number of repetitions in their workouts, believing it will accelerate their progress. However, sacrificing proper form can lead to counterproductive results, as it causes you to engage the wrong muscles, hampers your advancement, and increases the risk of injury. The significance of maintaining correct body form is equally crucial in functional exercises.

When you begin to sacrifice proper form, it's easy to become disheartened and lose confidence in your ability to perform exercises correctly. You might even feel self-conscious, thinking that others are observing your incorrect technique, and this can make going to the gym a daunting experience as you struggle with complex workout routines.

Before you know it, you lose all motivation to workout, it becomes exhausting trying to figure out your workout and finding motivation to to do it. Therefore skipping it just seems easier.

Fix

Consider requesting guidance from a fitness expert who can demonstrate the exercises, highlighting common mistakes and key points to watch for while performing them. When it comes to strength training, beginning with compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, or pressing movements is advisable before moving on to smaller isolation exercises like bicep curls. It's always a good practice to have a workout partner to provide "spotting" assistance, ensuring you maintain proper form. If you're exercising alone, start with heavier weights, and when you notice your form deteriorating, switch to a lighter weight to continue safely.

4. Thinking you have to spend hours in the gym / over training to see results

Your results are not dependent on the duration of your workout, but dependent mainly on the intensity. Ideally the length of a workout is 45 to 60 minutes. After 60 minutes the body starts producing catabolic hormones. These hormones start breaking down the muscle and the nervious system becomes taxed.

Your body undergoes transformations in response to the changing demands you impose on it. As these demands evolve, your body must adapt, leading to notable transformations. To facilitate this process, it's crucial to consistently challenge yourself during every workout session.

Extending the duration of your workout isn't the sole approach to elevate the challenge and introduce fresh demands to your body. Instead ask yourself if you can motivate yourself to do three additional reps or lift heavier dumbbells this time? Explore ways to enhanse your intensity to step up your fitness game rather than trying to spend hours in the gym to only compromise your intensity and training.

Overtraining is often linked to inadequate recovery, poor nutrition, lack of sleep, and high stress levels. If you do adopt extended workout sessions as a consistent practice, you might encounter signs of overtraining. You may experience perpetual fatigue, a lack of motivation, slower recovery times, persistent soreness, and unmanageable appetite.

Extended workouts are not sustainable in the long term. To achieve enduring results, it's essential to create a workout regimen that seamlessly integrates into your daily life.

Fix

Allow for ample time for adequate recovery, and concerns about overtraining will diminish. Depending on the workout's intensity, full recovery may require one to three days. Upon resuming your routine, you'll likely experience enhanced strength and increased energy levels.

5. Thinking working out is the only way to burn those calories

I understand the appeal of burning calories. We've been conditioned to believe that the more calories we burn, the more weight we shed, or the fitter we become. While it's true that the balance of calories consumed and calories expended matters, achieving comprehensive fitness involves more than just calorie burn. We should also focus on building strength and allowing our bodies to recover. This is a prevalent fitness misconception that needs addressing.

You do not need to spend hours in the gym working out, stressing over how many calories you are burning to see results. If you're the type of person who selects workouts solely for their calorie-burning potential, it's essential to recognize that there's more to fitness than just the burn.

Consider the aspect of building strength and promoting recovery. Embrace the idea of challenging your body with diverse movement patterns that may not always skyrocket your heart rate but contribute to well-rounded fitness. There are workouts that might not result in a significant calorie burn but are still valuable for your overall well-being and should not be seen as failures.

Fix

There are so many ways you can boost your calorie burn without upping your gym time or spending hours focused on cardio alone. Never overlook the significance of minor movements. Engaging in simple activities throughout your day significantly contributes to your overall calorie expenditure, all without requiring an intense workout. By prioritizing resistance training and the development of lean muscle, your body will naturally increase its calorie-burning capacity continuously throughout the day. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your body's daily calorie requirements become. Muscle is metabolically active and helps your body burn calories effectively. Building and maintaining muscle is beneficial for your overall health and fitness.

Which mistakes are you making and what are you going to do to correct them? Comment below! I would love to hear from you.