Working out is not just about warming up, having a light meal or staying hydrated throughout the session. There is more to exercising that, sadly, gets ignored most of the time. These workout mistakes can sabotage your progress and leave you frustrated, confused, and exhausted. Even if you have been working out for years, you might still be making some of these errors.
Here are 6 big workout mistakes you’re probably making in your workout regime and how you can correct them:
1. Overwhelming Yourself
One of the biggest mistakes at the gym is seeking out the elusive “get fit fast” scheme. Training harder than you can manage is the quickest way to injure yourself and it will most likely lead to improper movement. You’ll also frustrate yourself because it will take a long time to reach your goal. Also, working out too much and all at once will slow your progress because of the constant fatigue and can lead to lower back pain, muscle strain and overtraining.
Start slowly with a comprehensive workout involving stretches, core training, and movement preparation to prep your body to lift a lot of weight. If you’re a beginner, training three times a week is perfect – it’ll give your muscles ample time between each workout to repair and grow. Challenge your body with more work every week. However, keep in mind not go beyond your body’s ability to recover.
2. Not Keeping A Track
If you’re not keeping a record of your workout sessions then you end up with an inconsistent training plan. That’s definitely one the most common workout mistakes. Without a plan, you’ll either roam the gym looking for something to do or switch between routines endlessly, preventing yourself from mastering exercises, wasting time and missing out on great results. Record everything you do during your workout including the exercises, duration of each workout, and reps. This will highlight your successes and mistakes so you can adjust your exercise program and diet to upgrade your result.
It’s a known fact that people who weigh themselves regularly lose more weight than those who don’t. This could be because when we continuously monitor our weight, we can actually see the pounds come off and it serves as motivation to keep exercising. You can also try getting an app that will help you track your workouts and get things started.
3. Not Being Consistent
If you exercise only when you feel like it, it’s understandable that you’re not going to achieve the desired result. Moreover, you will never build a great body like that because there’s no system or foresight. Set a workout regime, schedule it in your calendar and stick to it. If you find your current routine too tough, cut it down to just one day per week but never skip it.
Set achievable weekly targets for yourself, like a fixed number of gym sessions, timed exercises, and so on. Then set monthly targets, starting with 3 months and slowly progressing to 12 months, using the more attainable goals to steadily move toward your fitness aim. Many fitness centers also offer beginner programs that can help you get started on your fitness journey.
4. Taking Supplements That Are Not Needed
If you sweat heavily, work out for hours, or exercise in hot, humid conditions, you may require sports drinks or protein shakes. However, if you’re exercising in a climate-controlled gym, water is the best choice for hydration. Protein shakes are probably just erasing the calorie deficit that you just earned. A 20-ounce bottle of protein shake amounts to about 35 grams of sugar, equal to the amount in consuming about 20 gummy bears.
Moreover, energy bars are high in fiber, which means they take longer to digest. And that digestion requires energy- energy that you could use during your workout. Opt for a banana instead, which is easily digestible and won’t inhibit your gym time. There are a wide variety of supplements available in the market, however only a few actually do the work- the rest just drain your wallet.
5. Not Getting Enough Sleep
Sleep is very important if you want your performance to be at the optimal level when you go to the gym. This is probably one of the biggest workout mistakes. You need to make sure that you’re getting at least 6 hours of sleep every night. If you’ll not be taking adequate sleep, you are going to suffer from a lack of muscle recovery and lack of additional caloric expenditure. Lack of sleep will affect the hormones that your body naturally secretes when you sleep, and this will result in an increase of cortisol, which is the body’s stress hormone and is responsible for fat storage. So make sure to get at least 6 hours of sleep a night!
If you have trouble falling asleep, it is recommended to take natural sleep aid supplements to help you get quality, deep sleep so that you don’t toss and turn all night long.
To integrate a good and sustainable fitness regime into your lifestyle, work steadily and enjoy the journey. You won’t achieve this by overexerting yourself, following extreme workouts or banning yourself from delicious foods. Whether you work out at a public gym or in your personalized garage gym, what is required is an end goal and slow but successive steps towards pursuing that goal.
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