Mistakes We Make While Working Out

We all want quick results and live in a society that rewards speed and pokes fun at people that work slowly and methodically towards their goals. However, in the case of strength training and body conditioning, it could mean the difference between effective and ineffective exercise, not to mention increasing the likelihood of injury if we try to rush or skip a few key steps in the process of getting fit.

Let’s look at a few of these mistakes and discuss ways in which they can be minimized:

1. Mistake: Not warming up prior to aerobic activity. Correction: Even though you may have been moving all day, muscles need time to adjust to unusual demands. If you are going to run for a couple of miles, make sure that you stretch first, walk a few minutes, build up to a light jog and then begin your running stride.
   
   
2. Mistake: Skipping the stretch. Correction: By bending and stretching the muscle groups you will be using during workouts, you will be less likely to pull or strain tendons or muscles. Conversely, stretching after your workout when muscles are warm and pliable is equally important. Tight muscles are more apt to suffer from tears, pulls and cramping.
   
   
3. Mistake: Lifting too much weight. Correction: Your muscles need to learn how to accept increasing amounts of weight as well as repetitions of movement with weight. Gradual, progressive resistance is a safer way to increase muscle strength. Lifting too much weight, too soon, is a surefire way to injure your body and stop your fitness progress.
   
   
4. Mistake: Exercising too vigorously. Correction: You can’t make up for lost time. It is far safer and more effective to increase the number of moderate workouts you perform over several days, weeks and months rather than try to fit a week’s worth of exercise into one or two intense workouts on the weekend. In other words, build up your fitness level over a reasonable period of time.
   
   
5. Mistake: Not giving your body adequate time to cool down after a workout. Correction: Workouts should not be a race against time. You need to give your heart rate a chance to return to normal and stretch your muscles. Allowing just 3-5 minutes or so after your workout to cool down increases the likelihood that your body will be prepared for the next workout.
   
   
6. Mistake: Not drinking enough water. Correction: If you drink nothing else all day let it be water and ample amounts of it (Water 8x8). Unless you are exercising vigorously for two hours per day or more, water should be adequate for rehydration. Avoid most “High Energy” drinks as they are typically full of sugar calories and are usually unnecessary unless you are working out for more than 2 hours per day.
   
   
7. Mistake: Using energy bars as snack food during workouts. Correction: Eating a well balanced diet throughout the day with sufficient calorie levels and exercise should result in weight loss. Energy bars generally contain calories that you don’t need if your diet is balanced with proteins, carbohydrates and fats. One of the last things you need while trying to lose weight is to increase calories through bars or drinks that are unnecessary. During longer workouts (greater than 2 hours), you may need a quality bar or drink with a 2 to 1 up to 4 to 1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein.
   
   
8. Mistake: Being too easy on yourself. Correction: If you want results you have to make time to workout consistently. One day every other week at the gym is not going to produce noticeable changes in your body. You need to be willing to exercise hard enough to work up a light sweat and reach your target heart rate (Exercise & Health) training zone at least 3-4 days per week. Overdoing exercise is bad; under-performing during a workout is a waste of time.
   
   
9. Mistake: Not maintaining good form as you workout. Correction: Good form does two things. First it ensures that the intended exercise use the muscle group(s) we wish to target and in some cases avoids enlisting secondary muscles that are not intended to be used. Secondly, the full range of the muscle is worked and not just a small portion of it. Keep in mind that muscles will tire towards the end of an exercise set and the body naturally will try to compensate by recruiting other muscle groups to help out. This is called muscle transference and can reduce the exercise benefit either in strength or size of the target muscle(s). It can also cause injuries. Avoid improper form when muscles fatigue by stopping the set temporarily, moving on to another body part exercise set and going back to the previous exercise and completing it after a 30-45 second break. Introducing second sets may deliver safer and better long term results.
   
   
10. Mistake: Unclear or unrealistic goals. Correction: Set up a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and quarterly set of expectations. Plan your workouts based upon what you want to achieve. For example: weight loss should include a program that incorporates at least 60% of your workout time doing aerobic exercises and 40% split between resistance and strength training. Remember that diet plays a key role in attaining your weight loss goals as well. Eating more calories than your body requires will result in weight gain whether or not you are participating in a workout program. Some of the biggest diet sabotage culprits include refined carbohydrates with high glycemic indexes ( What Is A Glycemic Index? ), alcohol consumption, as well as higher intake of poor fats (The Macronutrients: Carbohydrates, Proteins And Fats and What Are The Healthiest Fats To Eat? ).
    
    

Following these simple guidelines will help you achieve your fitness and weight loss goals more quickly and safely. After all, being fit encompasses the concept of limiting injury while trying to loose the fat you are carrying around. Be safe and stay well, from your team at Better Life Unlimited.

The Better Life Experts | April 2, 2009