You finally hit the gym. Congrats! While getting to the gym is possibly the biggest step you can take in your fitness journey, it is not the ultimate destination. In fact, the routine that you obsessively follow might be causing harm than good. You believe that you are making the most of your time at the gym, but the reality is that all of us commit some mistakes every time we wall into the gym that finally impedes our workout.
Here are a few mistakes that you might be committing at the gym.
- Rushing through a workout rather than concentrating on the form- Lifting the weight but not getting results? Progressive overload and good form are the main way you will encourage progress while working at the gym. Go slow and control your form and add weight every week. If you don’t do the exercises properly then, it’s a waste of time.
- You are doing too much workout- It is always wise to pace yourself when you first go to the gym. Trainers recommend starting off slowly in order to figure out your limit and range. No need to overdo it. Some members want to “go hard” in everything, be it lifting weights or cardio. This causes tiredness or risking serious injuries by lifting heavyweights.
- Resting for a longer period of time- Taking long breaks between a workout or after each circuit will reduce your heart rate and you will miss the calorie-burning advantages of keeping it elevated. Taking fewer breaks will also make your workouts simpler and less challenging.
- Do a hundred sit-ups for strong abs- Unfortunately, doing 1000 sit-ups in a day won’t help you to get the perfect abs. The first and foremost thing is the visibility of abs depend on your diet and where you carry the body fat. Unluckily, you can’t spot-reduce fat, and everyone holds fat in different parts of the body. This is the reason why gym trainers suggest concentrating on whole fat loss. If you want a lean physique, it is recommended to focus on a heavy compound workout that forces you to engage to the core, like squats and deadlifts and following a calorie-controlled diet focused on fat loss.
- Not at all stretching or doing it the wrong way- There are many gym-goers who think that stretching is not that important. Thus, they don’t focus on flexibility. Stretching is a specific injury preventive measure that should be considered. Older we get, the more we should start focusing on joint health and flexibility. Want another tip? The best time to do stretching is post-workout. Stretching a cold muscle could cause an injury if your body is not used to it. The right approach is to give your body a proper warm-up before you start deep stretching.
- Doing cardio before lifting weights- There is not a single workout order, however, doing any type of cardio just before your weight session can have a negative impact. Doing cardio first will lessen your energy level and will hit fatigue fast. Weight training, when your energy supplies are low, is probably to be less effective and more likely to cause an injury. Ideally, you should divide weights and cardio, but if you have a shortage of time, always do the weight training first.
- Not keeping a track of your workouts- The only method to ensure those progressive overload profits is to track your workouts. Track the weight and reps of each workout so that you can be sure of your weekly progress.