Top 10 Workout Mistakes - Mistakes 1-3

In the next several weeks I will be outlining the 10 biggest workout mistakes made by the masses.  Take notes if you are stuck in a rut or a beginner.  This information will propel you much closer to your goals and at a faster rate.

Without further ado…

1. No plan of action.  Sometimes it’s a struggle just to get to the gym especially if it’s after work when everyone else has the same idea.  Fighting traffic, crowded parking lots and gyms can easily detour you from achieving a successful workout if you don’t have a plan.  Planning your workouts ahead of time is a must if you ever want to see results. 

RESOLUTION:

Plan ahead.  You wouldn’t walk into an important meeting with your reputation on the line without thoroughly preparing yourself first would you?  So why walk into the gym without a conscious, thought out plan of action? Keep a notebook or workout journal with you to record your workouts.  The night before,  jot down the exercises you will be performing the next day for your workout.  This is just like your day planner that you use at the office which records your daily schedule of meetings, to do lists and conference calls.  If you use your Blackberry or I Phone to keep your schedule, input your workouts into your device the same way.  This allows you to walk into the gym with a purpose and get things done. 

2. Repetition kills.  When we think of repetition in the gym we often think of the number of reps we’ll perform for each exercise set.  What you need to be concerned with is repetitively performing the same exercises and using the same machines with the same weight to perform these exercises each time you workout.  We humans tend to fall into repetitive patterns and do what we know.  We shy away from change often because it makes us uncomfortable.  These habitual patterns sabotage the very reason we are working out…to see change.

RESOLUTION:

Bring in some new blood.  You are the main stakeholder in project “body overhaul”.  It’s up to you to shake things up and bring in new exercises to elicit the changes you want.  This creates an unrecognized stimulus in the body which will result in more change for the better.  You want a high return on your exercise investment for your efforts in the gym and changing up your routine every four to six weeks will promote a higher yield.

3. Compound your investment.  All too many times in any given workout setting, you’ll see exercisers performing single joint movements like a bicep curl or a tricep extension.  These exercises have their respective place in the grand scheme of things.  Though, if you really want to shed pounds of unwanted fat and sculpt your body, it’s necessary to use compound multi joint movements.

RESOLUTION:

Choose your exercises wisely.  Big, compound multi joint exercises like the squat, pushup, row, dead lift, lunge and chin up recruit more muscle and therefore burn more energy.  Burning more energy means a metabolic increase which will burn more fat given that you are eating foods that are beneficial and support your workout goals.  So make sure to wisely invest in compound exercises by including a version of the above listed exercises every time you plan a workout.

Stay tuned…more to come in the next issue.