Top 10 Workout Mistakes - Mistakes 4-6

Here’s the second installment in the series outlining the 10 worst and most often committed workout mistakes. 

4. 10,000 crunches and counting.  Nearly everyone knows what a crunch is even if they’ve never worked out.  This is an unfortunate truth and one to take note of.  Attempting to crunch the belly fat away is a waste of time if you compare it to the value one reaps from performing more effective exercises.  This act of performing certain exercises to reduce fat in particular areas of the body is called spot reducing.  This technique is anything but beneficial and as is often the case, time consuming.  Why spend time on inefficient techniques when you could be challenging your midsection with more effective exercises?

RESOLUTION:

Core competencies.  If you are concerned about losing belly fat then ditch the crunches, acquire better eating habits, use compound exercises to stimulate fat loss and implement exercises that will build and support the body’s foundation.  Exercises like the plank, side plank, physio ball exercises like the rollout and ball plank.  These exercises will sculpt and support the midsection allowing you to safely perform compound exercises and ultimately keep your spine healthier as you age. 

5. Unnecessary outsourcing.  One of the biggest mistakes often made is outsourcing your exercises to machines.  You have every resource you need to complete a fantastic workout in house using your own body weight.  Underutilization of body weight exercises often proves to be the weakest link in your workout routine. 

RESOLUTION:

Cash in on your assets.  Always incorporate body weight exercises in your workouts.  There are countless versions of body weight exercises that also happen to be compound exercises which we talked about earlier that are most beneficial when it comes down to the nuts and bolts of your workout routine.  Squats, lunges, pushups, pull-ups (regular or assisted), planks and body weight rows should be placed high on your exercise agenda.  Not only will these exercises blast away at unwanted body fat and help you to get stronger, they are also confidence builders.  With confidence comes empowerment.  With empowerment comes desired change.

6. Wasting resources.  Just like choosing spot reducing exercises over compound exercises is a waste of valuable time and energy, it is also true for endless hours of cardio.  What you will more likely achieve with this mode of exercise is overuse injuries and burnout.  The body is so well adapted to preserve itself that it will quickly adjust to constant state exercise and eventually become well suited to use fewer calories to accomplish the same workload.

RESOLUTION:

Variety is the spice of life.  One of the most effective forms of cardiovascular exercise as it relates to burning body fat and improving one’s general conditioning is interval training.  Next time you plan a cardio session try the following technique:

Warm up 3-5 minutes

Perform 30 seconds of intense work (effort scale of 1-10 performed at 7)
Actively recover 1:00-1:30 (effort scale of 1-10 performed at 3-4)
Repeat 3-7 more times (depending on your conditioning level)
Cool down 5 minutes

Done

Exercise intensity is the key, not duration when it comes to fat loss and conditioning.
Much more to come next week.