Top 10 Workout Mistakes - Mistakes 7-8

7. More is not always better.  The more in this case is repetition.  If your workout is based on high repetition sets you are losing out on the benefits of hard work.  This is especially true when combining high repetition sets (15 or more) with single joint exercises like the bicep curl and tricep extension.    

RESOLUTION:

Exercising outside the box.  This often means doing the exercises that are the hardest for you to accomplish which are the same ones you avoid like the plague every time you workout.  And guess what…these are also most likely those big, multi joint exercises we’ve been talking about all along.  When you can correctly perform 8-12 repetitions of those tough body weight exercises like the squat, pushup and body weight row for three to four sets, then you are maximizing your return on your exercise investment. 

Now, let’s say that you really put your time in and are able to perform those big body weight exercises correctly with great form for the recommended sets and repetitions.  It’s time to raise the bar… and that doesn’t mean completing more repetitions.  Instead of just doing a body weight squat, hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides or a medicine ball over your head while squatting.  Same can be said for the pushup.  Once you’re able to complete 8-12 pushups for 3 or more sets, begin to master decline pushups.  By increasing the intensity of your workload and not necessarily your repetitions, you’ll realize better results and find less stress on your joints, seams and zippers.

8. Restricting energy from natural resources.  We’ve established that if you want to see your dress size fall to single digits or the inches of your waist line to be less than your age, you must base your workouts on multi joint, compound exercises like body weight exercises.  These are those tough exercises that because of their intensity restrict repetitions and require at least a few beads of sweat to form on your brow line.  So if these exercises are intense and utilize a lot of energy to perform, then you must have that energy available to you come workout time.  It’s like beating a dead horse when you attempt a workout without eating all day or improperly choosing the wrong foods before your workout.

RESOLUTION:

Plan a pre workout meal 30 minutes to an hour before your workout that won’t weigh you down and that will provide adequate energy to complete said workout.  Cheeseburgers and pizza won’t do the trick and aren’t the answer even though they are energy dense.  These foods will weigh you down and make you feel sluggish as well as sabotage your weight loss goals.  Choose natural, organic foods that will meet your energy requirements while promoting fat loss all day.  Fruits are a great source of energy not to mention healthy.  It’s helpful if you experiment with the quantity and intake timing of these foods since you may be sensitive to working out too soon after a meal.  Also, if you find yourself without energy, feeling nauseous or dizzy before you complete your workout, you may need to increase the calories prior to your workout.  Often, these are symptoms of low blood sugar.  Once you arrive in this state, there’s no recovering from it to finish your workout which impedes your progress.

Two more mistakes to come…