10 Mistakes You’re Making at the Gym
Nothing is worse than an hour spent at the gym doing the wrong things. Use our tips on the 10 Mistakes You're Making at the Gym in order to get the best out of your workout today. Remember though, that the best way to ensure you're doing things correctly and to get the most out of your workout you should contact FitnessRx Tampa or reach out to Craig for a free consultation and customized personal training session.
- Doing squats and lunges with bad form.
Squats are always easy because you can do them anywhere, but if you’re doing them incorrectly, you’re wasting your time and could also injure yourself. Be sure you keep your weight off of your toes. Don’t let your heels come off the ground or you could experience knee pain.
- Doing the same thing day after day.
By switching up your routine, your workout will remain exciting. It’s a great idea to make exercise a routine but you should not just be going to your workout on autopilot. Try switching up your routine by trying something new. For example, if you’re usually a runner, you might try a barre class or a personal training session. This helps you rest overused muscles and also work on new muscles.
- Relying on the machines.
Don’t just rely on your tried and true machines at the gym. Step away from that treadmill. Don’t even look at that elliptical machine. Instead, try strengthening exercises that rely on your own body weight, free weights or even TRX suspension training.
- Lifting too much or too little weight.
Lifting too much weight can lead to injury either by over-straining yourself or forcing you to break your appropriate form. Oftentimes, people will avoid going overboard by lifting too little. Find a weight that becomes challenging by the last few reps to find one that is appropriate for you. Talk to your trainer about which weight is right for you and to discuss your strengthening plan.
5.Rushing through your workout.
Don’t ever rush through your workout. By hurrying through your routine you might not be getting full range of motion or breaking your form, which is the leading cause for a wasted workout.
- Not keeping your back straight.
Keep your shoulders back and your back straight in order to keep yourself from getting hurt. Try to avoid rounding your back or letting your shoulders shrug forward. Imagine a stick from your tailbone, running up your back, connecting to your head to keep yourself in good shape.
- Only doing one set.
Avoid doing one round of a certain exercise, then moving on to other random exercise moves. To make the most out of your gym session, you need to do 3-4 sets of each workout in order to be effective.
- Not Stretching.
It’s important not to skip the stretching step in your workout, both before and after your exercise. You want to avoid cramping by stretching to get the results you want.
- Only focusing on the muscles you can see.
Being healthy is about more than just looking the part. Balance your efforts by focusing on multiple muscles, not just your arms and core. Strength training is about more than just building 8-minute abs, after all.
10. Setting Unrealistic Goals.
It’s always good to push yourself and set lofty goals, but it’s also important to be realistic. Each day should be a building block toward achieving your goals and you can make it all happen, one day at a time.