Common Exercise Mistakes That Will Sabotage Your Progress
There are a lot of exercise misconceptions out there and some of these bad habits have become engrained into popular gym culture.
And in worst cases, falling prey to these outdated methods of exercising can lead to serious injury.
Thus, here are all-too-common errors you need to stay away from to prevent injury and to maximize results:
1. Not keeping your head level: Do this when squatting and you will significantly increase your risk for injury. Instead, always keep your eyes level and avoid looking really high up or looking at a downward angle. Keep in mind that once you injure your back, it will be very hard to get it to 100% again.
2. Prioritizing core work: There is nothing worse than blasting your core first thing in your workout. Do this and all your other compound movements will suffer. A much better approach is to do the heavy duty lifting first and then target your core.
3. Lifting weights after doing cardio: Again, I’m sure you have heard about the dangers of doing this, yet time and again I see people going to aerobics classes and then lifting weights. The problem with this is that you could burn up all your stored carbohydrates when doing cardio and then have nothing left for your weight lifting. And if you are not weightlifting at 100% then your results will be mediocre.
4. Overusing instability gadgets: You see this a lot in commercial gyms. The problem here is that if your main goal is to build strength and/or muscle mass, you shouldn’t be using stability-challenging devices. Instead, stick to basic movements that allow you to produce the maximum amount of force possible.
5. Only performing one set of repetitions: I see way too many people doing this all the time. The main issue here is that if you only perform one set, you cannot maximize the results from your workout. Instead, aim to get at least three to four sets per exercise in each workout.
If you’ve been making any of these mistakes in your workouts, now you know better. And remember that taking action here is the most important part of the equation. After all, without action information is quickly forgotten.
Writer Katherine Crawford, a Harvard exercise physiologist and recent arm fat sufferer, teaches women how to tone arms with the best methods. Figure out how to get sexy and toned arms by exploring her website about eradicating bingo wings right now!
