While no two people are alike, even top-level athletes can make mistakes while working out. Knowing what they are and how to avoid them will ensure you get the most out of your workouts.
Doing the Same Workout Every Day
Did you know that repetitive routines will target the same muscles and joints while neglecting others? This can result in strain injuries, making your workouts far less effective. Switch your workouts to avoid overworking muscles and joints, allowing them to rest and recover.
Repetitive routines can also lead to the weight loss plateau - a stage you reach after working out for a while, where you cannot see any progress because your body adapts to the daily workload. Your body needs to be challenged continuously. Adjust repetitions, sets, and rest periods and work all your muscle groups to get the maximum benefits.
Read more: 5 Signs It's Time To Update Your Workout Routine
Having an Imbalanced Workout Program
Some people cannot reap the rewards of their exercise sessions because their fitness program does not include a balance of cardio training, strength training, and flexibility exercises. Focusing your entire effort on one over the others will lead to unbalanced results.
When laying out your fitness program, make sure to include aerobic exercises, strength training, and flexibility exercises to ensure it is effective. Perform at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week. Schedule 2-3 days of strength training. Always remember to include time for warming up and stretching as part of your workout.
"Eating It All Back" After Exercising
Because you essentially burn up your energy reserves while exercising, you will for sure get hungry as your metabolism increases. Consuming food high in calories after exercise means you're replacing all of the calories you just burned, which reverses the desired calorie deficit and potential weight loss.
So, before starting or changing your workout program, understand your daily caloric expenditure.
Relying Too Much on Supplements
Your dependence on post-workout diet supplements might not be helping you. Today, there are thousands of products available in the market, but sadly many are ineffective, expensive, and pose health risks.
Instead of investing in supplements, pay a visit to an accredited sports nutritionist or registered dietitian. They will assist and advise you and you'll see progress much faster.
Failing to Rest and Recover
To get a stronger, faster, healthier, and fitter body, you have to put the work in. Sufficient rest and recovery time are equally as important. Allowing your body to rest and recover fully when you're done working out can speed up healing and prepare the body for the next workout.
Never skip stretches after exercising, and consider hot and cold therapy to promote recovery and flexibility of the joints and muscles.
Avoiding these common mistakes will no doubt lead to improved results. However, we recommend you consult a personal trainer or physician to get a clear understanding of your limitations and what would work best for you.
