Failing to see positive results from your workout efforts can lead you to give up working out altogether. You may feel that the time and effort you spent are just a total waste. Don’t give up just yet. Maybe it’s not the way how your body responds to your workout. Maybe the reason is that you’re doing it all wrong.
All beginners face the same workout challenges. What separates the winners from the failures is not always who has the strong will and grit to go on despite the challenges. Instead, it’s the strategies and approaches one uses to face every challenge. And this involves doing things right or doing them all wrong.
Read on to find out if you’re doing these most common mistakes in your workout.
Starting with overwhelm
There’s nothing wrong with having massive goals. In fact, the champions urge us to dream big and go for it. However, you don’t have to eat the elephant with one big bite. You have to cut it into small pieces to match your capabilities.
This means you have to break your big goals into smaller chunks. Let’s say, your goal is to lose 20 pounds of fat and cut all carbs. This one’s a good goal but you don’t have to do it all at once nor totally eliminate all carbs. Else, you won’t have enough energy to fuel your workout.
Instead, focus on increasing your squats and other routines and eating less bad carbs for faster weight loss. By trimming things down, you can avoid exhaustion caused by mammoth goals that take more effort and a longer time to achieve.
Not having a specific workout time
Life is busy alright, but don’t take this as an excuse not to have a fixed workout time. If you wait to work out when things slow down, chances are you’re not going to work out. Many things will come out that keep you postponing your workout plans.
Make space for your workout. Choose the time of day when you’re able to do it most likely. It can be in the morning after waking up or later in the day after work. Basically, it all depends on your fitness goals.
If you want to start with walking, one study recommends doing it in the evening. Evening walks are said to encourage you to eat more during breakfast, which in turn lowers your obesity risks and late-night cravings, leading to more success in weight loss. On the other hand, morning exercises are found to reduce blood pressure and achieve quality sleep.
Having inconsistent workouts
As a beginner, muscle soreness or feelings of tiredness may seem to overwhelm you. There are also days when your lazy bones just want to take over. All these things are a normal part of the journey. But don’t listen to your brain when it says you have to skip your workout because of these things.
On the contrary, these are the best times to conquer yourself and show up regardless of what your mind is thinking. As long as you know you have rested and recovered well, there’s no other reason why you should not stay consistent with your weight loss goals. Once you overcome these feelings, you’ve become mentally tough, which is an essential aspect of your workout success.
If your workout schedule seems overwhelming you can cut it down, just don’t skip it.
Working out too much
Getting the best results in the shortest possible time can work out fine in some areas, but when it comes to your workout, it’s a different story. Working out too often can’t be good for your physical and mental wellbeing. This can lead to overtraining, which increases the risks of injury and fatigue, and slows down your progress.
If you’re a total beginner, working out three times a week is fine. You can increase the number of days as your muscles, ligaments, and joints start to adapt to the routines.
Doing a workout you dread
There’s one rule you should give yourself when working out: don’t torture yourself. Your body is supposed to work with you and not against you. When you do routines you hated, you’re just making things hard for yourself.
If you hate running, jog instead. If you hate lifting weights, lift your own weight. Always find an option for something you’re not comfortable doing. You’re not likely to stick to your routine when you don’t like them. The good news is there’s always an option for every type of workout. So, there’s no excuse.
Training to fail
You’re sure to fail when you push yourself to exhaustion. Don’t push your muscles beyond their absolute maximum. Otherwise, you will injure it, which can make recovery and growth a lot difficult.
Using only machines
If your fitness goals include gaining lean muscle mass and losing fat, resistance training got your back. A study in 2012 pointed out that you can gain as much as 4 pounds of lean muscle mass and lose the same amount of fats in as little as 10 weeks.
Strength training is also your best bet to avoid type 2 diabetes and other illnesses. But then, your workouts should never be limited to machines only. Your body is composed of different muscles that work together to enable you to move with ease and make your body functional. Focusing on one muscle group prevents the other muscles to get toned and strengthened. This can lead to an imbalance in your muscle development. For a more effective workout, try to add free weights and body weights in your routine.
Working out in the wrong form
Some exercisers use gym machines in a slouching posture. Experts call this the gym slouch. This mostly happens when you tend to slouch on the treadmill or elliptical cross-trainer. You can correct this by standing erect and not rounding your shoulders while working on these machines.
Forgetting your legs
Your legs support your whole body weight. You can’t build a massive physique on weak leg muscles. Even if you’re a soccer player, it’s not a guarantee that your legs are strong. You should consider your leg’s strength, size, and endurance, which is mostly achieved through weightlifting.
