Personal trainers like me spend all day watching people
work out, and we see people day in and day out motivated, and ready, some very consistent but not getting any
results. The one thing most have in common is there are making some big
mistakes…read on and find out if any of these are holding you back from
reaching your goals.
MISTAKE
1: Cardio
Spending extended periods of time on cardio machines tops
the list because we see it particularly with women. Doing steady state cardio
on machines like the elliptical or the bike is just wasting your time,
especially if your “cardio session” includes texting, talking on the phone or
reading a book. There are times when
steady state cardio can be a good part of your training routine, but it will
not do much for you unless you incorporate weight training and interval
training in your routine.
Increase
your workout intensity, but lower your duration. Try something fun and
new (kickboxing, bootcamp class, sprints, or play a new sport like soccer) and
continue to switch things up to keep your body guessing.
Instead of 45min+ steady state (cardio at a steady pace)
elliptical workout try 20mins of interval training such as the following
routine:
Pick the one of the following stair master, jump rope or
treadmill:
1. 2
min warm up at a light pace
2. 1
min moderate pace
3. 30
secs as hard as you possible can (sprints, high knee skipping or literally
running on the steps of the stair master)
4. Repeat
#2 and 3 six times
5. Finish
with another 2 mins at a light pace for a cool down
You should feel “done”! Do this routine only a few times
a week.
MISTAKE
#2: Weight Training
a) Not doing any weight training:
This is probably the biggest mistake you can make if you want your body
composition to change. Weight training,
make your body tight and firm, builds lean muscle which makes you appear
smaller as muscle takes up less space than fat in your body. And don’t worry ladies you will not “bulk” up
and look like Popeye, the only women that do are those that take some growth
enhancing supplements. It is very
difficult for women to build muscle!
b)
High
reps light weights: No this does not make up “burn” calories more. You should not strive to create a cardio
effect while weight lifting. If your weights are feeling like you're
lifting a little can of tomato paste and you could win the Guinness record of
the biggest amount of reps or you would be able to throw your weights on the
other side of the street, you're doing it wrong! All you are doing with that
type of training is training your muscles so perform more and more reps in the
future – but you won’t see any results.
So, plan your workout to do
your weight training first, when you are feeling fresh and strong. Pick up the maximum amount of weight that you
can do for 10 to 15 reps. Beginners should start and aim for 15 reps, and more
advanced individuals for 8 to 10 reps. The last two reps should feel almost impossible
to perform. Your heart rate should be
up, because you are pushing that hard. Rest and repeat for 2-4 more sets
(beginners should do 2 sets more advanced 3-4 sets).
MISTAKE
#3: Timing – Cardio before weight training
Doing your cardio session before weights will tire you
out and you will not have sufficient energy to do an intense weight training
workout. Always plan to do your weight training first, or do your cardio
sessions on a non weight training day.
MISTAKE
#4 Order of your exercises
Always train your biggest muscles first! We see it all
the time, people walking into the gym and starting their workout with bicep or
triceps. Focus on training your big muscles like back, chest and legs using
compound exercises first (lat pulldown, chest press, squats), before smaller
muscle groups like biceps, triceps, shoulders, or using isolated exercises like
leg extension, bicep curls, tricep press
etc)
MISTAKE
#5 Not having a plan
So many people do it.
They walk into a gym without a clue what they are doing that day or with
some clip out from a magazine or a friend’s workout. It doesn’t work like that! You must have a
plan, for the week, for the month and how you will change things up going
forward. You can pair certain exercises
together for example if you are just starting out you can plan to do 3 sessions
a week, upper body day, lower body day and a full body day (plus let’s say 2
cardio interval training sessions).
You must keep track of your weights and reps preformed
and change them weekly. For example if you did bicep curls with 8lbs dumbbells
for 15 reps this week, aim to use 10lbs the following week even if you do only
8reps. The next week use 10lbs again and aim for 9 reps, and every week like
that until you get to 15 reps then increase the weight again. Basically
increase weight or reps each week.
Stay tuned next week we will send you a great beginner
workout program you can use!
MISTAKE
#6 - Working the “machine circuit”
A few gyms now have it.
It’s a bunch of machines in a row or a circle type set up and we see
people going from one machine to another. All the trainers chuckle at this one. Try and
get away from the machines, while they come in handy time to time, nothing
beats reshaping your body than using free weights. We know it’s intimidating at
first, the “boy” section, but go with a friend or ask a trainer to help you.
Most trainers will be happy to help you.
MISTAKE
#7 Bad form
This one can truly make it or break it for you. Not using the machines or the weight properly
can not only result in injury, it can truly be a time waster. With every single rep you should engage the
correct muscle and have precise tempo count. This is why you often see trainers
touch a client, it helps activate the correct muscle. For example when you are
using the lateral pull down machine, you should be pulling with your back (your
lats), not feeling like your arms got a workout. You should also not be racing
through your reps, there is a specific count on the way up and on the way down
for each exercise (and this changes as you progress, and for different goals).
Books, magazines, and video exercise programs are great,
but most people have very poor joint awareness, coordination and do not know
their own body. Working with a knowledge trainer is one of the best investments
you can make. We are adamant about form, both in our group classes and when
working with clients one on one. If it’s not feasible for you to hire a
personal trainer, try a group class like our Body Beautiful Bootcamps for Women, and make sure you do your
research as most fitness classes are taught by “fitness instructors” who are
more about the cardio and coordination and do know necessary have the training
of a certified personal trainer who must understand who must learn the complete
anatomy of the body.
MISTAKE
#8 Doing the same old workout over and over again
When you do the same
workout over and over again, the body has no reason to change. To see results you MUST change things up. We see people with a workout they found or
someone gave them and they literally do it for not only months but sometimes
for years! Just like consistently changing your weights and reps you must
change your workouts. Not only the
exercises but the structure. This is what personal trainers refer to as
periodization. Periodization is basically a
systematic planning physical training which involves progressive cycling of
various aspects of a training program during a specific period. Aim to change
your program every 4-6 weeks so, cycling between endurance training, muscle
building, strength training and fat burning (again this is planned based on your
body and goals and the cycling of the programs must be paired with that – But
you can not just stay in one such :cycle” indefinitely).
MISTAKE
#9 Working out for more than an hour
More
is not better. Hard and intense is important, and this is why if you work at a
high intensity there should be no reason or energy for you to be there for more
than one hour to one hr 15 mins (this includes warm up and stretching)
If
you are overtraining and pushing your body too far, your body WILL fight back.
Not only will you likely get injured, your body may actually start storing more
body fat! When the body is under too much stress (which is what overtraining
essentially does), our cortisol levels increase (basically our body thinks its
under some of attack), and as a defense mechanism our body fat increases. Our
body uses fat to protect our organs from danger.
Too
much training is counter-productive to your results because you will be putting
your body in a poor hormonal state and you will be taxing yourself mentally as
well. SO again stick to shorter and more intense workouts to burn fat and build
lean muscle.
MISTAKE
#10 - Bad eating habits
Yes, it had to make the list. Here is a sad fact YOU CAN
NOT OUT TRAIN YOUR DIET. No you cant. No no and no. Just because you are working out it does not
mean you get to eat more, which is basically what some people start doing “its
okay to have this muffin, I worked out today”. To get a lean, fit physique or
to lose weight, your diet is essential.
The two go hand in hand and no matter what anyone tells you, you will
never get a six pack or lose weight from just working out.
We drill this in our client’s heads and all our programs,
always include nutrition plans. If you
are working out on your own, fix this ASAP. If you are working out with a
trainer or any group setting, make sure they provide you the tools you need to
keep your diet in check. All training programs, and all trainers must have this
covered!
To get the best results consider working with someone to
customize your training regimen. He or she will take the guesswork out of the
equation, create a personalized plan tailored to your specific needs, make sure
you’re doing your workout correctly and even give you tips on proper diet - an
even bigger piece of the weight loss puzzle. If you stick with it, you’ll
finally start to see those pounds disappear.
