Want to get more out of your workout? Make sure that you’re not making one of these common exercise mistakes as it could be stopping you from making any progress.
Not Stretching Beforehand
Stretching before you exercise can help loosen up your muscles and get blood flowing around them. Failing to stretch leaves your muscles tight, which can increase the risk of an injury as your muscles aren’t prepared for intense exercise. There are lots of places online to learn about suitable stretches such as this video series of dynamic warm up stretches. Doing stretches can benefit you whether you’re doing aerobic or anaerobic exercise.
Sticking rigidly to the same routine
If every morning you run the same route or do the exact same series of weightlifting exercises, you may want to consider changing things up. Your body is likely to get used to a routine and you may find that you then stop making progress, whether you losing weight or bulking up or trying up your endurance. Try to add some variation to your exercise routine to test your body – this could include running at different speeds and trying different routes or experimenting with different weight exercises. You can still keep a few core elements of your routine that you can measure progress from, but don’t stick to the exact same routine (if anything you’ll start to get bored!)
Failing to learn technique
Many people get injured from not putting the right technique into an exercise – for example, you can easily do your back in from carrying out a deadlift incorrectly. Consider hiring a trainer – just for a single session – in order to fix up your technique in order to prevent future injuries. If anything, it could be stopping you from making good progress by not learning the right technique.
Getting the wrong mix of aerobic/anaerobic
As you may know, there are two types of exercises: aerobic (also known as cardio or endurance training) and anaerobic (more intense, explosive exercises). Certain types of exercise are better for certain types of goals. Aerobic is better for those wanting to lose weight or improve endurance, whilst anaerobic is better for those that want to bulk up or improve strength. That said, those wanting to lose weight should try to incorporate some anaerobic strength training into their workouts as it can help to speed up progress. This guide has a few strength training exercises for losing weight that could be worth looking into.
Not drinking enough water
When exercising, your body uses up lots of water. Some of this is sweated out whilst other water is used to fuel muscles. If you’re not putting more water back into your body, you could find that you’re not able to keep your body cool or provide your muscles with the water needed. This could make your workout less effective and even cause an injury. Always bring a bottle of water with you to stay hydrated as you exercise.
