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We have all started somewhere and been a beginner at some point, for anything. For once, instead of giving you our best tips on what to do to achieve your body and fitness goals, we will laugh a little about the funniest and most common workout mistakes you can do when starting to train! How not to work out? Here are some of the most common workout mistakes.
Avoiding Bodyweight Moves
Bodyweight exercises are one of the most convenient forms of workout you can get: it requires no equipment and you can do those pretty much anywhere.
Yet, for some people who are starting to work out, these workouts don’t look that hard. Don’t make one of these workout mistakes.
But even if weight training or using fitness machines appear harder, trust me, they aren’t.
The best tool you have that is always available is your body! And, mastering your body weight should be the foundation upon which you build equipment strength. Try doing some pull-ups, 20 push-ups, 100 air squats. You will learn quickly that bodyweight exercises have a real punch.
Bodyweight training can provide you with a huge variety of exercises, not only push-ups and ab crunches.
They are good for overall fitness and muscle definition, balance, strength, cardiovascular functions, and more. So when you cannot go to the gym, do not feel bad about yourself and simply do a good bodyweight workout at home! It should be part of your weekly routine.
You’re Loading the Wrong Muscles
If you experience joint pain, you are not sore at all or too sore after a workout, if you have been stuck at the same plateau for weeks and weeks….there is a chance that you are doing something wrong.
To avoid injuries and joint pain, you need to make sure that you are doing the exercises properly. This might seem like an obvious thing to say, but if you are unsure about how to perform something specifically, don’t be shy and ask the coach at your gym or a professional.
If you feel like you have not made any progress for a while, it might be that you need to change your workout a little bit. By doing the same exercises and reps over and over every week, you might not be varying enough your workout routine. Every 4 to 6 weeks you should implement some variety in
You Don’t Know When to Stop
Should I work out every day? Should I skip today? This is a question that often comes back when we start working out or we are implementing a new workout routine. With high motivation, you might think you HAVE to work out every day to see results, but this is not the case.
First, while it may not be bad to work out every day, keep in mind that your body needs rest. Proper recovery days will lead to great muscle and weight loss gains.
If you feel sick or tired, chances are you might want to skip your workout that day.
You should probably do yourself a favor and get some rest. Working out when tired or feeling sick will simply increase the risks of dehydration, injuries, and other similar issues. If your body is giving you a sign to take a pass today, you should listen.
Finally, take into account your general fitness level: if you have not been exercising at all you will, most likely, not be able to do a hard workout every day. You need to progressively improve your fitness level and endurance before increasing exercise time and its frequency.
You Never do Single-Leg Exercises
Single-leg exercises engage smaller muscles in your body such as abductors, in a different way than when you do exercises with both legs. It also contributes to your balance and general muscle growth.
There are plenty of exercises you can do for single-leg training, or you can simply replace some of your standard moves with single-leg ones. You can try single-leg squat, single-leg calf raises, single-leg jump rope, and more. Do not forget to do the same amount of reps on each leg in order to develop proper symmetry.
Your Running Form on the Treadmill is Off
Running on a treadmill can seem a little weird at first when you have never used one before. A lot of people struggle with treadmills at first. Often they feel they have to run differently than they would normally do. This is another common workout mistake.
For starters, the handrails are only here to assist you in getting on and off safely. Never hold them when you run. Your arms should be moving as you run just like they would if you were running outdoor.
You should focus on looking forward and not keeping looking down at your feet or at the dashboard. Try to also keep your back straight and basically run like you would do outdoor, having similar strides.
Another common mistake is to stay too close to the dashboard so you can see your time and heart rate. You should be positioned in the middle of the treadmill so you have enough space for your strides.
You Skip the Warm-Up
Maybe you are in a rush that day or maybe you feel that you don’t need it.
Warming up your body before exercising is crucial. It prepares your muscles, heart, and lungs for physical activity.
By warming up, you are increasing blood flow in your body and getting it ready for exercising. You only need 5 to 10 minutes to warm up, using stretches and warm-up moves such as arm lifts, hips rotations, lunges, or jumping jacks.
Now that you know what are the most common workout mistakes, we hope you will avoid those and enjoy your workout! Want more workout ideas? Check out our Move page!