You’ve been working out for some time, but you’re not getting the desired results.
That’s probably because you’re not doing it right.
Whether your goal is weight loss, muscle toning, or general fitness, certain workout mistakes could be getting in your way of progress.
Are you making some of these common workout mistakes? Find out how you can solve the issue and gain optimum results from your workouts.
#1 You’re Focusing Only on One Area Have you been focusing mainly on a single body area while ignoring others? If you’re concentrating on training only a few muscle groups, that’s going to create a lot of imbalances. The untrained areas will become weaker than the rest, leaving them susceptible to injuries. For instance, many people ignore their back when working out. What if you end up straining your back or tearing a muscle when doing something that involves using the back muscles?
Try to add exercises that allow you to use your full range of motion, and work out every muscle in your body. You will need to switch between different exercises every other day to ensure every part of your body gets the attention it deserves.
#2 You’re Doing Too Much Cardio
Cardio exercises are crucial. But, they’re only one part of your workout routine. If you’re only focusing on doing cardio exercises or if you’re doing too much of them, you might be unable to experience any progress in your workouts. Extensive cardio can eat away your muscle mass, preventing you from getting toned. This loss of muscle mass results in your body storing more fat to use as fuel for energy, meaning you will face difficulties losing weight.
Stick to only 25-50 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio exercises per day. Switch it up with other forms of exercises like yoga or Pilates to improve flexibility and strength training to build muscle strength. Make sure the exercises are working out every part of your body.
#3 You’re Not Eating Right If you’re starving yourself and working out regularly, that’s going to negatively affect your health and your workout efforts. What happens if your body doesn’t get enough nutrients to fuel your workout sessions? It’s going to find other sources of energy from the muscle cells, preventing them from getting toned.
Consume the right balance of nutrients on a daily basis. You can adjust the quantity based on the type of exercise you’ll be doing that day. For example, your body will need more carbs on days when you’re doing high-intensity exercises. Increase your complex carb intake on such days. Otherwise, it would be wise to stick to vegetables and proteins.
#4 You’re Not Taking Time to Recover
While it’s important to challenge yourself, there’s no reason you should overstrain to a point where it affects your health. Rest and recovery is crucial, especially when you’re doing high-intensity training. Your muscles need enough time to repair. Watch out for signs that you need to slow down. For example, your muscles are constantly sore for days at a time, you fall sick easily, your cold refuses to go away, etc.
Avoid doing high-intensity exercises for more than three days a week. Find the right balance between the level of intensity and the frequency of your exercises. The higher the intensity of your workouts, the lower the frequency should be. Set aside rest days and make adjustments to your intensity/frequency ratio accordingly.
#5 You’re Not Sleeping Enough
Lack of sleep is never a good thing. It’s even worse when you’re working out regularly, because you’re overstraining your body’s typical capacity. When you don’t get enough sleep, you tend to be cranky, lethargic, and stressed. This may be fine if it happens every once in a while, but regular sleep deprivation will negatively affect your performance and progress. Moreover, lack of sleep tends to trigger crab cravings, which won’t do much good for your weight loss goals.
Try to maintain a regular sleep schedule and cycle to ensure that you get at least 6-9 hours of sleep nightly. However, instead of going to bed exactly six hours before you have to wake up, try giving yourself some buffer time in case you can’t fall asleep immediately. At the same time, make sure you avoid oversleeping, as that can leave you feeling sluggish.
These five common workout mistakes could be preventing you from achieving real gains in your exercise routine. Make sure you keep a check list of all your bad habits and start adopting a varied exercise program to work out every part of your body.
Have any questions to ask or any insights to share? Feel free to leave your comment below.