Gym Workouts... The Biggest Mistakes We See People Making
OVERUSE OF CARDIO FOR WEIGHT LOSS
Along with increasing confidence levels and overall wellbeing, many people come to the gym to generally lose weight and ‘tone up’. But for those trying to lose weight, the most common approach we see is people jumping on the treadmill or bike for an hour.
While this type of exercise will certainly help you burn calories and work up a sweat, cardio alone won’t lead to the physique members often say they are striving towards. Incorporating weight training and HIIT into your workout will get you to your goals much faster than slaving away on the treadmill. We suggest- try a Group Fitness class like Body Pump to mix up your routine.
USING TOO-HEAVY WEIGHTS Have you ever seen someone pick up a weight and not be able to finish a set? Using weights that are too heavy for your current abilities only leads to poor technique, which will target all the wrong muscles and effectively waste your time.
Start with light weights (or none at all) to perfect your technique before you add in more kilograms. Increase the weights gradually until you start to see a drop in performance. At which point, go back to a slightly lighter weight. Failing to do so could lead to injury.
NOT HAVING A PLAN Our bodies are smart. If you’re doing the exact same run for twenty minutes every day, your body will adapt and learn to preserve energy and fat that would otherwise be spent. The same goes with completing identical sets and reps of weight exercises every week.
Spend some time thinking about your fitness goals and devising a solid plan that will help you get there. If you’re not sure where to start, chat to one of the personal trainers at your gym – they’ll be more than happy to give you a few pointers. To keep things interesting and ensure you see results, make sure you incorporate a diverse range of exercises.
SETTING UNATTAINABLE GOALS The number of times we hear, ‘I’m going to start running for an hour every morning at 6am’, only to see people bow out three days later? Setting unrealistic goals will only lead to feelings of deflation and failure. And as soon as you feel like you can’t keep up, you’ll lose the momentum and motivation to keep exercising at all.
The best way to start an exercise regime that sticks is to set super small goals (as small as you can make them) that increase in difficulty every week. For example, if you’re only hitting the gym once a week at the moment, aim for two sessions next week. If you end up going more than that – it’s an added bonus!
And if you’re still in need of a motivation boost, come into Planet Fitness Lambton, Charlestown or Belmont and speak to one of the friendly staff members about your fitness goals. You get a free Orientation with a Personal Trainer when you join to get you started on the right track.
For more information, visit www.planetfitnessnewcastle.com.au
