Deciding to go to the gym is a great start to fitness, but we all know that the real hard work is just about to begin. This stage is can be daunting as it is; don’t make it more difficult by making these newbie mistakes at the gym! Dig in to avoid them and enjoy your gains!
1. Lacking Focus
Going to the gym and mindlessly trying every machine available doesn’t cut it. Yes, you can still get a good sweat from that, but if that’s all you’re after you might as well just go for a jog at the park. Or sometimes, you’re looking at different workout programs at once and you get overwhelmed about when to do what program.
If you want to see the results that you actually want, you have to have a clear goal and just focus on one workout that targets a few areas at a time. Schedule your workouts. If you’re planning to go to the gym 3 to 4 times a week, then designate a different program for each day.
2. Neglecting To Keep Track Of Progress
You may think that this isn’t necessary because you can easily take note mentally, but not really. Results or the lack thereof when it comes to workout gains are not as evident especially when you’re still a newbie. So it can be hard to figure out where you’re lacking, what you’re doing wrong, or what to improve on.
To help you know when you need to work certain muscle groups over others, whether or not you should be progressing to the next level of certain exercises and to help you have more set plan and focus on your workouts, keeping some sort of tracking system for your workouts is a must.
3. Trying To Do Too Much Too Soon
At first, you can’t wait to get to the gym every day and pack on muscles. But if you work out every day while trying to up your intensity level, you’ll find yourself bored so you end up skipping one too many times or getting injured which leaves you with no choice but to put your workout on hold for treatment and recuperation. Although chiropractic care is an effective way to address these types of injury, it still would have been better to avoid injury at all cost. Remember that your body needs at least 2 days off in every 7 days of exercising to allow your body to heal, rebuild itself stronger and bigger.
4. Ignoring Proper Exercise Form
Most of the time, people who are new to the gym are most concerned about lifting heavy weights instead of their form while executing any exercises. This is because they feel pressured to keep up with what everybody at the gym is lifting already, not realizing the fact that those individuals are more likely been going to the gym for months if not years.
If you’re a beginner, hiring a trainer for at least a couple of session is a good idea to get all proper techniques down. So that in you can do them right even if you’re alone later on. This way you can avoid injury and gain as much as you should from any given exercises.
5. Doing Stretch Holds Before A Workout
This practice tends to sedate the muscles, and research shows it will decrease strength and power. Also, static stretching prior to activity may actually cause injuries, not prevent them. Although some exceptions apply for very tight muscles, for the most part you should perform static stretching after activity or exercise. If you should stretch, better go through a dynamic stretching routine instead of static one, because bringing the body through a range of motion can actually prepare it for the demands of the exercise session.
6. Spending Too Much Time In The Gym
For beginners, it may seem like you need to spend every waking moment at the gym just to achieve your fitness goal. They go from barely exercising to doing 2 hours every day at the gym. This will most likely lead to burnout. It would be better to start out gradually and give your body rest days. For example if you never exercise, start with 2 days a week and then build up from there. If you want exercise to be part of your routine, remember it is a marathon not a sprint. Plan your gym schedule in a way that you’ll be able to sustain it in your day to day living, instead of treating it like a month or two challenges.
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