Top 6 Mistakes You’re Probably Making If You’re A Newbie In Working Out

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.  

Workouts That You Can Do If You Only Have 5 Minutes

We hear this a lot, statements like “I’m too busy for gym” or “With work, kids; I barely get any sleep, let alone spare time to work out”. Yes even if deep down you know the lack of exercise is killing you and that you’d love to do something else outside of work and family that’s healthy at the same time, the fact remains that time flies, not just when having fun, but also when you have a lot to do.

But, wait! Don’t give up yet! Here are some exercises that you can actually squeeze into your hectic schedule. A five minute workout is better than nothing right? And the best thing about these workouts is that you can do them anywhere and you won’t need any fancy gym equipment.

Mountain Climbers

All you have to do is drop on the floor and be on a push up position, contract your abs and then alternately bring you knees closer to the chest. This can really tone your core, especially if you try to speed up your pace.

Split Leg Squats

This is a great exercise to work your glutes, quads, back of your legs, and your calves. To do this, position one foot in front to go down into a lunge. Then switch feet as you jump up with your arms going up as you jump then down as you drop.

Squat Jumps

Make sure you have a good basic squat mechanics before doing squat jumps. From squat, you basically just have to jump it from there. Your landing should be slow and controlled so that your legs will absorb the jump not your joints. Exhale as you jump up, and then inhale as you jump down and use your hands to propel yourself.  While regular squats are great, squat jumps takes the game a notch higher without taking much time but targets your quads just as effectively if not more.

Burpees

Okay, this looks easy but when get down to it your whole body will swear right along as you sweat! This is a full body exercise that can really get your heart pumping even in just 5 minutes. So this is how you do it:

1.    Squat position

2.    Squat thrust

3.    Push up

4.    Frog jump

5.    Jump squat

Jumping Jacks

We probably all know what jumping jacks are. But, the trick to really reap its benefits is to do it as fast as you can go, then you’d feel the burn after a couple of rounds.

7 Exercises That Can Help Relieve Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction Pain

Your sacroiliac joint is located in your pelvis area. These are the joints that connect the large bones that form your pelvis, which are the iliac bones, to the scrotum of your spine. Wear and tear of aging, injury due to fall or severe impact, an abnormal gait certain medical conditions, or loosening ligaments due to hormone changes during pregnancy are some of the possible reasons why this area get irritated and become painful. Aside from a visit to a spine specialist like chiropractor, here are some exercises that can help ease the pain so that you don’t have to reach for a pill every time.

1.      Knee-to-Chest Stretch

This stretch may be gentle but when done regularly can be very effective relieving pain since this targets both your back and your hips.

Step 1: Begin by lying on your back with your legs extended.

Step 2: Exhale as you draw one knee to your chest and hold that position for 5-10 seconds with the help of your hands.

Step 3:  Let go of that leg and inhale as you lower it back to that mat and repeat with the other leg.

Step 4: Do this for 8-10 repetitions for each leg.

Step 5: If you have severe back pain, it would be better to do this stretch with the unengaged leg in a bent position with the foot flat on the ground as this can make the exercise less painful.

2.      Knee Rotation

This is another sacroiliac joint pain exercise that is gentle yet effective. You shouldn’t have trouble performing this since it’s a very easy stretch.

Step 1: Start by lying on your back with both your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.  

Step 2:  To make this exercise effective, try to keep your upper back parallel to the ground as much as possible.

Step 3: Now, keep your lower spine still as you use both your knees to sway to the left. Hold your knees to the floor for a couple of second before returning them to the center.

Step 4: Repeat the same process to your right side.

Step 5: Do this for 8-10 repetition for each side.

3.      Bridge

This one is a favorite among women who likes to build their glutes. But aside from that it’s also a great way to ease sacroiliac joint pain since it strengthens your glutes and lower back.

Step 1:  Begin by lying on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

Step 2: Your arms should be against your body and palms facing the floor for support.

Step 3: Now, squeeze your glutes all the way as you raise your hips off the ground so that your torso is in a straight diagonal line.

Step 4: Hold for 5-10 second before you slowly lower your hips back to the ground.

Step 5: Do this for 8-10 times.

4.      Cobra

This is a famous yoga pose that most people recognize. This pose is especially effective for those with overly mobile SI joints.

Step 1: To do this, you have to lie on your stomach.

Step 2:  Slide your hands beneath your shoulders and extend your arms to lift your upper body, but make sure your pelvis and legs stays on the ground.

Step 3: Focus on pulling your shoulders down and away from your ears as well as on relaxing your lower back and buttocks.

Step 4: Hold for 15-30 seconds before you slowly lower yourself back to the floor.

Step 5: Do this for 3 times.

5.      Triangle Pose

This is another yoga pose that help strengthen the Si joint which reduces pain in that area.

Step 1: To this pose correctly, stand in a wider-than-shoulder-width stance.

Step 2: Point the toes of your right foot to the right and extend your arms out from the body so that they are parallel to the floor.

Step 3: Next, slowly bend so that your right hand touches the floor along the outside of your right foot and stretch your left arm up toward the sky.

Step 4: Turn your head and gaze up at your extended left arm.

Step 5: Hold this pose for 10 to 20 seconds and then repeat the process on the opposite side.

Step 6: Remember that you should only be doing this pose if your joint is stable and you’re not in pain because this pose involve twists.

6.      Child’s Pose Stretch

If you’ve started taking up yoga, you’d be doing this pose a lot because it helps your stretch your hips and thighs and relax your muscles by focusing on breathing.

Step 1:  To begin, be on all your fours.

Step 2: Your knees should be spread apart but your feet touching each other as you slowly rest your buttocks on your heels with your arms still extended and hands not leaving the floor.

Step 3: Now, try to reach as far as you can forward.

Step 4: Hold this up to a minute and repeat in between stretches as needed.

7.      Bird Dog

This is a classic core exercise that emphasizes lower back strength and balance.

Step 1: For this exercise, you will start on your hands and knees. Look at the ground to make sure your spine and neck is in neutral position.

Step 2: Try to simultaneously extend your right leg behind and left arm forward.

Step 3: Prevent your back from arching by keeping your shoulders and hips straight.

Step 4: Hold the position for at least 5 seconds, despite difficulty to balance at the first few reps.

Step 5: Do 6-10 repetition per side.