Common Exercise Mistakes

Common Exercise Mistakes | Mistakes during Exercise

Improper exercise techniques and conceptions not only divert you from your fitness goals but may also cause injury at times. However, the good news is that by paying close attention to certain basic exercise guidelines, you will be able to overcome such hindrances easily. Take a look at these common exercise mistakes and how you can fix them.

Improper fitness goals or failure to set goals

Very often, people do not have a clear goal in mind before starting a workout regime. Moreover, many people focus on strengthening or toning exercises for reducing fat on specific areas like thighs or hips. But always remember that without a clear map in mind, it is almost impossible to track your progress and maintain your motivation level. These goals should not only be specific and attainable, but also tuned to one’s specific fitness needs. Besides this, never focus on spot reduction, as it is not possible to isolate fat loss to a specific part of the body.

Lack of diversity

A very common practice seen in gyms is that people perform the same exercise sets over and over like some kind of a drill. The reason this should be avoided is that if you do not add variety to your workouts, your body will hit a plateau following which you will not able to see any measurable change in your fitness level. Try to overcome this by mixing the number of repetitions and exercise types frequently. This will not only bring positive changes in your body fitness but will also make your routine workouts more interesting.

Not incorporating strength training

If you prefer cardiac exercises to strength training, you might want to reconsider this notion the next time you hit the gym. This is because the benefits of strength training are endless. Resistance exercises are a great way to burn those extra calories and tone your body parts. If you are feeling apprehensive about starting this form of exercise, you can even seek the help of a professional trainer.

Ineffective stretching techniques

While stretching seems like a very simple task as compared to their complex counterparts like cardio or resistance training, you will be surprised to know that most people perform them incorrectly. In fact, there are many who skip this vital step and progress to the next workout module. Stretching is vital to improve the flexibility and overall range of motion of our body. It also reduces the injury to our muscles and decreases muscle soreness associated with exercise. Therefore, it is vital to incorporate a minimum of 10 minutes of proper stretching during exercise to promote recovery and repair.

Overuse of machines

Excessive use of machines while exercising can do more harm than good to your body. Although, workout equipments can add variety and resistance to your fitness regime, overuse can decrease the stimulatory effect on the core muscles and forces them to work either in isolation or in static.

Exercising in wrong shoes

Even if you are performing all the exercises correctly, wearing the wrong shoes can counteract everything. Improper footwear can render the best-planned exercise modules worthless and can also increase the risk of exercise-related injuries. Also, using the wrong shoes while exercising can place undue pressure on your joints and cause injuries like plantar fasciitis and tendinitis.