Exercise mistakes can stunt your progress. Whether you’re hoping to get more fit or training for a competitive event, make sure that you’re not making any of these popular mistakes.
Setting unclear goals
Many people set the goal of losing weight or bulking up. But this can be vague if you haven’t got a specific target to work towards. By finding a more tangible goal, you’ll have something clearer to aim for. Plus, this will help to motivate you. This could be to fit in a certain dress size or to be able to lift a certain weight. You could even set yourself a date in which you want to meet your goal by to further spur you on.
Not recording your progress
If you’re not recording your progress from week to week, you won’t know whether you’re improving and you’re likely to be less motivated. If you’re stepping on the scale every week, write it down on a chart. Other ways of recording progress could involve taking pictures in the mirror, starting a fitness blog or simply using a fitness app to track progress. Use this information to set yourself micro-goals from week to week. Basically just so that you’ve got more to aim for than simply an end goal.
Dressing inappropriately
Having the right apparel for your workout won’t just make you more comfortable, it could improve performance and reduce the risk of injury. Running shoes are a good example of this – they can prevent blisters and more serious joint problems from developing as you run. Some apparel such as track uniforms could simply be useful for keeping you motivated. You don’t have to pay top dollar for the best brands – there are many affordable and effective options when it comes to sports clothing.
Ignoring your diet
Whether you’re trying to shift the pounds or training for a marathon, you’ll also need to take into account your diet especially as you get older. Diet and exercise go in hand in hand – one complements the other. Without considering your diet you could find that you’re not losing weight or that you can’t run that extra distance. Diet is something you should put careful research into – you may even want to hire a dietician. As with exercise, there can be lots of dieting mistakes, which are also worth reading into.
Not using proper technique
Many forms of exercises can benefit from being carried out using a certain technique. Not using the right technique could stop you from making progress and could even cause injury in some cases. A popular example is a deadlift in which many people damage their back from attempting it with the wrong technique. If you’re not sure of the right technique to use, it could be worth doing a single session with a personal trainer to help identify any problems with form you may be having.