While many of us want to lose weight and tone up, we may be making some common mistakes when doing this. Maybe you hit the gym regularly, but just can’t seem to shed those last few pounds. Or maybe you’re slim enough, but you just don’t look as toned as you’d like.
Whatever the specific case, many people have trouble finding the perfect fit when it comes to their exercise routines. Therefore, below are some of the most common mistakes made by those looking to get in shape. Fixing these can push your workouts to the limit and give you exactly what you need to get the body of your dreams.
1. Cardio overload: Cardiovascular exercise is obviously essential to any fitness and weight loss program. However, many people rely too much on cardio to lose weight and tone up while sacrificing weight training. Above all, though, too often people believe they can afford to eat whatever they want as long as they get plenty of cardio. Unfortunately, this is not the case. If you don’t fix your diet, no matter how much cardio you do, you won’t be as healthy or look as good as you’d like. Most weight loss comes from calorie restriction, so think twice before indulging in seconds, even if you’ve run 10K.
2. The same apology routine: Some people are such creatures of habit that every day at the gym happens the exact same way. Forty minutes of cardio followed by twenty minutes of strength training. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, sometimes you need to mix it up to challenge your body. When our bodies get used to a certain routine, they know what to expect and will adapt accordingly. This includes adjusting the calories you burn and the calories you store. So if you’re having trouble losing the last five or ten pounds, try something different to break your routine. Take a new class, exercise outside, or join a new sports team. Do whatever it takes to make your body less comfortable!
3. Machine Monotony: Similar to the problem above, if you always use the same aerobic or weight machines, not only are you going to lose out when it comes to seeing consistent results, but you may also be in danger of overtraining certain muscles. at the expense of others. If you’re on the bike every day, you may start to notice your thighs getting a bit bulky while your stomach is somewhat flabby. This can easily be remedied by adding some Pilates to your regimen or some other core strength training and cutting back on your bike use a bit. Try the rowing machine or treadmill to work different areas.
4. Fat Burning Zones: You may have noticed that on your typical exercise machine it will tell you when you are in the much-touted “fat burning zone.” For some time, people believed that staying at a lower intensity, or in this zone, meant that they would burn more calories in fat than increase them a little. However, the truth is not so clear. According to more recent research, running would be much better than brisk walking in terms of total calories burned. While low-intensity workouts can be good, especially if you’re recovering from injury or just getting back into the swing of things after a sedentary spell, if you’re looking to burn calories (fat or otherwise) then you’re going to to have to make an effort.
5. Forgetting the warm-up: The warm-up isn’t just for newbies or lesser beings. Warming up helps you burn calories and get in better shape. The warm up prepares the body to begin by getting the blood flowing through the veins. This actually helps deliver oxygen to your muscles, making your workout more efficient. So it’s not a waste of valuable time to spend five or ten minutes warming up. Instead of cutting into your workout time, warming up will give you more value for money once you really start pumping it.
6. Abdominal Overkill: So, as you’ve heard many times before, you can’t work your way up to killer abs if they’re covered in flab. Well, not only is this true, but it is also the case that doing more than three sets of fifteen or twenty crunches will not increase the effect. Because you also need to target your obliques and lower abs, simply doing a hundred crunches won’t always improve the overall appearance of your midsection. Instead, remember to work your other major abdominal muscles by mixing up your ab routine.
By avoiding these common exercise mistakes, you’ll ensure that you improve the overall effectiveness of each workout and reach your fitness goals faster. If you’ve found yourself stuck with the last ten pounds or certain problem areas that just don’t seem to want to tone up, take a look at the mistakes above and try to see where you’re going wrong. By arranging your diet and exercise regimen in the above ways, you’ll be sure to see spectacular results.
