Top 15 Mistakes To Avoid While Working Out

by proformadmin · Published January 20, 2020 · Updated January 20, 2020

Listing fifteen common mistakes people make when working out might sound like a lot. This isn’t meant to chide new fitness enthusiasts for “doing it wrong” or make working out appear more complex than it is. Your workout should become a rewarding and even enjoyable part of your day.

You can easily avoid these common workout errors to achieve your goals faster and make working out something you can actually look forward to.

Fifteen Common Workout Mistakes

Check this list of fifteen common workout mistakes to ensure you can maximize your benefits from your workouts and reduce frustrations.

Mistake #1: Skipping Your Warm-Up

You should always prepare your body for physical activity by warming up first. According to advice from a prestigious medical center, warming up increases your body temperature, loosens muscles, and gives your cardiovascular system time to adjust to increased demands.

This reduces overall stress on your body, helps increase performance, and lowers the risk of exercise-related injuries. You can simply spend a few minutes slowly walking on your treadmill or cycling with low resistance to prepare yourself.

Try a workout from the iFit® warm-up series with iFit trainer John Peel before each workout. Walk through the incredible forests, beaches, and volcanoes of Costa Rica.

Mistake #2: Not Having A Workout Plan

Having a workout plan will save you time and provide you with better results. If you don’t have a plan, you’re likely to waste time or take longer on your exercise routine than you need to. Most of all, people without plans will almost certainly under-perform because they haven’t committed to the goals that a plan has been created to meet. Without goals, there’s no way to judge progress.

iFit has several different levels of workouts that target certain health and fitness goals. You can easily choose your fitness level and intensity, then schedule out your workouts for the week using the iFit app, therefore, you have a workout plan in place; taking out the guesswork for you each and every day so you can focus on using your time for other tasks.

Mistake #3: Exhausting Yourself Too Early

If you’ve ever watched long-distance runners, you know that they don’t sprint during the entire race. They go the distance because they know how to conserve their energy to maximize their total performance. You should model your workout in a similar way. For instance, too much cardio at the beginning of your workout can impair strength training. So for best results, start slow and work your way up.

Mistake #4: Lifting Weights That Are Too Heavy

Some fitness novices assume that they can achieve faster results by pushing themselves with heavier weights. Particularly in the beginning, it’s more important to develop the right form and practice repetitions. If you don’t wait until you’re ready to progress to heavier weights, you’ll suffer from more muscle soreness than you need to and increase the risk of injuries.

Besides, you can also progress by increasing repetitions with lighter weights. Check out this iFit dumbbell workout series with trainer Whitney Simmons for a full-body workout.

Mistake #5: Using The Same Machines For Each Workout

If you use the same machines in the same way each day, you’re likely to get bored. In addition, you’ll be more likely to hit a plateau that will slow progress, making your fitness goals more difficult to reach. You might consider multi-function fitness equipment that will help you overcome this problem without taking up more space or costing more money.

Luckily, ProForm+ has made it easier than ever before to update your exercise equipment with the opportunity to get a free machine and free shipping with a qualifying iFit purchase.

Mistake #6: Doing The Same Workouts Every Day

Human bodies are remarkably good at adapting to extra demands. This survival benefit helped your ancestors cope with various pressures, but the way your body adapts may frustrate you when you hit plateaus in your fitness or weight-loss efforts.

Stay challenged and entertained with the expansive library of iFit. New workouts and new destinations are always being added to iFit so you’ll continuously be exposed to new workouts.

Mistake #7: Spending Your Time Waiting For Other Gym Members

If you belong to a gym, you may have to spend time waiting to use popular fitness equipment. Waiting takes time, and it also will undo your warm-up and other exercise by letting your muscles cool off. Using and even investing in your own home fitness machine will help you save time, and keep your body functional to continue to perform your exercise routine.

Mistake #8: Taking Long Resting Periods

This ties into Mistake #3, which was exhausting yourself too early. If you have to take long rests during your workout, you’ll either take longer than you need to or run out of time and never finish. You also risk letting your body cool down.

You should plan your routine to keep you moving from one workout to the next without needing several minutes to catch your breath. You should also find this sort of pace more pleasant. You should challenge yourself but not stress yourself.

Mistake #9: Forgetting To Breathe Well During Exercise

You’ve got to develop proper breathing techniques to make sure your muscles receive the oxygen they require to keep functioning. Researchers from the University of New Mexico demonstrated that proper breathing will enhance performance. You have to remember to breathe, but you shouldn’t push yourself until you hyperventilate.

Mistake #10: Underestimating Your Ability

Certainly, you want to pace yourself to complete your routine without excessively long rest periods. At the same time, a failure to challenge your body will result in a lack of progress. Some people turn to personal trainers to evaluate their ability and keep them moving towards increasingly challenging goals.

iFit is a great example that brings personal trainers right into your home to help you plan your workout, set goals, provide encouragement, and much more. Even if you plan to workout at home, you don’t have to exercise alone!

Mistake #11: Not Putting Free Weights And Other Equipment Away After Use

Proper gym etiquette demands properly storing free weights and other gym equipment after each use. First, you’ll aggravate other people who are waiting to use the equipment after you. Set a good example so you can rely upon finding the equipment you need next time.

Mistake #12: Not Wiping Down Machines After Use

You certainly don’t want to use equipment that’s covered in someone else’s sweat. You can imagine that other people feel exactly the same way. Keep a towel with you to wipe down equipment after use.

Mistake #13: Forgetting To Hydrate

Water makes up a large percentage of our bodies. Determining this percentage relies on your gender, age, and weight, however, the average percentage of body weight that is water is above 50% for most of your life and declines over time, so proper hydration is extremely important.

Hydrating helps keep your joints lubricated and body temperature regulated. If you’re even slightly dehydrated, you can’t perform as well. Have a water bottle with you, and don’t wait until you feel thirsty to sip water.

Mistake #14: Neglecting A Cool-Down Routine

Cooling down is just as important as warming up. Your blood vessels are dilated from your workout, as well as having warmer body temperature, so doing a proper cool –down such as walking and stretching, will help reduce the buildup of lactic acid, which can lead to muscles cramping and stiffness.

Mistake #15: Not Setting Achievable Goals

When dieters need to lose 50 to 100 pounds or more, many nutrition experts will advise them to simply concentrate on the next 5 pounds as a goal. This is also good advice if you want to build muscles, strengthen your heart, or reach any other fitness goals. Create a workout plan with a series of rapidly achievable goals that you can change as you progress and to stay motivated.

Why Worry About Common Workout Mistakes?

When you know you’re working out properly, you should look forward to challenging your body, but not straining or stressing yourself. Making progress with a well-organized workout plan doesn’t have to be complicated. Avoiding these common workout mistakes may help you reach your goals faster and avoid frustration and injuries along the way.

DISCLAIMER: This post is not intended to replace the advice of a medical professional. The above information should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or medical condition. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet, sleep methods, daily activity, or fitness routine. ProForm assumes no responsibility for any personal injury or damage sustained by any recommendations, opinions, or advice given in this article. Always follow the safety precautions included in the owner’s manual of your fitness equipment.

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