You have been going to the gym or doing workouts with ardent favor for quite some time, but do you still not see the results that you had expected? Did you lose a few pounds in the beginning after which you hit the weight plateau? You may be surprised to know that many people do not do exercise right because of which one is bound not to see great results. Frustration sets in and sadly, people quit the exercising program without knowing the actual reasons. While some mistakes are minor, many of them cause injuries as well as hinder the weight loss progress. Do not expect to lose weight just because you are spending thirty minutes of workout every day. Are you sure that you are doing the right kind of exercise or workout to burn that body fat? Here is a description of few activities that people must avoid when exercising or working out.
Lack of focus
Many people go to the gym as a matter of habit to spend sometime without having serious goals. Walking leisurely on a treadmill and lifting light weights are minimal movements with very less intensity. If you are moving too slow, the body does not get enough aerobic activity. You must push yourself to increase the quality of the movement required to burn the calories. People trying to socialize at the gym will end up giving less time to their work out. Spend more quality time at the gym, minimizing your conversations during the workout. Exercising with serious goals needs commitment; so do put in your time wisely and efficiently at the gym to see better results.
Wrong work outs
The type of your exercise program directly determines the results that you achieve at the gym. One of the most important things to consider before taking up the exercise program is to know what type of exercises will benefit your body. Exercises shown on TV or followed by your friends may not suit your body type. You can benefit more by consulting a professional health trainer who can provide valuable inputs or can draw up a program specifically for you. The type of exercise that you want to follow depends on your goals, endurance and flexibility. A right exercise program is designed keeping in mind the ability, interest, goal and body type of the person who wants to pursue the program.
Lack of intensity
In order to achieve better results, the exercise program that you follow at the gym must be quite intensive. Intensive exercises make the program efficient, fun and safe. A training expert can guide you with the programs of right intensity to lose weight efficiently. A trainer often monitors the heart rate among other things to guide you with the correct intensity. Few techniques to increase the intensity include increasing the volume of sets, increasing the amount of weight that you lift, decreasing the number of rest periods, and increased repetition of exercise. Intensifying the workout helps you to maximize the effort you put in and to reach your weight loss goals in a quick and efficient way. For example, doing a set of squats followed by shoulder presses between the exercises is good for your body.
Exercise order matters
The body needs sufficient warm up before you expect the muscles to work intensively. Muscles without warm up are contracted and working out without warming up leads to injuries. You must ensure that the program includes body warm up that increases the temperature of the muscles. Similarly, a proper cool down of the body is also very essential before you wind up the exercise program for the day. Cooling the body helps to normalize the heart rate and significantly helps the body to recover making the body ready for the next workout. In addition, including stretching exercises makes the body flexible and naturally increases the performance. It also keeps you away from workout injuries.
Progressive resistance
Over time, you get comfortable lifting the same amount of weight or doing the same exercise. You can be progressive in the results when you challenge the body to flex more with greater intensity. You must keep your body and muscles guessing by mixing your workout routine. For example, you can increase the weight that you are lifting. The reps and sets can remain the same, while there should be increase in the weight. You can also strengthen by lengthening the tension in the muscles for a longer period. You can slow down the exercise long enough to increase the tension in the muscles, using the same weight and the number of reps. Plyometric exercises are high intense fat burners. Squat jumps and lateral cone hops are some of the examples. Metabolic circuit training is also an advanced-type high intensity exercise.
Over exercising
Conventional weight loss theory believes in working more to lose more weight. However, studies indicate that excess exercise can stress the body, thus reducing the production of adrenal hormone which makes the body deposit fat rather than burning the fat. Exercise can lead to weight loss only if it increases the metabolic rate of the body without the release of adrenal hormones. Over exercising can also cause injury, which means lower weight loss and slower recovery. Focus on exercising smarter, not harder.
Unbalanced workouts
Giving importance to a certain part of the body gives an unbalanced workout to the body as well as the overall appearance. Always include a workout regime that focuses on all the body parts. Unbalanced workouts also cause injury. For example, if you are working on abs, you must work on the lower back as well. You can complete the core workout when you include the muscles of the stomach as well as the lower back. This strengthens the posture, speed and overall performance.
Poor form
Poor form during a workout not only causes injuries but also lowers your chances of losing weight. It leads to torn tendons, pulled muscles and back problems. Twisting or jerking the body, incomplete range of motion, performing too fast, over arching the back, not keeping the back straight, bending too much, and swinging the weight are some of the examples of poor form. At times, certain injuries tend to become non-reversible and become long term health problems. Learning the proper technique will improve body posture as well as keep the body flexible. For example, always keep your ankle and foot area flexible. Wear comfortable footwear for smooth movement. Alternating the running workouts avoids repetitive injuries.
Cardio before weight training
Cardio uses lot of energy and there is a decrease in the strength to lift the weights. It is essential to have sufficient energy to complete the reps. The much required energy drains out after a hard cardio session, leaving you with a weakened body that discourages you from lifting heavy weights. Hence, it is better to complete your weight training followed by a good cardio workout. It works better if you keep 20 minutes of intense cardio sessions.
Working upper abs before working on lower abs
If you work on crunches and sit ups, you will be exhausted to train the lower abs muscles. The upper abs receives most work out while lower abs is not really worked upon. This leads to weak lower abs where the fat is much more, thus hindering your weight loss goals. Train the lower abs first and then move on to upper abs to have a flat stomach.
Same old workout plan
Over time, you may get bored doing the same set of exercises or workout, thus slowing down the intensity of the exercise program. Revisit your routine constantly, make modifications to suit, and adapt to your routine. Try new activities, increase the intensity, and decrease the time for breaks to keep the exercise workout program fresh that helps to achieve your fitness goals. Focus on activating different body parts such as dumb bells, step ups, lunges, and squats. Remember a short intense workout of 30 minutes that works out different parts of the body will help you lose more weight.
Unrealistic goals
Setting unrealistic goals such as losing 25 pounds in a month can only dishearten you when you do not get to see immediate results. Being honest with yourself about your strength, ability and commitment helps you to achieve your goals in a reasonable amount of time. It is also important to measure the progress through proper means to ensure that you are on the right track. Just the weight scale does not provide enough information about your body. Tracking the heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol level and your overall fitness level to achieve daily chores can make you feel motivated. The goal must be to shed more body fat than to lose weight. A body that loses weight without strength training will still have stores of body fat. Get your body fat checked once a week by a trainer to measure how much actual body fat you have lost.