9 Schoolboy Errors You’re Probably Making in the Gym

*Collaborative Post

If you are not getting the results you had hoped for in the gym, it could be because you are making a mistake without realising it. This is something that happens to most people. After all, most of us are learning on the job when working out! With that in mind, read on to discover some of the most common schoolboy errors people make in the gym so that you can avoid them.

1. Not bringing your own music – Music can really give you the extra push you need to work hard in the gym. We all have different personalities, and we all have different genres of music that will get us fired up. Plus, when you’re listening to your favourite tunes, it stops you from talking to your friends while working out if you do indeed go to the gym with other people. When you’re chatting, you’re only ruining your own workout and your friend’s workout too.
2. Not trying hard enough – If you are not putting 110% into your gym session, you won’t see the results you desire. It is as simple as that. The best programme in the world will fail if you are going into it half-heartedly.
3. Not doing enough bodyweight exercises – Bodyweight exercises include the likes of pull-ups and push-ups. These exercises can help you to tone up effectively. They are so effective because they use our bodies in the way they were designed to – as a unit, in balance.
4. Not using the right gym equipment – There are so many people in the gym that are not using the right gym equipment. It’s not hard to see why this happens. After all, there are so many different options to choose from, making it somewhat overwhelming. Not only do you have to choose between everything from cross trainers and treadmills to bench presses and dumbbells, but also there are then lots of different varieties of each type. There are plenty of guides online for different pieces of equipment. You should also consider booking a personal training session so that a professional can advise you on the best gym equipment to use for reaching your goals.
5. Not warming up properly – This is undoubtedly one of the biggest mistakes that gym-goers make. A few arm swings and five minutes on the treadmill does not constitute a warm-up. If you don’t warm up properly, all you are doing is wrecking your joints. Instead, by warming up, you will get more out of your gym experience, as you can work on the parts of your body that are inhibiting movement so that you get more from your workout session.
6. Training for better looks, rather than function – Of course; we would all like to be the embodiment of physical perfection. However, having an efficient posture and functional body should be a lot more important than boasting great Instagram photographs. Make sure you are challenging all aspects of fitness with your workout, including cardiovascular work, bodyweight strength, flexibility, and mobility.
7. Failing to plan out your gym session – Don’t walk into the gym without a plan. There are a number of questions you need to ask yourself before you get started. For example, what exercises are you going to do first? What will you do after this? How will you spend your time in-between sets? How much weight did you do last time? How are you going to make your program different this week when compared with last week? You can find a full list of the important questions here: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/questions-before-new-workout. These questions are important to make sure you are getting the most out of your workout. The best thing to do is simply jot down all of the information in a notebook or planner.
8. Resting for too long – If you spend a long amount of time tracking your social media accounts in between every rep, you are ruining your workout session. Tracking rest periods can be the difference between a winning workout and one that does not have any effect.
9. Only doing your skill set – Last but not least, this is something we have a tendency to do in a lot of areas of our lives – not just the gym. We focus on what we are good at. After all, it is easier and we enjoy it more! However, you need to step it up and test yourself if you want to experience real results. Do something new and switch up your routine.

*This is a collaborative post. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.

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