I am in the gym a lot! I spend four to five mornings a week there for my own personal workouts and countless other hours throughout each day training my clients. During my own workouts, I try to focus on what I am doing and keep my mind clear of what is going on around me. And when I am with a client, I strive to give them my undivided attention. But, that doesn't mean that I don't see some of the crazy things that are happening around us in the gym everyday.
As a Personal Trainer, I am ecstatic that people feel it is important to be getting exercise and that they are diligent about coming to the gym. During my years in the gym, I have observed three types of people. First, there are those who really know what they are doing. Secondly, there are the folks who are there because they believe that exercise works by osmosis and that just by their presence in the gym they're going to get that beach buff bod! And then there is the third population which tends to be the largest of the three groups. These are the people who are faithfully present but who lack some understanding of what they are doing. For most, their intentions are good. They just need some guidance and instruction to help make their workouts worthwhile because it is very evident, that in many ways, they just don't know what they are doing.
I find it is quite amazing to see so many people making the same mistakes in the gym everyday. I am not sure where they are getting their information, direction or instruction from (if they are getting any at all) but it is definitely not a good source. I actually believe that a lot of gym goers learn by watching others. It's just too bad that they are watching the wrong examples!
I've comprised a list of the most common mistakes I see in the gym every day. Hopefully, this list may help you to avoid making some of these mistakes and assist you in making your workouts more effective and injury free.
Common Mistakes I See in the Gym Everyday
1. Cell Phones
Leave your cell phone in your locker! Okay....so this is more of a pet peeve than a mistake, but it needs to be said. How can you possibly get a good workout while constantly checking your cell phone and texting? And while I'm at it....the gym is not a social hall! Yes, it's okay to chat while you are in the gym but if all you want to do is socialize, then go to the coffee shop! There is nothing more frustrating to someone who is trying to get a good workout than waiting for a piece of equipment because someone else is sitting on it texting or having a long-winded conversation with another person trying to solve world issues! Take it elsewhere!
Okay, I feel better now. Let's move on...
2. Improper Technique
This is probably the most common mistake I see. People performing exercises the wrong way. Every exercise has a proper technique and when this technique is not understood and followed it leads to an inefficient workout and a greater risk of injury. It is critical that proper technique is used.
I see a lot of improper technique on the three major lifts; bench press, squat and dead lift. These are power exercises and many people are attempting lifts with high weights and the risk of injury to your shoulders, back, and knees is more likely when using bad technique. I spend a lot of time with my clients perfecting technique with light weights before we ever begin to add poundage.
Another bad technique habit that is common is a rounded back during exercises like dumbbell rows, deadlifts or kickbacks. You want to lift with a neutral spine position which is with a slight arch or inward curve. I also see a lot of exercises done with straight arms like lateral raises and front raises. This can be harmful as it puts added stress on the elbow joint. The arms should be slightly bent to perform these exercises.
Some people don't even know what muscle or muscle group they are work during a particular exercise! You have to know what muscle you are working and what outcome you want from an exercise in order to understand how to properly work the particular muscle with the proper technique.
3. Sloppy Form
Good form is all about moving the weight in a strict and controlled manner using or isolating the muscle the exercise is targeting. When good form is executed, the muscle will be hit more deeply with the exercise and your workout will be more efficient and productive. People with sloppy form are all over the place with body parts moving that should be stationary.
Consider the biceps curl:
You should be standing up straight with feet shoulder width apart and knees relaxed for a sturdy base. Your upper arms should be tight to your sides with elbows in and they should never move during the exercise. The weight is lifted by bending at the elbows using the biceps and moving only your forearms upward. Contract the bicep at the top of the movement and slowly lower the bar in a controlled manner. Do not allow your arms to straighten out at the end of the movement. Always retain a slight bend at the elbow in order to keep the bicep engaged.
Now...how many people do you see perform a curl that way? Most of the time people are moving their upper arms which now employs the shoulder muscles, taking weight away from the bicep. Lots of people also sway their body to create a momentum to get the weight raised and then let gravity drop the bar instead of controlling the motion down. The result of sloppy form: inefficient exercise and increased risk of injury. If you can't perform an exercise in a strict and controlled manner, then you are using too much weight. An exercise routine performed with lower weights and proper form will produce much better and quicker results than one performed with heavy weights and sloppy form.
4. Incorrect Poundage
This is a biggie! How much weight should I be using for a particular exercise? I may have to address the women and the men separately on this one.
Women...use more weight!!! Why do women believe that if they start lifting weights that they are going to get big and bulky? Don't worry about it! It's not going to happen unless you train specifically for that, eat like an animal and train for years! I know that most of you want to lose fat, tone and look good. Okay then...start adding poundage! Enough with those three and five pound dumbbells!
Men...put that ego aside and drop the poundage! I see more guys strut into the gym, put heavy weights on the bar and go at it like there is no tomorrow. And there may not be with the heavy weights and sloppy form I see. Heavy weights are necessary and a heck of a lot of fun to lift. But c'mon! Let's work on the technique and form first.
A good guideline for determining poundage is to start with a weight that you can perform two sets of fifteen reps moderately easily with to warm up. Then go to a weight that you can handle for three sets of eight to twelve reps with strict form.
5. Ignoring Progressive Resistance
Progressive resistance is when the amount of resistance (weight) is increased to further stress the muscle after it has become accustomed to handling a lesser resistance. To paraphrase, you can't keep lifting the same amount of weight every workout and expect to change! So there it is women...keep adding more weight! I see people in the gym month after month doing the same routines with the same amount of weights. If all you are interested in doing is maintaining, then this may be alright. Except for the fact that as we get older, we actually need to do more to maintain. Our bodies get used to what we challenge them with and they go into "static" mode. If we want to keep making progress, then we need to keep adding resistance and challenging ourselves even more.
6. Not Warming-Up
I cringe every time I see a guy walk into the gym, load the bar with a heavy weight and start bench pressing. What a shock to the muscles, tendons and joints! A proper warm-up is always necessary before we start making huge demands on our body. A good warm-up increases our heart rate and gets the blood flowing through our musculature. It also helps to increase our range of motion as well as raise our core body temperature. With a good warm-up you will be able to increase the weight and the number of reps that you will be able to lift. And we always want to lower our risk of injury!
7. Not Stretching
Stretching can be a part of your warm-up but it is always good to stretch after a workout, too, when your muscles are warm and pliable. Stretching helps us to loosen muscle and to increase blood flow into the muscle. It also helps to restore the proper range of motion around all of our joints which makes us more flexible. This flexibility improves our athletic abilities and makes us less likely to sustain injury. Stretching also helps in keeping us pain free. Without proper stretching we are more likely to have aches that nag at us and hinder certain activities throughout our day.
So, you now have no excuse for making any of these mistakes! If you would like any more information on any one of these topics or if you need some help with the proper technique of any exercise, just contact me and I will be glad to help!
Happy mistake-free exercising!
Mark
As a Personal Trainer, I am ecstatic that people feel it is important to be getting exercise and that they are diligent about coming to the gym. During my years in the gym, I have observed three types of people. First, there are those who really know what they are doing. Secondly, there are the folks who are there because they believe that exercise works by osmosis and that just by their presence in the gym they're going to get that beach buff bod! And then there is the third population which tends to be the largest of the three groups. These are the people who are faithfully present but who lack some understanding of what they are doing. For most, their intentions are good. They just need some guidance and instruction to help make their workouts worthwhile because it is very evident, that in many ways, they just don't know what they are doing.
I find it is quite amazing to see so many people making the same mistakes in the gym everyday. I am not sure where they are getting their information, direction or instruction from (if they are getting any at all) but it is definitely not a good source. I actually believe that a lot of gym goers learn by watching others. It's just too bad that they are watching the wrong examples!
I've comprised a list of the most common mistakes I see in the gym every day. Hopefully, this list may help you to avoid making some of these mistakes and assist you in making your workouts more effective and injury free.
Common Mistakes I See in the Gym Everyday
1. Cell Phones
Leave your cell phone in your locker! Okay....so this is more of a pet peeve than a mistake, but it needs to be said. How can you possibly get a good workout while constantly checking your cell phone and texting? And while I'm at it....the gym is not a social hall! Yes, it's okay to chat while you are in the gym but if all you want to do is socialize, then go to the coffee shop! There is nothing more frustrating to someone who is trying to get a good workout than waiting for a piece of equipment because someone else is sitting on it texting or having a long-winded conversation with another person trying to solve world issues! Take it elsewhere!
Okay, I feel better now. Let's move on...
2. Improper Technique
This is probably the most common mistake I see. People performing exercises the wrong way. Every exercise has a proper technique and when this technique is not understood and followed it leads to an inefficient workout and a greater risk of injury. It is critical that proper technique is used.
I see a lot of improper technique on the three major lifts; bench press, squat and dead lift. These are power exercises and many people are attempting lifts with high weights and the risk of injury to your shoulders, back, and knees is more likely when using bad technique. I spend a lot of time with my clients perfecting technique with light weights before we ever begin to add poundage.
Another bad technique habit that is common is a rounded back during exercises like dumbbell rows, deadlifts or kickbacks. You want to lift with a neutral spine position which is with a slight arch or inward curve. I also see a lot of exercises done with straight arms like lateral raises and front raises. This can be harmful as it puts added stress on the elbow joint. The arms should be slightly bent to perform these exercises.
Some people don't even know what muscle or muscle group they are work during a particular exercise! You have to know what muscle you are working and what outcome you want from an exercise in order to understand how to properly work the particular muscle with the proper technique.
3. Sloppy Form
Good form is all about moving the weight in a strict and controlled manner using or isolating the muscle the exercise is targeting. When good form is executed, the muscle will be hit more deeply with the exercise and your workout will be more efficient and productive. People with sloppy form are all over the place with body parts moving that should be stationary.
Consider the biceps curl:
You should be standing up straight with feet shoulder width apart and knees relaxed for a sturdy base. Your upper arms should be tight to your sides with elbows in and they should never move during the exercise. The weight is lifted by bending at the elbows using the biceps and moving only your forearms upward. Contract the bicep at the top of the movement and slowly lower the bar in a controlled manner. Do not allow your arms to straighten out at the end of the movement. Always retain a slight bend at the elbow in order to keep the bicep engaged.
Now...how many people do you see perform a curl that way? Most of the time people are moving their upper arms which now employs the shoulder muscles, taking weight away from the bicep. Lots of people also sway their body to create a momentum to get the weight raised and then let gravity drop the bar instead of controlling the motion down. The result of sloppy form: inefficient exercise and increased risk of injury. If you can't perform an exercise in a strict and controlled manner, then you are using too much weight. An exercise routine performed with lower weights and proper form will produce much better and quicker results than one performed with heavy weights and sloppy form.
4. Incorrect Poundage
This is a biggie! How much weight should I be using for a particular exercise? I may have to address the women and the men separately on this one.
Women...use more weight!!! Why do women believe that if they start lifting weights that they are going to get big and bulky? Don't worry about it! It's not going to happen unless you train specifically for that, eat like an animal and train for years! I know that most of you want to lose fat, tone and look good. Okay then...start adding poundage! Enough with those three and five pound dumbbells!
Men...put that ego aside and drop the poundage! I see more guys strut into the gym, put heavy weights on the bar and go at it like there is no tomorrow. And there may not be with the heavy weights and sloppy form I see. Heavy weights are necessary and a heck of a lot of fun to lift. But c'mon! Let's work on the technique and form first.
A good guideline for determining poundage is to start with a weight that you can perform two sets of fifteen reps moderately easily with to warm up. Then go to a weight that you can handle for three sets of eight to twelve reps with strict form.
5. Ignoring Progressive Resistance
Progressive resistance is when the amount of resistance (weight) is increased to further stress the muscle after it has become accustomed to handling a lesser resistance. To paraphrase, you can't keep lifting the same amount of weight every workout and expect to change! So there it is women...keep adding more weight! I see people in the gym month after month doing the same routines with the same amount of weights. If all you are interested in doing is maintaining, then this may be alright. Except for the fact that as we get older, we actually need to do more to maintain. Our bodies get used to what we challenge them with and they go into "static" mode. If we want to keep making progress, then we need to keep adding resistance and challenging ourselves even more.
6. Not Warming-Up
I cringe every time I see a guy walk into the gym, load the bar with a heavy weight and start bench pressing. What a shock to the muscles, tendons and joints! A proper warm-up is always necessary before we start making huge demands on our body. A good warm-up increases our heart rate and gets the blood flowing through our musculature. It also helps to increase our range of motion as well as raise our core body temperature. With a good warm-up you will be able to increase the weight and the number of reps that you will be able to lift. And we always want to lower our risk of injury!
7. Not Stretching
Stretching can be a part of your warm-up but it is always good to stretch after a workout, too, when your muscles are warm and pliable. Stretching helps us to loosen muscle and to increase blood flow into the muscle. It also helps to restore the proper range of motion around all of our joints which makes us more flexible. This flexibility improves our athletic abilities and makes us less likely to sustain injury. Stretching also helps in keeping us pain free. Without proper stretching we are more likely to have aches that nag at us and hinder certain activities throughout our day.
So, you now have no excuse for making any of these mistakes! If you would like any more information on any one of these topics or if you need some help with the proper technique of any exercise, just contact me and I will be glad to help!
Happy mistake-free exercising!
Mark