5 Bad Gym Habits to Break Today | HBR Personal Training

By now we all know the importance of regular exercise—yes, you need to move around in order to keep your body healthy and strong and healthy… However, simply ‘sweating it out’ in the gym is not enough, especially when trying to figure out the type of exercises that are most suitable for your fitness goals and how often you should be doing them.

While it can get a bit complicated when there are so many different kinds of workouts, it’s important that you do it RIGHT in order to reap the full health benefits of exercise.

To save yourself time, make the most of your workouts, and get faster results, make sure you avoid the following mistakes common to both beginners as well as veteran gym enthusiasts:

1. Not Warming-Up
   The reason many people skip warming up before working out is because they either don’t know it’s importance, or because their training program doesn’t offer it. Whether you’re at the gym for cardio or strength training, preparing your muscles is always essential and should be customized based on that day’s training. It can a ten-minute session on the cross trainer or a few sets of low-intensity warm-ups.

2. Incomplete Reps
   A rep is a repetition of a certain exercise in your workout routine. It can be anything from a bicep cur, a bench press, a squat, or even a sit-up. Reps are great for challenging yourself, but are only effective if done properly. Many people have a bad habit of doing partial reps and/or complete reps with a poor range of movement. A partial rep is performing a certain exercise at a very limited range of motion. For instance, doing a half squat instead of a properly executed deep squat. You might have done this to get through the set quicker, but you need to complete the full range of motion if you are looking to improve your strength or build muscle.

3. Overusing Cardio and Underusing Weights
   Because most gyms have a surplus of cardio equipment, the first inclination for those who want to lose some pounds is hopping on the elliptical, treadmill, or bike to sweat out calories. Yes, cardio will help you spend energy, but you also need to lift weights so that you can reshape your body and get desired results.
   Additionally, most women underuse weight due to the fear of becoming masculine. Keep in mind that women have lower testosterone levels, meaning they do not have enough testosterone to develop “manly” muscles. Check out my blog article on this subject if you want to know more.

4. Overexertion
   There is a fine line between challenging yourself and pushing yourself past your limit. Lifting weights that are too heavy for you could lead to improper movement quality or even injury. . There is an appropriate time & place for maximum training, and doing so in each training session will only lead to burnout and lack of results. It’s important to avoid comparison when training. Keep in mind that what matters is not lifting maximum weight like the person working out next to you, but doing more reps with proper form. If you want to achieve long-term results and have minimum setbacks, lighten the weight, increase your reps, and concentrate on form. 

5. Lack Of Variation
   We’re all creatures of habit and feel most comfortable when we are in a routine… However, if you have repeated the same program for a month+ or do the same workout every time you go to the gym, your body is going to adapt and you’re going to stop seeing progress. It is recommended to change up your exercises every four to six weeks. You don’t have to train different body parts or change everything completely; you can just tweak a few things every once in a while.

***Note: Lack of nutrition, as well as pushing yourself past your limit and not getting enough rest + proper recovery are two [dis]honorary mentions. Browse through my other blog posts if you want to learn more about choosing the right diet and the importance of recovery