10: Quantity over quality.
For quality results, choose quality exercises and increase the quality of each movement. By pushing harder, you gain better results in less time. Tip: Leave your phone and reading material in your locker!
9: Incorrectly measuring results.
Skip obsessing over the scale to track progress. Instead, focus on how you feel overall and track your heart rate, the amount of reps or weight you use, or the distance you cover in a certain amount of time.
8: Following the latest fitness fads.
Ben Franklin once said, “Don’t believe anything you read and only half of what you see.” This applies to fitness products and diets seen on TV! There is no magic bullet to getting fit.
7: Not getting enough sleep.
Sleep is vital to a person’s well being, important for muscle recovery and ensures you have enough energy to work out.
6: Staying with the same old routine.
Stuck in a rut? Switch up your workout. Change aspects of your routine–including the intensity, order, sets or reps. Try new variations of exercises or new ones altogether.
5: Skipping the warm up.
A proper warm-up increases heart rate and body temperature, prepares the body for movement and decreases your risk of injury.
4: Exercising with incorrect form.
Using proper form is critical when performing an exercise safely and effectively; a certified personal trainer will help teach form too.
3: Thinking “doing cardio” is enough.
Both sexes must incorporate resistance/weight training into their workout regimen to maximize their results in the gym. Strong is the new skinny!
2: Not eating right.
You can work your butt off all you want in the gym but if you don’t put that same effort into eating right, well, don’t expect to watch your body transform!
1: Not setting clear goals.
Going to the gym without a plan of action is like going on vacation without researching your destination. A certified personal trainer will tailor a training program to take you to your optimum fitness level.
Derek Alberto is a certified personal trained at Prescriptions for Fitness in Chappaqua. His many clients include Grace Bennett, Inside Chappaqua’s publisher!
