Are you wasting time exercising?

As a personal trainer, I see it all too often. People investing their valuable time in exercise, but doing it in such a way that it’s unlikely to get them results. Even more concerning is that some exercises performed incorrectly can increase your chances of suffering an injury.

The most common exercise errors include a lack of variety, thinking “no pain, no gain”, not having bad weather alternatives, and not having a training goal. Some additional exercise errors include:

• Forgetting to warm up
• Forgetting to stretch
• Avoiding strength training
• Using sweat as a guide to a good workout
• Comparing your workouts and results to others
• Expecting too much too soon
• Eating the wrong foods / drinking the wrong drinks before and after exercise
• Performing high risk exercises, or performing exercises incorrectly

The specific high-risk exercises to avoid include pull downs behind your head, shoulder press behind your head, and squats where your knees go over your toes. Other common technique-based mistakes include bending while standing and touching your toes, and leaning forward over cardiovascular equipment such as the stepper or elliptical trainer.

Many of these exercises errors occur with the best of intentions, yet what’s missing is a bit of professional guidance. Exercise and training is hard enough at the best of times, especially when you go it alone. Don’t keep plodding along with the same exercise program or diet and wonder why you aren’t getting results. What’s more, don’t expect to magically overcome a re-occurring injury without treatment. If you are stuck in a rut, and not achieving the goals you seek, why not seek out help from a health and fitness professional. The assistance offered by a dietician, personal trainer, online weight loss coach or physiotherapist can be invaluable. If price is a concern, re-educate yourself about the outcomes you seek from exercise, and the best way to achieve them.

Are you stuck in an exercise rut? Are you guilty of committing any of the common exercise errors? Have you seen others committing exercise errors? What do you think is the most common workout mistake?