5 Workout Mistakes from Valerie Pawloski

Take a walk through any gym, and you’ll notice many mistakes. Mistakes that waste time. Mistakes that put
people in danger. And mistakes that are just plain stupid. Maybe you even make a few of these mistakes
yourself.
By avoiding these common blunders, you’ll put yourself on the fast track to results. Check out the following 5
fitness mistakes and the solutions you need to avoid danger and to get fit fast.

Mistake 1: You use the wrong weight
The goal is to challenge your muscles, not to simply go through the motions. If you are able to complete
repetitions easily, then the weight is too light. On the flip side, if you aren’t able to perform an exercise through
its full range of motion, and find yourself cheating on form, then the weight is too heavy.
The correct weights will feel challenging by your last few repetitions, but won’t force you to sacrifice form.

Mistake 2: You do the same routine
You may have noticed that most people do the same exercises each time they visit the gym. Maybe you’ve
been doing the same exercise routine as long as you can remember – if it isn’t broken then don’t fix it, right?
The truth is that exercise routines have expiration dates, and that is the date that they begin to lose their
effectiveness. As a rule of thumb never use the same routine for more than 4 weeks.

Mistake 3: You don’t warm up
Most people consider warm up time to be wasted time – they’d rather jump right into the heart of the routine.
What they don’t realize is that a good warm up will allow you to perform at a higher intensity, which means
greater results.
The point of a warm up is to increase your muscle temperature. This increases blood flow, muscle contraction
and reduces muscle resistance. Your warm up should last 5-10 minutes.

Mistake 4: You use bad form
Gyms are filled with people performing exercises with bad form. The two biggest reasons are that you aren’t
concentrating on the exercise, or you’re trying to lift weight that is too heavy. Lifting with improper form almost
always results in injury.
Take the time to achieve proper form, by doing so you’ll avoid injury and will reap the full benefit from each
exercise.

Mistake 5: You workout alone
People who exercise alone are less challenged, less accountable and typically see fewer results. It makes
sense, doesn’t it? Why rush to the gym if no one is there waiting for you? Why push yourself if no one is
watching? Exercising alone is a recipe for disaster.