Photo Credit: Danielle Cerullo via Unsplash

Some exercise is better than no exercise, right? Right, but doing the wrong kind of exercises can be even less effective. Perhaps your posture isn’t correct when you are squatting, or you have started running too far in a short amount of time, or maybe you are just not being consistent in your routine. 

Getting a fitness consultation is the best route to finding out what your body needs, how often, and where you are going wrong with your current routine. Here are four things they could point out in your first section which may need correcting.

You Never Change Your Routine

A routine can be a beautiful thing. It’s nice to know how many reps you have left to lift, how many more minutes you have left to run, and how many more times your feet need to jump off the ground. To exercise and see improvement effectively, though, you have to change your routine.

If you do the same routine repeatedly, your muscles will get used to the movements. Each exercise will only stimulate a certain amount of muscle, and you will eventually stop progressing. To avoid this, bring exercises into your routine which work the muscles from different angles and utilize different equipment. Your range of exercises needs to be expansive enough so that you can change your routine every 6-8 weeks.

You’re Exercising Too Often

“Impossible!” you might cry. Surely you can’t exercise too much? However, forcing your body to go from 0-100 is far more damaging than people realize. Progressing too quickly can put you at risk of muscle strains, stress reactions, or fracture. There are further consequences of pushing your body past its limits, such as damaging your heart and arteries.

If you don’t rest enough between workouts, you may lose the level of fitness you have gained. The more intensely you train, the more time your body needs to recover. It is important to alternate between moderate and more difficult workouts, with enough time to rest in between.

You’re Exercising Too Quickly

You may think that pushing through your reps too quickly demonstrates a super-strength on your part, but doing this means you rely on momentum rather than the power of your muscles. This means you will not work your muscles as hard and are more likely to sustain an injury, such as a torn muscle.

To prevent this, slow down when you perform the movement. Experts recommend six seconds to complete it. If you are lifting weights, this means you need to take two seconds to lift and four seconds to lower.

You Are Only Doing Cardio

If your aim is to lose weight, then you may think cardio is the only way forward. However, a proper training plan requires strength and flexibility training. A training plan which includes all three allows you to change your body composition and is much more effective overall,

Strength training will mean decreased body fat, increased muscle mass, and stronger bone density. Losing weight does not always equal a healthier you, and strength training can help you look slimmer and feel fitter for the long-term.

Happy Training!

Undoubtedly, a professional consultation will equip you better for determining the exercises you need to be doing, the diet you need to be on, and the frequency of exercises that will help you attain your desired results. This list is just a taste of what the professionals can identify, and we hope it helps you on your way to becoming your ideal self!