List of 15 Common Fitness Mistakes People Make

Let us look at some of the common mistakes people make while exercising and how these can be avoided.

Common Mistakes People Make While Exercising

1. Leaning Over Equipment: One of the most common mistake people make while exercising is of leaning over the equipment. This type of posture will hardly help you gain any results since in this type of posture the back gets rounded and there is not much support for the spine. The solution is to stand erect while performing any of the exercises.
2. Holding Tightly: At the time of doing cardio exercises if you hold on to the equipment very tightly then it will reduce the effectiveness of the exercise. Such a stance will also block arm movement which otherwise can help in improving heart rate as well as result in burning of more calories.
3. Walk with Weights: In case you walk with hand weights then instead of working as strength training it rather affects your stride. At the time of walking you generally lean forward which can result in imparting unnecessary stress on your ankles, quads and shins. This can in turn result in stress fractures, thus it is better to keep strength and cardio exercises separate.
4. Cardio is Adequate: Some people believe that only cardio exercises are adequate for maintaining proper physical fitness levels. But it is not true, as we age, we start losing muscles and best option is to do strength training which helps to build muscles as well as increase your metabolism.
5. Rushing with Repetitions: At the time of weight lifting if you do your repetitions faster than requires then it can result in joint injuries and increase blood pressure plus you will not get the desired results. Ideally, while lifting you should exhale twice, then hold briefly and after that start returning while inhaling at least 4 times. In addition to it, you need to exhale while performing hardest part of the exercise.
6. Exercises for the Abs: Some people do crunches but those hardly help in toning the abdomen. The main reason for it is that the neck and upper torso get more involved instead of the main focus area. Your aim should be to use the muscles in the region starting from ribcage up to hip bone to get maximum results out of your exercise routine.
7. Lat Pull Downs: If you are sticking your head forward and pulling bar down behind then can result in neck or spine injuries and you will not get the result you want. The right option would be to pull in front and focus on contracting back muscles.
8. Improperly Adjusted Equipment: At the gym many people use the same weight machine and what works for other person will not work for you. Thus it is necessary for you to check and adjust the equipment correctly as per your requirement to get the best result out of your workout as well as avoid chances of injury. As for instance, if the leg extension machine is not set properly then it can result in a lot more stress for your knees. Additionally, wrongly set machines will not allow you to utilize the complete range of motion for your muscles.
9. Not Stretching before Exercises: This is one of the first instructions every trainer will give you but still many do not follow it. If you do not stretch properly before starting your exercises then chances of muscle torn or pulls increase considerably. Thus it is important to stretch before as well as after your exercise routines. Moreover, you should avoid bouncing while doing stretching exercises as it can cause strains or muscle pulls. Thus you should do static stretching without any movement of the joints.
10. Old Routines: If you continue doing old exercise routines that you learnt in high school such as leg lifts then they may cause more injuries than doing any good. The better option is to join any exercise class or take help of a personal trainer to create a proper exercise routine for you.
11. Same Exercise Routine: If you continue to do same exercises every day then same muscle groups will get benefitted and after those muscles build up, you will get lesser benefits from your exercise routines since these muscles will require less energy and fewer calories will be burned.
12. Expecting Quick Results: Some people start expecting quick results without exercising as required. As for example, if you are aiming weight loss and go for 30 minute walks thrice a week and there are no changes in the diet then you will require about 1 month to lose 1 pound. Thus if you want faster results then it will be necessary to exercise more.
13. Occasional Exercises: In case you are exercising only over the weekend then you will hardly see any benefits. It is likely that you will suffer more injuries than have any benefits and burnouts will also be one of the possibilities.
14. No Cool-Down: Avoid suddenly stopping after workout completes since it can lead to muscle soreness.  The reason for such soreness is lactic acid present in the body which has not been flushed out. Solution is to perform cool-down routines for about 10 minutes and allow heart rate to become normal.
15. Not Drinking Water: Water is required to help muscles contract properly and muscle aches or spasm can occur if you do not drink the right amount of water before, at the time of doing exercises and after it.