There’s arguably nothing worse than diligently committing to your workout regime only to see zero results. Maybe you’re exercising day-in and day-out, or pushing your body to its limit every single time, only to wonder why you are not feeling stronger or seeing any muscle gain.
What gives? Well, it probably has a little something to do with bad weight training habits.
You already know some of the good habits related to a successful fitness plan: exercising consistently, drinking lots of H2O, eating an assortment of fresh fruit and veggies, and so on. Conversely, bad habits waste your energy and your time and lead to poor training and minimal recovery.
Curious about what behaviors you should change up? Here are some of the bad weight training habits likely staining in the way of your results.
Bad Habit #1: Lack Of Shut-Eye
Believe it or not, reduced sleep on a regular basis contributes majorly to feelings of sleepiness, irritability, and stress -- not exactly what you want to feel on leg day! Plus, a lack of sleep can also increase your appetite.
If you’re not necessarily working out enough to torch extra calories, you could experience creeping weight gain despite your very best efforts to stick to your eating plan.
For proper rest and recovery, your body needs a solid eight hours of quality shut-eye each night. When you receive less than this, your body goes into fight-or-flight mode, causing your cortisol levels to increase, which ultimately leads to an imbalance of stress hormones.
This can create further issues, such as slowed metabolism, resulting in adrenal fatigue and thyroid malfunction.
Bottom line: if you’re not reaching your fitness goals, the very first thing you should evaluate is your sleep health. Make it a habit to get eight hours of restorative sleep each night.
Bad Habit #2: Skipping Workout Days
We’re all guilty of skipping a workout here and there, but unfortunately, this can quickly become a slippery slope. Once you skip one day, it becomes really easy to skip the next day and then the next day and the next after that. Pretty soon, you’ve fallen off your fitness bandwagon completely.
Every time you skip a workout, it becomes much easier to “give in” the next time around. The keyword here is discipline. Exercising is truly a mental game of mind over matter. Remember, it’s not your mind that has to perform -- it’s your body.
The more often you exercise, the more you will want to do it and vice versa. In the end, your fitness routine is all about putting yourself first and taking the time for yourself -- and that’s never a bad idea. Think about it: You very well might regret skipping a training day, but you’ll never regret a killer workout session.
Bad Habit #3 Too Much Cardio
Cardio can burn an insane amount of calories -- yes -- but overdoing it can minimize your efforts to build strength. It can cause muscle atrophy and even lead to fat-loss plateaus. If you’re on a strict eating plan and combine it with a crazy amount of cardio, it can take even more of a toll on your muscles.
To maintain and build strength, stick with resistance training, which will torch calories and shed stubborn fat and help you get some serious muscle gains.
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Bad Habit #4: You Have Poor Form
Whether from lack of proper guidance or being totally new to the world of fitness, many don’t realize the importance of proper form when exercising. Exercising with bad form can be dangerous to your muscles and joints -- it can even minimize the effectiveness of your workout.
Make sure you learn the right form from the get-go. Not sure how? HYGEAR can help.
The HYGEAR app gives you access to over 500 on-demand exercises led by expert trainers to build strength, endurance, and total body fitness. Learn how to master movements from the comfort of your own home and never worry about improper form again!
Bad Habit #5: Rewarding Your Workouts With Junk Food
Most individuals tend to overestimate how many calories they burn when working out. While it is true that you need protein after a tough resistance training workout to repair and rebuild your tired and damaged muscles, that snack should never be in the form of processed junk.
Instead, you should strategically time the end of your workout with a tasty protein-rich meal that you were already going to have to begin with. Remember: A sculpted body is built in the kitchen -- not the gym -- and you can’t out-train a poor diet!
Bad Habit #6: Resting For Too Long Between Sets
While taking a quick break between sets is important, doing this too much isn’t beneficial.
You see, your heart rate sets back when you rest, preventing your body from refueling the muscles. So the goal here is to keep your muscles engaged and your heart rate up, to push yourself and improve your overall fitness.
Shoot to rest anywhere from 30 to 90 seconds in between sets -- and no more than that!
Bad Habit #7: Stretching Before Exercise
Stop trying to touch your toes and hold before you hit the weight rack! Researchers discovered that static stretching before a workout doesn’t improve your range of motion or decrease your risk of injury.
Not only that but stretching before exercise can do more harm than good. According to a 2010 study, researchers found that those who attempted passive stretches were actually less flexible than those who performed active warm-ups. If you’re less flexible, your risk of injury increases. A better bet? Dynamic stretching: moving your joint through a much larger range of motion as part of your warmup.
A Final Word
Are you putting in quite a bit of effort but not seeing results? You could be committing some of these common weight training blunders. Take a good look at your workout routine and fix these fitness mistakes to ensure you’re getting the most out of your workout.
Whether you’re guilty of one of all of these bad habits, change starts with awareness.
Ready to reach your fitness goals? GEAR 1 from HYGEAR can help! Whether you’re looking to shed fat, build muscle, improve mobility, or boost endurance, HYGEAR can get you there.
Check out HYGEAR’s GEAR 1 today and start seeing results tomorrow!
Sources:
Why Do We Need Sleep? | Sleep Foundation
The Importance of Proper Technique and Form to Your Workout. | A Healthier Michigan
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