Eight mistakes a gym newbie shouldn’t make | Health and wellness
Don’t know where to start? Do you want to start learning and don’t know what to do? Have you decided to continue exercising after January?
This may be your situation, but it could also happen to you: You go to the gym regularly, but notice that you stop making progress. Don’t worry, you are not alone. According to a 2022 study, hitting a training ceiling is known as the “plateau effect” and is common among athletes and amateurs alike. Here is a list of the most common mistakes you may make:
Skip warm-up
Warm-up should begin with simple and gentle exercises that will help increase body muscle temperature. You can perform dynamic gestures. For example, light walking: One study suggests that aerobic exercise can help reduce muscle soreness. Keep in mind that during the warm-up your heart rate will get higher and higher to prepare you for your workout.
Additionally, warming up can prevent injury. Research has shown that warm-up programs can reduce risk, and a meta-analysis notes that more than 79% of studies on the relationship between warm-up and performance found that it can lead to improved performance in several areas of performance.
We forget to perform the exercise technique correctly
The chances of poor health increase if you lead a sedentary lifestyle (chairs and sofas are killers). If you’re training strength, the foundation of fundamental physical ability, you have to do it well or you’ll find yourself in a tough spot. Pay attention to how, not how much. Focus on learning to move and perform the exercise correctly. Improper execution will not only limit the effectiveness of your workouts, but also increase the likelihood of injury.
Think of it as a core subject: learn. Each exercise has proper technique, such as keeping your spine straight or your elbows close to your body. When a beginner starts going to the gym, paying attention to body language and good technique should be a top priority.
Professionals exist. Ask for help
How to learn to do the exercises? How many sets or reps? Who teaches me the correct sign technique? How much weight do I put on the bar to perform press banking? Sorry to disappoint you, but YouTube or Instagram videos will not provide the answer. Before you begin exercising, see a professional trained in physical activity and sports science to evaluate your joints, life context, and previous health conditions. Often training is stopped due to the wrong choice of exercises. Imagine you suffer from high blood pressure, knee discomfort, are overweight, or have cancer. In this sense, a physical activity coach with a university degree in physical activity and sports science and a fellow college member may be a suitable option. Here you can check if your trainer is a registered professional. Finding which exercises are best for you and seeking expert advice should be viewed as an investment in health, not a luxury.
Prioritize weight and hurry.
“Place another plaque every day. For me, good development means putting more and more effort on the rowing machine,” the client learned. Being obsessed with moving more and more is not a good start. It’s important to understand that lifting weights doesn’t mean you’ll instantly gain more muscle mass. It is important to start with lighter loads and get good anatomical adaptation, otherwise discomfort or injury may occur and hinder your development.
Learning can be compared to a garden: if you plant a carrot, the next day it will not grow; The same thing happens with exercise. The expected results, adaptations (increasing strength, muscle mass, or improving body composition) take time to manifest, and in order for this to happen, a progressive and sustainable training plan over time is necessary.
More is not better
The phrase: “The horse starts, the donkey stops” comes up often during these decision months. Beginners often overwork themselves, get anxious, and train too often without giving their body enough time to recover. Rest, research acknowledges, is part of training.
If you don’t allow your muscles to recover before your next workout, they won’t perform at optimal capacity and the safety of your workouts will likely be compromised. On the other hand, sleep is key; One review noted that the risk of muscle injury is greater when the duration of injury decreases while training load increases, which can exacerbate fatigue. Accumulating evidence shows that good rest improves performance, pain sensitivity, and anabolic responses, which may be beneficial for speeding recovery.
Get Organized
Reserve weekly time for your health, if you don’t find it, illness may come. We live sedentary lifestyles, so organize your schedule so that you have a few minutes for self-care in the form of exercise. Without planning there is no order; Without order there is no result. A well-designed strength workout doesn’t require too many hours a day: research shows it can last 20-40 minutes. Agenda-related excuses are the worst enemy of results.
Look for stability
There is no point in going to the gym and then not going; and you shouldn’t come here once every three months or only when it rains. Try to find a training system that will allow you to maintain it over time. Before you start, think about this: Can I continue doing this for a year? Choose your location (park, home or gym) to make this exercise part of your daily routine. Just like you brush your teeth, you can incorporate movement and nurturing into your routine. Habits are created through repetition. Remember: the best workout is the one you do.
Avoid comparing yourself
Frustration can arise when comparing your progress to others at the gym or on social media. How is it possible that I do this exercise or workout all these days and don’t feel like this? Remember that everyone starts at different levels of physical condition, life context, joint health and pathologies. One person, one training. Focus on your journey, otherwise you won’t enjoy the journey.
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