If you’ve ever stepped foot in a weight room, then you know how overwhelming it can be—that is, when you don’t know what you’re doing. Standing machines requires some experience to simply be able to change the weights, and free weights require the right position and posture before you even try to lift. So, if you already know all of this, why aren’t you showing the results of long workouts and gruesome sweat sessions at the gym? It could be one of the following three classic mistakes you’re making right now.
Newbies are Uneducated
If you’re brand new to the weight room, don’t let being inexperienced prevent you from going (mentally and physically!) all in to your workout. Being determined and present during a workout is where the momentum resides, but if you’re not focused on learning as you go, you’re going to experience a setback or two along the way.
One of the biggest mistakes in body weight training is being uneducated about a strategy. Each week, you should have a goal set in place. So, ask yourself: “What is my number one focus right now?” For example, is it to improve your flexibility, lose weight, or increase your muscle mass? Next, come up with a solid weight training plan specifically targeting those muscles and/or goal. Then, dive right in! You’ve got this—as long as you’ve got a strategy in place!
They Get into a Rut, or a Routine
Another one of the biggest pitfalls that people fall into when weight lifting is by remaining in a rut. Getting into a workout routine at the beginning is important of course. Without a routine, you can’t make lifting weights a habit. But, where many people fail is by not changing up their routine often and enough.
If you aren’t constantly giving your body another challenge—whether it’s a faster sprint, or a more challenging angle while lifting weights—your body will stop producing the results you’re after. Give your body a challenge whenever you possibly can. For example, if you’re doing a push-up, make it harder on your body by pulling your body down, or doing diamonds (your hands are placed together to form a ‘diamond’ shape) instead of traditional push-ups that you’ve become accustomed to.
No matter how inexperienced or how much of an expert you may be with body weight exercises, there’s always a new way you can maximize your workouts more productively than before. Reorganize your week’s workout plan to more precisely cater to your immediate workout goals, and challenge your body to a greater degree every week! When you do, you’ll begin to see progress like you never have before.
