5 Common Mistakes That Prevent Workout Results

If you work out, this article is for you!

And first - kudos to you! Most people don’t even make it that far.

But here’s the big question: Are you getting the most out of your workouts?

The reality is, many people put in the effort but only see a small return on their workout investment. Just like managing your personal finances, wouldn’t you want a higher return for the time and energy you’re putting in?

If so, keep reading—this article is exactly what you need!

The 3 Levels of People Who Workout

Before I share the 5 things that hold back the potential impact your workouts could provide, it’s important to know that these 5 things only matter if you are someone who wants to maximize your workouts. 

After 20+ years of personal training, I come to categorize people who work out into three distinct levels. The level you are at will determine whether or not this article, the 5 things that sabotage your workout results should even be considered. 

So first things first - what level are you?

Level 1: Mood Boosters

• Because working out makes you feel good afterwards, this level of person usually works out to get the immediate benefits that come from exercising. This could be things such as achieving a sense of accomplishment, improving mood (ie: decreasing anxiousness) or feeling energized in the body. 

Level 2: Fitness Focused

• This person appreciates the immediate effects that working out has but also values progress. They want to know that they are getting fitter and stronger with their workout routine. These people may also have other health goals like fat loss or to increase muscle mass.

Level 3: 360 Performers

• These people value better mood and progressing in their fitness but what differentiates them is that they are driven to extract as much value out of their workout routine as possible. They are deeply aware of how their workouts impact what happens outside of the gym and how what happens outside of the gym impacts their workouts.

If you're in level 2 or 3—or aiming to get there—keep reading to discover five key factors that will help you maximize your workout investment. Since training requires both time and money, it only makes sense to get the best possible return. If you hold yourself to high standards, you'll agree…

5 Common Mistakes (To Avoid) That Prevent Workout Results

1) Poor Program/Technique: 

Since you are already working out, this is the easiest place to start.  There are a  variety of ways that your programming can be off and they are:

• No/Wrong Program
  First and foremost, if you are not following a program - one that includes progressions in reps, sets and exercises you are skipping the #1 lowest hanging fruit. Those who follow a program reach their goals 10X faster than those who go to the gym and do whatever they feel like on that day.

• Incorrect Technique
  Doing things with bad form. Ie: Shoulders hunched, feet in wrong positions or not breathing correctly. Usually these things are things beginners need to be aware of. However, if you have been training for a while and are still unsure, you may want to hire a personal trainer for that extra eye.
  
  
• Avoiding Full Range of Motion
  This is a type of bad form that means you are not going all the way down or up. By missing this end range you are missing certain muscle fibers that work at those ranges. Solution: go all the way up or down. This may require you to lower the weight and that’s ok in this case.

• Afraid to Lift Heavy
  This is often indicated by those who are always doing sets with the same weight or when the rep range is always near 15 reps or higher. Solution: lift heavier weights for fewer reps. Get on a program that progresses things for you.
  
  
• Timing Between Sets
  When it comes to creating the optimal stimulus for the muscles to adapt to (ie: growing or getting stronger) you must have the right amount of rest between sets. Most people take too long between sets which ends up in wasted time and inefficient workouts. If this is you it is likely due to talking or spending time on your phone between sets.
  

2) Wrong Mindset:

We have come a long way since the old school days of CICO (calories in calories out) and the“no pain no gain” attitude. Yet, many people still cling to outdated beliefs that hinder progress. Some of the most persistent workout myths that continue to stick around are:

• No Pain No Gain 
  Thinking that hard core workouts day in and day out is the only way to get results is both exhausting and a recipe for burnout or injury. A good workout is not a hard workout. A good workout is a smart workout and a smart workout is knowing exactly how to challenge yourself without going over the edge.

• CICO
  Calories in, calories out is the idea that weight loss or muscle gain is solely determined by energy balance. For example, in weight loss, the energy balance theory suggests that if you burn 500 calories during a workout but consume only 400 calories, the resulting deficit would lead to weight loss. This is far from the truth because 500kcal coming from steak or 500kcal coming from candy has a very different effect on the body. Placing more value on a workout that burns more calories or that provides more sweat is not the measure of a successful workout.

• Muscle Soreness
  Many people think that muscles have to be sore during and after the workout for it to be an effective workout. This is far from the truth. During a workout, more soreness means more lactic acid and lactic acid is necessary for muscle and strength gains. But after a workout, more soreness (lactic acid) means greater recovery time and decreased performance during that sore period. You do not need to feel sore after a workout for it to be effective!
  
  

3) Inadequate Sleep

This may be the top mistake most people make. We live in a world with so many opportunities and distractions that take away from our sleep. Late evenings from parties, events or watching TV delays bed time. On top of that, we are waking up prematurely whether from alarm clocks or stress that wakes us at 3-5am. Inadequate sleep affects your workout results in 2 ways:

• Working out under rested 
  To make the most of your workout you need to show up at your best. If you are training at 6am for example, you better make sure you are asleep by 10pm at the latest.

• Not recovering after your workout 
  Your muscles repair and grow during sleep NOT during your workout. Workouts break down muscle fibers because working out is a stress. You adapt to that stress and repair/grow muscles only when you sleep. 

4) Poor Nutrition Habits
There is a saying: 'you can’t out train a bad diet.’ That means no matter how much or how hard you workout, it will never make up for a bad diet. Putting on muscle, getting stronger, more fit, burning fat and making the most of your workouts is a pipe dream if you are eating the wrong foods, not enough of the right foods or at the wrong time. The 4 biggest nutrition mistakes are:

• Dehydration 
  Not drinking enough water plus drinking caffeine and alcohol leads to dehydration. If you want to perform better at your workouts then you need to show up hydrated. That means not slamming coffee all day prior to your workout and not drinking wine, cocktails or beer after. The average person needs at least 3L of water per day. Your muscles, organs, blood and brain are all water and dehydration means poor performance and increasing the likelihood of injury during the workout.

• Food type
  Inflammatory and processed foods are the biggest culprits. As a society we want convenience and end up choosing the wrong foods to eat like breakfast sandwiches, protein bars, pizza and cereals. In addition to the quality of food is choosing the foods that provide adequate protein, carbs and fat.

• Food amount
  How many calories, protein, carbs or fat you need to eat is not only important for good health but to make the most of your workouts. Most people actually have a problem undereating the right types of calories. They have no idea how to balance their protein, carbs and fat to maximize their workout energy or workout recovery.

• Food timing
  The timing of calories, protein, carbs and fat is a mystery for most people. They eat what they want when they ‘feel like it’. Timing of food around workouts and even throughout the day will determine how well you perform at your workout and recover from it afterwards.

5) Too Much Stress

If you want the most from your workout routine, then your workouts should be the biggest stress in your life. If that sounds strange to you then it’s because you do not understand what stress is. Stress is more than just relationship troubles, work deadlines or running behind in a traffic jam. It is things like living a ‘big life’, lack of sleep, poor digestion, bad nutrition AND yes even working out! 

Because working out is a stress, you can not maximize your workouts if you have lots of other life stress going on. Signs that stress is holding back your workouts can be seen in:

• Showing up to workouts feeling drained (needing extended warmup time) or not being able to push your hardest
• Skipping workouts because you are behind, dealing with issues or not sleeping well
• Dealing with chronic injuries or always having a new injury to deal with
• Feeling wiped after workouts (ie: taking hours to recover)

The more stress you have in life, the more tailored your workout has to be so that it does not tip the scale of overall stress load. That means, intensity and frequency must be carefully controlled. 

Final Thoughts

To optimize the results you want from working out means paying close attention to the above 5 pitfalls and knowing which is the main constraint that holds you back. Unfortunately, most people who want to get to a higher level with their training do not have a firm grasp on their main constraint. 

At Nova Health Club, we are moving away from just ‘working out’ and towards educating, directing and empowering people to think holistically about their training to become the best version of themselves. Our mission is to challenge and support you to feel, look and perform at your very best in everything you want to do.

If you want to get to your next level, consider doing your 5 step assessment with a Nova Health Club coach. In this assessment we look at all the areas of your life to determine your main constraint or ‘pitfalls’ that are preventing you from maximizing your workouts. 

For more information about our 5 step assessment email Info@NovaHealthClub.com or click the button below.