5 Common Mistakes That Prevent Workout Results
Josh Allen • March 1, 2025
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.
Simply put a health coach is someone with a broad knowledge of health who takes a holistic approach and connects the dots between all the different parts of your life (fitness, nutrition, recovery, stress and mindset).
Becoming the version of yourself that's intentional about health and shows up with commitment. So that fitness, health happens consistently.
What Consistency is NOT... Most people think consistency means showing up every session feeling great, performing at their best and never missing a beat. That idea sounds reasonable.
Andrew has been training at Nova for over a decade. During that time one of his longtime coaches, Zack Fernandez encouraged him to step outside his comfort zone and take on something he had never considered before - a triathlon. That nudge changed everything. What started as a single event became a lifestyle, and Andre
Default vs Future Thinking Here is a question we should all be asking ourselves more: "What would the future version of you be doing right now?" Not the current version who is tired, busy or overwhelmed. The future you who is leaner, stronger, more energized and showing up powerful in every area of life... The version of you that has the results you want. The Future Self Thinks Differently And they got there by making different choices than the easy ones our current self so often subscribes to. Your future self doesn't cancel a workout because sleep wasn't perfect. They don't skip exercise because they are tired or because something came up at work, a last minute social invitation appeared or there's a haircut to fit in And if something does get in the way, they reschedule to earlier, later or the next day. They don't put health at the bottom of the list and wait for the schedule to calm down. Because they figured out something most people never do - things never calm down. Life doesn't get less busy. It just finds new ways to fill every gap you leave open. Your future self made a decision at some point. They started prioritizing their health the same way they prioritize family and work. Not above everything else. Right next to the things that matter most. That one decision is what separates the people who get results from the people who stay stuck in the same cycle year after year. The Two Versions of You Here is the thing most people miss. There are always two versions of you competing in the decision making process. The current default version that is tired, reactive and looking for the easy way out. And the future version that is already living the life you want and making choices that reflect that. Every single day you are casting votes for one of those two versions. Every time you show up when it is hard you are not just getting a workout in. You are becoming your future self. Every time you cancel/skip/defer you are voting to stay exactly where you are. The identity shift doesn't happen when you reach your goal. It happens in the small decisions you make when nobody is watching and things are hard. The Question That Cuts Through Every Excuse Stop asking yourself how you feel about your workout today. Start asking yourself what the person you want to become would do today. That question cuts through every excuse because the answer is always the same. - they show up. Next time you are faced with a decision that interferes with your workout, take a moment and ask yourself two things. What does my default mode want me to do? And what would my future self do? The gap between those two answers is exactly where your results live. The Shift Starts With One Decision You don't need a perfect plan. You don't need the right time or the right conditions. You just need to start making decisions that your future self would be proud of. One session at a time. One choice at a time. That is how the identity shift happens. That is how the results follow. And if you want support making that shift - a coach and a team who hold you to the standard of your future self, not your current default - is exactly what we are here to do.
Why Your Brain Talks You Out Of The Gym Every Time There are days when my energy is low. I didn’t sleep well the night before and I'm deep in work, the timeline is tight and everything is pulling at me at once. In those moments the last thing I want to do is work out. I'm tired. I'm stressed. I'm scattered. Not feeling it at all. And my brain does what every human brain does in that moment - it looks for the easy way out. The easy way out is always the same - skip the workout. I tell myself I'll make up for it tomorrow or next week… Or when things calm down. But tomorrow and next week are never any different. I've been training consistently for 30 years and I still feel this at least once a week and I've learned to recognize what's actually happening in that moment so that I don’t self sabotage. The Two Voices We all have these moments and when it happens there are two voices in your head. The first voice is loud, justified and incredibly convincing. It tells you that you're too tired. That you deserve a break. That you've been working so hard and one missed workout won't matter. That you'll go tomorrow for sure. This is your default voice - the one wired for the path of least resistance. It has kept humans safe and comfortable for thousands of years but it is working against you big time! The second voice is quieter. Easier to ignore. It doesn't shout. It just says - go anyway. That voice is your future self. The version of you that is leaner, stronger, more energized and more capable. And the future version of you didn't get there by listening to the loud default voice. The future self got there by learning to hear the quiet one. Here's what most people don't realize. Every time you listen to the default voice you make it louder. Every time you listen to the quiet one you make it stronger. The workout you skip today isn't just a missed session. It's a vote for the version of you that stays stuck. Your Default Operating System We all have a default mode - a way of thinking and behaving that kicks in automatically when things get hard. If your health is not where you want it to be, your default operating system is a big part of the reason. It generates a thousand reasons why not to continue when things get challenging. Too tired. Too busy. Too stressed. Not the right time. After the holidays. When things calm down. Sound familiar? The default voice doesn't just keep you from working out. It keeps you exactly where you are - year after year - wondering why nothing ever changes. Most people don't fail because they are lazy. They fail because they never trained the most important muscle they have - their mind. Thoughts create feelings. Feelings create actions. Actions create results. Change the thought and you change everything. The Agreement I Made With Myself On the days I don't want to train I make a simple agreement with myself: if I go, I am permitted to put in less effort. That's it. I tell myself it is okay to go have a crappy workout. In doing that the pressure of having to perform at my best disappears completely. So I go with zero expectation and the mindset that anything is better than nothing. And almost every single time, after the warm-up, I'm in the groove. What felt like a terrible idea 20 minutes earlier ends up being exactly what I needed. The hardest part is always putting on my shoes and walking out the door. That's it. The shoes on is the whole battle. Hilarious isn't it? Newton had a law for this. A body at rest stays at rest. The inertia that keeps you on the couch, at your desk or stuck in your head is real. But a body in motion stays in motion too. The moment you take that first step the rest takes care of itself. The Days You Want To Skip Are The Most Important Here's a reframe that changed everything for me. The days and weeks that feel the most scattered and stressful are actually the most important times to show up. Not despite the stress - because of it. Exercise is one of the most powerful stress regulators your body has access to. The workout you want to cancel the most is almost always the one you need the most. So the next time your brain starts telling you to take a session off, recognize what's happening. That's the loud voice. The default voice. The one keeping you small. Your future self is the quiet voice on the other shoulder saying go anyway. Every time you listen to that quiet voice you are casting a vote for the person you are becoming. Show up tired. Show up stressed. Show up scattered. Just show up. A bad workout is always better than no workout. Always!!! You Don't Have To Figure This Out Alone One of the biggest reasons people keep listening to the loud default voice is because there is no one holding them accountable. When the only person expecting you to show up is yourself, the loud voice almost always wins. That's not a character flaw. That's just human nature. Having a coach and a team expecting you to walk through that door changes everything. It shifts the workout from a promise you made to yourself - which is easy to break - to a commitment you made to someone else. If you're ready to stop letting the loud voice win, let's talk. Book your free consultation by clicking the button below.
Injured? Here's Why You Should Keep Training Injuries happen to all of us at some point. Maybe it happens during a workout. Maybe it's moving a heavy piece of furniture at home. Maybe it's just waking up one morning and something doesn't feel right. Whatever the cause, the moment something hurts most people do the same thing - they stop. Rest. Recover. Wait until they feel better. I understand why it feels like the safe and logical thing to do. But after 25 years of coaching I can tell you that stopping completely is almost never the right answer. The Doctor's Advice - And Why It's Incomplete When something hurts, most doctors will tell you to rest and stop working out. I get why they say it - they don't want you making things worse and they are being cautious. But here is what most doctors don't factor in: there is a difference between resting an injured area and stopping all movement entirely. Your doctor is not trained in how to work around injuries during exercise. That is a completely different skill set - one that coaches who have studied kinesiology, anatomy and biomechanics spend years developing. Knowing how the body responds to training under stress or injury is exactly what we do. And the answer is almost never to stop moving completely. The Choice Most People Don't Realize They're Making When you get injured you actually have two options. Most people only see one. Option A is to protect the injured area and keep the rest of your body strong. Option B is to protect the injured area and let the rest of your body get weaker at the same time. When you look at it that way the answer is obvious. And yet most people still choose Option B without even realizing it. I learned this firsthand years ago when I dislocated my shoulder. For about six months I couldn't do any serious upper body training at all. So I kept showing up with the exact same consistency and focused entirely on legs. My legs became super strong during that period. Meanwhile someone who stops going completely doesn't just lose upper body strength - they lose strength everywhere. The injury heals either way. But only one person comes back stronger. Be Solution Oriented - Not Problem Oriented Two people with the exact same injury can have two completely different outcomes based on mindset alone. The solution oriented person works around the injury and keeps moving in a modified way. The person with a limiting mindset stops everything, fixates on the problem and waits. The only bad workout is the one that didn't happen. That is not just a motivational line - it is the difference between people who get results and people who don't. Think Like an Athlete Have you ever heard of a professional athlete cancelling all of their training because of an injury? Never. When a professional athlete gets injured their training becomes modified - not cancelled. They focus on three things: rest, rehabilitation and maintenance. By continuing to train the right way they recover faster and come back stronger. You don't have to be a professional athlete to think this way. This is just how the body works - for everyone. 3 Parts to Fixing Injuries 1) Rest Strategic rest - not complete rest. Avoid the activities that aggravate the injury but keep everything else moving. If you tore a hamstring from sprinting, stop sprinting - but don't stop training entirely. 2) Rehabilitation Specific exercises that promote blood flow and healing to the injured area. A torn hamstring still needs gentle activation to heal faster - not complete shutdown. This is where having a qualified coach makes all the difference. 3) Maintenance While the injured area is healing, the rest of your body still needs attention. There is no reason to lose the strength and fitness you have worked hard to build just because one area is compromised. Common Injuries and What You Can Still Do Shoulder or arm injury? Focus on legs, core and rehabilitation work for the injured area. Back injury? Deep core work, supported upper body exercises and mobility - there is more available than most people think. Knee or leg injury? Upper body work, hip hinging movements and rehabilitation exercises that don't load the joint directly. Twisted ankle? Upper body, core and stretching. More options than you'd expect. The only time to completely stop training is if you are fully incapacitated. For almost every other injury there is a path forward. You Don't Have to Figure This Out Alone Knowing how to modify training around an injury takes experience and knowledge. If you are injured right now and not sure what you can or can't do - that is exactly the kind of problem we solve every day. You don't have to wait until you feel 100% to reach out. In fact the sooner you do the better your outcome will be.
Since joining Nova, Nicole has put in real effort and brought a lot of positive energy to our community. At 55, stepping into weightlifting to keep up with her kids was a brand-new challenge, and she’s tackled it head-on.
Tanya’s journey is a wonderful reminder that fitness isn’t about chasing quick results, it's about building a life you genuinely enjoy.
