5 Mistakes People Do To Fitness Routine and Simple Tweaks To Fix Them

You start a new routine, get into it full of enthusiasm, ready to give the old you the push. But a few months later, something happens to make you question your resolve. Either your progress stalls or you get injured and now you are questioning your life's choices. 

What if we can figure out what mistakes you are making with your new health and fitness routine? And by doing so, can help you get back on your way to achieving your fitness goals? In this blog post, we will explore the five usual and common fitness mistakes that everyone makes with their program and what you can do to fix them in the long term.

Mistake #1: Overdoing it 

Fairly obvious, this. So obvious that it is no coincidence this is the first mistake. Everyone knows how this works: new routine, so with bucketloads of enthusiasm you jump right in with both feet. And with the increased adrenaline and dopamine flooding your system, possibly sign up for a bunch of other activities too. Like our newbie client who decided to sign up for a half marathon within the first month of starting training at the Quad. Overdoing your training, as the newbie client and everyone else soon found out, only leads to fatigue, a drop in performance, and possibly injury. Even burnout.

Fix: Do not ignore rest days. They are built into every training program to balance our intensity. They are not vague suggestions to ignore. Rest days don't mean vegging out - at the Quad, we call them 'active recovery'. Those days, you just move your body differently. Go for walks or do low-intensity activities like yoga or tai chi. Also, pay attention to your quality and quantity of sleep. Even during class, pay attention to rest intervals. Don't rush them! 

Mistake #2: Nutrition is not on point 

We have all heard of the saying - you cannot out-train a bad diet. When it comes to any serious fitness routine, be it weight training in your garage gym or working on a weight loss program with your certified personal trainer, training is just one part of it. If your nutrition is not on point, your body will not get the right fuel it needs to power through your training. This means that, without the proper nutrients to gain energy from, your body will undergo increasing levels of stress. This will manifest as various health ailments and fatigue, and very soon affect all aspects of your life. 

Fix: Dial in your nutrition

You need a balanced diet, eating enough quality protein to facilitate muscle growth, taking in plenty of healthy fats, and enough carbs to supply glucose to fuel your energy stores. Not to forget: water intake. Your cells need more water to keep up with the increased demands and skimping here, falling for fear-mongering social media posts on "water weight" and such will only hamper your progress. 

Mistake #3: Skipping warm-up/cool down

We have all been there. We want to get to the main part of the program and start smashing PRs. Not faff around with belly breathing and cat-camels. As for post-exercise wind-down, that's what a cold shower and a hot sauna (aka a walk in the great Indian outdoors!) are for! Is this your mind voice? If so, you need to turn that off, pronto. Boring as they may be, warm up and cool down routines are important for a reason. They help to methodically prep your body for the rigors of your training routine and aid in recovery after. Skip these and you run the risk of injury. 

Fix: Make warm-up and cool-down integral to your regime.

Use that time to check in with yourself. How are you feeling? Are your joints feeling loose and limber? Is there any tightness in any part of your body? If so, play around and focus there. At the end of the session, use your breath to destress your body and bring it back to equilibrium. Throw in a foam roller for some self-myofascial release. Gently stretch to soothe the muscles and joints after the hard work. If the basic routine has gotten too monotonous, incorporate some gentle mobility exercises. 

Mistake #4: The program is too generic

Any good strength training routine that emphasizes proper form, works your different muscle groups as well as your cardiovascular endurance is vital for the success of your regime. Are you incorporating enough resistance exercise? Is it getting your heart rate up? Maybe you got stuck in your comfort zone and haven't moved up. This is a surefire way to stall progress. 

Fix: progressive overload

Do not be afraid of moving up in weight or intensity. Incorporate progressive overload into your workouts. This can involve gradually increasing weights, adding more sets or reps, playing around with time intervals, or trying more advanced exercises. The objective of your training protocol is to challenge your body. This will only happen when you move out of your comfort zone.

Mistake #5: Overestimating training intensity

This is a common mistake. We are so kicked with our new program that we don't pause to ask this simple question: Is your training program suitable for your fitness level? Is it ticking all your boxes? Oftentimes, we overestimate how intense our training protocol is and end up with excessive calorie intake. (Like the time I took part in my first 5K and insisted on carbo-loading the previous night!) This often results in a weight loss plateau or worse, weight gain. 

Fix: RPE

Rate of Perceived Exertion is the gauge to measure the intensity of your workout. By using parameters like how fast your heart is beating, your breathing rate, the tiredness you feel and how quickly you can recover to move on to the next set - these help gauge your RPE. On a scale of 1 - 10, where 1 is minimal effort and 10 is all out, leave nothing in the tank, if you are consistently be in the region of 7-8, 

Ultimately, you are in this for the long haul. By identifying your mistakes and fixing them, you can make a big difference to your fitness routine and your fitness life! Stick with the fixes and you will see significant improvements and be well on your way to achieving your fitness goals. 

Have questions about the right strength training or improving your fitness? Get in touch with us to get started!