By: Angelique Millis International Fitness Expert

There are a lot of unhealthy and counterproductive workout haits and ehaviors in
which !any unknowingly partake on a daily asis " things that people have een doing
wrong for years ut si!ply never took the ti!e to exa!ine# These are !istakes that
A$%&$E can !ake' especially when starting out in the gy!# I like to call the! ()y!"
stakes* + I a! here to warn you of what they are efore you accidentally develop ad
workout haits# ,ere are the Top -. /orkout Mistakes:
1. Doing Cardio The Wrong Way"
There0s a delicate alance when it co!es to cardio " If you don0t do enough you are
cheating yourself ut if you do too !uch you are needlessly exhausting yourself# The
!ost i!portant thing to re!e!er is you want to reach your cardio potential y not
doing less than 12 !inutes or !ore than 32 !inutes# This (!agic 4one* etween 12 to
32 !inutes is the fat urning 4one where you can0t go wrong# If you do !ore than this'
you will hit a training plateau where your workouts eco!e stagnant and your ody (hits
a wall* and it slows5stops your progress# Make sure to do cardio at 62"728 of your
target heart rate and focus on keeping your heart rates within that range' so that you
don0t accidentally urn off your hard earned !uscle !ass#
2. Focusing on Running to Lose Weight
In order to gain and !aintain that strong' sleek and sexy !uscle tone' you need to focus
!ore on weight training to uild it up# 9on0t do excessive cardio which will (eat away* at
your !uscle !ass# 9on0t run "r try to e!race another for! of low i!pact cardio#
Believe !e' your !uscle !ass and your :oints will thank !e; Bikini Models and other
professionals lean towards the (no running* principle ecause it0s known to (eat away* at
the !uscle you work so hard to gain# 9on0t work against yourself and defeat your
progress y running# It takes a lot of energy with no real gains' except for
cardiovascular# %ou can receive cardiovascular enefits fro! other low i!pact versions
such as using the Elliptical' $ordic Track' Air <tepper' and the <tair Master#
3. Straining & !ertraining"
If you overtrain' your appetite will increase and you will start eating like a 12. pound
footall player and not a Bikini Model# =ather' train enough to last fat and not to hit a
plateau# Again if you overtrain' your ody will (lock up* and not allow you to urn the fat
off that you need to' ecause it will reach a state of (shock*' thus holding onto the fat#
#. $ot Cha%%enging &ourse%' (nough
/hen weight training> !ake sure to choose a weight that is challenging enough that you
have to really focus to finish the last couple of reps ?while still !aintaining proper for!@;
9on0t cheat yourself; Make sure you follow through and co!plete your entire weight
training session for !axi!u! results#
Also re!e!er the old saying (no pain' no gain* and that working out can cause
soreness# Bring yourself to the next level y learning how to increase your tolerance for
pain# /rite down your workouts and !onitor your progress as the weeks go y# %ou !ay
also want to set so!e personal goals for yourself' whether it is to increase your cardio or
weight training threshold " only you know your li!its and how !uch you can take#
Ahallenge yourself> you :ust !ight e surprised at how your ody responds;
). $ot *etting (nough S%ee+
<leep deprivation will only slow you down fro! attaining your fitness goals; )enerally
speaking' one or two nights of poor or little sleep won0t have !uch i!pact on
perfor!ance' ut if you !ake a hait of it' it can result in sutle changes in hor!one
levels' particularly those related to stress' !uscle recovery and !ood# <o!e research
indicates that sleep deprivation can lead to increased levels of stress; /ho needs !ore
of that in their life; Bay attention to how you feel and !ake sure to get your eauty
sleep;
,. Re%ying on a Sca%e to Trac- &our .rogress
9id you know that !uscle weighs !ore than fatC It is not fair to ase your weight loss
progress on the nu!ers that appear on the scale in the locker roo! or any scale for
that ### !atter# /o!en also fluctuate up to -. pounds of water weight' especially when
they are on their !enstrual cycle# <o!eti!es seeing the sa!e nu!er on the scale
week after week can discourage you so it0s est to :ust not look at it to egin with#
Instead' rely on ody fat !easure!ents done with a caliper and also y how your
clothes are fitting you#
/. 0iring an ut o' Sha+e Trainer
Even if they were Mr# &ly!pia at one point in their lives' do not hire a trainer that is out
of shape# Trainers are supposed to represent the epito!e of health and wellness# 9on0t
get !e wrong' they don0t need to e in tip top perfect co!petition condition D62 days a
year ut if they cannot keep the!selves in presentale fit condition how can you expect
the! to help you transfor! your physiqueC Be selective; <eek out that one personal
trainer who is !ore than a trainer ut !ore like a coach that will hold you accountale
for your actions not only in the gy! ut outside of the gy!" where the real work counts#
=e!e!er that the ti!e that you spend in the gy! is only a s!all percentage of the
entire work;
1. Re%ying on a *y2 .artner to Wor-out
,ow !any ti!es have you tried working out with a gy! partner only to e caught up in
gossip or !indless chit chat while you stand around as they do their setsC &r even
worse' a gy! partner who cancels on you last !inute; 9o not rely on A$%&$E ut
yourself to workout# /orkout partners can so!eti!es e very unreliale and not as
dedicated as you when other things arise# Motivate yourself; Treat your workouts as an
i!portant usiness !eeting ?that you cannot e late to' call in sick to or !iss@ with the
!ost i!portant person in the world: %&E;
3. $ot .%anning 4head
,ere0s the scenario" it0s een a long day at the office and you can arely !ake it to your
car# /hat are the chances of you going ho!e to change and then hitting the gy!C <li!
to none; To avoid having this happen' always have a gy! ag packed in the ack of your
car5trunk for the i!pro!ptu workout at your local park5gy!# Also you should walk into
your workout knowing what ody part?s@ you are training so you can get yourself
!entally prepared# If you can0t !ake it to the gy!' designate a certain area in your
ho!e as your personal exercise area where you keep so!e workout tools5equip!ent#
This needs to e a special place allotted for your workouts" I suggest having it near a
television' stereo or a window where the natural sunlight can shine through to !otivate
you;
15. $ot Ta-ing Ti2e to Rest and Reco!er
It is i!portant to alance your exercise with rest and recovery# It is this alternation of
adaptation and recovery that will take you to a higher level of fitness# =e!e!er' the
greater the training intensity and effort you put into your workouts' the greater the need
for planned recovery# There are li!its to how !uch stress the ody can tolerate efore it
reaks down and risks in:ury# 9oing too !uch work too quickly will result in in:ury or
!uscle da!age' ut doing too little' too slowly will not result in any i!prove!ent# There
are 1 Types of =ecovery that you should e aware of:
Short6ter2 reco!ery is active recovery that occurs in the hours i!!ediately after
exercise# Active recovery refers to engaging in low"intensity exercise after workouts
during oth the cool"down phase i!!ediately after a hard workout as well as during the
days following the workout# Another !a:or focus of recovery i!!ediately following
exercise has to do with replenishing energy stores and fluids lost during exercise# It is
i!portant to have a post"exercise !eal to aid in your recovery# This is the ti!e when
your soft tissue ?!uscles' tendons' liga!ents@ repairs and the che!icals that uild up as
a result of cell activity during exercise are re!oved fro! your syste!# It is
reco!!ended to drink a protein shake after a vigorous workout#
Long6ter2 reco!ery refers to recovery that is uilt in to a seasonal training progra!#
This is usually reserved for athletes and coaches who have well"designed training
schedules which include recovery days and5or weeks that are uilt into an annual
training schedule# This is also the reason athletes and coaches change their training
progra!s throughout the year ?!odifications can include adding cross training and also
changes in intensity' ti!e' distance and all the other training variales@#
If you need help' feel free to ask !e any questions y clicking here:
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