Starting a new fitness regimen can be daunting, and often there’s so much to think about, you can end up feeling a little overwhelmed with it all. The more you research, the more confused you become. This is usually caused by conflicting information from websites, social media, friends, family, and seemingly, every Tom, Dick and Harry.
Firstly, it’s important to remember, what works for someone else, may not necessarily work for you. Secondly remember that what other people are doing may not even be correct, and you could end up with the blind leading the blind. Lastly, you need to do your own research, so you understand what you should do, why you should do it, and ensure you’re doing it correctly.
So with that in mind, we thought it would be beneficial to put together a list of some of the most common rookie mistakes that you’re likely to fall foul of, that way, you can keep your eye on the prize, and prepare yourself before you start.
Forgetting to make a plan
This may sound like preaching, but think about it; how many times have you stepped into the gym and wandered aimlessly around the machines? How many times have you sort of floated along at your own pace? How many times have you felt yourself seeing someone doing an exercise and copying them?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, then worry not, you wouldn’t be the only one, and you most certainly wouldn’t be the last. It’s one of the most obvious things you can do, but it’s often the most overlooked, but making a plan is super-important when you start working out.
Having a plan when working out ensures that you have direction in your workout, and you’re not risking your results falling short. Not only that, but how can you improve on your previous workouts if you don’t know what you did, or how you did it?
The best way you can avoid this common pitfall is to download an app onto your phone, and add in your routines prior to attending the gym. A brilliant app for this is called the ‘Strong’ app, and you can find out more about it Here.
If you’re not too tech savvy, you may decide to go the old fashioned route; printing out your workouts and filling them in on paper as you go.
Spending Too Much Time in The Gym
Bear with us, we’re about to blow your minds! Did you know you can actual have too much of a good thing? We know it sounds crazy, but you should keep an eye on just how much you train in the gym.
You can get to the point where you’re spending hours in the gym, and you’ve not actual done any real work. The opposite is that you train for two hours and you’re not actually working your muscles to exhaustion, hence you keep going.
Muscles aren’t made in the gym, they’re grown whilst your resting, following an intake of all the right nutrients. We’d recommend that the maximum you spend working out as a newbie should be between 60-80 minutes, depending on what it is you’re doing.
The best way to combat this is to make sure you have an idea of what you want to do when you head into the gym, have an aim of what you want to train, and keep yourself focused when you’re there. If you choose 2/3 muscle groups you’re going to train when you’re there, you avoid all the unnecessary fluff and can exhaust those muscle much faster.
Trying to Do Too Much Too Soon
Throwing yourself in the deep end isn’t a bad idea, but you can actually end up trying to do too much, too soon. You should try to avoid setting yourself up for failure, as it’s not beneficial, however make sure you do still do enough to push yourself when you’re there.
This is sort of the opposite to the previous rookie mistake, this is more directed at those who throw themselves into a super-intense workout maxing themselves out as fast as possible. You have to be wary of this pitfall as you need to give yourself time to get back into the gym.
Take it easy when you start at/back at the gym and ease yourself into training, not only will you build a solid foundation to work upon, you’ll leave yourself feeling less like you’ve been hit by a truck over the following days.
If you are looking around Rossendale for personal training, it’s what we do, you can speak to us about joining Hamers360Fitness, or we’d be happy to offer you advice about what you should look for so you can make the right choice, either way, Contact Us.