The
Top 10 Bonehead Workout Mistakes
By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Common
workout mistakes has always been a very popular
topic in fitness publications. But no matter how many
times this subject is re-hashed, you almost always hear
about the same half a dozen or so mistakes, including
poor form, overtraining, going too heavy, not stretching,
not warming up, yadda, yadda yadda. Ironically, you seldom
hear about the biggest mistakes of all. I call these humongous
bloopers bonehead mistakes because once you
start to analyze and think about them, theyre really
just common sense and they all seem so obvious
except
of course to the person doing it
who is often quite
oblivious until someone else points it out to them...
then the light goes on and it's like... "Doh!"
Before I begin
the countdown, (in no particular order), theres
one more gripe I have about the treatment this subject
has been given in the past: Most of the attention has
been put on the mistakes, but very little on the solutions.
Its all too easy to point fingers and say, Dont
do that and Shame on you, dummy but
only 1% of your time should be spent on problems. 99%
should be spent on solutions. So in that spirit, after
I bring each mistake to your attention, Ill give
you a solution-oriented training tip to help you avoid
boneheadedness and join the elite group who kick
butt in the gym at every workout
Bonehead
workout mistake #1: "Winging it"
Winging
it means having no written goals or plans, no training
journal and no way of keeping score. Its
when you just show up at the gym day after day and do
whatever strikes your fancy, whatever machine happens
to be available, or whatever youve become habitually
accustomed to doing. Winging it is when you dont
know where you are, where youre going or how youre
going to get there - but you start your journey anyway
no compass, no roadmap. Its been said that
Action without planning is the biggest cause of
failure, and I believe that statement is 100% accurate.
Kick butt
workout tip #1: Develop a strategic plan
Successful
people never wing it, they always have a plan.
Strategic planning is a never ending process and includes:
Assessment (where am I now?), goal setting (where do I
want to go?), creating a plan or strategy (How will I
get where I want to go?), executing the plan (what action
steps must I take daily to reach my goal?), and measuring
results (how will I know if Im moving towards my
goal and how will I know when Ive reached it?).
Boneheads wing it. Buttkickers have
a master plan and goals for every workout.
- - - - -
Bonehead workout mistake #2: Repeating
the same workouts
without progressive overload
In one respect,
repeating the same workouts is important its
called continuity. Continuity means that to
experience an adaptive response (more muscle, more strength,
less fat and all that other good stuff), you must a repeat
a certain modality or exercise consistently over a long
enough period of time to allow the adaptive response to
occur and to reap the full benefits (rather than changing
exercises at every workout). That type of repetition is
good. The bonehead mistake is when you do the same exercises,
same reps, same weight, same everything, week after week,
without ever challenging yourself to do more than youve
done before. If your muscles could talk they would say,
Yawn
. Did that, done that, been there
were just going to stay exactly the way we are
no need to get bigger or stronger today.
Kick butt
workout tip #2: Strive to beat your previous workouts
Muscle growth
and strength increases occur when you place demands on
your body above and beyond what it has experienced in
the past. Your body responds to this progressive overload
by getting stronger in order to handle this type of demand
in the future. Your objective at almost every workout
is to set goals to beat what you did during the previous
one. If you cant add more weight, it could be as
simple as one more rep with the same weight or the same
sets/reps/weight in less time. It could also mean one
more minute of cardio, one level higher on a stairclimber,
or half a percent steeper incline on the treadmill. Continuous
and never-ending improvement is the name of the game.
- - - - -
Bonehead workout mistake #3: Starving
yourself
A calorie deficit
is the only way to lose body fat. However, the caloric
deficit must be kept small. When calories are cut too
much, or held too low for too long, your body thinks you
are starving and sets into motion a series of metabolic
and hormonal events, which ultimately result in muscle
loss, slow metabolism and plateaus. Your body is like
a power plant or furnace and when you dont feed
the fire, your metabolic flame dwindles to a flicker,
producing less heat and less energy. Thats why not
eating enough is one of the biggest mistakes of all.
Kick butt
workout tip #3: Eat more, burn more
Did it ever
occur to you that if you exercise more you can eat more
and that this is a more effective fat loss strategy than
eating less and exercising less? To lose body fat, you
must create a calorie deficit. A deficit can be created
by exercising more, eating less, or ideally, with a combination
of both. The best combination of all is a small decrease
in calories accompanied by a large increase in activity.
Think about it: Decreasing calories slows your metabolism.
Increasing calories increases your metabolism. Exercise
increases your metabolism.
Therefore,
eat more, exercise more = double increase in metabolism.
Eat less, dont exercise = double decrease in metabolism.
This is the entire premise of my Burn
the Fat, Feed The Muscle System and thats why
the program is so powerful and has helped tens of thousands
of people lose fat without depriving themselves. Yes,
starving is for boneheads.
- - - - -
Bonehead workout mistake #4: Skipping
scheduled workouts
A great body
doesnt happen overnight. Successful body transformation
is the cumulative result of dozens or even hundreds of
successful workouts. Each workout brings you one small
step closer to your goal. Each workout missed takes you
one small step backwards. Most people underestimate the
cumulative effect of each small step. They figure that
It just doesnt matter
its only
one workout. If you dont think that one little
workout matters, then think about the humble termite;
theyre such itty bitty little creatures and they
take such itty bitty little bites, yet when enough little
bites are taken, an entire building can come crumbling
down.
Kick butt
workout tip #4: Be disciplined and consistent
Not only do
you slip backwards physically when you skip even one scheduled
workout, perhaps more devastating is the effect on your
mind and character. Every time you successfully complete
a scheduled workout, you build your discipline and self
esteem. When your self esteem increases, it makes you
feel good and that stimulates a positive self-reinforcing
cycle of even more discipline, confidence and action.
Everything you do helps or hurts. Every workout counts.
Treat your word as law. When you say youre going
to work out... WORK OUT!
- - - - -
Bonehead workout mistake #5: Focusing
on strengths, favorite exercises and favorite body parts,
neglecting weaknesses
Most people
have a favorite body part or exercise. But playing favorites
in your training can lead to big problems. An unbalanced,
asymmetrical physique is one of them, but having a great
upper body with toothpick legs is the least of your worries.
Strengthening and stretching some muscle groups but not
others is a great way to cause poor posture, muscular
imbalance, dysfunction, strains, pulls, tears or ruptures.
Kick butt
workout tip #5: Train for functional balance and aesthetic
balance
Non-boneheads
train every muscle group for symmetrical, visually pleasing
development. However, balance is more than
cosmetic. Everyone athletes, bodybuilders, and
recreational exercisers must also train for functional
balance to prevent injury and maintain optimal function
and range of movement in every joint and muscle group.
Every plane of movement and angle of movement must be
trained. Flexors must be balanced with extensors. Front
to back movements must be balanced with rotational and
side to side movements. Prime movers, antagonists and
stabilizers must all be strengthened. Always stretch,
strengthen and build to the point of total body balance.
- - - - -
Bonehead workout mistake #6: Using mostly
machines and single joint/isolation exercises
So you joined
the gym and you hit the circuit
you
know, that section in the gym with all those fancy, chrome-plated,
technologically advanced weight stack-pulley,
hydraulic or computerized machines all lined up in neat
rows
far, far away from the barbells and squat racks
(which you never touch), and which is designed to give
you an easy, safe, injury-free, effective full-body
workout. The machines may be easy, but most machines
arent as safe or effective as theyre made
out to be.
Kick butt
workout tip #6: Use mostly free weights and compound,
multi joint exercises
For lower body,
squat and lunge variations are tops. For upper body, barbell
and dumbbell presses, chin ups and rows are king. These
and similar BIG exercises stimulate more muscle
fiber, stir up more fat burning and muscle building hormones,
and have more carry-over to real world and sporting activities
than machines. Although weight stack machines are safe
with respect to the fact that you cant drop a barbell
on your head, theyre ultimately NOT as safe as free
weights because they dont develop the stabilizing
muscles and functional strength that protect you from
injury. A few machines and isolation exercises mixed into
a balancedr program is fine, especially if you have bodybuilding
goals, but focusing on compound and free weight exercises
gives you far more bang for your buck than any machine
ever created.
- - - - -
Bonehead workout mistake #7: No mental
preparation
This mistake
goes hand in hand with mistake number one (winging it).
You see, preparation is more than setting goals, writing
out plans, and scheduling workouts. Preparation is also
mental, yet most people havent the slightest idea
just how powerful the mind is or how to harness its power.
Psychologists and brain scientists have proven
beyond a shadow of a doubt that the subconscious mind
cannot tell the difference between an experience that
is real and one that is imagined. Failure to take advantage
of this discovery is a mistake of enormous magnitude.
Kick butt
workout tip #7: Use visualization and mental rehearsal
daily
Arnold Schwarzenneger,
Jack Nicklaus, Andre Agassi and countless other sports
legends have written and spoken extensively about their
regular use of mental imagery. Those who succeeded, but
claimed not to use such techniques as visualization
were surely using it unconsciously or in a non-formalized
manner. I would suggest you consciously and deliberately
use this technique in the following manner: Twice a day,
once in the morning and once at night, get relaxed, close
your eyes and form mental images of yourself having the
body youve always wanted, completing perfect workouts
with motivation and enthusiasm and reaching all your goals.
These images will penetrate your subconscious mind and
literally program your brain to activate your body for
total success.
- - - - -
Bonehead workout mistake #8: Not eating
immediately after training
Not eating
anything after your workout (or waiting 2-3 hours to eat),
because (a) you dont feel like eating, (b) you dont
have anything to eat with you, (c) you heard that you
get leaner if you dont eat after your workout
is one of the most boneheaded things you can ever do!
Kick butt
workout tip #8: Eat protein AND carbs (not just carbs)
immediately after your workout
Much research
has been done on the topic of post workout nutrition in
recent years and the scientific literature is almost unanimous
in its findings: At one time carbohydrates were emphasized
after a workout. Other people insisted that protein is
more important. The truth is, the optimal post workout
meal includes quickly digesting protein and carbohydrates
and is consumed immediately after training during the
period known as the post-workout window of opportunity.
Although the ideal amount and type of protein and carbs
is still debated, the studies have shown that proper post
workout nutrition increases protein synthesis, suppresses
cortisol, replenishes glycogen, and enhances recovery.
- - - - -
Bonehead workout mistake #9: Comparing
yourself to others
Always trying
to one-up the next guy is bonehead behavior. Comparing
yourself to others is a great way to lower your self esteem
and stay perpetually frustrated, unhappy and dissatisfied!
Kick butt
workout tip #9: Compare yourself to nobody but yourself
Legendary UCLA
basketball coach John Wooden always advised his players,
Never try to be better than someone else; but never
cease trying to be the best you can be. That is under
your control. The other isnt. So why not focus
on competing with yourself? Compare yourself to yourself.
Improve yourself. Work on progress and forward movement.
Become better than you used to be. Ultimately, competitive
sports are most valuable to the degree you use them to
better yourself, not to beat others.
- - - - -
Bonehead workout mistake #10: Making
excuses
Many people,
when they dont get the result they want, or when
things dont go the way they expect, insist its
not their fault. When they dont lose any body fat,
its their genetics or "The diet just doesnt
work! When they fall off the wagon, its their
friends and familys fault They just
dont support me
they even tempt me with junk
food and eat in front of me. When they miss workouts,
its their bosss fault I just
dont have time with so much work being piled on
me at the office. No matter what the situation,
the boneheads never even consider that the problem is
staring right back at them in the mirror someone
or something outside of them is always responsible.
Kick butt
workout tip #10: Accept total, 100% responsibility for
all your results good or bad
When you win,
you dont attribute it to luck or give someone else
the credit for it. You proudly say, I created it
I did it
that was me! However, if you want
to take the credit for your wins, you must also take credit
for your losses and say, Yep, I created it
I did it
that was me! Boneheads want to take
credit for their successes but not accept responsibility
for their failures. Ultimately, that turns them into nothing
but big losers. Winners and successful people became successful
because they learned three magic words: I AM RESPONSIBLE.
Once you claim responsibility for every result in your
life the good and the bad - the feeling of empowerment
and liberation that comes over you is beyond description.
For the first time in your life, you realize that YOU
are in control. From that moment on and not a second
sooner you become the creator of circumstance rather
than a victim of it.
- - - - -
Well, thats
all ten of em'. Let me wrap up with what is perhaps the
biggest mistake of all, and that is: Not learning from
your mistakes. Mistakes are okay. The only people who
dont make any are the timid, wimpy people who dont
even attempt anything. If you realize youve been
making a lot of these mistakes, dont beat yourself
up. As long as you learn from them and then stop making
them, youre off the hook! But if you keep repeating
these mistakes over and over again, then its official:
Youre a bonehead!
If you enjoyed
this article and you're interested in learning how to
quickly and easily lose fat permanently - without drugs,
supplements or fad diets - AND without making any bonehead
mistakes - click here to visit Burn
the Fat, Feed The Muscle
About
the Author:
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Tom Venuto is a lifetime
natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal
trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning
specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best-selling
e-book, "Burn
the Fat, Feed The Muscle. Tom has
written hundreds of articles and has been featured
in print magazines such as IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN,
Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise
for Men and Mens Exercise, as well as on hundreds
of websites worldwide.
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