Issue Date: December 19, 2004
Top 10 mistakes at the gym
Just finding time to get to the health club can be challenging, and once you're there it's all too easy to get sidelined by an injury. Here's how to keep your sweat sessions safer.
By Kelly DiNardo
1. Bad form. Pushing yourself beyond your abilities can lead to injury. To burn more calories, people often go too fast and hang on to the machines. "The counter is based on doing the exercise correctly, so you're cheating yourself and risking injury," says Cedric Bryant, of the American Council on Exercise, which identified these 10 mistakes.
2. The all-or-nothing approach. If you don't have a full hour, you don't have to skip your workout. Try exercising at a higher intensity through interval training, or combination exercises such as lunges with biceps curls.
3. Unbalanced strength training. Many of us just focus on "mirror muscles," Bryant says. Be sure to work opposing muscle groups. Talk to a trainer or group exercise instructor to be sure you're not ignoring the muscle groups you can't see.
4. The too-much factor. Exercising too hard or too often can keep you from progressing. If you're unable to talk during your workout, if you're still wiped out two hours later or if you can't adhere to proper form, then you're doing too much.
5. Poor gym etiquette. Wiping your sweat off the machines won't make you stronger or leaner, but it will give you the healthy glow of good karma and keep other gym rats from spurning you.
6. Not enough variety. Not only does sticking to the same routine get boring, but you're also more likely to injure yourself and plateau. Tweak your routine every three or four months.
7. Lack of focus. "There is a positive aspect to being distracted from your workout," Bryant says. "But it can detract from your intensity and form." If you're watching TV, pick up the intensity during commercials. If you're reading, check your form every few pages.
8. Not adjusting the equipment. Don't skip your club's orientation session, where a trainer walks you through proper use of the machines. Your workout will be safer and more productive.
9. Setting vague goals. Don't say you're going to "lose weight" or "get fit." Instead, tell yourself you're going to lose a specific number of pounds over a certain time. Or tell yourself that in two months you're going to run a 10K. Be specific.
10. Not cooling down. If you neglect to cool down, you can injure yourself. Take five minutes to walk at a lower intensity, then spend a few minutes stretching.
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