While we all have that moment where we realise we need to get back in the gym, what exactly we do when we get there can be more of a struggle to figure out.
We are constantly bombarded with dos, don’ts and conflicting information. This then leads to people harming their workout progress by following the wrong advice or coming up with their own ideas because of the lack of a general consensus. Consequently, a lot of us are making the same mistakes when it comes to exercise.
We asked some of London’s top fitness and personal trainers on what the most common mistakes are:
Not varying your workout
Sandy Macaskill, personal trainer at Barry’s Bootcamp says: “The change most people need to make to their workout routine is change itself. Lots of people do the same workout, same exercises, same order, same weight, etc, day in, day out and wonder why they don’t get any results. Your body gets used to what you are asking it to do and stops being forced to respond sufficiently.
Change things up: throw in different exercises, change your weights – one session go heavier, another lighter but with more reps, another time focus more on time under tension. Anything to keep your body guessing.”
Focusing too much on results
Christina Howells, a personal trainer at That Girl London says: “When we start an exercise programme it is natural to have goals, these drive your behaviour, but it is also really important to not become obsessed with results. Instead learn to love the process rather than keeping score, be consistent and you will exceed all of your expectations and gain more satisfaction than any amount of goal achieving. “
Not stretching before exercising
George Ashwell, performance coach at Twenty Two Training, says: “The one change people need to make is their ‘prehab’ routine, this is absolutely fundamental to an effective and injury-free workout. Dynamic stretching prepares muscles for activity and prevents injury. Hip flexors are the most important area to stretch because we sit down all the time and glute activation is also important because it protects your knees from injury. “
