7 Biggest Fitness Mistakes

Personal trainer Keith McNiven explains the 7 biggest fitness mistakes that people tend to make.

7 Biggest Fitness Mistakes

7 Biggest Fitness Mistakes

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Time to Read

3 minutes

Personal trainer and business founder, Keith McNiven, told us the 7 biggest mistakes people often make in their personal fitness journey.

  1. Weighing yourself compulsively.

If one of your gym rituals is weighing yourself every time you train, you're wasting your time. Your weight will naturally fluctuate by a few lbs across the month anyway, so focus instead on your workout and leave the weigh-ins to once a month maximum.

You may wish to keep track of your weight for fluid replacement purposes because you should consume 1.2 to 1.5 times the weight of fluid lost during exercise

  • Thinking it has got to hurt to work.

    • We've all heard the phrase no pain no gain, but exercise shouldn't be taken to the extreme where you're in physical pain whilst performing the exercise. If you adopt this approach, then you could be pushing your body beyond its limits and you'll be far more likely to pick up injuries.

  • Trusting apps and not your body.

    • With heart rate monitors and equipment at the gym tracking our every move, we can get into the habit of listening to what machines say over our own bodies. But fitness apps are the modern day equivalent of the bathroom scales, and they need to be used with caution. Used too often and it could not only lead to an over-reliance, but the transference of control so it's no longer you that's in control but the app. Apps tell part of the story but the real proof comes in how you feel.

  • Doing the same routine every session.

    • If you get into the gym and do the same tired old routine every single time, not only will you get bored of it, your body will too and the results will lessen. Your body naturally adapts and responds to training, relatively quickly, so it's important to vary the exercises you do to keep your mind and body challenged and motivated.

  • Skipping the weights.

    • A lot of people skip weights because they don't know how to use them properly. Weight training is extremely effective for both women and men and should be a staple part of any exercise programme. A good session with the free weights or strength training machines in the gym will far outstrip a similar timed run on the treadmill for burning calories. And with weights the effect keeps on going for up to 2 days afterwards.

  • Ditching meals.

    • It can be tempting to think that a quick cheat to weight loss is skipping meals or replacing real meals with shakes. The reality is that your metabolism will slow down, you will be more likely to make unhealthier food choices because you're so ravenous, and your body won't have the necessary nutrients it needs to keep you healthy- and enable you to train effectively. Maintaining your nutrition is key to fitness progression and reaching your performance goals.

  • Missing the power of recovery.

    • In essence, training is about the cycle of exercise and recovery, and the recovery part is when the magic happens and your body gets stronger .

    After your workout, be sure to fuel back up, replacing the fluids you lost during your workout and factor in recovery days into your programme to ensure you're not over-training one body area. This also helps to reduce the risk of injury.

    Kymira Sport's Recovery Infrared Sportswear Collection can help accelerate your recovery if worn after training so you can feel refreshed quicker.

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    About the Author

    Keith McNiven is founder of personal training company Right Path Fitness https://rightpathfitness.co.uk

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