Here are seven silly fitness mistakes I’ve made and most likely repeated over the last ten years. Hopefully you can nip a few of these in the bud and boost that intelligent fitness curve of yours.

No Warm-up – I used to just waltz into the weight room with a big smile and start lifting. While my enthusiasm was laudable my muscles and joints were probably not enthused at all. Raising your core temperature with a few 		Rough...

minutes of light cardio will make your muscles more pliable. A couple of lighter sets before your working sets will help prepare your central nervous system for the workout ahead. Much smarter than hoisting the heavy stuff right off the bat.

Only Lifting Certain Muscles – I was usually pretty good about hitting all my muscle groups but I would put an emphasis on the muscles you can see in the mirror. Selecting style over substance in the weight room = big mistake. I love the guys at the gym with huge upper bodies whose knees would start to buckle if they tried squatting 135 pounds a few times. Keeping squats, deadlifts, and pressing motions in your routine is paramount for balance and strength. By doing a few sets of the things you usually avoid you will be getting incredible value from them.

Improper Form – Occasionally using intensity techniques like partial reps or cheating can speed growth but using them every workout is just asking for muscle imbalances & injury. When I first starting lifting arms I’d do a few reps of hammer curls with seventy pound dumbbells. I was probably getting a much better leg workout than anything else. Having proper form and a natural range of motion is one of the most important things for staying proportional and injury free.

Horrible Diet – In High School I’d slam two Hansen’s energy drinks for breakfast then eat a huge lunch about four hours later. A pack of pop tarts from the vending machine would fuel my track workouts. Then came some choco milk and cottage cheese followed by a random dinner and computer snacking before bed. I don’t know how my brain and body were functioning – perhaps they weren’t. The Smores Pop Tarts were tasty but belonged far away from any stomach. You have to fuel your efforts with healthy lean proteins and complex carbs otherwise you’re begging your body to burn muscle and gain fat. That’s just bassackwards.

No Supplements – Mainly not having any whey protein. There are four times during the day when a protein shake is better than a whole food meal so avoiding the shake was my mistake. Switching these for those energy drinks would have done magical things for my physique and energy levels. Obviously healthy meals are more important than three shakes but supplements like whey protein, vitamins, and fish oils are all smart health choices.

Reliance On Supplements I tried a fat burner a few years ago and it worked great. I lost a few pounds and my energy levels got a pleasant boost. But the moment I stopped taking them the few pounds came right back and my extra energy left right away. Now the supplements had me dependent on their pills for energy. Bastards. They definitely are a wonderful servant but a horrible master. Supplements for recovery and a better workout can be fantastic but steer clear of anything you might ‘mistake’ as a substitute for actual exercise. It doesn’t come in a pill.

Being A Perfectionist – Being obsessive about the little things and forgetting the big picture. I remember I would fret if I didn’t time my pre-workout meal of chicken tenderloins perfectly or if I got to the gym and the power rack was taken. If I got sick during the eleventh week of a three month program I’d end up feeling sabotaged or feel like I didn’t accomplish much overall. I’d let these little nuisances pretend that they were devastating. Yeah Right. Sometimes it may be better for your health and fitness to have that bowl of gelato or pint of Guinness with your buddies. I know its cliché’ but the journey is truly more important than the end or the start. Having twenty pounds of muscle smacked on your frame or gaining one hundred pounds in your lifts wouldn’t really matter without the grunt work. It’s the great mood after each individual workout, the growth from habitual healthy eating, and the confidence from your self discipline with exercise that really counts.

Followed By: More Silly Fitness Mistakes I’ve Made Over The Years