It is not uncommon for many of us to feel that we are not seeing the fruits of our labor when it comes to our fitness journey. It could be that the inches are not coming off, the scale is not moving or you don’t see an increase in muscle definition. You begin to wonder what you are doing wrong and it can easily discourage you from staying consistent.
Whether you have been on your fitness journey for a while or are still a newbie my biggest tip for helping you see progress is to avoid some very common pitfalls.
Trap #1: ONLY Using Gym Machines
Machines change the way your body naturally moves which ultimately restricts your range of motion. That means that you are limiting your ability to fully activate all of your muscle fibers, which means less fat burning and less muscle toning.
Even worse machines can cause muscular imbalance and excessive strain on your joints, leading to nagging injuries down the road. And most people don’t maintain proper form on a machine, they cheat!
To increase your results, you MUST incorporate exercises that allow your body to move naturally with full range of motion so you can skyrocket your metabolism and put fat-burning on autopilot. So don’t be afraid to pick up some dumbbells, resistance bands or even a medicine ball!
Trap #2: Repeating The Same Workouts Over & Over
When we do this it is a pretty surefire way to STOP getting results. Because we are creatures of habit we tend to stick to things we’re familiar with and good at. But when it comes to working out, if you want to make progress and keep seeing changes in your body, you’ve got to start switching things up. You can do the same workout but change it up by increasing your weight, doing more reps or mixing up the order of the exercises. Your body has the incredible ability to adapt quickly and when it does, that’s when you hit the dreaded plateau and you STOP making progress.
Trap#3: ONLY Doing Crunches & Sit-Ups To Get A Tighter Tummy
Your abs are a stabilizing force designed to resist movement in order to protect your spine. So when you are performing only sit ups and crunches you are actually putting unnecessary pressure on your back, the very thing you need to protect! You want to include exercises that will create some imbalance so it pushes your core muscles to activate and ultimately strengthen each time. Try planks or standing on one leg while performing a weight lifting exercise. And here’s the real truth…flat abs come from what you do in the kitchen, not the gym only. Tighten up your nutrition and those muscles underneath will surely pop!
If you are feeling stuck in your fitness journey or you want to avoid the dreaded plateau make sure you really pay attention to what you are doing. By avoiding these common pitfalls you can not only prevent injuries but also ensure that your workouts are safe, strategic and efficient so you can achieve great results.