The Top 10 Bonehead Workout Mistakes
By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.burnthefat.com
“Common workout mistakes” has always been a very popular topic
in fitness publications. But no matter how many times this subject is re-hashed,
you almost always hear about the same half a dozen or so mistakes, including
poor form, overtraining, going too heavy, not stretching, not warming up,
yadda, yadda yadda. Ironically, you seldom hear about the biggest mistakes
of all. I call these humongous bloopers “bonehead mistakes” because
once you start to analyze and think about them, they’re really just
common sense and they all seem so obvious… except of course to the
person doing it… who is often quite oblivious until someone else
points it out to them... then the light goes on and it's like... "Doh!"
Before I begin the countdown, (in no particular order), there’s one
more gripe I have about the treatment this subject has been given in the
past: Most of the attention has been put on the mistakes, but very little
on the solutions. It’s all too easy to point fingers and say, “Don’t
do that” and “Shame on you, dummy” but only 1% of your
time should be spent on problems. 99% should be spent on solutions. So in
that spirit, after I bring each mistake to your attention, I’ll give
you a solution-oriented training tip to help you avoid boneheadedness and
join the elite group who “kick butt” in the gym at every workout…
Bonehead workout mistake #1: "Winging it"
“Winging it” means having no written goals or plans, no training
journal and no way of “keeping score.” It’s when you just
show up at the gym day after day and do whatever strikes your fancy, whatever
machine happens to be available, or whatever you’ve become habitually
accustomed to doing. Winging it is when you don’t know where you are,
where you’re going or how you’re going to get there - but you
start your journey anyway – no compass, no roadmap. It’s been
said that “Action without planning is the biggest cause of failure,” and
I believe that statement is 100% accurate.
Kick butt workout tip #1: Develop a strategic plan
Successful people never “wing it,” they always have a plan.
Strategic planning is a never ending process and includes: Assessment (where
am I now?), goal setting (where do I want to go?), creating a plan or strategy
(How will I get where I want to go?), executing the plan (what action steps
must I take daily to reach my goal?), and measuring results (how will I
know if I’m moving towards my goal and how will I know when I’ve
reached it?). Boneheads “wing it.” Butt–kickers have a
master plan and goals for every workout.
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Bonehead workout mistake #2: Repeating the same workouts… without
progressive overload
In one respect, repeating the same workouts is important – it’s
called “continuity.” Continuity means that to experience
an adaptive response (more muscle, more strength, less fat and
all that other good stuff), you must a repeat a certain modality
or exercise consistently over a long enough period of time to allow
the adaptive response to occur and to reap the full benefits (rather
than changing exercises at every workout). That type of repetition
is good. The bonehead mistake is when you do the same exercises,
same reps, same weight, same everything, week after week, without
ever challenging yourself to do more than you’ve done before.
If your muscles could talk they would say, “Yawn….
Did that, done that, been there… we’re just going
to stay exactly the way we are… no need to get bigger or
stronger today.”
Kick butt workout tip #2: Strive to beat your previous workouts
Muscle growth and strength increases occur when you place demands
on your body above and beyond what it has experienced in the past.
Your body responds to this progressive overload by getting stronger
in order to handle this type of demand in the future. Your objective
at almost every workout is to set goals to beat what you did during
the previous one. If you can’t add more weight, it could
be as simple as one more rep with the same weight or the same sets/reps/weight
in less time. It could also mean one more minute of cardio, one
level higher on a stairclimber, or half a percent steeper incline
on the treadmill. Continuous and never-ending improvement is the
name of the game.
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Bonehead workout mistake #3: Starving yourself
A calorie deficit is the only way to lose body fat. However, the
caloric deficit must be kept small. When calories are cut too much,
or held too low for too long, your body thinks you are starving
and sets into motion a series of metabolic and hormonal events,
which ultimately result in muscle loss, slow metabolism and plateaus.
Your body is like a power plant or furnace and when you don’t
feed the fire, your metabolic flame dwindles to a flicker, producing
less heat and less energy. That’s why not eating enough is
one of the biggest mistakes of all.
Kick butt workout tip #3: Eat more, burn more
Did it ever occur to you that if you exercise more you can eat
more and that this is a more effective fat loss strategy than eating
less and exercising less? To lose body fat, you must create a calorie
deficit. A deficit can be created by exercising more, eating less,
or ideally, with a combination of both. The best combination of
all is a small decrease in calories accompanied by a large increase
in activity. Think about it: Decreasing calories slows your metabolism.
Increasing calories increases your metabolism. Exercise increases
your metabolism.
Therefore, eat more, exercise more = double increase in metabolism.
Eat less, don’t exercise = double decrease in metabolism.
This is the entire premise of my Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle System
and that’s why the program is so powerful and has helped
tens of thousands of people lose fat without depriving themselves.
Yes, starving is for boneheads.
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Bonehead workout mistake #4: Skipping scheduled workouts
A great body doesn’t happen overnight. Successful body transformation
is the cumulative result of dozens or even hundreds of successful
workouts. Each workout brings you one small step closer to your
goal. Each workout missed takes you one small step backwards. Most
people underestimate the cumulative effect of each small step.
They figure that “It just doesn’t matter… it’s
only one workout.” If you don’t think that one little
workout matters, then think about the humble termite; they’re
such itty bitty little creatures and they take such itty bitty
little bites, yet when enough little bites are taken, an entire
building can come crumbling down.
Kick butt workout tip #4: Be disciplined and consistent
Not only do you slip backwards physically when you skip even one
scheduled workout, perhaps more devastating is the effect on your
mind and character. Every time you successfully complete a scheduled
workout, you build your discipline and self esteem. When your self
esteem increases, it makes you feel good and that stimulates a
positive self-reinforcing cycle of even more discipline, confidence
and action. Everything you do helps or hurts. Every workout counts.
Treat your word as law. When you say you’re going to work
out... WORK OUT!
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Bonehead workout mistake #5: Focusing on strengths, favorite
exercises and favorite body parts, neglecting weaknesses
Most people have a favorite body part or exercise. But playing
favorites in your training can lead to big problems. An unbalanced,
asymmetrical physique is one of them, but having a great upper
body with toothpick legs is the least of your worries. Strengthening
and stretching some muscle groups but not others is a great way
to cause poor posture, muscular imbalance, dysfunction, strains,
pulls, tears or ruptures.
Kick butt workout tip #5: Train for functional balance and
aesthetic balance
Non-boneheads train every muscle group for symmetrical, visually
pleasing development. However, “balance” is more than
cosmetic. Everyone – athletes, bodybuilders, and recreational
exercisers – must also train for functional balance to prevent
injury and maintain optimal function and range of movement in every
joint and muscle group. Every plane of movement and angle of movement
must be trained. Flexors must be balanced with extensors. Front
to back movements must be balanced with rotational and side to
side movements. Prime movers, antagonists and stabilizers must
all be strengthened. Always stretch, strengthen and build to the
point of total body balance.
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Bonehead workout mistake #6: Using mostly machines and single
joint/isolation exercises
So you joined the gym and you hit “the circuit”… you
know, that section in the gym with all those fancy, chrome-plated, “technologically
advanced” weight stack-pulley, hydraulic or computerized
machines all lined up in neat rows… far, far away from the
barbells and squat racks (which you never touch), and which is
designed to give you an “easy, safe, injury-free, effective
full-body workout.” The machines may be easy, but most machines
aren’t as safe or effective as they’re made out to
be.
Kick butt workout tip #6: Use mostly free weights and compound,
multi joint exercises
For lower body, squat and lunge variations are tops. For upper
body, barbell and dumbbell presses, chin ups and rows are king.
These and similar “BIG” exercises stimulate more muscle
fiber, stir up more fat burning and muscle building hormones, and
have more carry-over to real world and sporting activities than
machines. Although weight stack machines are safe with respect
to the fact that you can’t drop a barbell on your head, they’re
ultimately NOT as safe as free weights because they don’t
develop the stabilizing muscles and functional strength that protect
you from injury. A few machines and isolation exercises mixed into
a balancedr program is fine, especially if you have bodybuilding
goals, but focusing on compound and free weight exercises gives
you far more bang for your buck than any machine ever created.
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Bonehead workout mistake #7: No mental preparation
This mistake goes hand in hand with mistake number one (winging
it). You see, preparation is more than setting goals, writing out
plans, and scheduling workouts. Preparation is also mental, yet
most people haven’t the slightest idea just how powerful
the mind is or how to harness its power. Psychologists and “brain
scientists” have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the
subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between an experience
that is real and one that is imagined. Failure to take advantage
of this discovery is a mistake of enormous magnitude.
Kick butt workout tip #7: Use visualization and mental rehearsal
daily
Arnold Schwarzenneger, Jack Nicklaus, Andre Agassi and countless
other sports legends have written and spoken extensively about
their regular use of mental imagery. Those who succeeded, but claimed
not to use such techniques as “visualization” were
surely using it unconsciously or in a non-formalized manner. I
would suggest you consciously and deliberately use this technique
in the following manner: Twice a day, once in the morning and once
at night, get relaxed, close your eyes and form mental images of
yourself having the body you’ve always wanted, completing
perfect workouts with motivation and enthusiasm and reaching all
your goals. These images will penetrate your subconscious mind
and literally program your brain to activate your body for total
success.
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Bonehead workout mistake #8: Not eating immediately after training
Not eating anything after your workout (or waiting 2-3 hours to
eat), because (a) you don’t feel like eating, (b) you don’t
have anything to eat with you, (c) you heard that you get leaner
if you don’t eat after your workout… is one of the
most boneheaded things you can ever do!
Kick butt workout tip #8: Eat protein AND carbs (not just carbs)
immediately after your workout
Much research has been done on the topic of post workout nutrition
in recent years and the scientific literature is almost unanimous
in its findings: At one time carbohydrates were emphasized after
a workout. Other people insisted that protein is more important.
The truth is, the optimal post workout meal includes quickly digesting
protein and carbohydrates and is consumed immediately after training
during the period known as the “post-workout window of opportunity.” Although
the ideal amount and type of protein and carbs is still debated,
the studies have shown that proper post workout nutrition increases
protein synthesis, suppresses cortisol, replenishes glycogen, and
enhances recovery.
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Bonehead workout mistake #9: Comparing yourself to others
Always trying to one-up the next guy is bonehead behavior. Comparing
yourself to others is a great way to lower your self esteem and
stay perpetually frustrated, unhappy and dissatisfied!
Kick butt workout tip #9: Compare yourself to nobody but yourself
Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden always advised his
players, “Never try to be better than someone else; but never
cease trying to be the best you can be. That is under your control.
The other isn’t.” So why not focus on competing with
yourself? Compare yourself to yourself. Improve yourself. Work
on progress and forward movement. Become better than you used to
be. Ultimately, competitive sports are most valuable to the degree
you use them to better yourself, not to beat others.
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Bonehead workout mistake #10: Making excuses
Many people, when they don’t get the result they want, or
when things don’t go the way they expect, insist it’s
not their fault. When they don’t lose any body fat, it’s
their genetics or "The diet just doesn’t work!” When
they fall off the wagon, it’s their friends and family’s
fault – “They just don’t support me… they
even tempt me with junk food and eat in front of me.” When
they miss workouts, it’s their boss’s fault – “I
just don’t have time with so much work being piled on me
at the office.” No matter what the situation, the boneheads
never even consider that the problem is staring right back at them
in the mirror – someone or something outside of them is always
responsible.
Kick butt workout tip #10: Accept total, 100% responsibility
for all your results – good or bad
When you win, you don’t attribute it to luck or give someone
else the credit for it. You proudly say, “I created it… I
did it… that was me!” However, if you want to take
the credit for your wins, you must also take credit for your losses
and say, “Yep, I created it… I did it… that
was me!” Boneheads want to take credit for their successes
but not accept responsibility for their failures. Ultimately, that
turns them into nothing but big losers. Winners and successful
people became successful because they learned three magic words:
I AM RESPONSIBLE. Once you claim responsibility for every result
in your life – the good and the bad - the feeling of empowerment
and liberation that comes over you is beyond description. For the
first time in your life, you realize that YOU are in control. From
that moment on – and not a second sooner – you become
the creator of circumstance rather than a victim of it.
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Well, that’s all ten of em'. Let me wrap up with what is
perhaps the biggest mistake of all, and that is: Not learning from
your mistakes. Mistakes are okay. The only people who don’t
make any are the timid, wimpy people who don’t even attempt
anything. If you realize you’ve been making a lot of these
mistakes, don’t beat yourself up. As long as you learn from
them and then stop making them, you’re off the hook! But
if you keep repeating these mistakes over and over again, then
it’s official: You’re a bonehead!
If you enjoyed this article and you're interested in learning
how to quickly and easily lose fat permanently - without drugs,
supplements or fad diets - AND without making any bonehead mistakes
- click here to visit my BURN THE FAT website:
www.burnthefat.com
About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified
personal trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning specialist
(CSCS), and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, "Burn the
Fat, Feed The Muscle.” Tom has written more than 200
articles and has been featured in print magazines such as IRONMAN,
Australian IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development,
Exercise for Men and Men’s Exercise, as well as on hundreds
of websites worldwide. For information on Tom's Fat Loss program,
visit:
www.burnthefat.com
