APOLOGIES IF WE come across as patronising here but believe us, these five gym mistakes are all spawned from personal experiences and we could even make a section out of this all on its own.
These might all seem so basic as to hardly even warrant mention but take them on board, eradicate them from your training and you should notice a marked difference in a) how you perform, b) your attitude towards training and c) the end result.
Mistake #1 – No goal
It’s a real shame to box off an hour of your day to go to the gym only to waste it by pottering around from one machine to the next, not knowing why or what you’re really doing. If you’re a novice, get some advice from the gym instructors on how to use various machines — they’ve been asked dumber questions than you could ever think possible — and decide for yourself why you are actually in the gym in the first place. With clear goals, you can now plan accordingly. Is it a 5 or 10k race you’d like to do? Do you want to bulk up before next season? Are you looking to become more flexible?
Only when you know what you want can someone help you so have this very clear. From here, you can then plot out a pathway.
Mistake #2 – Bad timing
It’s very off-putting — demoralising even — arriving at the gym and seeing the place jammed when you had that killer session in mind. Machines and weighs are harder to get and there’s a real scramble for floor space. Peak times can be some of the worst times to go to the gym so yes, you know where this is going, get up earlier. A less crowded gym will mean a better, more concentrated workout, especially for the beginner because he or she mightn’t know any alternative exercises, other than those already prescribed. The other benefit is that many gyms offer cheaper off-peak membership. Sure you’ll be ‘set up for the day’ with a 7.30am session?
Mistake #3 – Not having enough drink on board (not that kind) before training
It is true that you lose weight when you burn off more calories than you consume so it can be quite tempting to shirk a pre-exercise meal and then smash it in the gym. Bad idea. Why? Because it is also true that if you are not adequately fuelled for your workout you won’t perform anywhere near your best. For starters, being hydrated is a lot harder than it sounds, believe it or not, and if you consider elite golfers, cyclists and soccer players have taken to the fairways, road or field less than 100% topped up, it’s far more likely that us mere mortals do likewise. Being dehydrated by as little as 2% can have drastic consequences on performance. By how much? A 1985 study by Sawka, Young, Cadarette, et al. found that the capacity to perform high-intensity exercise, which results in exhaustion within a few minutes, is reduced by as much as 45% when someone is 2% dehydrated. So though you might think you’re killing it, you’re not. And nowhere near it. The same applies with food.
Mistake #4 Hogging the machines
Resist the urge to fill your session with just the machines and embrace the free weights such as the dumbbells and barbells. Why? Because machines ‘cover up’ your deficiencies and do their best to help you, free weights do the exact opposite. One of the big differences between the two is machines neglect stabilising muscles — that is they target a select muscle group, whereas free weights engage much more than the muscle group you are targeting. Take for example the exercise for the bicep curl. The machine weight will necessitate you sitting on a machine and just working the bicep, but grab two dumbbells and do the same number of reps for the same muscle and provided you’re standing up, you’ll be giving your core, legs and back a workout too. Free weights are more available too, why? Because they work you harder.
Mistake #5 – The same routine
You go to the gym and you start getting stronger, feeling better, lifting more, jumping higher. The improvements come with every session, so why the need change it? Simple. Your body adapts to exertion extremely well and if you don’t constantly change the workout to prevent the dreaded routine, you’ll stop improving. If you haven’t trained for weeks or months and then do 20 reps of some exercise, you’ll be sore the next day. Nothing strange there. But if you do this same exercise for the next two weeks, you won’t be sore by the end of it. Because you have adapted. Change the exercise, add weight, add reps or do all of the above.
That banner was pretty big Patrice.
Evra is and always was a tramp! He is quite happy to throw the racism card out when it suits him as well.
@Let free speech live: What’s that supposed to me, “when it suits him”?
There’s a thing in football called “Kick racism out of Football”, you might have heard of it. Players and supporters alike were encouraged to come forward if they witnessed any, Evra did and gets castigated is some quarters for it. Class act !!
@Adrian Costigan: I like Evra even as a Liverpool fan, a great personality it has to be said, but his behaviour here is not to be condoned. If he was racially abused he should have reported it to officials and not spectacularly attacked the fools as he did. Because of his behaviour he has lost his job at Marseille when it could have been a better situation for everyone.
@Daniel Donovan: Officials have proven time and again they’ll do nothing… Hell if a player walks off because of the abuse he’s the one who gets in trouble. I hope Evra loosened a few of that little gobsh#ies teeth at least…
@Adrian Costigan: Notice how Suarez is never involved in the kick it out campaigns or the CL Say no to Racism one where all the best male and female players in the world are involved. But I suppose they can’t have a racist saying what he want when it suits him .
@Let free speech live: you’re some clown
@Adrian Costigan: Sam Bethal would agree with me, Suarez was also innocent but the fa had it in for him. John Terry got a smaller suspension and he was guilty.
@Daniel Donovan: but he didn’t bite anyone , that’s was all in everybody’s imagination it was just that the FA and the whole world had it in for him
@Hoof Hearted: He did bite other players, more than once, he’s still not a racist Evra is a liar simples.
@Let free speech live: and the lip readers are liars also. Is that you Marcus, PiG etc ..
@Hoof Hearted: Evra played the race card (not for the first time) falsely and the fa decided to make an example of him to cover up the fact the fa are racist. To summarise for you Evra is a liar and Suarez was his victim.
@Let free speech live: “Suarez was his victim”, ha ha ha. Good one to brighten up a dull Monday evening.
Liverpool fan by any chance ?
@Hoof Hearted: Didn’t think there was lip readers involved in the Suarez/Evra one, think you’re mixing up with the terry one.
The Suarez/Evra was basically a your we’d against mine.
Don’t get me wrong Suarez no angel and what he said wasn’t to be nice but I don’t think it was to be racist either.
Still doesn’t make sense that he Suarez/Evra incident resulted in much larger ban for Suarez than John terry when it was clear as day what he said and was far worse
@Adrian Costigan: Liverpool fan of course, what gave it away? Suarez was the victim, punished severely with no solid proof. Terry guilty of racism in a court of law and half the ban of Suarez. The fa are racist and set an example with the immigrant but not with the English captain.
@Let free speech live: yes I’m sure it still hurts you but time you got over it , Suarez was guilty! The FA had a 36 page report on him on the incident. That’s why Liverpool didn’t contest the decision cause they new he was guilty then. So put away your t-shirt now, in the same box as your Liverpool Premier League winners shirt is probably a good place
@Hoof Hearted: Sure Liverpool have never won the Premier league what drugs are you on? Give me some so I can pretend they have like you. I’m over it Suarez gone on to better things and Evra finally showing his true colours.
@Let free speech live: spoken like a true scouser.
@Daniel Donovan: you are not a Liverpool fan
@Let free speech live: he went on to better things !!! So biting two more people was better things. You really are a rose tinted clown Marcus
@Let free speech live: go bite someone
@Marc GIennon: Utd fans are a sensitive bunch, who would of thought?
One way to get a move
Evra is a snivelling squelly little beatch! Went running to the fa like a little coward after suarez. Check out the video of him and his French int. teammates. Calling them n…er this and n…er that. Horrible little tramp, hope they throw the book at him. Real victim indeed
@Rusty Nuts: no surprised your nuts are rusty it much be from all the crying
@Hoof Hearted: *surprise*
@Rusty Nuts: * Not Actually!
The amount of money this man gets at the end of each week is criminal .Getting shouted at and abused is part of the game simple as
@Terry O Shea: being abused is part of it ? having your family or a sick member of your family abused , wishing horrible things on you or a family member is part of the game is it. It doesn’t matter how much a player is paid they are still human beings with emotions and feelings. When you become a famous person or professional sports person you don’t shut down and become a robot
Ridiculous thing to say
@Olllie B: footballer isnt a profession,its the most dishonerable sport on the planet,they take dives,dirty tackles,heckle the reff,dont use video reply,they get paid a fortune but professional there anything but,yobs