Are these errors holding you back? Part 1

I have a very bad habit bootcampers....
I often look around and see what others are doing in their training programs.

I guess you could say I'm a bit of a gawker. But the fact is I'm curious of how most people waste their time there?
Did you know that over 85% of gym goers do not achieve their fitness goals...!!!!

When I first started training, that is what I did. I watched those I wanted to emulate and copied what they did for training, and sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.

Now I watch others train so that I can learn things that I can do and things that I will never do in my training or the training of my clients.

Unfortunately, the list of things I will not do is much bigger than the things I will do based on watching others.

Here are the top ten errors or things I will never do that I see in training

1. Too much wasted time

In my opinion, training programs should be short and to the point but must still get the job done. Long drawn out training programs are not only obsolete, but are unrealistic.

Solution- whether you are training for fat loss or strength, choose a few moves that will get the job done and then get out. Spending all your time in the gym limits how much you can show off your hard work outside the gym.

2. A full and busy cardiovascular training area and a near empty weight training area

This isn't so much an error but more of an observation. It just shows that the misconception is sitll out there that cardio is the best option for fat loss while weights are for those looking to get big and bulky.

Solution- Do what few others are doing. Try new things, explore the weight training aspect of your program.

3. Extra Long Rest Periods

When weight training, extra long rest periods are common. I kind of refer back to number 1 on this one. Extra long rest periods are a waste of time. Even for those looking to increase size. I am currently on a weight gain program where I train for less than an hour three times per week with weight training. And it is the most effective program for providing results that I have ever utilized.

Solution- Start training in super sets. Choose two moves that are opposites of eachother (pull up and Push Press) and perform them back to back with a shorter rest period (2 minutes). Make your entire program in this manner to trim time and see great results.

4. Too much machine resistance training and not enough free weight training

Free weights can be intimidating, ok, I get that. But the benefits cannot be ignored. However there are some benefits to machine training too. But all of one and none of the other in either direction can cause an imbalance and a compromise of results.

Solution- Train with variety. Explore free weights as well as machines to create a balance in your program. There are some movements that you will not be comfortable training with free weights so, rather than ignore the movements, find a machine alternative. Likewise, with machine movements, you may find more benefit from performing a free weight move.

5. Elliptical Machine

The machine itself is overused and underperforms for those who use it. Logically, training the upper and lower body simultaneously would provide a bigger benefit. Not true. The lack of full range of motion and the fact that the machine is doing most of the work for you limits how much benefit you really do get out of training with it.

Solution- Train on the bike, stair climber, rower, or treadmill. Even better solutions would be running, training with bodyweight exercises, or kettlebells. All of these solutions force the body to work harder thus creating a much higher calorie burn post exercise (which is where the real large amounts of calories can be burned with an effective program).

I've got some more, and I'll bring them to you next week.