Some Common Mistakes in the Gym and on the Field

Here are some mistakes that most people make when working out in the gym-

• Giving priority to Load rather than Form : Most people try to lift more weight than their ability and than what is required since they think they will grow faster doing so. The big problem with that is they forget about doing the exercise correctly and lose the form of the movement. Such people exercise the wrong body part rather than what was intended in spite of putting all the effort. They may also lose body symmetry. For example if you are doing bicep curls with dumbbells which are quite heavy for you and you are lifting the weight properly with your stronger arm but not with the other arm, the growth will be disproportionate. This is so because as you get tired you will try to squeeze some extra reps, your stronger arm can take it but the other arm cannot so you try and "cheat", that means you might shift your weight backwards and lift the weight from your lower back just to complete the rep from the weaker arm. That's why some right-handed people have a bigger right arm than their left arm.

'Its better to be safe rather than sorry.'

• Heroics : Having energy and enthusiasm is a great thing. Thinking that you'll give it 100% and you'll sweat it all out in the gym is good but DON'T GET CARRIED AWAY! You might be motivated by seeing some movie like "Never Back Down" or "Warrior" and felt that you want to do what those guys on the screen are doing, I do too but you have take one step at a time. Remember that the people with the great physique you see have worked hard gradually over a period of time. Believe me, you don't want to do anything stupid and get either terribly fatigued or injured. I've seen some guys in the gym who see some other guy do some awesome exercise with a hell lot of load and they follow and do the same without thinking. Fitness is not a race, just take your time, don't give up and you'll get there. It's only once you've accepted your limits that you surpass them.

• Following the same workout routine everyday : If you workout regularly, one thing you shouldn't do is do the same set of exercises everyday. Over-training can have bad consequences. Don't workout the same muscle groups everyday although you can do moderate cardio 5 days a week.   There are two reasons for this, one is that your muscles need at least 48 hours to recuperate after an intense workout so they need adequate rest. After your workout, your muscles "rebuild" using the protein from your diet. It is after this rebuilding that the protein fibers of your muscles become more dense and strong. Note that you do not grow during the workout but after the workout when you're resting. Another reason is that you need to keep challenging your muscles to do something new else they'll get "bored". To ensure growth, "confuse" your muscles by introducing variation. Variation can be in the number, type, load and duration of exercises. 

The 'Chicken Legs' Condition

• No Warm-up and Cool-down : We've already talked about this before. See - Importance of Warming up and Cooling down

• Neglecting the Lower Body : Most guys especially hard-gainers who're looking to bulk up their upper-body forget to work on their legs. They think that all their effort and nutrition must go towards their upper-body if it is to grow. Some of them end up getting 'chicken legs'. It is a fact that working on the legs helps improve testosterone levels of the body. Testosterone is the hormone responsible for adding masculine characteristics to the body (one of them being muscle bulk). Exercises like squats, lunges, dead-lifts and calf-raises are effective for building a strong lower body.

• Low Intensity : We all know Arnold's famous words, "No pain no gain". You're not going to see the desired results if you take too many rests and don't utilize time efficiently. If you decide to workout for half-an-hour, you should ensure that you get tired and feel like you've completed the task for the day after that half-hour. Try to complete as many exercises as possible that you've planned for the day but remember not to compromise on the form just to complete your sets.