Spanning free weights, machines and body weight; resistance training shows up everywhere in fitness. From Pilates to power lifting and from body sculpting to bodybuilding; it even has a place in core training and functional movement. But with such a wide scope there are mistakes that show up again and again regardless of what exercise protocols are used.
Error #1: Doing your resistance training exclusively on machines. Solution: Train the way you live. If you lift or move children, books, chairs, bags of groceries, garden equipment, bags of lawn supplies or pet food etc. while you walk, stand, stoop, reach, bend or twist; your training environment should mimic the conditions you are building your strength for. Machine training was designed as a marketing tool for big gyms and is Paleolithic at best!
Error #2: Stopping a set before the crucial reps that trigger an adaptive response. Solution: You’ll know you are doing them when you begin to feel discomfort; usually a burning sensation in the exercising muscle. If your rep intensity equals the intensity of your ADLs (Activities of Daily Living), there’s no new work level for your muscles to adapt to.
Error #3: Resting too much or too little between sets, exercises or workouts. Solution: There’s too much to cover thoroughly here but the short answer is: When you’re working with weight to burn fat your pace should be rapid with short rest periods. The more strength or power you want; the heavier the weight, the slower the pace and the longer the rest. Waiting too long between exercises is like driving in stop and go traffic (your butt might go numb). Waiting too long between workouts is like not training at all.
Error #4: Waiting too long to eat after a workout. Solution: Take in nutrients during the window of opportunity that usually closes about 45-60 minutes after your workout. Throughout that time your muscles are primed and ready to uptake nutrients which are crucial for the rebuilding process.
Error #5: Minimal attention paid to the form of the movement pattern. Solution: Pay attention to this! Once you get the hang of what you are doing with resistance training, you are training movement patterns or postures, not muscles! I cannot emphasize this enough. Developing faulty movement patterns will have you donating to your physical therapist’s BMW fund at some point in your fitness future.
Bottom Line: You can eliminate the process of trial and error with reliable information and now you’ve got the solutions to 5 mistakes you’ll never make!
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From Jaroslav Waznee and [http://worldclasshealthandfitness.com/about]
