The 10 Most Common Workout Mistakes
Joe Halaska, Fitness Director

We frequently notice exercisers who perform their workouts incorrectly. While it's our job to coach club members as to the proper form, intensity, etc. to make working out efficient and safe, we aren't able to supervise all club members all the time.

Here is a list of the ten most common mistakes, and how they can be corrected:

• Leg Press Form. When performing the leg press exercise, focus on driving through the heels of your feet, not the toes. This will minimize the weight that is transferred to your knees, a vulnerable joint in this exercise. Position your feet so that your knees stay behind your toes during the entire movement.



• Improper Lat Pulldown. Pulling the bar behind your neck puts you at an extremely high risk of injury to your spine, neck and/or rotator cuffs. Pull the bar down in front of your head, keeping it close to your chin, in a smooth, controlled movement.



• Treadmill Reading. If you can read while working out, chances are you're not receiving a very good workout. If you must read, try interval training--read for a few minutes, put the book down and really push yourself for a few minutes, then back to reading for a few minutes. Do 5 or 6 of these "intervals" for a more effective workout.

• Crunches/Sit-ups. These two exercises are the least efficient way towards a defined stomach. Spend time on total body exercises that engage all of your core muscles instead. Researchers at the University of Virginia found that it takes 250,000 crunches to lose one pound of fat, or 100 crunches a day for 7 years!



• Stretching cold. The best time to stretch is after your workout when your muscles are nice and warmed up. Stretching with cold muscles before a workout increases your odds of injury.



• Holding on for dear life while on the treadmill. If you have to hold onto the treadmill because you're running or walking too fast, your gait is unnatural and increases stress on the knees, quads, ankles and shins. If you need to hang on, you need to slow down. Moving your arms in a natural way will increase your heart rate sufficiently.

• Doing only cardio. You must engage in strength training as well as cardiovascular training. When you increase your lean muscle mass with strength training, your body needs more calories to fuel the muscles, which leads to more fat loss.



• Same routine. When you perform the same workout over and over, your body finds a way to perform the workout more efficiently, resulting in no cardiovascular or strength improvement. Performing a variety of exercises will challenge your body in new ways, continuously increasing your strength and cardiovascular endurance.



• No cool-down period. To prevent muscle soreness and fatigue, spend 5-10 minutes at the end of every workout in cool-down. Exercise at a light intensity and follow with stretching to rid your body of lactic acid.

And the last but most often expressed workout mistake is:

• Spot reduction. Genetics has determined where you are going to lose body fat, not countless exercises on your "trouble area." Focus on performing total-body strength training and interval cardiovascular workouts for the maximum calorie burn.