Sometimes exercise is simple. You only need to move around to keep your body strong and healthy. However, it can get complicated when there are different kinds of exercises. It becomes difficult to figure out the type of exercise that will be suitable for your fitness goals, how much exercise you should be doing, and what is the safest activity that you should engage in.

Various mistakes are common to both beginners and veteran gym enthusiasts. Below are some of these:

1. Doing Partial Reps

A rep is a repetition of a certain exercise in your workout routine. It can be anything from a bicep curl to a sit up to a bench press or a squat. Reps are great for challenging yourself, but if you are fond of doing partial reps and a poor range of movement, they are not going to be effective.

A partial rep is performing a certain exercise at a very limited range of motion. For instance, having a half squat instead of a properly executed deep squat. You might have done this to get through the set quicker, but if you are looking to improve your strength or build muscle, you need to do the full range of motion.

1. Overusing Cardio And Underusing Weights

Most gyms overuse cardio equipment to lose weight. The first inclination for those who want to lose some pounds is hopping in the elliptical, treadmill, or bike and sweat out calories. Of course, cardio will help you spend energy, but you need to lift weights so that you can reshape your body and get the desired results.

Additionally, most women underuse weight due to the fear of becoming masculine. Keep in mind that women have lower testosterone levels. Thus, they do not have enough testosterone to develop “manly” muscles.

1. Not Warming-Up

Most people start their workouts without warming up probably because they don’t know its importance or because their training program doesn’t offer it.

Warming-up your muscles is important even when you are at the gym for cardio or strength training. The warm-up can be a ten-minute session on the cross trainer or a few sets of low-intensity warm-ups.

1. Using Too Much Weight

There is a fine line between overexerting yourself and challenging yourself. Lifting weights that are too heavy for you may lead to injury and can lead to improper movement quality. There is a place and time for maximum training and doing so in each training session will lead to burnout and may not result in consistent progress.

Avoid comparisons when training and keep in mind that what matters is not lifting maximum weight but doing more reps. If you want to achieve long-term results and have minimum setbacks, lighten the weight and concentrate on form.

1. Doing The Same Range Of Exercises

If you have repeated the same program for some months or done the same workout every time you go to the gym, then you are making a mistake. It is recommended to change up your exercises every four to six weeks. You don’t have to train different body parts or change everything completely; you can just tweak a few things once in a while.