Starting out on the adventure of new goals is exciting. You’re feeling motivated, you’re imagining how you’re going to look and feel when you get there, and you’re full of LFG (better ask your kids on that meaning).
My guess is that you’re doing at least a couple of these things and they’re quietly holding you back.
This doesn’t mean you’re failing. It just means you’re figuring things out.
If training people for more than 25 years, I have seen a lot of the same mistakes show up over and over again. Here’s the good news, though: they’re all fixable.
And more importantly, the earlier you fix them, the better everything else gets. Let’s talk about them.
1 – Skipping the Warm Up & Cooldown
I get it. You’re short on time and you want to get to the “real workout.”
But here’s why the warm up is not an optional thing (or at least why it shouldn’t be):
- Warming up helps to raise your body temperature
- Warming up helps to prepare your joints and muscles by saying, “hey, we’re about to get into something here”
- And, warming up can help get your mind into the right frame of mind
This does not mean that you need to knock out a 30-minute stretch-fest. But it does mean that you need to work your way through general [and then specific] movements that you’re getting ready to train.
The cooldown matters too – especially if you want to feel better tomorrow. The cooldown is a great place to improve your flexibility and to start your recovery process.
Skipping both of these doesn’t make you hardcore. Skipping these probably makes your training harder than it needs to be, thank you very much!
2 – Choosing Weight Over Form
Yes, weight matters.
Form matters more.
Good form (I call it mechanics) keeps you safer and helps you get more out of what you’re doing. This is true in CrossFit, in bodybuilding, in powerlifting, in pretty much everything (yes, even running)!
- CrossFit prioritizes form/safety as well as efficacy
- Bodybuilding prioritizes form/safety as well as muscle gain
- Powerlifting prioritizes form/safety as well as lifting all the weights
Different goals. Same foundation.
If you’re unsure: ask a coach; watch videos from credible sources; and err on the side of lighter weight to prioritize better movement.
Your ego will recover faster than your shoulders (this one hurts).
3 – Confusing Overtraining & Under Recovering
Overtraining is possible. For the average person it’s not likely, but it is possible. The good news is that if you’re new, you’re probably not doing too much.
What can happen? You could train for how much you’re recovering
If you’re training hard but:
- Sleeping less than 6 hours per night
- Constantly sore
- Consistently low energy
- Finding weight and/or body fat going in the wrong direction
The issues probably don’t lie with your workouts (especially if you’re going from nothing to something). The issue probably lies with not prioritizing recovery.
As a starter, aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep. No supplement is going to replace this.
4 – Setting Unrealistic Goals
A lot of people start with what I like to call, “A to Z” goals.
These are fun and look like, “I want to lose 60lbs, get strong, look great, and feel great!”
I’m excited for you! Truly, I am. But that’s the destination and it’s hard to quantify it sometimes (and you could burn yourself out in the process).
Your brain needs what you could then call, “A to B” goals, and then “B to C” and so on.
- Lose 5lbs by February (it’s early January, by the way)
- Go from doing 3 pushups to 5 pushups
- Or (and these are more of my favorite goals), go to bed 30 minutes earlier
Focus on stacking small wins. Small wins build momentum and momentum builds habits. Habits are what you really want!
5 – Skipping Meals
This one’s a big deal and an easy one to fall into when you’re talking about adding new things into your daily routine.
A lot of beginners try this formula:
Exercise More + Eat Less
This is a fast track to lower energy, poor workouts, frustration, quitting, and so on.
The main thing I worry about? Quitting doesn’t just stop your progress – quitting begins to ruin your relationship with healthy eating and exercise.
I prefer a different approach:
- Eat when you’re hungry
- Make reasonably good food choices
- And think of things in a win percentage instead of an “I have to do it all perfectly or it won’t work”
You don’t need perfection. You need habits.
6 – Being Dehydrated (Yes, You Probably Are)
If you’re dehydrated and you’re worried about hurting yourself, you’re probably making it more likely you will strain something. You’re also lowering your cardiovascular capacity if you’re focusing on endurance. And you could cause a “hangover” type of headache.
A simple place to start: drink half of your bodyweight (in pounds) in ounces of water per day. You can always go up from there but again…
Aim for small wins and build on those small wins.
It’s not fancy but it works.
7 – Ignoring Stress Management
Exercise is stress [believe it or not].
Work is stress [you probably believe this one].
Family, schedules, finances – all stress.
Your body really doesn’t separate them and this is especially true if you’re under chronic stress.
Some of my favorite ways to help manage your stress?
- Breathing intentionally (meditation if you want to call it that)
- Sleep more (earlier bedtime)
- Plan your week out instead of making it up as you go along
- Spend time in hobbies that aren’t working out
- And, if you need, don’t be shy about talking with professionals
Training harder isn’t always the answer (but sometimes it is).
8 – Comparing Yourself to Everyone Else
This one sneaks up on people (I know I do it).
On a big enough scale, someone is always stronger, leaner, faster, further along, and so on. Instead, ask yourself one question:
Did I do something to make myself 1% better today?
Ask it tomorrow.
Ask it the next day.
Repeat it for 365 days and see what happens.
So…
If you’re new to fitness, mistakes aren’t a problem – they’re part of the process. What matters is fixing them before they become a bigger issue.
You don’t need to do everything perfectly. You do need to hit the basics and hit them consistently.
If you’re not sure what those basics should look like for you, that’s where we come in. Our coaches can make the difference between another year of stopping before you get there and turning it into, “ok, what’s next?!”
If you want help building a plan that actually fits you and your life, click HERE to set up your free consult.