4 Mistakes Women make in the gym

Mistake #1: Choosing the wrong training method

The truth is most women are drawn to towards cardio-heavy activities like treadmills or elliptical machines, and tend to shy away from strength training. There is nothing wrong with doing cardio, (especially if you enjoy it), but the benefits of strength training for women are infinite.

Strength training not only helps you to improve your posture, but also increases your bone density as well as improves your body mechanics…..i.e. flexibility and balance.  Also more muscle mass, allows your body to have a faster metabolism (meaning: you burn more calories-even at rest).  This is turns makes it easier to lose body fat. Did I also mention that getting stronger is great for boosting your self-confidence?

                                    

Mistake #2: Not following a program.

Strength training is critical for women. But it’s not enough. A proper training program has balance.

I tell my clients you can’t just lift, you can’t just hang out on that stair climber, you can’t just run – you have to have a combination of several things for a balanced training program. A concrete training program should consist of the of the following:

·       Dynamic Warm-Up – This is generally a series of 6-10 exercises designed to prepare you for your workout.  These may include arm circles, inch worms, drop lunges, quad pulls, or even jumping rope. Your body has many mechanisms that need to be activated and stimulated.  When you put your body through a series of stretches while in motion, it sends signals from the brain to the muscle fibers and connective tissues in that area to prepare to do work.  Your body’s temperature begins to rise and blood is pumped to the working areas of the body.  Getting good blood flow to the area of the working muscles is very critical in order to supply the area with energy needed to do work.  Along with getting proper blood flow to the working area, the muscle fibers and connective tissues will gain more flexibility and range of motion.  Dynamic stretching can help increase power, improve flexibility, and increase your range of motion.

·       Soft Tissue Work – I usually use a foam roller for soft tissue work, but you can use a lacrosse ball, tennis ball, stick, or PVC pipe. Spending a few minutes before and after each training session doing soft tissue work can increase blood flow to the area, as well as help work out knots in the fascia tissue.

·       Strength Training – The training routine will vary based on the training age and ability level of the athlete, but should include variations of the following movement patterns; multi-joint exercises like the squat, push up, deadlift, and lunge are great complex movements. Single joint movements should also be sprinkled in your program.  Along with resisting rotation, extension, and lateral flexion with your core.

·       Energy Systems Training (“cardio”) – The amount and type of energy systems training that should be included in a program is very dependent on goals (fat loss, muscle building, etc), and amount of time available to train. I like using a mix of both high-intensity interval training (HIIT) 2-3 times per week and moderate intensity cardio (keeping my heart rate in the fat burning zone)

If your program is missing any one of these critical components, you’re going to be missing out on

obtaining maximum results and a better physique.

Mistake #3: Not lifting heavy enough.

In my earlier years before I knew anything about strength training – I’d go to the gym and spend 60 minutes on the treadmill, and then walk over to the free weights and grab 5-10 lb. dumbbells and go crazy.

I would do a little of this (bicep curls) and then a little of that (front raises) and then I’d try to watch other people in the gym and copy what they were doing.

And, it’s accurate to say that I got just about nowhere. My body didn’t change, and I didn’t notice any toned muscles, or any increases in my strength levels whatsoever.  Why didn’t I see results? Because I wasn’t lifting heavy enough……………”Heavy” however, is all relative, depending on if you are just beginning to incorporate strength training into your workouts.  If this is the case, you can start with just your own body weight. Keep challenging yourself so that your body has to consistently adapt to keep up with the increasing demands you are placing on it. This is how you make progress in strength, performance, and body composition.

Mistake #4: Not resting long enough in between exercises.

Taking time to rest between exercises allows your muscles to recover, so that you can perform quality reps of each exercise with the heaviest load your body can handle for the given set and rep recommendation.

For bigger compound movements that are placed at the beginning of your workout, you want more rest (generally 2 – 3 minutes). In contrast, when doing single-joint movements, rests can be between 30-90 seconds.

There you have it. The four biggest mistakes women make when it comes to their training programs – and how they can be fixed. You know what’s even better than being told how to fix them, though? A program available that addresses them all for you!  Happy Lifting!