Sabotaging Your Workout

   Everyday millions of people go to gyms all across the country and everyday millions of people are not happy with the results they're getting. Many people will blame the gym, blame their genetics and just stop going because they "never get the results they want". I can tell you one thing, if you workout out regularly and have a good nutritional plan it is a GUARANTEE that you will the results you want. It doesn't matter your age, race, sex, what gym you go to or whatever other excuses can be made. So what are we doing in the gym that is sabotaging our workout routines?
   How many times have you heard someone at the gym say "I burned 700 calories on this machine in an hour today," or "400 calories on that machine in 20 minutes yesterday"? This is mistake number one; trusting the calorie burn estimates on machines at your gym. We'd all like to see that we burned 700 calories in an hour on an elliptical machine but the truth of the matter is that these machines have no way of knowing how many calories you are in fact burning. A recent study by the National Strength and Conditioning Conference found that elliptical trainers over-estimate calorie burn by an average of 30%! This wouldn't be too much of a problem but people who rely on these numbers may feel entitled to eat a little more because "they work so hard at the gym and burn all these calories", when in fact they're not anywhere near their actual calorie burn. Using a heart rate monitor can give you a more accurate read out if you really need to know your calories burned, but the bottom line is we don't want to add extra calories in our diet because we burned it at the gym. We want to create a deficit to lose weight, feeling entitled to extra calories will thwart your goals very quickly.
   Go to any gym in America and you're guaranteed to see people using improper form, from free weights to Nautilus machines to cardio machines. Sacrificing form for the sake of running longer or lifting more is counter productive. Just because you can run at 10 miles per hour when you hold on to the treadmill for dear life doesn't mean you should. You'd be much better off slowing down your speed and distance to use correct form while running. The same can be said for strength training, is it worth it to load up the bench press then use your entire body to lift the weight? Or are you better off with a weight that you can handle and that actually uses the intended muscles? Using incorrect form and/or too much weight can end in injury which sets you back in your goals, and plateaus because your not using the correct muscles the correct way.
   DON'T SKIP STRENGTH TRAINING! I can not emphasize this fact enough. One pound of lean muscle is 8 TIMES more metabolically demanding than one pound of fat. So if you have more muscle...you burn more fat! A recent survey by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association found that 80% of women forgo strength training. In my time as a personal trainer I have seen first hand the worries women get about strength training (I don't want to get bulky, I don't know how to use the machines/weights, I don't want to get bulky) and yes I know I said that twice and that was to make a point. Women and men are not built the same way, you will not do 3 sets of dumbbell curls and walk out of the gym looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Strength training will build and tone the muscle just like everyone wants and raise your bodies metabolism. Pairing weight training with cardiovascular workouts a few times a week is the ideal way to get to your goals.
    The last thing people do to sabotage their workouts is simple; you hate your workout! It doesn't matter the benefits that you get from it if it's something that you hate it will not work long time for you. If you don't enjoy yourself you are more likely to end your workout early and just skip it all together on a more regular basis than if it is something you enjoy. With the variety of options in terms of machines, classes, workout dvds, trainers and everything else you can find, you should be able to find a few things that you enjoy and stick to them. So good luck to you all and hopefully these tips will help you keep moving forward and stop sabotaging your own workout!