Too many times I’ve seen people performing exercises wrongly in gym. Some of the key examples are drinking cold Isotonic drinks during their rest time, drinking protein shakes during workout and many more.. In this article, we shall talk about some things you might be doing wrongly and hopefully, you will not repeat in future. (In this article, we’ll bust myths and unreal facts to aiding your overall workout and health regimes. Let’s move on to find out more..)
1. 1 Set Exercise, 5 Sets Instagram
Why are you smiling there? Congratulations! Did you just struck 4D or Toto? It’s understandable on some days you may not be in the mood to train but try your best to not play with your phone in gym! Eliminate these distractions and stay focused for an 1 hour, you’ll have the rest of the day with your phone Your body will thank you for the short concentration. By then you’ll be smiling because you just completed a smashing good hour of uninterrupted workout session.
2. Not Knowing What Exactly You Want
Going to the gym without a set of specific goals is as good as going to the supermarket shopping for ingredients of food recipes you have yet to decide on – indeed a recipe for disaster. Having an aim of what you want is crucial as it affects long term motivation. You do not wish to give up going to the gym after a week. That aim can be – a specific body shape you wish to achieve, a role model you look up to, being able to feel sexy about yourself, being beach-body, working towards a firmer butt, nicer looking arms or even if it means being more fitter to take part in obstacle courses race eg. Spartan Race etc. Be fun and adventurous, it can be anything!
3. Exercise Just To Sweat
This is a common misconception most of us believe in – having sweat a good amount of sweat equates to a good workout, or the more sweat we produce during a workout, the more calories burnt. However, that is not true. Everyone is unique. How much you sweat is determined by 3 factors : Age, weight and fitness level. First, let us understand why we sweat. Sweat glands produce sweat, which evaporates and keep us cool during a workout. For example, I can be walking for 5 minutes and I will be covered with a pool of sweat whereas other people can be working out for 20 minutes and barely even sweating. In summary, you do not need to push yourself to sweat if you are a person who does not sweat a lot in general.
4. Drinking Protein Shake During Workout
If you are one of them, stop immediately. I cannot stop emphasizing how this method only backfires your workout regime and to achieving your desired body. Why is this so? Notice signs of bloatedness and feeling lethargic during your training? This is because energy is needed to break down that amount of protein consumed; just like how you feel after having a meal. It’s very common amongst younger generation boys to think that this will help build more muscles during training. In reality, muscles are built when you are sleeping, not in the gym. Please keep that in mind! Secondly, protein shake takes time to break down into BCAA for usage in body. Hence, drinking BCAA would be a much ideal choice over protein shakes during or after workouts. Look at how new born babies grow! They drink and sleep. Do they even workout? Save your shakes for after a good workout!
5. Eating A Heavy Meal Before Workout
What would be classified as a heavy meal are buffets or a dense food like Nasi Briyani, Nasi Lemak or Chicken Rice. I strongly recommend you to try having a heavy meal before a workout so you will understand how it takes effect on your body. It is almost impossible to train with full focus even you have rested a few hours before training. The solution? Eat at least 1-2 hours before workout depending on how your body reacts to certain foods. Experiment food and timings to get used to it so you can fully understand how your body works.
6. Having Fasted Body State Before Workout
If you have experimented fasted body state before workout and it works for you, stick with it. If you are always low on energy and unable to focus during training, I suggest having a light meal (Simple Carbohydrates like steamed jasmine rice and protein like grilled chicken breast meat) before training. If you are trying out this method, allow your body to be accustomed to this routine for at least 2 weeks before making complete changes. Everyone is different. You will need to experiment and see what works best for you.
7. Isotonic, Energy Drinks During / After Workout
Referring this to drinking 100 plus, H2O isotonic drinks. Many people view this as replenishing their lost electrolytes just because it is an isotonic drink. Are you truly consuming what you think it is? Isotonic drinks only contains a negligible amount of sodium in a bottle which is not even enough to replenish your body! It contains a high level of sugar. If you are just going to gym less than an hour, your body does not need those sugars if your goal is to lose weight / fats. If you are in gym for at least 3 hours or ran 20km then you will need the sugar to refill your glycogen storage. Read more here. You must be wondering – what about redbull and monster drinks? These two are usually consumed before workout for its taurine content – a type of amino acid which is found and produced in your body. It is said to aid in muscle building but no solid research has been done to prove it. Furthermore, the sugar again has high caloric content which is unnecessary for you. Let’s be honest here, plain water is still the best for you during workouts.
8. Not Activating Your Muscles During Workout
I have witnessed many strong clients who are merely ‘bulling’ their movements through because most of them are naturally strong. When you do that, bone joints will be involved in lifting instead of muscles. This will result in joint pains in the near future. Solution: Read a book on anatomy or follow this link for muscles responsible for a movement pattern so that you know exactly which muscles to focus during exercising. A good book I have been using is: The Strength Training Anatomy Workout II
Now that you have read these tips, I hope you will do better next time to maximize your time and effort spent in the gym.
If you think this article will help your friend or helpful in many ways, spread the word by sharing in your facebook today. Make the Gym a better place to be at and reaching your goals more efficiently in no time.
Your Coach,
Amirrudin Ong
