The Top 10 Most Common Workout Mistakes
Our favorite workout gear!
1. Wearing the Wrong Gear
With fancy $300 plus designer shoes out there and workout clothing that boasts about improving our performance, no wonder so many people end up wearing the wrong gear. We recommend for footwear that you go to a specialty fitness shoe store and have your foot analyzed and consult with an expert concerning shoe recommendations for the type of workouts/activity you will be doing. Many people purchase “tennis shoes” and maybe they would be better off with an extra wide trail running shoe with extra arch support. Many people who complain of frequent foot or ankle pain may just be suffering form a poor fitting shoe. We also recommend replacing your shoe once a year, or purchase 2 pairs of shoes and alternate wearing them so you can get 2 years out of both shoes. Also, purchase your footwear in the afternoon and bring the type of socks you will be wearing with them, that way the day’s foot swelling is active and you are fitting for the right sock that may add extra room needed. Clothing is simple. It should not restrict movement and it should not be 100% cotton. 100% cotton soaks up sweat and takes a long time to dry, which can cause chaffing. Get clothing made from, moisture wicking materials. Make sure the bottoms don’t ride up or chafe by taking them for a squat challenge before you buy them. Our favorite workout gear is the Zyia brand. Tons of high quality fitness gear for Men and Women!
2. Focusing too much on what your fitness tracker says you did
We have sad news for you, Your fitness tracker is most likely lying to you. Fitness trackers WAY OVER ESTIMATE steps taken and calories burned. Relying on these numbers is going to give you a false sense of accomplishment. We recommend looking more at the heart rate data, how long you spent in cardio rage verses a high intensity range for example. track your workouts and take a look at your average time in each category, how long it takes you to reach your target heart rate and how long it takes you to recover from reaching that rate when you take the intensity down. This will give you a better idea of how great that workout was for your most important muscle, your heart. Our favorite fitness tracker is the Fitbit Versa, and it pairs with the Fire Team Whiskey app, so you can track all your fitness, nutrition and health data, all in one place!
3. Pushing Your Body Past Its Limits
This one sounds like a big “duh,” but it’s surprising how many people get into a gym for the first time in months (or years) and attack the cardio machines or weight rack like they have been doing it every day for a year. When you’re just beginning a workout routine, it’s important to know that your body needs time to adjust to your new activity level. With time, our bodies can become quite well adapted, but the key for long-term success — physically and mentally — is to start small and work toward your goal. Injuries can happen if you go all out right away, which in turn can lead to set that don’t help.
4. Not Hydrating Properly
Everyone knows they’re supposed to stay hydrated. But a lot of people don’t know how to do it right. Most people wait to start hydrating when they start their workout. The hydration should start the night before the workout and continue throughout the day before and after the workout. We recommend adding a sugar free electrolyte powder to your water all the time. This way, you are accumulating good sodium and potassium levels before that workout and you don’t have to struggle to catch up after getting too dehydrated. This will allow you to perform better overall during your workouts and help your body recover more quickly from the workout. Our favorite hydration mix is LMT in delicious citrus salt! And this product was developed by Robb Wolf, a friend of Fire Team Whiskey and the First Responder Community and author of Wired To Eat.
5. Working our longer thinking it’s better
Long hours of cardio or hour long sessions with weights is actually shown to me much more dangerous and detrimental to our bodies. So many people get on those treadmills for an hour thinking they have done so much more than those on the treadmill for 20 minutes. Time has nothing to do with how good of a workout that was. Working out for shorter, but more intense intervals has been shown by research to not only give you more benefits cardiovascularly, but also increase your metabolic rate for a longer period of time. With steady state cardio, the calorie burn stops as soon as you do. High intensity intervals keep that fat burning for up to 48 hours post workout. So many people spend hours in the gym and complain that they are not seeing results. We argue, maybe you should spend less time at the gym and just crank up the intensity!
6. Ignoring the Importance of Diet in General
You’ve likely heard the adage, “You can’t outrun a bad diet.” It’s true, so heed the advice to avoid one of the most common workout mistakes. If your eating habits aren’t aligned with your fitness goals, you’ll never hit them. Step one in upgrading your diet is to reduce your consumption of sugar and carbs. Most active people eat way too many carbs thinking they need “energy” for their workouts and don’t pay nearly enough attention to fat and protein. Neglecting this will yield poor blood sugar control, higher insulin levels, increased fat storage, and decreased fat burning. You can get access to the entire Fire Team Whiskey library of Nutrition Plans, Grocery lists and recipes right here.
7. Only Focusing on the Muscles You Can See
In the pursuit of head-turning muscles, many people focus only on those they can see in the mirror — pecs, shoulders, arms, and abs. This results in most people only working the muscles on the front of their bodies — such one-sided training often worsens existing postural and performance issues and putting them at risk of injury and chronic pain (very commonly, back pain). You heard of the phrase “never skip leg day”? We agree!
8. Skipping the Warm-Up and Cooldown
It’s great that you’re excited to get to your workout, but a warm-up shouldn’t be optional. Before you jump into beast mode, take a few minutes to get your body ready for an intense workout with an active warm-up that includes dynamic movements, which can help improve performance and prevent injury. Once you finish your workout, cool down with a few minutes of stretching, foam rolling, or both.
9. Skipping Recovery Days
If you think recovery days are only for the weak, think again. They’re actually a crucial part any fitness regime. Our bodies need rest. When our muscles get a change to rest and repair, they can get bigger and stronger. If you continue to chop at a tree trunk and never let up, it will never grow back. Take this same approach with your body. If you are adamant about doing something every day, take your rest days to do some easy yoga or stretching or take a long moderately paced walk.
10. Doing the Same Workout Every Time
Comfort can be the enemy of progress. Doing the same exact workout all the time, whether that’s running the same route at the same pace or always going to the same yoga class, doesn’t give your body the variety it needs to change and improve. You need to incorporate variation into your training plan to keep your results coming. This is the main reason for the all too dreaded and common “plateau”, the reason why most people see their results stagnate is that they do the same one or two workouts day after day. Their bodies never get pushes, only the same muscle groups get worked in the same way, and the body just gets used to it and equalizes.
The great news is that Fire Team Whiskey has you covered! We have HUNDREDS of workout videos ranging form 5 minutes to 45 minutes, weighted, and body weight, cardio, martial arts yoga, stretching, high intensity intervals, body building, sculpting, and so much more all on the Fire Team Whiskey app. All you have to do is open the app, choose your video and push play. We add a brand new fitness video every single week, so you never get bored with your routine and you can keep the variety going and keep getting results! For a limited time, you can now try our program for FREE for 2 WEEKS!
