Experts claim that many of us are wasting our efforts on exercises that don't deliver, or even worse, cause harm.
"Too many Americans come to the gym and just go through the motions," says Jason Parsons, Fitness Manager 24 Hour Fitness in Vancouver, Wash. "They want to believe that what they learned in high school P.E. is sufficient to get them through their workouts. Sadly, that mentality is what causes the majority of injuries." And it doesn't yield results either. How can you maximize your workout time? Avoid these five fitness faux pas:
1. Weight Overload: Lifting too much weight can injure muscles and create incorrect (read ineffective) alignment of the spine. According to Parsons, one of the biggest offenders is the seated cable row, an exercise where the person sits on a bench and pulls a handle attached to a low pulley toward their midsection. "I see a large percentage of people bobbing back and forth using their unprotected lower back as the work horse," he says. The problem? They're using momentum to carry them through the exercise instead of a properly aligned spine and strong core muscles.
2. Biceps Only:"The bicep curl is the first upper body exercise that most people perform, yet it's the smallest upper body muscle there is," says Grace Lazenby Celebrity Fitness Trainer and Co-Founder of the downloadable workout iTrain. No one is suggesting that you neglect your biceps altogether, but if you want to maximize your gym time, focus on exercises that create total body functionality by building muscles in your back, core, chest, legs and shoulders.
3. Abs All Day: If you're doing thousands of crunches every day to minimize the belly bulge, you won't see visible results unless you lose the fat first! Cardiovascular exercise is the best way to burn calories. Add resistance training to the mix and you'll give your metabolism a boost too. Then, you can focus on getting a six-pack (think muscles, not beer).
4. The Cardio Clutch:Hunching over a treadmill, stair climber or stationery bike with a death grip on the handrails is not only ineffective, it's also dangerous. Better to go at a slower speed without relying on the equipment to keep you upright.
5. Routine, Routine:We are all creatures of habit, says Lazenby. If you're working out to maintain the status quo or for stress relief, great! But if you want to lose weight or get leaner, you need to shock your body -- run longer, cycle faster, climb higher. Oh, and use proper form.
"Too many Americans come to the gym and just go through the motions," says Jason Parsons, Fitness Manager 24 Hour Fitness in Vancouver, Wash. "They want to believe that what they learned in high school P.E. is sufficient to get them through their workouts. Sadly, that mentality is what causes the majority of injuries." And it doesn't yield results either. How can you maximize your workout time? Avoid these five fitness faux pas:
1. Weight Overload: Lifting too much weight can injure muscles and create incorrect (read ineffective) alignment of the spine. According to Parsons, one of the biggest offenders is the seated cable row, an exercise where the person sits on a bench and pulls a handle attached to a low pulley toward their midsection. "I see a large percentage of people bobbing back and forth using their unprotected lower back as the work horse," he says. The problem? They're using momentum to carry them through the exercise instead of a properly aligned spine and strong core muscles.
2. Biceps Only:"The bicep curl is the first upper body exercise that most people perform, yet it's the smallest upper body muscle there is," says Grace Lazenby Celebrity Fitness Trainer and Co-Founder of the downloadable workout iTrain. No one is suggesting that you neglect your biceps altogether, but if you want to maximize your gym time, focus on exercises that create total body functionality by building muscles in your back, core, chest, legs and shoulders.
3. Abs All Day: If you're doing thousands of crunches every day to minimize the belly bulge, you won't see visible results unless you lose the fat first! Cardiovascular exercise is the best way to burn calories. Add resistance training to the mix and you'll give your metabolism a boost too. Then, you can focus on getting a six-pack (think muscles, not beer).
4. The Cardio Clutch:Hunching over a treadmill, stair climber or stationery bike with a death grip on the handrails is not only ineffective, it's also dangerous. Better to go at a slower speed without relying on the equipment to keep you upright.
5. Routine, Routine:We are all creatures of habit, says Lazenby. If you're working out to maintain the status quo or for stress relief, great! But if you want to lose weight or get leaner, you need to shock your body -- run longer, cycle faster, climb higher. Oh, and use proper form.
By Amy Paturel (AOLHealth)
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