If you feel like you’re always making mistakes when you exercise at home, don't worry home workout mistakes are common. To avoid these common mistakes, follow this list to exercise safely, build muscle or burn fat, and prevent injuries when working out at home.
Not setting yourself goals
It’s important to set yourself realistic goals on what you’re trying to achieve such as losing weight, getting fitter, increasing muscle mass or a combination. Knowing what your goal is will determine what’s in your workout and how it’s structured. Similar to working out at the gym, many people working out at home make the mistake of not setting themselves specific, realistic goals and end up quitting because they lose interest, motivation, get injured or don’t see results as quickly as they hoped.
Not taking a day off or repeating the same exercise over and over
While it's important to keep your body moving every day, not taking a day off from strenuous exercise or weightlifting can do you more harm than good. Studies have shown that excessive exercise can cause injuries and can actually prevent you gaining muscle, as your body needs time to heal. To maximise results, aim to stay active every day but take a day or two off each week from strenuous exercise.
Also remember to vary your workout routine. A common mistake people make is repeating the same workout each day or focusing too heavily on the same muscle groups. Aim for variety of different exercises that focus on different muscle groups each day of the week. This will maximise your results, prevent muscle fatigue, enhance muscle-building, and keep body fat low.
Working above or below your ability
You need to measure your strength to know where both your upper and lower limits are. If you’re lifting weights that are too heavy for you it’s almost impossible to have the correct form making you more susceptible to injury. Lifting weights that are too heavy can cause the body to become misaligned and put your tendons, muscles and joints in positions that can potentially cause strains or tears.
Like lifting weights that are too heavy, lifting weights that are too light are unlikely to get you the results you’re looking for and can stunt your progress. When progressing to heavier weights make sure that you’re using the correct form. Use a mirror to check your posture and form.
Try this guide depending on the shape you’re in.
- No regular activity: one light day, one rest day, one moderate day, one rest day. Repeat.
- In good condition: two days of activity, one rest day, two days of activity. Repeat.
- Regularly exercise: three or four days of activity, one rest day, three or four days of activity, one rest day. Repeat.
Not staying hydrated
Not drinking enough water throughout the day can take a toll on your home workouts, your energy levels, and your overall health.
Depending on your size, metabolism, muscle-to-fat ratio, and the amount of sweat your produce, your daily water needs will fluctuate. Staying hydrated helps regulate your body temperature, helps your blood carry important nutrients and oxygen around your body and removes toxins. To make sure you're drinking enough water, track your intake throughout the day.
Not warming up or cooling down
When working out at home it’s easy to make the mistake of going straight into your workout. But just like at the gym it’s important to remember to warm up properly to prepare your body for exercise to help you stay injury free. Try dynamic stretches for your warm-up and cool down.
Not getting the right amount of protein and nutrition
One of the most common home workout mistakes is not getting enough protein and nutrition in your diet. If you’re looking to gain muscle, increase your fitness, lose weight or a combination, getting enough protein and the right nutrition is critical to achieving your goals. Together with a healthy diet, supplements will boost the nutrients in your diet and ensure that you are getting enough protein to grow and repair muscle.
Good nutrition is key to a healthy lifestyle and achieving your home workout goals. Nutrients help break down food and provide you with the energy you need. Check out
this recent post on superfoods that help you supercharge your workout.
Try adding these supplements to your diet to really kick your home workout into action and start seeing results faster:
