The Most Common Workout Mistakes Women Make (Part 4)

Mistake #4: Wimpy Workouts!

This mistake is somewhat similar to being resistant to resistance training. When I talk about “wimpy” workouts, I’m essentially talking about the mundane routines many people get into in their fitness routines… how we end up just going through the motions during workouts.

The biggest, wimpiest mistake I see women making in their resistance training is using only traditional machines to train. If you’re not careful, this can quickly and easily get you into a workout rut, leaving you bored and frustrated with your lack of results.

Machines make it very difficult to workout with the same level of intensity you could achieve with free weights, bands, medicine balls and other ‘unanchored’ training devices. Machines provide anchored stability, which is fine for a temporary change or if you’re working your way through an injury.

Otherwise, you want your muscles to act as the stabilizers as well as the weight lifters and movers. This creates a greater workload, forcing your muscles to not only move the weight, but also to stabilize you as you work. This type of workout is also significantly more effective for training your core. When your muscles are working harder and smarter with free weights and other resistance tools, you boost your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). As a result of a higher RMR, you’ll burn more fat and become leaner.

Machines also tend to limit and alter your natural range of motion. All up-to-date fitness and exercise experts agree that the optimal exercises are performed with full range of motion and the natural arcs and positioning unique to each individual. Machines are essentially one-size-fits-all. Again, a decreased and ‘contained’ range of motion may be exactly what you need if you’re looking to change up your routine for a short time or if you’re injured. If not, think of imitating movements of real life, like pull-starting a lawn mower, washing windows, lifting groceries, carrying kids, etc.

Traditional machines also tend to focus on isolated muscle groups and isolated movements. They’re not representative of real life movements and positions. Global or functional exercises incorporate large groups of muscle to perform a movement that is similar to real life movements. How often do we find ourselves needing to mimic the movement of the seated quadriceps extension, hamstring curl or triceps extension? I’m not sure I’ve ever done any of those isolated movements outside of a gym! Much more useful and practical exercises would be squats, lunges, deadlifts, rowing and push-ups – these prepare us for the type of lifting, stability, balance and power that’s required of us to live our everyday lives.

So, YES it’s more difficult to train with free weights than to use the machines… that’s the whole point! If your goal is to shed fat and inches as well as becoming lean and toned then you want to create more work for your body. It’s a good thing! Remember, you don’t have to workout any longer… just smarter. The good news is that even though your workout needs to become more challenging, it should become a shorter workout too! Whew!

Finally, keep moving during your workout. This is not social hour… unless that’s your primary goal. You want short bursts of intensity. Get in, get to it, and get out! Either take the extra time you’ve saved by doing efficient workouts and have your social time after your workout, or find a workout friend that shares your goals of fat loss and getting toned. That way you can have fun and a social life while you’re working hard and getting results.