The Number One Mistake People Make At The Gym
Monday is Health & Fitness day at AlexShalman.Com
In general people who go to the gym are dominated by one concern; to get in shape in as little time as possible. To achieve a goal without proper dedication and allocated time is unrealistic. Most successful people will endorse the “No pain, no gain” proverb. The problem in this equation is that often the desire for immediate results overrides the desire for a better shape. People often say that getting started is the hardest part, however, since you’ve already done that and are at the gym, it’s time to get to the easier part. Pushing yourself is half the equation!
Safety precautions should be taken in all areas of your life, especially when it concerns exercising. Pushing yourself does not mean that you must hurt yourself. Pushing yourself is finding your comfort zone and then stepping right past it. It is important that you know what your limits are and pay extra careful attention to medical problems. Listen, we can’t all be like Rocky who climbs mountains in the artic cold to build himself up for a fight. Frankly, we don’t need to be.
Just to clarify; the number one mistake people make at the gym is staying in their comfort zone. Well, now that we have that straight, your probably wondering what the best way to accomplish this goal is. Personally, I have battled this problem utilizing the powerful tool of visualization. I spoke about visualizing during cardio in one of my early posts (too busy to exercise).
An example of this technique would be when I’m running and I force myself to stop concentrating on the present self and instead create a different image of myself. This image is a more in shape me or what I consider to be a perfect body. I see every muscle moving in synchrony and as I flex my stomach, I see the perfect abs harden. I visualize a body that is a perfect machine which does not break down, no matter the distance. A great physiological feature of your mind is that when you visualize your muscles growing you activate changes on the molecular level, which assists in the growth.
Since then, I’ve expanded on this concept by using it for every exercise that I do. Another example applies to my muscle building exercise. As I lift in a slow, uniform manner, I keep my muscle flexed tight all the way through the extension. I hold it flexed at the top for 1-2 seconds, and slowly lower the weight while keeping tension on the muscle through the whole set. As I’m doing all of this, I am picturing the muscle fibers firing away, while the blood and energy flow through my muscles.
Each person thrives off of their own different motivation. I would love to know what works for each of you at the gym. Since this article focused on some of the mistakes people make at the gym and how to get through them, I would also like to hear what doesn’t work for you while your working out.
Could you think of any other mistakes you or someone you know makes at the gym?
Update: This article was edited for clarity. Oh, and if you enjoyed it, please give it a thumbs up on stumbleupon.
Posted by Alex Shalman in Health | September 17, 2007 | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumble | Print | 11 comments
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well, from a personal development perspective, I will say another top mistake is the lack of patience.
Some people go in with the mentality of “whacking it out” in that single gym session, hoping to clock mileage required over several sessions.
They not only risk injuring themselves, but in the long run, they get burnt out more easily; which only serves to contradict their goals of building that perfect body.
Hey Lawrence…. I know what you mean about over-clocking it at the gym. If you push yourself too hard, and than get hurt, or too sore, you won’t be as excited to come back next time.
On the other hand, if you constantly do nothing at the gym, you’ll get bored because you see no results.
do you mean “no pain, no GAIN”?
Good catch, fixed.
Fitness is mental. People use reasons (excuses) to not do it, and then it makes it okay in their own minds. Don’t focus on the effort or commitment, but on the results you’re going to get! Lookign great, feeling great, and living a better quality life!
True. It would be impossible for us to achieve those goals unless we learn how to set them in the proper manner.
My motivation is to look good for my gf - may seem shallow but it works!
Motivation comes from within. It’s nobody’s business what motivates you as long as it works for you!
Hey Alex. Great post.
I’ve got one for you…
The number one mistake people make at my gym? Doing biceps curls in the squat rack when I am ready to do some serious squatting! Gee-whiz.
Takuin Minamoto
Lol Takuin… perhaps I’ll do a follow up post about gym etiquette =)
I agree with Lawrence. It doesn’t need a smart person to realize that mistake.
It’s probably the effect of technology that made them think about doing things and expecting fast results