Whether you’re a seasoned gym bunny or are brand new to the world of fitness, it’s easy enough to make errors in posture and positioning without the appropriate guidance. While it may be difficult to splurge on a personal trainer for your fitness sessions, it’s important to keep track of correct workout techniques as you work on your summer body goals. Before you hit the gym, keep these essential tips in mind to prevent mistakes, injuries or unnecessary strain on your muscle groups.

1) Not having a plan

Without a plan you don’t have any direction, and without direction it is hard to know what you must do to achieve your goals, how long it will take, and what exercises you must do to get there. Every body is different, so it is important that you go into a workout with a clear view of what you are doing and how that will be beneficial to specifically you. Simply following the actions of others may not lead to you achieving your goals, as everyone has a different metabolism and many other factors that could contribute to some workouts being more effective for your body than others. When making a plan, it most effective to pick a time-proven workout. The reason for this is they have been proven to work over a set period of time, and they outline the exact workout and the time you must put in to achieve your goal.

2) Only running to get lean

In order to gain strong and lean muscles definition, you must focus on something other than simply running, and use weight training to build and maintain a lean physique. Excessive running can lower your muscle mass and can lead to exhaustion and not getting the most out of your workout. There are other exercises that you receive cardiovascular benefits as well as building strength such as the Elliptical, Air Stepper, and the Stair Master.

3) Concentrating on a single body part

Time and again both health & fitness experts strongly suggest that it is important to work out all the parts of the body to achieve your desired results. Getting into shape is all about burning fat from all parts of the body, and toning all parts of your muscles. In fact,  spot specific workouts alone such as crunches or sit-ups are not an effective way to shed the pounds. These strategies will not put your body into a weight loss zone, as they are not an effective way to kick start your metabolism and to tone your overall body.

4) Not changing it up

The key to a fit body is challenging it. It is no secret that repetition (of anything) eventually makes us a master in it and it requires much less effort to do. The theory is same with working out. Following the same workout routines over and over for months can lead to your body adapting to the energy level it requires and as a result your regime hits a plateau and your body fails to show any improvement beyond it. That is why it is important to change up your routine every once in a while to keep your body challenged. You can do this by changing the weights you lift, trying out a new exercise class, or changing the number of reps you do.

5) Not warming up or stretching

If you ask any fitness expert, they will likely all recommend warm up exercises and stretching sessions before any workout. By skipping your warm up stretch session may save time, but it will lead to increased injury and stiffness during a workout. Just 10 minutes of low to medium intensity warm up and stretching exercises like jumping jacks, and squats along with runner’s stretch and butterfly stretch will help your body prepare your optimum performance with the highest gain with least amount of pain.

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