If you’re working out casually with no specific training goals, then you may not bother with these mistakes. However, if you desire to make your physiology work to the maximum for you, avoid these traps as they slow down the process. The best results are achieved by motivation, showing up to the gym, and getting the right nutrients (read: get enough protein). Depending on how much muscle you want to build, it may be the most tricky one. Whey protein isolate is a great help to keep your protein ratio at the right level. Nevertheless, understanding how your body works is going to help you progress every time you show up to the gym.
Top 5 Mistakes That Matter
Scheduling Your Workout After a Heavy Meal
Perhaps, you remember the feeling of tiredness, after eating a heavy meal. That’s the normal reaction of your body to the extra work they need to do now. Digestion requires a lot of energy, your heart is pumping the blood to your stomach and needs to focus on this task. If you decide to work out after a heavy meal, it will be a confusing signal to your body. Your stomach and muscles will compete for the extra nutrients. Consequently, both processes will be compromised.
Getting too Much Caffeine Before Workout
For most people, coffee is a great pre-workout supplement. It keeps the level of energy high and makes us feel motivated. The right amount of caffeine won’t do any harm, but if you consume too much you will irritate your bowels, causing extra bowel movements. It will act as a distraction during your workout, both for you and for the body itself.
Static Stretching Before Lifting Weights
Stretching is surely good for you, but static stretching shouldn’t be done without a warm-up itself. It’s a common misconception that people choose to use it as a warm-up, it’s just not a warm-up. Moreover, static stretching decreases your strength during the workout, and there’s research that shows that. Instead of static stretches, choose light 5-10 minutes cardio and dynamic stretching.
Performing Cardio Directly Before Lifting Weights
Cardio warm-up is a great choice, but not cardio training. The warm-up should take about 5-10 minutes. The full 30 minutes of training will not aid in building muscles. For the best performance with lifting weights, you need a constant level of glucose in your blood. The most accessible form of it is stored in the liver as glycogen. During cardio training, this resource will dry out and push your body to use stored fat. It may seem good, but this is not optimal for weight training. Your strength will be compromised, you may end up taking lighter weight or doing fewer reps.
Pain-Killers Before the Training
Pain in the muscles is the natural consequence of a good workout session. We do recommend you take the more demanding path and endure the pain. You’ll get used to it slowly. It’s dangerous to lift on ibuprofen or anvil, as they reduce your pain level and, you need to be aware of where your threshold is. Otherwise, you risk a serious injury.