We’ve all experienced someone doing something stupid at the gym before. Most of the time it is like watching a car wreck in slow motion-you can see the end result before it even happens.
Making blunders at the gym is something we all want to avoid as we want to avoid the embarrassment of ending up on some gym fail compilation video the next time we are browsing youtube. Not only can these blunders be embarrassing, but you can potentially injure yourself if you are not careful as well, which can put you out of commission for a good while.
Mistakes at the gym are going to happen-they’re an inevitable part of your journey to better fitness. A lot of the mistakes you are going to make at the gym are going to revolve around pushing yourself to your upper limits, which is ok if done so in a safe manner. Here are the biggest blunders at the gym you want to avoid:
What Are the Most Costly Mistakes You Can Make During Exercise?
1-Caving to Peer Pressure
You are the one who knows your body best-plain and simple. When you go to the gym prior to your workout you probably have some kind of plan in mind as far as your routine is concerned, and how much weight you can lift. You know your limitations better than everyone else.
These are important concepts to remember when you are going to the gym, especially if you are working out with a partner. Whether this person is stronger or weaker than you chances are that they are going to try and push you harder to progress further.
More often than not this means that they will encourage you to lift heavier, which can really be detrimental. Many accidents that occur in the gym are due to people overestimating how strong they are, and what their capabilities may be.
Avoid this potential pitfall by just being more conscious of what your limitations are. You obviously want to be lifting more as you progress towards your goals, however remember to do so in moderation. You aren’t going to go anywhere if you are injured-so be reasonable when it comes to your weight.
2-Not Having the Right Gear
This one ties heavily in to mistake number 1, as gear becomes more important the further you progress in your routine. When you start getting up there in weight, chances are that one of your body parts doing whatever movement is going to be weaker than another.
For example limited wrist strength is a problem for many advanced weight lifters, making wrist wraps and gloves popular pieces of equipment. They help to support and stabilize these joints so that you can perform exercises without putting unnecessary strain on them.
When you are lifting heavy say while doing deadlifts for example, if you don’t have the proper grip and wrist strength, you can easily injure yourself doing these exercises without gloves or wraps. This is an easy way to injure yourself, and one that is easily avoidable.
3-Not Paying Attention
Another huge mistake people make at the gym is one that doesn’t necessarily put themselves at risk, but other around them. This happens all the time when people are supposed to be busy spotting someone else doing another exercise, but are distracted with something else.
If someone is asking you to spot them on an exercise and you agree-actually pay attention and help them if need be. Don’t be walking around texting or browsing the internet while someone is trying to throw up their max weight, it could potentially lead to serious injury.
This can also apply to machine usage as well, as you should know how to perform the exercise and how to use the machine before you get going. It is so common to see someone at the gym improperly using a machine or equipment where they are putting someone else at risk. Flailing their arms, legs or the equipment itself is more common than you’d think-and really dangerous to others in the area.
Not paying attention to what you are doing or what others are doing is an easy way to get yourself hurt, and is also very avoidable.
