Listen to this on The Funsized Podcast (Episode 62)
Hey shorty… Are you toning up yet? Or do you feel like you’re spinning your wheels with ineffective at-home workouts?
It’s not your fault this sh*t is hard! But I’m here now to enlighten you with the 6 biggest home-workout mistakes:
BEING A CARDIO BUNNY- While jumping on the bike or going for a run might seem like the easier less-brain-work option, cardio alone isn’t going to sculpt sexy little muscles. Instead, be a fat burning FOX by combining strength training and cardio into your routine.
I see so many people driven to high intensity conditioning workouts who are ALREADY AND ONLY getting cardio in the rest of the week. If you are running 20 plus miles a week or doing other forms of cardio already, you don’t need more cardio! You need more strength training!
Don’t be afraid to rest between exercises. Lifting might not make you feel out of breath but that doesn’t mean it’s not effective. You don’t need to feel like you’re dying to have an effective workout.
LIFTING TOO LIGHT – okay, so maybe you’re doing more cardio because you don’t have much equipment. I get that you might not have the weights and the machines you would normally have access to at the gym. Most people don’t either. And while resistance bands are great and all… you’ll need just a little bit more resistance in order to see the results you’re looking for.
Luckily for us short babes, it really doesn’t take much. Dumbbells are a must. If you can find a barbell too, you’re in good stands. Trust me.. You can absolutely get a good workout in with just those alone.
And btw… obviously, everyone stars somewhere. You’re not just going to wake up and be able to squat 180 pounds but if it feels like you’re just going through the motions during your workouts then you are probably not lifting heavy enough.
REPEATING THE SAME WORKOUT OVER AND OVER (TIL YOU DON’T FEEL IT ANYMORE) – The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting it to work. While consistently exercising is important, so is changing up your routine.Your body is smarter than you are… you gotta keep it interesting for both your mind and your muscles! It used to kill me when I saw people coming into my gym and doing the same thing every day.
On the flip side, you do not need new exercises every single workout. # 4 is…
DOING RANDOM WORKOUTS YOU FIND ON GOOGLE, PINTEREST & INSTAGRAM – Listen, I’m sure those workouts by your fav fitness model are highly effective as stand alone workouts but if you’re not making progress it’s because you’re not allowing your body to adapt.
A new workout of the day might be entertaining… but don’t you want to see results for the hard work you are putting in? Your muscles will adapt FAR more (grow, tone, get more defined, or whatever you want to call it) if you stick with an exercise routine for a short period and get BETTER at it rather than just “changing it up” with every session.
LACK OF A PLAN THAT ALIGNS WITH YOUR GOALS – Lack of planning is one of the worst workout mistakes you can make (in & out of the gym). Not setting goals makes it easy to bail out of workouts too soon or not push yourself hard enough. But Following a training program tailored to your goal makes it easier to stick to! Right? Like you just follow it and you don’t have to second guess yourself.
With so much training information out there promising one thing or another, most people usually start a program and either change it a couple of sessions in, or quit before it is done. That’s why having a coach to create a training program to help you reach your goal is the simplest way to fix this. (See my 1:1 coaching program). Your only job then is to follow the program. It’s really simple—follow the program. If the training program is geared toward your goal, and you follow through with the program, you will attain your goal.
NOT TRACKING YOUR PROGRESS – How will you know if something works or not if you don’t track your progress?
You should be tracking the amount of weight lifted, number of reps performed, duration and even photos, and feelings, etc. When you track your progress week to week, it’s pretty thrilling on its own and it’s what helps me and my clients stay motivated! It’s actually fun to see when I lifted more weight or higher reps than the week before. It validates that what I’m doing is all for a purpose.
When something is not progress it’s easer to spot what’s not working or what I need to work on more. Like if I can’t get past 2 unassisted pull-ups after several weeks, then I know I need to be doing more back strengthening exercises and isometrics holds and stuff that will help me progress further on.
The most important part about tracking progress is to look at it without judgement of yourself and to look at it more like data collection. And also to enjoy the process. There will be ups and downs of any training program because success isn’t linear. But those peaks and valleys of training are what makes the journey so rewarding.
Which one(s) do you resonate with the most? Comment below or DM me on Insta and let me know what’s been your biggest struggle!
