I no longer belong to a gym but I still think gyms are great because being a member of one is what got me off my butt. My entire attitude changed once I began going. I work out at home now, but looking back, I realize some mistakes that I made and maybe you are experiencing the same things:
Doing the same workouts
This was a huge mistake for me because I wasted a lot of my time and money by not utilizing the gym. My routine was running on the treadmill for 2 miles or more and leaving. Every now and then I'd change it up and do 10 minutes on three different cardio machines, however, I would barely use any of the weight machines.
Feeling like I had to workout ever day
I enjoyed going to the gym but because I made myself go every day, I would feel guilty when I didn't go. Since I went every day, I didn't push myself as hard when I did workout and I wouldn't try new exercises. I was stuck in a rut.
Exercising with a cold
Yes, this is a very bad idea. I used to believe that exercising with a cold would make it go away faster but in reality, you are making things worse. Your immune system isn't running at 100% when you exercise. It's working to repair muscles. It is much better to rest and get over a cold before hitting the gym again.
Those are the main things that I can remember and would do differently if I were still a gym member.
Have you made some gym mistakes in the past?
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I haven’t belonged to a gym in many years but I think the one think I will do differently then next time I join one is that I will also sign up for a personal trainer. It’s more money but I think it would make a difference for me in how I used the equipment and stayed motivated.
Exercising when you are sick is not a good idea. Not only are you subjecting others to your virus, but you are putting more stress on your body when it really needs rest.
When I started with fitness, I did not belong to a gym. I was a straight runner. I go to a gym now, but only because the membership is a perk I get from my wife’s job. Otherwise, I would revert back to body weight exercises, I think.
Every mistake you listed is stuff I have done in the past. Now I am more content to change my workouts every few weeks and I am always pushing myself to try new moves. I used to always workout when I was not feeling well. I too felt that it would help to sweat out the bad stuff.
The only thing I find myself doing now is forcing myself to the gym everyday. That is one thing I have yet to break myself of even though I try.
Even when you cold you don’t want to waste a day of training… so it’s a common mistake, I think. And the sad thing about exercising is that it makes you less prone for all infections. Each time I have reduced sleep time and do hard training the same time I get ill. And another thing… why people sign for a gym just to run? All my friends do that. Maybe they don’t want to get cold?
I would have to say that I was making mistakes in the gym all the way up until I was into my exercise science degree in college. This is why it is so important to enlist the assistance of a qualified personal trainer. Not all trainers are created equal!
These are all mistakes I’ve made in the past.. Especially working out with a cold, I hate to miss a work out so being ill really sucks for me. I don’t work out every day I try to get in at least 3 sessions a week and it works for me. Like you mentioned its always good to vary training methods as well so you don’t get bored!
I usually feel bad too when I miss a day at the gym. I have a small gym in the complex where I live. If I had to commute to a nice gym I feel like it would be a lot harder to get there everyday.
When I first started “hitting the gym”, one of my biggest mistakes was thinking inside the box.
Relying on machines, following workouts found in bodybuilding magazines, doing the same workouts everybody else was doing.
It was only when I started to really think about why I was at the gym and what I wanted to get out of my workouts did things start to improve.
My goals are different than your goals
My body is different than your body
Why is it that so many people do the same ineffective workouts day after day, year after year?