5 Common Mistakes You’re Making From Working Out At Home
How are your workouts at home going?
Adapting to doing online workouts might be working great for you. You’ve got the hang of fitting in your sessions around working from home rather than squeezing in time to get to that gym class.
But then, why is it starting to feel a bit unfulfilling and monotonous?
Have you thought that maybe you’re making a couple of common mistakes?
Only doing high impact cardio
How many squat jumps, burpees, mountain climbers and hopping are you doing in your exercise routine to get your cardio in?
Have you thought about how these high impact exercises carry a high risk of injury? Yes of course they’re also good for boosting fitness and power too but there are also other ways to raise your heart rate.
So, what’s the solution?
You can do these two things:
- Low impact cardio – shadow boxing, high rep, fast paced set of squats and lunges, marching on the spot with high knees, swinging arms and wide feet.
- Strengthening muscles with resistance exercises – hip extensions, bridges and single leg squats for the lower body. Half press ups and planks for the upper body and core.
Not taking rest days
Working out from home rather than going to a gym or classes, doesn’t mean you don’t need a rest.
Going for daily walks, doing short online workout sessions and spending hours hunched over your new work desk, will all take their toll on your body.
I bet you’re probably surprised at how tight and sore your calves, shins or thighs can feel after a few sweaty sessions?
So, what’s the solution?
Sometimes our body just needs a gentle stroll and our feet up. You may think that your short exercise workouts aren’t doing much, but if you’re doing them repeatedly over the week then they will take their toll.
If you start your week with a HiIT session then make sure you plan a rest day. Have you considered doing a mindfulness class, or meditation session? Taking time out to focus on your mental health is just as important as your physical health.
Too much, too soon
Before we went mainly online, you were doing one pilates class a week. Now you’re spending most days doing PE with Joe Wicks or online Zoom classes by your local instructor or signed up to Les Mills On Demand.
I can imagine that the online exercise classes you attend offer such great and effective workouts and you really feel it afterwards. But you still need to remember to pace yourself because getting an injury right now isn’t what you need.
So, what’s the solution?
Look back at what you did, pre-lockdown. How much daily activity did you do? Remember that strength workouts or cardio both have a cumulative effect on your body.
What about tweaking your routine? If you have any aches and pains, why don’t you take a couple of days off? Have you also checked out my self-help posts?
Try building up your exercise routine gradually and you’ll be fine.
Spending more time looking for equipment than working out
It’s so tempting, isn’t it?! When we want to start something new, we spend so much time researching for the right equipment.
So, what’s the solution?
Have a look around your house. Use a dining room chair for your tricep dips, or split squats. Using your dressing gown belt as the resistance band for doing the side clam. Load up a backpack with clothes, tin cans or whatever weight you need to either row, lift or carry (making sure it’s properly packed out if you’re carrying it for a run).
It’s amazing what you can find in your house!
Your workout is one-paced
Are you doing the same workout? Hight-intensity interval training (HiiT) for example? You really need to enjoy variety of different workouts so that you get the most from your new at-home, fitness routine.
So, what’s the solution?
If you’ve fallen into a the same sort of fitness rut, then add in a session where you’re doing something different. Try and combine the components of fitness, and you’ll really notice a change. The five components are:
✮ cardiovascular endurance – such as running, walking, cycling, circuit training, boxing and dancing,
✮ muscular strength – doing a one-rep max session, using heavier weights with fewer reps,
✮ muscular endurance – such as cycling with a high cadence, CrossFit and using lighter weights and high rep counts,
✮ flexibility – static 10-30s stretching, thai chi, barre, yoga, pilates, active stretching, passive stretching and isometric stretching,
✮ and body composition – your body’s ratio of fat mass to fat-free mass – if you regularly do cardio, strength training and work on flexibility then you’ll more than likely be developing muscle, fat-free, mass while reducing fat mass.
You could enjoy a circuit-training that combines strength exercises and cardio, or a 30 minute lunchtime blast session and a yoga and breathing session at the end of the day.
Look after yourself,
Hannah 💚
