Is it easier to start a fitness program or to stay committed to it? In many cases, tweaking your routines or even finding a new trainer can be just the thing to keep your shape in shape.
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Rework Your Workout
We've all seen people make mistakes at the gym (see-through white shorts come to mind). But if you think about it, the gym is a little like Mardi Gras in New Orleans pretty much anything goes. Some people run fast, some slow. Some people do 15 reps, some do eight. Some go with the iPod, some request a Bee Gees mix during spinning class. The thinking: As long as we're doing some kind of exercise, it's got to be good. But the fact is that the gym is a place where you can make mistakes the kind that can lead to injury, stop any progress you've made, or derail all of your exercise and bodily goals. No, these workout blunders won't draw stares the way leather leg warmers would, but they're the ones even more worthy of correction. Fitness Flaw: Getting married to the machines. Sure, weight machines are the lowest-maintenance pieces of workout equipment since the jump rope. That's because using machines means there's no searching for dumbbells or fighting for a free bench with the no-neck crowd. But don't rely solely on the easy-made equipment, because typically you can work more muscles and build greater practical strength with free weights or even no weights, says Jay Dawes, instructor of kinesiology and health studies at the University of Central Oklahoma. For example, although a leg curl will strengthen your hamstrings, it isn't exactly a move you'll make in life. A lunge-and-press (see The Fix, below), on the other hand, strengthens your quadriceps, hamstrings, buttocks, calves, upper back, and shoulders and also builds the balance and coordination used in daily activities like bending down, lifting kids, and playing sports.The Fix: To get the most benefit from each workout, try to perform a mix of all kinds of exercises ones using machines, body weight, free weights, and dumbbells, says Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D., chief exercise physiologist and vice president of educational services for the American Council on Exercise. Dawes suggests including two to three sets of a move like the lunge-and-press several times a week. To do it, hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with your arms bent close to sides and palms in. Keep your feet hip-width apart with one foot about a stride ahead of the other and your back heel lifted. With your abs contracted, bend your knees so the front knee aligns with your front ankle and the back knee points toward the ground. At the same time, straighten your arms to press the dumbbells overhead. Straighten your legs and lower the dumbbells to the starting position, and repeat for 12 to 15 repetitions.Fitness Flaw: Speeding through your workouts to raise your heart rate. Moving quickly through your sets may help you make it back in time for Oprah, but it could also be a sign you're misusing momentum, executing the exercise incorrectly, or using too much or too little weight. Many women tend to use momentum with crunches, potentially straining the neck, says Janet Huehls, clinical exercise physiologist for the weight center at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center. Another momentum temptation: lunges. Speeding through them increases the risk of pulled muscles or joint strains and sprains.The Fix: With any strength move, go at a slow, controlled pace in the lifting and lowering phases (2 seconds up, 2 seconds down). "There should be no point at which you pick up speed," says California trainer Jay Blahnik, author of Full-Body Flexibility. With crunches, hold dumbbells or a medicine ball on your chest to slow you down. For lunges, hold a dumbbell in each hand as you perform your reps or try doing them with your front foot on a Bosu balance trainer. (If you want to raise your heart rate during circuit training, decrease the time of rest between exercises rather than rushing through the exercise.)Fitness Flaw: Using the same setting he just did. You wouldn't drive without adjusting the seat and mirrors, so don't do sets on exercise machines in somebody else's seat settings. "On the leg extension, if the knees are out too far in front of the feet, you put more sheer force on the knee, which can cause ACL strains," Dawes says. You can also strain your shoulder if your arms are positioned too far back on the chest-press machine.The Fix: A certified trainer can show you the correct settings for your size, but you can also do it by feel. In general, the rule is: "You should be able to go through the full range of motion and maintain good posture with back and feet well-supported," Dr. Bryant says. With the leg extension, make sure your thighs are in the center and the backs of your knees just about touch the front of the seat. With any upright machine, put your head, back, and hips in contact with the back pads. Fitness Flaw: Making stretching the first thing you do at the gym. For years people thought preworkout stretching was essential to prevent injury. But cold muscles are like uncooked noodles; they need to be heated up before they can move freely. "We now suggest you don't stretch before you work out because it doesn't appear to reduce the risk of injury. It may even lead to injury and compromise performance," Blahnik says. The Fix: To warm up before a workout, skip stretching and do 5 to 10 minutes of cardio or a lighter, easier version of whatever movements you do in the workout itself. But don't ignore stretching completely, because muscle flexibility will relieve overall tightness and reduce injury over the long term. You can focus on traditionally tight areas like your hamstrings, but don't ignore the most neglected muscles: your back, neck, and feet (common areas of tightness for women who sit at desks or wear heels). To prevent neck strain, for example, do this full-motion stretch 10 to 12 times on each side using slow, controlled, fluid movements: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and, keeping your chin up, turn your head as far to one side as possible, then turn back to the opposite side, and repeat.Fitness Flaw: Using 2 for the price of 1. It's not a mistake per se to do leg extensions and biceps curls with both legs or arms at once. But it can lead to lopsided strength gains. "We're asymmetrical by nature with one dominant side," Dawes says. "So [when working both legs] your stronger side will dominate and help you through those sticking points. Then you get more development on one side, setting you up for imbalances and injury."The Fix: Do some unilateral exercises within each total-body workout to correct imbalances, using machines that let you work the arms or legs separately, or doing free weight exercises so you have that option. "Start an exercise with the nondominant side and do as many reps as you can, then do the dominant side," Dawes says. "If, say, you do three more reps with the dominant side, go back and do those last three with the nondominant side to try to reduce that deficit."Fitness Flaw: Going at three speeds hard, harder, and I'm gonna pant like an overheated Irish wolfhound. High-intensity, high-impact aerobic activities can be great for calorie-burning, but not for joint-saving. "Constantly pounding the body with high-intensity exercise often won't give your body an adequate amount of recovery time. That can result in you reaching a plateau or worse, an overuse injury," Dr. Bryant says. The Fix: Limit anything that has a lot of jumping, bounding, or repetitive stress (running, boot camp classes). And don't push your heart rate up to 90 percent of your maximum (estimated as 220 minus your age) more than 2 or 3 days a week, particularly if you're doing high-impact activities. Instead sub in swimming, walking, elliptical trainers, resistance training, or rest. "Signs you're overdoing it include muscle soreness lasting more than a day or two, fatigue lasting more than a few hours after a workout, frequent injury, loss of motivation, and increased or decreased appetite," Huehls says.
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