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The Top 10 Bonehead By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS “Common workout mistakes” has always been a very popular topic in fitness publications. But no matter how many times this subject is re-hashed, you almost always hear about the same half a dozen or so mistakes, including poor form, overtraining, going too heavy, not stretching, not warming up, yadda, yadda yadda. Ironically, you seldom
hear about the biggest mistakes of all. I call these humongous
bloopers “bonehead mistakes” because once you start to analyze and
think about them, they’re really just common sense and they all seem
so obvious… except of course to the person doing it… who is often
quite oblivious until someone else points it out to them... then the
light goes on and it's like... "Doh!" It’s all too easy to point fingers and say,
“Don’t do that” and “Shame on you, dummy” but only 1% of your time
should be spent on problems. 99% should be spent on solutions. So in
that spirit, after I bring each mistake to your attention, I’ll give
you a solution-oriented training tip to help you avoid boneheadedness
and join the elite group who “kick butt” in the gym at every workout… Winging it is when you don’t know where you are,
where you’re going or how you’re going to get there - but you start
your journey anyway – no compass, no roadmap. It’s been said that
“Action without planning is the biggest cause of failure,” and I
believe that statement is 100% accurate. Boneheads “wing it.” Butt–kickers have a
master plan and goals for every workout. The bonehead mistake is
when you do the same exercises, same reps, same weight, same
everything, week after week, without ever challenging yourself to do
more than you’ve done before. If your muscles could talk they would
say, “Yawn…. Did that, done that, been there… we’re just going to stay
exactly the way we are… no need to get bigger or stronger today.” Your objective at almost every workout is to set goals to beat what you did during the previous one. If you can’t add more weight, it could be as simple as one more rep with the same weight or the same sets/reps/weight in less time. It could also mean one more minute of cardio, one level higher
on a stairclimber, or half a percent steeper incline on the treadmill.
Continuous and never-ending improvement is the name of the game.
Bonehead workout mistake #3: Starving yourself Most people
underestimate the cumulative effect of each small step. They figure
that “It just doesn’t matter… it’s only one workout.” If you don’t
think that one little workout matters, then think about the humble
termite; they’re such itty bitty little creatures and they take such
itty bitty little bites, yet when enough little bites are taken, an
entire building can come crumbling down.
Bonehead workout mistake #5: Focusing on strengths, favorite exercises
and favorite body parts, neglecting weaknesses Every plane of movement and angle of movement must be trained.
Flexors must be balanced with extensors. Front to back movements must
be balanced with rotational and side to side movements. Prime movers,
antagonists and stabilizers must all be strengthened. Always stretch,
strengthen and build to the point of total body balance. The machines may be easy, but most machines aren’t as safe
or effective as they’re made out to be. Although weight stack machines are safe with respect to the fact that you can’t drop a barbell on your head, they’re ultimately NOT as safe as free weights because they don’t develop the stabilizing muscles and functional strength that protect you from injury. A few machines and isolation
exercises mixed into a balancedr program is fine, especially if you
have bodybuilding goals, but focusing on compound and free weight
exercises gives you far more bang for your buck than any machine ever
created. Psychologists and “brain scientists” have proven
beyond a shadow of a doubt that the subconscious mind cannot tell the
difference between an experience that is real and one that is
imagined. Failure to take advantage of this discovery is a mistake of
enormous magnitude. I would suggest you consciously and deliberately use this technique in the following manner: Twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, get relaxed, close your eyes and form mental images of yourself having the body you’ve always wanted, completing perfect workouts with motivation and enthusiasm and reaching all your goals. These images will penetrate your subconscious
mind and literally program your brain to activate your body for total
success. The truth is,
the optimal post workout meal includes quickly digesting protein and
carbohydrates and is consumed immediately after training during the
period known as the “post-workout window of opportunity.” Although the
ideal amount and type of protein and carbs is still debated, the
studies have shown that proper post workout nutrition increases
protein synthesis, suppresses cortisol, replenishes glycogen, and
enhances recovery. So why not focus on competing with yourself? Compare
yourself to yourself. Improve yourself. Work on progress and forward
movement. Become better than you used to be. Ultimately, competitive
sports are most valuable to the degree you use them to better
yourself, not to beat others. When they don’t lose any body fat, it’s their genetics or "The diet just doesn’t work!” When they fall off the wagon, it’s their friends and family’s fault – “They just don’t support me… they even tempt me with junk food and eat in front of me.” When they miss workouts, it’s their boss’s fault – “I just don’t have time with so much work being piled on me at the office.” No matter what the situation, the boneheads never even
consider that the problem is staring right back at them in the mirror
– someone or something outside of them is always responsible. Ultimately, that turns them into nothing but big losers. Winners and successful people became successful because they learned three magic words: I AM RESPONSIBLE. Once you claim responsibility for every result in your life – the good and the bad - the feeling of empowerment and liberation that comes over you is beyond description. For the first time in your life, you
realize that YOU are in control. From that moment on – and not a
second sooner – you become the creator of circumstance rather than a
victim of it. f you realize you’ve
been making a lot of these mistakes, don’t beat yourself up. As long
as you learn from them and then stop making them, you’re off the hook!
But if you keep repeating these mistakes over and over again, then
it’s official: You’re a bonehead! Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle.” Tom has written more than 200 articles and has been featured
in print magazines such as IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN, Natural
Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Men’s
Exercise, as well as on hundreds of websites worldwide.
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