Fitness and Training

Mistakes you make when Lifting Weights

The Gym Sins that are Holding You Back. The Sport Aston solution: Use a weight where you can comfortably lift the required reps using the correct form, keeping tension on the muscles. Once you take your ego out of the lift, you are able to focus on controlling the weight while feeling the muscle as you use it.

1. You’re using poor form
One of the most common problems you will see in every gym across the country is individuals neglecting proper form for ego lifting. Not only does ego lifting increase the risk of injury, it also means you are not getting the best out of your training.

2. You’re not getting enough sleep
Without a doubt the most underappreciated part of muscle recovery is sleep. Sleep is when your body can optimise recovery. Having an irregular sleeping pattern or not getting enough sleep will stop you from maximising your training.

Lifting Weights

The Sport Aston solution: It is recommended that you get at least 8 hours of sleep a night; however the quality of your sleep is also a concern. Try creating a bedtime routine in which you avoid any electronic screens 30-40 minutes before you go to bed, this will give your brain time to rest.

3. You’re not optimising your nutrition
Another common mistake by gym-goers is that they neglect proper nutrition. If your body does not receive enough calories throughout the day, your body will not recover as you sleep. A side-effect of not feeding your body enough nutrition is that you leave your self-open to injuries such as muscle tears.

The Aston Sport Solution: Track your macros! (I.e. Protein, fats and carbohydrates). The easiest way of doing this is by entering what you eat each day into an app on either your phone or computer. There are also hundreds of free macro calculators for you to use to calculate how many macros you should be consuming. If you want to build lean muscle, a 2:3:1 ration of protein, carbs and fats are recommended.

4. You’re ignoring the cool down
The cool down is something often over-looked by gym-goers. Skipping the cool down after a workout often leads to headaches and nausea, caused by lowering your heart rate too quickly.

The Aston Sport solution: A slow five minute walk on the treadmill is a great way of cooling down. Alternatively, if you live on campus or if you don’t live too far from the Sports Centre, then walking home is another great way of cooling down.

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