Top 5 Worst Mistakes Athletes Can Make When Exercising
Even if you’ve exercised regularly for years, it’s easier than you think to make mistakes during your workouts. Many fitness experts know the best exercises and know how to complete them well, but they also may get over-confident and begin to cut corners. Here are the top five mistakes fitness experts and athletes tend to make and why you should avoid them:
Skipping Warm-Ups
Even if you feel like you’re in good enough shape to jump right into a workout, it’s not the best thing for your body. Whether you are a beginner or life-long expert, you must warm-up.
Completing warm-up exercises allows your body to prepare itself for the strenuous exercise you are about to complete. Without warming-up, you are adding enormous stress to your:
- Joints
- Muscles
- Heart
Not Drinking Enough
While this may seem like a no-brainer, it’s easy to get caught up in your workout and forget to rehydrate. Many fitness experts like to take “pre-workout” supplements to help them achieve a better overall workout. However, if you take these supplements you must keep yourself thoroughly hydrated as these powders can cause you to dehydrate faster.
Ignoring Your Body
After exercising consistently, you may start completing your fitness routines as a force of habit. This habit may cause you to forget to check things such as your heart rate during your exercises.
Keeping track of your heart rate during exercise helps you determine your workout’s intensity. The higher your heart rate, the higher the workout intensity. Just make sure your heart rate doesn’t get too high.
Concentrating on One Exercise
After completing many exercises, you may find one in particular that you like best. While there is nothing wrong with having a favorite, you still need to add variety to your fitness routine and incorporate a wide range of exercises to fully benefit your body.
Over-Exercising
Over-exercising can be just as harmful as under-exercising. Over-exerting yourself can put you at risk for injury. While your body may be in shape and you feel like you can push yourself, know your limit:
- Set a time limit for yourself
- Gradually increase the intensity of your workouts
- Allow yourself to rest