7 Exercise Mistakes Keeping You From Burning Fat and Building Muscle
Sep 02, 2023Don’t make burning fat or building muscle any more difficult than it needs to be. If you’ve ever tried to improve your body composition before to improve your health or confidence, but still don’t find yourself where you want to be, you may have made some common exercise mistakes that are covered below.
By the time you’re done reading you will be aware of the most common exercise mistakes that you might be making and learn how to overcome them on your way to a stronger and more confident body. We’ve helped hundreds of people get in the best shape of their life over the last 5+ years at Inside Out Strength, and I’m excited to help you save time, energy, and frustration by overcoming these common exercise mistakes.
Mistake 1: Too Much Cardio
AKA Trying to out exercise a bad diet. While cardio is beneficial for many reasons, losing weight is not one of the top reasons. If you think more cardio will help you reach the body composition you desire, you’ll be let down. Trying to burn off calories you’re eating without a focus on building muscle will leave you hungry and looking ‘skinny fat’. Prioritizing functional lean body mass is the number one thing for the body composition you’re desiring, feeling your best, and your overall longevity. If you enjoy cardio, that’s great, but it’s not a replacement for strength training
Strategy: Aim for 2-3 days of strength training (see next point), and supplement that training with cardio of your choice.
Mistake 2: No ‘Real’ Strength Training
Just because you lift weights doesn’t mean you’re strength training. If you’re less than 65 years old, and the only weights you’re lifting are 2, 5, or 12 lb dumbbells - that’s not strength training. If the only strength training you do is in a bootcamp class that has you lifting light weights for 45-60 seconds at a time, that’s also not strength training. ‘Real’ strength training involves progressive overload that leads to actual strength and lean muscle improvements over time.
Strategy: To get the benefits of strength training, you actually need to lift some ‘heavy’ weights. Heavy is relative, but there’s no way around this.
Mistake 3: Majoring In The Minors
If you’re obsessed with ‘functional training’, corrective exercises, and mobility work - you’re probably not seeing the results you want when it comes to burning fat and buildling muscle. There’s nothing wrong with any of those strategies, but those and similar strategies are not enough to actually move the needle when it comes to losing fat and buidling muscle. Don’t get caught up in the details or make things overly complex to the point that you lose the ability to really train hard (see Mistake 6)
Strategy: Focus on the timeless fundamentals and principles that work. Your workout program should involve the squat, hinge, push, pull, carry and involve all three planes of motion
Mistake 4: Prioritizing Weight Over Technique
Adding weight to the bar doesn’t mean you’re necessarily getting stronger. If you add weight to the bar too soon, you’ll actually compensate with other muscles (or joints) that will limit your progress and increase the chance of injury.
Strategy: Make sure you can feel the muscles working that are supposed to be working (that means no joint pain or discomfort) before simply adding weight
Mistake 5: Not Enough Effort
Many people try and cover up poor effort with more volume. Going to the gym for longer or doing more exercises/sets/reps will only get you so far. To see the progress that will make you stronger leaner, and more confident involves an effort that is sometimes uncomfortable.
Strategy: Intensity is one of the number one variables to your progress. If you train hard enough, you’ll rarely risk undertraining.
Mistake 6: Not Enough Recovery
Recovery is where the real progress happens. When you train hard, your body needs recovery to properly build muscle and set yourself up for success in your next workout. If you believe that you are only working out to burn calories and that more workouts = better results than you’ll continue to hit a ceiling to your potential inside and outside of the gym.
Strategy: If you train HARD, you should need as many rest days as you need actual workout days.
Mistake 7: Exercising Without A Plan
A goal without a plan is just a wish. As with any area of your life you’re trying to improve, guessing or hoping for results will leave you frustrated. Make sure you’re following a proven plan that works for you and your goals. A well designed exercise program will save you years of potential frustration, time lost due to injury, and results.
Strategy: Don’t exercise without a proven plan to follow that is specific to your goals. If you need help building a program that is right for you, reach out to us at Inside Out Strength to help.