Sometimes in life it’s the small things that make a difference and from time to time I pick up a tip or make a slight alteration to my routine/an exercise that makes me realise that previously I’ve been letting myself off lightly. Therefore I have compiled a list of cheats, some that I have learned and others I have seen other people do and others that are just common misconceptions of how to work out. Hopefully these will help you improve your work out!
1. Hills DON’T have handles!! OK this may actually be one of my biggest pet peeves in the gym so please ignore the ranting. Walking or running up hill is a great way to get your body working hard and is great for interval training too BUT there is no point in putting the incline in the treadmill up so high that you have to hold on. I see so many people leaning back almost at a right angle to the treadmill so really they are just walking flat but at a tilt. Don’t cheat, let go of the handles (maybe decrease the incline till you can do this safely!) and feel the burn- if you are holding on you are taking the pressure away from your legs and decreasing the effort your body has to make aka cheating and pointless.
2. Situps – hand positioning: This is a great one I learned in a PT session. When you are crunching up keep your hands at your temples and don’t bring your elbows forward of your head, when you do this you engage back and shoulder muscles instead of your abs and your muscles will work less hard. Try it out in the gym the next time you’re there and see the difference!
3.Too low weights. It’s a common misconception that by using heavier weights women will build massive muscles. Not true. In order to look like a body builder you would have to be taking some major “supplements”…So don’t worry about the bulk, if you don’t push your muscles you will not get the tone you’re looking for! Also if you can do a few reps of up to 12 (and just make it to 12) then you are working with roughly the right weight, if it’s too easy up your weights or you’re cheating!
4. Commit to the squats! Are you getting low enough when you are doing your squats? Bring your butt right back so it’s like you are sitting on a chair (not lower). Next time your doing squats try pushing it that final few centimetres and feel the burn!
5.Push it to the end. Are you’re reps of 12 more like 10 with a couple of half attempts thrown in? Make sure you push all your reps right to the end, do this and feel the difference in the muscle fatigue the next day!
6. Sports Drinks. Not so much a cheat but again a common misconception that going to the gym requires a lucozade, no doubt helped along by the presence of vending machines in every gym foyer….But unless you are really training hard, like marathon training etc rather than just you usual gym workout you may be working against yourself. If you are trying to burn fat or lose weight then taking on glucose whilst working out is a bad idea, your body uses the lucozade rather than searching for fat stores to give you energy. Some workouts are so intensive that you do need the extra energy to keep you going though so I would suggest consulting your trainer or someone in the gym. When I was doing boxing with a trainer I used lucozade but this was some intensive working out and I wouldn’t use it for my usual gym sessions.
7. Finally- are you cheating yourself? Have you gone into the gym thinking “I am so tired, I really don’t have the energy”? If so then you are cheating yourself out of a good workout. Try to approach your workout really positively, have a hit of energy e.g. a banana beforehand and then crank up some good gym tunes on your I-Pod!
Happy working out!
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