Not satisfied with your progress in the gym? May be you are making one of these mistakes.
1. Not maintaining correct form
Form is of greatest importance when you are executing an exercise move. Many of us sacrifice form/posture to get more repetition or to be able to work with greater resistance. This only produces poor result, as instead of working the target muscles you end up working other muscles, in simple words, you are cheating yourself. An example of this would be using the hand support on your knees in squat. Another example is sagging the back during push up.
2. Letting gravity do half of your work
when you are lifting a weight (e.g. biceps curl with a dumbbell), or working against gravity (standing up from a squat), your muscles got to work. But to get an efficient work out you must use your muscles during the lowering down phase also, by controlling the speed. If you allow the gravity to take the weight down then you are getting only half of the workout.
3. Not getting enough workout
Do you find your work out too easy? May be your exercise plan is inadequate. May be you are into the same regime too long and your body has become accustomed to that routine. To get improvement in any exercise program you must overload your body. A good exercise routine should produce tolerable levels of fatigue when you finish it. A general guideline to proper exercise load for muscle building is when you are performing 3-4 sets of 6-12 repetitions per set, and you are exhausted after every set. A minimum 3 days of exercise is needed per week.
4. Getting too much of exercise
This is the opposite scenario when your body can not handle the amount of overload. The body needs to recover from the previous workout session before you start the next one. Are you in a hurry to get into shape? Overzealous workout can only give you injury, and tiredness throughout the day. Plan a balanced workout routine.
5. Exercising only for strength
Many of us go to gym just to work with heavy weight, that too, for the upper body. Please remember, fitness has 4 components, strength, suppleness (flexibility), speed and stamina, and they are interdependent to eachother. If you workout only for strength or only for a part of the body then gains from your workout will not be substantial.
6. Not having a healthy lifestyle
This is pretty commonplace, and the one that really spoils all your hard work in the gym. An unbalanced diet with excess oil and carbs, no established food routine, haphazard sleep cycle, smoking, too much of alcohol and stress can negate your gains from the gym.
7. Not enjoying your workout
It may sound funny but people who get maximum benefit from their workout are also the one who enjoy their workout immensely. The bodily changes of exercise are largely dependent upon the neuro-hormonal factors which are directly related with your mood. Find some workout form that excites you, challenges you in a positive way and motivates you to do your level best. There are infinite options available. One will surely suit you.