If you go to the gym to exercise regularly and improve your physical fitness, we applaud you! Being committed to a healthier lifestyle is something to be proud of, as it will give you the energy and stamina to succeed in all other areas of your life.

While going to our Thornton gym is admirable, no one is perfect. We all make mistakes when it comes to how we perform certain exercises, from cardiovascular workouts to strength training. Unfortunately, poor technique can prevent you from getting the results you’re hoping for, and it can also lead to injury, which is obviously the last thing you want when you’re trying to make your body stronger and fitter.

In this blog, we list a few of the most common exercise errors, and provide tips on how to correct them. If you ever have questions on how to perform a certain exercise or use a piece of equipment at our gym, please don’t hesitate to ask a member of our team for assistance.

Lifting Barbells, Kettlebells, and Dumbbells at AFAC Gym

Strength training benefits your health in many ways. Whether you’re trying to get stronger, lose weight, gain weight, tone up, or bulk up, strength training will help give you the results you’re looking for. However, many weightlifters make common mistakes that can hinder their progress. Here are a few common mistakes that weightlifters make with barbells, kettlebells, and dumbbells, and some pointers on how to avoid them.

• Don’t use the same weight every time — The only way to get stronger and achieve your fitness goals is to constantly challenge your muscles. Once your body gets used to lifting a certain amount of weight, it’s time to boost up those pounds. The best way to fix this is to work with a personal trainer who can plan out a strength program that fits your goals.
• Don’t rely on a one-rep max weight — A one-rep max is the amount of weight that you can lift only once before completely exhausting your muscles. While a one-rep max can be useful to do every six to 10 weeks to test your strength, any more frequently than that can dangerously overload your muscles and cause injury. On all other days, you should work with a trainer to figure out what your lifting program should be. A good estimate is to work with weights that you’re able to lift for about 10 reps before tiring out and having to rest before doing another set.
• Don’t rest too little or too much in between sets — Use a stopwatch to make sure your rest period in between sets aligns with your goals. If you’re trying to increase muscle size, rest 60-90 seconds between sets. If you’re trying to increase muscle endurance, rest 30 seconds between sets.
• Don’t rely too much on one piece of equipment — Do you find yourself favoring barbells over dumbbells and kettlebells, or vice versa? We understand, but both are equally important to incorporate into your fitness program. Barbells allow you to lift more weight, which increases muscle mass and strength. Dumbbells and kettlebells engage stabilizing muscles and work your body through a greater range of motion than barbells. Make sure to switch between these pieces of equipment in your strength training program, whether you alternate days, weeks, or months with each.

Leg Presses at AFAC Gym

Everyone at AFAC gym loves our leg press machines because they provide a great workout for glutes and thighs. However, even though these machines are used often, they’re also sometimes used incorrectly:

• Don’t lower the sled too far — If you allow the sled to come down too far, your bottom and lower spine lifts off the pad which puts your lumbar spine and discs at risk. Only lower the sled to the point where your glutes lift off the seat. Your legs should be at a 90-degree angle. If you go too deep, you could hurt your lower back.
• Don’t go too shallow — On the flip side of the coin, remember that partial reps yield partial results. Don’t overload the machine to the point where you can only move the sled a couple inches. Reduce the weight so that you can go the proper depth (getting your knees to a 90-degree angle and your thighs parallel to the sled). This engages your hamstrings and glutes adequately.
• Don’t lock your knees — To straighten your legs, push through your heels and don’t lock your knees at the end.
• Don’t allow your knees to collapse inward — This error is more prevalent in women and is caused by weak hip abductors. It could increase your risk of ACL tears. To strengthen your hip abductors, exercise with resistance bands (you can even wear a band on the leg press), do deadlifts, and work on the hip abductor machine (the machine that makes you press your legs outward).
• Don’t turn your feet too far outward or inward — Turning your feet too far inward or outward can put excess pressure on your knees. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and turned slightly outward.
• Keep your spine neutral — Rest your head against the support and maintain the natural curvature in your spine.
• Keep your entire foot on the sled — Don’t allow your heels to lift off the sled. Your foot should be in full contact with the sled so that you can drive through your heels. Lifting your heels increases the force on your knees, which puts you at risk for injury.

Using Treadmills at AFAC Gym

Treadmills seem like the easiest piece of equipment to use at any gym — just hop on and walk or run, right? While treadmills are simple enough to use, you still need to avoid bad habits that can sabotage your workout efforts and put you at risk of injury. Here are some treadmill mistakes that you should try to avoid:

• Don’t skip your warmup — Make sure to warm up for 5-10 minutes by walking at a slower pace on the treadmill before you move into a faster jog or run. This will help increase your heart rate and circulation to your muscles, as well as loosen up your joints, which can help prevent injuries.
• Avoid holding onto the handrails — If you hold onto the handrails, you’ll ruin your posture and decrease the effectiveness of your workout, so try to stay hands-free. If you feel like you need to hold onto the handrails, that means you’re running too fast or you have the incline too steep on the machine.
• Avoid wearing the wrong shoes — Wearing the wrong shoes when you run, jog, or walk can lead to many health issues like knee pain, hip pain, and plantar fasciitis. Wearing the right shoes, on the other hand, can help you prevent pain and injury when you use the treadmill. Invest in a pair of high-quality running shoes that keep your toes in place when you move.
• Avoid jumping off the treadmill while it’s in motion — This is one of the top causes of injuries at gyms. Be sure to wait for the treadmill to completely stop before you step off.
• Avoid getting stuck on one routine — If you do the same routine every time you step on a treadmill, your body will adapt and you’ll burn fewer calories over time. And, as your muscles become more efficient working at your usual pace, you will get less benefit from your workout. Try setting your treadmill speeds higher and setting the incline higher, too, to challenge your body more.

Using Rowing Machines at AFAC Gym

The rowing machines at AFAC gym will help you burn a lot of calories while working most of your body’s muscles. If you want to reap all the benefits from your rowing workout, however, consider the following advice:

• Avoid rowing with just your arms — 60% of your rowing power should come from your legs, as your feet push against the panels. The rest of your rowing power should be divided between your core and pulling with your arms. If you rely to much on your arms, you risk back and shoulder injuries.
• Avoid rounding your back — Tighten your abs and pull your shoulders back and down to keep a straight spine.
• Set the resistance properly — Check the resistance on the machine and make sure it’s not set too high for you. You want a level that feels comfortable and challenging at the same time.
• Get the stroke right — The rowing stroke is a three-step process. Push off with your legs first, then pivot backwards with your hips so that your shoulders are behind your pelvis. This will put you in a slight laying-back position with your legs mostly straight. Then pull your arms to your chest, right below your ribs. At this point, reverse the order (arms go forward, hips go forward, legs bend) and go back to your starting position.

Using Exercise Bikes at AFAC Gym

Exercise bikes, especially spin bikes, are an extremely popular cardio option for our gym members. Exercise bikes also help to strengthen your legs and arms. To get the most out of your spin session, make sure your positioning is correct:

• Set the seat height properly — Before you ride, set up your bike correctly. When you stand beside the bike, the seat should be in line with your hips. When you’re on the bike and the pedal is at its lowest point, your leg should be extended but with a slight bend in the knee. This will help you prevent straining your knees, thighs, and hips.
• Set the handlebar height properly — Your handlebars should be a couple inches lower than your seat, so that your arms are fully extended with a slight elbow bend when you’re holding the bars. This will help you avoid a backache.
• Keep a good posture — Keep your back straight at all times during your ride to avoid injuries to your upper body.
• Keep your hips over the saddle — When you ride in a standing position, keep your hips pulled back over the seat. You should be creating as much space as possible between your hip bones and the handle bars.
• Ride with adequate resistance — The resistance on a spin bike is there to give you a challenging workout and also to support you. If you go into a standing position and feel like you might fly into the handlebars, try increasing the resistance. If you’re sprinting and feel like you’re going up a hill, try lowering the resistance.
• Keep your core engaged — Keep your core muscles engaged throughout the ride, whether you’re seated or standing.

AFAC Gym Is Here to Support Your Fitness Goals

No matter what type of workout you’re engaged in at our gym, from strength training to cardio to attending one of our many classes, the team at Adventure Fitness Athletic Club is here to assist you with performing each exercise safely and properly. This level of member support is what makes AFAC the best gym in the Thornton, Colorado, area. Please stop by and speak to a member of our staff, or contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club for assistance.

To read more articles from Adventure Fitness Athletic Club, check out our Adventure Corner blogs by clicking here.