3 Bad Workout Habits to Quit NOW

Regardless of weather you're brand new to exercise or a veteran, it can be easy to fall into bad habits quickly if you're not paying attention.

From time to time I hear gym members and clients complain of injuries and lack of progress and quickly request a new workout program or alternative exercises.  But before you throw in the towel on your routine make sure you haven't fallen into partaking in one of these bad workout habits.

Skipping the warm up:  I preach the importance of a proper warm-up all the time. Regardless of if you're lifting weights, running or doing a HIIT workout a warm-up helps to ensure your body is ready for movement, reduce the chance of injuries and give you a minute to mentally prepare for activity.  Skipping a warm up entirely may result in injury and/or poor performance so before you toss out your workout program due to lack of progress make sure it isn't lack of warm up to blame.

Quitting early: Are you cutting your workout short on a consistent basis?  Do you skip the last 5 minutes of your class, run, or tabata?  Do you leave without finishing your all your reps?  Quitting early when crunched for time on occasion surely won't impede progress but make it a habit and you're sure to miss out.  Think about it, if you run 4 times a week and skip the last three to five minutes of each run that's 12-20 minutes a week.  Over the span of a month that's 48-80 minutes of running you cut short!

Not tracking I know, for some, it's annoying to write down every run, every weight, every class you completed but if you're curious if your program is working it's totally necessary. More often than not, progress is achieved in small increments.  It's easy to note progress when you're increasing your weight or decreasing your miles splits by leaps and bounds but it doesn't always work out that way.  Tracking your workouts allows you to notice even the smallest changes weather it's an extra five pounds on your bench or 50 seconds off your 10K time.  Besides, who doesn't love looking back on their training log to see all their hard work written down in one place?

Your turn:  Do you have any bad workout habits?