Top 5 workout mistakes

Ever wonder why you've been putting in all this time at the gym, pounding the pavement in your sneaks, or spinning away on a bike, lifting weights and you're not seeing results? Chances are you're not choosing the right type of exercise or you're choosing the right type of exercise but just doing it wrong.

I'd say these are the top five mistakes I see people making when trying to shed pounds, change their body composition or generally just improve their fitness level.

1) People don't change their diet and think exercise will change their body alone. In fact, some people use exercise as a way to increase caloric intake. It's largely a numbers game in terms of weight loss.

2) People think too much about how much time they spend exercising instead of to what intensity. The classic example of this is the old school cardio equipment fanatic reading a magazine. If you're only working out a few times a week, make it count.

Clocking time at a gym has no correlation with results. Effort in = results out.

3) People don't know how to strength train and try to go it alone. If you finish a set and still can do more, you WILL NOT see results. If you think you can spot reduce a problem area, you're in denial. Our bodies only adapt if we force them to. Doing the same strength exercises over and over again without working to fatigue (not being able to do one more repetition with proper form) will mean you stay the same. Plus if you're reconditioned, don't let me see you doing bicep curls! Work with compound movements that hit several large muscle groups at a time.

4) People do too many repetitions. The best rep range for strength training is around 10 -12 reps. Consistently doing high reps as a way to avoid getting big is just foolishness. You aren't going to get big unless you eat a lot more and change your hormone levels too!

5) People give up too easily. It takes about 3-4 weeks to start feeling different and 3 months for other people to really see a difference. If you're constantly stopping and starting an exercise program, you will not see results. It's better to consistently do 2 full body strength workouts a week and watch what you eat without being to insane then it is to do short spurts of bootcamp like workouts and crash diets. You're just cruising for a crash in eating and likely an injury. Slow and steady always wins!