6 common exercise mistakes, and how to avoid them

Once you have optimized your diet and are getting enough good quality sleep (more on that later), it’s time to focus on your exercise routine. We have mentioned before that as a country we are working out more than ever but are still the fattest nation on earth. Clearly our diet and lifestyle choices are a major cause, but we are also often exercising incorrectly. Hours and hours of inefficient cardio or “black hole training” are not going to get you to where you want to be and may actually be doing more harm than good. “Using the machines” isn’t likely much better. So this week let’s look at some of the common mistakes people make with exercise.

COMMON MISTAKE #1: Not having a training plan

I’m not really sure what the term “working out” even means, but one of the most important principles to understand is that working out isn’t the same thing as training. “Working out” usually ends up being some sort of random exercise or activity, with no specific plan or end goal in mind. That might be better than nothing, but ultimately it is not likely to get you where you want to go.

Training, on the other hand, is a progression of exercises that are planned and periodized, with a specific target in mind. So clearly to be able to train, you need to first decide what your target is. I compete in Spartan Races, so most of my race season training is geared towards that, with plans that lead up to each race. Yours may be to lose weight, add muscle (get rid of that dad or mom-bod), improve your mobility, have more energy, or to simply LGN (Look Good Naked).

A typical plan would be designed in four week blocks, with each of the first three weeks progressing in difficulty until the fourth week when you “deload” or back off a bit to allow your body time to recover. Then you start over again. Normally you would do this in four cycles for sixteen weeks total, usually leading up to an event (race, competition, trip to the beach) followed by a break. Then you would measure your progress, make any adjustments necessary, and start all over again.

There are some excellent general training strategies that will work for almost anyone, and in our next post I’ll give you a few of my favorites. These can work well as stand-alone plans, or as a base for sport / event specific training. Once you have gained all-around strength and fitness, it can then be combined with more focused guidance from a coach or fitness professional who understands your unique area or sport of focus.

COMMON MISTAKE #2: Not focusing on building strength

Building muscle is the most important thing that you can do for longevity and fat loss. Period. Stronger looks better. Stronger is harder to kill. Stronger is more resilient and mobile.

Age related muscle atrophy (sarcopenia) is a massive problem in our country, and is associated with reduced quality of life, chronic disease and higher mortality. Loss of skeletal muscle and function in adults is linked to reduced mobility, risk of frailty and fractures, decreased independence and general lower quality of life.

The two main levers to maintaining muscle mass are lifting heavy weights (strength training) and consuming enough protein.  If you’re going to do one thing and one thing only, it should be lifting heavy things.

We will talk about this in more detail in our next post, but “lifting heavy things” does not necessarily mean trying to deadlift 300 lbs the next time you go to the gym. “Heavy” is relative to your current fitness level and body weight. We will tell you all about our favorite resistant exercises in our next post.

COMMON MISTAKE #3: Doing Chronic Cardio

This is one of the most common mistakes people make, and I hear it all the time. Someone mindlessly flailing away on a treadmill or Peloton or stair-stepper for hours day after day and not losing any weight. Or someone jogging around their neighborhood every day with no change.

Most people do “cardio” incorrectly, exercising in the “black hole” zone where they don’t go slow enough to build the proper aerobic adaptations and yet don’t go fast enough to get faster and fitter. In general you should target an 80/20 ratio for your aerobic training, where 80% of your training is easy Zone 2 work (you should be able to carry on a conversation while doing it, breathe through your nose, and feel like you could keep going when you are done), and 20% is short and intense (think sprints, intervals, hill repeats, etc).  Doing endless chronic black hole cardio won’t get you any stronger, and is a surefire way to get rundown, sick, and disappointed that you are not accomplishing your goals.

COMMON MISTAKE #4: Going too hard too often

While exercise should be hard occasionally, it should also be fun and in general make you feel good, not beat down and drained. Sure, there will be hard days. But most of the time you should feel energized and have plenty left in the tank to go about your day and be ready to go at it again the next time.

You do want hard days to challenge you from time to time, and if you are following a training plan these are normally built in once or twice every four weeks. A really hard day can help you measure your progress and test your mental toughness, and sometimes a max effort will help you push through a plateau or sticking point.

However, doing these days too often can lead to fatigue and overtraining. Think of these as occasional “tests” to make sure you are progressing, and not your normal method of training.

COMMON MISTAKE #5: Not listening to your body

I’m guilty of this one. I hate days off. I hate it every fourth week when it’s time for a “deload,” as I just want to train all the time. But ultimately all of our gains happen in the recovery phase, and if we’re constantly pushing with no break we’ll miss out on a lot of that magic.

This should be intuitive as your body will give you signals like feeling rundown, being continually sore, or not sleeping well. You may also want to use a wearable device to measure your resting heart rate, HRV, and body temp (we love our Oura rings). These being off of their baseline norms are a good sign it’s time for some R&R.

Take this time to walk more, get outside and play, or do something different than your normal routine. A rest week still means exercising, but you are backing off the volume and giving your body time to adapt and recover. Think “active rest.”

COMMON MISTAKE #6: Not fueling properly

We’ve talked before about the importance of protein, and in general most of us are not getting enough. Aim for 1-1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight daily. Protein is the building block for muscle and is required to maintain and support muscle mass. And I’m not talking about plant protein. Your body does not communicate well with plants. Stick to animal protein and your gains will be much better.

If you are following our diet recommendations and eating plenty of meat and organs you are on the right track, but sometimes extra protein is needed to support your training goals.  And if you are intermittent fasting, getting enough protein in one or two meals a day can be tough.

We like to supplement with a good quality grass-fed whey (mixed with raw milk of course!), and we love ones from Kion and The Fittest. Getting adequate protein is especially important as we age to support muscle mass, and as appetite often decreases as we get older, supplementing with a good quality whey protein can be a big help.

If you are in a period of “keto” or low carb, be sure to pay attention to your body, and add clean carbohydrates as needed to support your training. Our favorite sources are fresh fruits and raw honey, but white rice and potatoes are ok occasionally as well.

Additionally, be sure to monitor your electrolyte intake, especially on hot days when you are sweating a lot. Supplementing with electrolytes is critical to staying hydrated; try adding a bit of sea salt to your water, or try these electrolytes, which are my favorite.

Have you been making some of these mistakes? If so, it’s time to relearn how best to train for your goals.

Next time - training strategies that work for almost anyone!