5 Strength Training Mistakes You Might Be Making

Strength training (or resistance training) is important for everyone, just like cardiovascular training. After the age of 30, we lose a small percentage of muscle each year. Regular strength training combats that, and keeps our bones strong. Not to mention, it helps regulate blood pressure, helps lower cholesterol, improves insulin response, and helps us feel better mentally and physically. If you don't already incorporate some form of strength training into your weekly routine, start by adding 1-2 days of total body training. If you already strength train, make sure you're getting the most from your workouts by avoiding these 5 common mistakes.

1) You look like a jack rabbit.  While there is a methodology that supports strength training at a quicker pace for specific results, the average exerciser needs to slow things down to enjoy the most benefits of toning and gaining strength. A common recommendation is to spend approximately 3-5 seconds per repetition.  If you're moving faster than that, you may not be lifting a heavy enough weight to see results or you're not moving through a full range of motion (again, preventing results).

2) You're doing the same strength workout you were doing 6 months ago. Muscles are pretty smart!  They adapt relatively quickly to any new exercise you throw at them, and then they strive to get better at that exercise. This is good because this is how we tone and strengthen our body. However, after doing the same exercise over and over month after month, the muscle gets bored and stops trying to impress you (figuratively speaking, of course).  When you switch up the exercises you do, you keep your muscles guessing, which leads to performance improvement and continuous results. One reason systems like P90X are so effective is that they use this "muscle confusion" technique. Switching up your routine also prevents boredom.

3) You sit for the majority of your exercises. You sit 8 hours a day at work and you sit 2-3 hours each night reading or watching TV, right? So how about you go to the gym and sit for another hour on exercise machines?  Doesn't make a lot of sense does it? We exercise to get our bodies moving and counteract the decay that sitting all day causes our bodies. So try not to spend your work out time SITTING on machines. Yes, there are some exercises that benefit from laying down or sitting, but for every machine, there is a similar standing position or body weight exercise that works the same muscles. Instead of the leg press machine, do squats. Instead of the cable row machine, do bent over rows. Obviously, if you have a medical reason to sit and/or you're new to exercising, it is absolutely ok to sit. But if you have no physical limitations, I challenge you to change your routine so that you only sit down for 2 or 3 of your exercises!

4) You hold your breath and clench your face up. This breath-holding/face-clenching technique actually helps you bust out the last few repetitions, right? WRONG. It's technical name is the Valsalva maneuver, which is potentially dangerous when used while exercising. Keep breathing, in and out, throughout all movements. Concentrating on your breathing can help you focus on correct form and give you a mental and physical boost to get through the tough times. And clenching your face?  Well, while it may not have any medical repercussions, it's just not attractive. :-)

5)  You believe you have to go to a gym to effectively strength train. As referenced above, fancy machines are not required to get into shape nor build muscle. You can train any part of your body simply with your own body weight and/or dumbbells or resistance bands.  Here are three examples:  push ups, squats, planks. Those three exercises can be done anywhere and will tone your entire body!