Three of the top mistakes that people make in the gym are not warming up, not stretching, and not drinking enough water. Most of the people I see enter the gym seem to go right to their weight machine, the free weights, or the aerobic machines and go right to it. People will start lifting weights without any warm-up or stretching. They will work on weight machines full tilt without a warm-up. Perhaps the worst is getting on a treadmill and going all out running with no stretching or warm-up of any kind. I'm surprised there aren't more injuries and pulled muscles. I also don't see people drinking enough water. Some will bring water bottles with them and some will take an occasional trip to the drinking fountain, but most don't seem to drink enough water or no water at all. Hydration is extremely important when working out at the gym.

The other mistake I see in the gym is people who seem to have no plan. Some come just for an aerobic workout on the treadmill, step machine, or elliptical and don't do anything else. Others seem to wander around aimlessly going from one machine to another, going to aerobic machines, and doing free weights without any plan or any sense of working the muscle groups in a systematic way. This hit and miss approach not only will not give you the results you want, it may cause harm because of your random sequence of exercises.

Most gyms have personal trainers. You may have to pay something for their guidance but once they explain and demonstrate a proper sequence of workouts, your experience at the gym will be much more beneficial and you will see much better results. At my gym, new members are given two free sessions with a personal trainer. Find out what your gym offers. If you have questions about any of the machines, there is always knowledgeable staff you can ask. They will be happy to demonstrate any of the machines and explain what it is supposed to do for you.

Learn more about this author, Rob Bryant.
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