The 3 Mistakes People make During Exercise

23 Apr The 3 Mistakes People make During Exercise

You’re showing up every day, working hard, stretching, eating well, doing all the things you’re supposed to do… so why aren’t you getting results???  

Chances are, you’re making one (or more) of the three most common mistakes we see when people exercise.  

First, let’s step back for a moment and look at the one thing that underpins all ‘mistakes’ – a lack of purpose.  When we don’t understand why we are doing a movement, what the exercise should look like, and how everything should be working together… well, it makes it really hard to do the movement well.  

Thankfully, Leona is here to take us through the top three mistakes, and explain what you can do to fix them.

Look out results – here we come!

Mistake 1 – Not breathing correctly (or at all!)

Inhale…. Exhale…. Breathing is a common cue in Pilates, with our Physiotherapists constantly reminding you to breath in at this moment, or to breath out when you move that way.  This is to encourage the body to stabilise without bracing through the diaphragm. 

However, a complete brace (including holding your breath) can actually be desired and beneficial in other exercise e.g. some weightlifting movements, powerlifting, or helping someone to move a ridiculously heavy table.

Understanding when to breathe is important – we’ll tell you the recommended breathing patterns in our classes, and if you’re exercising elsewhere make sure you ask your trainer / coach for their insights.

Mistake 2 – Not activating the correct muscles in the correct way

Your body is incredibly clever and loves efficiency.  As a result, your body will always find the easiest way to do something – saving you energy for other things.  While this might sound wonderful, it means that your body will want to cheat during movements / exercises that are challenging.

Pilates inspired movement is wonderful to correct this, because it helps you to build neural pathways to less-activated muscles – making it easier for you to switch them on next time.  Our team can see when things are not activating the way they should, and they’ll help you do get it right.  If you’re exercising elsewhere – again, ask your trainer or coach.  

If you’re still struggling, come in and see our team – we can identify issues and give you simple homework movements to help switch those muscles on correctly.

Mistake 3 – Moving too fast

If you’re in a hurry to get to work, wanting to just get this over with (ugh, lunges are hard – let’s just get through it already!), or just not paying attention, you can end up moving through your exercises WAY too fast.  Our Physiotherapists are always cueing class participants to slow down!

Slowing down means that you use more control and strength – you’re no longer being assisted by momentum to get the movement done.  This will decrease your risk of injury and make you stronger in the long run.  

That being said, there are some exercises that do require momentum – running, football, and other sports rely on momentum.  Again, this comes down to Leona’s first point – you must understand the purpose of the exercise!

Finally, if you are making some mistakes – don’t beat yourself up!  Mistakes are part of the learning curve.  Our body and brain learn and improve through ‘mistakes’ – getting better each time.  Having an understanding of the purpose of your exercise, getting the help of an experienced Physiotherapist or Coach, and practicing will help you to overcome these common mistakes and get the most out of your workouts.