By: Trinidad Guardian

Monday February 21,

Either through a lack of knowledge of basic training principles or just through plain stupidity, some people shorten their physical training shelf-life. Albert Einstein once said, “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I am not sure about the former.” Throughout my years in both martial arts and the fitness industry, I have had ample opportunity to observe some people and their so-called “workout routines.” Watching some of these people train would make you realise that there is a whole lot of truth in Einstein’s quote. Let’s have a look at some improper training techniques and how to correct these errors.

Cardio mistakes

• The Warm-up—A proper warm-up is essential before any cardio workout. However, many people think of stretching and warming up as one and the same. Stretching forms part of a warm-up, but it does not constitute the entire warm-up. In fact, you should never stretch a cold muscle! Before you begin stretching, you should first begin some slow, controlled rotary movements with both your arms and legs; this will serve to both elevate your heart rate and heat your muscles which can then be stretched.

A good analogy is to think of your muscles as macaroni that you purchased from the supermarket. If you take the macaroni from the pack and try to bend it, you are going to break the macaroni. However, if you put the macaroni in a saucepan filled with water and heat it, the macaroni then becomes pliable. A proper warm-up should last between seven to eight minutes.

• Plastic suits—Sometimes you see people wearing full-body plastic suits and working out with the great expectations that they are going to lose weight. You will lose weight, but it is going to be “water weight.” In other words, you are going to successfully accomplish dehydrating your body and this is an unsafe practice.

• Unstructured Cardio—Whether you are running, biking, swimming or doing an aerobic class, if you don’t go about elevating your heart rate in a structured manner, you can have a most unproductive workout.

It is most important to calculate your target training heart rate zone (using the Karvonen formula). When you begin your cardio workout, gradually increase your heart rate with the intention of taking it up to your target zone.

• Cool down—The cool-down is just as important as your warm-up. Instead of coming to “an abrupt stop” you should slow down, so as to bring your heart rate back down gradually.

Weight training mistakes

Just as in your cardio workout, ensure that you warm up before you engage in weight-training exercises.

• Big ego—Weights are a tool, just like the benches and mirrors. Use the weights to sculpt your body, not to massage your ego.

• Negative reps—Always be extremely cautious on the negative part of the repetition; most times this is where injury will occur. For example, in the free squat, you are more likely to damage your knees and lower back if you descend too quickly.

Keep training.