After almost 20 years of training and also after a graduation in Sport Science, I can definitely point it out what the most common workout mistakes are.
Here you see the 5 most common mistakes:
1) Setting both realistic and measurable short term and long term goals. If you don't have a destination in mind then how can one plan an appropriate journey- set your targets by asking yourself what you want to achieve realistically and when!
2) Planning the journey start to finish in advance- no matter how far away the destination may be. Sure you may encounter obstacles along the way or realize that you respond better to a different training stimulus but that's the beauty of it. Most trainees train without a specific programme- you have to focus on one goal to get a great result.
3) Keep a training journal- how do you know where you are going if you do not know where you have been e.g. weights used, reps completed, sets, rest and tempo. In order to progress you need to be aware of where you're progressing from.
4) Address nutritional habits. We engrain the importance of keeping a food log, at least initially. Regardless of the goal, there's one constant, you must ingest an amount of calories within a certain range to achieve the desired result. How can you expect to do this, if you have no idea how many total calories you're consuming and equally as important the ratio of macronutrients that form these calories?
5) Intensity. I am a big fan of steady state work... if you are an endurance athlete. Most people have under 3 hours of training time a week so the only way to make up for this lack of volume is by working with increased intensity. Lift heavier weights or run quicker- don’t just do the same repetitive 20minutes on the cross trainer that is getting you nowhere. Point five leads me to the final strategy consistency!! If you want to achieve your desired results and optimal physique, quite simply, don't miss a session! I appreciate everyone leads a different lifestyle, which is why strategy number one is so important, don't plan five sessions a week and only make two. Equally tell your clients that doing solely an hour of personal training a week and nothing else is barely maintenance training at best. I'm gearing up to go to the gym as I write this, make sure you are too...!!!