6 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Workout
After an intense strength-training session at the gym this weekend, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself.
I’d made it through a challenging new routine and I’d upped my weight on a couple of exercises. All was good. I figured I’d take the next logical step and refuel my muscles with a healthy, balanced snack: a banana, peanut butter protein shake, also known as a “Velvet Elvis” at my gym’s smoothie bar.
At first glance, the stats on this blend looked good. It was listed as 350 calories and consisted of non-fat yogurt, non-fat milk, protein powder, peanut butter and bananas. Hmm, sounds ok, right?
A few minutes of inquiry quickly proved that this was no more than a gloried milkshake. The “non-fat yogurt” was actually non-fat vanilla frozen yogurt, meaning it’s packed with added sugar. The peanut butter was measured with an ice cream scoop, shoveling in about 4 tablespoons — almost 2 times a recommended serving.
A quick tally in my head revealed that this “healthy protein shake” was probably more like 600-700 calories, not 350. That’s way more energy than I needed to properly refuel
Many people already know to be wary of calorie-bomb smoothies at places like Jamba Juice, but you wouldn’t expect to be deceived at the very place you go to get fit.
That’s the moral of this post. It’s easy to accidentally sabotage your workout with seemingly beneficial behaviors.
Here are the top six things people do, unwittingly, that negatively affect their workout.
1. Not properly fueling beforehand.
Just like putting gas in a car, you need to fuel your body before a workout. Proper eating pre-exercise will prevent plunging blood-sugar levels and keep you alert and energized. But choosing the right kind of fuel is key. During exercise, and especially weight-lifting, your body breaks down glucose for energy, meaning pre-loading with complex carbohydrates is ideal. Aim for about 100 calories an hour prior to exercise.
My favorite snack: a banana. Check out this article for more great pre and post workout snack ideas >>
2. Forgetting to properly hydrate beforehand.
In order to workout efficiently, your body needs to be properly hydrated. Water makes up 60% of your body and is essential for regulating temperature and preventing fatigue. If you’re not properly hydrated before a workout, you will not be able to exercise as long or as hard. Obviously you don’t want to get a cramp when you’re working out, so make sure to drink enough water well before you hit the gym. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends getting 17 oz of H2O about 2 hours prior to activity.
3. Cheating all of your reps.
“Cheating reps” means breaking form in order to squeeze in a few more repetitions than you usually could. For example, swinging your arms during a biceps curls and using momentum as opposed to actual force to lift the load. While this method has shown to be effective in adding further muscle breakdown to the end of a set, it is meant to be done only on the last one or two reps, not the entire set. It’s also only safe to try on certain exercises like the curl, while exercises like a deadlift require proper form at all times. If you are cheating all of your reps, your muscles won’t be optimally taxed. You’re cheating yourself out of an effective workout.
4. Playing it safe with your weights.
This one is mostly for the women, as I more commonly see men lifting too much weight. In my group fitness class, I all too often see women using lighter weights than they are capable of lifting. Whether it’s fear of “getting bulky” or just underestimating their strength, many women play it safe with their weights. Research shows that in order to build muscle — or as we ladies call it, “tone up” — you need to be constantly challenging your body. Sticking with those 5-pounders that you’ve been lifting for months, and failing to increase your load, will not produce progress. Wondering why you’ve reached a plateau in your exercise goals? Up your weight!
5. Favoring slower, longer cardio for fat-loss.
You may have heard the myth of the “fat-burning zone” before: short, intense exercise bursts of exercise burn carbohydrates and longer, slower exercise stints burn fat. This is somewhat true, but it’s only part of the story. While your body does begin using fat stores for energy during longer bouts of exercise, it is still using carbohydrate (glycogen) stores as well, and vice versa. It’s the percentage of fat burned that changes. The longer you workout, the larger the percentage of fat expenditure. However, this neglects the fact that during slower exercise, you’re burning less calories overall. So while 50% of your calories expended may come from fat during a long walk, you may only be burning about 150 calories. During a short HIIT workout your fat-burning may be at a lower percentage of total calories burned, but you will still be burning some fat, and you’ll be burning a lot more calories.
6. Refueling with a sugary protein shake.
This one is a no-brainer. If you’ve just worked hard to burn a bunch of calories it’s not ideal to put nutritionally devoid sugar into your body. Just like before your workout, you need to properly refuel after as well. Research shows a balanced snack of protein and carbohydrates is the best combination for replacing your glycogen stores and helping rebuild muscle. While the shake I mentioned above could have been a good option with slightly different ingredients, it unfortunately had hidden unhealthy components. My best advice: don’t order protein shakes, smoothies, juices, etc. unless you know exactly what is in them. There are so many opportunities to hide simple sugar and other crap in these beverages.
Your best option is to just make your own. If don’t have time to go home after the gym, bring a protein shake on ice with you. Simply blend your favorite protein powder with almond milk, a banana, and ice and leave it in the car for after the workout. This time of year it will definitely still be cold!
Fyi — this recommendation applies to protein bars too. Read labels, check the ingredients, and don’t let your hard work go to waste!
Weigh In: Have you ever been disappointed to find out a snack you love is filled with junk? Have you ever sabotaged your workout with these behaviors?
Jennifer Sinquefield King says:
Great advice! I need to up the water- thanks for list the amount and time frame for getting water down. This is the hardest part of my day is getting down enough water!
Ashley @ A Lady Goes West says:
Good tips! I definitely agree with all of these. And I never buy the smoothies from the gym, because you know those calorie counts are wrong! I can make some pretty healthy versions at home. :)
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner says:
I’ve always thought those shakes/smoothies were just loaded with sugar and some of the bars are as well. Whole foods are so much better!
Lauren says:
Great advice! You have to watch out for “smoothies” and protein shakes at the gym/stores. I love making my own. And a banana and PB is always included!
Linda@ TheFitty says:
Thus why i avoid. Prepackaged snacks and always just go all natural :)
Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment says:
Yup – totally guilty of some of these. The cardio and cheating reps. I also have been very disappointed to find some products I like are not as healthy as I once thought. I originally avoided the smoothies at the gym because they’re usually high priced. But I’ve learned most of the ingredients aren’t always quality either!
Janelle @ WhollyHealthy says:
I’m guilty of not lifting heavy enough. For some reason I think I “feel the burn” so I don’t need to move up in weight size, but I’m really capable of lifting more!
Khushboo says:
Great post, Whitney! I’m always weary about calorie counts that are much lower in restaurants than if I were to make the same thing at home. I find that proper nutrition is the key to getting the bang out of workouts- sure post-workout protein bars are loaded with protein but they also loaded with a bunch of funky chemicals which can result in negative hormonal results and therefore hinder fat loss.
Krissy @ Pretty Wee Things says:
wow that’s a bit poor on their behalf to advertise and not stick to the calories. I definitely have been shocked with a few “healthy” meals out that have turned out to be totally unhealthy. Thanks for the tips! xx
Whitney Vickers says:
Hi Whitney,
I am the assistant manager of Bikram Yoga Silverlake, and I would love to get the word out about our fantastic studio through local fitness blogs. We have been open over 12 years, and have quite the following, but it never hurts to spread the word about this great form of exercise. I’d like to offer you a free class here at the studio so you can give it a shot and possibly write about it in your blog. If you are interested, please just get back to me and I will set up a comp’d class for you in our system.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration, I look forward to hearing back from you!
PS: I love the name of your blog.
Jezz Dallas says:
Awesome post! Yes, sometimes being to tired, I should have just stayed at home and rest instead….
http://jezzdallasmakeup.blogspot.com/
Whitney English says:
I feel you on that!
Maybellene Flores says:
Great advice!
Hah, I too stay away from protein shakes bought outside since I can perfectly make my own at home. However, I still subscribe to fat burning pre workout supplements since the ones I use are really effective!
Cheers!
wheelchair ramps for home says:
If you’re stranded without gym access, without weights, and have already rested too long, do prehab exercises and body weight moves that challenge you. One-leg squats, one-arm push-ups, etc.
James says:
Always keep something to remind yourself why your working out and not quitting.
MadBiceps says:
Great advice, Whitney! Cheating all of my reps has always been my problem, however, I managed to solve it with my personal trainer some time ago.
Veronica Marks says:
I really appreciate this because I am just getting back into a good workout routine right now. I am definitely doing at least a couple of these things to sabotage myself! I’ll be sure to pay more attention to how to make changes and avoid doing these things from now on!
Handicap Ramps says:
Get enough sleep. When you don’t rest well, you compensate by eating more. Usually it’s junk food. Get enough rest and you don’t need to snack to stay awake. Also, lack of sleep causes premature aging, and you wouldn’t want that.
Anne@exercise machines says:
I agree, Not properly fueling beforehand. I sometimes workout empty stomach. which I know is not good. I’m also going try out Banana :)
Anne@exercise machines says:
Agree, not properly fueling beforehand. I sometimes workout empty stomach. Which I know is not good. I’m also going to try out banana.
Whitney English says:
That’s great! That should help a lot. Let me know how it goes!
Kylie says:
Hi Whitney, thanks for the tips. I’m probably guilty of playing it safe. I tend to use the same weights and reps each time and not upping the anti! lol Thanks for sharing!
Whitney English says:
It’s easy to fall into the comfort zone – happens to all of us! Glad this post inspired you to up the weights :)
Geno Med says:
Very good points. My two biggest cheats – playing it safe with weights and not getting enough sleep. I was working out for a long time and I saw no results. It changed after I talked about it with trainer from a gym and he pointed out my mistakes.
It is funny how not so obvious things are so important.
Miss Morine D Barnes says:
TISWAS Police 5 Shaw Taylor I Morine Barnes 57 blame myself for sabotaging my diet and exercise naive. I got 96.2 kg STRESS to lose diet and exercise. I put it on I have to lose it. I have to starve myself to death and kill myself exercising. No pain no gain. Shame pain doing it wrong. I am constipated and no one can talk me out of laxatives and vegetables 800kcal daily. It is the only way I will achieve my goal weight 58.3kg. Morine Barnes 57. Donald 58, Myola 36 & Rommel Edwards 34. Graham 90.
Brodie says:
Hi Whitney,
Great post! Your last tip about sugary protein shakes is super important! I don’t think enough people realize this. Even if you buy your supplements at GNC or any other big name health store a lot of time they are packed with sugar (especially the ones that taste good).
I wish more people knew this! Keep up the great content!
Brodie
EVL ENGN Pre Workout says:
Slim those fats and get the body you want by some diet supplements you’ll need when working out.
Jai Massie says:
I agree that if we want to stay healthy then we should avoid fast food and air drink. You have shared great things with us.