Let me clarify: going to the gym is a waste of your time unless you use your time there properly. How you’re spending your time there is the problem. A gym can be a great investment and a valuable resource, but only if your time there is spent wisely.
When I go to the gym, I feel like an undercover personal trainer: I see everything people do that makes their trip to the gym so ineffective. They could get a better workout in half the time if they just broke a few bad gym habits.
Don’t hold on to the treadmill
I see way too many people putting the treadmill on an incline and then holding on to the front console as they walk. When you walk outside, do you hold the bumper of a car to help you along? Not only does holding on like this make the workout less effective but it can cause injuries to your shoulders. I’ve seen it. You should walk naturally with your arms swinging normally. Let your legs do more work so your body can function like it was designed.
Isn’t a workout supposed to be work? The point is to challenge your body in order to burn more calories, not burn fewer by purposefully making it easier.
This brings me to my next point…
Easy cardio is useless cardio
Cardio is important but it’s meant to get your heart pumping. If you don’t feel as though you’re working, you’re probably wasting your time. Yes, moving is good, but if your answer is “at least it’s better than nothing,” you’re not doing yourself any favors. If you want to see results from your time spent at the gym, make sure that you’re actually exerting yourself. You know, like breathing harder and sweating. There’s actually a thing called the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE scale) - but let’s just use the ‘talk test.’ If you can explain something to a friend or carry a conversation effortlessly, you’re not working hard enough. If you’re doing your cardio appropriately, you should have a hard time speaking a long sentence in one breath.
It’s not social time
You tell me you spent an hour at the gym yesterday, but what you didn’t tell me was that you spent 10 minutes chatting with your friend, 10 minutes flirting with the guy by the free weights and 10 more minutes taking workout selfies. This really doesn’t leave much time for working out. Always go to the gym with a goal in mind and stick to it! Don’t get distracted by people and other things that tend to rob us of our gym time.
And speaking of distractions…
Put the phone down!
Your phone/iPod is sabotaging your workout! All the time you spend picking good music, texting your friends, and updating your Facebook status (bragging that you’re at the gym) could be put to good use actually working out! Try creating your playlist beforehand and turning your ringer off. You’ll find that getting rid of these distractions will make your time at the gym much more worthwhile.
Throwing weights around does not equal ‘lifting’
Too often I see gym goers trying to do the latest exercise they saw in a magazine and doing it wrong. Or, they’re just doing lots of nothing. Just because you’re holding weights in your hands and moving your arms around doesn’t mean you’re really exercising. Resistance training done without proper form is a waste of your time and, frankly, is dangerous! If you’re unsure about how to begin a resistance training program, meet with a personal trainer to learn some of the basics first. Magazine articles and YouTube videos don’t give feedback when you’re doing it wrong.
So, stop wasting your time at the gym and start putting it to good use!