3 Mistakes Women Make In The Gym
Updated May 25, 2023
Are you working hard at the gym to see results but haven't gotten them yet?
After helping over 100 women lose weight, I’ve found that most women looking for training advice want to feel healthier, look good, and feel stronger without having to spend their entire life in the gym.
Here are a few mistakes they don’t know they’re making to get those results.
#1 – Using Weight Machines
Machines are a safe choice in an intimidating gym environment especially when you’re new. But relying on only weight machines can set you back from make from making incredible progress in the gym.
If you’re reading this because you want to build strength and get more toned steer clear of weight machines.
Here’s why,
Machines focus on isolated muscle parts.
Strength training aims to build a strong foundation of overall strength. Using weight machines means you’re only working on one muscle group at a time like your biceps or calves versus your entire body or multiple muscle groups.
This limitation means you won’t get as toned or as strong as you would with free weights.
Machines are awkward and the range of motion is limited.
Machines mimic human movement but they don’t capture our joints’ entire range of motion to build true strength. The reps we put in on the machines are only good for the gym environment and not for building strength and tone.
Machines are not designed to fit everyone.
On machines, even though you can make several adjustments, they are not designed to fit everyone.
Sometimes the chest press machine handles can be too wide and non-adjustable or you cannot get a full range of motion on the leg press because you have shorter legs. Other times it’s not an efficient use of energy because there are too many moving parts that you cannot stabilize your body.
Machines are full of limitations. You can feel like you got a good workout because you’re sore the next day but soreness doesn’t mean getting results or getting toned.
#2 – Not Lifting Heavy Enough
Picking up only 5lb or 10lb dumbbells for every exercise to do 15-20+ reps is not enough to create changes in your body. You will feel a burn but that burn won’t increase your overall strength.
You need to lift a challenging weight to get stronger, grow muscle, and get toned.
Even though heavy is all relative to the person and the exercise make sure that the exercise is challenging with the right weight.
Do this by aiming for a 7 or an 8 on the RPE (rate of perceived exertion) scale.
Rate of Perceived Exertion. Credit MDPI.
Challenging yourself by lifting heavy is the key to seeing changes in your strength, performance, and body composition.
#3 – Giving Up Too Soon
There will be moments where you feel like giving up because you’re comparing your results to someone else’s ‘after’ photo and wonder why you’re not there yet. Each time you stop to take a ‘break’ from the gym you’re one day further from reaching your goals.
Progress takes time and everyone makes progress at a different pace.
Hopefully, this encourages you to keep lifting at the gym!
Candace is the owner of Rhodes To Strength. She provides weight loss and mindset coaching services to women around the world so that they keep the pounds off for good. She believes in working with clients to create sustainable habits that work for their lifestyle.
You can find her rollerskating, hiking, and bird watching in her spare time.