As a personal trainer, I get good insight into people’s home training methods. Clients will tell me what they’ve tried in the past, areas they’ve struggled with, and goals they’ve found it impossible to achieve. Often, the reasons people don’t see the results they want, or end up frustrated – or even injured – is because they’re making mistakes that can be easily avoided. Here are a few common errors I see, and how to avoid them…


1. Constant repetition stalls progress

Constantly performing the same workout day in, day out leads to only one place - a performance plateau. As in, progress cannot be achieved as the body is no longer being challenged. Years ago, long before I became a personal trainer, I fell victim to this myself. I’d do my run on the treadmill and then perform a total body strength routine with dumbbells using the same weights, same speed, same reps, every time. Although it certainly will burn calories and keep you “ticking over” in terms of general fitness, it will not progress you. My clients always say that they love how varied our PT sessions are. I always focus on a progressive approach, so I will always be looking to develop clients’ strength, speed, recovery time, etc., but there are constantly new challenges and versatility.


If you’re feeling like you just repeat the same things over and over, try mixing it up with different exercises, including those that are more advanced to what you’re used to e.g. rather than just holding a plank, add in some leg raises, shoulder taps etc. In addition, you could start introducing heavier weights, or if your fitness equipment is limited, advance exercises by playing around with tempo (speed when performing exercises), allowing yourself shorter recovery times and so on.


2. Going all out cardio

I’ve had many a client skip weights and focus solely on cardio. One client I started with a year ago was an avid runner, but was doing no strength exercises at all. She was starting to encounter injuries, and also felt fed up with not getting the more sculpted look she wanted. Fast forward one year and she is lifting heavy, had no injuries and achieves constant PBs with her running. Some sort of strength training is so important for many reasons that go beyond the aesthetic: injury prevention, building bone density, keeping functionally fit for everyday life and improving balance and core strength. I have several clients who’ve said they’ve skipped weights and opted for cardio as it burns more calories. It’s important to remember that strength training builds metabolism, and will burn more calories and fat than you might realise. So I always advise clients to do both strength and cardio.


3. Avoiding ALL cardio

The opposite problem to the above is cardio avoidance. I have many clients who are first to admit that they aren’t big fans of cardio. For those clients, I like to show them ways to combine weight training with “hidden” cardio, or opt for short bursts of cardio, provided by HIIT workouts. HIIT workouts that involve weights are brilliant as you’re so focussed on the weight lifting that you tend to not realise you’re performing cardiovascular exercise. Training with heavier weight will also help to get that heart rate up without having to run around or jump off boxes. (Jumping off boxes and running around is great though, if you’re into that.) Basically, make sure you combine your resistance training with aerobic or anaerobic exercise for maximum fat burn and muscle building.


4. Putting heavy weight before form

Although I’m a massive fan of lifting heavy, it’s important to not compromise on form. I work with clients to ensure they perform exercises properly and safely. If this means reducing the weight for a while, then that’s what we do. I will see people performing exercises with poor form, simply because they can’t endure that weight yet. I will also see people perform exercises and use other muscles to assist because the targeted muscle can’t cope alone. Take the bicep curl, for example. Choose a weight that’s too heavy and you’re likely to bow that back or bring the shoulders in to help. Focus on what you’re doing, and be honest with yourself. Downsize the weight and build up correctly. Your body will thank you for it.


5. Performing muscular strength exercises in fast forward mode

I see this A LOT. I’ll see people performing relentless ab crunches at lightning speed, or press ups so quickly that it looks painful – and not in a good way. Performing these exercises really quickly not only activates the muscles for less time and therefore means they work less hard, but it often results in poor form. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen a bicep curl performed with the arm only coming down to the halfway point on the downward phase. Slow and controlled is the answer to building strong muscle faster.

6. Not keeping nutrition on point

It is true what they say – “You can’t out-train a bad diet”. Yes, exercise burns calories so that you can eat more, but it’s important to eat only enough food to fuel your body and give you enough energy to train. Content of calories is key too. Try to eat whole, non-processed foods as much as you can, try to get your 5 a day fruit and veg and avoid sugary, salty and foods high in saturated fats. And don’t forget to keep hydrated. The average adult needs 2 litres of water per day. When we drink too little, we can end up eating when we’re actually thirsty, not to mention starving the body of its main source to function properly.


Working out at home can be just as progressive as working out at a gym – just make sure you get it right for that maximum progression.

Guest post by Level 3 Personal Trainer & Nutritional Advisor, Laura Betts. Follow Laura on Instagram here!