Coach Reveals 3 Habits That Slow Down Your Progress at the Gym
Are you working out regularly but not getting the results you want? You could be making some common but fixable mistakes. Barbi Kvisz is a fitness trainer and online coach who helps "women lose fat and tone up sustainably," according to her Instagram bio. In a new post, she discusses the mistakes in her routine that kept her from achieving her body goals. "These 3 Habits Held Me Back," she writes.
She Could Have Made Progress Faster If She Hadn't Made Them
"If I'd known better, I could've made so much more progress early on in my fitness journey. So I wanted to share what not to do so you don't make the same mistakes I did," she writes.
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Not Timing My Rests
The first mistake she made was not timing her rests. "Which often meant scrolling on my phone or chatting… and It made my workouts drag on, and I wasn't challenging my muscles enough. I was always wondering why my workouts took so long," she said.
What She Did
What did she do to fix the mistake? "I started timing my rests. 60 seconds for most lifts and 90 seconds for heavier sets. My workouts became more efficient, and my progress sped up!" she explains.
Going to the Gym Hungry
Another mistake she made? Going to the gym hungry. "I used to think working out on an empty stomach would burn more fat. Instead, I felt weak, unmotivated, and barely finished my workouts and also the amount of times I felt nauseous wasn't fun," she said.
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What She Did
What did she do instead? "I started eating a small snack with carbs and protein before the gym, ( Greek yogurt + fruit, oatmeal + protein powder) My energy skyrocketed, and my lifts improved! I felt much stronger and saw results," she says.
Skipping Warm-Ups
The third workout mistake she made was skipping warm-ups. "I used to jump straight into heavy lifts without warming up. I'd feel stiff, and sometimes I'd actually cause injury, which then I had to take days off the gym," she says.
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What She Did
Instead, she incorporated a warm up into her routine. "I started dedicating 5–10 minutes to warming up with dynamic stretches and mobility work," she says.
FIxing These Small Things Will Make a Huge Difference
The moral of the story? "Fixing these small habits made a huge difference for me. If you're feeling stuck, take a look at your own routine. Have you done any of these habits?" she writes.
