Mistake 5#- Not Using Proper Form and Resting Too Much.
One of the biggest mistakes I see and have seen in the gym is people working out and not using proper form when they lift weights. These mistakes are usually made using free weights but I see them made on cable machines, and stationary weight machines as well.
Proper exercise execution and form is crucial for not only safety but seeing the best possible results from your workout.
The biggest form mistakes I see are:
1) Swinging and using momentum during the lifting and lowering of the weight. Though this will allow you to handle more weight but this type of form will get you no where as far as the results go.
2) The tempo of the movement is too fast and momentum takes over. Lifting too fast again prevents you from focusing on the muscle and only the movement. The muscle is always more important than the movement.
3) Using your lower back and lower body to help you through the movement. When someone struggles to lift a weight or to get a few extra reps they tend to use their lower back to help them. This is a recipe for disaster. You need to drop the weight and use proper form.
4) Bouncing the weight off your chest. This is very common when I see someone doing barbell chest press. If you have to bounce the weight then you are using too much weight. Bouncing the weight prevents you from really using all the muscle fibers in your chest and allows momentum to help you.
5) Not fully extending at the top of the lift and not coming far enough down to get the most efficient range of motion. Proper range of motion allows you to work all the muscle fibers in that muscle efficiently. Partial reps are not recommended for most people.
6) Locking the joints out on every lift. Locking your legs out at the top of the squat or locking your arms out at the bottom of a bicep curl. The problem with locking the joint out is one it puts more stress on the joint and two you lose the tension on the muscle and this makes the exercise less effective.
7) Not keeping core tight and looking down while doing standing exercises. During a squat its very common for someone to use their lower back and knees by looking down and leading with their knees and shoulders. This will put stress on their back and knees. Keeping core tight, looking straight forward, and sitting away from your knees (leading with glutes) will allow you to the squat safely and effectively and put stress on the muscle and not the spine, lower back, knees and joints. (see photo above)
I always tell my clients “You need to focus on the Muscle not the motion” You should always know what muscle you’re working and focus on the muscle while lifting and lowering the weight. If you’re not feeling it in that muscle while you’re lifting and lowering the weight then you’re probably not working it very efficiently. Any one can do the motion and movement of lifting the weight but if you are not focusing on the muscle you’re really not doing much.
Resting Too Much.
Another mistake I see in the gym is people resting way too much between sets of an exercise and between exercises. If your number one goal is strength and size resting will allow you to lift more weight. However, it will also affect your endurance and you keeping your heart rate up. So if you want to increase your strength more rest is needed yet I wouldn’t recommend resting more than 90 seconds maximum. If your goal is not strength and size there is no reason to rest so much. Ninety percent of the people that come to see me want to get in better shape, improve their stamina, lose fat, or get ripped. Yet I see so many people at the gym with these goals doing a set and resting for a minute or more. I recommend making your time and workout more efficient by doing super sets, or circuits. This will allow you to go from exercise to exercise and rest a muscle group with out resting your heart. This will also allow you to get a great intense workout and not to mention you will burn more calories, challenge your heart, and get your workout in a much quicker period of time .(30 minutes or less)
This concludes “The 5 Biggest Mistakes People Make In the Gym.” If you were making some of these mistakes I hope you will apply the new information you have learned and make your workout routine more efficient and effective!
Now let’s go get it!
Look for the next series “The 5 Biggest Nutrition Mistakes People Make In and Out Of the Kitchen” coming soon!
Your Fitness and Nutrition Coach
~David Modderman
Filed under Lifestyle, Training, fitness by on Mar 6th, 2011. Comment. 
Mistake #4 -Doing only ab exercises and thinking the crunch machines will burn fat.
In Mistake #1 – I discussed how doing only cardio and no weight training is not an effective strategy to see results no matter your goals. Resistance training is a must. Yet, some think just doing abdominal and stomach exercises are all the resistance training they need to do. The thought process is “I want to lose my stomach so that’s all I need to work.”
It’s impossible to go to a busy gym and not see someone doing stomach exercises. When I used to work at the big box gym I was amazed by how many people I would see just doing ab exercises and cardio and then come to me because they were not seeing results. I still to this day see people using all the different ab machines and doing hundreds of crunches forward and to the side, and back and forth, twisting, and crunching. In their mind they are targeting areas and crunching that fat away.
The spot reduction method has been around for decades and will probably never die. It seems everyone wants to reduce their waistline and marketers know this is by giving us fat wraps, fat burning creams, ab belts, and hundreds of ab devices you can buy off TV. People will always ask me one burning question about all these products do they work? Do they burn fat off your stomach? “NO!” There is not a cream, ab device. or wrap that will burn fat off your stomach. So is doing hundreds of crunches a waste of time? No, because you can definitely strengthen your stomach muscles especially if you are doing the right exercises but these exercises will not burn fat. Even though we are told and people still believe I am here to tell you cannot pick the one spot you want to burn fat and do one exercise to target that area and lose fat in the area alone. Fat is burned by your muscles proportionally throughout your body. How do you lose fat off your stomach then? You can lose fat by following a structured full body (not just stomach) resistance training, moderate aerobic exercise, and solid nutrition.
So if you want to abdominal/stomach exercises to strengthen your stomach and core and not necessarily burn fat what are the best and the worst?
Let’s start with the worst. If you want to strengthen your stomach and core (your lower back, oblique’s, abs, and pelvis muscles) then get off the ab/crunch machines.
The crunch machines you see at commercial gyms are probably the most over used and most ineffective machines for strengthening your core and seeing results at your waistline. Not mention most of the time when I see people using this machine they’re using lots of weight and their momentum to propel themselves forward rather than using muscular control. Secondly, the abs hardly even contract during this exercise, and when they do it is a very brief period. The sad thing is many trainers or gym employees at the gym actually give this machine to their clients or members as an effective way to strengthen their core and burn fat off their stomach. Also, if this employee was educated they would know these machines target only the anterior (front) muscles of the abdominal wall and will do little for their client. I see a lot of people who use this machine religiously everyday and they are actually creating an imbalance because they are strengthening the front muscles and not the stabilizers, back and sides. This will create an imbalance because a crunch machine is a stable hunk of metal and it will only isolate the front muscles, the side, lower back and stomach stabilizers muscle will not be activated this will lead to a weak back and strong front.
The most effective and efficient way to work your stomach muscles and core is to do exercises that work all your stomach muscles in harmony. The best way to do this is to train your core and abs in an unstable environment by using a stability ball, bosu ball and using body weight on the floor or ab board. Doing exercises like squats, and dead lifts are great for your core as well as isolation stomach exercises like stability ball crunches, planks, and bosu ball jackknifes in an unstable environment with proper form will allow you to strengthen your entire core safely and effectively.
In summary:
1) Ab exercises are not effective for burning fat off your stomach. Focusing on eating the right foods, do full body resistance training, and moderate aerobic exercise will be much more effective.
2) If you want to train your core effectively get off the machines and focus on doing full body exercises like squats, dead lifts, and isolation exercises like stability ball crunches and planks.
Look for Mistake #5 Coming soon!
Your Fitness and Nutrition Coach,
~David Modderman
Filed under Lifestyle, Training, fitness by on Feb 26th, 2011. Comment.
As stated in mistake number one resistance training is crucial to your success no matter what your fitness or weight loss goal might be. Any form of resistance training like free weights, bodyweight, resistance bands, and weight machines can help you a great deal. Unfortunately, when people join a gym they are usually always set up on the weight machines. Now don’t get me wrong, someone who is just beginning resistance training using the machines might actually be good for them to get them comfortable isolating certain muscle groups and learning the movements safely and effectively to start. However, I see way too many people depending machines as their only source of resistance training for months and even years.
The benefits of weight machines are:
1) They are great for isolating muscle groups
2) They are usually safe and stable for beginners to learn the movements
3) They can help you increase strength at first
The Major disadvantages of weight machines:
1) They use the same path of motion over and over and can lead to connective tissue damage because they are putting stress on a single joint.
2) They don’t usually activate the stomach and core muscles, and stabilizer muscles you use in the real world correctly or efficiently because they are too supportive and stable.
3) Only work one muscle at a time
Even though using weight machines have their benefits and disadvantages in simple they are still not the most effective or most efficient way to see the best results. When using weight machines most seem to focus on just the movements and not the actual muscles they are working. I always find it humorous when I ask someone the routine they are doing and the can show the movement they do but cannot tell me the muscle they are working. (ie. I do this one, and this one) Ninety five percent of the clients I work I will start them out using their bodyweight, dumbbells, resistance bands, cables, and the stability ball.
Why do I feel it’s crucial for people to get off the machines? If you think how you move in the real world you walk, run, get out of bed, squat to pick something or a small child off the ground, push a lawn mower, pull on a car door, shovel snow, put something on a shelf over your head. Most sit in a chair or desk all day at work and never use their core muscles (your stomach, lower back, pelvis muscles). Why would you go to the gym and sit down again and train your body the same way? If you want to see the best possible results in how your body looks and feels, and performs every day then you need to get off the weight machines and challenge your body with more free motion natural movements.
The advantages of body/free weight training are the following:
1) If used properly will strengthen your entire body as a whole. Free weights and bodyweight training will strengthen your core (your body’s center of gravity) and work all the stabilizers muscles in your body because these muscles must stabilize the free motion of the weight and body. This will allow your body to move naturally through every plain of motion, like squatting, pushing, pulling, and rotating.
2) They will be easier and safer on your connective tissue and joints. While most weight machines are single joint exercises because you are using a stabilized piece of metal. Free motion exercises work multiple joints to help stabilize the weight there for will put less stress on connective tissue.
3) Will make you work harder and help you burn more calories. Studies show your body burns more calories in a standing and unstable environment.
4) Are more versatile and will allow you to have more variety because you will be able to do unlimited amounts of exercises with very little equipment.
In summary any resistance training is beneficial however if you get dependent on only using weight machines you are doing your body a disservice and you will probably never reach your full potential in regards to fat loss, strength, and positive changes in body composition.
GET OFF THE MACHINES AND TRAIN YOUR BODY THE WAY IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE TRAINED!
Look For Mistake #3 “Doing Resistance Training and Cardio in the Wrong Order” coming soon!
Your Fitness and Nutrition Coach,
~David Modderman
Filed under Training, fitness, weight loss by on Feb 12th, 2011. Comment.
As a fitness and nutrition expert for the last 12 years I have seen many people make the same fitness and nutrition mistakes over and over. Many after all these years are still not being properly educated on the things they must do to see the best results in and outside of the gym or workout. Some are receiving the education but not applying it.
Over the next week I will be sharing the “The 5 Mistakes People Make at the Gym” If you take this information and apply it and correct these mistakes you could make some serious leaps with your fitness success. On the other hand if you just read them and think “That won’t work for me” you are probably right……………..because nothing will WORK UNLESS YOU DO.
Mistake #1- Doing only cardio and no resistance training
Ninety –Five percent of the people I work with, who contact me, or I talk to at the gym usually want to do one of 3 things:
1) Lose visible fat (not just weight)
2) Build Lean Muscle (or their words tone up)
3) Look and feel better (about themselves and in the mirror)
No matter your specific goals adding resistance training to your weekly workout is crucial for long term success. A proper resistance training program should be the foundation of any individual who wants to see results and changes in the way their body looks and feels. Resistance training if done properly and is balanced with the right nutrition is great for building and maintaining your lean muscle tissue. Your lean muscle tissue is literally your fat burning engine, without muscle your body can not even burn very much fat if any during your cardio/aerobic sessions. Muscle is an active tissue that can help your body burn calories all day long even at rest.
I am amazed how many people who contact me say they want to lose fat/weight yet they are training to run some 25k race. If your goal is to run that’s great but training for a marathon and losing fat/weight are two separate goals in which you must have two separate strategies and plans in place to be successful and each. One must also realize running long distance is not effective for long term fat loss (not just weight). Studies show excessive cardio can actually breakdown muscle and cause your body to store more fat in the long run. I have never met anyone who lost excessive amounts of fat and kept if off by just doing cardio. Sure you will burn lots of calories by running for 45 minutes then taking a cardio class for another hour afterward, yet it’s a seriously flawed strategy if you’re seeking the best possible results and having a very efficient fat burning workout.
I personally recommend that cardio sessions do not exceed 30-45 minutes if your main goal is fat loss. How much weight training should one do? I personally believe most need 3-4 days of weight/resistance training per week to see the maximum benefits. These benefits include increased lean muscle tissue, increase in metabolism, increased muscle strength and endurance, and increase in bone mass. The 1-2 days of resistance training per weeks is very common and a good start (some is better than none) yet it is not enough. If you go to the gym for an hour 3 times per week then 30 minutes of resistance training and 30 minutes of cardio is using that hour much more efficiently than just do cardio for one hour alone. Lift weight, use body resistance, challenge and protect your lean muscle and your body composition will thank you for it!
MISTAKE #2 Coming Soon!
Your Fitness and Nutrition Coach,
~David Modderman
Filed under Training, fitness, weight loss by on Feb 9th, 2011. Comment.
(some information referenced from Phil Kaplan’s article 2011 Mistakes)
Here are the fitness and nutrition mistakes most people will make in the first 2 weeks of January and beyond.
1. Going On A Fad Diet
Every New Year comes and people seem to start a diet. Whether it’s an extreme fad diet like detoxing your body, eating only soup or crackers or doing something that restricts calories like Weight Watchers, or South Beach. Following a “DIET” is a flawed approach. Most people fail to realize after all these years that any diet that restricts calories, or certain foods is doomed for failure! “BUT it worked for me before David! I lost 25 pounds on the Weight Watchers program.” My answer is well if it worked so well why aren’t you still doing it? And why are seeking me for help? 
Sure maybe a low calorie diet will help you lose weight temporary but how will it effect your body long term? And can you maintain it for the rest of your life? Most diets will destroy metabolism. All restrictive diets will fail What people need is a balanced supportive nutrition plan with the right amount of calories, that includes real natural foods. The most successful plans to follow are those that will not restrict calories and will provide everything your body needs to build lean muscle, increase metabolism and BURN fat like a machine.
2. They will overtrain or not train properly
Overtraining is extremely common.. It’s the curse of most New Years Resolutions. For most motivation is quite high, yet the body’s recovery ability is low. The first few days of January, most will arrive at the gym, lift weights, bust out a few rounds on the treadmill or elliptical, and then do a few crunches or pushups before bed. For a few days you’re motivated and sore. Then . . . just sore. Then . . . you skip a few days and the soreness retreats, but so does the motivation. You need recovery to see results yet you must also train correctly to see the best possible results. This bring us to mis-training. Mis-training is a little different.
I am amazed how many people I see or talk to who have certain specific goals of losing weight or building muscle yet they are doing all the wrong things to reach their goal. If your goal is fat loss (not just weight) you need to create the correct environment to burn fat. Balancing on a bosu ball, taking 2 minutes rest periods between sets, and doing 2 hours of cardio a day is the not the answer. Yet, people are doing/trying this methods everyday with no results. It’s about following the right amount and type of resistance training, moderate aerobic exercise, and eating the right foods to increase your metabolism. Creating the right calorie deficit (not excessive) and then getting adequate rest is crucial. One of the best you things you to get better results is to get off the weight machine circuit at the gym and start to use all your muscle groups like you move in the real world. You should be training your body how it moves in the real world and burning more calories. You don’t live in a stationary position so you should NOT exercise that way.
3. They will buy the latest fad supplement or weight loss drug on the market.
I will make this very clear there is not a drug or supplement that will burn fat without the help of the right exericse and the right nutrition. If anyone says this supplement “WILL WORK” they are lieing because no supplement or drug will work on it’s own. Don’t waste your money on drugs like “Alli” or stimulants that contain caffiene. Most supplements that contain caffiene or stimulants (fat burners) that are highly addictive and can actually increase body fat long term do to increasing your cortisol levels (stress hormone) The only supplement that most people need to aid them in losing weight is a good whole food vitamin. The reason? Most fail to get all the nutritients they need from their nutrition so a good whole food vitamin will fill in those gaps. What whole food vitamin do I recommend? You can find it by clicking here: Whole Food Vitamin
4. They’ll cut carbs and calories
What are Carbs? Are carbs even carbs anymore? There are so many things labeled ‘healthy that are not” Carbs are our bodies preferred energy source. Yet, most people think they need to be eliminated completely to lose weight. This is not a good idea carbs are used for fuel to give us energy and help spare our proteins for muscle recovery. Our body is a machine and carbs and are fuel for that human machines. What are calories? Calories are a unit of energy! Meaning if you are not eating enough your body will actually feed of your own muscle to supply it with the energy it needs. Most people do not realize how many calories they need to eat in order to lose fat and keep it off. Don’t cut carbs or calories if you are looking for a long term solution for fat loss.
5. They’ll still expect aerobic exercise to be the answer
Most physcians still tell their patients the best exercise is to “walk.” Women still tend gravitate toward aerobic exercise classes and shy away from weights. Men and women find biking, rollerblading or running enjoyable and they mistakenly assume it fully takes care of the exercise component. Unless your only goal is to get more effecient and running or biking, then aerobic exercise will never be enough you to reach your goals. Aerobic exercise though important is still just a piece of the fat loss puzzle. One needs to challenge and protect muscle (even building a little bit won’t hurt) through resistance training. Resistance training is the key to maintaining/increasing muscle and increasing ones metabolism. Not to mention increasing bone mass and strength.
6. They’ll make too much of a drastic change and step a little too far outside of their comfort levels
Maybe this is you……, You went out on New Year’s Eve knowing it’s going to be “the last time.” January 1st, or perhaps January 3rd (Monday), you’re going to stop drinking beer, stop eating pizza and desserts, workout every day, and think only positive thoughts. The positive thinking is a good step, but you’ve developed habits that are with you until they’re replaced by new behaviors. Trying to change everything all at once is most likely gonna set yourself up for failure. You need to have solid structured plan of progressive steps in place or most likely you will not move forward effectively. For most cravings try to drive you to what you’re body is used to. Reduction in caloric intake leads to energy compromise, and then, before you know it, you’re failing to recover.
What you NEED is a properly balanced nutrition and exercise plan where you can set realistic goals, and from there continue to progress with the lifestyle change you need. You’re health fitness should just not be a 12 week program or 60 day journey but a journey that includes the rest of your life.
Your Fitness and Nutrition Coach,
~David Modderman
Filed under Lifestyle, fitness, weight loss by on Jan 4th, 2011. Comment.
You must have a goal and focus point to see results!
Are you going to the gym or exercising every day just to maintain your current level of health and fitness? Or are you exercising everyday just to get into shape? If you want to see positive changes in your body just coming to the gym or “working out” probably will not be enough to see results. I see people everyday just working out with no plan in mind. Just because you are doing cardio doesn’t mean you are burning fat, and just because your lifting weights it doesn’t mean your building muscle. Cardio has the potential to burn fat as well as lifting weights has the potential to build muscle, but its not a given. If your nutrition is not in check and your not doing things the right way you can actually prime your body to burn muscle and store more fat! Yikes! All that effort of going to the gym and exercising at home could be in vain!
You should have a specific goal each time you plan to exercise. You should know what you will be doing, how much, for how long, and what you’re trying to accomplish that day, week, month, etc. A written plan of what you will be doing each day or that week could be very helpful. If you don’t have a goal then how will you know when you have reached the point where you are satisfied? If you are going to the gym just to “exercise” and go through the motions of a workout you might not be using your time very wisely.
You should have a specific goal whether it’s to build strength and muscle, strengthen your core, build endurance, or lose fat. These are all good goals but you must also make sure you are following a successful strategy (the Right Exercise and Nutrition) that will help you reach this specific goal. If your goal is fat loss following your typical low calorie diet with lots of aerobic activity could be the worst thing to do. One must build muscle first to effectively lose fat and keep it off. My recommendations are having a program designed specially for you or follow a program that is scientifically proven to get results. If your getting your workout or diet from a magazine or DVD you could be wasting your time thinking this program or diet will give you long term individual results.
Lastly, you must make sure you are changing the focus of your workout regularly, for example I have many of my clients focus on strength for 2 weeks, then endurance for 4 weeks, and fat loss for 4 weeks. Each phase we have a specific workout and nutrition plan designed specifically for this goal. Any program that you’re following the same focus point or goal for too long could be putting your body into a tailspin. The program’s my clients are following are constantly changing so their body cannot adapt to it. To see a summary of my programs please visit: REAL RESULTS PROGRAM
Having a specific goal and focus point is the only way to see continuous REAL results.
To Your Success,
Your Fitness and Nutrition Coach,
~David Modderman
Filed under Lifestyle, Training, fitness, weight loss by on Aug 5th, 2010. Comment.
For the next few months in Michigan it’s sunny and warm outside so why would you want to always do your workout inside in a hot and smelly gym?
Especially, when you can be outside enjoying yourself and your workout in the green grass and warm sunshine!
Most are surprised when I tell them how very little equipment you actually need to get a full body workout outside.
You can get a great workout outside in your own backyard and the park with just a few basic moves and with equipment you can find at almost any park. You can even workout outside with your kids and family and have fun!
I recently appeared on Grand Rapids own WZZM Channel 13′s “Take Five and Company” to discuss this very thing.
You can watch the video below:
Or email subscribers you can view it by clicking here: PARK WORKOUT
Do You Want To Get An Outdoor workout designed specially for you?
Do you want to get a GREAT workout in the park?
Contact me today for more information!
Your Fitness and Nutrition Coach,
~David Modderman
david@davidmodderman
Filed under Training, fitness by on Jul 19th, 2010. Comment.
Everyone has 15-20 minutes a day to workout you just have to schedule it in as part of your day and make it a TOP priority in your life! Watch the video below to see how you can get a quick super set full body workout in just 20 mins or less per day. No excuses!
Filed under Training, fitness, weight loss by on Sep 1st, 2009. Comment.
After a long day at work……..
Or a long day of taking care of the kids……
We have all said this before: “I’m too tired to work out”
Can you be too tired to workout?
Yes and no…….if your sleep deprived yes..if your just tired from a long day no….
Exercise will actually increase your metabolism and your body temperature..this will lead to a increase in energy and alertness.
I have never heard anyone after a great workout say…”Why did I do that?”
But I have heard plenty of people say: “I’m too tired to workout”
“If you’re too tired to workout then you’re too tired to sleep on the couch and watch television!”
Working out will give you energy……laying on the couch will make you more tired!
Your Fitness and Nutrition Coach
~David Modderman
Filed under Training, fitness, weight loss by on Dec 10th, 2008. Comment.
