5 Fat Burning Exercise Mistakes: A Beginner's Guide

 If you're new to the world of exercise, or are about to start a new weight loss or fat loss program, this one is for you. Five fat burning exercise mistakes. And, how to correct them. 

Now let's clarify something very quickly. 

 I will not be diving into diet for this article. Yes, diet and nutrition is important. In fact, it is crucial for a successful weight loss or fat loss program. However, the common mistakes listed below, are specific to exercise. We'll get to nutrition later. 

Let's dive in!

Fat Burning Exercise Mistake #1: Doing endless crunches and sit-ups or, spot reduction: 

 I see this all of the time. People want to start losing weight, specifically around their stomach, so they start doing loads of crunches. Big mistake! Crunches may help build some muscle, but without training correctly and burning fat, you're actually just going to get bigger.  You see, since the muscle is hidden under the fat, you may be getting those ab muscles nice and strong, but you will never see them until you melt the fat.  Instead, try starting with compound exercises, like squats, kettlebell swings, bench press movements, rows, or pull-ups. Don't worry, there are beginner versions of these exercises. However, the reason compound exercises are a better way to go is because they activate more than one muscle group at once. This results in the ability to lift heavier loads, build more lean muscle, and ultimately burn more calories and fat. Plus, many compound exercises activate your core, so you will still be doing ab exercises, of a sort. Worried about getting too big if you are building muscle? Don't be! You may put on a little weight the first week or so, but, per my article Training for Fat Loss: Optimizing for Goals, from last week, as you gain more lean muscle, you will start burning more calories, and the fat will begin to melt off. 

Fat Burning Exercise Mistake #2: Doing only cardio:

 Another common fat burning exercise mistake I see is doing cardio only. People can spend hours on the treadmill and burn calories. But are they burning fat? Well, only to a point. Too much cardio can lead to using protein for energy. This can result in loss of lean muscle. And remember up above, where I said lean muscle helps boost the metabolism and ultimately burns fat? Yup, too much cardio is not the answer to losing fat. Instead, be sure to incorporate strength training. This will help lose fat more quickly. 

Fat Burning Exercise Mistake #3: Always lifting the same weights:

A lot of beginners may feel the burn already using light weights, and so they stick to what they are comfortable with. Day in and day out, they pick up the same ten-pound weight or put a pin in the same weight slot on the machine. But by doing this, you're not getting any stronger, and any progress you may have seen in the beginning will become stagnant. Thus, you plateau. And, there may be a good chance you become discouraged about not seeing results and stop going to the gym all together. This is why there is always an increase of gym goers at New Year's, and then come March or so, the traffic at the gym falls off.  If you're not building muscle, then you are only maintaining it or perhaps even losing it. Remember, more lean muscle equals more calories burned. Working out should create resistance. If you can easily do more than 5 reps on a specific weight, then it is time to increase that weight. You don't have to go up much. But, in order to see progress, you do need to increase those weights. 

Fat Burning Exercise Mistake #4: Never changing your workout routine:

 Similar to never increasing your weights, is the common mistake of never changing your workout routines. Our muscles have something called muscle memory. They remember what we do, and become used to it, and good at it. In order to push our muscles, we have to change things up. Otherwise, not only will you be good at only that one exercise, but you will plateau. What you change can vary. Try changing the angle at which you work your muscle group. Or, switch to a different machine. Perhaps you like the specific exercise you are doing, and don't want to change it just yet. No problem. Instead, change the weight, or even the speed. It becomes a very different exercise when you go from a fast rep, to an extremely slow one. To keep seeing progress, I recommend changing your routines slightly at least every 3-4 weeks. 

Fat Burning Exercise Mistake #5: Lack of intensity:

 Have you ever seen someone at the gym peddling along the recumbent bike, nice and slow while reading a book? I know I have! In fact, I've even been that person on occasion. Although, not intentionally.  Let's put it this way, while it's better to be at the gym doing something, versus just sitting on the couch watching tv, you have to put in the work. Working out to burn fat is not supposed to be easy. It should be hard! Your heart rate should be up, in the fat burning zone. If you're just going to go through the motions, it's better to at least go outside for a nice walk. You will actually burn more calories on a walk, than you will barely moving on a recumbent bike. Make sure that when you work out, your heart rate is up, and you are getting something out of it. Otherwise, take a rest day and try again the next day. For more fat loss tips and tricks, be sure to check out HIIT for Fat Loss: How to Burn More Fat in Less Time.  

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for anything that may happen to you as a result of following one of my editorials or comments. It is always recommended that you consult a doctor and nutritionist before trying something new.