Your Biggest Muscle Mistake

by Kris Pitcher

I know that in my spy training, at the spy museum in Washington DC, I was taught to vary my route as not to be followed. Well, let's just say I would be made in a matter of minutes. My patterns are pretty predictable.

While I may not make a good spy, although you might want to watch your six just in case, I do vary my workout routine. And that is most people's biggest muscle mistake. Doing the same exercises all the time.

There are a couple of things going on. We do what we're comfortable with. And we're lazy exercisers. Now that you're done denying it, go on and admit that you just want to get in there and get it over with as fast as you can.

We consistently go to the exercises we are familiar with, to the ones we know and are comfortable with. The problem with this is we are not challenging our muscles. We need variety and different stimulus in order to progressively challenge and grow. So, give up the leg press and do something you haven't done for a while like squats, or stationary lunges, or single leg press...or anything different. Change it up.

I'm sorry I called you lazy, but you just never want to try new things. You don't want to step outside your comfort zone. This is where enlisting the help of a professional trainer is a really smart idea. That person is there to push you, to get you to do the exercises you avoid and to make you work hard on your least favorite body part.

The problem with these big muscle mistakes is you never see any progress. Change things up and get yourself to increase your intensity in order to shake off any spies who might be on your tail.

OK, maybe there aren't any spies on your tail in the gym (that you know of), but these things will help you make some progress and reach some new goals.