I have been a personal trainer since about 1998. During this time I have seen many people succeed. They lost the weight they wanted to lose, gained the muscle they wanted, performed in their sport and accomplished other great goals. But what is even more striking is that I have seen more people fail than succeed. I remember one statistic a couple of years back that said that about 60-70% of people will stop after about 2 months after embarking on their quest to fitness. The reasons: They failed to accomplish their goals, got hurt, or simply hated it.

The numbers in personal training are probably better but I would dare say that the percentage of people is still too high. Especially considering that a lot of them are spending a good buck to accomplish their goals. So what can we as trainers, coaches, or people seeking fitness do differently?

First we need to identify the mistakes that are being made, again and again. Second we need to realize that only we are responsible for our future. We are adults. There is no parent anymore making decisions for us. It is us. You…and me!

I am digressing. These are the mistakes that I frequently see. This list is far from complete but probably contains the most prevalent mistakes:

Mistakes That Lead to Failure:

1. Setting Goals to High: Losing 30 lbs in 2 or 3 months is not doable for most of us. We did not gain it in 2-3 months, so don’t expect to lose it. Is it possible? Yes, absolutely but most of us are not willing to restrict ourselves that much, or are willing out to work out that much. The same is for gaining muscle mass or improving sports performance. Training takes time, the body adapts over time, not overnight.
2. Lying to Yourself: We all do it sometimes. Some of us more than others. Be honest with yourself. It is okay if you don’t want to work out, eat healthy foods. Be honest with your training, your nutrition, with yourself and others. It is the first step to success.
3. The Do It Yourself Approach: Your lawyer is doing your legal work, your accountant your taxes. Do you really know what to do to accomplish your goals, or do you read a magazine with a huge dude on the front that tells you how to do it, or a woman with a body that is only accomplishable with digital manipulation? Have a professional set you up with a program for $100-250, if you don’t want to work one on one with them.
4. Not listening to the person that you have hired to help you. Nothing worse than hiring an expert and then not listening to them.
5. Thinking that working out can make up for bad eating and drinking habits – Enough said.
6. Going as hard as possible – This is a terrible one, because results might occur initially which will support this approach but injuries often happen down the road. You have to start at your level and make sure that your form is good.
7. Cruising – If you can read  a magazine on cardio equipment you are not working hard enough.
8. Believing that all you need to do to lose body fat is cardio – Research shows pretty clearly that a combination of strength training and cardiovascular training is considerably better at facilitating fat loss.
9. Doing the same routine over and over again and expecting different results, also the definition of insanity, lol. Change your training in regular 3-5 week intervals.
10. Spending hours in the gym – Go to the gym, do your thing and leave. Most people waste time and don’t get a lot of things done.
11. Thinking you don’t need a break – The body actually repairs itself and gets stronger while you are having a break and rest.

Conclusion:

Plan your training based on your goals and abilities. Make sure to give your body enough recovery time. Eat healthy foods and keep the overall food intake in moderation.

If you need help with your training or fitness level, please let me know if I can help.

Michael