Staying fit and getting healthy is not a five-minute job. It can take weeks to notice any results, and even longer if you aren’t carrying out exercises correctly. If you’ve decided to include weights into your workout to help with staying fit and building strength, then you might be making these mistakes.

You Tire Yourself Out with Cardio First

Including cardio in your workout regime is a good idea, but there has to be a healthy balance if you’re also weight training. Many people spend a significant amount of time doing cardio workouts, leaving weight training to almost be an afterthought. If you’ve tired yourself out with too much cardio, you’re less likely to put as much effort into weight training. Next time you work out, start with weight training before moving on to cardio and see if you notice a difference in your stamina.

You Rush

By speeding through your weight reps, you may think you’re able to build muscles in a shorter space of time, but momentum is helping the clock rather than benefiting your body. If you don’t slow down and let your muscles expand and contract, you’re not able to benefit from the weight training nearly as much. Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to using weights.

You Don’t Warm Up

Before you carry out any exercises, you need to warm up your muscles. Weight training is no exception to the rule. If you don’t warm your muscles up before tackling those heavy weights, you are more at risk of injury. What’s more, you may find your muscles aren’t as flexible either. Before you pick up those weights, do some arm stretches. You can get the blood flowing and be ready for action.

You Hold Your Dumbbells Wrong

Believe it or not, there’s a right and wrong way to hold your dumbbells, and it can make all the difference when you’re looking at staying fit. While some people tend to put their thumb away from their fingers as they curl their hands around the dumbbell, it should, in fact, form a fist. If you bend the weight towards your arms, you’re at risk of wrist strain. Instead, keep your wrists straight and your thumb underneath your fingers under the handle component.

You Haven’t Mastered Breathing

It’s an everyday necessity but breathing while you’re weight training is different to breathing in daily life. As you lift a weight, you need to exhale through your mouth then, as you lower it, inhale through your nose. By adopting this method, oxygen is better equipped to get to your muscles which need it at that very moment.

Using weights doesn’t have to be complicated, but if you don’t learn a few quick ways of using them correctly, you may not receive the full benefits they have to offer. Take note of these tips and notice the difference in your weight training routine.