3 ways you’re wasting your workout

Are your workouts not working?

Unfortunately, just going to the gym isn't enough to guarantee results.  You must have plan.  Walking around with a towel on your shoulder, high-fiving your body-building buddies and watching sports highlights between reps may build your social muscles, but in the workout world, you are wasting precious toning time.  Here are the top three mistakes to avoid at your next sweat session:

Smooth Operator.  While smartphones offer helpful toning tools like workout apps and music to keep you motivated, they can also become a huge distraction.  Rings, bings, updates, texts, calls - when your attention wanders from your workout to your phone screen, you are wrecking the flow of your routine.  In order to burn calories effectively and efficiently, your heart rate must stay elevated.  Otherwise, your caloric expenditure drops and so does your safety level.  Averting your eyes from your routine increases the likelihood of falls and injuries due to poor concentration and a lack of control and balance.

The bottom line: Save the emails and conversations for later.  Don't let your smartphone dumb down your workout.

Cardio Conundrum.  Cardio plays an instrumental role in heart health and weightloss.  While cardio exercise is valuable, too much can lead to injuries and damaged joints.  Unless you are training for a marathon, or channeling your inner Forrest Gump, there is no reason to run for miles and miles.

If crushing a five-mile course is a cinch, yet sprinting up the stairs leaves you gasping for air, try incorporating interval training to your workout to amplify your aerobic and anaerobic fitness levels.  By adding 30 minutes of interval training three times each week, you can increase your strength, muscle definition and endurance with quick bursts of cardio and resistance.

Working on Your Weaknesses.  Does your fitness routine focus solely on your strengths?  We don't like to stray from what we know.  It's for that reason that bicep curls and bench presses dominate so much of our workout time, while squats and lunges are often neglected.  Try focusing on your fragile zones.  If you lack core strength, or suffer from tight hips, addressing these areas is crucial for balancing and building your body.  Always challenge yourself.  If you are guilty of sticking with what feels safe and secure, you will never see the results you desire.

If you want to hit your goals, you must mend your mistakes.

Earn it.

To learn more about personal training options and Ashley's new virtual workout program, which can be done from the comfort of your home, visit ashleyblakefitness.com.

Read more Sports Doc for Sports Medicine and Fitness.