5 things every man gets wrong

5 THINGS EVERY MAN GETS WRONG

Arranged by: Paresh P. Panshikar

From eating the wrong foods to working

out for the wrong amount of time, there

are lots of things men get wrong when it

comes to diet and fitness. Here are five

fitness mistakes you may be making and

tips on how to stop

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Studies show that men who regularly ... more Next

Abs mistakes you make

A rock-hard, defined six-pack is

something most men strive for. If you

want a killer six-pack make sure you don’t

skip your cardio sessions. Many men do

when they are trying to get a six-pack, yet

cardio training will help you lose that layer

of fat that is currently disguising your

abdominal muscles. Try to do between

three and six aerobic training sessions a

week,

spending between 20 to 60 minutes per

session doing these exercises. By doing

this you will get rid of stored calories and

eventually lose that belly fat that’s

stopping you from getting the six-pack of

your dreams.

Another mistake men make when it

comes to their abs is to do with the

amount of time they spend working out.

A study conducted by the University of

Arkansas found that those people who

worked hard for short periods of time

lost more abdominal fat in three months

than those that worked less hard, but for

longer.  So if you’ve been committing to

long sessions, think about cutting back

and doing more in less time. Supersets

or interval training are perfect exercises

to try if you want to give this a go.

Weightlifting mistakes you make

To get all of the benefits out of weightlifting you

need to make sure you are taking breaks between

your sets. If you do not take breaks, or don’t take

breaks for long enough, you won’t get the most

out of your body or the session.

This is because rest periods between sets

allow your phosphagen levels to recover,

which in turn enables you to have more

muscular force when you next lift

compared to if you had not rested.

Similarly, long rest periods (between

three to five minutes long) are thought to

be good for those lifting heavy weights

because a longer rest period can result in

higher testosterone levels.

So, rest periods are great because they allow

your phosphagen and testosterone levels to

recover, which means you are able to lift more for

longer. If you are going to start taking rests

between sets make sure you change the amount of

time you rest for to suit the exercise you are doing,

as different lifts require different breaks.

Diet mistakes you make

If you don’t eat enough protein you

are making a big diet mistake. Every

man needs protein. In fact it is

recommended that men should eat 56

grams of protein each day and the

Institute of Medicine suggests at least 10

per cent of your daily calories should

derive from protein sources. Protein is so

important because it is responsible for

maintaining and building muscles.

It also keeps you feeling fuller for

longer. This means you won’t be so

tempted to snack on unhealthy foods

between meals and need to eat less at

meal times. Meat, fish, eggs, cottage

cheese and nuts are all excellent sources

of protein. Be careful though, too much

protein can negatively affect key body

parts, such as your liver or your kidneys,

so stick to that 56 gram recommendation.

Another diet mistake you may be

making is skipping red meat altogether.

In recent years there has been a lot of

bad press around red meat and many

believe it to be an unhealthy option. Yet

red meat contains lots of nutrients and

minerals that we need.

For example, red meat is very high in

iron and with new trimming techniques it

has been found that red meat is leaner

than it has been in the past. Although you

shouldn’t eat too much red meat (the

World Cancer Research Fund found that we

should not eat more than 500g of red meat

each week) a nice, fresh steak or a pork

dish now and again can be good for you.

Running mistakes you make

Most runners worry about the effect

running can have on their bodies, in

particular their knees.  If you’re one such

runner and you work out on a treadmill in

an effort to avoid the negative side

effects running on harder surfaces can

have on your body, you are making a

running mistake. Running on a treadmill

does not put less strain on your knees.

Instead of using a treadmill you should mix

your running sessions with other cardio-

based exercises, such as cycling or

swimming. Varying your workouts will help

reduce risk of injury and wear.

Another running mistake you may

make is running steadily in all of your

sessions. Running steadily is great for

your endurance, but it doesn’t help

you to run faster and you need to mix

up your sessions, running some

steadily and some quickly. Interval

training is the perfect way to mix up

your running workouts and ensure you

progress.

Stretching mistakes you make

Do you stretch before a workout? If you do then you’re

doing something wrong. Stretching before a workout

is not beneficial and can damage your body. This is

because stretching destabilises your muscles and

therefore if you are doing an exercise that requires a

certain level of stability, such as weightlifting, then

you will struggle. Equally, stretching prior to a workout

is bad because your muscles are cold and inelastic,

meaning that stretching them could result in an injury.

Instead of stretching before your

workout you should stretch

afterwards and do a warm-up before

rather than stretching – your muscles

will be grateful.

Shocked at what you’ve found out?

Here are 10 more health mistakes

you might be making.