5 things every man gets wrong
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Regarding health and exercise, dietTRANSCRIPT
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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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.