Training your Body to lose some weight and gain muscles require not only practice but enough awareness of whether you’ve been doing the right things or not. You don’t just have a health goal and copy what others are doing. If you do, you are more likely to do things that bring you to nowhere or even injure yourself in the process.

Doing the wrong things since day one could never get you to your weight loss goals no matter how dedicated you can be in your training. If you’re training in the gym, your fitness instructor might have told you about the do’s and don’ts of working out. But if you don’t have one, you might find this article helpful.

Read on and see if you’re guilty of doing the wrong things in your weight loss practice. And take note, these mistakes are likely to lead you to lose muscle instead of fat.

Restricting your diet to avoid gaining weight.

When your daily routine involves lifting weights, your body needs enough calories to burn and be converted into a muscle.

Limiting your diet is only applicable if you’re not doing heavy workouts. Without an ample amount of calories, your body gets it as a signal to lose muscle tissue and spare the fat to be used as fuel should your body needs energy.

You should not restrict yourself by eating less caloric food. If your health goals include gaining muscles, get enough protein and carbs in your diet.

Working out on an empty stomach.

There have been debates on whether you should work out on an empty or full stomach. The answer is, it depends on your body type and the kind of exercise you do.

Studies show that obese or overweight guys respond more positively to fasted exercise compared to their physically fit male counterparts. These male subjects walked on an empty stomach for 60 minutes and their bodies turned on certain genes that increased their rate of burning stored fat.

However, if your daily routine involves lifting weights or treadmill, starting out on an empty stomach is not a good idea. When you do, your cortisol will rise and lead to burning muscle tissue instead of calories.

Working your body to exhaustion.

Working out in a gym where you see lots of guys with trophy muscles can inspire you to achieve the same muscle mass. Sure, that’s your goal but you don’t have to do it all at once.

You may feel powerful and strong as you start building those muscles, yet when you push yourself beyond your limits, your muscles will get weaker until you exhaust yourself. Your muscles require adequate time to rest and recover fully.

Sticking only to isolation workouts.

Chest and other body part routines can overwork some of your muscles and neglect the others. While isolation exercises give your focus only on one area and help you find the proper technique, this can create an imbalance as the neglected muscles fail to match the strength of the well-developed ones.

Failing to keep your motion and body aligned can lead to pain and injury.

Eliminating stretches.

Never neglect to do some stretches before your routines as it helps to speed up recovery and improve your performance. Stretches make your routines much easier and less tiring. It also allows more blood flow to your muscles, bringing nourishment while eliminating byproducts from the muscle tissue.

You’re more required to do some stretches when you lift weights as they can keep your muscles from getting tight and feeling painful or uncomfortable.

Failing to eat on time.

Not eating on time is bad for your daily routine as well. When your body feels starved, it slows your metabolism and is likely to store fat after you eat.

If you’re working out, don’t allow three hours to pass without munching on something. You don’t need to eat heavy meals. Munching on fiber filled foods like banana or almond is enough to keep your body feeling at its best.

Repeating the same routine.

As you progress in your workout, your muscles can adapt to your routines. Achieving the muscle mass you set for yourself should not be the end of your training. You don’t need to stick to the same routine repeatedly because your muscles need to get challenged to keep them the same size and gain new muscle strength. You can keep losing weight by changing your routines every four to six weeks.

Training only your upper muscles.

While the upper body muscles are more visible than the lower parts, it doesn’t mean you need to focus your routines only in these areas. Much of your musculature is found in your legs, which means you should workout this muscles too. Failing to train these muscles can lead to muscle imbalances and even injury.

Failing to recharge after a workout.

After every workout, make sure you replenish what you’ve lost. You need to recharge and refuel yourself for immediate recovery. Replenishing your body the glycogen it lost provides your body the nutrients it needs to repair the muscles and develop new ones.

Some of the best foods to eat right after a workout include grilled chicken with roasted veggies, egg omelet, salmon, sweet potato, tuna, whey protein, oatmeal, and fruits. These foods are loaded with carb and proteins that restore glycogen stores and enhance your muscle recovery.

Failing to get enough rest.

Aside from working out, your body exerts effort on your other daily tasks and could get weak when you don’t get enough rest and sleep. Sleep is the body’s best tool to heal and repair itself.

The success of your training depends largely on your recovery time, especially when you do prolonged or strength training. Your recovery period depends on the kind of training you do.

It’s of vital importance then to gain enough knowledge of the kind of physical training you’re going to pursue. Before indulging on intense training, make sure to do some research about it in detail including the recovery period to ensure you’re getting the best out of your training.

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