Despite all the best intentions in the world we are all still human and thus are susceptible to folly. Over the course of this short article we will cover five of the most common pitfalls that lead to people either getting in the way of their own success or loosing motivation and giving up.

Gold fish Syndrome

This for a lot of people is a big one. You have been following the same programme for a few weeks but you have already grown tired of doing the same thing week in and week out.

Unfortunately fitness is a cumulative progress that requires a sufficient time to build through exposing yourself to similar exercise protocols over an extended period of time.

Depending on your previous exercise history (also known as training age) you will have to stick to a certain exercise protocol for different periods of time to adapt to it and reap the benefits of your endeavours. With beginners requiring a longer time and advanced trainees adapting quicker and thus requiring shorter periods of similar training.

Off setting tedium is an important factor in keeping your self motivated so for this reason introducing blocks of training is a good idea. A block of training can be defined as periods of time were you stick to a planned programme of exercise.

As a rule of thumb you should stick to these block durations.

· Beginners (those who have been engaged in an exercise protocol for less than 12 months) 8-12 weeks.

· Intermediate (those who have been involved with an exercise protocol for 12-36 months) 4-6 weeks.

· Advanced (those who have been involved with an exercise protocol for 36+ months) 4 weeks.

I want that one!

People see the new workout posted in an exercise magazine or website and decide yep this is just what I need! Is it really?

Just like in life during exercise honesty is always the best policy. Only by being honest with your self and your current situation can you best choose the approach that will get you the best results. For some people this may involve hiring a personal trainer for an objective and informed opinion on your needs. For others this will involve taking a long hard look in the mirror and being brutally honest.

If you are 40%+ body fat and are just starting the latest men’s health workout or celebrity endorsed training programmes are not what you need. You need to look at what you are doing at the minute be honest and modify it appropriately.

By cutting out the three pizzas a day and replacing them for healthy foods you will affect your current situation in a positive way a lot quicker then by doing one legged kettle bell squats on a bosu ball.

Not the place to start.

Too Much Too soon.

A very common pitfall especially for those beginning or just getting back into regular exercise is to try and exercise far too much. For someone who is just starting up again 2-3 days a week is perfectly adequate for the first 12 weeks at the very least. As you get fitter and your recovery ability improves you will be able to fit in more sessions without burning out.

But as you start a moderate and measured approach is by far the best policy this will allow you to maintain a decent level of intensity while you are at the gym and stop you from burning out and becoming disheartened.

Paying too much attention to the scale

Although bodyweight is by far the most common measurement used by people to describe their physical shape it is far from being the only or the best gauge to your current physical condition.

Obese according to scale weight and BMI

Bodyweight is a gross measurement of mass which does not account for where that mass comes from. It can come from muscle, bone, organs, water, fat or a rucksack full of rocks on your back. Weight alone does not paint a full picture of how you are put together, that is why it is a good idea to take it in conjunction with the following measurements.

· Waist, upper arm, chest, hips and thigh circumference.

· Body fat %.

· How you look in the mirror.

Placing all of your attention to weight loss could lead to you trying to drop gross weight too fast. This will make you more likely to drop muscle mass and body fat together which may leave you more susceptible to a rebound in your body fat percentage in the future.

Believing the hype.

Last but not least buying into exercise or diet fads. What ever is in vogue in the world of celebrity gossip magazines, exercise dvds, diet books or infomercials should be taken with a large grain of salt 99.9% of the time. Anything that promises an easy route out or comes along with a claim of reaching your end goal in a time frame that seems too good to be true is too good to be true.

Not to be the harbinger of bad news but nothing in life worth getting is ever easy. If the claims of these marketing schemes panned out don’t you think everybody would be walking around with “hawt abz!”?

Question everything and never take someone at face value especially when they have a pony tale, are wearing spandex, are swinging about on a metal cross trainer and are talking to you via the medium of the early morning infomercial. But wait there’s more!

The principals you need to apply to achieve your fitness goals are simple enough to understand and follow. The hard part comes in dedicating yourself to the long term goal of achieving something worth while. The road may be long and more difficult for some but the view from the top is more than worth it.