6 mistakes you’re making in your HIIT class

Barry’s master trainer, Alex Castro, gives tips on how to get the most out of your workout – and the common mistakes to avoid from not lifting heavy enough to skimping on recovery…

1. GOING HARD EVERY TIME

One of the most common mistakes is going too hard every time you take a class. Not even the fittest of people go 100% every training session. The simplest way I put it to my clients is that you don’t drive a car at full speed all the time. You have moments where you slow down and cruise. In the long run, it’s the car that has had a mixture of both that lasts the longest and goes the most miles. Listen to your body.

2. GOING TOO LIGHT

Going light has a time and place but whether you’re a man or a woman, going heavy will benefit you massively. Strength is the core of fitness. As they say, only the strong will survive and in many ways this is true. Even with endurance athletes, the strength training behind the scenes contributes a great deal to their success.

3. GOING TOO OFTEN

At Barry’s, we recommend you take regular rest days because this is a critical part of making progress. This can be hard for some people to do when they see such significant results from all their hard work. But believe me, to be your best you will really benefit from one or two days of rest. Our weekly schedule at Barry’s is specifically designed to target different muscle groups depending on the day to avoid overuse.

4. NOT FUELLING PROPERLY

Fuelling your training properly is key to achieving your goals. Under eat and you may feel like you lose weight faster or become leaner – but being able to sustain that lifestyle is difficult. You will slowly find yourself under-performing in classes, which in the long term has a negative effect on your results.

Overeat and you won’t see the changes you may want and in the long term you will open the door to an array of possible health issues. At Barry’s we have collaborated with a certified nutritionist to develop a Fuel Bar menu offering recovery shakes to meet all fitness goals.

5. NOT STRETCHING

Yes I said it! I’m that guy who says please remember to stretch, foam roll and spend some time on your mobility. We put a lot of pressure on our bodies during training and the least we can do is spend a bit of time massaging out all the knots and working on keeping our mobility on point. Try to at least hold stretches for 30-40 seconds, longer if you can after each session. Every little bit helps.

6. NOT DRINKING ENOUGH WATER

This sounds like an obvious one but like its position on the list, it’s often the last thing people think about. Most people know to take water into the session – but how much are you drinking after you’re done? Depending on how hard you’re working I recommend around 1 litre per session, gradually sipping another litre over the next two hours after your session.

Barry’s has opened its eighth UK studio in Soho, London. To book visit www.barrys.com

By Sam

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