You know that regular cardiovascular and strength-training workouts offer a host of benefits, including a longer life with less risk of many chronic diseases, better stamina and stronger bones, muscles and connective tissue. So it might seem reasonable to assume that any exercise program is good for you. In general, any exercise is better than none, but poorly designed or implemented exercise programs do have a few disadvantages.
No Challenge
If you're still using the same dumbbells you started with a year after you began weight training or walking at the same speed on the treadmill for the same period of time, something is wrong. Your exercise program should grow with you, continuing to challenge your ever-developing abilities without ever exceeding them. Pick one variable of your exercise program -- often broken down as how frequently you work out, how intensely you exercise, how long you work out for or what type of exercise you're doing -- and adjust that variable slightly as needed so each workout is an attainable challenge.
Plateaus
Even if you've been upping your workout intensity regularly, you might still find yourself at a plateau. Plateaus typically happen when your body has adapted so well to your current regimen that it makes further adaptations -- read: improved fitness -- slowly if at all. Switching exercise routines every few weeks helps you avoid the dreaded plateau, and cross-training, or mixing new activities into your routine, can help you overcome the plateau.
Overtraining
Even when you're mixing and matching exercise programs or cross-training, if you don't take enough rest days, you could be at risk of overtraining. Overtraining has a number of possible symptoms, including reduced concentration or performance, loss of motivation, irritability, altered resting heart rate and slower-than-usual recovery times. Periodization, or mixing planned periods of intense exercise and rest, is an effective way of reducing your risk of overtraining and also improves your performance. Remember, your muscles get stronger between workouts, not during them.
No Modifications
There's no way for a "canned" exercise program you got out of a book or online to address your individual concerns. Whether you're recovering post-surgery or from an orthopedic injury, you might need to substitute some exercises for others that won't aggravate your current condition. Each person's strength varies greatly, so you might also need easier versions of some exercises and harder versions of others. Either work with a trainer or a workout buddy, or educate yourself, to make the correct adaptations for these and other common conditions, such as pregnancy, high blood pressure or obesity.
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