Do not worry, you are probably not the only one making these common mistakes, the mistakes would not be common if you are the only one making them.  It is important to address the mistakes that people make while working out, because it can save those people from injury.

So here is a list of common mistakes that you should you should definitely avoid.

• Not Warming Up – It is important to warm up before a workout.  Your muscles are being demanded of when you workout, so it is a good idea to warm the muscles up before running or lifting.  If you are going on a long distance run, you should lightly jog or walk first, then stretch after the warm up.
• Not Stretching – Stretching should be done after you warm up the muscles a little bit, you should never stretch with cold muscles.  Another mistake people make with stretching is that they only do it before their workout, but stretching should be done before the workout and after the workout.  Stretching will help you avoid tears or pulled muscles and ligaments.
• Not Enough Water – I do not understand how people make this mistake, because I love drinking water when I workout.  Water help rejuvenate and re-hydrate your body.  Water should be the primary fluid that you put in your body, only people who are doing workouts for more than two hours should think about using a sport drinks like Gatorade, to get proper nutrition that your body demands during long workouts.  DRINK WATER!!
• Lifting Too Much Weight – A lot of beginners make this mistake, they start off with too much weight and end up injuring themselves, because their muscles have not gotten used to the routine yet.  Muscles need time to adapt to a weight lifting workout before you go all gun-hoe on it.  Your strength will come gradually.  Lifting to much weight is also a common mistake at gyms, because you want to impress the people around you.
• Bad Form – There are a few reasons why good form is needed during your workouts.  First, bad form can cause you to injure yourself, which usually takes a long time to recover from.  Secondly, bad form causes you to use muscles you do not want to target, so pretty much you are cheating yourself.  Thirdly, by keeping good form you will ensure that you are working out that whole muscle instead of just part of it, causing better results.  Bad form usually happens when the muscles fatigue.
• No Cool Down - We are always so rushed and pressed for time, but when you are working out there should not be a mad rush for the door.  Take your time, after a vigorous workout, allow your heart rate to come down and do some stretches.

So now you have no excuse on why you should ever make these mistakes again!  Now you know, and like the old G.I. Joe public announcements used to say “Knowing is half the battle.”