Gym goers are forgetting these three basic fitness tips and it’s holding them back

You'll be surprised how few people include these in their routine

When it comes to achieving your fitness goals, the worst thing you can do is enter the gym without a plan. These three basic fitness tips deliver consistent results, but they could be missing from your workout plan. The three areas in question are compound lifts, mobility and form. It is surprising just how many gym routines forget these basic rules, so why are they so effective? We asked Steve Ahern, personal trainer and musclefood.com's diet and fitness programme Do The Unthinkable, to elaborate. By incorporating compound lifts into your workout, you will stimulate several muscle groups at once, ensuring a more time-efficient and effective workout. Mobility is also an important area which should always be considered when putting together your workout plan. Ahern said: "Every workout is unique to the individual as everyone has different goals, motivations and potentially injuries which they have to be careful around. "However, there are three areas which everyone – including personal trainers – should be concentrating on when they spend time in the gym." These are the three fitness tips Ahern says everyone should be focusing on in the gym:

1. Compound lifts

Compound lifts are exercises where you use more than one muscle group at the same time. Exercises such as squats, deadlifts, bent over rows and bench presses are great examples of these. The bench press, for example, builds your chest, triceps and shoulders all in one. It means you can save time in the gym as you stimulate more muscle groups in a shorter amount of time. [caption id="attachment_228073" align="alignnone" width="1400"] Mark Wahlberg includes mobility and yoga work into his gym routine. So why don't you? (Photo: Getty)[/caption]

2. Mobility

Mobility is key to everything you do in a gym – and is something even personal trainers are guilty of neglecting. Common mobility essentials include yoga poses such as child's pose, warrior pose and downward dog. Including these in your workout will help you lift heavier weight, avoid injuries and improve posture.

3. Form

Leave any ego you have at the door of the gym. Pay special attention to your form when completing any exercises, whether you're going heavy in the squat rack or performing press-ups on the floor. The basics include keeping your back straight and abdominal muscles tight when lifting. It can be helpful to train with a partner who can keep an eye on your form, and vice versa, whilst you're doing exercises. Many people might think recording yourself lifting is d*ckhead behaviour and pure vanity, but who cares what they think? It is a useful tool for self-analysis. And you can send your footage to a coach or experienced trainer to feedback with ease.