ARE you all sweat and no gain?

If you're always down the gym but you're not seeing the results you should be, you could be committing one of these workout cardinal sins.

We speak to exercise experts who reveal what you should (and definitely should not) be doing.

Running fails

Nick Antoniades, running technique coach at Therunningschool.co.uk, explains what to avoid when you’re pounding the pavements.

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1 Jogging to warm up

Most injuries occur in the first 10 minutes of a run because people either launch straight into it or just jog a bit to warm up.

By doing this, you’re not giving your running muscles a chance to get ready, which leads to calf or hamstring strains.

Spend five minutes doing high knees, star jumps, squats and marching on the spot to warm up the glutes (muscles in your bum) and leg muscles.

2 Over-striding

Leaning forwards too much can lead to lower-back strain and calf ache.

Imagine a balloon is attached to your head and lifting you up.

Good posture also prevents over-stride – you want your feet to land under your centre of gravity, not in front of your body.

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3 Swinging your arms around

Getting your arm position right is important as arms improve speed, and focusing on them can help you move efficiently.

Bend them 90 degrees at the elbow, then imagine you’re taking a sweet from your pocket and putting it in your mouth – that’s how you want your arms to drive back and forth as you run.

4 Running on your quads

Most people run on their hip flexors (inner-hip muscles) and quads (the muscles in the front of your thighs) because they’re stronger than their hamstrings and glutes, which are found at the back.

But this means that as well as running more slowly, you’re at risk of injuries such as runner’s knee.

Try to develop a cycling motion where you bring your heel towards your bum after your foot leaves the ground.

And when you brush your teeth in the morning, ensure your glutes are fired up by standing on one leg.

This works the muscles and prevents hip drop – when your hips bounce side-to-side.

Body Pump Boo-Boos

Love dumb-bells? Here are strength trainer and founder of Twentytwotraining.com Dalton Wong’s weight-lifting don’ts.

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1 Sticking to the same weights

Don’t jump in and grab the heaviest weight in the gym, but don’t go too light either.

Your body is so good at adapting to change that you need to change the weight as soon as you can do 10-15 reps comfortably.

Keep track of rep counts and the weight used so you know when to switch up.

2 Lifting your pinkie

People tend to place their hands shoulder-width apart on the barbell, but this can cause your shoulders to come forwards, straining the upper back, so make your grip slightly wider.

Also, often people release their little finger, but this signifies the bicep muscles aren’t engaging.

Keep all five fingers around the barbell at all times – if you can’t, you need a lighter weight.

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3 Hunching over

Bad posture can mean you roll your shoulders forwards when lifting weights.

To stop this, think of working everything from the back.

Stand tall with your shoulder blades back and down and the spine neutral, abs tight and glutes and hamstrings engaged.

This helps protect your lower back from injury and improves strength in joints such as your knees and hips.

4 Forgetting to breathe

Focusing on your breathing is important in weight training, as holding your breath when lifting a weight can lead to fatigue, over-straining and high blood pressure.

Inhale when you’re in the relaxed position and slowly breathe out when contracting your muscles to move the weight.

Exhaling helps you to engage your abs when you need to.

Slow and controlled breathing also helps pace repetitions.

Spinning Slip-Ups

Marie Napier, master trainer at Psyclelondon.com, on what not to do in this gym class.

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1 Leaning forward

Sit back in the saddle.

You want to work your legs and bum rather than your shoulders and arms.

Handlebars are there to assist, not support, so relax your arms and shoulders with a slight elbow bend.

2 Swaying like it’s the Tour de France

Don’t come to a spin class and think it’ll be like riding a bike outside.

Your balance is different as the bike’s not moving, so you don’t need to sway from side to side.

Instead, stay firm in your core by sucking your belly button through to your spine.

This will work your abs and prevent injury.

I also see lots of riders arching their back and pushing their bums out, but you actually want a slight tuck in your tailbone to help protect your spine.

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3 Only pushing downwards

Pedalling down is the natural motion, but if you’re not pulling up on the pedals too then you’re not utilising all the muscles in your legs.

Just pushing down will only work the quads – the front of your thighs – and will make you bounce around on the seat.

But by also pulling up on the stroke, you’ll be using your hamstring and glutes – which means a more shapely bum.

4 Thinking resistance is futile

A lot of people new to the class don’t put any resistance on, as they think it’ll make the ride easier.

But coming out of the saddle with no resistance is tough – you’ll be bouncing around, as your hips won’t be stabilised.

It’s also harder to pull up on the pedal with no resistance.

Equally, if your resistance is too high, you won’t be able to keep to the beat and you’ll lose momentum.