Avoid these 11 training mistakes below to maximise your chances of burning body fat and building muscle
Not drinking enough water before you train
Lack of hydration will lead to a decrease in performance, concentration and will cause you to struggle to get a ‘pump’.
Lifting light weight for high reps with the hopes of building muscle
Light weight for high reps will not build large amounts of muscle. The recommended rep range to work in for hypertrophy is 6-12 reps. Focusing on progressive overload.
*Using a light weight for high reps CAN be beneficial for rehab and activation exercises.
Training like a bodybuilder out of FLEX magazine
The training splits you see in bodybuilding magazines are perfect… for bodybuilders that are pharmaceutically enhanced and have an increased recovery rate compared to the average Joe or natural athlete.
Not taking care of your mobility
Poor mobility will increase the risk of injury and reduce your overall rang of movement making it almost impossible to perform most compound movements in the gym with the correct form.
Using isolation exercises before compound movements
The majority of your energy should be spent on performing the bigger lifts that will give you more bang for your buck (squats, bench press, deadlifts, rows, pull-ups, overhead press etc.)
By performing isolation exercises first, you are fatiguing the muscles needed to perform the big lifts. Resulting in a lighter load having to be used on these movements.
Not tracking your rest periods
If you don’t track your rest periods you should start now. I guarantee the time you’re usually spending checking Facebook or talking to friends between sets is a lot more than you first thought. The best way to maintain a high intensity during your workout and ensure that you’re resting long enough (or short enough) between sets to get the most out of the exercises you’re performing, is to track your rest periods.
Going into the session without a plan
Get in and get out. To do that you need to go in with a plan.
Unplanned sessions can be fun, although they usually result in a whole lot of stuffing around and very little productivity and improvement.
Not warming up properly
Foam roll/active release + mobility + activation.
This is my pre-workout schedule before every workout to make sure my body is ready to go when it’s time to start the first exercise. Jogging on the treadmill or doing whatever you do on the x-trainer for 5 minutes before you train is NOT a warm up.
Failing to progress over time
Progress is the key to muscle gains and fat loss. Increasing the weight you’re lifting, doing more sets, more reps, resting less, advancing to more difficult exercises… these are all ways you can be progressing your training over time.
Changing training programs too often (*One of the most common training mistakes)
‘Shocking the muscle’ may not be such a good idea afterwards. Read the point above this one.
I recommend sticking to a program for at least 4-6 weeks to get the full benefits and effects of the given training cycle or phase.
Lifting with poor form
Lifting with poor form and not using a full range of movement is one of the most common mistakes I see in the gym. Imagine if your car windscreen wiper only cleaned half your window instead of the whole thing. You wouldn’t be able to see properly right? Well cheating on an exercise or not using the full range of motion is giving you a similar result.
Your biceps will not grow if you only complete half of the movement. Your glutes and legs will not grow if you’re squatting a quarter of the way down.
Start working in full range and develop the whole muscle instead of just ‘some’ of it.
Do you know have any more that you’d like to add to the list? Comment below and they will be added 🙂
If you know someone making any of these training mistakes share this post with your friends on social media.