Avoiding these five training mistakes can help you get better results in the gym and avoid plateaus.
When it comes to exercise literally anything is better than nothing. So if you're working out, good for you, full stop, end of sentence. But training plateaus suck. And if you're already putting in the time and effort, doesn't it make sense to ensure you're getting the best results possible? Avoiding these five common workout mistakes can help set you up for success, whether you're trying to build muscle, burn fat, live longer, or anything else.
Mistake 1: Cheating
Hands down the most common training mistake I see guys of any age make in the gym is cheating their way through a set. The problem isn't an increased risk of injury—surprisingly, that's largely overstated—but rather that the stress of a particular exercise isn't being directed towards the right muscle(s). Swinging your way through a set of bicep curls puts an awful lot of that work on the legs and core muscles, minimizing the stimulus the biceps receive.
The solution? Keep the goal in mind, and focus your efforts on not only maximizing the stimulus but on targeting it as well.
Mistake 2: Junk Volume
Monday is international chest day; has been for eons. So you start with a bench press, follow that with a dumbbell press, a machine press, an incline press, a machine press, and wash it all down with a few sets of cable flys. Sure, that's a lot of work, or training volume, but how much of it holds any value? If you're really working hard at the first exercise or two, what's left by the end? And if you're holding back in anticipation of all the work to come, that might be even worse.
The fix here is to choose exercises that represent enough of a change—in angle, muscle length, action etc.—that they're worth including and keep your efforts focused.
Mistake 3: Bad Range of Motion
It's tempting, and largely accurate here, to say "limited Range of Motion", but there are occasions where intentionally working through a partial range of motion can be beneficial (and even tougher). Having said that, the problem here is multifaceted:
Strength is joint=angle specific, so you won't improve a range of motion you don't train.
Mechanical work is measured by how far a given load is moved, and a shorter range of motion limits this.
New research points to the importance of longer muscle lengths (typically the bottom of a lift) in hypertrophy via a process known as length or stretch=mediated hypertrophy. You're likely leaving results on the table if you cut movements short.
Addressing this can be tricky—there are times when you might be avoiding a painful range of motion, and I wouldn't advise otherwise. Finding movements that don't provoke pain while trying to understand and address what's driving pain is usually the best course of action.
Mistake 4: Majoring in the Minors
If your arm day is longer than your leg day, you may be majoring in the minors. And while this example may be obvious, I also see lifters prioritizing relatively minor muscles or exercises at the expense of more substantial ones; bicep curls being done before chin ups, shoulders being trained before a bench press, or endless sets of shrugs without a deadlift or farmer's carry in sight.
While it isn't perfect, an awful lot of this can be improved by simply working from bigger to smaller; start with bigger muscles doing bigger exercises and moving bigger weights and work towards the more detail-oriented stuff.
Mistake 5: Disorganized Training
A good training plan is hierarchical, prioritizing movements, balancing demands, and considering the larger context—in terms of both training and lifestyle—to get the most out of your efforts. Bad training is haphazard, often driven by mood or equipment availability.
The problem here is that competing demands stack up quickly, patterns or muscles get overlooked, and your results plateau. The more limited your time in the gym is, the more important an organized training plan becomes. The fact that you got away with a sloppy approach to working out in your twenties is not a great indicator that this approach will continue to work for you.
In order to avoid this kind of ineffective training try asking yourself a few questions about your exercise selection and order.
Am I starting with my priority?
How will this impact the rest of my workout?
Does this exercise target something I haven't worked?
It's an incomplete list, and some of those questions can get tricky to answer without a strong understanding of exercise science, but even a passing effort at an organized approach to training will pay dividends.
By the way, if you're looking to get the most out of your workouts, that's literally why we're here. We work with people just like you in person, remotely, or by just providing programs for them. Take a look at our different options and let's get to work!
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