8 Common Strength - Training Mistakes

We all need to be strong. There is no advantage to being weak. It doesn’t matter what your choice of workouts, training systems, and methods are; if you are not getting stronger, your system has failed. Here are 8 common mistakes most people make at one time or another.

Mistake #1: Exclusively Using Machines

We’ve all felt a little intimidated by the free weight area, so it makes sense to stick with the machines which look easier, safer and equally effective. But guess what? Machines aren’t nearly as effective as free weights because they balance the weight for you. That’s why the strength they develop doesn’t carry over to the real world and sports activities. They virtually take your core completely out of a movement. Depending on the particular machine most will take 30 to 60% of the work for you. And while it’s true that machines are safe because you can’t drop a bar on your head, they’re ultimately not as safe as free weights because they force you into fixed, unnatural movements that can hurt your joints because you falsely believe you can lift more weight. On the other hand, free weights allow for natural movements and build the kind of real-world strength that you’ll never achieve with a machine.

Mistake #2: Not Training Your Legs and Back

Most people should know that your body releases more muscle building and fat burning hormones when you train large muscles like your legs and back. Not only that, these anabolic hormones also stimulates growth in your smaller muscles. That’s right. If you train your legs and back, you will not only get a more balanced physique, you’ll also get more growth in your upper body as well.

Mistake #3: Hitting the Gym without a Plan

We’ve all done this, going to the gym without any idea of what we’re going to do… instead just messing around with whatever equipment happens to be free or try the “cool” stuff some other people are doing. Big mistake. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “failing to plan is planning to fail”. It’s like leaving on a journey without roadmap or compass. If you don’t know where you’re going and where you are, you’re simply less likely to succeed. That’s why you should always have a clear plan and goal for every workout. This means knowing before you even enter the gym which exercises you’re going to do, with how much weight, and for how many sets and reps. Not only will this make you stop worrying about what everybody else is thinking, once you start “keeping score” you’ll also know whether what you’re doing in the gym actually works. And remember, what you can measure you can improve. Never leave success to luck.

Mistake #4: Lifting the Same Weight All the Time

One of the most common mistakes people make is lifting the same weight week after week without ever challenging themselves to lift more. Know this: unless you give your body a reason to become stronger and fitter, it’s going to be lazy and stay exactly where it is today. In fact, you can even get weaker and struggle to get your reps with your regular weight… That’s why you should always try to lift more weight than last time. It doesn’t need to be much, five pounds extra is plenty. What matters is that you push your body to get stronger by increasing the weight systematically.

Mistake #5: Thinking Getting “Pumped” And Sore Means You Had an Effective Workout

Another huge mistake is thinking that training until your muscles are pumped will make them grow bigger… and that waking up with sore muscles the day after means you had a good workout. Listen, pump and soreness may or may not happen, but they are not required to gain muscular strength. Here’s what is: adding weight to the bar. Here’s why: because it’s a scientifically proven fact that the number one thing that builds muscle and burns fat is gaining strength –not pump or soreness. Truth is, if you’re not lifting more weight today than three months ago, regardless of how pumped and sore you got during all that time, you are not making progress.

Mistake #6: Believing you MUST “Confuse” Your Muscles to Make Them Grow

I just explained it’s a mistake to think that getting pumped and sore will build muscle. Well, another similar mistake a lot of people make is switching their sets, reps and exercises all the time in order to confuse their muscles… That does not mean muscle confusion is wrong, but it’s not a strength builder. I am trying to help you build a foundation of strength. The erroneous thinking is that your body will stop gaining muscle if you do the same exercises, sets and reps week after week. That is not science and it is not true. The best way to burn fat and develop the lean athletic look you want is to build a base of increasing strength. There is no wrong in strong! Seriously if you really want to confuse your muscles, then here’s a simple way to do it: lift more weight than you did last workout. Now they’re confused and they’ll get stronger.

Mistake #7: Trying To Out-Train a Bad Diet

This is the most common mistake people looking to achieve a lean muscular body make: they waste hours doing boring cardio and countless crunches in order to burn their belly fat and get six-pack abs. Unfortunately, 45 mins of cardio at a steady state only burns about 500 kilocalories… which is equivalent to a Big Mac (without the fries and coke). So unless you spend the whole day in the pool like Michael Phelps or the whole day cycling, forget about getting away with eating junk food each day – you just aren’t going to burn significant calories. What’s more: spot reduction is a myth; it is physiologically impossible to burn fat locally and get six pack abs by doing a gazillion of crunches. I know you all know this but you’d be surprised at how that little lie still resides in some of us. Yes, lifting heavy weights will make you build muscle and strength quickly and naturally. But if you want to achieve a lean athletic body with visible toned abs, then you will have to clean up your diet as well. If not, a layer of fat will always cover the muscles you’ve built.

Mistake #8: Not Getting Help

This is the biggest mistake of all. This is the mistake that keeps most people from ever having the kind of body and strength they truly want. Get help, be it through a training partner, or personal trainer. Make sure you start correctly and safely. You are not getting married to the trainer, just learning the best, safest and most efficient way to get your goals accomplished. Your time is your most valuable asset. Get the most of every second of your training by avoiding these 8 very common errors.

And while some of these mishaps may be minor, they can actually lead to huge setbacks in 
terms of gains. To save yourself time, get faster results, and make your workouts more effective, make sure you avoid the above mistakes. :)