subject: 4 Common Strength Training Mistakes You Don't Know You're Making [print this page] 4 Common Strength Training Mistakes You Don't Know You're Making
If you're strength training, you need to do it correctly. Otherwise you're just cutting into your gains - and potentially hurting yourself!
If you don't know you're doing these errors, well, you need to find out and fix them as fast as possible.
1. Working Out Too Often
Working out too often is just as bad as working out not often enough. Sad, but true.
While it's great dedication to go to the gym every day, you need to evaluate how much progress you're making. And how much effort you're putting in.
You should be regularly working with more weight each week. Not a lot more, and maybe not more on every single lift, but atlas 2.5 - 5 pounds more on a few. If you're not, or you've hit a plateau, you can try the radical measure called getting some more rest.
2. Using Too Complicated A Routine
Doing 8, 10, 12, or even more lifts per workout session? Do you have to split your lifts into two days to hit your entire body, with 12 exercises each day?
And can you keep you lifts and reps for each day straight?
An effective strength training or weight training routine doesn't have to be complicated. On the contrary, working a few basic lifts really hard works great.
Rather than more complication, simplify. Work hard on those few things that give you the most benefit, and discard the rest.
3. Using The Wrong Lifts
Are you doing big, full body lifts? Or bicep curls, calf extensions, shrugs, and a bunch of other little, inefficient lifts to work your body?
Smaller, more focused lifts have their place as supplements to big, basic lifts. The squat, bench press, shoulder press, and deadlift are hard to go wrong with and work tons of muscles each.
Try working bigger lifts that force you to work hard.
4. Not Working Hard Enough
Are you sore after each workout? If not, you're doing something wrong.
You need to be working hard when you're at the gym. Really hard. That's the only way to make progress.
It's better to go less frequently and work hard then more often - and not make that much progress. Working the intensity increases your raw strength. Rather than your endurance or just your determination to go to the gym regularly.
These are the common mistakes to avoid. But, if you really want to take your training to the next level, learn the essentials that will give you the most benefit in your workouts.
