7 Common Mistakes People Make In The Gym

1. Your Warm-Up Is An Entire Workout In Itself
People warm-up in a variety of different ways. Some people like to jog on a treadmill, others like to use an exercise bike, and most people go through some type of stretching routine. Then, for each exercise they perform, people will often perform a warm-up set with the intent of getting themselves ready for the exercise. What you need to keep in mind is that warm-ups serve only to get you prepared for your workout, both physically and mentally, and to help you avoid injury. If you put too much energy into your warm-up, you will be fatigued before you even start, and this will detract from the quality of your actual workout. Likewise, using heavy weights in your warm-up set(s) is very counterproductive, and you are more likely to injure yourself this way.
You want to do a warm-up set for the first exercise of each muscle group, not every exercise in each muscle group. Grab a light weight and go through the motions of the exercise, slowly and under complete control. Aim for about 15 reps or so. Remember, you aren't actually trying to work out at this point, you're just getting your muscle fibers and tendons ready for your workout.
2. Swing Your Entire Body To Complete A Rep
This one is a lot more common than it should be, because I can't find any valid reason that people do it. The most obvious example is with dumbbell and barbell curls. People will often swing their entire body, as if the curl is a compound exercise in which you are supposed to use your legs, back, and shoulders, in addition to your biceps. I recommend that you stop and think about what muscles the exercise is supposed to be working, and make sure you are actually working those muscles. Pay attention to your form.
A good tip for curls is to lean slightly forward when you are doing them, and maintain that position throughout the exercise. This way, you take your shoulders out of the equation, and you can't swing at all if your upper body remains stationary.
3. Pull With Your Arms Instead Of Your Back
When you are doing any type of pulling exercise, you are going to want to initiate the movement by pulling with your arms. This is a natural tendency, although it is incorrect, so it takes some actual thought and effort to break this habit.
You can feel the difference without actually using any weight. Put your arms in the air as if you were going to perform a lat-pulldown. Now squeeze your biceps and pull your arms towards you like you are performing a rep. This way you are doing most of the work with your biceps, which isn't what you're trying to workout when doing a back exercise. Now try this: initiate the movement by contracting in your back muscles, feeling the tension in your lats and your shoulder blades. This is the correct form, and should feel much different. Your biceps should tense up only as a result of the pulling that was initiated in your back. It will take some time to get used to, but the results will be better because you'll be working your back more, and fatiguing your biceps less.
4. Train Every Muscle Group, Every Workout
Ever heard of over training? You cannot train each muscle group every time you go to the gym. This is not only bad for you, it is also impractical and would take hours to complete each workout. In fact, you should be training no more than two major muscle groups each workout, throwing abs in there a few days a week as well. Otherwise, you aren't allowing your muscles a chance to rest, which is when they do ALL of their growing. If you enjoy feeling tired all the time and aren't looking to gain any size or strength, then lifting for each muscle group every day is what you're looking for.
5. Only Train Your Chest And Biceps
You probably see these guys in the gym all the time, but for some reason you only see them on the bench and curling some dumbbells. That's because these are the only exercises they do. This is fairly obvious to everybody else because their body is all disproportionate, with a very underdeveloped lower body and back. What they probably don't think about is that they are sacrificing a lot of strength and size in EVERY muscle group by not training each group equally. Having a strong back and legs is crucial to building a well-rounded physique, and can help you in exercises like the bench press as well. Training your triceps will help you to bench more weight, giving you a bigger chest in return.
There is really no reason that you shouldn't train all your muscle groups, given that they all work together in making your stronger and bigger. So next time you're thinking about trading in your back workout for another day of chest and biceps, think about what you're giving up in return.
6. Stick To A Single Workout Routine For Months In A Row
The key to building muscle is to continuously increase the intensity of your workout. This can be accomplished either by increasing the weight you lift, or by adding new exercises to your routine that work your muscles in a different way. If you stick to a workout plan where you lift 3 sets of 10 reps of the same exact exercises, month after month, then don't be surprised when you stop seeing results. Check out some of my earlier posts on effective mass building workouts to learn more.
7. Not Clearly Defining The Results You Are Looking For
You aren't going to the gym just to workout. You're going there because you want to be bigger and stronger. Specifically, you probably want to pack on more muscle and get some greater definition in your chest, back, biceps, triceps, and all your other muscle groups. But if you don't think about what you're working out and why, then you're not focused enough on your goals. Every time you go to the gym, think about why you are there that day, and how that one day of exercise fits into your overarching workout plan. The more focused you are, the less distracted you will be, and the more likely you are to achieve your goals.

By Tony Mastrorio


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