Top 7 common gym mistakes

*This blog is based on my 6 years experience. Many of my students and friends find this information helpful I hope you can relate too*

I have seen lots of people doing the same mistakes again and again and then expecting for good results. You can not grow if you do not have proper knowledge about the activity you are doing. If you want to grow your strength and muscles you must give 5 minutes of your life to this blog. I can bet this information gonna help you and make you grow better. 

So, Here are some common gym mistakes that beginners and intermediates do and I'll tell how to fix them :-

1. Jumping to advanced exercises   

 

Many of us want to grow muscles and look good as soon as possible. But this is not the way bodybuilding is done. There is an initial stage for everything whether it is study sports, weightlifting or profession etc.  Do not jump to advanced exercises immediately just because you are watching some other bodybuilders doing the same. I have seen some beginners doing supersets and giant sets at the very beginning. Like why? you don't even know how to do that exercise properly yet and you're jumping to its higher stage.

                                                

  How to Fix it? 

  LEARN THE BASICS   - When I started my journey in bodybuilding, I used to train single body part and I followed this schedule for 6 months. The reason behind this was to get settled with the weights and to learn the proper forms. Give time to it and train accordingly. Train basics for at least 3-6 months.

2. Ego Lifting

 The most common gym mistake is Ego lifting. We forget about the proper form to lift heavier weights. This is mostly done by beginners. Ego lifting makes you bad with the position which leads to an injury most of the time. This mistake is done by intermediates and experts too. for example - the situation where you know your PR is 100kg in deadlift but you go for  140kg just because of your ego or unnecessary competition running in your mind. This is a blunder you are doing to your body.

How to fix it?

Quality over Quantity - Do not compromise with your form just to lift heavier. Know the limitations of your body and try to increase it slowly. I also used to do the same I won't lie but at a certain point I came to know that instead of having an injury I should improve my forms. Slowly and gradually increase the weight for progression. My suggestion is to increase 2.5 kg weight after every two weeks. It helped me and I hope it will help you too.

3. Too light for too long

  

We can not increase our muscle size lifting the same weight daily. Bitter but true. Our body get used to it very easily. To an extent it is good but after some point of time it does not give us results. People lift less weight than they actually can. After achieving the correct form the usual weight we lift seem to look more lighter than before. It takes less efforts as well as less it does not break the muscle tissues like before it used to do. 

How to fix it?

Progression with time- In order to increase the muscle mass and strength one have to lift heavy than before. It does not mean we should do ego lifting. We should increase our strength and weights slowly by time and progression. We all get to know when our body is getting used to something. So, to make a change you have to change first. Kill your habit and do better than yesterday. My suggestion is try to lift heavy than before but with proper form.

4. Using phone between sets

 This is the major problem our new generation is doing, using phone all the time. Yes I know it is very useful in our daily life. But addiction of anything is wrong. I see people using phone during their sets most of the time due to which they take more rest and connection between muscle mass and mind fade away.

How to fix it?

Put your phone into a locker or your bag- Give proper time to your workout. Do not cheat with it. Know about mind connection with muscle. Do not take extra rest.

5. Taking supplements too early

I see many beginners doing this mistake. They don't even spend  2weeks in the gym and ask for supplements. This is just because they look for shorter ways to grow faster but this is not the way to achieve the body goals. This is too early for one who has just started working out in the gym. That is why some people imprecate their trainers because they see no results even after using supplements.

How to fix it?

Know your body first- Give some time to your body to grow by itself. Human body has capability to grow till certain extent by itself when it comes to bodybuilding. If you take supplements at your initial stage then you won't get to know what your body can do naturally. So I suggest you to give at least 3-4 months  to your body to grow naturally by having proper diet and then take supplements according to your need and budget.

6. Dirty Bulking

The name itself is saying everything. When we start doing gym or workout we tend to eat more and more. Doing exercise increases our metabolism so as hunger. But some people just eat without knowing its calories and nutrients, whether it would help or damage. Junk foods are not healthy at all, Eating junk food regularly can delay or destroy your body goals. You will get fatty but not bulky.

How to fix it?

Have proper diet- Instead of junk food you should eat foods rich in protein , carbs, good fats, fiber and vitamins etc. If you really are in craving of junk foods then you can have them once in 2-3 weeks as a cheat meal. It won't harm you but eating them regularly definitely gonna harm you. 

7. Not doing enough Warm up

I see people enter gym and start doing exercises. They do not stretch or warm up even for a minute. Not doing warm up is the main cause of having injuries during sets and I have personally experienced it too. You can not lift heavier if you didn’t warm up properly. And then people ask should I do cardio before workout or after? The very first thing you should do when you enter the gym is warming up your body for 10-15 minutes. Cardio is not good if done before workout because it will fatigue your muscle and then you won’t be able to do your workout properly.

        How to fix it?

Warm up for 10-15 minutes- Warming up the body helps in preventing the injuries cause by weight lifting. That is why some people have shoulder and back issues because they do not warm up properly. There are different types of warm for different exercises. We will discuss this in another blog. So Run , walk , stretch before workout, It will help you in lifting more weights and not getting injured.

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