5 serious mistakes beginners make in the gym

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2012-13-12

Hello. I am often "accused" of writing articles primarily for beginners. This is true. And I do not intend to "correct" myself. After all, those who are just starting to visit the gym need information on this topic more than anyone else.

Right now, I want to protect many people from the most serious and common mistakes. By the way, most of these mistakes are characteristic not only of beginners but also of more experienced individuals. The main reasons for such mistakes are ignorance of the laws of physiology and a lack of training experience. While experience is built up over the years, very few people will study physiology. ))

1. Lack of the hyperextension exercise

This exercise should be included from your very first workouts. It doesn't matter whether you are a man or a woman. Any training in the gym is associated with axial loads on the spine. The lower back shouldn’t be your weak point. Otherwise, back pain is guaranteed. However, beginners often ignore this exercise, which I consider a very serious mistake.

2. Too many exercises for the abs

Everyone wants a well-defined core. This mistake is more common among women, who do 5–6 abdominal exercises per week, trying to lose belly fat this way. In reality, this leads to a wasted effort. More details here.

3. Increasing weights at every workout

This is a path to a dead end. Typically, beginners have a lot of strength and potential, and they try to push themselves in every workout, continually adding more weight. On average, this continues for a couple of months. Then the body becomes overtrained, leading to a plateau.

Additionally, with maximum weights, it is impossible to learn the proper technique for an exercise. And for beginners, the weight on the bar is often more important than proper technique. This leads to the reinforcement of incorrect techniques, and subsequently, injuries and poor results.

Of course, you need to push yourself and add weights, but not at every training session. More details here and here.

4. Inequitable distribution of exercises by body parts

Typically, men ignore leg exercises, while women ignore arm exercises. This is incorrect. If you are a beginner, you should pay equal attention to all body parts. My trainer used to say: "Beginners have no strong points – only weaknesses."

Yes, it's clear that some people aim to build their biceps, while others want to tone their glutes. But at the initial stage, you must strengthen your entire body. No one has achieved a beautiful and harmonious physique by using such a one-sided approach.

5. Working to failure on every exercise

Not all exercises are equal in their effects. I often observe this situation: a beginner goes to failure on exercises:

Meanwhile, it's often sufficient to perform a bench press well. The subsequent two chest exercises can be done at 3/4 intensity.

Your training plan should include both primary and additional exercises. Generally, it doesn't make sense to push yourself on accessory exercises. Such efforts will only waste your energy.

Conclusions

If we dig a little deeper, we see that the main motive driving people to make these mistakes is impatience. More precisely, the desire to achieve their goals as quickly as possible. On the one hand, this is commendable. But on the other hand, no matter how fast you are trying to go – you cannot outsmart the laws of physiology.

One of my acquaintances, a trainer, used to reply to questions like, "How can I bulk up faster?" with: "You can sleep with a woman every day, but she will only give birth in nine months." A bit crude, but spot on! You can't accelerate physiological processes. And rushing will definitely lead to mistakes and injuries. Good luck!