Top training mistakes i see (and how to fix them)
As a coach, I’m lucky to be exposed to a wide variety of clients with an equally wide variety of training goals. When assessing what clients are currently doing or have done in the past, it is common to see the same problems pop up consistently. Although the specifics of each tend to be different from person to person, in general it is not uncommon to see the same things come up again and again. In this article we will run through a few of the most common training mistakes I see, and the best ways to overcome or mitigate these issues. So lets dive in.
Not following a program
When it comes to training, your program should be your bible. Everything you do in the gym should have a point, otherwise you are just wasting valuable time and energy on things that don’t move you closer to your goals. When it comes to finding time for fitness, a lack of it can often be a limiting factor, so why waste it? Not having a program personalised to your goals is like driving to a location without google maps, sure, you might get there eventually, but it’s going to take a lot longer than necessary and with too many detours on the way.
So why is it so important to have a program tailored to you specifically? Well, lets take a quick look at a few factors I need to consider when I write someone’s program, this should give you an idea of how many factors there are to consider:
· Days per week they can train
· How long they can train for per session
· Any mobility limitations
· Any injuries
· Training history
· Technical ability (can they perform certain exercises)
· Client goals (training for strength, muscle growth, fat loss, general health)
· Gym confidence
· Fatigue management
This list is by no means exhaustive. It also doesn’t mention the fact that these factors are constantly changing, so the program will need to change with them; injuries occur, work or life can pick up limiting how often you can train/how long for, goals change, technical ability increases, the list goes on. So, with all that being said, how do you find a program? More importantly, and with so much information out there, how do you find a program that’s “good”?
The most straightforward way to get a good program is to get a good coach, a good coach will be able to sit down with you, assess your individual situation and tailor a program specific to your goals. They will also be able to change the program as you progress through, and your circumstances change. Depending on your situation you may be able to have a face to face or online coach. I would recommend face to face if you are new to training, with online becoming an option if you are confident training solo and looking for a more specific or specialist outcome.
The other option for programs include workout builders, either online or through apps. Depending on what you use these can be tailored more towards your goals through the information you input. The benefits are that they are usually cheap and simple to use, so for newer lifters they can provide some benefit. The main downside is that you are the one inputting information, so depending on your knowledge or bias, what you end up doing may not be what is most optimal.
Not using full range of motion
If you are going to do something, you should do it right. When it comes to any exercise in the gym, using full range of motion will almost always be the best course of action. Before we go on, it should be noted full range of motion is not the same for everyone, as some people will have mobility or injury restricting their movement (think a 25 year old who has been training consistently for 4 years, versus a 55 year old just getting back into the gym after decades, chances are they wont have the same range of motion on certain exercises). When certain movements cause significant pain, or if injury limits your range of motion, then it may be wise to purposely limit the range you move through. This usually doesn’t mean that this range is lost to you forever, but progressive strengthening and gradual steps should be taken to “retake” that painful part of a movement.
Research has shown that for both strength and hypertrophy, using full range of motion has led better adaptions than using partial reps, think quarter squats versus full range of motion squats, or stopping before the chest on a bench press as compared to going all the way down. In both cases, using a proper range of motion will lead to better outcomes. In almost all cases, decreasing the weight you are using and increasing your range of motion will be beneficial.
In terms of injury prevention, full range of motion also comes out on top, provided the load used is appropriate. By getting comfortable in all ranges of a movement you will be less likely to injure yourself. If always using a partial range of motion, in the rare case you accidently move into a position you are not comfortable with (think a few inches deeper than usual on a squat), chances are your body will not be able to handle it, this where injury is most likely to occur.
So, while it may be easier to cut reps short, you are really doing yourself a disservice. If you want to get stronger, grow more muscle, decrease your risk of injury and just overall perform better, full range of motion is the way to go.
Not pushing yourself hard enough (provided your technique is optimal)
As your training age increases, so should your standards of what a “good” session includes. Sure, when you first get started simply making it to the gym and moving your body is a massive tick, however, after a while your body adapts, and it is at this point that we need to start bumping up the weight. Once you have built a solid foundation of technical ability and are confident, the weight you are moving each week should gradually be increasing, this is called progressive overload and is the main driver of progress when it comes to training.
As you get stronger, the weights that were once challenging for you begin to feel easier, and if you want to continue to make progress you will need to bump your numbers up! To keep things simple, we will look at the two ways to push yourself: Doing more reps and moving more weight.
Doing more reps is quite simple. Each week you should be aiming to increase the number of reps you do with the same weight you used the week before. For example, if you did 4 sets of 8 reps of shoulder presses, the next week you should be aiming to get 9, then 10, then 11 and so forth. Depending how long you have been training this may not necessarily go up every single week, but overtime there should be an upward trajectory of reps provided you are training close to failure and technique is proficient.
While adding more reps each week will suffice for a while, we can’t just keep adding reps forever. Eventually we need to take the plunge and up the weight on the bar. Depending on the goal and exercise we are doing, we may want to stay in a certain rep range, so once we can do more reps than required it makes sense to add weight and bring the reps back down. There are plenty of methods to do this but a simple one I use consistently: the 6 to 10 rep range. Say we want to pick a weight we can do roughly 6-10 reps for, once you can complete 3-4 straight sets of a certain weight for 10 reps, bump the weight up so your reps drop back to 6 and then work your way back up to 10 over the next few weeks. Remember, we want to pick a weight where we are close to failure by the last rep. Doing this consistently means we are moving more weight, for more reps over time, which is exactly what we want to be doing to make progress.
Neglecting muscles and movements you don’t like to train
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so when we are training we want to make sure we are not neglecting any major muscle groups or movements. Chances are though, the movements you hate doing the most are the ones you should be doing more of. What muscles or movements you are ignoring is obviously dependant on your personal bias, however, lets take a quick look at a few of the most common and see if you can relate:
· Squats/Deadlifts: For people who may lack some confidence in the gym it can be tempting to skip the squats and deadlifts. You have to move a lot of weight for them to be effective, they can carry more risk if not performed properly and when done properly they are bloody hard. However, they are also two of the most beneficial movements you can do in the gym, in terms of strength and functionality. Your Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings and Core will all benefit from performing these well!
· Unilateral (Single leg/arm) work: Bulgarian split squats anyone? Most of the movements you perform in the gym will be bilateral (both sides of the body working together), think squats, deadlifts, leg presses, leg curls and so on. So, if we have a weakness on one side of the body and never do any unilateral work, the stronger side will always compensate and this imbalance will only get worse over time. Creating a balance in musculature from one side of the body to the other sets the body up to be capable of better technique and overall greater lifts.
· Glutes: This one is a little more geared towards the guys, as I often see males neglecting to strengthen their glutes because to them it isn’t a strength goal or priority. Sure, it might not feel manly setting up for those barbell hip thrusts, but the glutes play a huge role in how your lower body performs in most lifts. Plenty of lower back issues can be linked to weak glutes, and on big movements such as squats and deadlifts it is common to see the back having to work harder to compensate for this weakness.
· Core: “I’ll just skip abs” I’m sure you have thought or heard that before. It probably comes from the fact that most people have core work at the end of their workout, therefore, when you are pressed for time or tired from the rest of your session core work gets the boot. While it’s true that you don’t necessarily “need” to directly train your core all the time, having a good level of strength will cross over well to your bigger lifts like squats and deadlifts. Having a strong core can also act as an extra level of protection for your lower back while doing heavy compounds. So, if you’ve been programmed core into your session, chances are it is there for good reason.
This is by no means an extensive list, and as mentioned before the exercises you don’t like may be completely different to someone else, but just because you don’t like an exercise doesn’t mean you should avoid. If you want to be on your way to better structural balance, time to get in the gym and double down on the exercises you don’t like.
Ignoring niggles/injuries
“This hurts, so surely adding more weight will make it feel better”. This may sound dumb when read aloud, but it’s something I see happen all the time when I hear stories of clients past injuries or see people grimacing after a set in the gym. Most of the time things don’t “just hurt sometimes” for no reason. It is a good idea to pay attention when your body hurts, because chances are it is trying to tell you something. No matter how perfect you are in your training, there is always a small risk of injury as nobody can be perfect all the time. But getting on top of injuries or niggles straight away can be the difference between a day or two off training as opposed to several months.
First let’s talk about niggles. I would define a niggle as something that is not always prevalent but pain that happens from time to time. Think a pain in the shoulder after bench pressing, or lower back pain after deadlifts. Some days you train and you are fine, other times the niggle rears its ugly head. These are far more common than actual injuries and, in most cases, niggles are caused by poor movement/technique or using a load your body can’t handle. The pain can last for a few minutes or a couple days, depending on exactly what has happened.
If you are training and find yourself dealing with a niggle, here’s a checklist you can run through to try and determine the cause:
1. Assess your technique: Either have a coach watch you perform the lift, or film yourself and watch it back afterwards for any obvious technique breakdowns that could be causing the pain.
2. Drop the weight: If there are no obvious technique breakdowns, drop the weight 10-25% and see if the pain persists. If that helps use the lighter weight and progress from there over the next few weeks.
3. Regress the exercise: If pain persists, try regressing to a less technical exercise that covers a similar range of motion. Think hack squat/leg press instead of squats, or a machine press instead of bench press. Work your way back until you find a regression that does not cause pain.
4. Seek expert advice: When in doubt, it never hurts to seek a health professionals’ advice. Depending on the problem, they should be able to provide you with a solution and/or exercise variations to help fix things up.
Injuries, as opposed to niggles, are usually more serious pain and is often the result of a one-off incident. Think a muscle strain/tear or broken bone. In terms of weight training, injuries usually happen quickly and sharply whereas niggle pain tends to build over time. Unlike a niggle, when an injury occurs it is best to stop training immediately. Depending on the extent of the injury you may need seek the aid of a health professional to set you up with some sort of rehab plan or you may just need to rest for a few days.
From there, the best thing you can do is to assess what caused the injury and take steps to prevent it from happening again. You may need to re-assess your technique, build up strength in specific muscles, drop the weight or seek professional guidance. Whatever you do it is important to not just ignore what led to the injury and end up in the exact same predicament again. Ignored niggles often turn into serious injuries, and injuries not properly taken care of often lead to a long-term stint on the sidelines.
Ignoring Nutrition’s role in your progress
Long term, nutrition’s role in your progress can not be overstated. Sure, when you first get started with training you can make progress easily but those beginner gains don’t last forever. Eventually you need to start considering what you put into your body during the 23 hours a day you aren’t in the gym. No matter what your goal is (getting strong, getting shredded, bulking up, losing some bodyfat) if it has anything to do with body composition or muscle growth then nutrition will play a part in getting you there.
Depending how far along someone is in their training or what their goals are, how they tackle nutrition can vary significantly from person to person. You will need to consider plenty of factors when you make these decisions. Will you track calories/macros? Practice intuitive eating? Do you have any dietary restrictions (food intolerances)? Follow a specific diet (Vegan)? Do you need to be eating in a surplus or deficit to achieve your goals? Or do you want to maintain your current weight?
As you can see there is much to consider, but what matter most is that in some way you are eating in alignment with your goals. For example, if your goal is weight loss related, you shouldn’t be consuming 10 000 calories every weekend. Or if you are trying to add more muscle to your frame, eating well below your maintenance calories won’t get you there. At the end of the day, you can’t out-train a poor diet, but you can throw away hours of hard work in the gym by not treating your nutrition with any respect.
So, there you have it, the top training mistakes I see. If you found yourself guilty of any of these then this is the perfect chance to address the issues and unlock new progress! The good thing about these mistakes is that they are all quite simple fixes. A tweak here and there to your current training should be enough to make massive changes.
For more on this, you can listen to weekly burn episode “Top Training Mistakes” here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ab7WgoKiP1WrKRNR94Rbr?si=54THXEY5T_OZo-9RAlIzmw