{"id":22787,"date":"2023-04-27T16:00:56","date_gmt":"2023-04-27T15:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/?p=22787"},"modified":"2023-05-09T09:47:02","modified_gmt":"2023-05-09T08:47:02","slug":"common-gym-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bulk.com\/uk\/the-core\/common-gym-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Common Gym Mistakes to Avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first few gym visits can be daunting. It feels like everyone knows what they\u2019re doing except you. But that\u2019s not always the case. From skipping the warm-up to comparing yourself with others, we\u2019re all guilty of a gym faux pas. Ready to beat the bad habits? Here are thirteen common gym mistakes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Failing to warm up properly<\/b><\/h2>\n

This doesn’t have to involve fifteen minutes of stretching. For shoulder days, doing some rotators with a small plate will keep your shoulders healthy. If you have one, a resistance band is great too. There\u2019s also the common dynamic stretches you can do to get your joints moving such as doing circles with your arms, and crossing your shoulders. For legs, lunges and \u2018over-the-gates\u2019 are excellent for loosening up. Even if you\u2019re doing an upper body session, it\u2019s a good idea to warm-up your lower body too. It helps avoid cramp and tightness when you need them for leg drive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For bigger, more demanding lifts like the bench press or deadlift, it\u2019s wise to have multiple warm-up sets by performing the movement at lighter weights. These are important not just for injury, but to prepare your body and CNS for the heaviest sets. If you\u2019re training strength, try and be as explosive as you would if the weight was maximal. This really tunes up your muscles for intense activation.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Not training with proper form<\/b><\/h2>\n

Proper form and technique are vital for a number of reasons. Firstly, training movements with bad form can cause injuries, with unwanted stress being put on ligaments and joints.<\/span><\/p>\n

Form is also important for gaining the best results. Yes, you may get newbie gains from performing exercises at 50-60% efficiency, but if you increase this to 90-100%, just imagine the results.<\/span><\/p>\n

The biggest barrier to good form is lifting weights that are too heavy, causing your control and technique to suffer. So when you perform your movements, think about the tempo (speed) and contraction as much as possible. As a general rule, eccentric portions of movements (eg. lowering the barbell on bench press) should be at a lesser tempo. Think slow. Think controlled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Lifting too heavy\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Sometimes known as \u2018ego lifting\u2019, lifting too heavy is a common gym mistake. As mentioned earlier, lifting too heavy is one of the biggest barriers to form. If you lift too heavy, you can’t control the weight properly meaning your technique suffers. Not only does this affect your gains, it increases your risk of injury too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lifting too heavy also prevents you from getting proper volume in. If your goal is muscle growth or hypertrophy, you want to have sets with higher reps – that\u2019s 8-12 and above. If you lift too heavy, you won\u2019t manage many without your form suffering.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That said, you need to be careful that you don\u2019t lift too light either. You want to be in the sweet spot for the movements to be challenging while maintaining the ability to execute them with good form.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Not using progressive overload<\/b><\/h2>\n

Progressive overload is a vital aspect of resistance training. It involves gradually increasing the demands placed on your muscles to continue progress over time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When you first start training, it’s easy to get into a routine of lifting at the same intensity and volume for too long, meaning the gains plateau. It\u2019s important to keep the workouts challenging in order for your muscles to adapt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The easiest way to implement progressive overload is via intensity (weight), though it can also be done via volume, rest times and tempo. Here\u2019s an example of progressive overload for bench press<\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s say you currently bench press 70kg for 4 sets of 8 reps. To apply progressive overload, you could:<\/span><\/p>\n