Dear Beginner, Please Stop Making These 10 Fatal Mistakes
The weight room can be an intimidating place for a newbie, especially for a person who has joined the gym to tackle personal insecurities. If you’re one of these people, you’re not alone. Most people get a gym membership to make a statement but their new-found enthusiasm exposes them to committing these fatal mistakes.
Working out is a craft that requires time to learn and master. All the beginners go through a learning curve that involves learning, unlearning, and re-learning techniques. In fitness, there are multiple ways of reaching your destination, and the smoothness of your journey will depend on the path you choose.
The pros that you see today on Instagram or lifting the Mr. Olympia trophy were once all gym noobs. They all made the fatal mistakes we’ll be talking about in this article. The difference between them and the guy who gives up is that they never stopped learning and improving.
In this article, we’ll go over the mistakes beginners make which keeps them from achieving any kind of progress and results in them quitting training. If you’re a newbie, don’t be surprised if you find yourself nodding your head throughout the article. We’ve all been there.
Most Common Gym Beginner Mistakes
I’m My Own Coach
The majority of the beginners who join a gym train alone. Working out is pretty different from attending a class at Harvard. While everything taught in a class could be taught online, there are hundreds of things that could go wrong while you’re under a bar that could lead to an injury.
Hiring a coach is looked upon as an expense rather than an investment. Engaging the right trainer according to your goals can save you a lot of time, effort, and money. A coach also adds the accountability factor to the mix which can make all the difference in the world.
Confusion Over Supplements
Usually, there are two types of beginners. First – the ones who go all-in on the supplements. These people will buy everything they can find on the shelves. On the other hand, people from the second group look at taking supplements as a sin.
You need to strike the right balance between the supplements you should take as a rookie. If you’re in the gym to put on muscle mass, a whey protein supplement should be a part of your diet. A fat-burner is a great product for people who want to shed extra kilos.
Accessories?
Not using gym accessories is one of the most common beginner mistakes. Taking another real-life example, would you ride a bike without a helmet or drive your car without a seatbelt? Why isn’t the same logic applied for lifting weights?
Not only do the gym accessories help in reducing the probabilities of an injury, but they can also boost your performance. A weightlifting belt, lifting straps, knee and wrist wraps should have a permanent place in your gym bag.
Copying the Pros or Bros
The beginners who start their fitness journeys without the support wheels (read – coaches), end up copying the people they see around them in the gym. The sad news is, monkey see monkey do doesn’t work in the gym.
A noob is the favorite target of a gym bro. Taking training advice from a gym bro is like asking for stock tips from Jordan Belfort. A fitness enthusiast should spend the first couple of months learning the correct form of performing the exercises.
Limiting Fitness to the Gym
Some people think they’re done for the day right when they step out of the gym. Heck, some of these newbies even go to McDonald’s for their post-workout meal. Fitness isn’t a two-hour thing. It is a lifestyle.
Training, diet, and recovery are the three pillars of fitness. Hitting the gym is just 33.33% of the equation. Reading labels before eating, hitting the sack on time, passing on the hangouts at the bar should become second-nature if you want to see considerable progress in your physique.
Not Following a Program
Training, diet, and nutrition programs are the routes to reach your transformation destination. As Benjamin Franklin supposedly once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” If you don’t have a training program, you should save yourself the trouble of going to the gym.
Also, following a vanilla training program is yet another fatal mistake. If you want to see results, you should follow a customized fitness program designed according to your goals and lifestyle. Following a plan made for someone else isn’t going to do you any good.
Overdependence on Training Partner
Most beginners join the gym with a training partner. Training with a buddy can be great as it can be a source of motivation and accountability. Training partners are also great butlers – we mean spotters.
On the contrary, having the wrong training partner can be considered a fatal mistake. Your mental focus could take a hit if your buddy takes way too many off days. For a beginner, we would recommend a coach more than a training partner.
No Goal Setting
Setting goals is one of the most overlooked aspects of a physique transformation. The dilemma here is that while some people don’t set any goals at all, others set unachievable expectations.
You should always set small goals. For example, instead of starting off wanting to train six days a week, start by hitting the gym twice or thrice a week and then progress from there. Checking off achievements from your list will give you confidence and an adrenaline boost.
Cardio is Life
Most people who get a gym membership to lose weight and “tone” their bodies never enter the free-weights section. While sweating off on the cardio equipment for hours will surely help you lose the extra tire, weight training is what will help you tone and carve your muscles.
If compound lifts like the deadlifts, squats, and bench presses feel too daunting, you can perform easier versions of them using dumbbells or cables. Additionally, resistance training can also improve your performance in cardio exercises.
Most Common Blunder – Indiscipline
A body transformation requires 4 P’s – patience, persistence, perseverance, and passion. You need to follow a strict schedule. You should be hitting the gym, eating your meals, and sleeping on time.
A fit lifestyle requires a lot of self-control. The next time you find yourself heading towards a pizzeria, take a U-turn and be ready to smack the back of your hand when it is reaching out to grab the donut.
How many of these fatal mistakes are you currently committing?
Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.