7 mistakes beginners make at the gym

The gym can be super intimidating: a sea of ​​cardio machines, tons of people lifting weights, intense spinning classes, and lots of machines with little pictures trying to show you how to use them. There are many mistakes that beginners make when they enter a gym and also some more advanced ones, so in this article I will describe 7 of the most common mistakes. These tips will help you reach your goals faster and without injury.

Big mistakes that are made in the gym

Making the mistakes that follow will keep you from reaching your goals. They won’t help you get stronger or better! It can be very difficult to venture out of your comfort zone when you feel like everyone is watching you, judging you, or you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing. So here are my tips and tricks to avoid the most common mistakes beginners make and get a great workout.

1. Lifting weights with your ego

This is by far the biggest mistake anyone can make when at any level of training. Lifting with your ego is the act of lifting or pushing too much weight without being aware of what you are doing and incorrectly in the hope of impressing your friends, the opposite sex, or a more experienced person.

Even though your friends may think you lift a lot of weight and think you are cool, you are generally putting yourself in a dangerous position and injuries can appear at any time.

Keep in mind that most women are not interested in how much weight you can move and on the other hand, an experienced bodybuilder will laugh and not be impressed by what you do, as he is well aware that Lifting weights using perfect form is more beneficial and much more difficult than weight lifting like crazy.

2. Lack of hygiene

The gym is a place where hundreds of people a day are sweating and share the same facilities. This makes the gym a perfect place for the spread of bacteria.

It is essential to ensure that you have good hygiene. This means that when using a machine or bench you take some time to clean it up when you’re done. When using the bathroom wash your hands. Have a little common sense.

Would you like to sit on a bench that was drenched in sweat? No, Why does anyone have to? Do your part and help stop the spread of germs and being health conscious. The last thing you want to do is get sick and miss workouts. Remember that the best way to teach is by example.

3. Socialize in the gym

Your number one goal when hitting the gym es to get a great workout. I understand that the gym is a place where people usually go not only to train, but also to socialize. Make sure socializing doesn’t hurt your training.

I see too many beginners in the gym taking too long between sets, as they chat, while someone else is waiting for that machine that you are using every 8 min. Also remember that other people are there to exercise and that this machine can be crucial to their training.

There is no way to focus on training if your mind is elsewhere. What I say to beginners is find a friend or friends who have the same goals as you.

When you’re in the gym, the talk is fine, but never to the point where the flow of your training stops. A lighthearted joke is fine, but socializing too much won’t lead to any results.

4. Do only cardio

Beginners often think that the only way to lose fat is to spend a lot of hours on the treadmill and elliptical machines. This could not be further from the truth! Resistance training has been shown to be more effective and when combined with cardio, it is a winning combination!

I don’t think it’s good to do one or the other. Although weight lifting may be more effective in helping you lose fat and gain muscle, cardio is still important because it improves your cardiovascular health and endurance. There is room for both of you to work together on a healthy workout plan. For my workouts, I usually add 10-20 minutes of cardio to the end of my resistance workouts.You have to do both for optimal health!

5. Thinking that more is better

The old rule of “not always more is better” is also true in weightlifting.

Many beginners believe that by doing more repetitions, more exercises and lifting more weight they will be better at gaining muscle gains … let me tell you that it is not like that, you are not really doing anything with this type of training, the only thing that you’re going to get a few injuries and a terrible overtraining.

All beginners should start out by employing a fraction of a full body workout and using a maximum of 4 exercises for the largest muscle groups. At this point, your rep range should be between 8-10. Rest periods should not exceed 90 seconds.

It would be beneficial to rest only 60 seconds between sets, but not everyone can do this …

Finally, the amount of weight you lift should not always be increased every week or every month. You should be able to easily perform an exercise using proper form at a certain weight for a couple of weeks before climbing. You don’t just have to add weight for the sake of trying more.

6. Not having a training plan

When you set foot in the gym you should always have an adequate training plan of what you are going to do. I recommend to all beginners to keep a journal and write everything in it. You must have your workouts divided, know which muscle group you work each day, a cardio program and also a detailed record of the results of the training, including series, repetitions and weight.

Beginners fall into the trap of not planning their future, they wait until they go to the gym and do anything.

7. Forget about nutrition

Now, I know that in this article I’m supposed to talk about the gym only, but I always have to mention nutrition when asked for beginner advice. Nutrition is 80% of the puzzle. You can make a perfect training plan, using the best form and the highest intensity, but unless your diet is healthy, we will get nowhere.

Training and nutrition go hand in hand. You cannot be successful with just one.