Getting committed to training regularly is a perfect start that can lead to long-term change. However, many athletes make several common mistakes that can impede gains and stop you from achieving your fitness goals. Here are three mistakes to avoid when training:
- Using weights that are too heavy
For many former athletes, the competition never dies. This is a great trait to have when training, but you can easily injure yourself or set yourself back in your progress if you start training with weight that is too heavy. This can lead to a decrease in movement speed and an increase in compensation of the movement you want. Compensation = pathway to injury. When focusing on the QUALITY of your movement with a safe moderate weight, your body has the true recipe for success. Movement efficiency is now one of the most important aspects of training. - Wasting time with slow transitions
There should be no downtime at all in a gym. If you need a rest station as part of a circuit or between sets, spend it doing soft tissue work, stretching, or working on stability. One of the most common excuses for people not training is they “don’t have the time."" Spending multiple hours in the gym is not the answer to this. Going through proper programming, your workouts can be completed beginning-to-end in an hour. In some case, you will get more work done than the guys you see sitting around the gym. - Performing too few (or too many) reps
Each training cycle and session needs a clear plan. This reiterates the importance of proper loading and movement quality. Knowing what qualities you're trying to develop will drive your volume and intensity selections. Over time, performing too many reps can leave you with a limitation of max strength and power, and too few reps can leave you with a poor work capacity.