I did not intend for this to be a ranting list, but after being asked what I thought the “biggest training mistakes guys make?” on twitter, I realized there were literally dozens of critical errors men make on a daily basis. Men do stupid things in the gym. This is the most non-earth-shattering statement imaginable, but to the extent of the stupidity is impressive nonetheless. These are not listed in any particular order.
1. Not training legs-You are asking for gravity to destroy you as you age, & you will look ridiculous and be shaped like a lightbulb.
2. Trying to max out every week. This is the WORST way to ever get stronger or build muscle your one rep max is a TEST of strength, it doesnt build it. It can inflate your ego though
3. Doing “circles” when you shrug. All that does is grind the hell out of your rotator cuff, and it does nothing for trap growth. Stop it,
4. Not training back-your posture will suck, your spine will get pulled down by gravity, all of your other lifts will suck because your back is weak, you’ll never get stronger, and you will get injured easier.
5. Using momentum for everything. If you cant feel the muscle working, the exercise does nothing. And no one is impressed by what you can cheat curl
6. No periworkout nutrition-If dont eat before, during, or after a workout, your muscle gains are compromised. You cannot complain about it being “hard” to build muscle when you dont eat
7. Trying to go “heavy” all the time-Muscle is built with REPS. Not every movement needs a 3RM, most do not in fact. Low reps are largely only applicable with barbell work.
8. Doing low reps for arm work-Stupid strategy, plain and simple. Arms are meant for repetitive movement. Again, your ability to do shitty pushdowns with the whole stack impresses no one 9. Avoiding squats and deadlifts-You’ll never be strong if you avoid the hard shit, period.
10. Not doing bodyweight work-chins, dips, squats, lunges, pushups. Master your bodyweight and weights will be easy to handle
11. Only doing pulldowns for back – You need to ROW to grow. Back work should be high volume, and rows need to be the cornerstone of your back training
12. Not training glutes and hams-leg extensions and leg presses are not enough. Only training quads is like only training biceps and expecting your arms to be huge. Have to train both front and back
13. Not Training Calves-No one cares that your genetics suck. And your skinny calves are a shame to your family, and you should be ashamed of yourself.
14. Not doing enough upper back work-Upper back can handle insane training volume. It also supports and stabilizes your spine in EVERY other exercise. ROW TO GROW 15. Not using all the rep ranges-There is no one rep that you MUST use and can ONLY use, Use all of them. If one isnt working, move up or down into another. Forged Training is coming.
16. Not using compound movements-presses, rows, pulls, squats, those are the foundations of any solid program.
17. Not using isolation movements-they WORK, and are not a waste of time if you do them correctly and effectively
18. Thinking binary-You can train for strength and size at the SAME time, not one or the other
19. Thinking bodybuilders are “weak”-This is total Bullshit. Strength is expressed by muscle. Muscle=strength. A body devoid of muscle is not and never will be a strong body
20. Thinking 1RM is the only kind of strength – Not true. Max strength requires a submaximal strength base. Your 10RM determines your 5RM. Your 5RM, your 1RM.
21.Lifting with your ego-Great way to get injured, not be able to train hard ever gain, and then be talking about how strong you “used to be”
22. Not learning proper technique for anything– if you don’t learn technique, muscle and strength will stall out swiftly
23. Not doing cardio–Cardio is how your body uses oxygen. If you cant breathe, you die, do some goddamn cardio.
24. Obsessing over “supplements” while eating like shit – If you cannot feed yourself clean food, it doesn’t matter what supplements you buy. Food > Supplements
25. Obsessing over “fasted cardio” – Heres the answer. If you think it works, DO IT. If you don’t, do not. And if you’re not even lean to begin with, your opinion is stupid anyways. Arguing over something you are not even willing to do is a waste of mental energy guilty of any of these? Today is the day you get to quit, and start training effectively. And to be gender equal and all that, I’ll share the female list later. Since god knows women do ridiculous hijinks as well in the gym