Common Workout Mistakes

Nothing goes out of fashion quicker than workout plans. It seems there’s a new one everyday that “blows away” the conventional wisdom and explains why you haven’t been able to get all the results you deserve.

Something is to be said for this – scientists and fitness experts have discovered more about the body and how it responds to exercise. This has made for some improvements over the last 30 years, but the changes have been surprisingly few.

Take resistance exercises, for example. Thirty years ago, the standard was 3 sets of 5 to 8 to get stronger, 5 sets of 10 to pump up and 4-5 sets of 12 to 15 to cut. This has since been proven to be wrong.

Too Many Reps

The higher reps and more sets have proven to be just a waste of energy. Now, it’s recommended, depending on who you talk to, 2-3 sets at 4 to 8 reps. But look how close it is to the original 3 sets of 5 to 8 – indeed, many still use this program and get very strong in the process. “Pumping up” and “cutting” have also been discredited. Go for strength and strength alone for best results.

Unfortunately, many have not gotten this message despite its longevity. You commonly see people doing 10 to 12 reps with lighter weights and doing a whole bunch of exercises – maybe 13 to 15 total sets! They get varying results depending on their body type, but they sure get worn out in the process and fail to get much stronger. Why? They are simply doing too much.

Too Many Days at the Gym

No only to they do a million sets, they show up at the gym every day and stay two hours. These folks are just aching for an injury. Once this error is pointed out to them, they often defend by saying they work different body parts – but when you see their routines, the parts they work are the wrong ones and at the wrong time.

The truth is, getting the best out of resistance exercise is complex and depends on a whole host of important factors. When somebody says they have the definitive routine, take it with a gain of salt. But there are some things that just make sense.

The most common error is workout frequency – either too little or too much. When starting out, working with low resistance and doing 3 or even 4 muscle groups per day three to four days per week makes sense. You need to get used to safely and correctly moving the weight. But after a month or so of that, you need a different approach.

Here’s where all the controversy starts. There may not be two fitness experts on the planet that agree as to when, how and how much to do, but they do have some common ground.

First off, go for intensity. Make each rep hard and try to stay below 8-10 reps except for warm-up sets. Doing more than 9 sets total for a given body part is too much. Some even say 5 to 7 is optimal. A common error in the gym is doing 12 or even 15 sets of 10 reps each. Even using different exercises that work the same body part, it’s too much!

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