People who start lifting tend to make similar bodybuilding mistakes. Everyone needs a good advice when starting out. Learning things correctly early on, can save you a lot of time and perhaps, save you from injuries.
It is important to have a good start and know what you’re up for from the beginning. In fact, not starting on the right track may leave you confused and spiraling out in no time, only to never return to the gym again.
Read on to know how you can avoid some common bodybuilding mistakes that can have a huge impact on your growth and the motivation to keep you going.
1. SETTING UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
I remember when I started lifting, I got really amazing results for the first couple of months. I used to be really skinny as a teenager. Within two months I had gained close to 20 pounds (9 kg). Everyone around me, my friends and my family, started complimenting me. I felt that with one year of consistent training and good nutrition I will probably look like my fitness idol.
Fast forward another two months. I looked almost the same as I did 60 days earlier. To be fair, I had put on some more muscle, but I was not used to such slow progress!
Soon, I was demoralized and also, life got in the way. It took me about six months to drag my ass back to the gym.
Don’t set unrealistic expectations, set realistic goals instead.
This experience made me realize that building an admirable physique takes a lot of time and dedication. Dedication overtime is consistency. Consistency is key to a great physique.
Setting unrealistic expectations is by far one of the most common bodybuilding mistakes people make early on. It is extremely important to realize that your favorite fitness models have probably been training for years. They have probably dedicated their lives to building enviable physiques.
While starting out, make sure you do a lot of research and set realistic goals based on what most people achieve on an average in a specific period.
Don’t get intimidated looking at this big ripped guy at the gym. You should only compete with yourself. Progress should be the only focus!
2. IGNORING THE COMPOUND LIFTS
Exercises can be classified either as compound or isolation exercises.
Compound exercises are movements that use multiple joints and more than one muscle group works to perform the exercise. For example, the bench press is a compound lift as both the shoulder and the elbow joints work together to execute the movement, thereby working the muscles in the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
On the other hand, isolation exercises isolate a particular group of muscles and involve the movement of a single joint. For example, the biceps curl is an isolation exercise since only the elbow joint moves and only recruits the biceps muscles.
So, it’s quite clear that compound exercises can help you do much more in less time. They also increase size and strength far more effectively than isolation movements.
Structure your workout around compound lifts.
Compound lifts burn more calories and elevate the heart rate as they use more muscles to perform them, thereby also improving intermuscular coordination. They also cause the greatest release of anabolic hormones in the body which help in muscle development.
While compound exercises are extremely important, it doesn’t mean you should totally leave out isolation movements. They can help in focusing on a specific muscle group which is important to achieve an aesthetic physique.
Now what I have seen happening quite often, is that a lot of newbies focus far more on isolation movements such as the biceps curls because they want those big guns fast. Sometimes, to the extent of ignoring the compound lifts completely.
In contrast, ideally, it should be the other way around. You want to structure your workout primarily around the compound lifts and use isolation exercises as finishers or fillers. They can also be used to focus on a muscle group that you feel was not targeted enough in the compound movements.
If you’re squeezed for time, compound lifts are the way to go. Some important compound exercises are – bench press, squats, deadlifts, military press, bent-over rows etc.
3. NOT LIFTING HEAVY ENOUGH
Very often I find people in the gym who will pick up those two-kilogram dumbbells and just go through the motions. They may feel that they’ve gone to the gym and exercised. But in reality, they’ve hardly used their muscles any more than they probably use them through the day sitting on the office chair.
I’ve heard people say, “I don’t to want to bulk up too much and look like a bodybuilder, so I’m gonna stick to light weights and high reps.”
Look, it’s completely fine if you don’t want to get really big, but you have to understand that becoming that big does not come easy at all. It takes years of hard work and dedication for bodybuilders to become that big. So, lifting heavy will not turn you into a massive guy who looks like Hulk unless you toil for years, and then too, only if you’re gifted with those beastly genes.
Let me briefly describe what bodybuilding does to your body. When you lift weights during an exercise, your muscle tissues actually break down. They are literally damaged due to the stress they went through.
Because of this, you may feel soreness for a couple of days. Then once you take rest and supply your body with food and nutrition, the damaged muscle fibers repair, but this time they grow back a little bigger so that they can handle more stress next time.
This is basically how it works. So, if you keep lifting really light weights, you won’t find it challenging at all and you will never have sore muscles. If the muscles don’t get sore, there will be no improvement in either strength, muscle endurance or size.
Often women are scared to go heavy or to even set foot in the weights room as they feel that they will start looking muscular and manly.
I will say this again, it is not that easy!
Whether man or woman, do not shy away from lifting heavy.
Moreover, women have really low testosterone levels when compared to males, so it will be a lot more difficult for women to put on size.
Lifting heavy also has a lot of benefits that no one should miss out on. While lifting heavy will make you stronger faster, it also helps you burn more calories even after the workout has ended when compared with a cardio session.
A research has also shown that lifting heavy weights can help in maintaining, and may also assist in increasing the bone mass and density. Increased lean mass and bone density can help prevent a lot of injuries and age-related problems in the long run.
Now, I’ve been asking you to lift heavy, and you may ask, how heavy?
Well, the answer to that depends on your goals. Go for a lower rep range (1-5 reps) if you’re trying to increase your strength. A higher rep range (8-12 reps) for optimal muscle growth and an even higher range (20-30 reps) if you’re trying to improve muscle endurance.
I would recommend that you start with the regular hypertrophy range, or even slightly higher if you’re new to lifting.
Let’s say you’re doing the bench press with a heavy enough weight that restricts you in the 8-12 rep range, which is the most common hypertrophy workout rep range that is considered ideal for growing lean muscle mass.
So, once you’re targeting the 8-12 rep range, you will pick a weight which becomes really challenging once you’re in the chosen rep range. For this exercise, you will try and pick a weight with which you can quite comfortably hit the first 5-6 reps but it should become really challenging around 8-10 reps and you should almost fail by the 12th rep. By fail, I mean you should not be able to lift that weight for the 13th rep even if you want to.
Therefore, the weight you choose should be very challenging for the chosen rep range. It should be so difficult that you desperately need that 60-90 second rest before moving on to the next set.
3. COMPROMISE ON FORM TO LIFT HEAVIER
Everything being said about lifting heavy, you must remember never to compromise on your form to lift heavier weights. That will be like setting yourself for injuries.
When you step into the gym, make sure you leave your ego at the door. You are not competing with anyone else but yourself. Lift weights that challenge you and improve on those numbers.
It’s perfectly fine to be inspired by someone who’s lifting heavy at your gym. But, don’t expect yourself to lift what someone who’s been training for a couple of years, lifts. This is one of the most common bodybuilding mistakes that can be easily avoided so make sure that you don’t do it.
You don’t lift weights that you cannot control. Period.
4. DOING TOO MUCH CARDIO
A lot of people reach the gym, get on a treadmill, walk or jog for 30-40 minutes and then they go back home. Well, you may get advice to do a lot of cardio in order to lose fat, but it does not mean that you do nothing else but a lot of cardio.
Don’t overdo cardio, it will only dampen your muscle growth.
Even if your goal is to burn fat before you want to focus on toning your muscles, lifting weights can assist. In fact, it can lead you to almost exponential gains when combined with a Tabata or HIIT session.
If you’re skinny and want to put on muscles, you may want to stay away from cardio as much as you can. Studies have shown that excess of steady state cardio can actually have catabolic effects on your muscles. Meaning you may begin to lose muscle instead of putting on more.
On the other hand, high-intensity cardio sessions tend to enhance muscle recovery and growth when used in combination with weight training.
So, we can say that there are two types of cardio – High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Low Intensity Steady State (LISS).
As the name suggests, in HIIT we perform a cardio exercise, say running, at a near maximum intensity (sprinting) for about 30 seconds. Follow it up with rest or walking for 2-4 minutes and repeat this cycle 5-10 times.
Whereas in LISS we just pick a form of cardio and do it for long durations at a comparatively slower pace at which we can probably hold a conversation. LISS is a form most preferred by endurance athletes, but it is also what we find most people doing at the gym.
I feel a good strategy would be where you can use both forms in a balanced way while not overdoing either. Excess of HIIT can lead to injuries while an excess of LISS can have catabolic effects.
5. NOT EATING ENOUGH
Total calories consumed is one of the most important factors when you are trying to bulk up. It is also one of the most common bodybuilding mistakes. That doesn’t mean you start binging on burgers, fries, and cola. Focus on clean nutritional food and dump the junk.
Many people don’t see gains because they are simply not eating enough. You can start by tracking your calorie consumption for a couple of weeks. If you’re not putting on any muscle, then try and bump up the calories for the next two weeks.
It is also important to focus largely on the protein intake when bumping up. An ideal protein intake for muscle growth and recovery is around 1 to 1.5 times your bodyweight in pounds.
While doing this, make sure you don’t neglect carbs and fats as they have their own advantages. Any diet would be incomplete without a good balance between all the three macros.
Not eating enough can mean restricting your gains.
In fact, research shows that a lower fat diet may cause a decrease in testosterone which is vital for muscle growth. There are many unsaturated fat sources like nuts, seeds, and tuna which can help in filling out your fat calories in a healthy way.
Don’t shy away from carbs either. Carbs are like fuel for the body. We need carbs in order to perform daily tasks and chores and to crush a grueling workout. Without adequate carb intake, you may feel dizzy, burned out and even agitated.
Try and have a general estimate about the macros you are consuming. That way if something is not coming along the way you wanted, you can make the required changes to your macronutrient ratios.
6. REPLACING FOOD WITH SUPPLEMENTS
Supplements are called ‘supplements’ for a reason.
They are supposed to supplement your basic nutrition which comes from what you eat.
Don’t fuss over supplements, take only what you really need.
Many people buy all the supplements in the world while starting out while not focusing on their food quality and the overall calories. You must understand that supplements can only help you in filling out the gaps in your diet, but cannot replace the diet.
In the overall picture, good supplementation may help you get extra 5% results. But ensure that you don’t spoil your chances of getting the other 95% right just because you obsess too much about protein shakes and BCAAs.
7. SWITCHING UP PROGRAMS TOO QUICKLY
It is easy to get bored with a routine in a few weeks. You may feel tempted to try out something new every now and then. But try and stick to a particular plan for at least 8-12 weeks before you switch things up completely.
Try and make your workout interesting by lifting challenging weights. Track your progress regularly. That will keep you excited and motivated as you see yourself getting stronger every week.
If you find some of the exercises boring after a while, then try performing them differently. You can perform an exercise using the machines rather than dumbbells. Or you can incorporate supersets and drop sets to make exercises more challenging.
Focus on making smaller changes to your routine rather than completely changing the direction.
8. GOOFING AROUND AT THE GYM
Heading to the gym without a plan is the first sign of you being unprepared. Going without a plan will not only keep you less motivated, but you will also end up wasting a lot of time trying to figure what exercise to do next.
Don’t start checking mail or social media between sets, just listen to some good music and enjoy the workout.
Once you have a plan and you know what to do at the gym, you have to stay focused while you’re at it. Stick to your rests periods. Take a sip of water or stretch out in your rest periods rather than getting into a discussion with someone.
I’m not saying you have to be rude to people, but you need to prioritize. You cannot be wasting five minutes after every set chatting with someone, surfing on social media or watching a subtitled movie on the gym TV.
That way you’ll only end up doing less work, because you’ll be resting too much, in a lot more time!
I prefer to have my headphones on so that I’m totally focused and don’t get distracted by my surroundings.
Leave your cell phone in the locker if you have to, but dedicate this one hour to yourself completely. You will feel more refreshed and satisfied with the work you’ve put in.
Thanks for reading. Tell us about your gym experiences in the comments below.
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Young entrepreneur based in Bangalore.
Loves traveling to new places, trying out new things, a fitness enthusiast, Gunners fan, and a music lover.
