The biggest mistake beginngers make

[Snatch518]

What do you think the biggest mistake people make that start lifting?

I say not working out legs. So many times I know people who lift only their upper body and never do legs. I just feel like smacking them. Sometimes they even leave out back too, saying they only want their chest and arms to get bigger. They're so ignorant.

 

[the People's Champ]

on the big lifts, go light so you can exercise proper form.

 

[Lord_Suston]

I think the biggest mistake I often see is either people using to much weight for their own good and not learning proper form, or the other is to fall into if the pros do so should I myth.....

 

[CytoMel]

Biggest mistakes are:

Spending a lot of money on crappy suppements they read about in bodybuilding mags.

Using way too many machines.

Buying into misguided training philosophies like H.I.T. and staying with them burning months of what could be progress.

Thinking they are "experts" and giving advice thinking they know what they are talking about when they don't and have little muscles themselves.

 

[Snatch518]

What is wrong with HIT? I've heard wonderful things about it?

 

[Thaibox]

overtraining and under-eating

 

[SSAlexSS]

What is wrong with HIT? I've heard wonderful things about it?

I hate to say it but HIT is horribly flawed. Gains are short lived and not the best possible. Furthermore by going to failure you derail your future gains. So if you have a poteintial to do 700 pound bench. Dont use hit or you gonna never reach 700 pounds. (numbers are made up and just to illustarte a point. Doing HIT is like shooting yourself in a foot)

 

[mishon1]

cytomel and thaibox both made very tru statements. i want one of the cats that done that stupid shit.

 

[Snatch518]

Maybe I misunderstand the concept of HIT. I thought it would for like running tread mill you go...

Minute: Speed
1: 5mph
2: 6mph
3: 7mph
4: 8mph
5: 9mph
Repeat cycle 3 more times.

If that's totally off, what exactly is HIT?

 

[bm2k]

Maybe I misunderstand the concept of HIT. I thought it would for like running tread mill you go...

Minute: Speed
1: 5mph
2: 6mph
3: 7mph
4: 8mph
5: 9mph
Repeat cycle 3 more times.

If that's totally off, what exactly is HIT?

You're referring to HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) - a form of cardio.

HIT (High Intensity Training) is a form of lifting weights that involves a very small number of sets per exercise/body-part at a maximal effort (to failure) on every set. Its pretty controversial too.

Anyway, back to the topic... I made some pretty big mistakes when I first started out:
- didn't train my back and legs (they're still lagging in a big way )
- ate poorly (VERY low fat, knew nothing about post-workout nutrition - usually wouldn't eat anything, ate very high-GI and processed foods b/c they were low fat etc...)
- wasted money on crap supplements
- used too many isolation exercises and neglected core movements
- trained chest, specifically bench press, four times a week
- etc, etc....

I was quite the beginner

 

[b fold the truth]

Machines
Supplements
Not training legs
Training too often
Not eating enough
AAS

B True

 

[he-man]

- supplement hype
- too many isolation exercises and not enough compound movements
- no leg work
- overtraining
- no real diet

 

[HulkRow]

i know the mistakes..
1st- doing ONLY abs/biceps/forearms EVERYDAY! as i did for afew months
2nd- Undereatting -really hindered my progress
3rd-not doing Back/Legs and or Tris/Shouders(amazing!)
4th- coming into the gym 3 days a week for some half assed work out then not coming back in for days.

 

[HulkRow]

Thinking they are "experts" and giving advice thinking they know what they are talking about when they don't and have little muscles themselves.

arrrrr..i hate those guys

 

[BlkWS6]

I would have to agree with the no leg training mistake. I fell under this category, and realized how unproportional my legs (mostly just calves) were to my upper body. Now Im busting my ass to make up for a couple years of stupidity.

 

[Elite_Fry]

my biggest mistake was my diet and supplement waistage

 

[FitFossil]

The thing is, most beginners don't even realize they're making any mistakes, because just about everything seems to work when you're a beginner.

For me, my biggest mistake was thinking I could compensate for my crappy diet with harder training - boy what a fantasy that was!

 

[JOKER47]

Undereating/poor eating and under-training. (ie, thinking my workouts were intense when they weren't nearly intense enough.)

This board helped clear all of that up for me.


Joker

 

[Mjollnir]

Not including power/olympic style lifts as a fundamental base, and progressing therefrom.

 

[danielson]

lack of proper diet

poor form

excessive use of machines

not training legs

isolation exercises

lack of intensity

buying questionable supps.

curling in squat rack (ok....i just hate people that do this thats all )

not variating exercises enough

not going to failure



[ive been guilty of all of these )

 

[vinylgroover]

Too many supplements too early

the 'i want a world class physique in 6 months attitiude'

 

[Haz]

Their shitty diets. You need to eat right to get decent results. Yeah, they might be able to pack on a few lbs at the beginning, but they will stall very quickly unless they change their diets.

Unbalanced lifting routines (ie too much bench, not enough squats)

 

[Warblade]

I started out a year ago. My friends used to lift in high school and so when I moved in with them they had a bench and got me to lift with them. Their routine was benching monday wednesday and friday. Apparently that worked for them, back in highschool. Not knowing anything about lifting, I just followed them.

A few months after we all started, their consistency died off and I found myself lifting by myself a lot of the time. I decided to change my routine and made some gains faster. I started finding that I wasn't recovering as fast (as a result of a harder workout) so I cut out benching on wednesdays. Mondays and Fridays have been treating me good so far, and my bench weight goes up every 2-3 weeks since then.

I know, I haven't mentioned anything besides benching. Thats the biggest mistake a beginner can make I think. Most people want beach muscles and don't think about the rest of their body. I can be accused of that. Until I looked at my legs, and noticed how scrawny they are. I decided to try to take on a typical full body workout and only work each major body part once a week.

I havent' started this yet since I don't own a power rack, and I'm not a gym member yet. Hopefully I'll become one soon (thank you IRS for that nice refund ). I can't wait to get some squats and deads in.

Now, another short story. My neghibors bought a weight set. Actually it looks like their kids are using it. They'r eprobably about 15 or 16, and for one, I notice they're out there almost every day doing the same exercises. Second, it just looks like they're lifting wrong. Their bar is on the highest rack (the one used for incline bench presses) while they're doing flat bench presses.

I wanna give them some tips, but, I think it might be weird if some dude just goes up to their fence and starts giving them pointers.

 

[nolin]

If HIT sucks, then tell George he's an idiot

Ok, to the guys claiming HIT sucks you'd better inform George that he's an idiot because he advocates it's use and recommended it to me. By the way the first 3 years I lifted I used periodization and did moderate wieghts with moderate reps. Platued like a mother fucker. I just started using HIT and I already have gone up 10lbs in every exercise. Maybe like all theories it depends on the person, some may excel on HIT others won't. But to say a philososhpy won't work for anyone is ill informed at best.

 

[Thaibox]

Spending their hard earned money at GNC

 

[CytoMel]

Re: If HIT sucks, then tell George he's an idiot

Ok, to the guys claiming HIT sucks you'd better inform George that he's an idiot because he advocates it's use and recommended it to me. By the way the first 3 years I lifted I used periodization and did moderate wieghts with moderate reps. Platued like a mother fucker. I just started using HIT and I already have gone up 10lbs in every exercise. Maybe like all theories it depends on the person, some may excel on HIT others won't. But to say a philososhpy won't work for anyone is ill informed at best.

Notice that I said burning MANY months. Sure HIT will work for like one or two months and then THATS IT! Then you will plateau or get injured. I can see that you just started HIT thats why it is working and it will stop working soon.

I went back to my old gym where I trained over two years ago. I saw the HIT people and they are lifting the SAME WEIGHTS that they did over two years ago. I use westside system www.elitefts.com and my bench press alone is up over 100 pounds in the last year.

Remember HIT will work for a little while then it will STOP working!

 

[Needhelp]

Maybe one of you could tell me if i'm doing anything wrong, here's my routine and diet--Read the 2nd one--not the first..

 

[nolin]

Re: Re: If HIT sucks, then tell George he's an idiot

Notice that I said burning MANY months. Sure HIT will work for like one or two months and then THATS IT! Then you will plateau or get injured. I can see that you just started HIT thats why it is working and it will stop working soon.

I went back to my old gym where I trained over two years ago. I saw the HIT people and they are lifting the SAME WEIGHTS that they did over two years ago. I use westside system www.elitefts.com and my bench press alone is up over 100 pounds in the last year.

Remember HIT will work for a little while then it will STOP working!

Ok, I see....I just think maybe your language against HIT period was a little strong. In retrospect if you stay stagnant in any routine and are rigid you will plateu. I will do the HIT for the length of my cycle then go into a cutting phase. Do you thiink HIT could be used effectivley in short periods of time where maximum gains are reached, then switch things up sort of applying the periodization philosophy to traning regimens? That might be a good approach and how would you personally go about keeping what you gain?

 

[CytoMel]

Re: Re: Re: If HIT sucks, then tell George he's an idiot

Ok, I see....I just think maybe your language against HIT period was a little strong. In retrospect if you stay stagnant in any routine and are rigid you will plateu. I will do the HIT for the length of my cycle then go into a cutting phase. Do you thiink HIT could be used effectivley in short periods of time where maximum gains are reached, then switch things up sort of applying the periodization philosophy to traning regimens? That might be a good approach and how would you personally go about keeping what you gain?

Yeah my words against HIT were a little strong I guess because I plateaued on HIT for a few months a while back and I see others making the same mastake and I just get a little mad because I dont want them to stagnate like I did. A 6-week HIT program a few times a year should work fine.

Switching away from HIT to periodiztion and other programs will work. You could always change programs every few months like perioization, german volume training, Ian King programs and so on.

I wouldnt worry about losing your HIT gains though while switching to another program the size/strength should TRANSFER over between programs a long as you train as hard and smart during the programs so by the time if you switch back to HIT for 6 weeks you will be stronger than the last time you did HIT.