Consider yourself an advanced trainee in the gym? If so, don’t be so quick to assume that you’re always doing everything perfectly. There are some major sins that even the most experienced lifters make that can really hold them back from making maximum progress.
By reviewing what these are and making sure they aren’t coming into play with your program, you can ensure that you see optimal results.
Let’s go over three big weight lifting sins that you need to make sure you aren’t doing:
Neglecting To Periodize Your Program
The first mistake is not periodizing your workout program. If you’ve been lifting in the same rep range doing the same exercises and the same program for as long as you can remember, you’re already committing this sin.
Variety is key for optimal progress. Design a program that changes every 6-8 weeks. For instance, for a few months, you might focus on maximum strength building and then from there, gaining a bit more muscle size might be your goal.
You may also wish to periodize your program for the seasons as well. During the winter months, focus on building lean muscle and during the spring and into the summer, fat loss may be the priority.
By changing the main goal as you go about your approach, you can reduce your risk of overtraining while always staying excited about fitness itself.
Allowing Your Ego To Get In The Way
Another big training error that some experienced lifters make is allowing their ego to get in the way. Do you enter the gym and focus on just getting as much weight as possible up? If so, you could be letting your form to slip.
Remember, it’s always better to use perfect form and lift a slightly better weight than to let your form fly out the window just so you can lift to impress.
If you get injured due to using poor form, you won’t be impressing anyone. Never neglect form. It’s essential to success.
Not Allowing Sufficient Rest And Recovery Time
Last but not least, make sure that you are taking care of your recovery and rest time. Some advanced trainees figure that since they’re so experienced, they can train five or six days a week. This is not the case.
Unless you have a remarkable recovery capacity, you need that time off for recovery purposes. In fact, since you’ll likely be training more intensely than beginner trainees do, don’t be surprised if you need more time off for recovery purposes
Learn your body and make sure that you are giving it what it needs. Otherwise, you’ll be on track to overtraining (and being forced into weeks of recovery time!).
So check yourself. Are you making any of these errors? If so, make some changes so that you get back on track again.
