Your biggest mistakes in training?

[blood_drinker]

When I first started lifting, I devoted way too much time to dieting - and I robbed myself of potential gains. Also, I thought I was too bad ass to ask for a spot on the bench (I had a real big ego) - the bench bar fell on my face (I still was holding it, but damn it hurt). I maxed out earlier than I thought, and to tell you the truth 200lbs on your cheek bones is not nice at all. From then on I have learned to always ask for a spot. Also, I did smith machine squats for too long and they have take their toll on my knees. I never did a real squat before until some guy noticed at the gym and told me about it. Real ATF squats have now become my favorite exercise.

My mistakes are probably common beginner ego centered probs. Let's hear some of yours.

 

[Little Rage]

trying to go heavy on squats that i threw my back/hip out about 6 times. Finially wised up after a summer of back therapy and numerous times and hours spent in the ER and doctors. It's been 2yrs and i'm just starting to slowly get back into legs.

 

[MonStar1023]

I didnt do enough compound movements.. or the right rep scheme. Somehow I ended up training with isolation movements and low reps (4-6)?? I dont know what my problem was!!

 

[WarriorPL]

well i started lifting in late march/early april....
I went straight for mass... and i kept a pretty good diet.

Once school ended and summer ended, i couldn't keep up with my diet but the gains kept on coming
As of about 3 weeks ago, i noticed im not getting much gains anymore and i started gaining lots of bf, summer sucks and i can't keep a straight diet, once school starts im starting a 50/20/30 cutting diet.
My goal is to drop from 13% bf to about 7% by the end of the school year.

 

[Big_Brick]

Doing to many exercises for each musclegroup. Now do 3 for big 1-2 for small.

 

[15yroldinNY]

Blood, whats wrong with smith machine squats?Im thinking of incorporating squats into my routine, and i will do smiths unweighted my first time...Then ill weight little by little andill be doing high reps....I dont want to risk an injury, and I want to make sure I have the proper form down pat.

 

[Superbabe]

Trying to explain to the personal instructor at my old gym that I wanted to body build.....he came up with a wonderful plan of...............RUNNING...? Tried to explain to him about MS Olympia...he'd never heard of it....

Needless to say I didn't go to the session.....

 

[The mann]

when i first started i trained too much and rested too little and ate like shit.......

 

[Mjollnir]

Overtraining and lack of quality sleep.

 

[gymtime]

Not sure if I could count this as my biggest mistake. But I'm starting to realize that after a while, lifting hi rep, low weight will not get you to your goal. I'm lifting heavy again for the first time in years and letting the diet and cardio take care of the fat.

 

[Imnotdutch]

I think I've made all of the mistakes

1) Spending to many years doing isolation exercises instead of the big compound movements. Isolation exercises arent even in the same class as compound exercises when it comes to strength or size gains.

2) Using bad form and lousy diet.....I havent looked back since I fixed this.

3) Training too much......I even trained when I had acute bronchitis once....bad idea lol.

4) Listening to the so-called experts on what will work for me.....there isnt one universal answer and paying for a certificate doesnt make you an expert.....acquiring experience does. And I know my body better than anybody so I do what I know works.....and experiment a little.

5) Trying to work around a weak-spot instead of fixing it. ie: Squatting too heavy when I knew my mid-back was a problem.....this resulted in having to take it easy in too many workouts. I've since fixed this one.....

6) Thinking size is a direct measure of strength......uh wrong!!

 

[BodybuildingUniverse]

training too often and not EATING enough, the other half of size ans strength gains!

 

[Mighty P]

What are some good compound exercises?

 

[GenetiKing]

What are some good compound exercises?

Squats, deadlifts, chins, dips, bench presses, DB presses, leg presses, bent-over rows, T-bar rows, DB rows, military presses, cleans...

My biggest mistake was not educating myself better in my first few years of training. Knowledge is power.

 

[BK]

Devoting a whole day to arms. Now I don't even do arm exercises sometimes and when I do, I'll put some bis in with back and tris with chest.

 

[blood_drinker]

screw smith machine squats. they put too much strain on your knees and you stablizer muscles are not fully used - also the range of motion is rather artificial - the machine does the balancing of the weight for you. Heavy ATF squats are the shit for a thick lower back , a great midsection, a bubble butt and big quads . Much better than smith.

Another mistake of mine was to neglect squats, bench, and deads for a long time. I was never comfortable with others seeing how little i could lift. But when I started, I gained very quickly, my ego soared a bit too much and that accident happened. I had a black face for a good 2 weeks .

 

[edgecrusher]

#1 When I forst started, not eating enough and training to much. (I was a fat kid.)

#2 Was about 1.5 -2 years ago, when I let my jerkoff training partner, have complete control of our routine. Just lead to frustration overtraining, and a fear of workout partners.

 

[MuSuLPhReAk]

overtraining

 

[nacius]

Massive overtraining. I am talking about 6 times a week, each muscle group is hit twice a week, and cardio for one hour after each workout. The only day I wasn't overtraining was sunday. I was falling asleep at noon sometimes.

 

[the Prince]

Over-training

 

[Y_lifter]

Without a doubt.. Cheating on the Diet...

 

[big4life]

Overtraining, even though I knew better.

 

[Roadblock]

Lack of knowledge = bad diet, bad training routine etc.etc.

 

[bigmag]

actually I have made many bad mistakes.....but that's how we learn right?
anyways....I'd have to say my worst mistake was because of bad form on bench press.....I dropped 315 on my chest a couple of years ago and it cracked my sternum....now that's pain......it took my about 608 months to get my bench back up to where it was.

 

[FitFossil]

Worst mistakes in Training for me:

1) Wasting a lot of years doing high reps of low weights because I was afraid I'd get "big" lifting heavy weights. (Yes, I'm female )

2) Doing too much cardio because that's what I thought would best lower my bodyfat. (Even when I got to very low bodyfat, I still didn't like the way I looked because I didn't have the hardness I do now that comes from developed muscle.)

3) Not eating enough period, and not eating enough nutritional food. Thinking I could just train harder rather than eat better.

 

[blood_drinker]

Ow shit bigmag! It just dropped on your sternum from above? That *IS*pain.

 

[DanielBishop]

I probably still have a lot of mistakes, but in hindsight....

Trying to lose fat while trying to build muscle, but not knowing WHAT to eat and what not to eat. Avoided all fat, but continued to eat truckloads of carbs and fruit. Basically meant not eating nearly enough.

Also, completely trusting a single book... the Matrix Principle.... which is about light weight, high reps (half reps and such) and short rest times.... I thought everything in that book was the truth. Yeesh.

 

[sierra]

Not eating right......come to think I am still not eating right

 

[needleboy]

overtraining, and eating wrong!!!!!


GOD I LOVE CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MrOlympia2004]

Forgetting to put the collars on the Olympic bar and try to balance as 45's drop and roll throughout the gym.

 

[Welsh power house]

poor diet, overtraining, lack of sleep.......everyone makes mistakes

 

[KConan]

1. Fucking up my back in High School doing an overhead press with too much weight and terrible form.

2. Not eating enough protein.

 

[Bulk]

Bad routine