5 mistakes that are holding you back in the gym

You lift, you squat, you curl, and yet… your muscles remain shy, hiding behind your t-shirt like wallflowers at a high school dance.

Don’t panic. You’re not cursed. You just might be making a few classic mistakes that every trainer sees over and over again. Let’s break down the five biggest culprits and how to kick them to the curb.

Mistake 1: Not tracking your workouts

Tracking your workouts means writing down how many sets, reps, and weights you do each workout.

It is the easiest way to see whether or not you are progressing in the gym. Most people lift the same weights over and over again, expecting that to create miraculous results.

Imagine you do 3 sets of 10 squats with 100 pounds one day. That might be tough, and you might be sore for 3 days after that

You come back the following week and do the same thing, 3 sets of 10 squats with 100 pounds. This time, you are only sore for one day afterwards.

The third week, you come back and do the same thing again, except you are not sore at all. In fact, you thought this was pretty easy.

In the example above, your body adapted for the first two weeks but then didn't need to after. Once a workout isn't challenging, there is no physiological reason for your body to change.

Solution

Every other week or so, do ONE of the following

• Add 2 reps to your sets

• Add 5% - 10% more weight

Read this article to learn how to track your workouts more in-depth.

Read this article for a deeper dive on progressive overload.

Mistake 2: Exercising with poor technique

Exercising with proper form is important for two big reasons:

• It ensures you are moving your body safely, reducing the risk of injury and ensuring consistency and longevity

• You get more out of the exercise, making your workouts more efficient

The most common mistake is not using the exercise's full range of motion. Think about doing a bicep curl but only lowering the weights halfway down or using a machine improperly.

Solution

Just YouTube the exercise. If you are unsure about how to do an exercise properly, ask YouTube or chatgtp to walk you through it.

All the information and demonstrations are out there, and exercise demos are free on YouTube.

Mistake 3: always doing the same reps and sets

Your body and muscles need a constant stimulus to grow and get stronger. Always doing the same reps and sets may feel comfortable, but it's doing you a disservice.

Changing your sets and reps every other week will ensure that you expose your body to new weights, which will help it grow in the long term.

You don't have to do anything crazy, add or take away a couple of reps. Modify the weight to accommodate the new rep range.

If you did 3 sets of 10 lat pull downs at 100 pounds last week, try doing 3 sets of 8 with 105 pounds next time.

The 8-10-12 method and the 8-6-4 method are two basic ways you can incorporate this into your workout plan.

Mistake 4: Changing exercises too often

Changing exercises often is a great way to make zero progress on all of them.

Pick one compound exercise (working two or more joints) for your chest, shoulders, back, and legs. Pick two for legs if you feel wild.

Then spend the next three months getting stronger on those exercises.

If you're not seeing progress, the fault usually lies in execution or programming. Changing up your workout won't magically make you progress if these two elements are poor.

Here is list of exercises to focus on.

Legs

• Back squat

• Front squats

• Split squats

• Walking lunges

• Hip thrusts

• Deadlifts

• Stiff leg dead lifts

• Leg press

Upper body

• Bench press

• Incline bench press

• Over head press, or any shoulder press variation

• Pull ups

• Dips

• Lat pull downs

• Seated rows

• Single arm rows

• Bent over rows

• Chest press machine

Biceps, triceps, calves and core should all be incorporated into your gym routine, but as secondary exercises. They should assist your progress on the main lifts above, and for that reason, you don't have to obsess over their progression as much.

Mistake 5: not eating enough protein

Without enough protein, your body will start to eat away at your own muscles to get its protein.

This causes muscle soreness, increased fatigue and a reduction in force output.

Now, don't worry, this is only if you are chronically under-eating protein. It's completely fine to miss your protein requirement for a day or two.

Solution

Aim for 2g of protein per kg of body weight per day.

Since the minimum requirement is 1.6g/kg, overshooting it will ensure that even on the days you miss your target, you'll most likely still be over the minimum requirement.

Check out this post for meal ideas.

Conclusion

Keep lifting, squatting and curling and watch the details. Muscle growth isn’t about grand gestures; it’s about consistency and smart choices.

Pay attention to your programming. Track what you do, increase either reps or weight, and stick to your workout plan long enough to actually see results. It takes at least two months to see some noticeable changes.

Learn how to lift with proper form. Look at exercise tutorial on youtube or ask ChatGPT or your favourite AI how to use certain machines. I mean, ideally, ask a person at the gym, that will be better and faster, but know that you have unlimited options on how to learn how to workout.

Finally, if you are going to focus on nutrition, focus on your protein intake. This is the most important macronutrient to build strong and lean muscle.

Want a clear, step-by-step plan to make every workout count? Check out my online training programs and start seeing results faster with a plan designed just for you.

Clem