4 common
mistakes in many workout plans - 2015
I do don’t want to be negative but we need to look at a few
things. We all make mistakes. Starting a workout program is daunting to say the
least in this information age. I will explain why these areas are ripe with
mistakes.
1.
Not using full body movements
We
are designed to move in certain ways. We carry our bags close to the center of
gravity not at arm length. We should squat to pick something up from the
ground, anything. The same is true while lifting weights. Use your entire body,
aligned properly, to pick things up. This is how we are designed to move. Watch
when two people shake hands, they reach out with everything, pull the parts
closer to center mass, and shake hands.
Somewhere there is a comedian shaking his hands as
if they are wet and laughing. Everybody’s a comedian ha-ha.
If
this is not clear try walking using just your legs. It is very, very,
inefficient. Now, do a barbell squat or a deadlift using only your legs. It
cannot be done. Use your language more carefully. Train your entire body and
NOT body parts. When a full body movement breaks down train the part which
failed to fix the problem. Do NOT stop using the full body movement as the center-piece
of your training.
2.
Using too much body English
We
have all seen the convulsive pull ups done by that group which shall not be
named. These are dangerous. This group experiences more than 75% more injuries
than any serious group of athletes. Arnold told us not to do “cheat curls”
which look more like a clean than a curl. One of his mentors told me, in
person, that this was his go to movement in the development of the best arms
ever, arguably. I digress.
The
benefits of training with weights start off with the stabilization of the
system. Stop using momentum, inertia, and out of scope form to complete a rep.
If you want to continue beyond “failure” just use a little help on a couple of
reps. Personal training was born when people realized there is a component of
lifting weights called posture. Practicing bad form is a recipe for disaster.
3.
Following someone with different goals
I
know a trainer who competes in figure competitions. She is very friendly, good
looking, and eager to train people. I introduced her to a couple and the wife
was already training with me. The husband started training with her. This
husband is in his late sixties. He wants to look better, feel, better, and move
his body. His new trainer has one way of doing things, the bodybuilding way.
Her client wants to get in shape not just look in shape.
Try? NO!!!!
If
I want to learn to play basketball I will not ask a baseball player how to
dribble. This is the problem with personal training in general. People from all
sorts of backgrounds start “helping people”. If we want to learn the bench
press we should go to a powerlifter and fit the movement to our body type. If I
want to become a triathlete I should learn from a triathlete, NOT a
powerlifter, bodybuilder, or soccer player.
Good
personal trainers can make adjustments and make athletes out of any person.
Good personal trainers have experience and act like strength and conditioning
coaches more than trainers. Make your training suitable to your goals. Good
personal trainers use additional weight. Bodyweight is just not going to work,
in terms of strengthening our bodies, beyond six to eight weeks.
4.
Bench press
The
bench press gets a bad reputation. Since it took top honors as the go to
exercise from the press it has disintegrated. The bench press was born in the
Navy. Athletes could not do a standing press on the deck of a ship and went to
the floor and then to a bench. Many shoulders have been injured doing this
great strength movement.
Olympic
weightlifters, in the US, have been told for decades they should not do this
movement. This highlights one thing. The ruling class in weightlifting does not
understand the shoulder rhythm during a bench press. It’s a shame really. We
need to give our back a rest sooner than later as weightlifters.
I
have descriptions in the PDF section of this blog for many movements. Take the
one for bench pressing to understand why and when to use this fundamental
movement.
This
list is not complete. There are many mistakes made in gyms world-wide every
day. There is a take away message. Train your entire body every time you train.
Use relatively strict form on every movement you use. Find a personal trainer
who can describe why you are doing the workout, movement, and program you are
practicing. Practice the bench press and learn how to do the movement from a
powerlifter (btw, powerlifters squat, bench press, & deadlift). Check out
the PDF page of this blog and help yourself to the files.
There is
a good book I am helping promote. I did not write it. I have practiced this
type of method for improving my body for more than thirty-five years. It works.
I do get a cut if you buy this book from this site and I do not endorse anything
I do not believe in, fully. Click here...