I was contacted by BodyPass.net who asked me to answer their question about “Worst mistakes people make in gym after they stop practicing social distance”
And today I’m sharing my answers with my audience
There is no denying it: most gym goers are quite motivated but they never get to where they want to be. Instead of lean and muscular they end up chubby and inflamed.
Why is that ?
Quite a few facts play into it but here are some to consider
1. None of us wants to do their homework.
What do I mean by that? Remember school? the boring grammar / algebra / latin classes? Well that laid the foundation to be able to acquire knowledge , learn languages, think critically
When it comes to training, the grammar classes are your wall slides, uuncrossovers, pull aparts, rear delt flyes, YTAs and hip abductors. by prepping the small muscles
2.
Over pressing
what do I mean by that? We are all front heavy, it is simple optics. it is fun to bench, shoulder press, push up, dip.. you name it.
But it is not so much fun to train back, plus most of us are bad at it , making it an overhyped biceps curl
Learning how to pull is crucial:
1. Stabilize shoulderblades by pulling them down and together
2. Move the elbow first, not the hand
3. Stop the movement at the ribcage
Now, as for volume you should be doing 2-3 times as much pulling when compared to pressing. That means either have an extra pull day or sprinkle some pulling into you chest/ shoulder days .
Great, but what will that accomplish? For once, the back has way more muscle mass than chest and shoulders thereby deserves more attention. Furthermore, the constant focus on pressing leads to the hunched forward, quasimodo physique which brings along torn cuffs, impingements, neck pain and headaches. Plus a balanced physique simply looks better!
3. White paint/ Black paint
Imagine you are painting a house white but at the end of the day you throw in a bucket of black paint.
The result? You are back to square one, more or less.
In sports terms this means the following: any type of garbage yardage or sets will overload your recovery but not do anything for your gains.
Generally speaking whatever you do not get done in 45 minutes is not going to happen ( assuming you are keeping a reasonable rest time). Think 16-20 working sets for a good workout, excluding warm up and feel sets. Make those sets as perfect as can be. After that, its all garbage volume.
4.
Not seeing the forest for the trees
Often, we are so concerned about the exercise, the sets, the weight, our clothing, the perfect music that we forget what really matters: the rep
If you mess up the rep, all is lost. then you are just doing 8 reps x 4 sets x 8 exercises = lots of garbage reps and no gains.
At the bottom of everything is the rep, that is the foundation for your success.
With each rep, ask yourself the following
A. What do I want to train?
B. How does the muscle work?
C. Where is the insertion and origin of it?
D. How do I shove them together for maximum tension?
The more perfect reps you get= the more gains!
5. Over Reliance on supplements
We have all fallen for it: shiny packages, lofty promises, great looking graphs and zero results. To be very clear : most supplements do nothing, at least not enough to warrant the price tag.
Which supplements are worth considering?
1. Protein powders , even though they fall more under food.
2. Creatine , backed up by 100s of studies as a safe muscle builder.
3. ZMA. Most males and females are deficient in zinc and magnesium.
4. Green powders aka freeze dried vegetables and fruit. If you do not feel like eating your 5 servings of fruit etc. each day, this is a good alternate.
Remember, supplements are MAYBE 5% of your success, the rest is training and diet.
These are the five biggest mistakes people make.