Home » » Weight Training » Common bummers

Common bummers

© Matt Danielson

Bodybuilders worldwide tend to make very similar mistakes. I've done my share of both American and European gyms, and for some reason people seem to be falling into the same traps regardless of geographical position. Why? One reason is EGO. Ego can be a good thing, if used to spur yourself beyond previous achievements, but it should never be allowed to set common sense aside. Joint pain while warming up? You know you should back off, but your ego urges you not to "lose face" in front of your buddies. Result: You go heavy anyway, and get a torn pectoral muscle that'll take months to heal.

Another reason is plain misinformation. Anyone reading the mags knows that the "experts" all say different things. "Avoid upright rows!" "Upright rows are great!" "Never squat below 90 degrees!" "Go all the way down when squatting!" "Keep upper arms fixed while doing french presses" "Bring'em all the way down over your head to get maximum stretch" ...And so on.The confusion is total, and somewhere in the mess a lot of people injure themselves.

Yet another culprit is believing the myths, such as that cardio is superior to weight training when it comes to getting in shape, the pros are clean and that fat is the root of all evil. Right - and I spotted Elvis during his squat-routine today at the gym. The big and the small myths are always circulating, and of course some have a core of truth hidden deep inside while others don't, like it usually is with myths. However, I thought I'd point out a few common mistakes I've noticed during my active years.

Judging by the scale

The guy with lovehandles hanging out over his pants, happily proclaiming: "Hey guys, I've gained another three pounds since last week!" is easy to spot. He's made the classic diet mistake of judging himself by the scale instead of the mirror. People on a deff usually get horrified when discovering how much they're losing, but as long it's fat and not muscle, it's all right. And of course, the opposite holds true with the weight gainer. Gaining three pounds of muscle is great, while gaining 2.8 pounds of fat and 0.2 pounds of muscle is not. Remember: A caliper and the mirror is your judge, not the scale!

Focusing on weight only

On a good day, a person might benchpress, say, 300 pounds for 8 strict reps. He feels great, rightfully so, but the next time he goes into the gym to do the same he hasn't had enough sleep and haven't been eating properly, and in addition his boss kicked his ass at the office earlier, so he's quite far from focused on the job at hand. This time, he panics as he realize that he's not gonna make eight, but will hit the wall at four or five!

The copyright of the article Common bummers in Weight Training is owned by Matt Danielson. Permission to republish Common bummers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.