5 Beginner Gym Mistakes You Need to Avoid!

Can be tough, but not always because getting in shape is hard work. Forsome, the problem is that… they’re not exactly sure what they’re doing in there. The environment, the equipment, the exercises, and heck, even the fashion trends can be difficult to grasp. To enlighten some of our fellow beginner bros and broettes, and even some of you seasoned

gym-goers, here are 5 beginner gym mistakes

that you might want to fix.

Number 1, you use only machines.

There’s nothing exactly wrong with machines

as they do simplify many exercises and are,

for the most part, easy to use.

But its simplicity has its drawbacks.

One is that machines typically accommodate

only average height ranges, making it tough

to use if you’re too short or too tall.

Some machines also follow unnatural movement

paths, which can be uncomfortable to use.

Free weights are much more…well, free, allowing

you to work with better, more natural patterns.

Also, one huge disadvantage is the lack of

strengthening stabilizer muscles.

Machines already have you set in a fixed,

stable position, thus you won’t need to

kick in much of your stabilizers to keep balance

and control.

Free weights, in contrast, will require just

that.

Now again, that doesn’t mean machines aren’t

good at all.

In fact, one of the best machines in all of

fitness are the cable machines.

But they do have their limitations and it’s

important to integrate free weight exercises

into your program wherever you see fit, especially

if your goal is overall fitness.

Number 2, you’re doing way too many isolation

exercises.

Yes, I’m talking to you, the one staring

in the mirror while doing your eighteenth

set of bicep curls.

Believe it or not, there’s more to being

in shape than the size of your arms.

These single-joint isolation exercises, like

curls, side raises, and triceps pushdowns,

only tend to focus on one muscle group at

a time.

Large compound movements, like squats, deadlifts,

and shoulder presses, however, hit multiple

muscle groups at once, meaning more work in

significantly less time.

Compound movements also allow you to work

with much heavier weights, which is great

if you want to build overall strength and

muscle.

Now, isolation exercises are still important.

They are great at hitting muscles that need

more work, and they’re more effective in

controlling specific volume targets for any

given muscle.

But the point is, don’t stick with isolations

only.

Do your compound movements too, if not more

so.

Number 3, you only use light weights.

It’s understandable that beginners will

hesitate to lift heavy.

However, avoid doing so goes against one key

fitness component: progressive overload.

The concept that, one must persistently increase

the demand placed on the muscles to effectively

become stronger and bigger.

Sure, you might toss on a few more pounds

once in a while, but nothing even close to

your maximal potential.

You need to push your limits for results,

ESPECIALLY if the goal is getting stronger.

Studies repeatedly show that strength gainz

are best achieved when lifting heavy.

That means you need to lift a weight you can

only do maybe 5 or 3 reps max, or even just

once.

And then after you achieve that, try even

more the next time around.

No more 40 rep sets unless your goal is strictly

endurance.

And before wrapping up the last two, I wanna

give a quick shout out to the PictureFit discord

community!

For those of you unfamiliar with discord,

it is a chat service originally created for

gamers.

But it’s also proven to be great for other

communities, including health and fitness.

Our PicutreFit community have lots of great

people sharing advice each day.

Overall, we’ve been tremendously successful

in creating a fun yet mature, and helpful

environment.

If you feel like you need help with your goals

or wanna help other bros and broettes or even

wanna just chat with me and others, then please

come check out the discord community today.

Registration is super quick and easy.

Just follow the link in the description.

Number 4, you don’t bring along a bottle

of water.

A simple but crucial mistake many people make,

not just beginners.

The thing is, our body is two-thirds water

and on average, we sweat off roughly 1 liter

of water for every hour of exercise.

If we don’t replenish the lost water, it

can lead to dehydration, which comes with

nasty symptoms like muscle cramps, fatigue,

poor concentration, and headaches.

Qualities you certainly wouldn’t want during

your physical activities.

The simple fix is to bring that water bottle

with you.

There’s really no reason not to and it’s

better than relying on the gym’s water fountain.

Also, if you’re doing anything super intense

or long endurance, you might want to consider

a sports drink or coconut water instead to

help replenish the loss of electrolytes.

Plus, it has sugars, which replenish energy

stores.

Just make sure you account for the added sugars

into your overall diet.

And finally, number 5, you don’t ask for

help.

There has been a long-built stigma of an anti-social

sentiment in the gym.

Unsolicited fitness advice is often discouraged

since no one likes to be told what to do even

with the best of intentions.

But such a contentious pride to be independent

means… we suck at asking for help.

As a beginner, there’s no doubt you’ll

need all the help you can get.

We also have studies showing that people with

social and/or coaching support are much more

likely to be successful with their goals.

It’s both a motivational and educational

benefit to have someone encouraging and helping

you along the way.

I’m personally a huge advocate of working

with actual professionals, even personal trainers,

with enough due diligence, but I understand

not everyone has the financial means to do

so.

In that case, put your pride aside and don’t

be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

Contrary to popular belief, gym bros and broettes

are more than happy to help.

After all, they understand how difficult it

once was as a beginner themselves.

And that’s five mistakes you might want

to start working on as a beginner.

I hope you all left with at least some extra

knowledge you can take to the gym.

As always, thank you for reading and happy

lifting AND GET YOUR PROTEIN!