But if you’re like many guys, you might feel a little impatient waiting for those goals to come to fruition—so you spend a whole bunch of time scrolling through Instagram and scoping out your gym to see what the fittest guys out there are doing.
If it works for them, it must be the secret to putting on size and strength fast, right?
Not exactly. A lot of what you see—whether we’re talking social feeds or what guys are doing at your gym—is based on broscience, not actual science.
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In fact, one of the biggest mistakes at the gym is seeking out that elusive “get fit fast” scheme, says David Otey, C.S.C.S., personal training manager at Equinox Fitness.
And here’s the problem with that thinking: If you’re too busy following the latest trends in fitness rather than sticking to a sound workout plan, you risk screwing up your progress—and looking like an ass while you’re doing it.
We asked the experts to weigh in on some of the things guys are doing wrong at the gym and ways to fix these mistakes. Here’s what they had to say.
COMMON GYM MISTAKE: USING TOO MUCH WEIGHT
“While there is a time and place for maximal training, doing that in every session, on every set, is only going to result in you burning out and not making consistent progress,” explains Tony Gentilcore, C.S.C.S., owner of CORE in Boston.
Stop comparing yourself to the guy next to you. It’s not about how much weight you can lift or how many reps you can do. If you want long-term results with minimal set backs, you need to lighten up the weight and focus on form.
But, if you feel like trying something new, you need to be able to find a way to modify it to your level. That’s where a trainer can help. Ask questions before jumping into a new workout and track your progress.
You need to determine what your goal is and then ask yourself “does my workout program reflect that?” Quit doing other peoples’ workouts, and instead, find a program that fits your schedule and current fitness state.
OMMON GYM MISTAKE: NOT TRACKING YOUR WORKOUT
Fortunately, this is one of the simplest fixes. Get an app that helps track your workouts or go old school and buy a spiral notebook and call it get started.
Then, aim to gradually increase your volume. For example, if you benched presses 185 pounds for three sets of eight reps the week before, Gentilcore says a good progression would be to increase your volume 5 to 10 percent, or by 1-3 repetitions the next week.
The idea is to challenge your body to do more work week by week, but not to the point where you surpass your body's ability to recover.
COMMON GYM MISTAKE: RESTING TOO LONG BETWEEN SETS
COMMON GYM MISTAKE: DOING A BODYBUILDER SPLIT
Take, for instance, the traditional bodybuilder split. A guy might do chest on Monday, back on Tuesday, shoulders on Wednesday, biceps and triceps on Thursday, legs on Friday, and take the weekend off.
And for some guys—say, competitive bodybuilders—it can produce some pretty great results. The problem, though, is that those kinds of splits require a dedication that the average gym-goer just doesn’t have, says Otey. For one thing, it requires a lot of time both in the gym and at home, since your rest and nutrition needs to be on point, too. Plus, the intensity at which you need to train to make that split effective is high—one that very few people can maintain over time.
Instead, find a shorter program—which you’ll be more likely to stick to—that will focus on strength and muscle gains. And for the average guy, training each muscle group twice a week seems to be the sweet spot for strength and hypertrophy.
This article originally appeared on Men's Health
