Are you a beginner lifter who is just starting out on your fitness journey? Congratulations on taking the first step towards a healthier and stronger you! However, as a beginner, it's easy to fall into common mistakes that can hinder your progress and even lead to injuries. In this blog, we will discuss 7 mistakes beginner lifters often make and how to avoid them. By learning from these mistakes, you can ensure that you are on the right track to achieving your fitness goals safely and effectively. So, let's dive in!
Not warming up enough.
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is not warming up enough. When you're just starting out, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of lifting and want to dive right into your workout. But if you don't properly warm up your muscles before lifting heavy weights, there's a good chance that your body will be injured before long--and nobody wants that!
To avoid injury when lifting weights, I recommend doing light cardio for about five minutes (like walking on a treadmill), followed by dynamic stretches for another five minutes or so. Then move on to an exercise like push-ups or squats with only an empty barbell on each side of your body; this help prepare both mind and body for what comes next: heavier weight loads!
Not doing any kind of mobility work.
Mobility work is important for all athletes, no matter what sport you're in. Whether lifting weights or playing a sport like basketball, mobility will help prevent injuries and improve performance.
Before each workout, take a few minutes to warm up with some light cardio (like jumping rope) followed by some dynamic stretches--stretches that involve moving through the range of motion being worked during the workout are best because they prepare muscles for activity. After each workout, do some static stretching--hold each stretch for 30 seconds at least 3 times per muscle group--to lengthen tight muscles and reduce soreness after training sessions.
Not eating enough.
If you're not eating enough, it's easy to see why your progress might be slow. Your body needs calories to build muscle and recover from workouts. If you don't give your body what it needs, it will struggle to grow stronger--and eventually, stop growing altogether.
Use an online calculator to determine how many calories you should eat each day. These calculators will ask questions about your height/weight ratio (the two numbers) as well as how much exercise time per week you spend doing cardio exercises (hours), strength training sessions (hours), and weightlifting sessions (hours). Then they'll spit out an estimate for how many calories per day are needed for someone with those characteristics who want to gain weight for muscle growth: usually around 2000-3000 per day, depending on gender and age group!
Not tracking progress or making note of your diet.
Tracking progress is an important part of any training program. It allows you to see what works, what doesn't, and how far you've come. If your goal is to lose weight or gain muscle mass, then tracking your diet is just as important as tracking your workouts because if you don't know what's going into the body, how can you expect results?
The most effective way to monitor exercise and diet is by using a fitness tracking app. Many of these tools allow users to log daily calorie intake and nutritional details such as carbohydrate, fat, and protein ratios. This information can help individuals make informed adjustments to better support their health and fitness goals.
Not getting enough sleep.
Sleep is an important part of your fitness journey. While it may seem like a waste of time, getting enough sleep can lead to better performance and growth. Sleep helps your body recover from workouts, repair damaged muscle tissue and build new muscles. It also increases testosterone levels which allows you to gain more muscle mass.
If you aren't sleeping enough (less than seven hours per night), your body won't have enough time to recover properly between workouts. This will lead to injuries as well as poor performance at the gym or during sports practices/games because your muscles are not able to heal properly due to lack of restful sleep, which leads them being overworked throughout the day with no time for rest before their next workout session begins again tomorrow morning.
Thinking you can't do it alone
You can do it alone.
You don't need to be part of a gym to get fit.
You don't need to be part of a team or group to get fit.
And you certainly don't need a coach, trainer, or nutritionist (all three are very different things) unless you want one.
Doing the same workout over and over again without changing things up.
If you're a beginner lifter, it's important to understand that variation is key. If you do the same workout over and over again, your body will get used to it and stop responding as well. You'll also get bored with your routine and start finding other things to do instead of working out.
To avoid these problems, try mixing up your workouts or adding new exercises into the mix every week or two. If something doesn't work for you (or if something works really well), keep doing it! But don't be afraid of trying new things either--your body is always changing; sometimes, what worked before won't work anymore because something else has changed in your life or body since then. If this happens often enough, ask someone who works out regularly if they have any advice on how best practices have changed recently (and listen carefully).
Conclusion
We hope that by reading this article, you have been able to avoid some of the common mistakes made by beginner lifters. We know the journey can be tough, but with our help and guidance, it can be fun! Keep working hard, and always remember: if you fall, get back up again.
