What do you think is the #1 mistake most lifters make?

[ayoub92i]

Over training (srs)

[kodiak6]

Neglecting legs (especially hamstrings) and back.

[SimonThePieman]

Body part splits to failure

[We_Big]

Diet and flexibility.

I'd say the majority of gym rats don't have a SOLID diet, counting calories, etc. Myself included

Also with non-athletes I think flexibility is an issue especially with the shoulders and legs

[ign_fan_4life]

Most go overboard on the bulking and skimp on the cutting. People tend to underestimate how much leanness really contributes to a good physique. Imo, that's by far the biggest mistake people make. I see too many people with high bf percents wondering why the next guy looks better than them, when they simply have too much excess fat on their bodies. It's not necessarily how you diet, but how long. Keep cutting until you get cut.

[CuriousGM]

They half ass it, plain and simple. Also diet.

[Cahoony]

squatting with that bar cushion, grow a pair

[xacimo]

Diet. So many people I know at uni go to the gym regularly but just eat whatever they feel like with no thought given to proper nutrition.

[iamtheawesome]

not focusing on form, usually accompanied by using way too much weight.

[Grapist]

I agree, but it's easier said than done. What if I get hurt again? It has gotten to the point where I've forgotten how to trust. How to be vulnerable. I'm just afraid to put myself "out there," I guess. If I offer my heart to another and it is crushed, is that really healthy? Wouldn't it be better to hold it close? Protect it? Sometimes I just don't know what to do. What to think. I guess I'll just continue taking it one day at a time, hoping that that person is out there somewhere. The one that can lift me up and never let me down.

Extremely underrated post.

[AlbinoScience]

sh!tty diet
not enough cardio or not intense enough cardio
not doing legs

[kaebow]

Agree but not for the same reasons I imagine. IMO one can get away with virtually any diet if a fasting approach is taken and all carbs (and 90%+ of cals) are consumed in the evening post workout. This means better insulin sensitivity and nutrient partitioning. Not to mention fasted (or close to) training is 10x better than with a full stomach. Most people have yet to realise this wizardry.

Yeh try doing fasted training while olympic lifting for 2.5+ hours. You will certainly feel light headed by the end of heavy squat session.

[midcoastking33]

Taking a pro's split

[TheJizzler]

Not keeping a workout log, and just freestyling it. Basically not progressing in their lifts every week.

^ this - for noob lifters

Even with a chitty diet / lack of sleep / bad routine, you can still make considerable noob gains just by progressive overload.


brb vag machine 30 reps, random weight
brb the smith machine's full so I'll do lat pull downs until it's free
brb still in use so rowing machine 20 mins
brb jacuzzi
brb out with the boys - can't lift on Friday anymore

[wake_me]

Most important ones have been mentioned, but it seems this thread has turned into a list of various ones so I'll toss one out I haven't noticed.

Disregarding the importance of the mind/muscle connection when lifting. I think this is something that is overlooked.

[socrates07]

Not listening to your body

[MITHIX]

Not training rotator cuffs.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...cuff_conundrum

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...2159041&page=1

[byebyebye]

Posting on this forum.

This man is a genius.

[outtherebrother]

Not eating enough. 100% truth

[Sapporo]

Not taking their fish oil anally.

No but srs has to be diet. I'm working out for 5 months now and regulars at the gym told me i made more gains than people they've seen coming for over a year. Spoke to one of them actually while i was talking with an old man about food. The guy said: "yea i eat a lot, probably about 6-8 slices of bread with chicken and then dinner and after that maybe a snack". Im like: "wtf brah, my breakfast has the same macro's as your 8 slices of bread during the entire day".

[mrkotfw]

Not curling in the glorious squat rack

Came in to post this

[islandcoli]

lol at people who don't even lift giving advice

[RhinoBody]

Extremely underrated post.

Thanks for taking the time to read it, man. Repped.

[drfuzzy]

Starting with a cut.

[niktak11]

A million different exercises

[xRibs]

Not having a routine and lifting whatever/whenever
Avoiding heavy compounds
Not eating enough

[user782328]

Not training rotator cuffs.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...cuff_conundrum

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...2159041&page=1

This. and lifting through an injury.

did it myself and made it even worse by not resting.

[RhinoBody]

lol at people who don't even lift giving advice

It's ok, man. It's not your fault. The anger you feel inside and project onto others...........it was put there by someone else. You know what the worse part of it is? They didn't even ask you if you wanted it. If you could handle it. It is your Cross to bear now. Bear it well, my friend.

Sincerely yours,

Rhinobody(aka) InsightfulBrah

[ZeeBrahs]

Not doing deadlifts.

[tChar23]

Not warming up enough before lifting. I see guys come in and their very first set for the day is 225lb bench, and the most they even get up to is like 275... That's hardly warming up the muscle at all it's just like alright chest, deal with it.