Earlier, we discussed the leaks that eat away at your calorie deficit. Training has the same problem.
When someone is new to training, their program usually isn’t the issue; it’s how they’re executing it. Here are the five leaks most commonly seen.
Treating Rest Periods Like A Suggestion The rest period is part of the workout. If a workout says rest 90 seconds, that’s the plan. I see people lengthen the rest period, and consequently the session loses its desired effect. Others rush their heavy sets, start the next one before they’ve recovered, and end up lifting less than they’re capable of. Check the clock and be disciplined to stick to it.
Skipping Warm-Up Sets You obviously want to get to the "real work." But if you skip your warm-up sets, your first working set becomes your warm-up, and you leave weight on the bar. You’re also giving up practice reps on the movement. A few extra sets every session add up to a lot of reps over a period of training.
Not Pushing Hard Enough This one isn’t just about effort. Plenty of people are working hard and still making the set easier than it’s supposed to be. Resting at the top of a squat when the tempo doesn’t call for it. Skipping the pause at the bottom. Stopping a few inches short of full range of motion. Letting form slip on the last few reps. Each one takes work away from the muscle you’re trying to build. Do the rep the way it’s written.
Letting cardio take over Cardio is good for you, and you should be doing it. The problem is when it becomes the priority. If you do a long run or a hard conditioning session right before you lift, you show up to your strength work already tired, and your lifts pay for it.
The same goes for piling on extra cardio every day to burn more calories. That fatigue adds up and eats into your recovery, especially in a deficit. Lift first, keep your cardio at a level you can recover from (60 min TOTAL per week is plenty for most), and use your daily steps to do the rest.
- Not Writing Down Your Weights If you don’t know what you lifted last week, you’re guessing this week. And most people guess the same weight they always use.
Write down every set, the weight and the reps. You won’t get stronger every week, and that’s normal. It’s the same as a deficit. One morning on the scale doesn’t tell you much, but the trend over a few weeks does. We’re looking for a positive trend over time, and you can only see it if it’s written down.
Each of these sounds minor on its own, but they compound over time. They’re the first things to fix, particularly for newbies, because they decide whether your time in the gym actually turns into muscle. At SFX, we program to help you with all of this. It programmes your warm-up sets, give you clear notes on tempo and effort, set your rest periods, balance your cardio with your strength work, and show you how to progress week to week. Hold yourself to that standard, and see where it takes you! 👊