125 Of The Most Commons Training Mistakes Made

By Beginners, Seasoned Lifters, and Coaches

And the Solutions for Each

Compiled by James Cerbie with help from Pat Koch, Eric Bach, Jason Maxwell, Marc-Jason
Locquiao, Matt Ashbolt, Jon Goodman, Ryan Andrews, Chris Wren, Tim Geromini, Thomas
Gian Ardito, Lauren Bradley, and Benjamin Pickard

Disclaimer
The information in this book is offered for educational purposes only; the reader should
be cautioned that there is an inherent risk assumed by the participant with any form of
physical activity. With that in mind, those participating in strength and conditioning
programs should check with their physician prior to initiating such activities. Anyone
participating in these activities should understand that such training initiatives may be
dangerous if performed incorrectly, and may not be appropriate for everyone. The
author assumes no liability for injury; this is purely an educational manual to guide those
already proficient with the demands of such programming.

www.rebel-performance.com: Become Exceptional

Table of Contents

Welcome and Thank You: 4

How to Use This Resource: 4-6

Beginners
o
o
o
o

General Mistakes: 7-10

Programming and In the Workout: 10-30
Movement and Technique: 30-42
Nutrition: 43-44
Seasoned Lifters

o Programming and In the Workout: 45-52

o Nutrition: 52-53
o Other: 54

Coaches: 54-55

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Welcome and Thank You

First off, Id like to thank you for downloading this ebook. Its something Ive
wanted to put together for a while now. I spend the vast majority of my time training
athletes and helping people with their strength and fitness related goals, and Im
amazed at the mistakes I routinely encounter.
Some mistakes are worse than others, but they all take away from the end goal of
getting stronger, moving better and staying healthy (looking better naked probably falls
in there also).
Either way, I cant help but get frustrated when I meet people so eager to
improve, yet making fundamental mistakes simply because theyre misinformed.
Ultimately, thats why I put this book together: I want everyone to have the opportunity
to evolve into their ultimate selves.
Compiling this list has been a multi-month project, and would have never been
possible without the help of other coaches and trainers Im lucky to call friends. I want
to take a minute to thank them for their contributions and helping making this project of
mine a reality.
Ultimately, we may not have hit every single strength-training mistake known to
man, but I feel like were pretty darn close. I honestly dont think youll find a more
user-friendly resource on the market to help you get your training on track.
Most importantly, enjoy the book because its written for you! Always feel free to
reach out to me with questions and/or comments, and if you think we missed a mistake
let me know so I can update the list accordingly.
Also, if you enjoy the book I want you to SHARE IT. Yes, thats right. I want you
to share this with any and everyone who you think may find it interesting. Other places
around the web may ask you to direct them to a webpage, and have them sign up
because the material is exclusive, or something along those lines, but thats not the case
here. In fact, its the exact opposite. I want you to share as much as your heart desires.
Again, thank you for downloading this book and best of luck in your training.

www.rebel-performance.com: Become Exceptional

How To Use This Resource

In order for you to get the most out of this book, I should probably elaborate on
my train of thought and how the book was put together. Ill also tell you how I think you
should approach reading the book depending on your skill level.
Youll notice the book is broken into three sections: Beginners, Seasoned Lifters
and Coaches. I did this for the following reason.
In my mind, anything involving development should be broken down into
pyramidal structure as often as possible. This just helps with overall organization and
ensures people build the appropriate base of support before moving onto the next
level. Think of it this way, you cant build the top of the pyramid if you havent built up
everything else below it.
Thus, the three sections help you to visualize development in the following
manner:
This should make logical sense. At one point or another, we were all beginners. Then
as we gained practical experience and knowledge, we eventually reached the level of
seasoned lifter. Then the final jump came to coach as we began to concern ourselves
more with the science and art of helping others improve.
With that in mind, heres how I recommend each of the groups approach this book:

Beginners:
o Youll notice the beginner section is by far the longest, and its like that for
a reason: the base of the pyramid is the largest. It covers a lot of material,
so spend some time immersing yourself in this section and making any
necessary adjustments you find. Dont proceed onto the other two
sections until youve hammered down the first.
Seasoned Lifters:
o First things first, read the beginner section. Although you may consider
yourself a seasoned lifter, you very well might have brushed over things I
consider to be beginner mistakes. In short, Id be surprised if you dont
pick up at least 3-5 things from the beginner section you can implement
immediately.
o As far as the material in this section is concerned, itll be more training
intensive. Among other things, itll discuss more advanced programming

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and exercise techniques that seasoned lifters should be taking advantage

of.
Coaches
o Be sure to read the first two sections. You should have anything brought
up in them down pact.
o On the material front, Ill go over common coaching mistakes I run into
and offer some recommended resources (aka stuff you should have read
already).

www.rebel-performance.com: Become Exceptional

James Cerbie
Creator and Head Coach of Rebel Performance
[email protected]
www.rebel-performance.com

125 Of The Most Common Training Mistakes Made

By Beginners, Seasoned Lifters, and Coaches
And the Solutions for Each

Beginners
General Mistakes
1. Lacking Confidence
Doubting yourself is one of the worst things you can do.
I'm not telling you to go be an arrogant ass, but you must have confidence and you
must believe in yourself.
There will be days when things suck. You'll feel sore, beat up, tired, and question why
you're pushing yourself the way you are. It's at times like these that your belief in
yourself must shine through.
Know you are capable of achieving great things, and find a way to persevere. Heres a
poem and a quote to get you moving in that direction.

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2. Not Reading the Poem Invictus At Least Once a Week

Invictus
BY WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
3. Not Knowing This Theodore Roosevelt Quote
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man
stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs
to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and
blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there
is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds;
who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy
cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at
the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be
with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
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4. Being A Lone Wolf

Our culture is quickly moving away from the dog eat dog mentality of past generations.
Stop viewing things as a zero sum game and find ways to help others.
Helping others, or providing value to other people, is one of the quickest ways to build
your immediate network.
Here's why having a big network is important: more knowledge and training advice.
Thus, be sure to reach out to other people at the gym, offer to help them in one way or
another, and then reap the benefits of having them do the same for you.
5. Women Being Scared to Lift Heavy
Contributed by Lauren Bradley of https://www.facebook.com/thefueledphysique
A lot of women are still afraid of lifting heavy because they are intimidated by the
weight room or think they will get "bulky."
If you're looking to change your body comp, heavy weights is where it's at. As women it
is not in our genetic makeup to get bulky. We simply don't produce enough
testosterone to make that happen.
You know you're doing it right when the last 2-3 reps are difficult but you can still
maintain solid form. If you don't know where to start, buy a few sessions with a strength
coach or certified personal trainer to help you get started.
6. Not Respecting the Law of Repetitive Motion
In my opinion, everyone should have a working understanding of the law of repetitive
motion. In short, it simplifies the concept of injury into an easy to follow equation.
Since I wrote a whole piece on it a while back, Ill redirect you here to read more about
it

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7. Lack of Patience
Contributed by Chris Wren of www.thefitnessarchetype.com
With the growth, expansion and advancements in modern day technology, our culture
has fallen victim to the plague of immediacy. Any and everything must be done in the
blink of an eye. I mean god forbid it takes 2 minutes to send a text or I cant see an
email the second someone sends it.
Unfortunately, fitness and health have fallen victim to this same plague. Everyone is
looking for the golden ticket to producing results, or the next quick fix. When in reality,
patience is the key. Anything good and worthwhile takes time.
So stay patient and trust the results will come. Granted, its not the sexiest thing to do
but I promise it will yield better results than jumping from quick fix to quick fix.
For more on this topic, Id encourage you to check out this article.
8. Stopping, and Starting, and Stopping, and Starting
Contributed by Jon Goodman of www.theptdc.com
No matter how good a workout is, consistency must be a priority.
For this reason, pick workouts that you'll do to start. The best workout is the one that
you'll do after all. Once working out becomes a habit, then you can do that killer
workout from a magazine.
9. Not Getting Enough Sleep
Sleep is vitally important when it comes to strength development and overall health.
When people come up short on sleep, it can have detrimental impacts on just about
everything. You need to work hard to get 7-9 quality hours of sleep a night.
For more on sleep, check out this awesome article by Sol Orwell and Kurtis Frank.

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Programming and In the Workout

10. Ignoring the Principals of Specificity
Our bodies are incredible machines capable of adapting to hardly any stimulus it faces.
It will adapt to these stimuli, however, in a very specific way.
This principle is often referred to as the SAID (Specific Adaptation to Imposed
Demands) principle. It simply states that you're body will adapt in a very specific way to
an imposed stimulus.
This means you must have a clear goal in mind when designing a training routine
because your decisions on exercise selection, reps, sets etc. will have to be very specific.
For example, if you want to build absolute strength you'd never do your big lifts for
more than 5 reps. Sorry, but you have to lift heavy to get strong. Doing sets of 12 may
give you a good burn, but it's not specific to the development of absolute strength.
11. Marathon Lifting Workouts:
Contributed by Pat Koch of www.grassfedlifestyle.com
Stop using 10 different exercises for the same muscle group.
Eventually intensity falls to an unacceptable level, sacrificing potential muscle growth.
Instead, cut down on the number of exercises youre doing and really focus on upping
the intensity.
Essentially, you want to get strong in the basics before adding a ton of volume to
various assistance exercises.

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12. Doing Too Much

This is pretty similar to the previous point, but its important enough to have on here
twice.
More does not equal better. You need to stop trying to do 8 million things every time
you workout. Rather, have a clear focus with each training session, pick 4-6 exercises
and get after it. Check out this article if you want to read more about this.
13. Not Focusing On Strength
Contributed by Eric Bach of www.bachperformance.com
To build muscle you must overload the body.
High-tension strength work improves hormone profile, neuromuscular efficiency, and
increases the relative strength of every subsequent lift.
Pick 1 exercise per training day and focus on 3-5 sets of 2-6 reps. Add weight to the bar,
monitor your progress, and build strength! I recommend the front squat, deadlift, bench
press, and chin-up as the best builders.
14. Too Much Bodybuilding
If you fill your workout with nothing but higher rep sets, you'll never get strong.
Hypertrophy work has its place, but you have to lift heavy to get strong. Work more in
the 1-5 rep range.
15. Not Having a Plan
Winging it can only get you so far. You need to have a plan.
A plan in training is also known as periodization, and there are many different types of
periodization. Regardless of which one you're a believer in you need to have a plan.
There are too many variables to account for (volume, intensity, density etc. etc.) to not
plan out your training at least one month at a time

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16. Doing Nothing But Bilateral Strength Movements

Bilateral strength movements (squats, deadlifts etc.) are essential to developing big
time strength. I see many people, however, do nothing but bilateral movements and fail
to address unilateral strength and stability issues.
For example, I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone have an above average
looking squat, but fall to pieces as soon as they have to do something more unilateral in
nature like a lunge.
Lunges, step ups, 1-leg RDL's and a host of other single leg movements bring about
tremendous benefits for the user, and should be a staple in any program. Do them at
least twice a week (I usually just put in a single leg movement on each lower body day).
Don't be afraid to load these up either and go for 5 or 6 heavy reps per side.
17. Not Starting Off Light
Going balls to the wall day one may not be your best idea.
Strength gain is after all a long-term process. So don't come out of the gates too fast.
If you've read anything Jim Wendler has written, you'll know he talks about the necessity
to start off light and build up from week to week.
For example, if you know you're hitting deadlifts for the next 4 weeks, start of on the
"lighter" (by lighter I mean 80% or so) side of things and then increase it from week to
week. You'd rather feel good going into week 2 ready to beat what you did last week,
than feeling crushed because you tried to pull 100% out of the gates.

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18. Not Using a Template

Templates are a great way to stay organized and keep programming simple.
Depending on your goals, I highly recommend writing out a template to make your life
easier.
Heres an example of what a template may look like:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Heavy Squat
Heavy Bench
Heavy Pull
Heavy Posterior
Chain

Heavy Row

Single Leg

Vertical Push

Accessory Posterior
Chain
Core

Triceps Push
Biceps
Scap Circuit

Core

Day 4
Heavy
Vertical Pull
Heavy Posterior Chain 1-arm
Horizontal
Push
Single Leg
Accessory
Horizontal
Pulll
Accessory Post Chain Triceps
Extension
Core
Forearm
Work
External
Rotation
Circuit
Core

19. Not Focusing On Principles

Contributed by Chris Wren of www.thefitnessarchetype.com
Focusing too much on methods and components to build the best program will leave
you lost in the details.
Focus on the key principles: progressive overload, multiple rep ranges, multiple angles,
multiple exercises and you wont go wrong.

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20. Choosing Style Over Substance

Contributed by Tim Geromini
I see a lot of athletes or folks in general who want to be faster, quicker, more powerful.
And, while that is great (nobody can blame them), they make the mistake of training for
all those things without training for strength first. Having a day of just agility ladder drills
will not make you quicker. It may look cool, but there are better ways.
You cannot be quicker, faster, or more powerful unless you have a base of strength first.
Strength is the foundation from which speed and power can grow. Instead of using
those agility ladder drills or plyometrics (which without strength will not be much of a
plyometric show) build up your strength first.
If you strength train 3 days per week; train for strength on Monday, Thursday, and
Saturday.
You can use Tuesday as a power circuit type day and include stuff like the following:

Agility ladders as an extension of your warmup.

Power work can come from med ball throws and sprints.

Get up close and personal with a sled and/or prowler.

Just remember; while speed and power are necessary for sports, you need to have
strength first.

21. Thinking That Soreness Is An Indicator of Progress

Contributed by Chris Wren of www.thefitnessarchetype.com
If you are routinely sore to the point that you have difficulty doing everyday tasks, then
your training is counterproductive.
Essentially, you should be focusing on improving your performance and not chasing
soreness levels.
To me, the sign of a really excellent routine is one which places great demands on the
athlete, yet produces progressive long-term improvement without soreness, injury or
the athlete ever feeling thoroughly depleted. Any fool can create a program that is so
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demanding that it would virtually kill the toughest Marine or hardiest of elite athletes,
but not any fool can create a tough program that produces progress without
unnecessary pain.
~ Dr. Mel C. Siff
22. Neglecting the Warm Up
The warm up is a crucial component of any good workout, so dont half ass it.
The warm up is crucial for two reasons: it allows you to work on problem areas and
prepares the body for the demands it's about to face.
If you're skimping out on your warm up, I can promise you you're not getting the most
out of your workout. Be sure to hit your soft tissue work first, then proceed to any
necessary mobility/correctives, and then finish up with something a little more dynamic.
All in all, the warm up should last about 15 min.
Heres a post worth checking out if youd like to learn more about how to structure a
warm up and get a free sample warm up.
23. The Unnecessary Deload
Don't get me wrong, deloads have their place. I'm not one of those people who's going
to sit here and say overtraining doesn't exist because it does. With that being said, I see
many people hit unnecessary deloads, in particular, beginners and people who lift less
than three times a week are the most common culprits.
If you're a beginner, youre not going to be neurally efficient enough to impose serious
amounts of fatigue. Likewise, beginners want to train at a higher volume because just
about anything you do will garner you a positive adaptation. Thus, don't waste your
time dropping volume every 3 weeks when volume is more than likely exactly what you
need.
For people who only train 2 times a week, each week for you is pretty much a deload
anyways unless the two days you lift you train for 24 hours straight.

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All of this is to say be smart with your deloads. Don't just deload for the sake of
deloading. If you're feeling beat up as hell, then throw in a light week, but if you're
feeling good, keep getting after it.
24. Not Changing It Up
Contributed by Ryan Andrews of www.precisionnutrition.com
Although as a beginner you can spend more time on one workout or one exercise and
continue making progress, the day will come when you need to change it up.
For example, squats are great. The same exact squat every week for 25 years can be,
well, not so great.
So be sure to mix it up from time to time. Instead of doing front squats, try back squats.
Instead of doing back squats, try zercher squats. Instead of doing zercher squats, try a
sumo stance box squat. You get the idea.
Just find ways to vary your routine and keep things interesting.
25. Too Much Variety
Contributed by Matt Ashbolt of www.revolutionarylifestyles.com
Too much variety can be a bad thing as well. Dont just change exercises for the sake of
it even though you are making good progress and still have room for improvement. Its
like the old saying goes: if it aint broke dont fix it.
So, don't chop and change exercises too regularly. Rather, opt to change volume
instead.
26. Following the Wrong Progression Strategy
Contributed by Matt Ashbolt of www.revolutionarylifestyles.com
You need to know youre ability level. Trying to run with an intermediate or advanced
program when youre a beginner isnt a good idea. In particular, you want to make sure
youre following the correct exercise and load progressions.

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For example, you need to master the goblet squat before moving onto a more
advanced version like the front squat
In regards to load, novices should use linear periodization for as long as possible as this
will give them the most effective strength gains. Only move onto an intermediate
program when youve got everything from linear periodization. Think of it this way: why
bother going to get new milk from the grocery store when you still have half a gallon
left in the fridge.
Be sure to get the most out of one thing before moving onto the next. This will help
ensure long-term progress and success.
27. Too Many Isolation Movements
You focus too much of your energy on doing small isolation movements. Things like
curls, knee extensions or really anything that focuses on one muscle and one joint.
If you want to get strong, you have to hit "big" movements that involve multiple joints
and a lot of muscle mass. Things like the squat, deadlift, bench press, military press, pull
up and supine row are great ways to get after it.
28. Excessive Use of Machines
The important limitation of many strength training machines is that they are designed
to train muscles, not movement - Zatsiorsky
There are very few machines that I'm a fan of. If it were up to me, the large majority of
them would be blown up or sent off in a rocket ship.
Here's the deal with most machines: they aren't functional because they take
stabilization out of the equation. In particular, most machines "turn off" the key trunk
muscles responsible for stabilizing and transmitting force.
This will eventually catch up to you because you cannot generate force without proper
amounts of stability.

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Just think about a sling shot. How much force can a slingshot generate if the handles
aren't stable?
29. Not Tracking Your Training
Contributed by Marc-Jason Locquiao of www.rlconditioning.ca
Keeping a training journal is essential. How will you know if you've made progress if
you're not tracking it. You can be as detailed as you want, but keeping it basic (weight,
reps, set, rest, etc) is often enough.
30. Not Maintaining Balance Between Agonists and Antagonists
The agonist is the prime mover and definitely the one that grabs your attention, but
having a strong antagonist is important as well.
Heres why. Muscles work in pairs. When an agonist is working to produce torque
around a joint (think bicep flexing the elbow), an antagonist is also working (think
tricep). If the antagonist is weak, it may get in the way and hinder movement as it
contracts prematurely to try and protect the joint.
Ultimately, if you keep a balanced approach to your training, this should never be a
problem. So dont go do 37 sets of curls and 2 sets of triceps extensions.
Side note: this is why its so important to track your training like mistake #14 highlights.
31. Neglecting the How for the What
Contributed by Benjamin Pickard of www.benjaminpickard.com
What exercise you do is great, but how you do it makes all the difference. A squat is a
great exercise - assuming it is executed properly. A deadlift is a great exercise assuming it is executed properly. Everything can be great with great execution, and
everything can be detrimental if executed poorly.
Focus on how you are doing the exercise, not just what it is. Is your setup how it should
be? Are you using proper form? Do you generate tension? Do you feel the exercise
working where it should be? All of this, the 'how', can make the exercise work harder for
you, and fuel your gains down road.
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32. Adjusting Your Effort to the Weight

Rid yourself of the following attitude forever: this weight is heavy so I'm going to have
to really bring it, but that weight is light so I don't need to push it as hard.
Your goal should always be to move the weight as fast as you possibly can. The only
reason a weight moves slowly is because it's heavy, not because you're not trying to.
Please note, this refers to the concentric portion of the lift and not the eccentric portion.
33. Not Treating Every Rep Like Its Own Set
Contributed by Thomas Gian Ardito of www.musclegarden.net
It is common for a trainee to checkout and just go through the motions.
But when its go time, and heavy weight needs to be slung, you must give every rep the
respect it deserves. Don't insult the bar by handling it like a fool.
Set up your lifts the same way every time. If it is a front squat, make a ritual and stick
with it.
Hook the bar, punch your elbows under, take a breath and un-rack. Take 3 steps
maximum, one as you un-rack, another as you place your other foot and a final
adjustment. Only think of crushing this rep. Take a nice fat sip of air, and unlock the legs
into descent and keep the elbows high. Push the floor away from you as you let some
air out. Sip another breath then repeat for prescribed reps (you do have an individual
program, right? #59).
The point is to try and break the lift down and think of it each step of the way. This will
ensure QUALITY rather than quantity. The body remembers bad reps as well as the
good, so make everyone one count!

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34. Forgetting About Ramp Up Sets

Contributed by Benjamin Pickard of www.benjaminpickard.com
You finished the warm up. Now it's time to lift, and the first exercise is deadlift and you
want to do 3x5 at 365. So you warm up with 135x10, 225x10 and then 315x8 before you
start your working sets. You've done 28 reps before you even started the working sets,
and your performance will suffer because of it!
Treat the warm up sets as 'ramp up' sets. You ramp up to the working sets by doing
more sets of less reps to make sure you don't fatigue, but also to prepare your nervous
system to set personal records. Try 135x5, 225x3, 275x2, 315x1, 345x1, then move to the
working sets. You only did 12 reps, and by doing less reps per set you ensure that each
rep is perfect, you don't fatigue before you start, and your body is better prepared to
handle and throw around big weights. Try it and see!
35. Missing Lifts
This is a huge pet peeve of mine, so just go ahead and stop missing lifts during training.
Absolutely nothing positive comes about because of it.
If its competition time then thats a different story, but you should never miss a lift
during a training session. It has incredibly detrimental effects on your psychy and your
ability to recover.
Once again, dont ever miss a lift during a training session. If youre supposed to get 5
reps of a movement and you know the fourth rep was all you had, just rack it and live to
lift another day.

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36. You Dont Recover

Many people fail to allot enough recovery time between intense bouts of exercise.
Generally speaking, you want to give yourself 72 hours between intense efforts. For
example, if you squat heavy on Monday, your next intense lower body effort should
come on Thursday. This can look different for different people, but 72 hours is a good
place to start. This ensures your body (most importantly central nervous system) has
recovered and will allow you to push it.
Heres an easy way to breakdown your week following this principle:
Monday: Lower
Tuesday: Rest or GPP work
Wednesday: Upper
Thursday: Lower
Friday: Rest or GPP work
Saturday: Upper
Sunday: Rest or GPP work
37. Sticking To the Plan Too Much
Contributed by Matt Ashbolt of www.revolutionarylifestyles.com
Heres the deal, its Monday and youre scheduled to lift 90kg for 5x5, but you feel
terrible. Its just one of those days where the bar feels like it weighs 400kg.
What you should you do? You should listen to your body! If you need to reduce the
load or volume for one session so be it. Think about long-term progress rather than
risking injury during one session as you try to work beyond your capacity on that day.
38. Neglecting Conditioning
Contributed by Benjamin Pickard of www.benjaminpickard.com
Getting strong requires your body to be in optimal condition to progress and move
increasingly heavier loads. This means your entire body, and includes your energy
systems.

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Making sure you have at least a base level of conditioning is going to help you get
stronger, and might actually be holding you back. Throwing in some short conditioning
1-2x/week (think interval training, sled pulls etc.) can help you recover between sets,
recover between workouts and improve your total work capacity. More work with better
recovery means bigger gains.
39. Not Matching Your Conditioning With Your Strength Goals
Aerobic work has its place, but when you're working to build strength you need to keep
in mind competing demands.
Low intensity, long duration activity will not help you in your effort to gain strength. In
fact, it's probably contraindicated.
Thus, spend more time performing sprints, strongman work, or other higher intensity
type conditioning options. These will help you get in shape, but also do more to boost
strength gains.
40. Performing Exercises In the Wrong Order
Picking the right movements is only part of the battle. You also need to do them in the
correct order. So stop doing accessory work before your major lift.
If you're goal is to get strong, then make sure you're fresh and ready to crush big weight
in whatever major lift you have planned that day (squat, deadlift, press etc.). For this
reason, always start off with it. Don't waste your time doing other movements just to tire
yourself out for the main show.
41. Not Respecting Tempo
Contributed by Jon Goodman of www.theptdc.com
Quit ignoring the tempo of your lifts. In particular, quit rushing through the eccentric
portion of the lift. If your program says to take 4 seconds, then slow it down and take 4
seconds.
As a general rule of thumb, always go slow and controlled during the eccentric portion
of the lift (think 2-3 seconds).
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This ensures youre adequately controlling the movement, increasing time under
tension, and building more muscle.
42. Not Resting Enough Between Sets
Contributed by Matt Ashbolt of www.revolutionarylifestyles.com
Dont get me wrong. I love that youre excited to hit your next set, however, Im not so
excited about you skimping out on that all important rest time. Generally speaking,
when youre lifting heavy loads youll want to rest at least 2-3 minutes between sets.
43. Not Taking Advantage of Rest Time
Its heavy deadlift day. You step up to the bar, take your breath, get tight, grab ahold
and rip it for 3 reps. Now its time to rest for 2-5 minutes and recover before your next
set.
As opposed to walking around and doing nothing, why not fill it with some mobility
work (knee breaks are a personal favorite of mine because my ankles suck) or some
shoulder accessory work (things like scap wall slides, prone external rotations or prone
trap raises are good choices).
This just helps you make the most of your time and get extra work in on some problem
spots.
44. Not Squatting and Deadlifting At Least Once a Week
The squat and deadlift are without a doubt the two greatest movements on the planet.
You need to be doing each one at least once a week. That doesn't mean you have to go
crazy heavy every time you do. Just make sure you're spending adequate time
performing these lifts, so your body has enough exposure to them.
Also, please note there are 1000's of different squat and deadlift variations, so if you
can't do the classic versions of the lift find a variation that works well for you.

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45. Not Doing Enough Goblet Squats

Goblet squats are one of the best ways to groove a squat pattern. I cant tell you how
many times Ive seen someones squat clean up dramatically after one cycle of goblet
squats.
Heres my general recommendation: get in at least one set of goblet squats everyday.
Also, dont be afraid to load these up. See if you can do 10 reps at half your
bodyweight.
Check out this video to learn more about them.

46. Not Doing Enough Hip and/or Glute Bridges

Your glutes (in particular glute max) are intended to be one your primary hip extensors.
Unfortunately, people sit today more than ever before and tend to have very weak
glutes. Not only does this make you more susceptible to injury, but it robs you of
performance.
A great time to work on this is when you're in the gym, but many people fail to devote
enough attention to bringing up this critical weak point by doing hip and/or glute
bridge variations.
I'd recommend most people try and do hip and/or glute bridges at least once a weak.
You can use a barbell and load them up for heavier reps, or you can do single leg
variations for higher reps with less load. Either way, try and find a way to get these into
your program.
47. Not Building a Strong Back
Here's an easy way to think about this. Muscles on the front of your body tend to be
"show" muscles, while muscles on the back of your body tend to be "get strong as all
get out" muscles.

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Thus, people commit this mistake when they don't spend nearly enough time
developing a rock solid upper back. Not only will it get you strong, it'll also help keep
your shoulders healthy.
For starters, do a lot of rowing variations. At least two on upper body days and probably
one on lower body days.
In fact, I'd recommend making sure your volume of upper back work is at least twice as
much as your pressing volume.
In addition to the thousands of different rowing variations out there, you can also do
pull ups, chin ups, band pull aparts, farmers walks, and rounded back good mornings.
Ultimately, anything that'll develop musculature in your upper back will do the trick.
48. Not Box Squatting
Many people dont box squat simply because they dont know how, have never heard of
them, or dont understand how beneficial they can be.
In short, box squats are great because they teach someone how to sit back and get the
most out of their posterior chain while they squat. Not only that, they're a nice reminder
to make sure you hit depth each time.
What you need to do is find a box and start squatting. Just kidding, it's not that simple,
but it'll get you moving in the right direction. When box squatting, you ideally can hit a
box set up just below parallel. If you can't, then stack things up on the box. As you get
more comfortable performing the movement, then slowly remove items from the box
until you can hit just below parallel. When squatting to the box, you'll want to think
about pulling yourself down and back, and attempting to keep a more vertical shin
position. Upon sitting on the box, keep your core tight and relax your hip flexors for a
split second. Then spread the ground apart with your feet and squeeze your butt hard
to drive up.
Heres a good video from Joe Defranco on the box squat if you want to learn more.

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49. Too Many Crunches

Instead of doing crunches, you need to spend time training the core to do what it's
meant to do: stabilize and transmit force (in case you were wondering, crunches
accomplish neither of those).
This means doing more plank variations, reverse crunches, bar rollouts, pallof presses,
suitcase carries, landmine rotations and things along those lines.
Start off with simple stabilization work (like deadbugs and stationary planks) and then
progress those to more dynamic movements (like bar rollouts and landmine rotations).
50. Being Quad Dominant
Quads are great and all, but many people train their quads to the point of being quad
dominant. You see this when people tend to shoot their knees forward and rely on their
quads. This isnt optimal for a number of reasons. First, this puts more pressure on your
knees. Second, your hamstrings and glutes are incredibly powerful hip extensors and
should play a major role in almost any functional movement (especially the squat and
deadlift).
In order to address this issue, devote a lot of time to developing your posterior chain by
doing things like RDLs, good mornings, glute ham raises and different glute/hip bridge
variations. Additionally, you should focus more on sending your hips back while you
squat and deadlift. This ensures youll get more out of your hamstrings and glutes.
Ultimately, you cant be strong if you dont develop your posterior chain, so worry less
about your quads and more about your hamstrings and glutes.
51. Weak Triceps
Curls are fun and all, but if you want to press a lot of weight you have to have big time
tricep strength.
Be sure to devote some time to your triceps. Things like close grip bench, diamond
push ups, crush grip bench, board presses and 1-arm band or chain tricep extensions
are great options.
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52. Not Including Bodyweight Training

Contributed by Marc-Jason Locquiao of www.rlconditioning.ca
Believe it or not, you can gain adequate amounts of strength from bodyweight training.
For example, look at gymnasts. They routinely perform impressive feats of strength,
and much, if not all, is due to using bodyweight for training.
They do it by performing advanced exercises like planches, front levers, L-sits, and
human flags, to name a few. Once youve mastered the basic bodyweight exercises,
start trying the advanced versions.
53. Skipping Leg Day
Contributed by Lauren Bradley of https://www.facebook.com/thefueledphysique
Guys: Just don't. You don't want to be the guy in the gym with the built upper body and
little chicken legs. Ladies: SQUAT (among other things) to fill out those jeans!
Just as you would train chest, back, shoulders, etc, you MUST train your legs. Create a
balance physique by training every body part. Not just those you're strongest in or
those you can see in the mirror.
54. Unnecessary Usage of a Belt
Just because you own a lifting belt doesnt mean you have to wear it.
A belt should only be used when you're lifting near maximal weights. Your core and
erectors should be doing the work the rest of the time.
55. Relying On Straps
Similar to the lifting belt, just because you have them doesnt mean you have to use
them.
Grip is an incredibly important part of strength development, so you should only use
straps when it's absolutely necessary (like in heavy RDLs).

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56. Unstable Surface Training

Stop standing on bosu balls, physio balls and anything in that family.
Outside of a rehab setting, unstable surface training serves little to no value. It merely
interferes with the development of strength, power and all that good stuff.
If you want to read more on this topic, check out John Kiefer's article Unstable Surfaces
for Stability Training (aka Clown School) and Eric Cressey's ebook The Truth About
Unstable Surface Training.
57. Not Having At Least One Good Training Partner
Working out by yourself sucks. You have nobody there to push you, check your form, or
give you useful tips.
Find at least one person to work out with, but choose wisely. A training partner has to
be someone you trust, someone who will give you good advice, and someone who will
be there day in and day out to push you just as hard as you push them. Ultimately, a
good training partner can make all the difference in the world, so be sure to be
selective. If youre at a loss for how to pick a good training partner, check this out.
58. Not Getting Assessed
You should always get assessed before starting a strength-training program. Far too
often, people jump into programs without having any understanding of what they truly
need to work on.
Think of the assessment as directions for a long road trip. You know where you want to
go, but you need directions on how to get there. The assessment basically provides
these directions.
In short, spend the money to get a quality assessment. Itll ensure you get going in the
right direction. Either find a coach in your area, or check out my online assessment and
apply for a consultation.

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59. Not Having an Individualized Program

Like most things, a program developed just for you will be more optimal than some
premade program you pulled out of a magazine.
If you have the funds, youd be far better off finding a good coach, getting assessed
and having him or her write you a real program. Im not saying you cant make progress
on a pre-made program, Im just saying you cant beat a program thats been written
just for you with your specific goals and limitations in mind.
As you gain experience and knowledge, you can eventually write your own programs,
but in the beginning you honestly have no idea what youre doing.
Ultimately, there are good coaches all around the country, so find one in your area or
head over to my website and apply to be one of my distance clients (Ive heard its what
all the cool kids are doing).

Movement and Technique

60. Not Treating Strength Training as Practice
Contributed by Benjamin Pickard of www.benjaminpickard.com
Strength training is practice - we want to practice the same pattern perfectly every time
to make sure we get good at it to improve performance.
I am by no means the first person to say this, but making sure you treat the big lifts as
practice helps make sure you progress. Think of it as a sport - if you want to get good at
soccer you don't just kick a ball and run around. You want to get GOOD at kicking that
ball and knowing where to run to for the best chance of scoring.
Lifting is the same. You don't just pick things up and put them down, you do it with the
intent of being better at it. This can improve the way your brain actually contracts your
muscles, and you will be stronger because of it!
Next time you lift focus on making each rep the best rep you've ever done, and you will
see that you can lift more because of it.

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61. Crappy Shoes

The type of shoe you wear can have a tremendous impact on your training. Get out of
those bulky shoes with big cushiony heels, and find something better suited for lifting.
When I recommend a training shoe I almost always tell people to look for something on
the minimalist side of things. For starters, you don't want to press into a cushiony heel.
That wastes force. Second, big bulky shoes often allow us to slip into poor foot
positioning by providing artificial stabilization. Lastly, it can be a real bitch to balance in
shoes with a lot of cushion underneath.
That's why I usually recommend the new balance minimus, the reebok crossfit shoe, or
some good old chuck taylors.
62. Not Paying Attention to Posture
You can do everything right in the gym for an hour, and ruin it by having poor posture
for the other 23 hours of the day.
Always pay attention to your resting posture, and try hard to stay in good positions
throughout the day.
Click here for a quick primer on posture.
63. Neglecting Movement
If you move like crap you're leaving gobs of performance in the tank. Not only that,
youre more likely to get injured.
Spend some time fixing your impaired movement patterns. In other words, go back to
the basics and build yourself a solid movement base.

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64. Adding Load On Top of Improper Movement

Contributed by Marc-Jason Locquiao of www.rlconditioning.ca
Dont be impatient. I understand you want to get as strong as possible as fast as
possible, but you dont want to load up an exercise before youve properly mastered
the movement. Like Gray Cook says, dont ever layer fitness on top of dysfunction.
So, learn to move well first. You can do this by practicing the correct movement pattern
with a lighter load, or using a different variation of the lift to get you in the best
position. This ensures youll learn how it feels to activate the right muscles and
generate proper amounts of tension throughout the lift. Once you learn those things,
you can start adding load.
65. Not Performing Exercises Through Their Full Range of Motion
Performing exercises through a partial range of motion will limit your strength gains
because muscles only get stronger through the range at which they are trained.
Although partial range training has a place when you're trying to bring up sticking
points in a lift, the vast majority of people will benefit from using the full range of
motion.
Take off weight (using a smaller range of motion is usually associated with using too
much weight) and perform the movement through its full functional range. Not only will
you get stronger, but youll increase your functional range of motion as well.
66. Poor Head Positioning
Although it may not seem like a big deal, your head positioning plays a vital role in
maintaining proper position and posture over the course of a lift. The most common
culprits are pushing your head forward (typically seen during rows and push ups) and
arching your head back like crazy (typically seen in squats, deadlifts and pull ups).
98% of the time your goal should be to maintain a neutral head position. You do this by
attempting to create a double chin or by pulling your head back through your chin
(think like someone has a rope attached to your chin and their pulling it straight back
through your neck).

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67. Not Monitoring Rib Flare

Rib flare is a big culprit among the athletic population seeing as they were almost
always cued down and back, but it appears in a lot of other populations as well.
The name describes what happens pretty well: when you go to perform a movement,
you fail to keep your rib cage down and end up hinging on your T-L junction. For
example, many people fall into this pattern when they do rowing and pressing variations
(especially overhead). Ask them to perform the movement and the first thing you'll see
is the top of their rib cage flare up.
A lot of times this problem is fixed once the person is cued (think about using your core
to keep the top of your rib cage form elevating at all) or made aware of the fact that it's
happening. Another thing that helps is to focus on your breathing because exhaling
naturally helps pull your rib cage down.
68. Not Paying Attention to Knee Positioning
Regardless of the lower body movement youre performing, controlling knee
positioning is of vital importance.
In everything you do, always work to keep your knees tracking over your toes (another
way to think about this is to just keep your knees in line with your toes at all times).
For example, when performing squats or lunges, your knees should never collapse into
valgus positioning. Rather, you should focus on trying to spread the ground apart
and push your knees away from each other.
69. Letting Your Hips Get Out of Whack
Remember that old Shakira song Hips Dont Lie? Well she was onto something. Similar
to the knee issue above, people tend to get lazy with their hips and not focusing on
maintaining a strong, neutral position.
This becomes especially apparent when performing unilateral movements, or when
offsetting the load (having weight on one side and not the other).

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Heres what you need to do: find neutral before you start the movement, and then
work as hard as you can to not let your hips rotate or kick out to the side. You should
notice you have to use your butt and core like crazy to make this happen.
70. Neglecting Mobility
Contributed by Lauren Bradley of https://www.facebook.com/thefueledphysique
Most people I know (including myself for a while) fall victim to this: lifting heavy and
often but not foam rolling or adding mobility drills into your routine. Although this may
not hurt you in the short run, itll eventually catch up to you in a bad way (and by bad
way I mean youll probably get injured).
Mobility work and foam rolling will increase the ROM around a joint, which, in turn, can
prevent injury and improve performance especially for big lifts like deadlifts and squats.
For this reason, be sure to slowly foam roll tight areas and perform some select
mobilizations at the beginning of each workout, and always stretch after each workout.
Also, contrary to popular opinion, you are allowed to foam roll, mobilize and stretch
outside the gym. I promise nothing bad will happen.
Side note: another great time to foam roll is right before bed.
71. Ignoring Your Ankles
You have terrible ankle dorsiflexion and don't do anything about it.
Ankle dorsiflexion plays a major role in your ability to squat, deadlift and do most
athletic things. Unfortunately, people don't spend much time barefoot anymore, and
wear crappy shoes, so ankle dorsiflexion as a whole is worse than ever.
To start reclaiming some of your ankle range, do things like knee breaks, rocking ankle
mobilizations, wall ankle mobs and calf stretching variations. Deadlifting barefoot is also
a great idea.

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72. Not Spending Enough Time On Your Anterior Hip

Im willing to be you sit a lot; therefore, Im willing to bet your anterior hip (think hip
flexors) is super restricted.
This can cause anterior pelvic tilt, which then leads to a host of other issues.
In short, be sure to give your anterior hip adequate amounts of love by doing things like
the couch stretch or wall hip flexor mobilization.
73. Thinking Stretching is the End All Be All
Stretching definitely has its place, but we need to move away from the its tight so
stretch it mentality.
More than likely, the muscle in question isnt actually short, but inhibited for another
reason (protective tension being a big one). When this is the case, you can stretch that
bad boy all day and night and not make any progress because youre not addressing
the real issue at hand.
To see what Im talking about, check out this video and see how a simple side plank can
regain hip internal rotation.
74. Stretching Into Instability
If you've got the range you've got the range. No need to stretch on top of that and
make yourself unstable.
You have to think of mobility as a continuum. On one side are the people who move like
rocks (hypomobile) and on the other side are the yoga fanatics who can contort their
bodies in all sorts of ways (hypermobile).
If you fall in the hypermobile camp, please stop stretching. You're just creating greater
instability. You'd be better off doing loaded functional movements to learn to stabilize
properly throughout all that range.

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75. Stretching Too Hard

If you stretch too hard youll never make progress. The muscle just tenses up like crazy
to try and protect itself.
Rather, focus on feeling a light stretch and letting the muscle slowly stretch out over the
course of 1-2 minutes.
76. Not Stretching Long Enough
Sorry, but a 30 second stretch wont get the job done. You need to accumulate
somewhere in the vicinity of 2 minutes if you hope to make progress.
Notice I said accumulate. You dont have to hold a stretch straight through, but can do
several sets of say 30 seconds.
77. Forgetting About Levers
I know the last thing you want to talk about is physics. In all likelihood, you were
probably forced to take it and then relieved to never see it again. Well guess what, its
back.
If you hope to stay healthy and lift big weights, you have to have a working
understanding of levers.
Without getting into too much detail, work hard to keep the load as close to your
center of gravity as possible. For example, in the deadlift you want to keep your lats
active to pull the bar back into your body. The farther away it drifts from your body the
heavier it becomes because it generates more torque.
For more on levers, Id recommend checking out this piece by Dean Somerset.

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78. Flawed Technique

Contributed by Chris Wren of www.thefitnessarchetype.com
Technique can become ineffective and unsafe if you dont leave your ego at the door.
Seek out a qualified strength coach in your area so you can learn the basic barbell
movements early on. Also, be an active participant in your own education. Always be
looking for tips, tricks or ways to improve your technique online, in books or in
magazines.
Just always remember the following: movement and technique come firstonce you
have those in place then we can start talking weight.
79. Not Creating Tension
Contributed by Jason Maxwell from www.JMaxFitness.com
If you look as loose as a wizards sleeve when you lift, chances are you'll have trouble
getting stronger, building muscle, or losing fat.
Flex the following muscles during all lifts and keep them contracted to keep your body
tight: lats, glutes, abdominals, quads, and also squeeze at the hands.
80. Taking Too Many Steps When Unracking the Bar
Contributed by Thomas Gian Ardito of www.musclegarden.net
When unracking a bar, dont shimmy out and make it a dance. The more steps you take
the worse things are going to get: you lose air (remember how breathing and bracing
are really important) and overall positioning. This means less stability, less force and
less weight.
Instead of doing the Macarena every single time you unrack a bar, simply take 3 steps
MAX. Sip some air in, unrack, then step back with one foot, match it with the other and
MAYBE one final adjustment. Get your air again (you will lose some during setup) and
proceed to destroy your set, 1 rep at a time.

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81. Not Breathing In Compromising Positions

Contributed by Thomas Gian Ardito of www.musclegarden.net
Many trainees neglect to get into an uncomfortable position, camp out there and
breathe. Many of us will avoid doing things we suck at--which flies in the face of being a
well-rounded machine.
This can be in the bottom position of a squat, when you leak energy in the hole. This
can be in the bottom of a pushup where your head wants to dive toward the floor
before your body. This can be in the setup position of a deadlift.
If you cannot breathe there, YOU DO NOT OWN IT YET. If you do not own it, you never
will excel in that particular position or movement.
Use any means you can to get into a position and breathe effectively. This could be as
simple as adding core movements limited by number of breaths, like dead bugs. You
can perform these for 6-10 repetitions with a 2 second inhale and 4 second exhale.
This can also mean goblet squatting as low as you can, then setting the weight down
and camping out for 6-10 quality breaths.
You can perform drills like this in your warm-up as well, for instance by doing a bretzel at
the edge of your ability with solid breath.
Ultimately, breathing can help create strength in the weakest positions. This, in turn,
helps eliminate the need for many common compensations (such as adduction and
quad reliance in the hole of a heavy squat) and can take the emergency brake off your
training.
82. Not Pulling the Load/Yourself Down
Dont just go through the motions when youre lowering the load. Rather, think of
actively pulling the load down.
For example, in the squat, be sure to focus on using your hamstrings and glutes to pull
you down into the bottom position. In the bench press, think of engaging your upper
back and pulling the load down to your chest (almost like a reverse row).
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83. Elbow Flaring

Im not sure when this became socially acceptable, but it needs to stop.
Elbow flaring during pressing variations (think push up and bench press) puts more
pressure on the shoulder (in a bad way) and makes you weaker in the long haul because
you never learn to press with your triceps.
So if injury and weakness are high on your to do list then go ahead and keep flaring
those elbows.
Seeing as no normal individual would want these things, heres what you need to do.
When you're doing horizontal pressing variations, you want to be cautious of your
elbow positioning. Don't let them flare way out wide. Instead, keep them in line with
your wrists (think vertical forearms) half way between flaring them to 90 degrees or
having them pinned to your side. This ensures more shoulder friendly pressing, and
you'll get more out of your triceps
84. Butt Drive During the Bench Press
Stop trying to hump the weight up while you bench press. Your butt should stay glued
to the bench the whole time.
85. Not Keeping Your Back Tight While You Bench
Many people just plop down on the bench and start throwing weight around without
getting their shoulders set. This is bad for a multitude of reasons, but more than
anything it puts your shoulders in a less stable position and limits your ability to
generate large amounts of force.
This is as simple as I can keep it: when you get set up for the bench press, you should
pin your scapulas down and back (retract) as hard as you can. Then hold that
throughout the entirety of the set.

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86. Not Using a Tripod Foot

Contributed by Thomas Gian Ardito of www.musclegarden.net
In short, you dont pay attention to your foot positioning. You may over-pronate, oversupinate, or carry too much weight on the inside of your foot vs. the outside of the foot
and vice versa. Although this may not seem like a big deal, your foot is the bodys
connection to the ground and everything tends to track up from there.
So poor foot positioning can lead directly to crappy movement, which can cause poor
performance and even injury.
Check out this short video by Mike Robertson to learn more about creating a tripod foot
position.
87. Overhead Pressing When You Cant Lift Your Heads Over Your Head
Overhead pressing is a phenomenal shoulder developer, but only if you have the range
to do them properly.
An easy test is to do a back to wall shoulder flexion.
Stand up against a wall with your back to it. Make sure your back is perfectly flat against
it, meaning I can't slide my hand behind you and the wall anywhere (you may need to
walk your feet out a little). Then try and raise your arms (thumbs back to the wall)
overhead to touch the wall behind you while keeping them straight and not having your
back come off the wall.
If you cannot do this, then overhead pressing probably isn't the best option for you
right now.
88. Olympic Lifting With Horrendous Form
The olympic lifts definitely have their place, and with good coaching can bring about
tremendous benefits. Unfortunately, the olympic lifts are HIGHLY techinical and take a
lot of practice to figure out.

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Which is why I shake my head whenever I see someone trying to do cleans and snatches
when they clearly have no idea what they're doing (it looks like the barbell is attacking
them, or they are awkwardly trying to have sex with it).
With good coaching and a lot of practice I say go for it. If you don't have a good coach
or a lot of time to devote to playing with a dowel (wooden stick), then stick to simpler
movements that'll still get you a big bang for your buck.
For more on this, check out this article I wrote a while back.
89. Failing to Set Up the Shoulders for the Back Squat
Rather than talk to you about it, I'll just refer you to this video because it covers
everything I'd say and some.
90. Toeing Out Like a Duck
Theres a big debate going on right now about proper foot positioning for the squat.
Some people say to keep your feet straight ahead, while others say to turn them out
slightly 10-15 degrees.
In my opinion, both crowds make good arguments and the specific anatomy of the lifter
will determine which stance they will use.
Either way, everyone agrees you shouldnt turn your feet out more than 10-15 degrees,
so dont do it.
91. Not Hitting Depth In the Squat
Contributed by Chris Wren of www.thefitnessarchetype.com
Since were talking about doing things through their full range of motion, why not talk
about the squat. You need to squat to parallel or just below parallel. Thus, stop
throwing plates on the bar and performing those god-awful quarter squat things (you
know who you are).
Going to parallel or just bellow will produce better results maybe not to your ego but
certainly overall development. By working through a larger range of motion you get
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greater muscle involvement (whats up glutes ) and, like I said before, it increases your
functional range.
Here are a few ways to check the depth of your squat:
1. Have a training partner watch you
2. Film yourself (preferably from the side).
3. Start incorporating more box squats
Its also worth noting that you may not be able to do a full range squat at this point.
Most people walking into the gym for the first time dont have the range or
neuromuscular capabilities yet, so dont get discouraged. Thats why its imperative to
find the right variation for you at this moment in time. Once we do that, youll be
dropping it like its hot in no time.
92. Not Taking Slack Out of the Deadlift
Contributed by Chris Wren of www.thefitnessarchetype.com
You want to make sure you are taking the slack out of the bar before you deadlift. If you
dont, you wont be able to lift as much weight and youll eventually hurt yourself.
Heres what to do: get in position and grip the bar, lift the tension out of the bar before
you start to pull, RIP THAT MOTHER OFF THE FLOOR.
If youre still somewhat lost on what Im talking about, check out this video from Dean
Somerset.
93. Not Bracing Properly
You don't know how to create an adequate amount of intra abdominal pressure to
stabilize your back.
Here's how to go about doing this:
1. Take a big breath into your stomach.
2. Exhale and pull your rib cage.
3. While keeping your rib cage down, re-breath and try to press your midsection
out in all directions.
4. Squeeze your core as hard as you can and attempt to press it out like you're
attempting to press it into a belt.
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Nutrition
94. Not Eating Correctly
Contributed by Matt Ashbolt of www.revolutionarylifestyles.com
If you want to get strong, you have to eat to get strong. This means making sure youre
getting in enough quality calories and finding a balance between eating too much (fat
gain) and not enough (performance is negatively effected).
Unfortunately, nutrition is incredibly individualistic, so I cant sit here and lay it all out for
you in one sentence. Itll take some experimenting on your part to figure out what
works best for you.
To help you on that journey, Id recommend downloading my free beginners nutrition
guide where I basically walk you through how to eat.
95. Avoiding Carbs
Contributed by Jon Goodman of www.theptdc.com
If youve turned on a TV or read a health magazine over the past decade, youve
probably caught a glimpse of carbohydrate propaganda. You know what Im talking
about. Those ads or people who make it seem as if you eat some complex carbs youre
going to instantly become insulin resistant and swell up to 400lbs.
Well believe it or not, carbs actually play a vital role when it comes to muscle growth. If
youre training hard youll have to be sure to get in some complex carbs (like sweet
potatoes) in order to recover and build muscle.
96. Cutting Back As You Start A New Workout Program
Im all for getting your diet on track, but I run into too many people who try and do too
much at once.
When youre starting a new workout program youre body is already going to be in
shock mode, so I wouldnt recommend pairing that with calorie restriction. Youll end
up feeling like crap, losing motivation, and dropping both the diet and exercise.

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Rather, take baby steps. Dont try and change everything at once. Make small changes
to your diet over time so your body has the ability to adapt its new surroundings.
Remember, Rome wasnt built in a day, and your health, fitness and physique goals
wont be either.
97. Not Drinking Enough Smoothies
If youre like me, smoothies should be your best friend.
I personally struggle to cook more than three legitimate meals a day, but need to get in
more calories to support my training. This is why I usually drink 1-2 smoothies a day.
There are thousands of recipes out there, but heres a good one to get you started:

1.5 cup organic whole milk

1 cup berry of choice

2-3 big handfuls of spinach (yes handful is a legitimate measurement)

2 tablespoon ground flax seed

2 tablespoon almond butter

1 scoop vanilla or chocolate protein powder

If youre very active, know you wont be eating for a while, or just looking

to put on a little weight add in:

o another scoop of protein powder (the two scoops together should come
out to around 40 grams)
1/2 cup rolled oats
98. Worrying About Supplements
Supplements arent a part of the conversation until you have a rock solid diet, so get
your diet in order and then we can talk.

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Seasoned Lifters
Programming and In the Workout
99. Not Enough Lifts At 90% or Above
If you're a beginner this won't apply as much, but as you become more and more
advanced you'll have to pay attention to how often you hit lifts at or above 90% of your
1-rep max. Thus, this is a mistake someone new to the more advanced lifting game
might make by not hitting enough heavy singles at or above 90%.
If you're really lifting to build strength you have to lift heavy. Period. Thus, you'll have a
max effort (or just heavy) lower and upper body day each week. On these days, it's of
vital importance that you work up to weights at or above 90% of your 1 rep max.
I'd recommend starting off by hitting 3-4 reps each week at or above this 90% value.
From there, you'll want to see how your body responds. Some people respond better to
more volume and less intensity, while others respond better to less volume and more
intensity. Either way, use 3-4 reps as a starting point and make adjustments as necessary.
100. Not Knowing How to Count Sets
As you get stronger, youll have to get pickier and pickier about what sets count as work
and what sets dont.
Here's an easy way to count sets to ensure you're challenging yourself enough: only
count sets that are at 90% or above your best effort that day.
For example, you have 4 sets of 4 reps on the front squat today. For sake of simplicity,
let's say your sets look like the following: Set 1: 50 lbs Set 2: 75 lbs Set 3: 90 lbs Set 4: 95
lbs Set 5: 100 lbs. So 100 was your best effort (training max) for that day. 90% of that is
90 lbs. Thus, you've only done three sets (set 3, 4 and 5). Drop down to 90lbs (or
anything at or above 90%) and do another set of 4 reps to finish things off.

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101. Not Pushing Accessory Work

You don't work at a level intense enough to force a positive adaptation.
When performing accessory work, you always want to work close to failure. Notice I said
close to failure. Don't actually fail. The easiest way to do this is to pick a weight that
leaves 2 reps in the tank.
For example, if you're doing 8 reps of 1-arm dumbbell row you'll want to pick a weight
you could do only 10 times. Then, and only then, can you count the set.
102. Not Increasing Volume Over Time
Volume has a big impact on your long-term strength gains. If you're not increasing
volume, you're probably not getting a whole lot stronger.
Don't make the mistake of thinking about volume purely on a day-to-day basis though,
as volume will fluctuate based on your current training state. Thus, I'm referring more to
volume over the course of a macrocycle or 1 year of training.
Over the course of a macrocycle, or a year of training, your total volume should ideally
be greater than the year before.
103. Neglecting Rate of Force Development
Lifting heavy is a must, but you should also be doing speed work that focuses on
developing a large amount of force quickly.
This point is often debated amongst some of the top coaches in the game, but I'm on
the side for rate of force development. I think being able to generate large amounts of
force very quickly is incredibly important to lifting big weight.
In order to do this, you'll want to work at submaximal loads (somewhere around 50-60%)
of your 1 rep max for 8-12 sets of 2-3 reps and focus on moving the weight as fast as
humanly possible. You can also do different jumping routines, med ball throws, or sprint
work to increase rate of force development.

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104. Not Enough Volume

Contributed by Jon Goodman of www.theptdc.com
For those with some lifting experience, it takes a lot of reps and sets to stimulate
growth. 3 sets of 10 reps won't cut it.
Therefore, do less total exercises and more of the ones that you do choose to use. Try
things like:

6 sets of 5

10 sets of 3
105. Lack of Variety
Here's the deal, your body adapts very quickly (think 3-4 weeks) to an applied stimulus.
As you become more and more advanced, however, that window will shrink even more.
This makes logical sense seeing as the more you lift the more exposure your body has
to different stimuli.
For example, lifters at Westside Barbell rotate their max effort lift every week. Granted,
youre probably not anywhere close to there level, but that at least gives you an idea of
what Im talking about.
For this reason, you have to be spot on with exercise selection and how long you spend
on each one. Checkout this article to learn more.
106. Not Using Different Bar Types
I cant say enough about rotating the type of bar you use. If you dont do so already,
start doing so as soon as possible.
Use things like a safety squat bar, giant cambered bar, yoke bar etc. etc.
They completely change a lift and help you get strong as hell.

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107. Never Making the Load Unstable

Have you ever taken bands, looped them around a bar, and attached kettlebells to
them? If youre answer is no, then this is just for you.
If you're looking for a kick my ass and humble me type challenge, this is for you also.
So here we go: Loop some bands around a bar, attach kettlebells to them and pick a
movement of your choice. It's great to do with bench press, and I've seen some real
studs do it while performing a bulgarian split squat.
Granted, this shouldn't serve as the main portion of your training, but it's a great way to
challenge a movement from time to time and mix things up.
Note: way different than unstable surface training, which is a no no for healthy athletes
looking to boost performance.
108. Not Pulling Heavy Sleds
Heavy sled pulls are a great way to get strong, but unfortunately many people don't use
them.
All you have to do is get a sled, load some weight on it, and start dragging it around.
There are hundreds of variations out there, but its a low traction movement that helps
build strength and can enhance recovery.
Not only that, you don't really get sore from them because the eccentric portion is
practically unloaded.
All in all, sled pulling is a great way to build some GPP and get strong at the same time.
If you want to learn more about sled pulls, check this out.
109. Not Turning the Kettlebell Upside Down
I'm willing to bet you've never turned a kettlebell upside down, and shame on you (just
kiddingbut not really).
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Turning a kettlebell upside down completely changes a lift. In my experience, it actually

does a lot to "clean up" a lift.
Here's why, it makes all the stabilizers work like crazy. When you get the stabilizers to
do what they're supposed to be doing, it frees up the other muscles to work more
efficiently.
There are many ways to incorporate bottoms up kettlebell work, but a few of my favorite
are overhead press, front rack hold and walk, and overhead hold and walk
110. Not Using Chains and Bands
Chains and bands completely change a lift by forcing the body to overcome
accommodating resistance.
We'll use the squat as an example. When in the bottom of the squat the band/chain
tension will be light. As the lifter drives up out of the bottom of the squat, however, he
or she will hit more and more resistance as the bands stretch out or more chain links
come off the ground.
This forces a lifter to really explode through and focus on finishing the lift. Ultimately, it's
impossible to get into the nitty gritty of training with bands and chains in this context,
so I'd encourage you to read the likes of Louie Simmons and Dave Tate.
Heres an article Dave wrote for Tnation that should help get you moving in the right
direction.

111. Not Using the Lightened Method

Many people overlook the fact that you can attach bands the opposite way on a bar:
have them pulling up instead of pulling down.
This makes the load lighter at the bottom of the lift as the band absorbs some of the
load, and heavy at the top when the band resistance is pretty much zero.

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Heres an article worth checking out that goes over the lightened method and how to
set it up.
112. Neglecting Weighted Carries
There's just no way carrying heavy stuff around can help that much...WRONG.
Weighted carries are awesome. When it comes to weighted carries, Dan John is pretty
much the godfather, so I'll refer you here to read up on it.
113. Forgetting About PAP
PAP stands for post activation potentiation. It's when you use one movement to "upregulate" the central nervous system for improved performance on a subsequent
movement.
Think of it this way, any stimulus leaves a trace in the central nervous system. This is
where PAP comes in. With the right approach, you can use this after effect to your
advantage.
One of the easiest ways to do so is lifting something heavy because a heavy dynamic
action (aka squat) elicits a positive after effect in the central nervous system.
Here are two examples of ways you can implement this. First, perform a heavy set of
squats for 2 reps (it needs to be near maximal). Then rest 2-4 minutes and do a heavy
squat for 4 reps. You will be able to squat more for those 4 reps than you would have
otherwise. Second, perform a heavy set of squats for 2 reps. Then rest roughly 2 minutes
and do a few box jumps. You will jump higher than you would have otherwise.
114. Not Using Biofeedback
Biofeedback training is a great way to ensure you're using the best lift and the correct
stance for you that day. Here's a video to walk you through how its done.
In short, always test and retest movements to put yourself in the most optimal position.

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115. Not Doing Extra Workouts

Hitting a short, low intensity (light) workout in the afternoon after you lifted in the
morning (or on an off day) can make all the difference in the world.
Youd be amazed how it helps you recover and stay on track.
It can be something as simple as:

Goblet Squat 2x8

1-arm DB Row 2x8 ea
Suitcase Deadlift 2x8 ea
Yoga Push Up 2x8
Reverse Crunch 2x6
High Knee Walk to Spiderman 2x5 ea

116. Not Doing What You Suck At

More times than not, what you suck at is what you should be working on the most. For
example, I hate front squats with a passion, but I force myself to do them because I
know it'll make me better.
Same thing with stretching and mobility work: I hate doing it, but it's what I need to
work on the most.
Many times, seasoned lifters forget about this. They get caught up doing the things
they enjoy because its probably what youre good at.
So heres what you need to do. Right down three things you suck at, but make it
specific to your training. In other words, what three things do you hate doing but deep
down know will make you better.
Now find a way to incorporate these things into your routine. What I generally do is
surround them with things I like. Ive found it helps you persevere through the stuff you
hate.

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117. Not Training Your Weakest Link

Contributed by Chris Wren of www.thefitnessarchetype.com
You are only as strong as your weakest link.
If you believe you dont have a weakest link then youre wrong.
Heres what you need to do. Ask someone you trust to give you a fair evaluation of your
strengths and weaknesses. After youve gone over the weaknesses, pick the weakest of
the weak, or the one you know is holding you back the most. Then add in accessory
movements to bring up this weakness and make it a strength. For example, if youre
weak at the lockout of your bench, then you should be hammering away at board
presses.
Ultimately, the fastest way to make gains is to address your weakest link, so go get after
it.

Nutrition
118. Eating Like A Beginner
You can have a sound diet, but the windows before and after your workout session are
crucial. Especially as you become more advanced and push the envelope.
This is where I see some seasoned lifters miss the boat: they keep eating like theyre a
beginner lifter.
Dont get me wrong, having a rock solid, balanced diet throughout the day is essential
to your overall health and well being, but as you become more advanced in the lifting
game you need a slightly different approach.
In particular, you have to really pay attention to nutrient timing and take advantage of
pre-workout, peri-workout (during the lift), and post-workout nutrition.
In short, youll want to surround your workout with higher intakes of denser, more sugary
carbs (things like bananas, potatoes, oats etc.) and protein. During the workout, you

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may even want to sip on a carb/protein drink depending on how your workouts are
going. Heres an example of what Im talking about:

o
o
o
o

o
o
o

Pre-workout Meal (eaten 1-2 hours prior to lift)

4 eggs
2 cups of rolled oats (oatmeal) cooked in organic whole milk
1 cup of blueberries
15 almonds
Peri-workout
Cocunut water with amino acids and 5g of creatine
Post-workout Shake (immediately following lift)
2 scoops of Biotest Surge Recovery
Post-workout Meal (eaten 1 hour after shake)
4-5 oz grilled chicken breast
sweet potato
2 cupped handfuls of broccoli

Ultimately, the more advanced your training routine becomes, the more advanced your
nutritional approach must be as well.
119. Not Supplementing With Creatine
Creatine has been a hot topic for at least the past decade, and to say theres been some
lousy info thrown around would be an understatement. In reality, the research on
creatine is about as rock solid as you can ask for, so stop being scared of it.
Go get a good creatine monohydrate (dont mess around with all that other crap
monohydrate is the only one thats been substantially researched) and take 3-5 grams a
day for 3-4 months.
For more information on supplements, Id highly recommend hitting up
http://examine.com/. These guys are awesome and its definitely my go to source for all
things supplementation.

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Other
120. Not Having a Good Manual Therapist
If you train hard, I promise you you will get beat up over time. Having someone who can
really dig in and get rid of all those knots and restricted areas makes all the difference in
the world. Its like foam rolling on steroids, but better.
When it comes to picking one, Id recommending hitting up your local gyms and
physical therapists. Both of these populations will usually have a soft tissue person they
refer out to.

121. Not Asking For Help

Dont ever make the mistake of thinking youve become so advanced that you cant
consult with or ask other people for help.
At the end of the day, theres always someone out there who knows more than you
about something, so never stop asking and seeking advice from those around you.

122. Over coaching

Coaches

Okay, so you need to fix your foot positioning, pull your knees out slightly, brace better
to maintain a neutral core position, get tighter through your upper back, and stop
slipping into forward head posture. Oh yeah, and dont forget to pay attention to your
breathing because thats out of whack also. Ready?
As coaches, we should never make the above mistake. We have to respect that people
can only concentrate on so many things at once.
If we barrage our athletes and/or clients with tips or things they need to fix, then theyll
never get better.

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Simplicity here is key. Pick out on thing at a time. Try different cues until you find one
that works best, and then move onto the next problem.
Just follow this guideline and youll be golden: 1-2 word coaching cues and 1 cue at a
time.
123. Being a Stage 1 or Stage 2 Coach/Trainer
Before we get into what this is, Id like to give props to Dean Somerset because Im
taking this directly from him.
Anyways, there are more or less three stages of trainer development.

Stage 1: Im awesome, everyone sucks but me. All I need is some clients
and Ill make them into half human half machine hyrbrids. I dont any more
conitniuing education cuz I cant afford it. Certification was enough.

Stage 2: I need new clients. The ones I have all suck. They dont work
hard, they dont do what I tell them to, theyre not switched on. Maybe I should
start a website to get more clients and make a million bucks.

Stage 3: Maybe its something in what Im doing. I should change some

of my processes and read more about how to get more specific results for the
things my clients keep bringing up. I should read more.
In case you havent noticed, thats the third item on this list that has to do with staying
humble, asking questions and continuing to learn. Think its kind of important?
124. Not Assessing
Simply put, if youre not assessing youre guessing.
You have to assess you clients and/or athletes before doing anything with them. Period.
125. Not Reading The Books On This List
As opposed to rattling off lots of not reading thiss (thatd just be annoying), Ill refer you
to this page.
Take note of any you havent read yet and try and get to them in the near future.

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