Post by Tim Wescott on Dec 23, 2003 11:48:38 GMT -5
10 Classic Mistakes All Bodybuilder`s Make .by Charles Staley
Classic Mistake Number 1- No Goal
All good plans start with a clear, concise picture of the desired objective. In stark contrast to this, I can't tell you how many times I've been setting up on a particular station in the gym when I overhear a conversation like this on the machine next to me:
"So, what ya wanna work today?"
"Dunno, maybe chest?"
"Ummm, I guess so. Tryin to remember when I did chest last. How about arms?"
"OK, cool, what exercise ya wanna do first?"
And on it goes as I shake my head in a combination of amusement and pity.
When's the last time you jumped in the car and drove without knowing where you were going? Never? OK, then when's the last time you did a workout without having a crystal-clear objective? Always? I thought so.
Escalating Density Training is a better alternative: Each workout, you'll pull out your training log and find your most recent workout of the same type. For each PR Zone, you'll note the weight load you used and the total repetitions you achieved.
You now have a specific objective for your next workout: perform more total reps with the same weight in the same period of time. It's not easy, but it is simple and brief (hey, two out of three ain't bad huh?).
Additional suggestions:
1. Make sure your training journal is durable and functional, regardless of whether or not you use a spiral-bound notebook, tracking software, or some other form of record-keeping.
2. Challenge yourself by aiming for big numbers each workout- the only difference between successful people and everyone else is the size of their goals. Make sure your goals are worthy of your complete dedication.
CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER TWO: SACRIFICING QUALITY TO QUANTITY
This is both the most common and most costly mistake that most gym rats make.
More isn't better. BETTER is better! Here's a common example of the quantity-mindset at work:
The typical trainee who can do 4-6 chin-ups and who wants to do 10. Typically, he'll simply try to add another rep every time he does chin-ups (increasing quantity). Better way: to decrease quantity by dropping down to sets of 1-2 reps. You'll be less fatigued, and therefore more able to recruit your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which have the best potential for size & strength gains.
Bottom line: Make sure you do something well, before you do it more.
Tips:
1. If you're not happy with your technique on a particular workout, shoot for a minimal increase in total reps the next time out, and focus your energies on improving your technique instead.
2. Always strive to move weights as fast as possible on the concentric or positive phase of each lift, particularly at the beginning of the stroke. More speed means more tension, which means better results.
3. More intense efforts require even more attention to active recovery.
CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER THREE: FATIGUE SEEKING
The way to assess the effectiveness of a workout (or training system) is by the degree to which it improves the qualities and/or abilities you're trying to develop, not by how much pain it produces.
If your primary goal is to be sore, why not consider taking a job as Lennox Lewis' sparring partner? Muscle grows when you gradually force it to perform more and more work in a given time frame from workout to workout. This requires managing fatigue, not seeking it.
Escalating Density Training features built-in mechanisms to ensure optimal fatigue management, including both innovative loading parameters to active recovery measures such as post-workout cryotherapy. EDT also recognizes that each individual has unique recovery capacities and allows for individualization within the overall EDT training structure.
Suggestions:
1. Focus on achievement, not the after-effects of your efforts.
2. If you're sore, it is in fact a sign that your muscles are in a repair state -- do not train on sore muscles. Instead, wait until you have one full day or no soreness before training the same muscles again.
3. When in doubt, aggressive personality types should err on the side of doing less, whereas more tentative individuals should err on the side of doing more.
CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER FOUR: TRAINING IN PAIN
In my opinion, the timeworn expression "no pain, no gain" is at the root of a lot of bad training decisions. Pain is your body's signal to you that something is wrong. Pay attention! Adjust your workout accordingly, and, most importantly, if you have pain that lasts more than a few days, seek medical attention! It's amazing to see how many people, upon experiencing an injury, simply think "Well, I guess I can't bench anymore, but maybe I can do incline presses." Before long, you'll find that you've "painted yourself into a corner" like a lot of the older guys you see who can now do only 2-3 exercises without pain! Please take note of the following suggestions:
1. Pain that diminishes or disappears after the warm-up should still be taken seriously. The reason is that your body releases histamines during your early sets, which are a natural painkiller. You may be doing yourself harm without knowing it.
2. If you experience sudden, sharp pain in a joint during a workout, stop immediately and apply ice to the area. If you do not experience considerable improvement within a few days, seek medical attention.
3. A feeling of tingling, numbness, or "pins and needles" in one or more extremities should not be ignored- seek medical attention promptly.
CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER FIVE: EXCESSIVE FOCUS ON LOAD
I'll never forget the day when, minding my own business at a place called Iron Gym in Goleta, California, a young guy, weighing maybe 165 pounds, asked me if I could spot him on incline dumbbell presses. Although my general premise is that if you need a spotter, you're moving the weights too slowly and should lighten up, I agreed to lend my services anyway. As I follow the guy over to his station, I notice a pair of 110-pound dumbbells laying on the floor next the bench. "Hmmm" I thought. "Wonder what this guy is up to?" I soon found out. To make a long story short, he asked me to hand him the dumbbells one at a time, and after that, I got the unexpected workout of my life as I helped him through 4 forced reps, where I estimate that I lifted about 75 percent of the weight on the first rep, and about 95 percent by the fourth rep! Not all was lost however— that was one of the best trap workouts of my life.
Look, my point in all this is, the amount of weight you can lift does matter, but it isn't the only consideration by any means. A lot of guys for example, will do almost anything to lift more weight, including using powerlifting support gear, significantly reducing the range of motion, and/or using a training partner to help them complete the lift. In each of these examples, you really didn't lift more weight at all-— you just appeared to have lifted more!
When you train EDT style, your target weights are clearly defined: choose a weight load that equals or approximates your 10RM for each exercise — in other words, a weight you can lift for 10 reps but not 11. Then, at the beginning of each PR Zone, you'll lift that weight for sets of 5, and over the course of the PR Zone, you'll gradually shift to 4 reps, then 3, 2, and finally, singles, as your fatigue levels elevate. You may rightly question the logic of performing only 5 or less reps with a 10RM weight, so let me explain the reasoning behind this: the training effect you'll gain from lifting any given weight is a factor of not only the load, but also the speed with which the load is lifted. Think of it this way: if I place a 10-pound weight on your foot, no problem. But, if I drop that weight on your foot, big problem! In both cases, the weight is the same, but the speed is different. When you lift a weight as fast as possible on the concentric (or "positive") phase of the lift, you put more tension on the muscles than if you lift it slowly. This allows you to get more done with less weight. It makes your efforts far more efficient, which is the whole point of EDT.
Tips to Consider:
1. Your chosen weightloads should enable "brisk" sets of 5 at the beginning of each PR Zone.
2. The difficulty of loads selected in antagonistic exercises pairings should be as similar as possible.
3. The selected weightloads should allow between (approximately) 60 and 75 repetitions for each exercise within a 15-minute PR Zone
Classic Mistake Number 1- No Goal
All good plans start with a clear, concise picture of the desired objective. In stark contrast to this, I can't tell you how many times I've been setting up on a particular station in the gym when I overhear a conversation like this on the machine next to me:
"So, what ya wanna work today?"
"Dunno, maybe chest?"
"Ummm, I guess so. Tryin to remember when I did chest last. How about arms?"
"OK, cool, what exercise ya wanna do first?"
And on it goes as I shake my head in a combination of amusement and pity.
When's the last time you jumped in the car and drove without knowing where you were going? Never? OK, then when's the last time you did a workout without having a crystal-clear objective? Always? I thought so.
Escalating Density Training is a better alternative: Each workout, you'll pull out your training log and find your most recent workout of the same type. For each PR Zone, you'll note the weight load you used and the total repetitions you achieved.
You now have a specific objective for your next workout: perform more total reps with the same weight in the same period of time. It's not easy, but it is simple and brief (hey, two out of three ain't bad huh?).
Additional suggestions:
1. Make sure your training journal is durable and functional, regardless of whether or not you use a spiral-bound notebook, tracking software, or some other form of record-keeping.
2. Challenge yourself by aiming for big numbers each workout- the only difference between successful people and everyone else is the size of their goals. Make sure your goals are worthy of your complete dedication.
CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER TWO: SACRIFICING QUALITY TO QUANTITY
This is both the most common and most costly mistake that most gym rats make.
More isn't better. BETTER is better! Here's a common example of the quantity-mindset at work:
The typical trainee who can do 4-6 chin-ups and who wants to do 10. Typically, he'll simply try to add another rep every time he does chin-ups (increasing quantity). Better way: to decrease quantity by dropping down to sets of 1-2 reps. You'll be less fatigued, and therefore more able to recruit your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which have the best potential for size & strength gains.
Bottom line: Make sure you do something well, before you do it more.
Tips:
1. If you're not happy with your technique on a particular workout, shoot for a minimal increase in total reps the next time out, and focus your energies on improving your technique instead.
2. Always strive to move weights as fast as possible on the concentric or positive phase of each lift, particularly at the beginning of the stroke. More speed means more tension, which means better results.
3. More intense efforts require even more attention to active recovery.
CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER THREE: FATIGUE SEEKING
The way to assess the effectiveness of a workout (or training system) is by the degree to which it improves the qualities and/or abilities you're trying to develop, not by how much pain it produces.
If your primary goal is to be sore, why not consider taking a job as Lennox Lewis' sparring partner? Muscle grows when you gradually force it to perform more and more work in a given time frame from workout to workout. This requires managing fatigue, not seeking it.
Escalating Density Training features built-in mechanisms to ensure optimal fatigue management, including both innovative loading parameters to active recovery measures such as post-workout cryotherapy. EDT also recognizes that each individual has unique recovery capacities and allows for individualization within the overall EDT training structure.
Suggestions:
1. Focus on achievement, not the after-effects of your efforts.
2. If you're sore, it is in fact a sign that your muscles are in a repair state -- do not train on sore muscles. Instead, wait until you have one full day or no soreness before training the same muscles again.
3. When in doubt, aggressive personality types should err on the side of doing less, whereas more tentative individuals should err on the side of doing more.
CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER FOUR: TRAINING IN PAIN
In my opinion, the timeworn expression "no pain, no gain" is at the root of a lot of bad training decisions. Pain is your body's signal to you that something is wrong. Pay attention! Adjust your workout accordingly, and, most importantly, if you have pain that lasts more than a few days, seek medical attention! It's amazing to see how many people, upon experiencing an injury, simply think "Well, I guess I can't bench anymore, but maybe I can do incline presses." Before long, you'll find that you've "painted yourself into a corner" like a lot of the older guys you see who can now do only 2-3 exercises without pain! Please take note of the following suggestions:
1. Pain that diminishes or disappears after the warm-up should still be taken seriously. The reason is that your body releases histamines during your early sets, which are a natural painkiller. You may be doing yourself harm without knowing it.
2. If you experience sudden, sharp pain in a joint during a workout, stop immediately and apply ice to the area. If you do not experience considerable improvement within a few days, seek medical attention.
3. A feeling of tingling, numbness, or "pins and needles" in one or more extremities should not be ignored- seek medical attention promptly.
CLASSIC MISTAKE NUMBER FIVE: EXCESSIVE FOCUS ON LOAD
I'll never forget the day when, minding my own business at a place called Iron Gym in Goleta, California, a young guy, weighing maybe 165 pounds, asked me if I could spot him on incline dumbbell presses. Although my general premise is that if you need a spotter, you're moving the weights too slowly and should lighten up, I agreed to lend my services anyway. As I follow the guy over to his station, I notice a pair of 110-pound dumbbells laying on the floor next the bench. "Hmmm" I thought. "Wonder what this guy is up to?" I soon found out. To make a long story short, he asked me to hand him the dumbbells one at a time, and after that, I got the unexpected workout of my life as I helped him through 4 forced reps, where I estimate that I lifted about 75 percent of the weight on the first rep, and about 95 percent by the fourth rep! Not all was lost however— that was one of the best trap workouts of my life.
Look, my point in all this is, the amount of weight you can lift does matter, but it isn't the only consideration by any means. A lot of guys for example, will do almost anything to lift more weight, including using powerlifting support gear, significantly reducing the range of motion, and/or using a training partner to help them complete the lift. In each of these examples, you really didn't lift more weight at all-— you just appeared to have lifted more!
When you train EDT style, your target weights are clearly defined: choose a weight load that equals or approximates your 10RM for each exercise — in other words, a weight you can lift for 10 reps but not 11. Then, at the beginning of each PR Zone, you'll lift that weight for sets of 5, and over the course of the PR Zone, you'll gradually shift to 4 reps, then 3, 2, and finally, singles, as your fatigue levels elevate. You may rightly question the logic of performing only 5 or less reps with a 10RM weight, so let me explain the reasoning behind this: the training effect you'll gain from lifting any given weight is a factor of not only the load, but also the speed with which the load is lifted. Think of it this way: if I place a 10-pound weight on your foot, no problem. But, if I drop that weight on your foot, big problem! In both cases, the weight is the same, but the speed is different. When you lift a weight as fast as possible on the concentric (or "positive") phase of the lift, you put more tension on the muscles than if you lift it slowly. This allows you to get more done with less weight. It makes your efforts far more efficient, which is the whole point of EDT.
Tips to Consider:
1. Your chosen weightloads should enable "brisk" sets of 5 at the beginning of each PR Zone.
2. The difficulty of loads selected in antagonistic exercises pairings should be as similar as possible.
3. The selected weightloads should allow between (approximately) 60 and 75 repetitions for each exercise within a 15-minute PR Zone