I’m A Personal Trainer, And Here Are The 7 Mistakes I See Beginners Make

Walk into any gym, and you’ll be presented with a vast array of exciting, shiny equipment at your fingertips. You’ll see gym-goers from all walks of life performing their daily training, often using weird and wonderful exercises. With so many choices to make, where do you even start?

As a beginner lifter, your task is harder than most. While you will enjoy the famous newbie gains, you will have to make several important choices. If you’re not sure how to make them, you can fall at the first hurdle. 

As most of you know, I’ve been a writer here at Endomondo for nearly two years. Alongside this, I’ve spent the last five years training people from all walks of life. I’ve seen the mistakes they make and, more importantly, learned how to fix them. 

Because of this, I wanted to discuss the seven most common training mistakes beginners make when starting. I’ll use my own experiences alongside the scientific knowledge I’ve gained as a writer. Hopefully, you’ll learn something valuable.

7 Common Training Mistakes To Avoid

These are the top seven training mistakes I’ve noticed throughout my personal and professional practices.

Not Having A Plan

Training plans are designed for a reason. They ensure that you stick to the right training principles. Furthermore, they help you understand why you’re doing certain things in the gym.

If you head into the gym without a plan, you’ll most likely end up doing whatever you feel like. This can often lead to training muscles too much or not training them enough. Both of these can impact results. 

On a personal note, I’ve always found that planning my training helps me stay motivated. I know what I need to do, and I’m clear on how to implement it.

For beginners, implementing specialized training plans is less important. You don’t need an elite-level periodization program. However, you do need to make sure you tick the main boxes consistently. 

How To Fix It

Follow a structured training program that’s appropriate for your training level. As a beginner, this could be any of the main muscle-building programs, such as an upper-lower split. 

In this program, you’ll work your upper body in one session and your lower body in another. This could be once a week or more depending on your training frequency. 

Use the help and knowledge of a personal trainer to take out the guesswork. More often than not, I’ve found that those I work with are looking for some guidance and accountability. If you’re wondering, “How many sets per muscle?” read the linked article to better organize your training as a beginner.

Not Implementing Progressive Overload

Your body is an adaptive system. It’s designed to survive, grow, and flourish in response to the conditions placed on it.

In the gym, our body responds to the amount and intensity of training. If you can get these right while allowing sufficient recovery, your body will respond accordingly. It’ll learn how to better cope with the next training session by increasing muscle size and growing stronger.

Progressive overload is a training method that changes the intensity and amount of training to help these adaptive responses. This means that you’ll make small programming changes to allow your body to adapt and grow. 

How To Fix It  

As a beginner, you don’t need to use a complicated method of progressive overload. Increasing your training volume or intensity in small increments can be all you need.

Slowly increase your main training variables to implement the principle. Work through your repetition ranges, writing down the weight lifted and work done. If the exercises feel easy, increase your weight or repetitions while ensuring enough recovery.

Training Too Light Or Too Heavy

When it comes to selecting your training intensity, you don’t have too much to go on as a beginner. Oftentimes, you’ll need a feeling out period to figure it out.

Muscle grows and gets stronger when mechanical tension is applied. This refers to your muscles adapting to working against resistance. If you’re training too lightly, you’re not giving your muscles the mechanical tension they need.

On the other side of the equation, you don’t want to be training too heavily, and/or too frequently. It’s good to push yourself, but not at the expense of your gains and recovery. As a beginner, you have a much larger risk of injury as your body isn’t developed enough yet to cope.

How To Fix It

Certain loading recommendations can be used according to your main training goals. Below are the main ones to bear in mind. These work off your one repetition maximum or 1RM. 

Your 1RM is the maximum weight you can lift for one repetition. A qualified coach can help you work out your 1RM in a dedicated session.

As a beginner, it’s important to use these as a general guide rather than set values. The main goal is to understand the general principle of using different training intensities.

Alongside this, you can use your rating of perceived exertion or RPE as a simple measure to gauge intensity. I suggest using the scale from 1–10. One means no effort at all while 10 is your maximum effort. 

Aim to train at around an RPE of 8 for muscle growth. This means you should have a couple of reps left in reserve. 

Not Warming Up And Cooling Down

This is one of the biggest mistakes I see beginners making. I see people going straight into their training and then finishing their main session.

Warming up properly is vital to performance and injury risk. When done correctly, it increases muscle temperature, loosens joints, and enhances blood flow. Each of these prepares the body for the subsequent exercise session.

Cooling down helps to bring your body back to a resting state. It lowers your heart rate, reduces your blood pressure, and improves flexibility as you stretch your muscles when they’re warm. This helps promote faster muscle recovery and reduce potential injury risk.

How To Fix It

Think of your warm-up and cool-down as vital parts of your overall program. They go alongside your training and should not be separated.

Perform a dynamic warm-up consisting of aerobic exercise and specific dynamic stretches. Use warm-up sets before your main sets to practice the movement pattern. Perform a proper cooldown consisting of static stretches and aerobic exercise. 

Neglecting Recovery 

We all know that recovery isn’t always fun. It requires patience and commitment at times when you might just want to get into the gym and lift. Even in my training, I’ve found it hard at times to sit and relax.

Recovery is crucial for training and performance. It allows your body to replenish its energy levels, repair damaged muscle tissue, and take a mental break. Without them, your body won’t fully benefit from your workouts.

Recovery involves many different things. This includes your sleep, dietary intake, hydration, and mental health. Remember, water makes up approximately 60%–75% of the human body, so staying properly hydrated is essential.

I love seeing the enthusiasm of beginners when they start to notice changes in their appearance. However, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen them training every day without a day off. Even with those newbie gains in place, you’re still impacting your progress when lacking recovery.

How To Fix It

Ensure you have dedicated active recovery and rest days. This doesn’t mean you need to sit there and do nothing. You can walk the dog, take a walk in the park, and do some gentle stretching and rehabilitation work. 

Develop a dedicated recovery and rehabilitation program alongside your training. Get at least seven hours of sleep by implementing a good bedtime routine. Eat enough protein, drink enough water for your needs, and enjoy doing what you love.

Neglecting Certain Muscle Groups

Muscle groups can be attractive for beginner training. When you see your favorite fitness influencer or bodybuilder with an amazing chest or pair of arms, you want the same.

Think of the body as a whole interconnected unit. Most exercises use multiple muscle groups at once, primary and secondary. Each has an important role to play, even if you don’t realize it. 

Well-rounded development ensures even force distribution, efficient power generation, and correct movement patterns. This helps maintain performance and reduce injury.

How To Fix It

As a beginner, it’s important to build a solid training foundation. Think of this as laying a foundation for a house. If any part of the foundation is wrong, it can affect the rest of the house and ruin the whole building.

Use a training program that focuses on the main foundational movements and build around it. This should include the main movement patterns: push, pull, squat, hinge, and press. 

In most cases, you don’t need to perform as many exercises as you think. We cover how many exercises per muscle group you need in a separate article.

Training Too Frequently

There’s no denying that training volume is one of the most important training principles.

Training Volume = Sets x Reps x Volume Load. 

Now, it’s true that more training volume leads to bigger muscle gains, but only to a certain point. Getting enough rest and recovery is equally important to allow your muscles to adapt and grow. It also reduces the risk of fatigue and overtraining.

As a beginner, there’s such a thing called newbie gains. This means that your body will adapt much faster than experienced lifters. While this might tempt you to run to the gym, you’ll be doing so at the expense of your gains. 

The gym should fit into your routine and become a healthy part of your lifestyle. It should not take over your life or feel like a chore. 

How To Fix It

Use a training split that you enjoy and that fits your lifestyle. For some, that might mean training two times a week, while for others, that might mean more.

Aim for at least 48 hours of recovery between muscle groups. This ensures the right balance between training volume and fatigue. 

Write down your training schedule at the beginning of the week. Learn the importance of recovery. You’re growing and recovering, even when your body isn’t working.

Safety Tips To Keep In Mind 

Use these easy safety tips to get off to a good start, referring to them before each session. These are the main ones to focus on as a beginner lifter. 

• Listen To Your Body — If you’re consistently feeling sore and rundown, take extra rest days. Listen to how your body responds to training.
• Prioritize The Correct Technique — Use the correct technique cues to ensure targeted muscle focus. This can be done with the help of a partner or mirror to check your form.
• Use Spotters When Going Heavy — If you want to increase the intensity, use safety spotter arms or get the help of a gym partner. Ensure they know what they’re doing.
• Wear The Correct Gym Apparel — Wear correctly fitting clothing designed for exercise, such as a loose-fitting T-shirt and sports shorts. Make sure you have non-slip trainers designed for the activity such as gym shoes. 
• Learn The Correct Breathing Technique — Inhale during the eccentric part (as your muscle lengthens) and exhale during the concentric (as your muscle shortens). The eccentric part is usually the lowering portion of the movement. This ensures sufficient oxygen supply to your working muscles. 
• Check Your Equipment — Make sure that the gym equipment or machine is fit for purpose. Check for any missing parts or defects that may cause potential injury. 

How To Go From Beginner To Intermediate

To go from a beginner to an intermediate lifter, consistency is key. Trust in the long-term process. This means using the main principles discussed above week in and week out. 

Develop a structured program focusing on building a solid foundation while implementing the progressive overload principle. Include warm-ups and cool-downs as discussed above, making them part of your training. Ensure enough recovery and rehabilitation in all aspects of your life, including personal and professional.

Remember to use help where needed. This may be from friends or professionals. Monitor your progress by using a workout journal and adjust according to the guidance you receive.

Once you get to the next stage, here’s a great intermediate workout routine to add to your training.

Conclusion

Being a beginner can be scary. If you trust the process and make the right choices, you’ll be an intermediate gym-goer in no time at all. At Endomondo, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.

Hopefully, my years of experience have given you some help in your quest to become a better version of yourself. All that is left is for you to take what you’ve learned and see some amazing progress in the gym. We can’t wait to hear all about it! 

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