So You’re New to Lifting

Welcome! We LOVE having you here! And to help you get started, let’s talk a little bit about common mistakes new lifters often make. This way you can avoid them and start your lifting journey properly. If you find that you do any of these no need to fret, you can always readjust and start again!

One of the biggest lifting mistakes is not using proper form. This specific mistake isn’t exclusive to new lifters, it affects all people across the beginner to advanced lifting spectrum. The problem with this particular issue is how much it affects your whole program. When you don’t use proper form, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Lack of proper form can affect how much you can lift. If you’re not targeting the correct muscle groups, your efforts to increase that muscle mass or strengthen that muscle will be greatly hindered. And most importantly, it can cause you to injure yourself!

This one is a two-fer! Lifting too heavy or too light. Certain lifts, such as deadlifts or squats, need a substantial amount of weight to be effective. In a compound exercise, you’re using multiple muscle groups. If you lift too little weight, your exercise won’t have the intended effect. Make sure to use a weight that becomes difficult towards the end of your set. In contrast lifting too heavy of a weight can cause you to lose form, which like we said earlier can cause you to injure yourself. 

Focusing too much on isolation movements. So you want big biceps? Awesome goal! However, completely focusing on isolated bicep movements isn’t going to do the trick. Compound exercises help build overall body strength. Working the muscles surrounding your biceps, such as your shoulders and triceps, also helps build a foundation. These are often overlooked and so your bicep goals are harder to obtain.

Build overall strength —> Lift heavier —> Use heavier weights to increase muscle mass

This may seem quite overwhelming, but a weightlifting journey looks different to every person. Recognize that lifting is relative person-to-person, so mimicking the buff dude on social media might now always get you the results you’re looking for. If you feel that you might be making some of these mistakes, try finding a program that helps you build your confidence in the gym!