Top 3 mistakes beginners make

After 15 years as a trainer and coach I often see the same fitness mistakes. Here are 3 of the most common mistakes beginners make.

1. Program jumping

The first month is fairly consistent for most beginners. Then you read an article on the hottest celebrity workout or your friend tells you what you should do because it worked for them. So you drop what you’re doing and jump on a different program. Next month the same thing happens. And the month after that, if you still even work out. You are spinning your wheels. There are a ton of great programs out there and you’ll never know which ones work best for you unless you consistently follow them. I have seen mediocre programs elicit great results due to the consistency of the individual. Make a choice, follow thru and objectively track your results. Better yet, meet with an expert and set some goals.

2. Conflicting Goals

We live in an instant gratification society. We want it all and we want it now. But, “No one can serve two masters.” If you want to gain muscle, be prepared to kiss that 6-pack goodbye, for now. Want to run your first half marathon? Awesome, but don’t expect to add 250lbs to your deadlift at the same time. Effective training is broken into blocks of time and each block has its specific goal. Simply put, there’s a time to get bigger/stronger and there’s a time to get leaner. If you try to do everything every single week you will fail. Olympians work within olympic cycles, meaning, their training revolves around 4 year cycles to compete in the olympics. You don’t need to take it to that extreme level, but everyone should at least look at the year ahead and plan accordingly.

3. Incompatible Diet

Similar to the previous point, if your nutrition is not dialed in to match your goals, you will have a tough time. I personally know maybe 3 people that can eat garbage and look great while continuing to improve. These people are the exception and not the rule. They have been blessed with great genetics. If you are not so lucky, then you need to eat for your goals.

The most important pillar of nutrition is extremely simple; if you consume more calories than you burn off, you will gain weight, if you consume less than you burn off you will lose weight. You can’t be catabolic and anabolic at the same time. If your goal is to lose weight, then consuming roughly 10% less calories to start will not only drop the lbs but leave you with plenty of energy for your training. Going too extreme will leave you weakened for your training and opens the door to all sorts of problems. Anyone who drops massive weight for a challenge and then balloons back up knows what I’m talking about.

There are many ways to successfully achieve your fitness goals. Avoiding these top beginner mistakes will set you up for long term success.

Questions? Shoot me an email.

TimDeagon.com