Welcome to my fitness blog! It’s nice to have you here and thank you for reading the information I provide. Hopefully you will learn something to improve your workouts and your health.
So when I first started on my fitness journey I wanted to go from a skinny guy to a bodybuilder in a week (ok maybe two weeks). But as we all know, Rome wasn’t built in a day. So I am here to tell you the top 5 mistakes I made as a beginner weightlifter and a rookie entering his first physique competition. I made more than 5 mistakes, however here is my top 5 and my advice to myself and you as to what I would do now to change it.
- I tried to change too much too fast and lost the motivation after about six-eight weeks. My advice Now to Myself & You: Don’t even join a gym until I feel ready to start something. I just wake up 30 minutes earlier than I typically do, make my bed, and go for a walk. I love walking in the early morning to wake up. The birds are singing, the breeze is cool and it’s quiet. Gyms usually prey on the motivation “blues” and will lure you in with low monthly fees knowing full well you won’t be around in a few weeks.
- Too Much Cardio. Don’t get me wrong cardio is good, and important. But, when my workout plan (cardio) was long, slow distance training, my fitness progress stalled after about 8 weeks. Magically, between 8-12 weeks is where most people fall off the workout wagon. If your workout is over-leveraged in the cardio department, your metabolism will inevitably slow down. My Advice Now to Myself & You: put together a program for yourself. The program should include a couple cardio sessions per week, a couple heavy lifting sessions per week, and a couple High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions per week.
- I was doing it alone! It’s very hard to keep the motivation, the drive, and the weight up if you are by yourself. I had a hard time going to the gym alone, and in the evening or night, sometimes I was the only one in there. I couldn’t max, I couldn’t go real heavy and I had to motivate myself to continue the workout. My Advice to Myself & You: Find a training partner and hire a coach or trainer together – you’ll typically receive a break off personal training rates. Keep each other accountable with some friends. Do it together!
- Forgetting to stretch. I almost always forgot to stretch before or after a workout. By stretching prior to a workout and/or after can relieve pain and prevent DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). It improves blood flow and can repair tired muscles and could shorten the recovery time. My Advice to Myself & You: Stretch before and after a workout session, and maybe do a foam roller to help the pain and prevent DOMS.
- Worrying about the numbers on the scale. I spent too much time looking at the body fat % and trying to get it down to 10% that I lost track of the muscle mass %. I lost some muscle mass because I was not performing a progressive overload workout that I was actually losing muscle even though I was working out 5 days a week. My Advice to Myself & You: Don’t spend too much time and effort intowhat the scale looks like. Do a consistent workout with a progressive overload and eat a balanced diet with little carbs and high protein. Get the starting numbers and the end numbers and pay close attention to how you feel and look.
So these are my top 5 mistakes I made in the beginning and when I started training for my competition in 2019. I have learned a lot through the years and with my extra training and certifications, I have gained a better understanding of the body and how important each phase of training is. Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you have gained a little bit of knowledge and understanding of my mistakes and how you can avoid them for your next workout!
Take care, and remember You Only Get One Body….Make the Change!
I hope you all can take this information and live a happier, healthier life!
Darren
Harmony Shift 