Bad Advice Commonly Given To Beginner Weight Lifters
 

Post bad advice that is commonly given to beginning trainees in this thread.

**This thread will be linked to via sticky for future reference.**

You do NOT need a complicated training split.

Resist the urge to train more then 3-4 days a week as a beginner. More is not better. And complicated is not better. Do NOT follow the routine of a steroid user. They are playing a different weight-gaining ballgame.

A good training routine focuses primarily on basic, heavy compound lifts.

You do not need to hammer a muscle with endless isolation movements.

It is far better to focus on basic, heavy compound movements then it is to focus on isolation exercises.

Some heavy Compound movements include:

Legs: Squats, Romanian Deadlifts
Back: Deadlift, Rows, Pullups
Chest: Bench Press, Dips
Shoulders: Overhead Press

Focus on heavy compound movements in the gym - then, if you have workout time left, you can try an isolation movement.

More is not better for natural lifters.

More time in the gym is NOT better for natural lifters. Science reveals that in general, an hour of heavy weight training per training day is optimal. For some trainees, up to 90 minutes of training is acceeptable.

But as a beginner, and until you learn the lifts and your body, there is no reason to train more then one hour each day.

Steroid using trainees have artificially elevated testosterone levels. They can train longer, without penalty, and recover faster.

As a natural, overtraining can lead to a catabolic - counterproductive state.

Get in, do your workout, and get out. You do NOT need to spend 2 to 3 hours in the gym each day.

Supplements and "Performance Enhancers" are just compliments to good training cycles.

If you don't know how to train, they won't help you. Creatine doesn't put pounds on your bench press and lift the weight for you, sure it helps but it is the hard work,serious training and consistency that will make you stronger. So before you spend empty out your wallet at GNC, invest in some good strength training books, like starting strength. For bodybuilders, Arnold's Bodybuilding encyclopedia is a must have.

USE FULL RANGE OF MOTION!

Partial movements are advance training techniques used by powerlifters and more experienced lifters. As a beginning lifter, doing partial movements only creates physical imbalances in your body that will lead to injury. Adding them in here and there to promote muscle and strength growth is acceptable as long as 80% of the time you are using full ROM.

I can't stabilize the bar when I bench press or squat should I use the smith machine?

NO! Use Dumbbells, yes your heard me. Cycle on to dumbbell training for a month, if your having problems stabilizing a barbell, use Dumbbells to force your body to recruit more stabilizing muscles. Focus on higher rep ranges until notice a significant change on form, then progress heavier,slowly.

Progression is king

make sure regardless of what routine you get on that it has a progression scheme, Jay Cutlers back routine is crap for you, becausethere is no set progression scheme.

focus on form and weight will come

using perfect form will yield strength gains

agreed, good point, but still keep form safe