Don’t get caught making these silly gym mistakes
Taking weights off the bar – Whenever you remove weights from the barbell make sure you are removing them as evenly as possible. If you have a lot of weight on the bar and you take away one side you are more than likely going to flip the bar over and whack yourself in the head.
Yelling – Yes we all need that extra umph to push out the last few reps, but don’t be the person in the gym where the ladies on the treadmill upstairs can hear you screaming after every repetition. It really is not necessary and you aren’t looking cool to anyone, you are just annoying everyone else in the gym. The occasional grunt or cuss word is fine but don’t be a nuisance.
Your trainer knows what they are talking about – if a personal trainer is telling you that your form is incorrect then you might want to listen to them. They put in a lot of hours to study for their certification and this is what they do for a living. They see form day in and day out and if they say you are doing it wrong then it would be heave you to listen.
Improper powerlifting movements – Crossfitters cover your ears. Powerlifting involves some extremely advanced moves not intended for beginners. It takes hours and hours of practice to master these complicated lifts, once you have them mastered then you can start adding some serious weight to them. If you are going to attempt moves like the Clean and Jerk, Snatch, and Power Press then please due your due diligence and practice with just a bar first.
Putting too much on the bar – This is a recipe for disaster. Know your limits and please don’t try to overload the bar to impress your fellow gym goers. They will be more impressed with your perfect form and progressions other than watching you get stuck under the bar.
Use weight clips – one of my very first times in the gym was in the military at a Marine camp. A buddy and me went into the gym to work out and we decided against using clips on the incline bench press. I lifted the weight and my body shifted, well the plates fell off to the left and then whipped around and the weights fell off to the right. We were extremely embarrassed and looked like a bunch of amateurs. Don’t make the same mistake, put the weight clips on.
Not using a spotter – It’s no fun getting stuck under the bar, I have before and it is a very scary feeling and extremely embarrassing feeling when you have to holler for help in the gym. If you’re going to lift heavy weights then please ask for a spotter. Most people in the gym will be more than happy to give you a spot. If you absolutely must lift heavy weights alone then use equipment which has spotter arms. If you don’t have spotter arms and you are just hard headed and still want to lift heavy then take off the weight clips so you can flip the bar to the side to drop the weights if you get stuck under the bar.
Lifting weights in incorrect areas – If you are in a squat rack this is not the place for dumbbells, or curls, please move to the dumbbell section and let people do compound movements in the squat rack. If the gym is busy this is not the time to do circuits and take up 4 different machines, use some dumbbells for this or do your circuit on slower days. Don’t do your work out in the stretching area, this if for stretching and not your dumbbell circuit area.
Be considerate of other people’s time – if you’re in a squat rack and there are other people waiting this is not the time for you to be talking on your phone, talking to other people in the gym and wasting time. Just like the cardio machines, there is a time limit if there are other people waiting.
Re-rack your weights – This one drives me crazy and I’m glad I have my own gym now because every time I see this is drives me up the wall. If you are strong enough to lift it then for the love of god put the weights back up. It’s absolutely ridiculous to leave 6+ plates on the bar and then walk away, nobody thinks you’re a bad ass that can lift that much weight and then walk away like a jerk, especially not the 100lb girl who has to take down all of your weights behind you. Don’t be a douche and re-rack your weights.
