Training Tips
Common Training and Workout Mistakes by
Freddy Palmer B.P.A.(Hons.)
Personal Trainer
Mr. Ottawa Bodybuilding Champion
1. Not warming up properly before your workouts. Warming up prevents injuries. All professional sports athletes warm up before events or training. Think about boxing, hockey and track and field. Weights are no different. Most workout injuries can be avoided with warm ups, good form and technique.
2. Doing exercises wrongly. You have to learn the correct way to exercise. I always see people in the gym doing exercises incorrectly. If you do exercises incorrectly, you will not get results. Get somebody qualified to show you the right way. It will save you a lot of time.
3. Trying to copy another gym member's workout. There are two problems with this. First, the other person might have a different fitness goal from yours. Second, if he or she is doing the exercises wrongly, you are going to copy the wrong technique. Get a personal trainer to show you the right way from day one. Never try the trial and error approach. It is a waste of time.
4. Picking the wrong personal trainer. When picking a trainer, look for somebody who has trained himself and got results for themselves. If he cannot train and get results for himself, how is he going to help you out? If somebody told you that they don't know how to drive a car, but can teach you how to drive one . Would you trust him? If somebody were successful training himself or herself, then they would be successful training you. Make sure you make the right choice. In any sport, the coach or trainer knows how to play the sport and was very successful at it. That is the reason why he or she is coaching because they were so successful in their sport. Whether it is football, tennis, golf or baseball. Weight training is no different. Ron Harris, wrote an article in Musclemag magazine July 2001, page 201 that says it all "If someone can't build his own physique, how the hell can he build yours?" In the same article, page 206 he further says "You know a person is reliable if he is in great shape himself." Pick the right personal trainer.
5. Not having a workout program. You need a workout program from day one, if you are going to get results. Your program should be based on your fitness goals.
6. Using the wrong training techniques. The training techniques you select, whether giant sets, pyramid, pre-exhaust, etc. should be based on your fitness goals.
7. Going too heavy with poor form. If you are going to train heavy, never sacrifice good form for heavy weights. Always may sure you are able to do at least six reps by yourself or the weight is too heavy. On the beach no one is going to know how much you bench press, they only see your physique.
8. Improper order of exercises. The order of the exercises is very important. Always do the mass builders first, before the shaping exercises. Proper order leads to proper results. My workout program explains this in more detail.
9. Poor nutrition habits. The body needs nutrients to repair itself. Good nutrition promotes energy, fat loss and muscle building. You have to know when and what to eat. If you eat fatty foods, you will become fat. If you do not eat, it is like a car with no gas. You are not going anywhere. A fat loss nutritional plan is different from a muscle mass building nutritional plan. You have to know what to eat. A lot of people don't know how or when to use supplements, whether it is creatine, L-glutamine or whey protein. A special note for people over 50, you have to be very careful. You have worked hard all your life, so you want to make sure you reach retirement so you could enjoy all that money you put away in RRSP and other pension plans. What is the point of putting away all that money, if you pass away before 65? Eat healthy. My nutrition plan covers nutrition and supplements in more detail.
10. Improper cardio techniques. You have to know when to do cardio in your workout, and how fast to go to promote fat loss. There is a fat burning range you have to keep within. If you do not know this, you are wasting your time doing cardio. You will get nowhere. My workout program covers cardio techniques for fat loss.
11. Doing the same program and exercises all the time. You need to change your program and exercises to prevent plateau. Otherwise you will stop making gains. Do not do the same workouts over and over again. My workout program is designed to prevent plateau
12. Doing small muscle groups before big ones. Always do big muscle groups before small ones. Also, women have to learn how to train their hips and glutes. There are 16 different exercises for hips and glutes.
13. Doing incorrect number of exercises, sets, and reps. The amount you do is determined by your fitness goals.
14. Overtraining. You have to know when to train and when it is time to rest. If you feel tired do not overtrain. Take the day off. The muscles only grow when they are resting. You need to rest to recover. The days, hours and time you spend in the gym should be based on your fitness goal.
15. Having the wrong workout partner. Make sure that your workout partner helps you, and does not slow you down. A training partner or personal trainer is good for someone who lacks motivation, or is afraid to train heavy for safety reasons. A workout partner or personal trainer is also good for someone who uses training techniques like giant sets, pre-exhaust, forced reps and drop sets.
16. Competing against other gym members. Never try to compete with other gym members. Only use them for motivation. Always do what you can and exercise at your own pace. Only use weights you can handle, and not what other gym members are doing. Compete against yourself and be the best you can be. I always train my clients according to their level, and what they are capable of doing.
17. No results or gains month after month. If you are not getting results, then you are doing something wrong. Put your ego aside and ask for help. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. For fat loss, my clients lose an average of 4 to 6 pounds per week. For every problem there is a solution.
18. The not willing to learn attitude. Some people are not willing to learn new things. I am always impressed with people in top shape that ask me questions about training. They are in top shape, because they are always willing to learn and educate themselves. I learn new things every day and that is the only way you improve. I have a lot of respect for anyone that ask me for advice, because I know they are going to do much better than those who do not. They could learn so much, then do it by themselves. Even the best athletes in the world have trainers and coaches. Think about it, the Ottawa Senators, Floyd Mayweather, Usain Bolt, Los Angeles Lakers and New England Patriots. Why? That is the reason why they are best in the world. The trainers are going to correct, motivate, and keep them on the right track. Those who seek help, are always going to do better than those who do not.
I used these principles to win the Mr. Ottawa bodybuilding competition, and even defeated two other local personal trainers in that same competition. I have also used these principles to get hundreds of satisfied clients in top shape. I also used them to maintain my physique over the years, even though I do not compete anymore. I always practice what I preach.
Freddy Palmer Personal Training