Gentlemen! The top 10 mistakes you are making in the gym

Guys, this one is for you. There are many things you should be doing while training in the gym such as;

  • Never skipping leg training

  • Getting sufficient sleep

  • Drinking 2 or more litres of water and not Chernobyl-style pre workouts

  • Training your ass

  • Avoiding eye contact when training said ass

But this article is not about what you should be doing, rather what you should not be doing! And these should not’s are most likely what is undermining your progress and results.


  1. You don’t track your sets, reps and weights.

    I rarely see guys walking around with a notebook, a tablet or even a scrap of paper to record their sets, reps and weights. It always seems so haphazard. A vague plan of ‘hitting chest’ is very often the only plan implemented for a workout. Albeit it is true your workout doesn’t need to be planned to a tee, however I would make the argument that it is vitally beneficial to record at least your primary compound lift of the day, to ensure that you can progress by that important 1% the following week.

  2. You spend too much time on your phone.

    Self explanatory. You came to the gym to train, to sweat, yet training your thumbs on Instagram between sets seems to be the only superset you are willing to do. Leave the phone in your locker.

  3. You stay in your favourite rep range.

    Some people chase the pump, with every set well above 15 reps. Others consider anything over 5 reps to be a form of cardio. Both of these approaches are wrong. You need both throughout every session for maximum results.

  4. You avoid cardio like Covid19.
    Cardio is vitally important when getting strong, fit and healthy. Too many guys consider cardio to be a waste of time, something that will result in them “losing their gains”. Tell that to the CrossFit athlete who is twice your size and running three times per week.

  5. You overtrain cardio.
    Despite my above point, of course it is indeed true that you can overdo it. I see many people spending hours in a week running, cycling and mindlessly striding on a crosstrainer. Keep this in mind the next time you find yourself 45minutes into a cardio session. Sprinting helps the ability to jog, however jogging does not particularly aid in the ability to sprint well. Use your time wisely.

  6. Your technique is shite.

    The vast majority of guys I see deadlifting or squatting in the gym would seriously benefit from dropping 10-20kg off their sets. By reducing the weight and ignoring your ego, you can slow the tempo down, maintain correct technique and reduce the likelihood of injuring yourself during training (which is the stupidest place to ever injure yourself).

  7. You are following some celebrity, or bodybuilder’s program that you downloaded online.
    Doing the same programs that professional athletes and juiced-up bodybuilders do is a path that leads to nowhere. While some of these programs can be effective on paper, what these individuals are doing now is different from what they did to get to where they now are. Start at the beginning, not at the end.

    Training programs should be individualized to your needs and goals. Your strengths, weaknesses, goals, training history, anthropometrics, movement capabilities, lifestyle, and past injuries are all unique, so avoid Chris Hemsworth’s arm sessions like the plague.

  8. You ignore your weaknesses, usually mobility.

    I know a crossfitter who loves to perform Olympic lifts but can’t get into a deep bodyweight squat. Go figure.
    This constant need to execute high performance lifts, coupled with the unwillingness to invest in your mobility, is detrimental to your overall results on the gym. Learn to walk before you try to run.

  9. Get off the lat pulldown.

    I regularly see guys swapping about grips and handles on the lat pulldown in an attempt to really hit the lat muscles hard, yet these guys can hardly perform more than 5 pull ups at best. Rule 1 that I have learnt over the past 10 years in the gym, is that lat pulldowns do NOT help you to do pull ups. Start on the lat pulldown, remain on the lat pulldown. The sooner you get onto real pull ups, the better for your strength and the size of your lats.

  10. You consume the advice of ‘blue check mark’ fitness accounts online.
    These accounts range from the booty building girls who haven’t an ounce of fitness advice to offer but look great in a thong, to swollen body builders selling their e-programs for €5.99. Both are useless to your long term results. Take fitness advice from those who honestly display their lifts, processes and programming. And for what it’s worth, I have never found a fitness account with over 1million followers that was actually worth following. Check out the guys and girls who are actually on the level, training day in and day out rather than the ‘influencers’ or models.

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Hello,

As some of you may know, Personal Training is my bread and butter, however I moonlight as a writer in my spare time.

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Thank You,

Simon

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