$by James A. Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM

10 Common Mistakes MadeWhile Strength TrainingACSMS HEALTH & FITNESS JOURNAL1

1Focusing on demonstrating,rather than developing,strength. When you engage in

a strength-training program, yourprimary goal should be to build

strength, not show other people howmuch you can lift. More often than

not, such a misplaced focal point willcompromise your training efforts by its

natural tendency to lessen youradherence to proper exercise technique.

2Not strengthening what youthink youre strengthening.Specific exercises develop

specific muscles. When designing yourstrength-training program, it is

important that you select the exercisesthat will enable you to achieve your

particular training goals.

3Not controlling the speed ofthe exercises. When performingstrength exercises, you should

raise and lower the weight undercontrol; otherwise youre throwingthe weight, as opposed to lifting it.

As such, you should avoid all ballisticmovements (e.g., dropping, jerking,and bouncing) while lifting.

4Not exercising through a fullrange of motion. To ensurethat your musculature retains its

natural elasticity and is developed to itsfullest, you must perform every exercisein your strength training regimen

through its full range of motion.Otherwise, your muscles will tighten

up, resulting in a condition commonlyreferred to as being muscle bound.

5Not exercising opposingmuscles. Your body has musclesthat oppose each other

(e.g., your quadriceps muscles areopposed by your hamstring

muscles). These pairs of muscles havea proportionate strength relationshipthat must be maintained in relative

balance. If one becomes too strongfor the other, you risk injury to the

weaker muscle.

6Holding your breath whileexercising. Some individualsoccasionally hold their breath

while lifting to gut out an extrarepetition. Such a practice will lead toa substantial rise in pressure in the

chest that may result in eitherdizziness or (in extreme instances)

unconsciousness. The basic rule ofthumb is that you should neverhold your breath while strengthtraining. If you really want to

synchronize your breathing with theexercise, inhale whenever the

resistance is lowered or pulled towardyour body and exhale when theresistance is moving away from your

body.

7Not exercising at the rightlevel of intensity. A musclebecomes stronger when a

demand is placed on it. If you placeless demand than your muscles can

handle, youll get less improvementthan you are capable of achieving.On the other hand, too much

demand will either expose you to anundue risk of injury or make the

exercise too difficult to performproperly.

8Not giving your muscles anappropriate amount of timebetween workouts to recover

from the demands placed uponthem. When you stress a musclebeyond what it can normally handle,some rest is needed for the muscletissues, tendons, and ligaments to

recover. If the recovery time is toobrief, your muscle may be unable

to make physiologic adaptationsneeded before being stressed again.

Conversely, if you take too muchtime between workouts, your muscles

will gradually return to theiruntrained level.

9Trying to do too much toosoon. Your strength-trainingprogram should be progressive

in nature. As such, you shouldgradually increase the stress you place

on your muscles as they are able tomeet the imposed demand. Keep in

mind that lifting too much too sooncan lead to failure and injury.

10Not performing theexercise properly. Onlyone proper way exists to

perform a specific exercise. As such,you should always adhere to the

correct technique when strengthtraining. If you compromise the

recommended mechanics for doingan exercise, you will compromise your

results.

James A. Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM, isa freelance writer and consultant insports medicine. From 1990 until 1995,Dr. Peterson was director of sportsmedicine with StairMaster. Untilthat time, he was professor of physicaleducation at the United States MilitaryAcademy.

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