The world of sports and exercise can be like visiting a foreign planet for some young people. It's no wonder that they often feel insecure or uncomfortable even before they even turn the knob on the gym door. Moreover, the idea of an unfamiliar place triggers a series of questions:
"Will there be a lot of people there? Will they stare at me? What if they laugh at me for lifting a small weight? Am I too fat for the gym? Shouldn't I lift more so they can see that I'm capable? What if the weight overwhelms me? How should I exercise on this machine? Do I need to warm up? What should I actually eat before and after my workout? Can over-motivation hurt me? Is it okay if I have a few drinks at the party today? Will I see any results in a week? What if I take steroids? Will my workout be embarrassing or how should I avoid making mistakes?"
Thanks to your efforts and training, your future self can be physically stronger, more confident, and healthier than ever before. In today's article, we'll discuss the most common mistakes in youth and give you advice on how to avoid them.
It's not always true that with age comes wisdom. However, when it comes to exercise, years of practice and experience carry much more weight than for young beginners. Below, we'll look at the most common training mistakes beginners make , which almost everyone made in their youth, but today, when recalling them, you'd rather borrow a neuralyzer from the Men in Black.
Results are only achieved through a long-term process. When we look at the facts, all results are accompanied by a long-term process. This requires sufficient time, patience and consistency not only in training, but also in diet and regeneration. If your goal is to gain muscle, it will certainly be necessary for you to focus on the optimal intake of all basic macronutrients , i.e. proteins , carbohydrates and fats . If you are trying to build muscle, it is also necessary for you to eat approximately 10 to 20% more energy than your maintenance intake. The diet should be optimally distributed and go hand in hand with regular, appropriately structured training and sufficient regeneration.
Even after reading them, be prepared for the fact that it will be a longer process that requires effort and consistent work. Once you manage to build a habit and self-discipline , fortunately, the first results will not be light years away from you. By losing weight with a properly set calorie deficit, training and regeneration, you could manage to lose half to one kilogram per week.
There's nothing wrong with taking a photo, especially if you take a photo of yourself once in a while. You've probably seen several friends who monitored their first visit to the gym a month ago better than professional vloggers. And today, everyone, including them, has forgotten that they've ever been to the gym. Not to mention what they did there during the photo shoot and whether their short fitness journey even included at least one real workout.
A training plan compiled by TikTok itself is no exception to the mistakes of youth. This social network is a source of entertainment for many, but it should probably end there. Various popular trends or even trainings often do not reflect reality at all. They are based more on creating a sensation and gaining as many views as possible. In principle, they will not bring you the figure of your dreams and every experienced workout enthusiast would often raise an eyebrow at them. Instead of such madness, try to focus on what you really want. That is, on a properly composed training plan with respect to your goals, whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle or maintain good fitness.
Sure, you can find experienced fighters on TikTok or Instagram who can give you advice. But don't try to inspire them with their training, which is the result of years of hard work. Their current form cannot be compared to what is expected of beginners.
Instead, try to find knowledge in professional blogs and articles that are not written by your favorite influencer, but are based on facts. A trainer can help you with the exercise itself, who will explain the basic principles and teach you the correct execution of individual exercises without risking injury. A nutritional therapist or nutrition consultant will help you create an adequate diet based on your needs. They will make sure that you consume the optimal amount of calories and have an adequate amount of micro and macronutrients on your plate, depending on whether you want to lose weight or gain muscle. Sure, it may not sound as sexy as the new trends on TikTok, but at least the results will be worth it.
The idea of losing weight can be quite a fantasy at a young age. Many people thought that all they had to do was imagine losing weight and it would just happen. Some of my peers went a step further a few years ago and, in an effort to lose weight, ordered a salad in the cafeteria twice a week. And they didn't mind at all that we raided McDrive on Friday and had a pizza and beer combo on Saturday. Only to have the salutary salad come back into play for defined abs two days later.
This idea may seem far-fetched to older and more experienced fighters, but many young beginners have more or less run away from the path of losing weight and solving any diet. However, looking at a salad or even eating it twice a week does not solve anything. Just like the other side of the coin, which is drastic diets. They have nothing to do with a healthy lifestyle and can actually harm your health. Or they will just cause a yo-yo effect and your hard-to-lose pounds will eventually come with interest. Therefore, in this case, you need to stick to proven basics.
In case of weight loss, your energy intake must be lower than your energy expenditure. And no, no miracle tea or detox juices will help you. You will achieve results only by reducing the amount of energy you take in from your daily food and increasing your energy expenditure through movement or exercise. That's the magic. An online energy intake and macronutrient calculator can help you with how much energy you should take in in an attempt to lose weight.
One of the most common mistakes young people make when it comes to exercise is definitely neglecting recovery. After all, who would rest when the body is usually full of energy and we want to catch up with everything that is happening around us. Whether it's spending time with friends, chasing love, partying, trading Pokémon cards, studying until late, playing games, or the trend of recent years, which is addiction to streaming services.
And even if we can't, an energy drink will solve the problem, ideally one with the most sugar, and if not one, then definitely two. While it's still possible on the weekend, staying up late with Netflix is a bit more difficult during the work week and obligations. It may be nice to binge watch episodes of your favorite series until late, but getting up early for school or work will give you a bill with interest. And when we're planning to exercise in the afternoon, our body is not in the ideal mood. It's still manageable at a young age, but it will definitely affect you later. So why not adopt healthier habits as soon as possible?
First of all, it is necessary to say why you should regenerate. It is a process leading to the restoration of physical and mental strength, which was previously disrupted by some strain. Whether it was exercise, a difficult exam period or anything that exhausted us. In connection with training, regeneration should be seen as one of the key pillars of progress. This is because intense and repeated exercise damages muscle fibers, which form tiny tears.
Muscles then need some time for the muscle cells in these fibers to recover, strengthen and grow, allowing them to continue to function at full capacity. Otherwise, soft tissue injuries, decreased performance, muscle tension or overload may occur, which ultimately discourages us from training. Unpleasant manifestations of this condition can also be increased muscle pain, lack of energy or fatigue, which a third energy drink will not solve.
Therefore, you should also include sufficient rest time in your training routine.
In this regard, a sufficient sleep regimen is also important, which should not regularly fall below 6 hours. The general recommendations for sufficient sleep for teenagers include 9.5 hours of sleep, while for most adults it is 7-9 hours. However, here too, you need to listen to your body and if you feel tired in the morning, you will probably need to sleep a little more. However, you can also use active activities to support regeneration, for example in the form of rehabilitation aids , guns or rollers . Ultimately, you will achieve much better results than in the case of the above-mentioned lifestyle.
The most common choice is protein or gainer, and the overall choice is mainly influenced by the words super, ultra, hardcore, power, anabolic, muscle, gain or similar-sounding English phrases. And the best thing is if the product packaging is decorated with a really hot fighter or a sexy fitness girl. At this point, it is completely clear to us that we will not find a better product and the order is on its way. After all, what's there after the composition, which no one reads anyway, right?
They are also a great attraction in youth and their negatives are covered by the wow effect of a perfect muscular figure. Unfortunately, we also have to include this in the list of the most common youthful indiscretions. Especially in the case of steroids, it must be said with a raised finger that it is no fun and their negative effects can be fatal, or they will catch up with you in old age.
Anabolic steroid use can cause serious, long-lasting, and in some cases irreversible damage. We know of many cases where steroids caused heart attacks even in very young athletes, and many of them are no longer with us. Liver or prostate tumors, stroke, kidney failure, or psychological problems are no exception to the negative effects of steroids. That is why you should not even think about such substances.
However, it should be added that these big names have a team of people around them, including various experts and doctors, who take care of their health. They regularly undergo medical check-ups, and Arnold himself said in his biographical documentary from Netflix that he took steroids during his professional days, but he had a doctor who allowed him to use them only once a year, 4 months before a difficult competition. At the same time, he made sure that he did not take them during the year, because even outside of competitions, professional bodybuilders are quite prone to using steroids in an attempt to be better. [19]
Steroid use is thus mainly associated with professional sports of the highest level and does not make much sense under normal circumstances. It also involves regular check-ups and care by specialists. In this case, it certainly cannot be compared to youthful recklessness and it is not a magic path to muscle. Arnold himself also added in his document that he attributes only 5% of his progress to steroids . At the same time, he needed to achieve this at an older age due to the results at Mr. Olympia and other world bodybuilding competitions. In the case of amateur training, it is definitely not worth it. Instead of thinking about steroids at a young age , you should focus on honest exercise, proper technique, regeneration or an adequate diet, which you can support with supplements. [19]
However, choosing the right workout supplements is also important, as a fancy name is not necessarily a guarantee of quality. This way, you can avoid, for example, high sugar content or various ballast substances that unnecessarily disrupt the overall composition. However, problems can arise in the case of dosage, which must be strictly respected.
Especially if you decide to buy a pre-workout supplement, for example. Their composition often includes caffeine, the safe dosage of which for a healthy 70 kg adult is 400 mg per day . You can exceed this, especially if you decide not to respect the maximum daily dose of the supplement or boost its use with coffee. Excessive one-time intake of caffeine can then cause headaches, nervousness, sleep problems or increased heart rate. However, we will discuss its effects further below, in point 10.
So, when we take a comprehensive look at the issue of dietary supplements, you should always respect the dosage stated on the packaging. At the same time, it will be nice if you have at least a basic overview. This will help you find the answer to the question of what protein is, what a gainer is for or what effects we can expect from creatine . So you have no choice but to educate yourself on the issue of dietary supplements and find out which substances are effective and which are not. Only then can you benefit from the benefits, which include, for example, increasing protein or energy intake, supporting regeneration or giving better performance in training.
Each of us started in a different physical condition and shape. While some managed more at the beginning, others less, but no one managed to optimally complete the training if they gave 120% to the first two exercises. Training is not supposed to be another installment of the Fast & Furious series. It can easily happen that you will not be able to handle it, you will get tired quickly and you will slouch on the remaining exercises, or you will give up before the end. Not to mention that stepping on the gas too hard in the beginning can lead to too much muscle, demotivation or injury. Therefore, you should increase the intensity of your training gradually. Above all, do not imitate anyone and focus on your own limits.
It seems like the ideal scenario. You've been working hard for two weeks, trying to eat better, and have the right supplements. But on Thursday, a friend texts you about their birthday party over the weekend. Accepting such an invitation is a no-brainer. You have your traditional protein shake at home before leaving, and you head to the party thinking that you won't be drinking because you're working out.
After the first toast, however, the offers of drinks break you like a toothpick and protein is replaced by rum and cola. The next morning, minor regrets come, even though you had a good time after all. From Monday, however, you return to your old ways, only to go buy tickets for the opening semester party on Wednesday after school. It takes place on Thursday, because Friday is the rector's day off. That day , you don't even bother going to exercise, because you know how you did over the weekend. And so the cycle continues.
Feel free to complete your first workouts with minimal weight, so that you can become familiar with the technique of individual exercises. It is always true that correct execution has a greater effect than chasing the heaviest weight. Moreover, you don't have to worry that you will not gradually work your way up to heavier weights. However, don't try to do this right away, but rather use the principle of progressive overload. Listen to your body and gradually increase the load or individual repetitions. Of course, while maintaining the correct technique. This procedure has proven to be effective in the pursuit of muscle growth or increasing strength in both men and women.
Regular alcohol consumption leads to a decrease in sports performance during the next training. It also suppresses protein synthesis and thus affects overall muscle growth. Not to mention that when your goal is to lose weight, drink after drink is just empty calories. Added to this is neglected regeneration and lack of sleep , and with each subsequent drink, fewer and fewer inhibitions. These then lead us to various types of treats, including cakes, chips or mayonnaise salads. So we push food without thinking, because the regrets will only arrive tomorrow. Instead, try to limit alcohol and treat yourself to a drink only once in a while. Your body will reward you with better health or performance in the gym, and the results themselves will arrive much sooner than if you wash down every small success in the gym with alcohol.
Probably every experienced fighter today will tell you that during their young beginnings they had no shortage of enthusiasm. I too often in my teenage years could get excited about a certain thing today only to be interested in something else a week later. Unfortunately, exercise was no exception, which lasted me for about a month and a half the first time. Then the curve of interest dropped so much that visits to the gym disappeared from my life completely. Later I returned to them and started working out full-time, which lasted a few years.
Well, just the whole summer. But for the third time, I told myself with a time lapse that luck favors the brave. This time, for real. I found enough internal motivation and worked hard for several long years. Despite this, you probably know someone in your circle who regularly completes the beginnings in the gym. Even so long that you could bake them a cake with at least five candles.
So, you need a strong WHY right from the start. The answer to this question should be driven by self-discipline, the ability to control our behavior without giving in to temptation.
It can have a positive impact on many areas of your life. However, if we stick to exercising, self-discipline will help you avoid skipping the gym and will make it easier to resist temptations like fast food or alcohol. Fortunately for you, self-discipline is not something you are born with. It can be built up through gradual steps. You can start with small things like making your bed every day or pouring yourself a glass of water with breakfast. They won't take you more than a few seconds, and over time, you will find that they have become a part of your life. Later, you can add other goals to them, like starting to run, losing 5 pounds, or exercising regularly. Work on these goals every day and try not to stray from the path.
When I started training a long time ago, I was about 17 years old. An experienced fighter designed my training at the time, where I had a nice breakdown of the individual games for the whole week. The result looked something like this:
But who cares about back, legs, or shoulders? I wanted big biceps because that's what I thought was the coolest thing at the time. So I would be much more excited to go to the gym if my weekly workout plan looked like this:
When I look at this thinking today, almost 10 years later, my eyebrows don't raise, but they shoot straight up to the top of my forehead from what I was actually thinking at the time. However, the thinking type "I exercise everything, but I don't really need my legs" was no exception in this regard. The result of such a long-term effort was a figure in the style of the so-called chicken legs, where the upper body appeared muscular, while the lower body pulled the short end.
However, similar favoritism of the dream part did not bypass the girls, who focused all their enthusiasm and effort mainly on the butt . So I have no choice but to explain to you why it is actually good to exercise the muscles of the whole body and biceps or butt will not save you.
Full-body training is very important for beginners. Movement and exercise itself is something completely new for them. This means that it is necessary to start from scratch, just like with various other activities that you have probably already skipped. The first visit to the gym often means that you have little or no sports background and this is your first serious experience with exercise. Therefore, you need to learn to control your muscles and perform precise movement patterns of individual exercises. The best teacher of so-called motor control is full-body training. It will allow you to learn the same movement patterns throughout the week, in which you involve all the main muscle groups. That is, chest, biceps, shoulders, triceps, legs (quadriceps, hamstrings, calves), buttocks, forearms or abdomen. Thanks to the comprehensive training of all muscle groups, you will be able to build a symmetrical figure, the one you admire in your fitness role models.
Plus, working out your entire body can help prevent muscle imbalances that can occur when you favor one muscle group over another, such as when your dream workout is biceps, biceps, biceps. Muscle balance can help you avoid injuries and maximize your performance during compound exercises that use multiple muscles.
It's hard to squat the legendary 100 kilograms for the first time if you have a weak back or weak legs. The same goes for the deadlift, which involves almost the entire body. If some of your muscles are significantly weaker, you will probably have a hard time progressing. Instead, try to follow a properly designed training plan , ideally from a professional, in which you train each of the major muscle groups at least once a week. You can start this way as part of a full-body workout, with the understanding that over time you can also switch to training twice a week, divided into upper and lower body.
I admit that this is something that would not have occurred to me even 15 years ago. However, several sources indicate that this is a fairly popular trend among many teenagers or young beginners. Well, as you can probably guess, it has taken off nowhere else than on social networks. These have been flooded with videos of people eating dry scoops or tablespoons of powdered supplements without mixing them in water or another drink. That is, as the manufacturer recommends. Mostly these are various pre-workout supplements, where the argument is that dry consumption in powdered form will offer a better effect on energy and overall performance than the traditional version dissolved in water.
The fact is, there are no scientific studies to support this crazy theory. All absorption and digestion in the body takes place in a watery environment anyway. From this perspective, the dry strategy makes no sense.
However, dry consumption of supplements is not recommended for several reasons. The main thing is that it can cause breathing problems or choking. It is something similar to the once famous cinnamon challenge, in which people gave themselves a spoonful of cinnamon with the goal that they would be the ones to swallow it. However, cinnamon powder is so dry that instead of swallowing, the videos ended with coughing or choking. The same applies to powdered supplements. When their powder gets stuck in the throat or you inhale it. There are known cases that ended up in the hospital after inhaling the powder.
In addition, pre-workouts can cause other problems related to excessive caffeine intake. Especially if we play heroes and take multiple doses. Problems such as heart palpitations, insomnia, nervousness, or anxiety can occur in connection with it.
Caffeine is particularly problematic, especially for young beginners, for whom its consumption is often not even recommended. In adolescence, you should handle it with extreme caution. In addition, it is necessary to know where caffeine is lurking. With a wide range of different caffeinated or energy drinks in combination with coffee, a small espresso or a milk latte, the maximum dose can be very easily exceeded. And according to EFSA, this should not exceed 3 mg/kg, which is 180 mg of caffeine for a 60 kg person, hidden in approximately 2 espressos. [17]
Instead of consuming it dry, always try to take supplements as directed on the label. Also, avoid caffeine-based stimulants and start by eating a regular, nutrient-rich diet, getting enough sleep, and regenerating. This will give you enough energy for every workout. And if you're looking for a pre-workout, you can opt for one that doesn't contain caffeine.
Avoiding various beginner mistakes in exercise in your youth is certainly not easy. Behind many mistakes lies the mindset appropriate to your age, but also the various temptations that we face in our youth. Nevertheless, eliminating mistakes is not impossible and if you stick to the tips mentioned above, you will definitely achieve better results. Strive mainly for regular and consistent adherence to sports habits.
Also think about at least slight adjustments to your diet, depending on your goals. Don't forget about regeneration and give up exaggerated ideas that you will become Superman or a bikini fitness model in a week. It won't be that fast, but if you respect the basic principles of exercise, sooner or later the results will definitely find you. And I guarantee you that the look of them will really be worth it!
Answers are generated by artificial intelligence from information on our website and may contain errors.
