Common Mistakes New Lifters Make (and How to Avoid Them!)

Milo understands . . . he’s made a few mistakes, too.

(This article is a Blast from the Past article originally posted on 03/12/21.)

If you’re a new lifter, there are a couple of mistakes that you’re probably going to make within your first few weeks or months of training. To help you avoid them, let’s take a look at a few:

Misloading the bar
Bar math can be tough, and you’re eventually going to load your bar heavier or lighter than you intended. For example, you intend to add 10 lbs to the bar, and instead, you absentmindedly add 10 lbs to each side of the bar and thus end up adding 20 lbs to the bar by mistake. If you do a work set, and it’s significantly harder than you expected, double-check what’s on the bar. Be sure to check your math if the set is significantly easier than expected as well, and check it again if the weight felt lopsided. In all of these scenarios, there’s a reasonable chance you misloaded the bar. Don’t worry - we’ve all done it, and it won’t be the last time you do it.

Forgetting to wear your belt
You finish your set - it was a bit harder than expected - and you then see your lifting belt sitting on the ground. There’s a very easy solution here - every time you finish a set, hang your belt over the middle of your barbell. Now, you won’t be able to miss it. This also works well for wrist wraps.

Forgetting to use chalk or a hook/switch grip for your deadlift
Grip plays a pivotal role in the deadlift, and you can’t pull as heavy without chalk and a hook or switch grip as you can with these things. Eventually, chalking before pulling will be second nature - as will taking the proper grip - but in the meantime, write yourself a large, neat reminder in your training journal. “CHALK + HOOK GRIP” or something of the sort will do nicely.

We’ll examine a few other newbie mistakes in a future article, but in the meantime, give these solutions a try.

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