Sure, youth is on your side. You’re like that toy bunny which just kept on going and going in that old battery commercial. You don’t get tired easily, so it does not matter what type of work out you try to get your hands on.
But while you’re still young, you should be conscious of the typical mistakes that youngsters like you commit in the gym. These include:
1. Not Warming Up
Don’t ever think that warming up is a waste of your time, or it would leave you exhausted. Instead, you should realize that warming up is similar to allowing your car’s engine to heat up especially when driving in cold weather.
Warm up is a very important of any workout. It causes a gradual increase in your heart rate, boost circulation to your muscles, ligaments, and tendons, aside from preparing you mentally for your workout.
2. Pushing Yourself to the Limit
Training too heavy is another mistake that you should avoid while you are young. Sure, it is tempting to bench press a 100 pound barbell every time you hit the gym. After all you see other folks doing it, so why not try it yourself?
But training too heavy will take its toll on your health in the long run. If you go heavy in your 20s, then expect to have some chronic injuries by the time you hit your 30s.
There are three parts of your body that you should take good care of—the neck, lower back, and shoulders. This means avoid workouts that would put too much strain on these areas of the body. So take it easy when doing exercises like barbell rows or barbell Romanian deadlifts.
3. Doing Dangerous Exercises
There are certain exercises that pose a higher risk of injury which you should try to minimize, if not avoid altogether.
For instance, the behind-the-neck press would help develop your medial and anterior deltoids. But it can be dangerous if you have a so-so shoulder mobility. You can, however, substitute the barbell with dumbbells or machines.
In the case of jumping, landing on uneven or hard surfaces often leads to ankle sprains as explained in an article from ScienceofRehab.com. So, if you do decide to do any jumping exercises, make sure you use appropriate surfaces and warm up properly.
The rule of thumb in determining whether an exercise is dangerous or not is simple—if it hurts, then stop doing it.
4. Poor Form
Young people tend to show off by doing anything so they can leave heavy weight. This causes them to use improper form, which is another bodybuilding mistake you must avoid while you are young.
Usually, youngsters use quick, jerky form just to lift heavy weights. This is particularly true when they do the bench press and the curl.
In a bench press, you may try to bounce the bar off your chest so you can get some momentum in lifting the barbell. Or you try to arch your lower back just to give more force to your arms.
When doing curls, you might be guilty of a lot of swing, or using your front deltoid for the lift.
5. Not Getting Enough Sleep
Of course, you can brag that you still have the energy to lift weights even though you slept at 3 in the morning. But sleep is very important in bodybuilding and weight loss.
It is during sleep that your body releases the growth hormones like testosterone and IGF-1. These hormones are not only needed for building muscles, but also for muscle repair and recovery.
Thus the next time that you go to a fitness club like Koko Fit Club or Anytime Fitness, make sure that you were able to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep. And keep in mind the other bodybuilding mistakes that youngsters often commit, and avoid them as much as possible.