Diego Cruz

5 mistakes that stall your first year of lifting

I see the same five in almost every new client. None of them are about effort. Fix these and the work you are already doing starts to show.

1. Changing the program every three weeks

   Strength is a slow signal. Run one program for at least eight weeks before you judge it, or you never find out whether it worked.

2. Not writing anything down

   If you cannot say what you lifted last Tuesday, you cannot beat it this Tuesday. A notebook is enough.

3. Training to failure on every set

   Leave one or two reps in the tank on most sets. You recover faster and you get more good sets in a week.

4. Skipping the boring lifts

   Rows, split squats and carries are what keep your shoulders, knees and back happy enough to keep pressing and squatting.

5. Eating like you are still on a diet

   You cannot build muscle in a big deficit. Get enough protein first, then worry about the rest.