Everyone makes mistakes and this is especially true when it comes to the gym. If you walk into any given gym at any given time, you’re sure to find newbies and veteran lifters making mistakes. Some are less serious than others but when done over a long enough time period, mistakes are sure to add up and result in you getting hurt.

 Let’s take a look at the top 4 most common exercises mistakes that you’ll find in any gym – You may have been doing some of these mistakes yourself.

4. Using Too Much Weight

 First and foremost is the mistake of the ego: Biting off more than you can chew. We’ve all made this mistake. Maybe you saw someone else lifting more than you or maybe you wanted to impress the opposite sex. At one point, we’ve all loaded up the barbell far past the point of our comfort zone. We un-racked the barbell for a bench press or squat and immediately regretted our decision.

 Using too much weight is one of the leading causes of injury in the weight room. There’s a difference between using weight that’s just outside your comfort zone and using way too much. The latter will not allow your muscles to progress faster. Be smart and be safe: Select a weight that matches your repetition range.

3. Rounding / Arching Your Back

The next mistake involves the misuse of your back. You’ll commonly see this one happen in the squat rack. Guys and girls step up, un-rack the bar, and lack a straight back. Many times, you’ll see this mistake paired with our number four mistake and this is NOT a good combination.

You need to make sure you’re engaging your lower back when the exercise calls for it. Your back doesn’t need to be engaged because it’s the primary working muscle. It needs to be engaged to ensure postural support. You must engage the lower back to support the rest of your body during compound exercises such as the squat, deadlift, and overhead press.

Lower the weight you’re using and practice your form until you have it perfect.

2. Letting Your Hips Drop

Continuing with this idea of engagement, too often you’ll see people allowing their hips to drop during exercises such as the push-up and burpee. Complete core engagement is necessary to properly execute a push-up but instead of focusing on form, may people focus on the numbers. Pushing out a few more repetitions with sagging hips isn’t going to help you. Don’t sacrifice form so you can write 10 instead of 7.

1. Not Stretching

The biggest mistake of all: skipping the stretching. While it has been suggested that an extensive stretching session pre-workout does come with the risk of losing some strength and power, it’s a very small, insignificant price to pay. Stretching has been shown to prevent injury, develop proper length-tension relationships between muscles and joints, and boost recovery. If you really want to excel in your workouts and ensure you can come back again the next day, be sure to take the time to stretch.

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What are some mistakes you see in the gym?

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