Workout out on a weekly basis is tough, it requires dedication, mental focus, a good diet and it must of course be enjoyable. But sometimes we all make common mistakes that can be detrimental to our workout routines, costing us lost muscle gain, early fatigue, or even burn out.

Here is a list of the most common mistakes (in order of importance) we have all made at one time or another, I suggest you take notice and see if any of them apply to you, if they do you need to correct them now:

1. Not Having a Workout Routine

Nobody would go to the gym and randomly lift weights on a bunch of exercises in no logical order and without making a note of the weight they lifted and the number of reps completed, would they? Unfortunately people do, I have seen it time and time again, guys coming in and going from machine to machine, exercise to exercise, never making a note of what they did.

How can you expect to get stronger, bigger or more powerful if you never use a workout routine or write it down? The answer is: YOU CANT

If this is you, you must make a workout routine and you must write it down, the exercise you performed, the weight you lifted and the number of repetitions completed, I have a section dedicated to workout routines where you can download free workouts, so now you have no excuse  see my section on workout routines

2. Poor Pre & Post Workout Nutrition

Before a workout you need an adequate supply of energy to fuel your workout, for most of us this would be a protein shake, Creatine shake, or a small 200-300 calorie protein/carb mix, usually consumed 60-90 minutes before a workout. For the post workout meal this would normally be a carb/protein meal sometimes consumed with a protein shake.

Of course everyone is different in what they consume before and after they workout, but not consuming the right type of food or supplements before and after a workout will be detrimental to your routine.

I have spoken to people in the gym who have eaten chocolate bars, bags of chips etc. One guy even had an energy drink before working out as he, and I quote “hadn’t eaten much that day”. How can you expect to build muscle, increase strength or power if you don’t get the proper nutrition your body needs! If this is you, you need to rethink your pre & post workout meals and maybe even take a close look at your diet, for more information see my section on bodybuilding diet.

3. Talking Too Much

Rest between sets is a crucial factor of your workout routine, not enough rest and you can burn out to quickly, too much rest and you can warm down and run the risk of injury, especially when lifting heavy.

Too much talking between sets is okay, providing you are aware of rest times, unfortunately this never tends to be the case, most people use the gym as a social outlet to chat with their friends. If you train alone or with a partner use your rest time to get mentally focus for the next set, and if you can time your rest between sets just do it, don’t just stand there chatting BS.

4. Not Warming Up

Warming up is essential in getting your joints, muscles and mind ready to lift a weight, and this is even more important if you are performing heavy compound movements such as the deadlift, barbell bench press or full squats.

Now when I say warm-up, I don’t mean run on the treadmill or cycle for 5 minutes, I mean perform the exercise for 3-5 warm-up sets until you are ready to begin your working set. For more information see my section on how to warm-up with weights

If you don’t warm-up correctly you increase the chances of injury, which would of course be detrimental to your workout and could cost you up to a month of working out, so always, always, always warm-up

5. Not Stretching Between Sets

There is a time to stretch your muscles, and this is between your sets. Stretching between sets can prevent injury to the muscle you are working, it will also make you stronger when you perform the next set.

Conclusion

As I said, we have all been guilty of one or more of the above mistakes, if you did any of them recently you need to be concious of them the next time you workout. If you can think of any other mistakes that cost workout time please leave a comment and if it’s a good one I will add it to this post

Anybody who lifts weights should know the importance of protein consumption as part of their training, and one of the best natural sources of protein is cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is regularly consumed by weight trainers due to its high content of casein protein and low caloric content, making it the ideal food to consume before bed.

But why is cottage cheese such a good choice for those of us who train with weights and what is in cottage cheese that makes it such a good bodybuilding food? I have created a quick list of cottage cheese benefits below:

• High in Protein - Cottage cheese has a high protein content, making it the ideal snack between meals for all those trying their best to build muscle
• Contains Casein Protein – Cottage cheese is high in casein protein, casein is absorbed slower in the digestive system, which means protein is available in the body compared to whey protein, this makes cottage cheese the best source of natural protein to consume before bed time.
• Low Fat – Most cottage cheeses are low in fat, which is obviously a good thing.
• Low in Calories – A low number of calories per cup is good for those looking to lose weight whilst at the same time increasing muscle mass. If however you are trying to bulk you could always buy normal cottage cheese and eat it with wholegrain bread
• Low Cholesterol – Cottage cheese is low in cholesterol, which is good news for your heart.
• High Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) – Riboflavin helps stimulate metabolism and assists in the digestion & absorption of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
• High Vitamin B12 – Cottage cheese contains a high amount of vitamin B12, which is required for normal function of the brain, nervous system and formation of blood.
• Low liquid Content Compared to a Protein Shake – The amount of liquid in cottage cheese is low in comparison to a casein protein supplement, which means you hopefully wont need to get up in the night

Cottage Cheese Vs Casein Protein Shakes

I’m sure a lot of supplement companies will tell you that their casein protein is the best supplement to consume before bed time, don’t get me wrong, casein supplements do a good job of keeping your body in an anabolic state during sleep there is no replacement for cottage cheese.