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Focusing on demonstrating,
rather than developing,
strength. When you engage in
a strength-training program, your
primary goal should be to build
strength, not show other people how
much you can lift. More often than
not, such a misplaced focal point will
compromise your training efforts by its
natural tendency to lessen your
adherence to proper exercise technique.
Not strengthening what you
think youre strengthening.
Specific exercises develop
specific muscles. When designing your
strength-training program, it is
important that you select the exercises
that will enable you to achieve your
particular training goals.
Not controlling the speed of
the exercises. When performing
strength exercises, you should
raise and lower the weight under
control; otherwise youre throwing
the weight, as opposed to lifting it.
As such, you should avoid all ballistic
movements (e.g., dropping, jerking,
and bouncing) while lifting.
Not exercising through a full
range of motion. To ensure
that your musculature retains its
natural elasticity and is developed to its
fullest, you must perform every exercise
in your strength training regimen
through its full range of motion.
Otherwise, your muscles will tighten
up, resulting in a condition commonly
referred to as being muscle bound.
Not exercising opposing
muscles. Your body has muscles
that oppose each other

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(e.g., your quadriceps muscles are

opposed by your hamstring
muscles). These pairs of muscles have
a proportionate strength relationship
that must be maintained in relative
balance. If one becomes too strong
for the other, you risk injury to the
weaker muscle.
Holding your breath while
exercising. Some individuals
occasionally hold their breath
while lifting to gut out an extra
repetition. Such a practice will lead to
a substantial rise in pressure in the
chest that may result in either
dizziness or (in extreme instances)
unconsciousness. The basic rule of
thumb is that you should never
hold your breath while strength
training. If you really want to
synchronize your breathing with the
exercise, inhale whenever the
resistance is lowered or pulled toward
your body and exhale when the
resistance is moving away from your
body.
Not exercising at the right
level of intensity. A muscle
becomes stronger when a
demand is placed on it. If you place
less demand than your muscles can
handle, youll get less improvement
than you are capable of achieving.
On the other hand, too much
demand will either expose you to an
undue risk of injury or make the
exercise too difficult to perform
properly.
Not giving your muscles an
appropriate amount of time
between workouts to recover

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from the demands placed upon

them. When you stress a muscle
beyond what it can normally handle,
some rest is needed for the muscle
tissues, tendons, and ligaments to
recover. If the recovery time is too
brief, your muscle may be unable
to make physiologic adaptations
needed before being stressed again.
Conversely, if you take too much
time between workouts, your muscles
will gradually return to their
untrained level.
Trying to do too much too
soon. Your strength-training
program should be progressive
in nature. As such, you should
gradually increase the stress you place
on your muscles as they are able to
meet the imposed demand. Keep in
mind that lifting too much too soon
can lead to failure and injury.
Not performing the
exercise properly. Only
one proper way exists to
perform a specific exercise. As such,
you should always adhere to the
correct technique when strength
training. If you compromise the
recommended mechanics for doing
an exercise, you will compromise your
results.

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James A. Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM, is

a freelance writer and consultant in
sports medicine. From 1990 until 1995,
Dr. Peterson was director of sports
medicine with StairMaster. Until
that time, he was professor of physical
education at the United States Military
Academy.

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ACSMS HEALTH & FITNESS JOURNAL1

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Common Mistakes Made

While Strength Training

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by James A. Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM