If you\u2019ve been training without making progress, are feeling aches and pains or want to make certain that your workout is worth the effort, it might be time to check in on whether you\u2019re making common blunders that expert personal trainers see all the time.<\/p>\n
Prioritising weight over form<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people focus on how much weight they can lift rather than how well they\u2019re actually moving it,\u201d says celebrity trainer and PT Aimee Long<\/a>. \u201cWhen the load is too heavy, form usually breaks down, the wrong muscles take over, and the risk of injury goes up.\u201d <\/p>\n New FeatureIn ShortQuick Stories. Same trusted journalism.<\/p>\n How to know whether the weights are too heavy? \u201cIf you can\u2019t control the lowering part of the movement, keep good posture, or move through the full range, you\u2019re compromising,\u201d she explains. \u201cLower the weight to something you can control properly with good technique, steady tempo, and full range of motion. You will get much better results and be far less likely to get injured.\u201d<\/p>\n Not lifting heavy enough<\/p>\n At the same time, you do need to be lifting heavy enough weights<\/a> to make progress. \u201cFor muscles to grow, the weight needs to be challenging enough that you only have a couple of reps left \u2018in reserve\u2019,\u201d Long notes. That means you could only manage one or two more reps with good form before needing to stop. \u201cMany people stop their sets too soon because it starts to feel uncomfortable, not because they reach close to failure, which is where the muscle will effectively break down and re-grow,\u201d she adds. <\/p>\n Balancing weight and technique is hard, so beginners should focus on perfecting the movement pattern before loading up. \u201cThen, get comfortable using weights that feel tough while maintaining that form,\u201d says Long. <\/p>\n Not progressing properly<\/p>\n You need to increase the intensity of your training regularly \u2013 or sacrifice progress. \u201cPeople often repeat the same sessions, load and demand for months,\u201d says PT Luke Worthington<\/a>, who specialises in physical preparation for TV and film. <\/p>\n If you\u2019re guilty of putting the same plates onto the barbell week after week, or reaching for the same pair of dumbbells to curl and press, you\u2019re likely just maintaining, rather than building. <\/p>\n \u201cInstead, you need to systematically increase demand over time,\u201d explains Worthington. The most obvious way to do that is by slowly increasing the weight, which could be as little as adding 0.5kg at a time.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can also increase the number of sets or reps, range of motion or tempo,\u201d he says. \u201cIf none of those variables are progressing, the body has no reason to adapt.\u201d<\/p>\n Wearing the wrong trainers<\/p>\n What you wear to the gym matters more than you\u2019d think, particularly when it comes to footwear. \u201cI have lost count of the number of times I\u2019ve seen people squatting next to me in the gym wearing running trainers with a huge stack height and a curved sole. This isn\u2019t the foundation you need for strength training,\u201d says PT Nancy Best, founder of Ladies Who Crunch<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen lifting weights, you need adequate support for your ankles, without overly cushioning your arches, and you need to ensure that you\u2019re able to grip the ground properly for compound movements like squats and deadlifts.\u201d She advises swapping your cushioned trainers for Nike Metcons (\u00a3129.99) or even Converse (from \u00a339.99) for a flat, stable surface.<\/p>\n Not timing rest periods<\/p>\n You\u2019ve likely put your weight down, picked up your phone, and then wasted five minutes scrolling before returning to your set. \u201cThis is a big mistake, as we need to maintain some stress in the muscle when we return to the lift to ensure we\u2019re breaking down the tissue,\u201d says Best. \u201cSimilarly, being in such a rush that you don\u2019t give yourself any recovery between rounds means technique slips and you end up getting injured. Timing rest is really important to keep your body sharp and progressing, without overloading your central nervous system.\u201d <\/p>\n While rest break timing depends on the type of workout you\u2019re doing (heavier sets require longer breaks to recoup), her general advice is to take about 90 seconds of focused downtime before picking your weight back up.<\/p>\n Neglecting recovery\u00a0<\/p>\n The effectiveness of your workout<\/a> isn\u2019t made or broken in the gym. \u201cProgress does not happen during the workout itself; it happens afterwards when your body repairs and rebuilds. Poor sleep, not eating enough calories or protein, or training the same muscles hard every single day can hinder that recovery and leave you constantly exhausted,\u201d says Long.<\/p>\n Longer sleep is linked with improved levels of growth hormone release, better tissue repair, reduced pain sensitivity and improved signs of muscle building, according to a review from the Journal of Scientific Medicine in Sport<\/a>. And protein and nutrient requirements also increase in those who train \u2013 while the recommended daily intake of protein is 0.8g per kilogram of bodyweight, the International Society of Sports Nutrition<\/a> recommends that anyone doing regular exercise eat closer to 1.4-2.0g per kilogram per day (that\u2019s an increase from 56g of protein to 98-140g).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SEI_287020319.jpg\")
\u201cPeople often repeat the same sessions for months,\u201d says PT Luke Worthington<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SEI_287020326_72ef2f-e1772205247480.jpg\")
Nancy Best has lost count of the people she has seen wearing the wrong shoes in the gym (Photo: Isabella Smith)<\/p>\n