Home / Experts call out 7 of the WORST strength training mistakes

experts call out the 
worst strength training mistakes

experts call out 7 of the 
worst strength training mistakes

Updated: 9/3/2026

 Man wearing Turtle Strength Tshirt smiling and getting ready to squat

Walk into almost any gym and you’ll hear the same advice repeated. 
 

" Confuse your muscles"...." No pain, no gain." ...." All you need is a barbell and heavy weight" 

A lot of gym advice sounds right... but coaches and physios say some of it is quietly ruining people’s progress. Here are the strength training mistakes they see most often.

 

1. “No pain, no gain” might be the worst gym advice ever.

Few phrases in fitness are as famous as “no pain, no gain”. For decades it has been used to encourage people to push harder in the gym. But according to Australian strength coach Graeme Bryant, it is one of the most misunderstood ideas in training. Bryant is the co founder of Australian strength and conditioning brand Little Bloke Fitness and has spent years working with lifters and coaches across the industry.

“The most overrated advice I still see in strength training is "no pain, no gain." 

Lifters need to listen to their body - I see a lot of people, particularly young males who are more focused on what's on the bar than how they're moving it and their ego drives their decision making.

Strength is built through progressive overload, not through pushing through pain. 
Get your technique right, add weight gradually and repeat. 
That's what builds real strength - and keeps you training long enough to enjoy it."

Research supports this. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that excessive fatigue and pushing through pain can reduce training quality and increase injury risk rather than improve performance. 
 

Pain during training is usually a signal something needs to change, not proof that the workout is working.

Graeme Bryant

Co-founder of Little Bloke Fitness, an Australian strength and conditioning equipment company.

Josh Tidswell

Director of Elite Physiotherapy NT, an APA Sports & Exercise Physiotherapist, Strength & Conditioning coach and former Physiotherapist at the North Melbourne Football Club (AFL).

2. Training without a plan.

Josh Tidswell, Senior Physiotherapist at Elite Physiotherapy NT and former Physiotherapist for the North Melbourne Football Club, says one of the most common problems he sees in the gym is people training without a structured program.  Many lifters walk into the gym repeating the same workouts or randomly switching exercises.

 

“Gone are the days where 3 sets of 10 is sufficient or acceptable. 
Programs need to be variable & take into account periodisation as well as progressive overload.”


Tidswell says following a structured program designed around specific goals is critical for building strength.

 

“Get an individualised program tailored to your goals and stick to it!”

 

Without a clear plan, it becomes difficult to progressively overload movements or track improvements over time, both of which are essential for long term strength gains.

 

3. Doing too much too soon.

Tidswell also says trying to progress too quickly is one of the most common reasons people get injured in the gym.

 

“A lot of injuries in the gym happen because people are working outside of their musculoskeletal capacity. 

 

They’re lifting too heavy, too soon, or too often, 

which likely drives fatigue, compromises form and often leads to injury.”

 

Strength takes time to build. When lifters rush progress, fatigue increases, technique breaks down and the risk of injury rises quickly.

4. “Confuse your muscles” is one of the biggest myths in the gym.

The idea that your muscles need constant variety has become one of the most popular concepts in fitness. Many programs promise faster results if you switch exercises every workout.
 

But according to strength coach Brian Murray, that approach often slows progress. Murray is the founder of Motive Training and has spent years coaching strength athletes and everyday lifters.

 

“Strength is a skill. And like any skill, it requires repeat exposure to the same positions and patterns long enough to actually improve them. 

 

When people change exercises every week chasing novelty, they never give their nervous system or tissues enough time to own the movement. 

 

Strength doesn’t require confusion. It requires clarity and patience.”

 

He says many people change exercises so often that their body never adapts enough to improve. In simple terms, random workouts might leave you exhausted, but they rarely make you stronger.

Brian Murray

Founder of Motive Training, a movement and strength coaching company focused on mobility, joint health and long term performance.

5. Rushing your rest between sets could be killing your strength

Garrett Reid

Head Coach at SET FOR SET and Head of Content with a Master’s in Exercise Science and certifications including CSCS and CISSN.

Many lifters treat strength training like a high intensity cardio session, rushing from one set to the next with little rest. According to strength coach, Garrett Reid that habit is one of the most common reasons people stall.

Reid is Head Coach at science-backed strength training education platform SET FOR SET and holds a Masters of Exercise Science. He also holds certifications including Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Certified Sports Nutritionist (CISSN) and has more than 15 years’ experience coaching strength training clients.

Reid says one of the biggest mistakes he sees in the gym comes down to rest periods.

 

“The biggest mistake I see people make is not resting long enough between sets. 
 

I can't count the number of times I've had a new client tell me they can't progress, no matter what they do...I notice they will only rest 30s or 60s between sets. 

They then get frustrated as they can't knock out more reps or add a load.”


 

“When we perform a heavy set, it causes acute fatigue, depletes our ATP stores (the muscle’s immediate energy source) & disrupts homeostasis (the body’s normal internal balance such as heart rate, blood pressure and metabolic levels). 

 

If a trainee doesn't rest long enough, they go into their next set still fatigued and won't be able to increase load and reps. 

 

By increasing rest, the body has time to replenish ATP and its physiological systems return to homeostasis.”

 

Heavy sets create fatigue and drain the muscle’s energy supply. Without adequate rest, lifters start the next set already exhausted, which limits the amount of weight they can lift or the reps they can complete. Sometimes getting stronger simply means doing something most people hate doing in the gym: waiting.

6. Strength doesn’t only come from lifting barbells

Another common belief in the fitness industry is that lifting heavy barbells in the gym is the only effective way to build strength.

But Daniela Stamatellis, an Accredited Exercise Physiologist and Exercise Scientist at Clinical Physio Solutions, says that idea is misleading.

“One of the most misleading strength training messages at the moment is the idea that one form of training is superior to all others.

 

I’m seeing a growing narrative online that if you’re not doing heavy, gym-based weightlifting, you’re wasting your time.

 

“Strength can be developed through a range of methods 
including bodyweight training, Pilates and functional resistance work.”

Research also supports this idea. A study comparing functional training and traditional resistance training found that both approaches improved measures such as strength and power after several weeks of training. The researchers concluded that different training styles can produce meaningful performance gains when applied consistently.

Daniela Stamatellis

 Accredited Exercise Physiologist and Exercise Scientist in Sydney, who specialises in strength based rehabilitation and injury recovery.

7. The obsession with lifting heavier every workout.

Lauren "Loz" Antonenko
Accredited exercise professional and award-winning personal trainer.
 

Progress in the gym often gets measured by one simple number: how much weight is on the bar. But Australian trainer Lauren “Loz” Antonenko says the obsession with constantly lifting heavier can increase injury risk.

Lauren is an accredited exercise professional and award-winning personal trainer who has coached both everyday clients and high performing athletes across Australia.

 

“Heavy is relative. If your technique is poor, your recovery is terrible, and you're chasing numbers for ego, you're not building strength; you're simply increasing injury risk. 

 

My social media feed is filled daily with lifters compromising their range of motion, control, and joint integrity to brag about how much weight they lifted. ”

 


“Ultimately, the basics are key: 
Proper form, suitable ROM, progressive overload, adequate protein & quality sleep. 
Strength training is amazing when it's programmed intelligently, not when it's fueled by hype.”

 

In other words, long term strength comes from smart programming and consistency, not ego lifting.

 

 

What ACTUALLY builds strength

Despite the amount of advice circulating online, most experts agree the fundamentals of strength training are relatively simple. Real progress comes from: 

Progressive overload, good technique, adequate recovery, specificity and following a structured program. 

That means gradually increasing the demand placed on the body over time, whether that’s lifting heavier, adding reps, improving range of motion or increasing time under tension.
 

Another important concept is specificity. In simple terms, the body adapts to the type of training it performs. If someone wants to improve their squat, bench press or deadlift, they generally need to practice those movements regularly or train similar patterns that build the same muscles and coordination.
 

Consistency also matters more than occasional hard workouts. Strength tends to come from repeating key movements often enough for the body to adapt and improve technique over time.
 

Recovery is another factor that often gets overlooked. Muscles and connective tissue adapt between sessions, not during them. Getting enough sleep, spacing training sessions appropriately and allowing time for the body to recover all influence long term strength gains.
 

In most cases, getting stronger isn’t complicated. It comes down to training consistently, practicing the right movements and gradually increasing the challenge over time.
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CONTENT AUTHOR:

Adam B. / Director, Turtle Strength

 

Adam is passionate about powerlifting, strength training and digital marketing. Created Turtle Strength to find the best possible product to meet the needs of training. 

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