9 Strength Training Programming Mistakes That Will Keep You From Progressing

Inadequate exercise selection 

When you create your strength training program, you always want to carefully consider the exercises you choose to incorporate within your workouts.

Exercise selection DOES matter, and it can have a significant impact on your success (or lack thereof).

Ideally, you'll follow some kind of workout split. If you work out 2-3x a week, you can utilize a full-body split. This means you should aim to focus on all muscle groups during any given workout. 

However, if you work out more frequently (4-6x a week), you would benefit more from a "bodybuilding" split. This just means you split up similar muscle groups throughout the week. Here's an example of a 5 day workout split:

Monday: Quads, calves, & core

Tuesday: Chest & triceps 

Wednesday: Hamstrings, glutes, & core

Thursday: Back & biceps

Friday: Shoulders & core

Also, keep in mind that you always want to complete compound exercises before isolation exercises when you work out. 

NewMe Fitness Workout Cards

Need some exercise inspiration for a strength training program woman? This deck of dumbbell exercise cards is PERFECT if you need extra assistance with choosing exercises!

Randomly pull 4-8 cards from the deck and complete 3-4 sets and 8-12 reps of each one and voilà! You have an awesome strength training workout right in front of you!

Skipping muscle groups

Additionally, you should never EVER skip out on muscle groups. I know of so many women who begin by targeting only their "problem areas" or the areas they care about the most–usually it's glutes and abs. 

But let me tell you, most women end up seriously regretting that decision down the line when they realize that training every muscle group WILL NOT make them bulky. In reality, training the whole body allows us to build an overall toned physique.

In addition, only targeting certain muscle groups can cause muscle imbalances (not good). 

I can actually attest for this; I only recently started training my core consistently and wish I would've started when I began lifting weights THREE years ago. I can only imagine how toned my abs would be by now if I had started then. 

With that being said, the major muscle groups you should be aware of are shown above, but I'll list them here as well: quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, chest, triceps, back, biceps, shoulders, and core.

Order of exercises

Next, the order in which you perform specific exercises does matter (and it's important). 

You should always begin your workouts with compound exercises, aka exercises that use more than one muscle group. You'll always want to proceed compound exercises with isolation exercises (those that use only one muscle group).

And this is because isolation exercises really fatigue any given muscle group and will affect your performance when doing compounds. Isolation exercises are meant to be finishers in your workouts.

In addition, within your workout routine you should always start each workout with with the largest muscle groups. Let me elaborate...

Let's assume you are training back and biceps together–you'll begin with back exercises because the back is a larger muscle (it's actually made up of multiple muscles) than the biceps are. Given that, you'll want to do back compounds first: deadlifts, pull-ups/chin-ups, lat pulldowns, and barbell rows are all great options. Then, you can move onto bicep exercises.

Too many/too little reps

Next, the more reps per set doesn't necessarily mean the better; it can actually be counter-productive. As a beginner and as someone trying to build a solid base of strength, a range of 8 to 12 reps per set is ideal. 

The ideal rep range changes slightly if you're trying to powerlift and gain total strength. However, for the purpose of this post and in terms of general strength training, 8 to 12 reps is a great starting point.

Performing more than 12 reps per set is good for building muscular endurance, but it's definitely not the best for building muscle mass. 

Too many/too little sets

Again, there is a sweet spot for the ideal amount of sets per exercise. Since we're talking in terms of 8 to 12 reps per set, 3 to 4 sets per exercise is perfect. 

Performing too little sets isn't great because it limits the amount of total volume, and volume is a necessary component of muscular hypertrophy (building muscle). 

Performing too many sets isn't awesome either. Once you work your muscles enough to cause small tears, working them even more won't do anything but make the muscle recovery process more difficult. 

Too much/not enough rest time

For this point, we're going to discuss two things: rest time between exercises AND rest time between workouts. 

During your strength training workouts, it's best to rest 30 to 90 seconds between each exercise. Your rest time should be on the shorter end between the sets of isolation exercises and towards the higher end between those of compounds.

There are a few things you need to consider as far as rest time between workouts:

When doing full-body workouts, you need to take at least one day of rest between workouts (e.g. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday).

However, when splitting up muscle groups, taking rest days between workouts doesn't matter as much. Just try to avoid doing lower body workouts right in a row. 

Not enough variation

You can't do the same exercises forever and expect to make progress. You want to include a wide variety of exercises in your workout program. Be sure to use available equipment to your advantage! Try including barbell, dumbbell, and machine work into your strength training programming.

For your strength training program at home, try bodyweight, dumbbell, and banded exercises for some great variability. 

It's always good to swap out exercises within your workouts every few months as well.

Ryan Read Booty Bands

How cute are these resistance bands by Ryan Read?! These will surely make a great addition to your home workouts!

Not utilizing progressive overload

What's more, you can't use the same weights forever and expect to see results. When a weight becomes easy, try to go a little heavier.

Adding weight is the most straightforward weight to apply progressive overload, but increasing reps, sets, and decreasing rest time are some other common ways to do so.

The use of improper form

This one is obvious but SO important; you always need to be using proper form when you work out. 

Utilizing good technique is not only important for your overall results, but it's also an important aspect of keeping you safe and preventing injuries. Doing exercises incorrectly can make you look silly as well.

During my workouts I am able to find lots of great form videos on YouTube, but you can always ask a personal trainer for technique advice, too. That's their job, after all!

The takeaway

Using proper strength training programming strategies is crucial to your fitness success. There are several key points to consider such as exercise selection; the ideal amount of reps and sets per exercise; adequate rest time and variation; progressive overload; and utilizing correct technique. 

For more details about creating an effective workout program, be sure to check out these posts:

6 of the BEST Exercises for Strength Training

This Is Exactly How Often Should You Lift Weights for the Best Results

Working Out At Home For Beginners | 6 Things You NEED To Know

This post featured 9 strength training program for beginners mistakes.