Top Five Mistakes Most Men and Women Make In Designing Workout Routines – Part Four

By Lee A. Mancini, MD, CSCS, CSN

Tip Number Four For Men:Training your shoulders incorrectly. Most fitness enthusiasts know that the deltoid muscle contains three heads, the anterior, lateral, and posterior heads. Most training programs that male athletes design include too many pressing exercises which recruit (works) the anterior deltoid. Exercises such as the bench press (surprise, surprise), the incline bench press, and the military press fall into this category. Some men even include dumbbell front or anterior raises to isolate the anterior head of the deltoid. This direct work is rarely needed since most men train their shoulders on the same day in which they train their chest and triceps; and, therefore, the anterior deltoid has already gotten plenty of work. You should drop the direct anterior deltoid work in favor of including direct work for lateral and posterior heads of the deltoid. This will ensure that you are not neglecting the other two heads of the deltoid.

Tip Number Four For Women: Lifting for “Tone”. Most women believe the misconception that lifting for higher reps are for tone and lower reps build bulk. This is an incorrect belief. I can design a training program using sets of 10-12 reps that will add muscle mass to any female, but I can also design a program based on sets of 2-4 reps that will have any female lose bodyfat while maintaining her lean body mass. Women would greatly benefit from performing at least 1-2 exercises per workout using heavier weight and lower reps. Simply choose a weight that you think you could easily lift for 6 reps and then perform multiple sets of between 3-4 reps. The heavier weight will stress and recruit your muscle fibers differently than lifting lighter weights for higher reps and will actually help you burn more calories.

I will see you next time for the final two tips on improving your performance in the gym!

That’s it for now on training program pitfalls.

Note:  Lee A. Mancini graduated from Harvard as a two-sport athlete with honors in biology. Board certified in sports medicine and family practice, he works at the Family Health Center and UMass Sports Medicine Center in Worcester . He trains select clients as a certified strength and conditioning specialist and sports nutritionist. If you are interested in hiring him to design an individualized program, click here for our paid consultation services.