7 Things You Might Be Doing Wrong While Strength Training
Strength training is one of the best things you can do for your health, strength, and longevity — especially in midlife.
But if you’ve been lifting weights and not seeing the results you expected, it might not be your effort that’s the problem.
It could be what you’re doing during your training sessions.
In this episode of the 40+ Fitness for Women Podcast, I’m walking you through 7 common strength training mistakes that I see over and over again — and sharing how to fix them so your hard work actually pays off.
🎧Listen to Episode 127 using the podcast player above, or keep reading for the full breakdown
Not Seeing Results? Here are 7 Things You Might Be Doing Wrong While Strength Training
1. Not Resting Long Enough Between Sets
Lifting isn’t supposed to feel like cardio. If you’re jumping into the next set too fast, your body doesn’t have enough time to recover — which means you're unlikely to recruit as many muscle fibers for the next set. This will mean less stimulation for muscle growth.
And please don't do burpees or jumping jacks - that is the opposite of what you should be doing.
What to do instead: Rest between sets. I suggest you start with 1–2 minutes for upper-body exercises and 1-3 minutes for lower-body exercises. You'll know you've rested sufficiently if you're ready to go as hard as you did on your last set.
2. Poor Form
Trying to go heavier before you’ve mastered form will not help your muscles grow faster, and could even cause injury. Good form ensures you are challenging your muscles. After all, your muscles can't read the numbers on the dumbbells - they can only feel the resistance being put on them.
What to do instead: If you can’t perform the exercise with proper form, go lighter until your form is locked in.
3. Not Controlling the Eccentric
The eccentric (lowering) phase of a lift matters - but it’s often skipped. Letting the weights drop wastes potential gains.
What to do instead: Lower with control. There's no need to exaggerate/go super slow on the eccentric, but don't let gravity take over either.
4. Taking Mini-Rests Between Reps
When your weights hit the weight stack mid-set, you’re sneaking in a little rest between reps.
What to do instead: Lower the weights to just above the stack — keep the tension on your muscles throughout the set.
5. Combining Exercises
Combo moves (like squat + curl + press) might seem like a great time-saver — but they are not effective. Your stronger muscles won’t be challenged enough.
What to do instead: Do one exercise at a time - that way you can choose the appropriate weight for each exercise so that the muscles used in that exercise are trained effectively.
6. Not Tracking
If you’re not writing things down, it’s easy to forget what you did last time — and end up repeating the same weights and reps over and over.
Plus, when you see how much you lifted last time, and how many reps you did, that gives you a mental boost to help you do at least that much again this time.
What to do instead: Track your sessons. If you don't have a tracker, you can download my free one here >>
7. Unstable Set-Up
Balance training has its place — but not when your goal is building strength. If you’re wobbling on a BOSU ball or doing a chest press on a yoga ball, your body can’t focus on lifting heavy.
What to do instead: Choose a stable set-up, and hold on if needed. If your body is worried about falling over, it won't be as effective at recruiting your muscles.
Resources Mentioned in the Episode:
📝 Download the free strength training tracker >>
