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Top 10 Bad Bro Science and Workout Mistakes
There’s so much bad fitness advice out there that it seems as though some people have the goal of leaving the gym in an ambulance. SO I have compiled some of the most ridiculously bad bro science and workout mistakes I have heard over my years as a personal trainer.
These bad bro science snippets come from conversations I have overheard, advice I have been given (without having asked for it) and workout myths that somehow still see the light of day. Please do not take any of this advice on board, unless of course you actually want to leave the gym in an ambulance!
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Find out how below
#1. Real Pre Workouts – Amphetamines
“Forget pre workouts from health food shops that ‘supposedly’ get you amped up for training. Ever tried amphetamine? It’s great for improving focus and alertness and getting you in the mood to burst out a few extra sets.”
This one sticks out in my memory pretty boldly as bad fitness advice, I used to train in a gym that some really shady guys would train in, and I overheard this advice being given to a guy who couldn’t finish his warm up set for whatever reason. I’ve heard a lot of stories of people turning to amphetamines to give them a perceived advantage in the gym.
Chances of leaving the gym in an ambulance: 9/10
Apart from the obvious fact of amphetamines being illegal. Only do this if increasing the chances of having a heart attack sound appealing to you. Very high chance of leaving gym in an ambulance with this one.
#2. Don’t Warm Up
“Warming up is just a waste of time. Arrive, head straight to the first machine you see, set the weight as high as possible and just go. You have to shock your muscles into growing. Pump it out!”
One of my current clients fired his personal trainer for giving him this bad fitness advice. His goal was to bulk up from skinny. I can understand what he was trying to get at by suggesting he lift heavy weight but he got it all wrong. What he should of said is not to do so much cardio as the client was starting his workouts with 30 minutes of sprinting on a treadmill. Not necessary if your goal is bulking up.
Chances of leaving the gym in an ambulance: 7/10
Although this is bad fitness advice I don’t think it’s as bad as say snorting coke before you workout, less chance of you losing your life, but very high chance of serious injury with this one.
#3. You Don’t Need Water
“Drinking water is nothing short of a waste of time. You drink it and not only does it taste of nothing but it doesn’t have any noticeable effect on your workouts or your gains. Just drink a glass before bed and you’re good.”
Chances of leaving the gym in an ambulance: 8/10
Without adequate hydration your body will not work properly, it is likely you could faint and in a place like a gym you could fall and hit your head on a cast iron piece of equipment.
One glass before bed is not enough. You need much more than that for your body to work properly. (3 litres for men and 2.2 litres a day for women according to MayoClinic) And don’t just gulp those amount in one sitting, spread it out throughout the day. Listen to your body, drink water when you feel thirsty.
#4. Pump thru’ the pain
“If you’re lifting, lift some more. Inevitably you’re going to start feeling some pain when you enter what I like to call ‘Maximum Mode’. What’s the best way to deal with pain? Yes you’ve guessed correctly. Ignore it. No pain, no gain is true, therefore the more pain you feel the more gain you feel.”
Chances of leaving the gym in an ambulance: 7/10
I really can’t see the logic behind this bad bro science. Two years ago I went to a body building event and I overheard a representative from a supplement retailer saying this to a potential customer. I was shocked, I asked him if he was being sarcastic and he said no, so I thought I’ll humour him and see what other gems of knowledge he can give me. He told me the next one which is No.5.
#5. Hold Your Breath
“When you’re reppin’ em’ out hold your breath. Only start breathing again when you’ve finished your set, when you do this you get an amazing head rush and a feeling only comparable to complete euphoria. If you try this and you can’t feel it then go heavier. The heavier the weight, the more you’ll feel it.”
Don’t do this. Just don’t. This is a sure fire way to light headedness and potentially fainting and smacking your head on the ground or a piece of cast iron equipment (See No.3)
Chances of leaving the gym in an ambulance: 9/10
#6. If In Doubt, Bend Your Back
“If you’re doing compound exercises and you’re not sure if your form is on point the best thing you can do is bend your back. You may not know it, but bending your back activates the spine and causes the bone equivalent of muscle confusion.”
Chances of leaving the gym in an ambulance: 9/10
I read this one in a bodybuilding forum – a hub of bro science. Pure stupidity. If you’re in doubt on your form, put the weight down and practice without weight. Better still practice in the mirror. Even better still ask a personal trainer to give you advice on your form, or you could even search on YouTube for a demonstration.
A back injury is an injury that can take a very very long time to recover and in some cases people never recover from back injuries, so do not do this.
#7. Ab-solutely Crazy
“Workout your abs BEFORE doing squats or any other type of heavy compound movement. Some may think that this is a bad idea, but think about it. Your abs and lower back will work harder to keep your core stable during a squat session if you tire them out beforehand.”
Chances of leaving the gym in an ambulance: 10/10
In order to do an exercise like squats or deadlifts you need your core muscles to not be tired out, otherwise when you start doing the squats your body wont have the strength to stabilise and carry the weight which means when you lift the barbell up you could drop the weight, pull a muscle or even worse mess up your spine.
#8. Isolate-Isolate-Isolate
“This ones easy. Lets say you want bigger arms. You need to do bicep curls every day consecutively for the next week. Some will call this overtraining, more like over-gaining.”
Chances of leaving the gym in an ambulance: 7/10
I think after 6 days of training one body part intensively you will feel hurt. A likely scenario could be that on the 7th day you are doing a bicep curl and your bicep gives up and you drop the weight on your foot. Your body needs a chance to recover before you begin your next bout of exercises adequately. Ignore the bro science and try not to train the same muscle group more than once every 48 hours minimum.
#9. Throw Your Body Into It!
“Struggling with your last set of reps? Throw your body behind it. USE MOMENTUM. When you really struggle and your face tenses up and you feel your body wrangle that is the brain trying in every way possible for you go lift the weight. So give in to it. Use momentum and put your body behind the motion to get those final reps out.”
Chances of leaving the gym in an ambulance: 8/10
I see this bro science being perpetuated quite a lot. People lifting weight which is too much for them to manage so they end up believing things like this concentrated bad bro science. If you have to use improper form to complete a set then you’re only increasing your chances of injury which could rule you out for some time. Ask yourself if the amount of weight you are attempting is actually manageable if it isn’t then you’re only setting yourself up for an injury.
#10. Do The Bench Bounce
“When benching, bounce the barbell off your chest. This will a) allow you to use more weight and b) activate your chest to make way for new muscle to grow.”
Chances of leaving the gym in an ambulance: 6/10
One of the more ridiculous pieces of bad bro science I have heard. You should not bounce the bar off your chest. This can seriously hurt your chest, shoulders and if you lose control of the weight the bar could even end up on your neck and crush your throat. Your movement with any heavy weight above all needs to be controlled. If you do not do this then you are opening yourself up to the possibility of injury.
