Hey Eric, really enjoyed your webinar, as I do all of your stuff. I am 42 and have trained in various ways all my life on and off. The biggest mistake I made was that at about age 37 I got really enthusiastic about training and getting strong and healthy, ( I had gained a bit of weight ), so I really went hard at training and had some good results for about one year. But I went too hard too soon, doing everything from lifting weights to sprints to plyos to circuits and anything else I could think of. Now for the last 3 years I have been battling tendonopathy in both my quads tendons and it has put a massive handbrake on my training, this stuff just doesn’t go away. Anyway I am starting to get past it now with smarter training thanks to guys like you, but it was a lesson hard learned. Thanks again.
Jase, Sydney, Australia.

Loving these webinars! Did Rick Kaselj put you up to the idea of making these webinars?

Great stuff, Eric! I can definitely empathize with a few of those. When I started training, all I knew was what I found in Flex Magazine, Muscle & Fitness, and Musclemag. I started training like Lee Labrada to augment my peformance on the football field. Big mistake! Although I got bigger and stronger, it wasn’t really an efficient training style for my goals. But it was all I knew. I wish I had someone around to guide me. This may be a big reason why I got into this field.

Another thing I can say I am guilty of is not warming up all that efficiently nor stretching enough. I tend to be under the time gun when it comes to getting my training in. And strength training is my true love, so the pre and post stuff gets pushed aside. I do very specific warm-ups instead and try to integrate flexibililty within the workout itself. But I can tell you from when I did your Show & Go program in it’s initial release, I benefitted much more when I dedicated time to the other things.

Biggest mistake I made in my fitness career was not reading the posts/blogs from you guys until a couple of months ago..

In my 25 + years of training:
1. Not seeking out qualified trainers and coaches to guide me from the outset.
2. Not seeing strength and conditioning as a function of athleticism early on.
3. Not seeing athleticism as a function of doing life well early on.
4. Not understanding proper nutrition.
5. I tend to over train.
Great webinar Eric. Thanks.

Great stuff has always Eric. The only way to learn is through your mistakes and glad to see that you are still human. My biggest mistake was just not resting enough for the gains to happen and just pushing through. Just jumping from one program to another

Eric,
Thanks for creating these videos. I have been a physical education teacher for 7 years but only recently started working as the strength and conditioning coach. The information that you are sharing is helping me develop a better understanding on how to develop better programs for my young athletes to achieve their goals. Some of my mistakes have been making programs to complicated for new and younger athletes. I also only recently started reading more information from others in the strength and conditioning field. Thanks again and I am looking forward to hearing and reading more of the knowledge to have to share.

Awesome stuff as always! If I can make some mistakes and still look like Tony G., sign me up!

I was guilty of being Flex/Muscle Mag-head and trying to take a program designed for elite body builders and apply it to a 165# framed guy. Didn’t discover soft tissue and dynamic flexibility work until about a year ago – 18 years into my training career.

I would say one of my biggest mistakes has been not working in single leg work and carries soon enough! Strength started to sky rocket after I put these into my programs!

Eric, very informative webinar; always helps to have guidance from a professional. I’m beginning to see now what I’ve been doing wrong in my routines and hopefully I can make the necessary adjustments needed to further progress. Keep up the good work!…..

Largest personal mistake was overtraining and I still struggle with this. As a crossfit athlete on the verge of qualifying for the Crossfit games, I have to be competent at so many disciplines. I often extend myself beyond my recovery capacity and only slow down when I get an ache. Recently downloaded “The Art of the Deload” and I plan on implementing some strategies into my programming. Hopefully I will do what I know is best for me but the desire to train hard all the time is hard to resist.
-Dan

My biggest mistake was not making up for lost gym time. Case in point: My training time was, and still is, limited. In the past, when I could not make it to the gym the prescribed 4 times a week, I didn’t make up for it. I had a ton of fuel (food) but nowhere to expend it…so I got fat! I was doing mobility and stretching, but nothing hard enough to get me level with my energy. Today, if I can’t make it, I’ll throw in some hip and ankle mobility combined with some glute and core activation and perform a front squat tabata…or some sprints…etc…

Past mindset: can’t go to gym, can’t do anything.
Current Mindset: can’t go to gym, let’s do something at home to compensate.

Eric Cressey has coached me to the next level in training!!!

Thanks

James

Thanks for some great reminders on what NOT to do. I’ve definitely made some of the same mistakes. As a personal training, I have my clients do many of the things like good warm up, stretching, foam rolling, not taking 1 RM workouts too close together, etc. Too bad I failed to take some of that same advice. Then, as you say, we relearn to do it right.
One of my biggest mistakes is not listening to my body. I’ve over trained too many times, not taking a lighter workout when I really should have. thankfully, I haven’t gotten really hurt, but it definitely set me back a couple of weeks.

Great webinar. I’m aspiring to become a personal trainer. Cressey’s website, newsletters and, now, webinars have been most helpful in helping me to prepare. I look forward to devouring any information that Eric puts out. Thanks.

My mistake after being an athlete for the early part of life up through high-school was letting go of the exercise regimen I was in for about twenty years. After realizing I needed to hart back in shape I started following self proclaimed internet gurus. This was a mistake becausei didnt know anything about how to be training properly in the first place. Then i started to research alittle deeper and found Zach, smitty, elliott and of course you. This jas helped my focus tremendously and gave me what i think is a great foundation for training. Safely. I am not the strongest guy at this point but am working hard at it. Whats your take on bodyweight versus weight training to. Start off? I’m doing a bodyweight program now and seem to be getting great results.

One of the better short videos for the strength athlete I’ve seen. Blown away you could deadlift 650 at your lower bodyweight and only 22″ vertical b/c you weren’t out doing athletic activities. Wow. I’ve been focused too much on strength and not enough jumping in my quest to dunk I guess. So what got you to 37″ other than just playing more sports?

SO many mistakes, such disappointing success, but yet at age 58, I am in better shape than most. I love the strength building concept Eric. This describes me completely. I do a great squat and lunge, but upper body … well that is the challenge, especially with a left shoulder issue that I just can’t get over.

Great series of videos Eric! Very much appreciated!

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in my career so far is not getting out and seeing more coaches in action. The trip to your place this last summer, checking out Boyle’s, training monthly at IFAST, and setting up these trips to shadow some of the best in the industry has really helped me see what’s working and how to create a unique environment within my own business.

Eric I am wondering your thoughts on being too good with diet, nutrition and other variables – For the advanced athlete or say martial artist who wants to live life well and be adaptable for example – Eating high quality foods and having a program makes me feel good –
However I try to train for more adverse circumstances – Sometimes training with less than adequate calories and hydration – training in unfamiliar environments – working on being flexible in mind and body under less than optimal conditions – Being more efficient may not be good for fat loss but for me or for an advanced athlete like an NBA player with a long and grinding season they are not worrying about getting fat but effectively utilizing everything they take in and as you have said prolonged endurance training can have negative hormonal effects – so if one can move more efficiently and rest some muscles while exerting others – this is acually a tremendous advantage in some cases- especially for the natural ectomorph or less gifted athlete
So I am wondering if say training under other very stressful conditions – not enough sleep- not enough food – maybe dehyrated a bit – this would most likely teach the body to be more efficient and develop more efficient pathways -I am not advocating this all the time
For example I had a period in my life where I was almost too weak to walk some of the time – Well instead of relying on muscular force I now relied on balance – and using my tendons ligaments to propel me by storing force and using my bones and posture to be more efficient – I learned to breathe deep – to relax – to use chi kung to change my internal hormonal environment on many levels – When I got stronger again and started playing basketball things were completely different – Yes I explode and see the value in it but now I see more value in being as relaxed as possible and not contracting muscles when they are not needed – I realized through practice I can run and have my tendons and gravity propel me – I realize that being relaxed and emotionally stable saves a ton of energy and allows me to “see” more clearly –
Great Video!

Love these webinars Eric! I always get a lot of quality information from your posts. My biggest mistake was one that you mentioned…not getting a good foundation of strength early in my career. I was a basketball player and like most of my kind…I focused way to much on plyos and agility drills and spent way too little time in the weight room.

My biggest mistake is not knowing proper technique. There is sooo much advice on how to do a squat or bench or to overhead press or not and I just don’t know what the right way is so I just don’t load above 75% in fear of hurting myself for doing it wrong. I need to visit CP to see proper technique on everything!

Hi Eric,
Would like to hear your opinion on the training of weightlifters such as the bulgarians in terms of training 90+ percent on a daily basis. What are you thoughts on this type of training- that seems to go against most theories? They have some crazy squat numbers for example 250 at 69kgs raw

Eric

what do you think of manual treadmill work for running specific leg strength?
I just started using my treadmill without the motor running at an 8 ot of 10 incline.. feels like it’s working the running muscles pretty good.

Great video man!

I really appreciate the opportunity to hear what you have to say and I enjoy reading from your website. I enjoy strength training and have 4 boys who play all sports and am always trying to help them succeed whether that’s getting faster or stronger. It is reassuring to know we have a sound resource to get information to apply not only in my training but also to teach my boys.