4 Biggest Mistakes Beginners Make (outside of the gym)

I’m in the gym every day, whether it's working out myself or doing consultations with coaching clients.

And I’ve noticed that 99% of men face the same problems when they start going to the gym and want to build muscle and loose fat.

And here I’m talking to those who are looking for a defined and lean natural physique.

There are just a few key issues that discourage, overwhelm, and often stop them from ever reaching their goals.

Now, you’ve probably read a lot of articles where people say things like, "Yeah, you need a workout plan, start with a friend, or make sure you start leg day with squats…"

This is good advice but, I think that the psychological side of things, especially the mindset is seriously underestimated, and not many people are talking about that part.

That’s why today, I’m going to break down the 4 biggest mistakes most men make when it comes to going to the gym to transform their physique.

Relying on Motivation

Most guys start going to the gym leaded by a burst of motivation. That’s the first mistake.

Don’t get me wrong, motivation is great. But my point is, you shouldn’t rely on it entirely.

Motivation is one of the systems built in your brain that can drive you to take action, but it’s not the only one. More importantly, it’s not the most reliable.

Here’s the thing: motivation is something your brain gives you when you first set a goal and you’re excited about the results.

But if you’ve tried building the habit of going to the gym before, you’ve probably noticed that motivation fades after a while. That is to be expected, because again, it isn’t built to last.

Motivation is designed to give you a quick burst of energy when your brain thinks you’ll be able to quickly get the reward.

The problem is with the timeline. Going to the gym takes time to see results, much longer than your brain expects.

And as soon as your brain understands that, after a few weeks it usually happens, it will start giving you less and less motivation because the results aren’t immediate or obvious.

Because the last thing that your brain wants to do is to waste energy on something that may not pay off in the short term.

That’s where the trick is, everybody wants the results but very few are willing to trust the process long enough to actually get those results.

This is why most people quit after a few weeks and never achieve the physique they want. It’s not hard, it’s not super complicated, it is just not immediate that’s it.

And if just you understand that, you’re already ahead of most people that are convinced that they’ll get lean in 2 weeks.

But here’s what you will save your day ; motivation isn’t the only system that can push you toward your goal.

You have a second built-in system, and that’s willpower.

Willpower is the mental strength that helps you make the right decisions and keep acting toward your goal, even when you’re tempted to give up.

It’s the voice in your head that tells you to get up and go to the gym, even when you’re half-asleep on the couch watching anime.

Everyone has willpower, and it’s incredibly powerful. The only issue is, it’s limited. So you have to be careful not to waste it on things that don’t matter as much. (I talk about that in depth in this article)

Willpower becomes essential when motivation fades, especially before going to the gym becomes a habit.

Once going to the gym is a habit, everything becomes much easier and less demanding.

But until then, you need to use motivation when it’s there, and rely on willpower when it’s not.

Underestimating the Importance of the Rest.

Now the second most common error that I see people make is to think that the only thing that matters is the gym and therefore they underestimate the importance of the rest.

Because, you don’t make gains in the gym, quite the opposite, actually. In the gym, you exhaust your muscles, giving them a solid reason to grow when you’re done.

Myself included when I started, I thought that training is the only thing that matters, and that the rest, things like sleep and nutrition—isn’t as important.

My theory is that we tend to take sleep and nutrition for granted. Training is something you actively add to your life, something you deliberately do to build your physique.

The problem is that sleep and nutrition are more imbedded habits you’ve been doing your whole life, which makes it harder to tweak and optimize them for muscle growth.

But that mistake cost me years of mediocre progress. I wasn’t eating enough and was undersleeping for a long time.

This is crucial, and you need to avoid making the same mistake because, again, there is nothing complicated about improving your sleep consistency or the quality of your nutrition.

The trap is thinking that just because you sleep and eat every day, you’re doing it right.

For example, when it comes to nutrition, when you first start, focus on 3 things : the consistency of your meal structure which means you know what you’ll eat in advance and prep the food in advance.

That way you’ll get rid of all the poor food decisions that you make when you’re really hungry and or tired.

Second is the amount of calories that you’re consuming in a day and the third is the amount of protein that you’re eating.

From my consultations with clients, I’ve noticed that most men don’t eat enough protein, while consuming too many calories and following a chaotic diet structure.

Now when it comes to sleep, most people think sleep is just about getting those 7-9 hours. But in reality, it’s more about the quality and consistency of your sleep than the hours spent in bed.

Most of you probably aren’t hitting the quantity guidelines, so I doubt the quality of your sleep is where it needs to be if you truly want to put your body in the best condition for muscle growth and fat loss.

You simply cannot underestimate these factors. Even if your training is perfect, if your protein intake is insufficient and your sleeping schedule is out of balance, your body won’t be able to maximize muscle growth.

That’s why I’ve created fitness Autonomy, so that people could have a program that integrates everything in one.

Caring too much about Social Image

I’m convinced that the third mistake is to watch too much fitness content.

I firmly believe that watching too much fitness content can distort your sense of reality, create unrealistic self-expectations, and prevent you from being satisfied with the progress you’re making.

I’m not saying fitness content is bad, because honestly, it would be hypocritical of me to condemn it.

What I want to say is: be careful. Be mindful of what you watch. Your brain doesn’t really distinguish between what’s on a screen and what’s real life.

If you spend all your time watching Larry Wheels' PRs, CBUM competitions, and throwback videos of old-school Arnold.

It’s easy to walk into the gym and feel like you're too skinny, underdeveloped, and dissatisfied with your own progress.

As the more you’re exposed to something, the more “normal” it becomes to your brain.

That’s why if you spend your time scrolling through Instagram, watching reels of highly muscular (and possibly enhanced) people, it will be almost impossible to feel content with your own journey.

I’m telling you this because I’ve felt that way before. I felt like I wasn’t making progress, like I had bad genetics, like I was lazy and not pushing myself hard enough. I thought I had to do exactly what those guys were doing.

When in reality, you’re playing a different game. Those people are there to entertain—and sometimes educate, depending on the content—but it’s not about them. This journey is about you.

And that loops back to a more important point which is, the only healthy comparison to make is one with yourself, social comparison is most of the time harmful when it comes to body image.

One thing I’ve learned over and over again from working with clients is that everyone’s journey is different.

Some people struggle with consistency. Others doubt themselves and hesitate to increase weights. Some people can’t seem to get their nutrition right.

The journey you’re on is hard enough without spending hundreds of hours watching fitness content that leaves you feeling underwhelmed and self-deceived, comparing yourself to people who have been doing this for decades.

And what I’m saying doesn’t mean that you should stop watching all fitness content altogether.

The key is to be intentional about what you consume.

Make sure that after watching, you feel better, more informed, and not like you should give up because you’ll never be like them.

Focusing on Results

Last but not least, you're probably focusing way too much on results, which is actually limiting your progress.

Let’s talk about expectations and results, because this is something that will concern you at every stage, whether it’s your first week at the gym or you’ve been at it for months.

There’s a dangerous game most beginner play: They don’t focus on improving, they tunnel vision on getting results and speeding the process.

We’re not sprinting a 100-meter race here. We’re working on lifestyle changes and long-term body transformation, which depend on a lot of factors, genetics, sleep, diet, training, stress, metabolism.

There’s so much at play that, honestly, you shouldn’t focus on the results. why? Because it’s nearly impossible to have truly realistic expectations early on.

Unless you’ve been working out for a few years, chances are you don’t know what realistic progress looks like.

Since you can’t directly control the results, you shouldn’t obsess over them, it’s a waste of time. Instead, focus on the things you can control: the quality of your sleep, the consistency of your training, your meal planning...

Here’s an insight I hope I can help you experience: the results you want are hidden behind the quality of your investment.

Instead of fixating on the outcome, which you can’t control, obsess over the quality of your input.

Now, there’s another truth you may not want to hear, but need to, is that you’ll have to be way more patient than you thought.

Because, when you’re just starting out, chances are that you’re not doing things perfectly to get the results you want, and that’s okay.

In the beginning, your goal should simply be to adopt these new habits as a lifestyle and build from there.

Start by taking better care of your nutrition, sticking to a sleep schedule, and learning to enjoy training.

These are the true results people should be aiming for—feeling better, sleeping better, thinking clearer. These are the first benefits you’ll experience, and in my opinion, they’re the most valuable.

Sure, defined biceps look great, but having a clear mind throughout the day thanks to exercise is much more meaningful and useful.

If you’re just getting started, understand that results isn’t as important as consistently getting better.

As always, I hope this helps.

Trust the process.