7 Fitness Mistakes Sabotaging Your Performance (and How to Fix Them)

7. Lack of Progressive Overload

The mistake: Repeating the same weights and reps week after week.
Why it hurts: Without increasing stimulus, muscles have no reason to adapt, and gains stall.
How to fix it. A Sample Bench Press Progression:

Week	Weight	Reps
1	100 lb	8
2	100 lb	9
3	100 lb	10
4	105 lb	8

• Track your workouts to ensure consistent, incremental increases in load, volume, or intensity.

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Bringing It All Together: Sample Weekly Plan

Day	Focus	Key Fix
Monday	Upper‑Body Strength	Dynamic warm‑up + form checks
Tuesday	HIIT & Core	Replace steady cardio with intervals
Wednesday	Active Recovery & Mobility	Light yoga + stretching
Thursday	Lower‑Body Strength	Free‑weight squats + unilateral work
Friday	Metabolic Circuit	Machines → functional circuit
Weekend	Rest/Light Activity	Emphasize sleep & nutrition timing

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