Mistake one: skipping the warm-up. Five minutes on a bike and some dynamic stretches prepare your joints, raise your core temperature and dramatically reduce injury risk. It takes five minutes.

Mistake two: lifting too heavy, too soon. Your nervous system adapts faster than your tendons. Start light, nail the form, and add weight slowly. Progress is measured in months, not days.

Mistake three: ignoring the legs. Everyone wants a bigger chest. But compound leg exercises like squats and deadlifts trigger the biggest hormonal response, which benefits your entire body.

Mistake four: no programme. Walking into the gym without a plan means wandering between machines randomly. A simple 3-day programme written by a coach will produce ten times the results.

Mistake five: comparing yourself to others. The person squatting 200kg started with an empty bar. Focus on your own progress and celebrate your own wins.