5 Common Weightlifting Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Walking into a gym can be intimidating, especially when you're surrounded by clanging weights and seasoned lifters who seem to move with effortless precision. Whether you're a beginner just starting your strength training journey or an intermediate lifter looking to refine your technique, understanding and correcting common weightlifting mistakes is crucial for both maximizing your gains and preventing injury. Poor form doesn't just limit your progress—it can lead to chronic pain, acute injuries, and long-term setbacks that could have been easily avoided.

The good news is that most weightlifting mistakes follow predictable patterns, and once you understand what's going wrong, the fixes are often straightforward. Let's explore five of the most common errors lifters make and, more importantly, how to correct them so you can train safely and effectively for years to come.

1. Rounding Your Back During Deadlifts

The deadlift is often called the king of exercises, recruiting nearly every major muscle group in your body. Unfortunately, it's also one of the most commonly butchered movements in the gym. The most dangerous mistake? Allowing your lower back to round as you pull the bar from the floor.

When your spine flexes under load, the pressure on your intervertebral discs increases dramatically. This puts you at significant risk for herniated discs, muscle strains, and chronic lower back pain. Many lifters round their backs because they're lifting too much weight, have poor hip mobility, or simply don't understand proper spinal positioning.

The fix: Before you even touch the bar, practice the hip hinge pattern. Stand a few inches from a wall facing away, then push your hips back until they touch the wall while keeping your back flat. This teaches you to initiate the movement from your hips rather than your lower back. When you approach the deadlift, think about "showing your chest" to the wall in front of you and pulling your shoulder blades down and back. Your spine should maintain its natural curve from setup to lockout. Film yourself from the side or ask a training partner to watch your form. If you can't maintain a neutral spine, the weight is too heavy—drop the ego and reduce the load until you can execute the movement correctly.

2. Letting Your Knees Cave Inward During Squats

Knee valgus, the technical term for when your knees collapse inward during a squat, is alarmingly common and puts tremendous stress on the knee joint. This mistake stems from weak hip abductors, poor motor control, or attempting to lift more weight than your stabilizer muscles can handle. Over time, this pattern can lead to patellofemoral pain syndrome, IT band issues, and even ACL injuries.

The fix: Start by strengthening your glutes, particularly the gluteus medius, which is responsible for keeping your knees tracking properly. Incorporate exercises like lateral band walks, clamshells, and single-leg glute bridges into your warm-up routine. During squats, think about actively "spreading the floor apart" with your feet or "screwing your feet into the ground" by creating external rotation force. A helpful cue is to imagine pushing your knees outward toward your pinky toes throughout the entire movement. You can also practice with a resistance band around your knees—the tension provides both feedback and resistance, helping you build the strength and awareness to keep proper alignment. Start with bodyweight or light goblet squats to ingrain this pattern before progressing to heavier loads.

3. Not Bringing the Bar to Your Chest During Bench Press

Half-reps on the bench press are epidemic in gyms worldwide. Many lifters lower the bar only partway down, sometimes stopping several inches above their chest. While this might allow you to move more weight, it severely limits muscle development in your chest and increases shoulder strain by keeping the joint in a vulnerable mid-range position throughout the movement.

The fix: Swallow your pride and reduce the weight until you can touch your chest on every single repetition. The bar should make controlled contact with your chest somewhere between your nipples and the bottom of your sternum, depending on your individual anatomy and grip width. However, "touching" doesn't mean "bouncing"—control the descent and briefly pause at the bottom before pressing back up. This eliminates momentum and ensures you're actually strong throughout the full range of motion. If shoulder discomfort prevents you from touching your chest, examine your setup: your shoulder blades should be retracted and depressed (pulled back and down), creating a stable base. Your upper back should be tight, and you should maintain a slight arch in your lower back. If pain persists, consider consulting with a qualified coach or physical therapist to assess your shoulder mobility and technique.

4. Using Momentum Instead of Muscle During Bicep Curls

We've all seen them—the lifters who transform a bicep curl into a full-body exercise, swinging their torso, using their hips, and turning a simple isolation movement into something resembling a reverse power clean. While using momentum might let you curl heavier dumbbells, it defeats the entire purpose of the exercise by removing tension from the target muscle and potentially straining your lower back.

The fix: Check your ego at the door and choose a weight that allows you to move with control. Stand with your back against a wall or post to eliminate the ability to lean backward. Your elbows should stay pinned to your sides throughout the movement—think of them as hinges that only move in one direction. Initiate each rep from a dead stop at the bottom, curl the weight up with a controlled tempo (taking two to three seconds), squeeze your biceps hard at the top, then lower under control over three to four seconds. If you can't perform at least eight repetitions with this strict form, the weight is too heavy. Remember, the goal isn't to impress anyone with the number on the dumbbell—it's to create maximum tension in the muscle you're trying to develop.

5. Pressing Your Head Forward During Overhead Press

The overhead press is a fantastic upper body strength builder, but it's often performed with a critical error: jutting the head forward as the bar passes the face. This creates a forward head posture that not only limits the amount of weight you can lift but also places harmful stress on your cervical spine and can lead to neck pain and shoulder impingement.

The fix: The bar path in an overhead press should be completely vertical—straight up and straight down. To achieve this, you need to move your head backward (not forward) as the bar clears your chin, then push your head through the "window" created by your arms as you lock out overhead. Think about pulling your chin back and pushing your torso forward to meet the bar at the top of the movement. At lockout, your ears should be in front of your arms when viewed from the side, with your shoulders fully shrugged up toward your ears. Practice this with just the bar or even a broomstick until the movement pattern feels natural. Many lifters find it helpful to imagine pushing themselves away from the bar rather than pushing the bar away from themselves.

Moving Forward

Correcting these five common mistakes will dramatically improve your training results while keeping you injury-free. Remember that perfect form is a journey, not a destination—even experienced lifters constantly work to refine their technique. Film your lifts regularly, seek feedback from knowledgeable coaches or training partners, and never let your ego prioritize weight over form. Your future self will thank you for the time you invest in moving correctly today.