4 Mistakes Intermediate Lifters Make When Continuing a Fitness Program (and How to Fix Them)
What exactly is an intermediate lifter? It’s someone between beginner and advanced. Typically, an intermediate has:
– 2+ years of steady, serious training
– Competent technique on the basic barbell lifts (deadlift, squat, bench press, etc.)
– A decent level of strength
And a light joke: some folks still mix up “kettlebell” and “kettleBALL.”
Most readers here probably identify as intermediate—no longer just lifting a dumbbell for excuses, but not yet at or beyond elite competition levels. If you’re not competing at a high level or getting paid to lift, you’re likely in this middle zone. I still consider myself an intermediate, even though I started lifting years ago.
Even so, most intermediate lifters are capable and experienced, but they still fall into their own common mistakes.
1) Emulating the programs of elite lifters
We often get hooked by what our idols did, whether in books or on social media. It’s tempting to run a Smolov squat cycle or follow whatever the top lifters are doing now. If we simply copy their current routines, we’ll probably push too hard, get hurt, and lose sight of our own base.
What to do instead:
Think about what the person did when they were beginners or intermediates. What did they do 5, 10, or 15 years ago to build a solid base that let them peak later? The answer is usually a simple, basic program.
Here’s a practical approach I use with clients. It centers on “Inverted Sets,” where you swap sets and reps across the week. For example, with squats:
Day 1
A1. Front Squat – 2×5 at 75%
A2. Accessory work
Day 2
A1. Front Squat – 5×2 at 75%
A2. Accessory work
Week 2: Day 1 – 2×5 at 77.5%, Day 2 – 5×2 at 77.5%
Week 3: Day 1 – 2×5 at 80%, Day 2 – 5×2 at 80%
Week 4: Day 1 – 3×5 at 75%, Day 2 – 5×3 at 75%
The aim is more quality reps, not endless toughness. As the saying goes, easy training can be good training.
2) Training still needs to be hard
A good reminder from John Meadows: getting bigger isn’t only about getting stronger. Strength is great, but at advanced stages you won’t just keep piling on reps. You’ll need to stress the muscle in other ways, using high-intensity techniques that some people dismiss. You can gain strength and size, but you’ll eventually stall if you don’t mix things up.
What to do:
Push yourself sometimes. On your next bench session, work up to a challenging set of five reps. Then drop the load by 10–15% and perform as many reps as possible (AMRAP) on the next set or two. It will be tough, but it’s part of progress.
3) Being too strict with technique
I’m all for solid technique and safety. But being overly strict—like an overly strict critic who shames every minor flaw—doesn’t help anyone.
Take the dumbbell row, for example. It can look like a seizure to some, but a little body English is often necessary to allow progress and time under tension. The strength curve of that movement means a bit of shimmying is sometimes inevitable, and that’s okay.
As you get stronger, you’ll hit awkward positions in compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and presses. That’s normal. A bit of wobble can actually help you defend against real-world loads.
Bottom line: keep good technique and safety at the forefront, but accept a small window (about 5% of the time) where minor deviations are okay. Don’t chase perfect form at the expense of progress, and avoid posting every little moment for social-media critics.
