If you are one of the many people who workout regularly but fail to see any tangible results from it, you’re going to find that this article was written with you in mind.
You are not the only one who suffers from what I call “Gym Frustration”, which is what happens when you’re putting in the time and effort at the gym but you’re just not getting the results you’re looking for.
In this article I want to talk about 5 reasons why your workouts may not be working for you and what you can do to make them more effective.
Reason #1 – Time Over Effort
One of the main reasons why people don’t see results from their workouts is that they judge them by their length and not by their content. What I mean to say is that the amount of time you spend in the gym is of secondary importance. How you actually spent your time in the gym is what determines your outcome.
If you go on the treadmill for an hour at a slow pace, you may be putting in time, but you’re not putting in effort. It is much better to keep your workouts short but intense. When you do so, you burn more calories, boost your metabolism, and increase your fitness level.
So, the next time you’re at the gym ask yourself how your workout makes you feel and not how long it takes for you to finish it. You want a quality workout, not a long one.
Reason #2 – Too Much Cardio, Too Little Strength
I’m not one of those people who claims that cardio training is useless and that all you need to burn fat is to lift weights. I lost most of my excess weight with cardio and you can do the same. However, it is true that weight lifting can help to speed up your metabolism, increase the amount of energy you expend during your workouts, and to accelerate fat burning.
I recommend combining cardio and weight lifting in your routine. You may do so during the same workout (lifting weights first and doing cardio later), or you can do so on separate days. Either way, cardio alone, especially moderate cardio, may be what’s keeping you from seeing real results.
Reason #3 – Lousy Diet and Lifestyle
You may be doing the hardest workouts in the world, burning 1000 calories in an hour even. You may be giving it everything you got in the gym. All this is can be undone by a lousy diet and bad lifestyle habits.
If you eat the wrong foods or too much in general and if you don’t lead a healthy lifestyle with ample sleep and low stress, you may be fighting an uphill battle every time you step into the gym. To lose body fat and get fit, you need to workout and eat right and lead a healthy lifestyle. If you neglect one of those things, you will likely sabotage your own efforts.
A good program which does deal with these 3 elements is the Shapeshifter Body Redesign plan.
Reason #4 – Bad Workout Structure and Habits
In a previous post I wrote about how to structure your workouts to make them as effective as possible. I talked about why you need to do strength training before cardio and work on big muscles before small ones. I also talked about why ab training should come at the end of your strength routine. All these things contribute to or detract from the effectiveness of your workouts and the results you will get from them. It pays to do things correctly.
Another thing which may make a difference is the time between exercises. You may make a big effort during each lifting set but if you rest for too long between sets, your body will naturally work less overall during the entire workout. This is why I like circuit training, doing several exercises one after the other. It’s a great way to get a lot of work done in the gym in a short time and to get a massive workout. A good example of a program that uses circuits to burn off lots of fat is the 1000 calorie challenge.
Reason #5 – Lack of Diversity
You need to seek out new challenges in the gym or wherever you workout. When your body adapts to your current workout, it becomes less effective. You need to diversify your workout routine by including new exercises, using new equipment, or including more bodyweight exercises in it. This way, your muscles will never fully adapt to your workouts and they will be constantly challenging for you.
In Conclusion
I hope this post gives you some ideas of what you may be doing wrong in your workouts and routine that prevents you from getting optimal results. I want you to take action straight away. Don’t let disappointment and despair set in. You can make these changes in your workouts and see better results. I’m sure of it.
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