How To Avoid Tiresome Lack Of Progress In The Gym

Photo by Victor Freitas: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-barbell-841130/

Most reasonable people accept that if they intend to work out and become fit, or lose the weight they’ve been meaning to for some time, they will need to be patient. Our bodies don’t change overnight, and that’s a good thing. They instead respond to consistent pushes in certain directions, be those emanating from good or bad lifestyle habits.

So, undoing bad habits and building new ones is certainly a fantastic use of your time, but it won’t happen in a day or two. That being said, while you may totally understand that changes will come incrementally over months, if you’re still not seeing notable progress in a given direction, you may feel exasperated and frustrated.

Of course, there’s no amount of patience that will override bad practice. You may be scuppering your own chance of success if you’re not careful, and in the following post we’ll discuss how to prevent that outcome. This applies no matter if you’ve been working out for years or have just started: 

Follow A Specific, Proven Workout Regimen That Has Lasted The Years

Jumping between different workout programs every few weeks is one of the fastest ways to sabotage your progress. Your body needs time to adapt to whatever you’re throwing at it, so if you’re constantly switching things up, it means you never give it that chance.

Pick something that’s been around for a while and has helped loads of people get results. Strong lifts, Starting Strength, or basic bodyweight routines have worked for decades because they focus on the fundamentals and on basic fitness principles. Don’t listen to what a celebrity is selling or buy a course.

Speak To A Reputable Personal Trainer

Having a good trainer is great, as they spot the things you can’t see yourself doing wrong. You might think you’re squatting properly or eating enough protein, but there could be small issues that are holding you back completely. 

You could just need a form adjustment or a tweak to your routine, and that’s fine. Better yet, you don’t have to chase someone on Instagram, you can use a gym with personal trainers working for it, so you know they’ve been vetted and approved, and it’s not just some guy flexing his muscles and pretending his knows all about fitness because of it.

Stick To One Simple Goal

Trying to lose weight, build muscle, and improve your cardio all at the same time usually means you end up making slow progress in all three areas. Your body gets confused signals about what you actually want it to do, and you spread your efforts too thin.

Pick one main thing you want to achieve and focus on that for a few months. If you want to lose weight, structure everything around that, and lift well, with the exercise not muscle building as a priority. If you want to get stronger, make that the priority. You can always shift focus later once you’ve made solid progress in one area. This lets you focus in a healthy way and cut out all the noise.

With this advice, you’ll be certain to avoid tiresome lack of progress in the gym.