5 Hidden Reasons Your Workout Progress is Being Stunted
Like everything else in life that’s worth doing, getting in shape isn’t easy. Progress takes time and dedication. Anyone who’s dedicated to fitness knows just how much work goes into keeping your body in top condition.
But effort alone isn’t enough. You need to make sure you’re working smarter AND harder, doing the right things to make your workout as productive as possible.
So if you’ve hit your latest plateau in the gym, this might be why…
- Your workouts aren’t consistent.
One of the biggest myths in fitness is that we just don’t have time to get our workouts in. That simply isn’t true. Everyone has time for exercise, even some of society’s busiest celebrities. Pushing through and reaching your goals comes down to discipline and time-management.
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Your goals aren’t SMART goals.
Whatever your motivation, you aren’t going to see your best results until you start tracking and evaluating your goals.
SMART stands for Strategic, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound. Your fitness goals should focus in on specific exercises that target complementary muscle groups and are varied throughout the week to give you adequate work and recovery time.
Above all else, make sure that your goals can be measured and evaluated. This will give you a better idea of what is holding you back and what you can change to improve. More data points will only help you.
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You’re not getting the right amount of sleep, at the right time.
We all know we’re supposed to be sleeping 8 hours each night, but there’s no better icebreaker than complaining about how little sleep we all get. When life gets busy and the gym is a high priority, sleep is one of the first things to get cut from our routine.
This is one of the worst things you can do for yourself. Not sleeping properly will stop your muscles from recovering as quickly and will mean you need to take longer rests between workouts.
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You aren’t eating right for your goals.
While it’s important to track your macros and make sure you’re eating clean, it’s important to understand the type of diet that your body needs to reach your specific goals. A diet for weight loss is going to look a lot different than a diet for marathon training.
Understanding exactly what you need to be feeding your body and then tracking what you’re giving it will absolutely help you push through your roadblocks.
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You’re cheating in the gym.
It is incredibly tempting to skip the last couple of reps in your last set. There is no greater relief than slipping up on your form, just a little bit, in your last set of core exercises and feeling that strain just lessen.
Don’t do it. Your form is crucial to your success. The difference between a complete motion and most of a motion is enormous. Proper form helps you develop your stabilizing muscles. Strong primary and weak stabilizing muscles are a common gym roadblock.
Remember, no one is making you exercise. When you cheat in the gym you’re only cheating yourself.
You’ve already done the single best thing you can to improve your workout: you’re doing research. Progress starts with the desire to improve and the will to move forward, and you’re already moving.
So keep it up and follow the steps listed above in this guide—you’ll be crushing your goals in no time.
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Avery Bullock is an up and coming writer with a wide variety of interests and skills. If you like what you read please email averybullock@livestowrite.com!
