Weight training - 7 reasons why you're not seeing results at the gym

So you’re hitting the gym hard frequently, you’ve got your routine in full swing and you’re working hard towards your goals. #thegrind #trainmean

Despite all your efforts and various hashtags you’re not seeing the progress you thought you would and you really can’t think as to why not.

Here are some common mistakes that people make when it comes to shaping that sculpted and lean physique at the gym.

1)      EGO LIFTING

Oh so you workout? What can you squat? The answer is does it really matter unless your form is perfect? Nope. You may be squatting 100kg and be totally proud of this but it won’t get you the results you want in terms of your physique if you’re not performing the exericise correctly. Take a look at your form, is your stance correct? Are pushing through the heels? How about your depth and glute activation? If one of these elements aren’t correct then drop the weight, it doesn’t really matter the weight you’re squatting, work on what challenges YOU; by the last few reps you should really feel it but you don’t need to kill yourself and compromise your form and your safety.

     

2)     NOT THINKING ABOUT THE MUSCLE 

A lot of people tend to rush through their workouts without really thinking about the muscle they’re trying to activate. You may want to get out of the gym, your mind may be elsewhere but there was really no point going unless you stimulated that muscle you were targeting.

     

3)      PROGRESSION

 Plans need progression. It’s as simple as that. Stimulating the muscle using the same       weights/volume won’t lead to your muscles requiring to grow and they won’t grow if they don’t have to. To provide a stimulus big enough for growth you need to PROGRESS whether it be in weight or volume. The logical approach here is to gradually increase your weights, just as.. if you kept upping your volume continuously  you may be in the gym for hours doing a 67 rep leg press eventually. Put simply, your muscles adapt in order to complete the tasks you set them, more stimulus = growth.

       

4)   YOU’RE NOT CHALLENGING YOURSELF

     Leading on from my last point, if you’re not pushing yourself you won’t change. Pressing      2kg dumbbells over the course of 4 weeks won’t give the signal for your muscles to grow.      It’s time to step out of your comfort zone and give some heavier weights a try.

     

 5)  YOU’RE DOING TOO MUCH CARDIO

Cardio can be your best friend and your worst enemy when it comes to gaining muscle mass. The key is to find what works for you; 30minutes of cardio 4x a week may help someone GAIN muscle in following ways – increase blood flow to the muscles and aiding recovery. Of course there are variables here..the intensity as well as the duration. Also, this may not be something that suits you or your body type. Some people hold onto muscle better than others genetically and so it’s important to understand where you stand in relation to this. You may be doing the same volume of cardio as someone else (and this may work for them) but for you it may be detrimental to your muscle gains. Bare in mind that weight training is the thing that will give you that lean and toned look, diet secures this and cardio is simply a tool to aid this process and keep your heart healthy.

    

 6)    YOU NEED TO LEAVE THE GYM

Put simply, you’re not resting enough. Rest is an important part of recovery and growth. You need to make sure you’re giving yourself time off from the gym and you also need to ensure you’re getting enough sleep. The amount of rest days you need to take is all relative to you and how you recover, as well as what you’re eating..how much you’re sleeping. But rest is important, don’t neglect it. A rest day can make all the difference in your training, the next day you’ll be feeling a lot more energised and ready to push harder.

      

7)    YOU’RE INCONSISTENT

Physical progress requires consistency in your diet as well as your training. If you’re skipping out leg day or simply avoiding the gym you won’t be seeing the results you want. Like many things, you get out what you put in. A good quote I heard about this was ‘Be consistently good, not perfect sometimes’ Rethink your approach if this is you, think sustainable, realistic and also think about your own health and happiness.