We’ve all been there. Starting off initially with high motivation levels, sticking to what we think is a good plan for a few weeks but ultimately falling short when it comes to seeing any results. Let’s go over a couple of reasons why this could be.
THE PLAN YOU’RE FOLLOWING IS INADEQUATE
Who designed the plan your following? Did a trainer give it to you? Did you put it together yourself or did you just download one from the cheesy IG fitness influencers you follow? A good plan takes skill to put together. Anyone can list 6 leg exercises to do and then package them all together as the “booty blast workout”. Let me guess, all they said you needed was a booty band. For fuck sake, throw that shit away. I don’t care what anyone says, no one actually grew and developed their amazing set of glutes by just using a fucking strip of elastic material around their thighs.
You need weights and machines to see results. It’s not impossible to transform yourself working out at home, but you at least need to have a range of weights to use (adjustable dumbbells would work best here) and having a bench will also help increase the number of different exercises you can perform. Most important is having a plan that allows you to progress with either the weight used or reps performed over several weeks. This is why logging your weights used for each session is vital to the final outcome. Just showing up to train each time with no recollection of what you lifted last week is the easiest way to get stuck in a routine that has zero benefits.
DON’T COMPLICATE SHIT
Keep it simple. Let’s say you’re going to follow a 4 day a week training plan. I would suggest following two separate workouts, that are both repeated 2x per week. Don’t be tempted after the first week to switch out one exercise for another just because you saw one that looked cool on social media. If you stick to the same movements week in week out, by the end of 4 weeks you will have performed those movements so much that your skill level will have increased. You’re also more likely to be able to increase the weights you’re able to use if you stick to the same plan for 3-4 weeks, as opposed to trying a new exercise out every week.
WILLPOWER ALONE WON’T SAVE YOU
The best way to hit your goals is to remove the need for constant willpower to achieve them. If you know you have a problem with too much socializing over the weekend, which is ultimately ruining the hard work you’re putting in during the week, then you need to make sure you have other things to do to keep you occupied. If you don’t ever put yourself in a situation where you’re tempted to over indulge, then you’re less likely to over indulge. Remove the situation = remove the weakness. Don’t buy the foods that trigger you to go off the rails on your diet. Most importantly, don’t spend time with people that are constantly shitting on you and how you live your life, or want you to do things with them that are counterintuitive to what you are trying to accomplish.
PATIENCE
It probably took you 5 years to get into the shape you are right now. You think you’re going to change that in 4 weeks? No chance. You won’t see any results if you can’t stay consistent for longer than two weeks. It took some time and neglect to put on the fat, it’s going to take some time and patience to get it off. Four weeks in and you should be feeling a lot stronger. After about 5 weeks is when you should start to see some visible results. Take pictures of yourself in the same spot every 3-4 weeks so you have something to go against.
YOU CAN’T BE BOTHERED TO LEARN HOW TO TRACK YOUR CALORIES
Straight up, if you never want to learn how to track a calorie using a simple app, I give you a 10% chance of reaching your goal. End of story.
This is like never checking your bank account and just winging your spending and then wondering why you’re broke each month.
EATING BACK CALORIES YOU “BURNED” ON MYFITNESSPAL
Every time I see someone post a pic of their Fitbit or smartwatch emphasizing the calories they think they burned doing whatever the fuck it was, a piece of me dies inside. YOU DID NOT BURN 800 CALORIES. YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T EVEN BURN 300 CALORIES. There’s also no such thing as a fitness class that burns 1000 cals per session. It’s all marketing bullshit. My best advice is to turn off the function on any app you’re using that lies to you about what you’re burning. Its giving you a fall sense of accomplishment and in return you think you can treat yourself to another glass of wine or slice of pizza.