Culprit #1: Boredom
If you’ re doing the same exact thing every time you work out, your body will become conditioned to the exercise. Pretty soon, the challenge is gone, and you've stopped improving and seeing visible results. But how does this happen—even when you’ re being consistent?
Say you’ re doing biceps curls several times a week with the same weight and the same number of reps. It used to be hard, but after awhile, you can do it with ease. Instead of basking in the effortlessness of the workout, bump it up! Increase the frequency and intensity of the activity, and you'll start to see more progress. Shock your body into making changes.
A good exercise program doesn't have to include an hour at the gym each day. There are so many ways to grab a workout. Try going to a playground with a TRX or do a bootcamp style workout. Another idea is to find things around the house to lift! I've put many of my clients through a "TOUR OF THE GYM WORKOUT" where they have to lift random objects in every room in the gym including offices and maintenance areas. They did things like dead lift a desk, sit and stand in a chair while pressing another chair overhead, push ups off a chair while have their feet up on a desk etc. Plie squats with buckets of drywall compound... With a little creativity you can turn anything into a workout! The fix can be as simple as rearranging the order of your exercises to getting a guest membership for a totally different gym and workout with different equipment and a different crowd!
Culprit #2: Overtraining
While some people need to increase their gym time, there comes a point when you might be working your body too hard. If you’ re going to the gym on a regular basis, you’ re creating a healthy, lifelong habit. But if you are going to the gym for hours each day, you might be tearing your body down too much. Muscles need recovery time to build back up. Over training affects the body as well at the mind. You may find yourself lethargic, cranky and sore if your life is starting to revolve around the gym for hours every day. The cure? Try adjusting your workouts to make them shorter but more intense. You may also try a different type of exercise for a few weeks to shake up your routine and give your muscles and joints a break form overuse. Again, I covered this in the past Personal Training Blogs. Remember, "You don't have to be eternal to be divine!" You come to the gym to stimulate, not annihilate your muscles!
Culprit #3: Diet
This one is huge! I have had clients train hard in the gym and not get any results. After being frustrated with their lack of progress we sit down and figure out what they're eating. Nutrition is up to 70-80% responsible for muscle gain and fat loss. Each pound of fat is worth 3500 calories. So in order to lose a pound of body fat, you have to collectively burn and consume less calories. A healthy weightloss is 1-2 pounds per week. So in the course of a week you should strive to burn and consume collectively 3500-7000 calories to lose a pound or two of body fat.
WHAT you eat is important as well. Nutrient dense calories will fuel your body and help prevent storage of body fat. YOU CAN'T OUT WORK A BAD DIET! You can spend 7 days each week in the gym working out and lose any progress you may potentially have had with a bad diet.
Water is another key to a successful workout. Drink water throughout the day, and also make sure to drink extra water during your workout since you lose hydration through sweat. Water helps keep your joints moving fluidly and your muscles primed for exercise.
Culprit #4: Sleep
I am guilty of abusing this, as I'm sure many of you are. Intense cardio and strength training causes your muscle fibers to tear. To a certain extent, this is a good thing, because it gives them a chance to build back up, stronger and better than ever. But if you ardent giving your body enough rest at night, your body is going to have a difficult time recovering from workouts. It is while you sleep the body rests and the hormones responsible for muscle growth and repair are secreted. If you’ re slipping into a workout rut, examine your sleeping patterns. You should be getting seven or eight hours of sleep each night to give your body a chance to refuel and recover from the previous day’s work. If a good night’s sleep isn't part of your daily routine, re-examine your healthy lifestyle plan.
Culprit #5: Stress
Stress is a part of life. If not managed, eventually you'll become emotionally and physically drained—if you’ re not there already. Signs of overstress include tight muscles, headaches, and trouble sleeping—all of which can affect your workouts.
While exercise helps relieve some stress, if your life is in overdrive, it can’t get rid of all your tension. As stress builds up, take time to get organized, breathe and regroup. It is next to impossible to remove all stress, in fact some stress is good for us. But, when times are out of control, try switching your workout up, maybe some yoga etc. Your workout routine will actually improve! *some information compiled from sparkpeople.com