Gym enthusiasts typically have different goals, but a common problem among many is not seeing visible results. It’s a common concern, especially among those who wish to change their body composition. This is because making changes to your body composition is a complex process that requires more than just dedication and long hours at the gym. Not seeing results after putting your best into a workout can be frustrating and demotivating.
The reason behind this problem does not always mean you are not putting enough effort. Sometimes it’s because of the small mistakes you might be unknowingly doing during your workouts.
If the sore muscles and the aches in your body after the gym never seem to convert to results, then here are five common mistakes you might be doing.
1. Using too Much of a Pattern
Having a well-planned workout routine helps you to perform exercises that focus on every part of your body. But not having variations in the plan could be one of the many reasons for not seeing results in the gym.
Repeating the same exercises reduces the challenge to your muscles, and will also make you bored and far less motivated to go to the gym.
While increasing sets and reps are good, introducing variations in your workouts such as trying new activities or working out a new muscle group helps achieve good results.
Switching up your exercises can reduce the chances of your body adapting to a pattern. Functional fitness shows varied hormonal responses, making it more difficult for the body to adapt. It continues to pose a challenge to the muscles.
Even though you might be focussing on muscle building or strength training, mixing some cardio and high-intensity workouts challenges your body with good results.
Plan your workout to start with stretching, followed by energy-intense training, such as cardio, and then weights or strength training. You can also experiment with new forms such as aerobics or cycling to enhance the challenge. You can buy anabolic steroid to boost your performance and workout longer.
2. Low-Calorie Intake
A common reason for not achieving the expected results in the gym is low-calorie intake. Many resort to an intense diet and consume very low calories in a day to shed fat.
The problem with this approach is that your body detects such low levels of calories and decides to lower your metabolism to preserve the energy for longer. It means you need to work out a lot more to shed the same amount of fat with such low metabolism.
Also, very low-calorie levels trigger stress hormones, which can hurt your workout results as you begin to lose lean mass.
Instead, consuming enough calories to boost your performance in the gym helps deliver your best during a workout. You need a minimum of 500 calories on an average per day to work out and lose fat.
Try to increase calories from healthy portions, which include high concentrations of protein, vitamins, minerals, and whole foods.
3. Rushing through your Reps
Getting through the rep gets harder with progress, and you may reach a point when all you can think of is completing it and taking rest. Your speed increases and directly affects the form and technique. You end up pausing between the reps simply to rush to the end of the workout.
While it is important to complete the reps, speeding up and rushing through the workout will do no good. Spending at least one minute during a set of reps helps to challenge the muscles. In the case of strength training you should spend at least half a minute during a set.
It gathers enough momentum and adds tension to the muscles to work them properly. It’s necessary to increase blood flow and exercise efficiently.
The key to addressing the pace of your is consistency. Starting too fast will get you worn out too soon, and you will not be motivated to get through the set.
Going too slow will not put enough pressure on the muscles, and you might end up spending a lot of time in each exercise without results. Choose a pace that helps you perform the exercise in the proper form and technique and stick to it throughout the workout.
4. Working Out on an Empty Stomach
Not eating before exercising seems like a good idea because many believe that it triggers the body to dip into the fat reserve for energy. On the contrary, the body starts to break down muscles to provide the energy you need, which also costs muscle mass.
Also, working out with low energy levels keeps you from progressing, and you might end up performing fewer workouts or for less duration due to lack of energy.
Fasted cardio, especially pre-breakfast, is regarded as an effective means of working your muscles. But eating patterns post fasting workouts lead to greater fat storage throughout the day, making it counterproductive.
Having a light snack before gives you the necessary energy boost to get through your workout. Include low carb foods in your pre-workout meal to fuel your workout. Also, hydrate enough and carry water with you while you are working out. Dehydration makes you feel tired sooner, and you might end up skipping parts of your routine.
Hydration and diet are essential elements to stimulate muscle growth post-workout. Plan out a healthy and efficient meal to consume post-workout to attain proper nutrition and hydration for recovery.
5. Skipping the Warm-Up and Cool-Down Routine
The urge to leap directly to your routine is common. But straining your muscles directly into the workout could lead to injury and reduce the efficiency of your workout. Warm-up and cool-down times are essential to prepare and relax your body around your workouts to get the best results from your routine.
Warm-up exercises work up your muscles and joints and prepare them for training. It pumps oxygen-filled blood to the muscles and initiates the momentum for your routine.
Typically, your warmup exercises should include stretches, which activate basic muscle groups that last for at least 10 minutes. Walking, cycling, lunges, jumping jacks, or dancing can help.
Similarly, post-workout should be at least five minutes to cool down your body. It helps to alleviate dizziness, muscle cramps, and slowly decreases your heart rate to relax your body. Slow-paced exercises such as stretches, and flexibility exercises can help your body transition into recovery.
Take time for rest and recovery. Most of the muscle-building happens post-gym when your body goes through recovery. When you skip providing the right nutrients and rest during this time, all the hard work in the gym becomes pointless. Try to enjoy a nutritious meal post-workout and enjoy a good night’s sleep.
Persistence pays, so don’t give up too soon. Consult a fitness trainer and understand the changes you can make to your training process for efficient results.