Training tough equates results

Do you ever see someone with nice musculature, athletic and fit body and wonder, “What are they doing differently than me when I am training three or more days a week and nothing is really happening?” I will share the secret.

There are of course many factors to why someone is not getting the results they want. Healthy eating and proper sleep play as significant of a role in your health and wellness goals as your physical training. For this purpose, let’s say you are getting a regular seven to nine hours of sleep each night and you eat healthy 80 to 90 per cent of the time.

If not, there is still a chance your training can help you as generally your metabolism is functioning higher under the age of 25.

The secret to getting results from your training is actually more mental than physical. It is human nature to create excuses and barriers to pushing yourself to the next level. Often people tell themselves that they have to do a certain number of reps or sets and they just stop there. This is effective if you truly hit fatigue each time. You may benefit from one more set, even if it’s just for a few more reps. You may also try doing more reps on the first set than what you intended. If it’s quite a bit more, then you know it’s time to increase the weight or change to a new exercise. What? I know, crazy.

Increasing the weight does not need to be scary. It may just be by a few pounds. I hear many female exercisers complain about this for fear of developing muscles that are too big, however they are underestimating their strength. Also, most women don’t have enough testosterone to see the same gains as a man. If you genetically bulk in some areas over others, I say, embrace your shape and allow yourself to reach your full potential.

You can also change the exercise and still work the same muscle group. Your body needs this sometimes and it’s good to change your routine at least every three months to avoid injury and boredom. Ask a trainer for alternative exercises.

With most training programs there is ample room for change and growth. You have to visualize your goal and focus that energy every time you hit the gym.

When you are working out, whether with weights or on the treadmill, get to the point where you think you need to stop and just test the waters to push past it a little each time or every few times (always keeping safety in mind). You don’t have to do this with every exercise all at once. Choose a few at a time and give it a couple weeks until you layer in the next few.

Don’t let mental roadblocks get the better of you. Always include strength as one of your goals and you will soon find out that you are capable of more than you think.