We’ve all been there. After working out every day, the number on the scale stays the same and the jeans are still tight. What could we possibly be doing wrong? Seeing no results from working out is frustrating. Most of the time, however, you can easily change this by tweaking a few areas of your routine. Here are the most common reasons for not seeing results:
A bad diet cannot be outworked. At the most basic level, weight control is simply calories in vs. calories out. Exercising to justify a bad diet only slows weight gain and poor body composition. Realistically, most people are much more consistent with the justification of unhealthy foods than a daily exercise routine. The other end of the spectrum is also true, attempting to gain muscle by lifting weights is for naught if calorie intake (specifically protein) is not increased. There is no secret recipe or secret exercise that will transform your body. Consistent balanced exercise with a consistently smart diet is the formula that yields the best results.
The body needs to be taken out of its physical comfort zone for changes to occur. Your body is smart. There is a point in every workout when muscles send signals to the to brain to rest, to slow down, to put the weight down. This is the body reaching its limit on what it’s capable of doing comfortably. When it goes beyond that point is when a more intense discomfort immediately follows. This is a necessary process. This triggers the body to adapt to this new stress.
Humans are designed to move every joint to its full range of motion in every plane that that joint is capable of moving in. Not doing so prevents the body from accessing its full potential and leads to tight tissues, achy joints, and restricted movement. Full movement patterns can be common movements done to their full range of motion (squats, push-ups, pull-ups, etc.) or specific mobility exercises that target key areas.
Again, the body is smart and it adapts to whatever stress is placed upon it. When the same stress is placed on the body over and over again (i.e. running, yoga, or bench press and bicep curls) it adapts to that stress and has no need to adapt any further. Regularly presenting the body with new variables in exercise keeps the body constantly adapting to new stressors. The person who has the least glaring weaknesses is the person who is in the best shape. Therefore, the most beneficial program for a lifelong runner would be a weightlifting biased program. Likewise, the most beneficial program for a lifelong powerlifter is a running biased program.
Regularly presenting the body with new variables in exercise keeps the body constantly adapting to new stressors
The most beneficial program for the general population is a balanced program between weightlifting, bodyweight movements, and cardiovascular endurance training. A balanced program yields the most beneficial and consistent adaptations to the body. This constant adaptation is manifested in increased muscle growth, tissue mobility, cardiovascular endurance, bone density, fat loss, and energy levels.
The entire body is meant to used. Neglecting specific muscles or groups of muscles causes muscle imbalances that can lead to joint pain, poor posture, restricted movement, and injury. Examples of common neglected muscle groups are triceps, biceps, shoulders, glutes, and the upper torso for high volume runners and triathletes, quads and hamstrings for gymnasts, and all of the above for the sedentary.
