You’ve been working out for a while now, and what’s kept you motivated is the fact that you were able to see results.
Then, you couldn’t anymore. It seems as though you’re not making any progress, so obviously, you figure you need to work out more. You need to lift heavier weights and make your sessions longer. It would also be smart to skip a few rest days because you don’t want to plateau.
To be fair, this works sometimes. But other times, it doesn’t. If you’re already regularly working out, then there’s a good chance your workouts aren’t the issue.
Unfortunately, there are quite a few things that go into having results, and many of them have nothing to do with weights or cardio.
Are You REALLY Training Too Little?
Is what you’re dealing with a lack of progress or a lack of exercise? Because those 2 aren’t the same. If you already do 4 training sessions a week, that might be just enough for what you’re working towards, and there might not be any need to throw in a 5th session.
Before you start adding anything, take a better look at what you’re already doing through the week.
Fix Your Sleep Schedule
Is your sleep schedule consistent? Everyone has a bad night here and there, but if your entire sleep schedule is messy, that’s a big issue.
If you get 6 hours of sleep during the week and then stay up later on the weekends, that’s really unhealthy. Even if you try to catch up once in a while and sleep 10 hours, it’s still not good.
Training after barely having slept is a nightmare, as you probably know if you don’t get enough sleep. Not only do the workouts feel harder, but it’s also MUCH harder to focus, so there’s little to no chance that your form isn’t suffering.
Before you add more to your plate, check that you’re getting enough sleep.
And pro tip: it’s not even about sleeping regularly; getting uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep is optimal, with ‘uninterrupted’being key here.
Check Whether You’re Eating Enough for How Much You Train
When you work out, you’re using a lot of energy, so if you start working out even more, you’ll need even more energy. A no-brainer, yes, but too many people forget this, especially when they’re trying to lose weight.
Before you add another session to your schedule, check that the way you eat and what you eat actually supports your training. That means that you need to be eating an appropriate amount of food, but it also means you need the right food: protein, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and so on.
Basically, food rich in nutrients.
Make Sure You’re Drinking Enough Water
Drinking enough water doesn’t mean gulping down the whole bottle while you’re at the gym and then forgetting about hydration for the rest of the day.
You have to drink water all throughout the day, especially when it’s warm outside and/or when you’re working out a lot. How much you work out, what the temperature is, how much you sweat, and humidity can all change the amount of water your body needs.
If you already don’t drink enough fluids and then you add yet another session to your schedule, you’ll be even more dehydrated.
Take a Closer Look at Your Supplements
Supplements can have a place in your fitness routine, but they can’t replace good training, food, sleep, rest, hydration, or anything else you might want a shortcut for. Take a look at what you’re already taking, but take a GOOD look. Check the ingredients and whether some products you take overlap with each other.
That same thinking should go into supplements you’re not that familiar with.
If you want to explore Rebel Peptides or similar products, for example, check exactly what’s in them, how they’re intended to be used, and do your research to see whether they make sense alongside the rest of your current health routine.
Fix What You’re Already Doing First
Take a look at the workouts you’re doing right now because some might be better than they are.
That should be your concern right now instead of adding more of them. If things aren’t really going your way, the reason might be that you’re doing something wrong during your sessions. Maybe a particular exercise doesn’t fit you, or your mobility makes some movements too hard.
Keep in mind that nobody’s telling you to become a human chewing gum. You don’t need to be THAT flexible because, really, mobility means having enough usable range of motion to be able to do the exercise without losing form or hurting yourself.
Basically, doing more of the same usually doesn’t do much, if anything.
So, you might want to change the variation, make some tweaks to your range of motion, lower the resistance, or improve your warm-up and technique.
Conclusion
When something’s off, you want an easy answer as to why that’s happening. And when it comes to workouts, the easiest thing to do is to say that you’re not doing enough. That’s easy to fix, and it sounds like it makes sense.
But for the most part, that won’t do a thing.
In order for your workout routine to do what you want it to, you have to look at the big picture, the one that’s outside the gym, because the culprit’s probably there.