In this article, 5 Reasons You’re Not Making Progress, we will look at some of the things that could be holding you back. Have you been putting your time in the gym and the kitchen, yet it does not seem like it when you look in the mirror? If that describes you, here’s 5 possible reasons why. So let’s jump right in and see what they are!
# 1 – You Don’t Eat Enough
If your goal is more muscle mass, you won’t see meaningful progress if you aren’t eating enough food. To that end, I advocate eating 5-6 small meals a day (2 of them can be shakes). You should be eating lots of high-quality real food. Do you lead a busy lifestyle and just don’t have time for that many meals? Then go liquid! After all, you’ve got quite a few choices – whey protein, casein protein, or plant protein. How about MRPs or lean gainers? It’s easy to have a shake a couple of times a day when your time is crunched. That makes getting your meals in a lot easier, which in turn helps you make progress.
What If You’re Eating Too Many Calories?
On the other hand, your goal may be fat loss. To lean out, you have to be in a caloric deficit, and you have to be more physically active. That means you should be working out, doing cardio, and any other means of activity. For example, you can take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park farther out in the parking lot and walk more. Take a brisk walk on your lunch break or after dinner.
What About Cutting Calories?
Cut carbohydrates simple, sugary carbs first, then fats. Regardless of your goal, always keep your protein intake high. If you have caloric space to fill, always do it with protein. Also, add Hi-Tech Lipodrene if you need a potent caffeine fat burner. This type of innovative product can make a big difference and help you continue to make progress!
# 2 – You Don’t Train Hard Enough
No doubt we’ve all seen it. You know, those lifters that just will toss the bar up and down for endless reps and then just stop cold. There’s absolutely no doubt they could have kept going and knocked out another 3-4 reps. There’s also the lifter who’s knocking out reps but stops at the slightest hint of effort or discomfort.
It goes without saying, you should make every rep count. That means you have to work hard. If you’ve warmed up and you’re doing your working set, and that set calls for 12 reps and you could have done 15 or 16, you aren’t working hard enough. You’re just wasting your time. You won’t start seeing results until getting that 12th rep takes some serious effort.
Rep Performance
Of course, how you perform your reps comes into play. No rushing through them, no half or quarter reps. Do full, complete reps using a 2 second concentric, 4 second eccentric, and 2-3 second pause in the fully stretched position. Also, you should consistently strive to add weight over time.
# 3 – You Skip Your Post-Workout Shake & Meal
It should be clear, when you’re done working out, drink a shake. Why? Well, first of all, you need to replenish glycogen. Secondly, you need to stimulate repair and recovery of the muscle tissue you just finished breaking down. This won’t happen as efficiently as possible if you wait hours to drink a shake or eat a meal. There’s no reason not to have a post-workout shake after your last set. Once you’re done, mix up your favorite protein powder with some fresh fruit, or a carb powder such as EFX Sports Karbolyn. Then, about an hour and a half later, have a quality meal.
# 4 – You’re Not Getting A Good Night’s Sleep
How much quality sleep are you getting every night? If you are experiencing sleep problems, expect your progress to stall. Whether you suffer from occasional insomnia or wake up a lot during the night, try a good natural sleep-aid, they can make a big difference. This is an exceptional sleep aid that will help you get the sleep you need.
Are You Partying Too Much?
It’s true. Everybody likes to have a good time, right? Is your quality of sleep taking a nose dive because you like to have a good time a little too often? If so, you can say goodbye to optimal progress. Clinical studies show that overdoing the party-hardy thing will stunt your progress in the gym. In addition, alcohol lowers sleep quality, affecting post-workout recovery. Don’t worry, if you must drink, moderate drinking is ok. The secret is to not let it get out of hand ( of course the real secret is to not drink at all). (1, 2)
#5 – You’re Doing Way Too Much Cardio
OK, so fat loss is what you’re after, but the progress isn’t there. That means you should be doing serious cardio. However, if mass is your goal, you will need to keep cardio to a minimum. One answer is to do your cardio separately from your weight workouts. If every day is too much, cut back your cardio to 3 days a week. If you’re trying to gain size, the only reason to increase cardio is if you’re gaining too much fat. In that case, you’d also want to cut carbs (sugary carbs first) and fat calories. (3)
What If You’re Not Enough Cardio?
OK, so fat loss is your goal. Are you doing enough cardio? Let’s assume you’ve been doing 3-4 cardio sessions a week for 30 minutes, and you aren’t seeing the results you’d like. First of all, you need to check your nutrition, specifically carbohydrates. Next, you will need to up your cardio sessions to 45 minutes. Make sure you get your heart rate up. If need be, you can add a 5th session.
Summary
We’ve looked at 5 reasons you’re not making progress. Now you have a solution to each one. Use these tips to get back on track. So don’t wait! Stop by illpumpyouup.com, stock up on your supplements and put these tips to good use today!
References:
- Lakićević N. (2019). The Effects of Alcohol Consumption on Recovery Following Resistance Exercise: A Systematic Review. Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology, 4(3), 41. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk4030041
- Colrain, I. M., Nicholas, C. L., & Baker, F. C. (2014). Alcohol and the sleeping brain. Handbook of Clinical Neurology, 125, 415–431. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-62619-6.00024-0
- Hawley J. A. (2009). Molecular responses to strength and endurance training: are they incompatible? Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme, 34(3), 355–361. https://doi.org/10.1139/H09-023