5 reasons why you’re not seeing progress

by Bronte Holding November 19, 2024

When it comes to achieving health and fitness goals, there are a few common mistakes people make. This is likely because of how much misinformation there is in the health and fitness industry, so it’s not your fault gf! Keto, intermittent fasting, only cardio, only weights, fasted workouts, non-fasted workouts, fat burning supplements, waist trainers, TikTok trends, Pilates instead of gym…the list goes on! It’s no wonder everyone is so confused when it comes to achieving results!

But don’t stress, that’s where we come in! We are here to cut the BS and give you simple, evidence based advice on your training and nutrition.

So, if you feel like you’ve been slogging it out in the gym and paying attention to your nutrition, but still don’t see the results you’re chasing, this might be why!

You've been dieting too long

Chronic dieting or undereating for an extended period of time will negatively impact your ability to lose fat and gain muscle/get stronger
Not only will you likely experience metabolic downregulation (slowed metabolic rate as a result of dieting), but you won't have the energy you need to train hard and make strength/muscle gains
If you can't remember the last time you weren't trying to diet, or have been in a deficit for over 12 weeks, it might be time for a reverse diet/maintenance phase

You're constantly 'program hopping'

To grow muscle and get stronger in the gym, you need to be applying the principle of progressive overload
This means aiming to increase your weights, reps, sets or time under tension as you progress
If you're constantly switching programs or doing random workouts, you won't give your body a chance to progress on the same movement patterns, which will inhibit your ability to grow muscle

You’re only focusing on eating ‘healthy’

Wait…isn’t this a good thing?
Yes, eating healthy foods is great, however when it comes to fat loss, the most important thing is that you are in a calorie deficit (eating less food than you burn over an extended period)
You can eat only ‘clean’ or healthy foods, and still be in a calorie surplus, meaning you’ll gain weight
To ensure you are in a deficit, you may need to track your intake for a short period
This will help you make more informed choices when it comes to your food!
P.S. This doesn’t mean you should only be eating junk food as long as you’re within your calories! Most of your intake should still be coming from whole foods such as fruits, veggies, lean protein, and good carb sources

You're not being consistent/patient

Results won't happen overnight!
A lot of people give up because they think their process is not working, but it's just because they have set unrealistic expectations
Set realistic expectations, and remember that progress will be slow (especially if your goal is muscle growth)
This is why it's important to celebrate small wins, and focus on your process rather than the end result alone

You aren’t training with enough intensity

If your goal is to build muscle, then you need to be training with sufficient intensity
Our muscles only grow as a response to effective stimulus…so we need to give them a reason to change by challenging them regularly!
Aim to take most of your working sets to around 2-3 reps from failure, or push all the way to failure when safe to do so (eg. when using machines or doing single joint movements such as bicep curls/lateral raises etc)

Now go get those gains gf!

Love TWS coach Bronte x