Why
you aren’t getting results in the gym
How many times have you joined a gym, went all-out
for the first few weeks or months and then watched it all came to a grinding
halt?
Maybe you cancelled your membership and cited
time, work, kids or health as a reason for this downfall? Or maybe you’re
currently a member of a gym (potentially even ours) and you just feel like you
aren’t getting anywhere?
Whilst every human mind, body and life is different,
there are three common problems that people encounter when starting out at a
gym.
1. What’s your map?
Do you have a clear objective for what you want
to achieve when you join a gym? Have the coaches at this gym helped you
identify whether this objective is achievable, what you need to do to achieve
it and how to measure it? If you are joining a gym to get fit and healthy, you
need to ask yourself some harder questions.
For example, what does healthy actually
mean? Does it mean living longer so you can be there for your grandkids? Does
it mean losing 10kg so your body is in better condition to conceive a child?
Does it mean reducing your insulin dependency? Don’t determine your objectives
by your first response, dig deeper and ask yourself – what do you REALLY want
to achieve?
2. How brave are you feeling?
So many times people join our gym and you
can immediately tell they are nervous as hell, have no idea what they are doing
and default to just doing the small group classes. If you are lacking
confidence and don’t ask for help to set yourself up with a proper strategy in
the gym, this isn’t going to change.
3. 3. Do you have the right team
on your side?
Don’t join a gym based on price. Join a gym
based on the connection you feel with the team and the community. If you don’t
instantly feel like that team has got your back, then don’t expect that team to
pick you up when the going gets tough. If your goals are that important to you,
then price is inconsequential – the team around you will be the number one
priority and I can assure you they are worth the couple of bucks each month.
So what mistakes have you possibly made in
the past that have halted that feeling of success? I’m going to take a stab at
this based on a LOT of experience and a lot of time spent fighting for people
on their behalf.
No program or strategy – if you think that just doing a couple of classes each week is going
to get you to your goal, and more importantly maintain it, you are
unfortunately very wrong. You need quality programming that is designed to suit
you, your body, your available time, your family life and your working life. It
needs to incorporate solid strength training, match your nutritional intake and
most importantly, needs to be measured. Sound complicated? It’s really
isn’t for someone who knows what they are doing, so let us help you. There are
so many coaches and personal trainers who are ready and willing to help you,
you just have to ask. Take the time to set up a well-structured training
program. No, you don’t need to do a bunch of cardio. If you get yourself a
solid program you will spend far less time at the gym than you realise and a
lot more time enjoying life feeling fitter and stronger.
Don’t let the past dictate
your future – another mistake we encounter often is
people believe that if they had a bad experience in the past, or failed to
achieve what they wanted, then trying again is pointless. Firstly, training,
nutrition and programming is constantly evolving, so again, engage an expert to
help you. Secondly, when you find someone to support you, who takes the time to
connect with you and understand you better, your experience is going to be
different. Don’t let the past dictate your future. The world is constantly
changing, grow with it and be open
It ain’t just the weights – so many people start out and assume that if they train a few days
a week, they will see results. It’s important to understand that if the gym you
have joined doesn’t also consider other factors such as (but not limited to)
nutrition, sleep and hormones, you may not see the success and the results they
promised you. Please also be aware of fad diets and fat-stripping solutions. These
are not sustainable! Play the long game and look at your body holistically.
Schedule your training – ok, your new coach has
set you up with a kick-arse program – now SCHEDULE IT. If you don’t set your
week up and schedule your training, you are setting yourself up to fail, or
worse, sabotaging your success. Schedule it and stick to it. If it was a
doctor’s appointment you wouldn’t skip it because you were too tired or busy,
so treat this the same. Every workout could be adding time to your precious
life. If you start to place more value on your training, you are less likely to
skip it.
Let us help you – would you go to a mate and ask them to do a health check, a pap smear or a prostate exam? Extreme examples I know, but seriously, would you? No… so why would you not see a professional for your training program, strategy and nutrition? The people we see who don’t make it past the three to six-month mark are those clients who refuse to accept and embrace our help. Make sure your gym membership doesn’t just include classes. The most important thing you want with your membership is accountability to a coach and regular programming updates. This is non-negotiable. Please don’t assume you know how to eat healthy. There are so many factors involved in getting nutrition right to help reduce body fat and gain lean muscle. Let us help you.
So, if you take the time to connect with
someone, allow them to help you design a strategy and then stay in constant
contact with them, you can jump off that gym membership merry-go-round and be
successful. Your energy levels are going to improve, you are going to have a
far better quality of life and most importantly your health is going to be on
track.
You’ve got this. Get the right help, take
it seriously and trust the process.
