So many people are constantly asking why they are working out day after day and not seeing the results they want. Whether it’s their diet, their lack of focus and consistency, or the fact that they’ve just plateaued and need to try something new, there are tons of reasons why your workout isn’t working anymore. But that doesn’t have to be the case! Read through this list and see if you’ve fallen prey to any of these mistakes that are making your workouts less effective.
1. Are you Stuck in a Rut?
Mix It Up: Are you doing the same thing every day?
It happens all the time; people start a workout and really enjoy it, and never do anything else. In fact, to many people, the phrase “working out” means bike riding, or running or getting on an elliptical. While those are all great things to do, they aren’t necessarily full body workouts in and of themselves.
It is much more effective to cross-train!
Cross-training is when you have a particular exercise you do regularly, but in between training that body part, or doing that workout, you do other workouts that address different body parts or fitness goals. In the end, it makes you better at the original activity because you confuse your muscles and train them to be good at more than one thing.
A great example of this is for runners. Many runners use swimming to cross-train. It’s a great cardio workout, but at the same time, it’s easier on their joints (something running is not) and still helps them build up their strength and conditioning.
Another example would be for someone who regularly lifts weights and takes yoga classes in between. You typically work on your strength and muscular endurance, so working on your flexibility and balance helps even out your workouts.
Changing the time of day that you complete your workout can even make a huge difference in it’s effectiveness. For example, I typically like to workout in the morning because that’s when I am the most motivated, I feel like I have the most energy, and I can get it done, feel great and get on with the rest of my day. But every once in a while, my son wakes up early or has a rough night and my usual workout time gets interrupted, forcing me to push my workout later in the day.
What I have found is that sometimes, i get a much better workout. I am a little more awake and I can push myself harder because I have more energy. It’s funny because I often find that something is a lot harder to do or feels like a much harder workout first thing in the morning, and if I do it later in the day, I aim for something more because I don’t have to fight being awake at the same time.
Try Something New
This brings me to my next point, and that’s to try something new. Have you been doing the same workout for so long that it feels like you could do it in your sleep? Maybe your muscles just aren’t being challenged anymore. This is often the case for people who’ve tried a new workout and fell in love with it because of how effective it was and then all of a sudden, it becomes less and less effective.
If you’re being honest with yourself, are you really trying as hard as you did when you first started? Or are you just going through the motions to check your workout off your list for the day? It’s so easy to get in the workout “habit” of just going through the moves and distracting yourself with the TV or Netflix just to get it over with, but what you don’t realize is that it’s changing the effectiveness of your workout.
Trying something new is the perfect remedy. From time to time I find myself having the same problem and I’ll take a new class or try a new workout on YouTube. There are so many options out there and if you just try something where you don’t know what the next move is going to be, you will find yourself having to really concentrate on what you’re doing, making your workout much more effective.
Re-Learn a Workout You’ve Done 100 Times
So if you’ve read My Story, you know that I was obsessed with P90X and I still really love those workouts and regularly incorporate them into my weekly routine. But if I’m being honest, I had learned the workouts so well that instead of popping in one of the DVD’s and following along with Tony, i wrote the moves down and did them while watching Netflix.
Now was I still “working out?” Technically, yes! Was i as effective as I was when I started the P90X series?…No. This is something that frustrates people time and time again because they think, “This workout was so good and worked so well when I did it the first time! Why isn’t it working like it used to?”
Truth be told, those little comments the instructors make as you’re going through the routine help keep you focused. Have you ever done a workout DVD and heard, “Tighten those buns!” or “Hold it, hold it…” These little comments may seem funny at the time, or maybe you’ve thought, how did they know I cut out early or how did they know I wasn’t tightening my core? But the truth is, they are important.
Instructors are meant to instruct. They know the tendencies people develop when they’ve done a certain move over and over and they know that it dramatically changes the effectiveness of the move. Re-learning how to do a workout or even a move can help you remember all those little comments to ensure you’re doing the move or the routine correctly and getting the most out of your workout.
2. Are You Using the Proper Form?
This goes along with my last point in that when you’ve done a particular move or a particular workout a ton of times, you tend to get lazy. It happens to everyone. You feel like your muscles already know what you do and you forget all those little things I just talked about like tightening your core or watching your breathing and it becomes a routine. Suddenly your form is slipping and the moves or workouts you’re doing just don’t work like they used to.
Get back to basics!
Re-learn how to do the move, CORRECTLY! Focus on what you should be focusing on and feel the muscles you should be feeling. You can have a much more effective workout when you do less reps or less weight but use proper form than doing a million reps just going through the motions.
3. Are You Focused On What You’re Doing?
This question has two meanings. 1.) Are you focused when you’re working out? 2.) Are you focused on your overall goal?
Are You Focused When You’re Working Out?
We’ve touched on this a few times already, but focusing on your workouts is crucial to exercising effectively. Setting time aside during your day and committing to getting your workout done is key. If you want to get the most out of your workout, get most of the distractions out of your field of vision. Set your phone aside, make sure your kids are asleep or otherwise occupied, and even turn off your TV, or watch your workout as you do it.
Focusing on the moves and the muscles you are working makes them that much more effective and you’ll likely feel completely different after completing the workout or the next day because you really worked your muscles.
Are You Focused On Your Overall Goal?
This is something that many people forget over time and they consequently start to slack on their workout routine. I once worked for a chiropractor who used to ask his patients, “What’s your big WHY?” Essentially what this means is why are you doing this? Why do you want to get in shape? Why do you want to change your life?
He always said that if your why is big enough, you can do anything, but if your why isn’t big enough, you won’t stick with it. For example, if your why is that you want to look good in a bikini, that’s good motivation, but its temporary. Does that mean that once bikini season is over you don’t want to be in shape anymore?
A better why would be: “Two of my grandparents died from heart attacks and I don’t want that to happen to me,” or “I’m on 18 medications and pre-diabetic and I want to do something before I have to take insulin every day,” or “I want to set an example for my kids of what a healthy lifestyle looks like.” You may not have such a dramatic case for working out, but if you tie your reason to something bigger, it keeps you motivated beyond the days when you just don’t feel like it.
4. How’s Your Diet?
It’s been said that you can’t out-train a bad diet…AND IT”S TRUE! Unless you’re Michael Phelps, you can’t eat 12 pancakes and 3 pounds of bacon every morning and expect to have a six pack. You have to balance your workouts with enough nutritious fuel to be effective, without going over board.
Focusing on protein and vegetables, healthy grains and whole fruits is a great place to start. Making sure you’re getting enough water and staying hydrated is important, too. Fuel your body appropriately, and you will see amazing results with your workouts. It’s all part of staying focused and staying motivated.
If you need ideas of delicious, healthy recipes to try, check out my Healthy Eating page.
5. Evaluate and Tweak As You Go
When it comes to working out, never settle and never get comfortable. When you stop challenging your body, your workouts lose their effectiveness. Don’t be afraid to question whether something is working for you as you go. Now there will be times when you’re doing a workout routine that is supposed to last for 12 weeks and by week 3, you just don’t feel like it’s working. In this case, I would encourage you to stick it out. But, in general, If something isn’t comfortable or your are in pain when you’re working out, then by all means, stop doing it! Otherwise, give it a fair chance, but if by week 12 you don’t see the results you wanted, move on! Figure out your next goal and get moving.
Let’s Wrap This Up
Let’s review. Are you getting enough out of your working? Do you need to mix things up or try something new? Or maybe you just need to go back to basics and focus on proper form and remember why you’re working out in the first place. Whatever your motivation, get the most out of your workouts with these helpful tips!
If you have any tips of your own for getting the most out of your workouts, let me know! I’m always looking for new motivation myself!