Undoubtedly, exercise is a big player in fitness along with nutrition.
And since we all wanna get fit, it’s not unusual for us to discuss with our friends
and family about new workout plans and booty busting exercises we found on the internet.
But when we apply these exercises unto ourselves, it never really goes according to plan.
We sulk in our eventual workout failures and then… quit.
Until our loose jeans get too tight again.
So, what exactly is the deal?
Well, the problem might be the workout program itself.
As a friendly reminder for those already on their way in their fitness journey and some
basic tips for those just beginning, here are 3 signs that might be the reason your
workout plan isn’t working.
#1 You’re following a random cookie cutter plan you found online.
When looking for work out plans, oftentimes we want to follow the footsteps of one of
our endearing fitness influencers.
To our dismay, upon purchasing, you realize that their e-book program just isn’t…
for you.
This is often due to the misconception of, “if it worked for them, then it must work
for me.”
Unfortunately, fitness is much more complex and requires a hefty amount of individualization.
And that’s where working side-by-side with an actual expert is beneficial, although costly.
If that’s not a viable approach, then look past the chiseled abs and big booty on instagram,
and instead research reputable programs that others similar to you have found success with
or read books from reputable experts.
Some of my personal favorites are Brad Schoenfeld and Eric Helms.
You can also join online communities to discuss your plan with others that can offer better
information than a single pdf file requiring your credit card details.
Of course, you can also learn from great fitness video content that provides detailed, fact-based
information.
*wink wink* #2 Your program lacks proper core development
Usually, when people new to exercise think of core, they think of their abs and getting
a six pack.
Consequently, their program is chalk full of ab crunches and sit ups.
Not really BAD exercises, per se, but it only focuses on one function of your core – spinal
flexion.
That leaves out other core functions like hip flexion, thoracic lateral flexion, and
thoracic rotation.
Having a weak core tends to hurt your performance in almost all other exercises, particularly
affecting unilateral, upright, or rotational movements.
If you sit around most of your days, you can also develop an overactive and adaptively
shortened hip flexor muscle, leading to imbalance disorders like anterior pelvic tilt and lower
crossed syndrome.
These problems can also occur with a weak posterior chain, or back core muscles, notably
the glutes, hamstrings, and spinal erectors.
This chain of muscles act opposite of your flexors, extending the spine and hips instead.
Best case scenario is to have stronger extensors than flexors, as weak extensors relative to
your flexors are strongly associated with lower back pain.
That being said, on top of your ab exercises, tack on rotational exercises like band twists,
isometric endurance exercises like weighted planks, and dynamic core movements like the
ab wheel rollout.
For the posterior chain, popular compound exercises like deadlifts and squats are great
choices.
Glute ham raises, RDLs, and hip thrusts are also great additions.
And #3: Your workout plan lacks progressive overload.
Progressive load, by definition, is a gradual increase in performance demand above previous
levels.
This creates a constant stimulus for your body to adapt to and improve over time.
The problem with many basic cookie cutter plans is a lack of a clear strategy for this
type of progression.
At best, it might tell you to increase the weight you’re lifting from time to time.
Frankly, how you overload will be dependent on your goals.
If you want to improve strength, then yes, a gradual increase in the weight you’re
lifting will probably be best, as long as it’s intuitive and makes sense to your fitness
level.
For building muscle, studies indicate total work volume to be the biggest contributor.
We can progressively overload volume in many ways like, yes, the amount of weight you lift,
or the amount of sets per exercise, or the amount of reps per set.
If possible, then the best option is probably increasing exercise frequency, aka working
out more days of the week.
This allows for splitting recovery days to certain muscle groups while training others
and also incur greater volume loads.
There are also less impactful but important factors to overload, like exercise tempo,
rest interval duration, and supersets.
Although this is only scratching the surface of progressive overload, as long as you have
something in your plan that you’re gradually improving, then you’re heading towards the
right direction.
Let me know in the comments if you found the video helpful and want to see more video lists
like this.
Please like and share the video if you enjoyed it, and as always, thank you for watching
and GET YOUR PROTEIN!