Why You’re Not Seeing Results

Hi everyone! Today we’ll be discussing the top five reasons why some people struggle to lose weight or see results in the gym. Whether you’re just starting out or have been working out for a while, it can be frustrating to not see the results you want. However, with the right understanding of some common pitfalls, you can hopefully avoid them and get back on track.

One: Not Eating Enough or Eating Too Much

One of the most common reasons people don’t see results in the gym is their diet, they are not eating enough or eating too much. Your body needs fuel to perform at its best, and if you’re not eating enough calories, it can impact your progress. Additionally, when you’re in a calorie deficit, your body will start to break down muscle tissue for energy, which is not ideal if you want to build muscle. Make sure you’re eating enough to support your goals and track your calorie intake to ensure you’re not under eating.

On the flip side to not eating enough to build muscle, if you are eating too much, as the old saying goes “you can’t out-train a shit diet.” If your goal is fat loss and weight loss, if you are eating too much, no matter how much you train, you will not lose weight. 

Two: Inconsistent Workouts

Another reason people don’t see results in the gym is because they are not consistent with their workouts. Consistency is key when it comes to seeing results. Your body needs to be challenged regularly in order to change, so make sure you’re working out at minimum three times per week. Additionally, make sure you’re pushing yourself to reach new milestones each week to continuously challenge your body.

If you are only in the gym or exercising once or twice a week, you will not see results, whether the goal is muscle gain or fat loss. This can also be broken down to daily activity levels, if you are just doing a 10 minute walk every day, it simply isn’t enough, and if you are going to the gym to lift every day but are only doing 3 sets of 1 exercise, you’re not going to see any muscle gains. You need to push yourself. Everyone, no matter what age, can and should be doing 30-60 minutes of activity every day. Most of our lifters are lifting 4-6 days per week with varied intensity, plus 1 or 2 days of easy movement (walking or other low impact movement that is easy to recover from). Ask anyone who has made major gains in the gym, muscle gains or fat loss, and they will tell you they did by going to the gym and putting in 100%, day after day, week after week, consistency is the key!

Three: Macros

Protein is essential for building and repairing muscle, so if you’re not eating enough of it, you won’t see the results you want. Make sure you’re incorporating enough protein in your diet, either through food or supplements. A good rule of thumb is to aim for at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day. We see this a lot with beginner lifters who have a well balanced diet, but they have switched from doing mostly cardio to either doing mostly lifting or a combination or lifting and cardio, and they have not adjusted their diet to get in more protein. Protein is only one of the three macros, the other two are fat and carbs, if these are way off it could be the reason you are not seeing results. The simplest and most widely used macro split for both fat loss and muscle gain is 30-40-30…30% protein…40% carbs…30% fat. Personally I like to try and drop that fat number a little and push more protein and or carbs, but for a beginner the 30-40-30 split will do fine. There are many macro and calorie calculators out there for free, such as www.myfitnesspal.com, as well as paid sites like www.macrofactor.com. 

I recently ran into this issue myself; two of my meals every day had ground beef in them, and on a recent doctors visit doing blood work we saw my cholesterol was elevated so I switched one of my meals from beef to chicken and this actually allowed me to almost double the amount of protein I was eating and it was almost only a marginal increase in calories. When I increased my protein by switching from a small portion of ground beef to a much larger portion of chicken, my weight and body fat dropped in a matter of two weeks, and my cholesterol came down in a little over a month. This simple change in my diet, dropping some fat and increasing protein, made a huge difference in my results. 

Four: Not Focusing on Proper Form

Proper form is crucial when it comes to lifting weights and avoiding injury. This is pretty simple, if you have shit technique or use weights that are too heavy (or both), you run a higher risk of injury. If injured, you can’t workout at all or are very limited in your movements and exercises, all gains will stop or be incredibly difficult to continue to achieve. 

Not focusing on proper form can also impact your results because you won’t be targeting the right muscles. Again, this is very simple. If you are training deadlift, and aren’t hinging but using your back instead or trying to “squat the bar”, not only is your technique incorrect, you are using the wrong muscle groups for that movement. Make sure you are working with a trainer or following quality instructional videos to ensure you are using correct form for each exercise.

Five: Not Following the Right Program

If your goal is muscle gain, you need to be lifting. If your goal is fat loss, you still need to be lifting but in a different rep range, as well as adding in the right amount of cardio. If your goal is muscle gain but you are following a one rep max powerlifting program, you could very easily get hurt. If your goal is fat loss but you are following a triathlon program, you could also easily get hurt. Following the wrong program will not only get you the wrong results, or opposite of what you are looking for, and could get you injured. 

The best thing you can do is hire a coach that has experience and ask them to program for you or train you. If you are purchasing a pre-made template program online or you are following a book or other guide, make sure that the program fits your goals. 

OK…One More…Six: Not Giving Yourself Enough Time

Finally, some people don’t see results in the gym because they’re not giving themselves enough time. Building muscle and losing weight takes time and patience, so don’t expect to see results overnight. Be consistent with your workouts and eating habits, and trust the process. All of the fitness professionals and influencers you are looking up to, I can promise you that they have been at it for YEARS! I tell people to give any program or diet change at least 6 weeks to see any sort of change, and most of my programs are 12 to 20 weeks long. When I first got into lifting and boxing, I lost a lot of weight quickly. I also went from a shit diet, drinking and no exercise, to working out six days a week with a major diet shit and gave up drinking. While I saw results quickly, it still took a full year for me to see major changes I was happy with, and I didn’t reach my personal goals until close to two years into training. 

Conclusion:

In conclusion, these are the top six reasons why some people struggle to lose weight or see results in the gym. Make sure you’re eating the right amount, being consistent with your workouts, getting enough protein and making sure your macros are correct, focusing on proper form while using the right weights, following the right program for your goals, and giving yourself enough time to see results. With the right approach, you can reach your goals and feel confident and proud of your progress. If you need help with a program or coaching or personal training, checkout our PROGRAM page and email us to find out how we can help you achieve your goals.