If I wanted to work really hard to get in shape and not see results, these are the 10 mistakes I would make. (#7 is something I see every day)
1) Lifting the same weight for the same number of reps
Your body is smart. Muscle is expensive to build and maintain and you won't build it just because you show up to the gym.
If you aren't progressively overloading the muscle over time, you are not going to get stronger.
2) Trying to lose weight with cardio
Cardio is has many benefits including heart health, cognitive health, stress management and it will help you burn a few more calories.
But if you aren't taking your nutrition seriously, you are swimming upstream and will eventually burn out.
3) Not eating protein with every meal
Higher calorie burn, more satiety, more muscle, better hormone health.
The reasons to eat protein are endless yet most still fall short. In the standard American diet you have to be intentional about hitting protein targets.
4) Change up your workout routine
You don't need "muscle confusion." Your trainer at the gym just needs you to keep paying them.
Do the same exercises again and again and get stronger in weights or reps over time.
Don't change your routine more often than every 3 months.
5) Not taking your sets to failure
If you aren't getting within 2 reps of failure, the set isn't helping you build muscle. Don't just exercise. Train.
This means taking yourself to deeper waters sometimes while still keeping good form to prevent injury.
6) Doing too many exercises and sets
Volume can be effective, but you get more out of 2 hard sets taken to failure than 4 sets just going through the motions.
Time efficient workouts are possible if you are willing to crank up the intensity.
7) Not resting long enough between exercises
If you are running around the gym like a chicken with your head cut off it will be hard to get stronger.
Resting at least 90 seconds between lifts means more tension on the muscle during the next set. More tension means more growth.
8) Trying to cook 7 nights per week
Cooking every night of the week sounds great until something comes up. It's better to cook 3-4 nights and leverage leftovers than try to make a new meal every night.
More dishes, more mess, more groceries to buy. Keep it simple.
9) Making complicated recipes
The more ingredients, the more room for additional calories and the more complicated grocery shopping becomes.
Have a few staple meals that you cycle between and occasionally try out a new recipe for the week to add to the mix.
10) Training core but not taking nutrition seriously
You can spend 90 minutes training your core but 10 minutes of meal planning for the will get you better results.
It doesn't matter how much time you spend doing core if you don't prioritize dropping the belly fat.
Thanks for reading.
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