Most People In The Gym Don't See Results
When armed with the right knowledge, mental intensity and the desire to improve anyone can get into incredible shape, whether your ideal physique is a 220lb mass monster or a ripped to shreds fitness model the blueprint is the same.
Unfortunately most people in the gym don't see results.
They go through the same motions day in day out, they're in the gym but they're not present, they're not giving it their all.
But they don't see it this way, all they see is the attendance.
They made it to the gym, they tick the box.
They expect results.
"I Just Can't Get Into Good Shape, I've Tried Everything"
Unfortunately that's very rarely true, if you want results you have to train like it, perform the right exercises for the right rep range with intensity and desire.
5 Reasons Why Most People In The Gym Don't See Results
Not seeing results in the gym? Chances are one of the five reasons listed below is responsible.
1. They Spend Half Their Workout Watching Others
When you enter the gym you should enter tunnel vision mode, as my headphones go on the rest of the world goes off.
The hour you spend in the gym should be dedicated solely to you getting through your workout routine.
Forget what exercise everyone else is doing, forget how much everyone else is lifting.
What they're doing has no impact on your results.
The guys in the gym that complain that they've tried everything and can't increase their lifts are the same people that spend half an hour every workout staring at others that're lifting heavier than them.
The result of this?
Lack of intensity, far too much rest between sets and multiple hours spent in the gym with little to no gain.
2. They Only Train With Machines
Machines in the gym suck.
The cable machine, the lat pulldown, the pec deck...
If you train with equipment that sucks your results will suck too.
Real gains in both size and strength come as a result of lifting heavy free weights - the squat, the bench, the deadlift and the overhead press are the most spartan, effective exercises there are, hands down.
The guys that struggle to gain any size or notable strength in the gym are more often than not the same guys that never venture into the free weights section of the gym.
This can come down to a couple of different reasons:
They Don't Know What They're Doing
Lack of knowledge results in the 'I'll use every piece of equipment in the gym for a couple of sets' style of routine.
They Want An 'Easy' Workout
Pulling a bar towards you attached to a cable (seated row) is extremely easy.
Loading up a heavy barbell, stabilizing your core and performing 8 gruelling reps is hard, regardless of how strong or big you are (as you're constantly applying progressive overload so it never gets easier).
3. They Enter The Gym Without A Plan
Every results-oriented workout regime has structure.
Structure in terms of what body part is being trained on any given day.
Structure in terms of the number of the exercises you're going to be performing for that body part.
Structure in terms of the number of repetitions you're going to be performing for each exercise.
Structure in terms of the weight and reps you need to hit in order to continue to apply progressive overload from the previous workout.
The guys that don't see results in the gym are the guys that don't have a set workout regime.
I often hear 2 reasons why gym-goers don't have a set workout routine:
They Go By How They Feel
They opt to performed exercises and train body parts based on how they feel on any given day.
The biggest issue here is we often don't 'feel' like training our weak parts or the muscle groups we're not overly fond of.
The result? An un-proportional physique.
They Believe The 'Muscle Confusion' Myth
The muscle confusion myth, often preached by personal trainers and fitness magazines in an attempt to receive continual business from unsuspecting gym-goers is the killer of many gains.
You do not need to 'shock' your muscles, you do not need to trick or confuse your muscles by never performing the same workout twice.
All you need to do is continually increase the tension on the muscle by increasing the weight and repetitions.
Simple. Apply progressive overload with 1 set, structured workout regime.
4. They Stop When Things Get Uncomfortable (No Exertion)
I am yet to meet someone with an impressive physique that lacks mental toughness.
Our bodies don't want to change, they're happy in the sedative state they're currently in...
Want your body to grow? You're going to have to push it to the brink which can be quite uncomfortable.
If you give up and put the weights down, ending your set early when it starts to burn and you start to struggle you're now going to give your body a reason to change.
Listen to an intense workout playlist, take a pre-workout supplement before you train - do whatever you need to do to bring the intensity and push yourself beyond the uncomfortable feeling of progressive overload to reap the reward of a noteworthy physique.
5. They Fall Victim To Paralysis By Analysis (AKA. Do Nothing)
Fitness magazines, websites and articles are loaded with information on training, dieting and supplementation.
20 years ago techniques to grow and get results came by paperback book or word of mouth - information was no-where near as accessible as it is today.
During the Golden Era of bodybuilding Arnold Schwarzenegger got on a plane and travelled to the other side of the world to learn how to train his calves correctly because they were lagging behind the rest of his physique.
He couldn't jump on Google and do a quick search to find information on calf training techniques.
The ease of access to information we have today is a blessing and a curse.
With such a vast array of information on the internet there's always going to be conflicting information.
Many guys get caught up on this and as a result do nothing.
They fall victim to paralysis by analysis.
They read and read and read, they get confused and instead of doing something they don't do anything at all!
No action = no results.
5 Quick Tips To Get Killer Results
Getting the results you're after doesn't have to involve any complicated mumbo-jumbo or broscience.
Follow these 5 tips, give it time and watch the results come...
1. Follow a free weights oriented routine
2. Manipulate your caloric intake based on your goals (calorie surplus for bulking, deficit for cutting)
3. Lift in the single digit rep range (4 - 6 reps per set for 4 sets per exercise)
4. Apply progressive overload each and every workout (increase the weight or perform extra reps)
5. Understand results take time, don't chop and change routines or diets every few weeks