The 7 most common reasons why you are still not seeing any results...

...DEPSITE all your efforts

1.) You are not following a program/ periodisation

If your training is always the same you are not going to change. 

It’s as simple as that. 

It is essential that you change your rep range, intensity, volume of training to name a few. Generally you should start a new program every 3-6 weeks depending on your training age, exercise frequency and training intensity/ goal.

If your body is not hit with new stimuli all the time it is not going to change shape.

2.) Your training frequency is too little

If you are only doing weights 2x week and spend the rest of your gym time doing cardio it’s highly unlikely your body shape is going to change any time soon. Aim for an absolute minimum of 3 weight sessions/ week, ideally 4. If you still have more time to go to the gym and you love a cardio session go for it.

3.) You are not eating enough food

Yes to lose weight/ body fat you need to be in a energy/ calorie deficit. BUT- if this deficit is too big, your body will not want to let go of any fat deposits, it may even want to store more fat. So if you are training really hard and are just not seeing any results you may want to look at how big your energy deficit is. If it is more than 20% you need to slowly increase your calories.

4.) You are not sleeping enough

Your hormones are affected by not sleeping enough on a daily basis. Aim for 7h per night to be realistic. More is great. If you have sleeping problems you may want to get someone to look into them. Often a lack in calories can contribute to sleeping issues. There are other factors though that play a role too such as stress or nutritional deficiencies.

Sleeping 5-6h a night can definitely hold you back from not getting results although you are training hard.

5.) Alcohol

As a rule of thumb I tell my clients that 2 standard drinks per week won’t interfere with getting results, but drinking more than that certainly will.

A lot of people seem really astonished when I tell them that it may be the alcohol that they consume on a weekly basis that holds them back from seeing results but it’s true. 

If you do drink my big tip is to train beforehand, eat something before drinking alcohol and keeping it to an absolute minimum of 2 standard drinks/ week. 

Your choice of alcohol plays a role too: a “vodka soda” is going to have a different impact on you opposed to a “pina colada”.

6.) You are just not working hard enough in the gym

It is not easy to lose body fat, it actually requires a lot of hard work.

Do you think you are working hard enough?

Do those last few reps you are doing on an exercise require a lot of effort? If you are doing a higher rep range do those last few reps burn?

Are you lifting heavy enough or could you maybe increase the weight you are doing on the exercise?

Do you do 4 weight sessions a week?

Ask yourself the above questions; maybe you need to change your training routine and training effort.

7.) You are not consistent enough

Some people change faster, some change slower. 

Don’t ever give up on the vision you hold for yourself. Keep working hard and keep trying to improve. There is always more we can learn about ourselves.

Consistency is key. Don’t get disheartened if your body only changes very slowly. 

A lot of people do and then abandon their exercise regime again. If you stop and start all the time you have to start from zero again and again and again.

Establish a good exercise routine, keep working hard, aim to improve every day and keep that vision of yourself and your goals in front of you.