Not sure if your workout program is actually working? Here are signs your workout isn’t working and what to do instead.
Any Of These Sound Familiar?
– Constantly feeling tired, exhausted, super beat down, and/or fatigued
– Muscles and joints are always excessively sore and achy
– Regularly getting injured or having nagging pains
– Regular brain fog, trouble focusing, completely dependent on caffeine to get through the day
– Don’t feel rested when you wake up in the morning
– Sex drive is non-existent
– Not regularly seeing strength gains and/or PRs in the gym
– Struggling to lose weight, gain muscle, or maintain our physique
– Struggling to “go hard” during workouts
– Feeling dizzy or lightheaded mid-workout, throwing up during the workout
– Constantly hungry, never feeling satisfied or full after eating, and/or regularly experiencing intense food cravings
– Regularly getting sick, hair loss, digestion, and GI issues
– Low motivation and energy
– Difficulty regulating blood sugar
– Struggling to fall asleep or stay asleep
– Waking up hungry during the night or waking up multiple times during the night
– Struggling with low hormone levels
– Menstrual cycle is super irregular or MIA
– Struggling with milk supply if breastfeeding
– Low or no appetite
– Constantly under-recovering and/or working out way too much/too hard
Finding The Balance
Sometimes we’re honing in on accomplishing a very specific goal or endeavor. Think: completing an Iron Man, training for a weightlifting meet, prepping for a physique show, trying to hit a specific body weight or composition, or looking good for vacation. In these cases, our health might get temporarily thrown to the wayside.
For most individuals, we’re likely trying to find a happy middle ground.
No matter what your goal is, we’re all aiming for a workout program and lifestyle that’s sustainable, that encompasses working out in a way that is fun and that we enjoy, and that also includes stuff we might not love (but need to help us stay injury-free, help us effectively work towards our goals, etc).
Ultimately, we want to do the stuff that effectively gets us from A to B.
Your workout isn’t working if it doesn’t align with your goals, and if it’s not sustainable.
Auditing Your Habits
If you think your workout isn’t working, you should audit your habits and check if the program offers these 4 factors below.
Evidence-Based: Are you sure you’re following an evidence-based workout program that’s backed by science/research? If you’re not, that may be why your workout isn’t working
Progressive Overload: Does your lifting routine have weekly repeating movements and increasing difficulty week-to-week? (This allows you to get stronger and see measurable progress over time!)
Rest Days & Deloads: Are you getting at least 1-3 total rest days per week? Are there regularly programmed deload weeks every 4-8 weeks where lifting reps, sets, and volume are intentionally reduced? Do you intentionally dial back training for 5-7 days to give your body a break to rest and recover?
Nutrition and Lifestyle:
– Are you consistently 7-9 hours of sleep per night?
– Are you getting enough protein (~0.8-1.1 grams of protein per lb of bodyweight)?
– How is food quality?
– Do you eat mostly real, whole foods?
– How often do you consume alcohol?
– Are we getting enough carbs/calories to support our activity levels and workouts?
– What are your stress levels like on a regular basis?
– Do you have consistent digestion issues?
– Is your menstrual cycle normal and symptomless?
– Have you checked thyroid levels and hormone levels lately?
– What about doing less or something new?
– Do we need to pull back on intensity or volume? Fewer reps or workouts per week?
– Do you think it might be time to try a new routine?
Ready For A Change?
Just remember that the definition of insanity = doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. If your workout isn’t working and you’re constantly feeling burnt out, beat down, and dealing with tons of symptoms, it might be time to try something different.
A good rule of thumb might actually be that you should leave workouts feeling great and feeling better than when you walked in. If your workouts leave you on the floor or feeling like a zombie after… mightttt have some room for improvement there.
At Paragon Training Methods, we have incredibly fun, incredibly effective workouts that are guaranteed to help you look and feel great. Our workouts take 30-90 min depending on the program and can be done at home, in the gym, or even on the road.
