3 Reasons Why You're No Longer Seeing Results From Workouts

Ever feel like you deserve more?

Like to begin with maybe you were ?progressing with workouts, losing weight week-in week-out. It felt like it was easy, this would last forever…

<car screech noise>

But then it came to a halt and this all seems a wee bit unfair?

Despite your workouts and your better choices with food. Despite you turning down cake in the office, and dialling down the booze, your:

• body shape hasn’t changed in months
• weight hasn’t shifted
• numbers in the gym aren’t improving.

Maybe your hand is just itching to hit that Screw This I Give Up button.

Wait.

This happens to the best of us, especially after 40. And after 15 years coaching folks 40+ I’m pretty sure your stalled progress in the gym, with losing weight and getting in shape is down to at least one of three reasons, all of which are eminently fixable.

That’s what I’ll help you overcome here, but first let’s look at how we get bamboozled…

The initial burst of progress tricks us

If you are untrained, out of shape and your diet is a mess, then any small step in the other direction will get you some quick progress:

• your muscles will feel firmer after a few weeks in the gym regardless of what program you follow;
• you will be able to lift heavier, work harder and feel fitter quickly, as dormant muscles respond and lung capacity improves;
• you will lose a little weight and look and feel less bloated when you cut back on booze, sugar and portion sizes too.

This feels awesome, right?

You start dreaming of bench pressing 250lbs in months since you’re adding 10lbs to the bar each week.?

You imagine the flat stomach and toned body you’ll have if you keep losing 3lbs of body fat every week as you’ve been doing.

But then it turns out progress isn’t nice and linear after all.?

Turns out if it was that simple, we’d all be an Adonis.

Turns out, there’s more to this Getting In Shape caper than we thought.

Your discipline and desire can’t be faulted, so keep that up. But you may be shooting yourself in the foot in these 3 ways.

The Reasons your progress has stalled (and what to do about it)

#1 You’re trying to achieve multiple things at the same time

Your body can respond in multiple good ways to start with, losing body fat, building muscle/strength, increased fitness… but that has to stop after your Newbie Gains have peaked.?

Why?

To lose body fat, you need to be in a calorie deficit. While you need extra fuel to build muscle or complete tough workouts meaning you require at least a slight calorie surplus.

We make the mistake of trying to do both at the same time, changing how we eat each week depending on how we look and feel.

I made this mistake in my 30s, gaining and losing the same 5lbs for YEARS:

• Week 2: “feeling pudgy, better cut back on calories…”
• Week 4: “ooh arms and legs looking a bit skinny, time to up the calories…”
• Week 6: “feeling strong but belly seems a bit bigger, better diet for a while…”
• Week 8: “I’ve plateau’d in the gym and t-shirts feel baggy now, time to bulk up…”.

We need to pick a lane for 6–8 weeks at a time at least.

This means if you want to lose body fat, simply maintaining what you can do in the gym is the goal. Keeping protein high while in a calorie deficit will help you retain what muscle you have.?

So if you’re losing weight without taking a step back in the gym, that’s a win!

Similarly if you want to build some muscle and strength, you need to eat in a slight surplus (300 kcals is fine). That means you can’t expect to lose any body fat during this time.?

If numbers in the gym are going up while your waist measurement (round the bellybutton is a great thing to track) says the same… that’s a win too!

Learn from my ‘Lost 30s’, and understand you can’t make progress on multiple fronts for long, so stop trying.

#2 Not Enough TLC

Your body can only respond to what you’re doing with your diet or training if it’s primed to run properly.

What I mean is:

• you can’t build muscle or make progress in the gym in general if your Testosterone is low;
• You can’t lose weight if you’re insulin resistant and your metabolism is messed up.

What is the major cause of those problems? Cr*p Sleep and High Stress.?

Yes, there are supplements that can help boost Testosterone for men (Zinc, Magnesium, Vitamin D) and lower Cortisol (Ashwagandha).?

But nailing your sleep will give your body the mental and physical recovery time it needs to:

• naturally produce enough Testosterone;
• stabilize Ghrelin (hunger) so you aren’t so snacky;
• lower Cortisol to combat the insulin resistance and low Testosterone.

Thing is, when times are tough, even maintenance is still progress if that makes sense.

Between 2006 and 2011 when we had our 3 kids, and life was nuts, I learned to accept that staying the same was OK. Looking and weighing the same despite terrible sleep, high stress, inconsistent workouts and eating convenience food was the win during those years!

But assuming you don’t have pesky young kids scuppering your plans, here’s what to try and do:

• Manage your sleep environment before bedtime by staying clear of screens and alcohol.
• Get to bed early enough to at least have the chance of getting an average 7.5–8 hours a night. Your body will adapt eventually if it feels too early to begin with.
• In bed, block out distractions in your bedroom like noise and light, and please leave your phone away from the side table!

Sleep is the reset button you need every night to manage stress and speed up your laggy body the next day and get more from all your efforts.

Grab my short video course, 40+ Reset, to turn YOUR body off and on again in just 7 days

#3 Maybe your workouts and diet aren’t actually THAT great

What’s better than zero workouts? 1 workout a week

What’s better than 3 beers a night? 1 beer a night

Is 1 beer a night and 1 workout a week going to get you in shape? Nope

When we start out, making a few simple lifestyle changes helps us feel and look a bit better quite quickly.?

But that initial burst of progress slows to a stop if you don’t keep on doing something that forces your body to change.

For example, a workout program that will ensure all-round fitness as you get older and enough of a challenge to force your body to adapt needs to involve:

• progress resistance?—?a bit faster/longer cardio, more reps/weight/sets in the gym?—?track everything and push yourself to achieve a little more each time;
• a mix of aerobic training for stamina and heart health, anaerobic cardio for Running For A Bus fitness, and resistance training for strength, muscle and looking good in a t-shirt?;-)

Then a diet plan that will force your body to keep using body fat stores for energy needs to involve:

• getting into a calorie deficit most days, ideally through eating less and moving more;
• keeping protein intake high (100–120g a day) so you retain what muscle mass you have;
• a limited 4–6 week timeframe, as you can’t diet forever, the body adapts and stops responding.

If your programs don’t deliver that kind of impetus, your progress will plateau.

Please Don’t Do What I Did

Remember the main mistake I made was trying to lose fat and make relentless progress in the gym at the same time?—?so pick a lane and work on one thing, while being happy maintaining the other.?

Then give your body the recovery time it needs to actually respond the way you want it to.?

And finally, make sure your plan delivers the triggers your body needs to change in the way you want it to.

You have the desire and discipline needed to do this, I know you do?—?just don’t shoot yourself in the foot in these 3 ways, so you finally get the body shape and fitness level your efforts deserve!

3 things you can do right now if you like the cut of my gib - grab my FREE No Weird Sh_t Diet guide, check out my $7 7-Day 40+ Reset course, or arrange a free chat to see if my 1:1 coaching program is what you need to drop 20lbs and feel 20 years younger in 12 weeks.