10 Reasons why your Workouts may be Less than Stellar

{Collaborative Content} While the gyms will have seen an influx in new attendees around the new year, now that the warmer weather and longer days are arriving in the UK, more people will be looking to get outdoor and active to improve their fitness levels, lose weight or mix things up a little bit.

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However, whether you are new to working out or you have plateaued and need an added boost, there might be some factors affecting you that you haven't noticed before.

Exercise isn't a limited genre, and there is so much you can do, change or modify when exercising to help you push through and get the results you are looking for. If you want to figure out exactly where you are going wrong when working out, read on!

You Aren't Pushing Yourself Enough.

You can't expect to see results if you're not going yourself. If you're not pushing yourself enough during your workouts, you will never see the results you want. If you don't push yourself, your body won't have any reason to change and will eventually plateau.

You need to find a challenging workout routine for you, even if it starts off easy. Make sure that the next time is more complicated each time you work out. If it's hard for you to do 1 set of 10 push-ups, try two sets of 10 or 3 sets of 5 for a few weeks before increasing again. This will help your muscles get stronger with time and allow you to push yourself more every week as well.

You Don't Change Your Workouts.

If you don't change your workouts, it's more likely that you will plateau. If you work out the same way and repeatedly use the same exercises, your body will get used to them, and they won't be as effective. You need to be switching up your workouts to keep them fresh and avoid becoming bored.

You Haven't Changed Your Diet.

While we should always try to eat healthily, it is equally essential that your diet is tailored to your fitness goals.

If you are struggling with weight loss or building muscle, your diet needs to be different from someone who has a high metabolism and is trying to lose weight. This also depends on your exercise routine; if you are doing more cardio than weight training, your diet will need to be different.

A balanced diet with whole foods can help you burn fat, build muscle and feel energised during your workouts. It's also important to get enough protein to keep muscle mass when losing weight. The best way to monitor this is by tracking what you eat through an app like My Fitness Pal or Cronometer, which includes calorie counting and macro-nutrients.

You Focus Too Much On One Area

Many people who are new to working out start by focusing on a single body area, such as their chest or arms. The problem with this is that it limits your workouts, and you get bored quickly.

Instead, you should focus on more than one part of your body to get results faster. This is because our bodies have different muscle groups, which all need to be worked out to maintain balance and symmetry throughout your entire body. Focusing on a single muscle group will only keep it firm while neglecting the other parts of your body that need work too.

For example, if you're working out your upper arms and chest muscles, you should also focus on strengthening your back, shoulders and stomach muscles. That way, you'll notice that you're stronger in all areas of your body and not just one.

You Aren't Getting Enough Sleep.

Just like not getting enough sleep can affect your mental health, it can also be detrimental to your workout routine. If you are trying to build muscle and don't get enough sleep, the hormones that help with muscle growth will not be released at their proper times. This means that you need to ensure that you are getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night.

If you want to see an improvement in your workouts, make sure that you are getting a decent amount of sleep each night.

You Are Wearing The Wrong Clothing

If you're not comfortable in your clothing, it doesn't matter how much you like the outfit or how much money you spent on it. You'll be less likely to exercise or go through with a workout if you feel constricted and uncomfortable in your clothes. Wearing too-tight clothes or having to be pulled up at the waistband after walking around for 10 minutes will get old quickly. And wearing clothes that are too loose can cause chafing and skin irritation, making working out less than enjoyable.

Appropriate workout clothes such as specially designed sports tights are essential. If you wear too long clothes and cover your feet, they could get caught when jumping over something and lead to injury. If your shirt is too long and protects your hands when reaching for something overhead, it will also get seen on objects. As well as being more comfortable, it may seem like common sense but wear clothing that fits the activity! There are different types of fabric for other activities: cotton for summer days and moisture-wicking material for winter days.

You Aren't Consistent.

One of the most important things to remember when working out is to be consistent. If you are trying to work out every day and then miss a few days in a row, your body will feel frustrated with you. It's like when you try and drink water every day for 30 days straight and then take a week off. Your body will feel dehydrated because it isn't getting the hydration it needs. The same goes for exercise.

Your body needs time to adjust, so if you take time off from working out, don't set unrealistic expectations for yourself by thinking that your workouts will be stellar after just one day back.

You Are Dehydrated

There are several reasons you might not see the results in your workouts like you once did. One big reason is that you could be dehydrated, which leads to fatigue, headaches and many other issues. When you work out, your body needs water to flush lactic acid and other byproducts from muscles. Your workouts may feel incredibly lacklustre when this is the case.

If you want to see better workout results, make sure that you drink more water throughout the day, even if it's just one more glass than your usual intake. You can also add electrolytes or another type of sports drink to ensure that your body gets what it needs for high-quality workouts.

You Aren't Allowing your Body To Rest.

Just as too much of a good thing is a bad thing, so not giving the body enough time to rest can be just as detrimental. It's important to mix up your routine with some days to rest to give your muscles the chance to heal and recover.

If you are constantly pushing their body, including exercising every day and not allowing for downtime, this can lead to injury. Your muscles need time to repair themselves, and if they are constantly being put through strenuous activity, they won't be able to do that.

Additionally, you may lose energy when you don't allow yourself to rest. Our bodies were designed to function in cycles of activity and rest, so it's important to respect that cycle and take the time required to recover.

You Haven't Defined your Goals.

If you're not sure about your goals for the workout, it's going to be challenging to know whether or not you're making progress.

If your goal is weight loss, but you're not tracking your weight, how do you know if you're making any progress? You need to measure your goals so that you know when to stop. If your goal is to tone up and build muscle, then it's vital that you track those muscles and don't just rely on a scale. Tracking the way you look in a mirror is one way you can measure muscle growth and fat loss.