A better approach is to devise a realistic training schedule that actually aligns with your lifestyle. \u201cWhen getting started, lower the bar,\u201d she suggests. \u201cAim for two weekly strength sessions done consistently. If you manage that, and have the time, energy and inclination to do more, you can always add in a third. It\u2019s much easier to build on something you\u2019re doing consistently than repeatedly start over with something that\u2019s unsustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n
You\u2019re changing your programme too often<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s an outdated belief that you must \u2018keep the body guessing\u2019 in order for it to adapt, by continually switching up your workouts,\u201d says Nick Finney, who has trained Robbie Williams and Jennifer Lopez. \u201cI understand that people want to avoid boredom by changing what they do each workout, but it ends up hindering their progress. You need to practise your technique, become more proficient and give your body time to improve and get stronger. If you keep changing things up, then it\u2019s impossible to measure progress by comparing what you achieved in previous workouts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, he suggests adopting the principle of \u201cprogressive overload\u201d. Simply put, this means gradually increasing the reps or weight of your lift, in order to stimulate your body to react by growing stronger. \u201cThere is a very simple formula: you might be able to lift 60kg on a bench press for five reps. If over time you are able to increase this to eight reps you can then increase the load to 64kg, which may then put your maximum reps back down to five. So you keep practising until you can get to eight reps at 64kg, before increasing the load again.\u201d<\/p>\n
You\u2019re too focused on cardio<\/p>\n
\u201cFor decades, people have associated getting fit with running, cycling or other forms of cardiovascular exercise,\u201d says David Vaux, an osteopath and author of Stronger: 10 Exercises for a Longer, Healthier Life<\/a>. \u201cThese activities are excellent for heart health, weight management, joint health and mental wellbeing \u2013 but focusing exclusively on cardio means you may be neglecting one of your body\u2019s most valuable ageing assets: your fast-twitch muscle fibres. We lose these at a faster rate as we age, which is one of the major contributors to frailty, falls, reduced mobility and loss of independence later in life. For most people, the healthiest approach is to combine regular movement with resistance training two or three times each week.\u201d<\/p>\n You\u2019re adding \u2018junk volume\u2019<\/p>\n Victorian poet Robert Browning coined the phrase \u201cless is more\u201d<\/a>. He wasn\u2019t writing about Bulgarian split squats, but he might as well have been. \u201cPeople often assume more is better: more weekly sessions, more exercises within each session, more sets,\u201d says Davies. \u201cBut you don\u2019t need to cram 10 different movements into a session. This can actually just add fatigue without much benefit.\u201d If muscle growth is your goal, you need to be training \u201cclose to failure\u201d \u2013 the point at which you could not manage another good rep.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re stopping each set when you\u2019re reaching an arbitrary number rather than because the set has become genuinely challenging, you may not be providing your body with enough stimulus to adapt,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd don\u2019t confuse \u2018feeling the burn\u2019 with being close to failure. That burning sensation is largely associated with the buildup of metabolites during exercise, especially very high-rep sets, which are popular in some classes. It can be very uncomfortable, but discomfort isn\u2019t necessarily the same thing as your muscles reaching the point where they could not do another good rep.\u201d<\/p>\n You\u2019re trying to out-train a bad diet \u2026<\/p>\n Finney warns that bad nutrition is \u201cby far\u201d the most common factor holding gym-goers back from reaching their goals: \u201cWorking out hard all week can be completely negated simply by eating whatever you want. People believe workouts burn tons of calories, but most barely even burn off a balanced meal. You must tackle your nutrition if you are serious about any physical change.\u201d<\/p>\n Photograph: Kellie French\/The Guardian<\/p>\n If your goal is weight loss, you need to be working in a calorie deficit. If you want to build muscle, you need to be eating a surplus of the right kind of calories, including about 2g of protein for every kilo of body weight. And don\u2019t fall into the trap of thinking that a frenzied hour-long workout is the best way to burn off a burger. \u201cBlitzing a bootcamp-style workout that leaves you feeling like you\u2019re dying may only burn about 150 more calories than doing a calmer, focused weights workout. That\u2019s about the same amount of calories as one and a half apples. And yet the difference in effort and fatigue and potential for injury is huge.\u201d If your goal is weight loss, he suggests finding a type of exercise you enjoy, and focusing on training at a sustainable pace while eating a deficit of about 500 calories a day.<\/p>\n \u2026 and you\u2019re drinking your calories<\/p>\n According to trainer and women\u2019s wellness coach Aimee Victoria Long, \u201cPeople often focus on what they\u2019re eating and forget about what they\u2019re drinking. Coffees, juices, smoothies, soft drinks and alcohol contain a surprising amount of sugar and calories \u2013 they add up incredibly quickly.\u201d Long is a proponent of everything in moderation, but cautions: \u201cIf your goal is fat loss and you\u2019re not seeing results, it\u2019s worth looking at what\u2019s in your favourite drinks.\u201d<\/p>\n
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