12 Ways To Get Groovin' Again

I don’t know why I’ve chosen twelve points for this list.

I’ve a sneaky suspicion that it has something to do with binge watching Killing Eve over the weekend. It’s probably the first time since the first series of 24 that I’ve watched the “in” thing at the same time as everyone else.

This means I get to feel relatively hip (that’s what the kids say right?) and to anyone who hasn’t seen it yet all I can say is….

“What? You haven’t seen it? OMG what have you been doing?”

Actually that wasn’t as much fun being smug as I thought it would be, right on with the show.

Besides, everyone loves a good list post.

If you’re progress in the gym has stalled.

Or your motivation looks a little like this.

​Then check these little pointers of and see if anything rings a bell with you.

1 Are you being honest with yourself? 

This one can sting a little, it can be a little bruising for the ego but it’s so fucking important.

I’ve seen so many people over the years, who have been confused about why they aren’t losing weight, getting stronger or hitting their chosen target.

Eventually we realise that they haven’t been close to doing what they need to do. The brain loves to make up stories or just be very selective in how it recalls things.

It can easily remember the salad they had on Wednesday, but forget that they had three bottles of wine and a supersize cheesecake over the weekend.

2 How are you assessing progress?

Are you actually making progress but it just feels really slow? You may be being a little unrealistic in your expectations of what you should have and when.

How are you assessing progress? If your goal is to lose body fat are you using any measurements other than a set of scales? You’ve probably heard this a cagillion times, but  scales only tell part of the story when it comes to losing fat. 

At the very least you should use tape measurements to see what is happening.

Also are you comparing your current progress to when you were a complete beginner. The strength levels of a beginner improve at a steep trajectory.

Within a month of picking up a weight their strength may have improved by 50% or more on many exercises. But an experienced lifter may fight for a year to get a 1-2% improvement.

3 Are you being consistent?

It’s been said many times, but nothing beats consistency for developing results. Staying aware of what you’re eating day in day out and getting the training sessions in. 

Week in, week out.

A common issue is that someone will make an effort for two weeks then slide back to old habits. 

Do not try and destroy yourself with a couple of workouts, set a pace that you can maintain. 

Consistency trumps intensity every time.

Being consistent also means the weekends. Being an athlete Monday-Thursday then consuming all the calories as a “reward” will just keep you stuck.

4 Are Are you making enough effort? 

The body only adapts when there is a strong enough stimulus. Lifting your coffee cup to your mouth every morning doesn’t build your arms because there isn’t enough load. Your body is quite happy that it can lift your coffee cup, there is no reason to change.

But if that coffee cup was suddenly made of cast iron and weighed 15kg, your arm would take a different view of things. Signals would be sent saying we need to adapt and get stronger.

Training needs to be uncomfortable, you need to have the feeling of pushing the envelope.

If you’re spending half your workout on a foam roller or bobbing along on the x-trainer catching up on some Netflix, you can’t be surprised if the results are less than outstanding

5 Are you creating tension in the right muscles? 

Strength training is about more than just moving a weight from A-B. It’s moving it with the right muscles working.

​I remember when I first started working in gyms and I couldn’t understand how you could do an exercise with the wrong muscles…..surely the weight wouldn’t be moving otherwise?

But the body just loves to conserve energy, it still thinks we’re living in a cave with no idea where the next meal is coming from, when there’s actually a 24 hour supermarket around the corner.

But exercise is almost a complete reversal of this. We want the muscles to be worked and fatigued so that they’re forced to adapt.

With this in mind stand by for some really obvious advice that may just revolutionise your training…...perhaps.

If you can’t feel a muscle working during an exercise then there is a good possibility that it isn’t optimally working.

So if you’re doing a back exercise and you can’t feel your back squeezing and working hard then you need to address either technique or the choice of exercise.

6. Are getting training volume right?

This one is especially pertinent if your goal is to add a bit of muscle to your frame.

The most important factor for adding muscle is the amount of weekly volume. In other words, how many reps/sets a muscle is put through over the course of a week.

The newer you are to training, the less volume you require to see results, but the more experienced you are the more volume you will require. 

A traditional way of training that many gym goers still use is the good ol’ body part split.

Chest and tri’s on Monday, Back and bi”s on Tuesday, legs on Weds, Shoulders and abs on Thurs……get smashed at the weekend…..

I jest about the last part.

A problem with this is that for many people is that each body part will only be trained one per week, or sometimes less. 

Not enough to see results.

Structuring the week so that most of the body see’s action on at least two days will bear greater results.

7 What got you here won’t get you there.

As you improve at any activity you become more efficient at it.

A common conversation happens with runners who have started to gain weight despite their performance remaining steady.

The body will have improved at using fuel. A 5km run at 13km/hour is now easier to do, so fewer calories are required.

Providing challenging stimulus for the body is essential to create improvements.

8. Focus 

I need to put my hand up to this one, I have been guilty many times of wanting to make a drastic change of goal and getting absolutely no where.

The program starts with the aim of developing total strength, maybe a deadlift personal best. Within two weeks I start missing the huff and puff of higher intensity cardio and suddenly want to run an ultramarathon instead.

Thereby doing two dumb things.

Choosing a completely contradictory goal and a goal that’s probably far too lofty for the amount of free time I currently have.

This is a simple quote from Dan John but very important.

Keep the goal, the goal.

Chase one thing and actually achieve it.

9. Sufficient protein?

There’s a part of me that really hates talking to people about the importance of sufficient protein intake.

It sounds like such a cliche gymbro conversation.

“YEAH -YOU TOTALLY GOTTA HAVE ALL THE PROTEIN DUDE FOR LIKE THE GAINZ”.

But for any goal that involves transforming the physique, protein targets need to be hit. Honestly, amazing things start to happen with how the body looks and performs when this is adequately met.

It doesn’t mean eating half a cow a day and yes vegan options totally work.

A good starting point is either a palm sized serving of protein each meal (x2 for men) or 1.5 grams per kilogram of bodyweight.

10. Sleep

I know, it’s not sexy or exciting

Turn the telly of and get some sleep.

​This is when you recover and adapt to all those workouts. Hormones are released that burn fat (yep, you burn fat in your sleep), that help muscles develop. 

Lack of sleep will mess up your immune system, memory, libido, increase cravings for sweet things and generally leave you feeling like poo. 

11. Do you actually believe in your goal? 

Goals need to have some level of emotion to them, something that gives it a deeper meaning to you.

“I want to lose weight cos everyone else thinks I should” is a bit meh as a goal.

But.

“I will lose weight because I told my kids you can do anything you put your mind to and I’m setting their example”, that may just get your arse to the gym on a cold morning.

A goal that is clear, concise, a little exciting and has an emotional resonance is mahooosively important.

12. Support.

I nearly titled this as accountability but to be honest I’m not a fan of accountability.

Whatever you want to achieve is your responsibility and it’s you shouldn’t duck that responsibility by trying to palm it of on someone else to “hold you accountable”.

But having someone to support you is vital.

That could be a member of the family, a friend, training partner or a coach.

Someone to put an arm around your shoulder or kick you up the rear end depending on circumstances.

Having said that here’s a really unsubtle segway - see if you can spot it.

If you’d like someone to help you take the next steps/reach the next level with your training feel free to get in contact via the home page.