Why are you not getting the results you want?
There are a few areas that need to be looked at to find out why the results are not coming, there is also a few home truths that need to be told.
When I meet a new client or an existing clients comes to me with a goal I ask them one simple question……. WHY?
Why do you want to reach this particular goal?
It’s a really simple question but a lot of the time people struggle to come up with a specific and detailed answer, there is usually no real thought process behind it, I just don’t like the way I look and need to change.
Thats fine but I want you all to think long and hard about why you don’t like the way you look and think of exactly how you got to where you are today.
I am sure it didn’t happen over the course of four weekends! Think about your journey into gaining a body that you didn’t desire, think about the physical steps you could have took to prevent the weight gain or the intervention you could have had early on when the man boobs first appeared.
Because one thing is for sure body fat accumulation doesn’t occur over night, its a slow process that we all choose to ignore.
Your work clothes start to get tighter- Oh they must have shrank in the wash….
Your top starts to look ridiculous on you because its skin tight- must be the poor quality of the top fs only washed this 12 times….
You bend down to pick something from the floor in your favourite training shorts and you hear “that” noise that strikes fear into your face- Oh Shit! Did anyone hear that? Or more importantly, how can I get into change my shorts before anyone realises my fat ass ripped them, can’t believe the poor quality of these shorts…
The signs are there for everyone to see but you choose to ignore them, then a few months or years down the line you decide it is time to take action.
It is time to get rid of this extra fat I feel horrible and I want to look like I did when I was 18, sexy, lean and athletic.
Great!
You have made a conscious decision to change and this is one of the most important steps you can take.
BUT
the goal needs to be realistic from the start, this is the reason I get people to tell me more about their weight gain journey, it puts things into perspective.
Why on earth would you expect to look like your 18 year old self in 4 weeks when you have just told me about your 4 year weight gain journey.
Think about that for a second!!!!
Still sound realistic? Of course not, do not be an idiot!
My job as a trainer is to assess and make small achievable targets to help you reach your main goal in the most effective manner with minimal fuss. This does not mean its going to be easy, it is going to require discipline, hard work and a true desire to succeed.
I have seen it enough times to know that making unrealistic goals for yourself does not work and can actually leave you worse off.
The journey begins:
- You have tried everything your best friend told you.
You have worked your ass off every time you have went to the gym.- You have tried to stick to your diet as much as possible.
- You have taken advice from a personal trainer about training and nutrition.
- You are baffled and confused!!
The question remains ‘WHY’ are you not getting results?
As a trainer I see this pattern all too often and there are a host of areas that we could look at and go into detail about but for now I want to look at one specific area.
Martha comes into see me in tears she has spent over £400 to use my new online training service but she doesn’t think it is working very well.
Ok! Martha lets re-evaluate your program and nutrition protocol.
So, here we go!
Martha’s program details:
Lose 25lbs of excess fat and fit back into my size 10 dress I had for a friends wedding. No prior experience of strength training but has some experience dieting and counting calories. In a nut shell below is the outline of her program.
- Train 4 times per week (3 strength sessions and one KB conditioning session)
- Walk 30-45mins, 3 times per week before eating breakfast
- Follow her specific nutrition protocol consisting of 1800 calories
- Reach small achievable targets every 2-3 weeks (fat loss, increase strength)
The outline of her program allows me to ask some very basic questions to help me get to the bottom of her struggle.
Martha: Dan, I do not know whats happening I am trying everything you asked.
Dan: No problem Martha, we will sort it out in a few mins first I have to ask a few questions.
Martha: Great, Thanks.
Dan: Firstly, How are you finding the training program and diet protocol.
Martha: I love it, when you first mentioned the strength training I was slightly intimidated but once you had me in and showed me the techniques, how to monitor training loads and intensity it was great, I feel I have really improved. In terms of nutrition there have a been a few slip ups but nothing major.
Dan: Great, sounds cool and I am glad you are enjoying the program, during our training weekly check ups everything seems to be on point. Ok, nutrition can sometimes be up and down but please explain to me what you mean by slip ups? Also are you following the training protocol as it is prescribed?
Martha: I have only been able to make training 2 or 3 times per week the last two weeks as I have been busy with work and I have had a few family events to attend. I know my nutrition could be better but as I mentioned with having no time I have found it hard to prep all my meals for the day ahead. I have found myself regularly buying my lunch in my local sandwich shop but I do try to keep it healthy. When I have been attending family events I have just ate what ever was on offer and I also had a few drinks but I figure as I’m training a lot that I will burn it off.
One thing I am struggling with is at night time when I am watching TV after a long day I feel hungry and have some sugar cravings, I don’t no whether it is just boredom or secretly I am addictied to chocolate.
Dan: Ok thanks for being honest, now I can get to the bottom of why your results are stalling. So in terms of your training we need to try and make sure we are sticking to the regime as much as possible, I need you to get back up to training 4 days per week. If your struggling for time just get in and do something short even if its a couple of the 4 minute workouts. Going back to your point though about not having time, how are you watching TV at night? You need to be sure that you want to achieve your goals and be dedicated to your training.
Nutrition will play a key role on how your body looks and feels at the end of your program, of course we all love a little treat now and again but if you have the wrong type of foods too often, your body will be sure to show it, moving up a jean size or a roll of fat around your stubborn areas. As mentioned above if you have time to watch TV you have time to put some chicken fillets in the oven and prepare fresh produce for the next few days. I will need you to get back on the nutrition protocol as discussed before you started. I want you to achieve your goals, you want to achieve your goals, lets get back on the wagon and do this.
Martha, can you remember ‘WHY’ you started and ‘WHY’ you wanted to change? Lets show that same desire and motivation to reach your goals. Get back on track!
Martha: Thanks Dan I believe I have been slacking of a bit recently and maybe this break down was what I needed to realise it.
What is the point of this post?
I make this statement every single day to clients:
To get results you need to be consistent most of the time.
No one is asking you to give up your social life and all the foods you enjoy but you do need to make choices for when you should have them. You can’t get in the best shape of your life by eating shit food everyday or having no intensity or purpose in your training.
You need to eat clean and healthy food 90% of the time.
You need to make your training sessions count 90% of the time.
If you do everything required 90% of the time I promise you will get results. Stop looking for excuses and look to get consistently better over time and you will be in a happy place.
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