By: Vincent Camps
We have all at one point fallen into a spot where our diet seems locked in, we’re exercising four days per week, sometimes more, and the number on the scale is still not moving!
Why is this???
For right now, we’ll leave the diet portion of weight loss for another day and focus on what you could be doing wrong in the gym. Below are three major reasons why you may not be losing weight and gaining muscle that you want:
REASON #1: CARDIO ISN’T THE ANSWER
You’ve probably heard that lifting weights gets you bulky and running/cardio is what allows you to lose weight/get leaner. This is true to an extent but go to any marathon and watch the elites cross the finish line. There is a reason why they are not ripped and part of it has to do with their extreme amount of cardiovascular exercise they are doing and the lack of regular strength training. That’s not to say that cardio exercises should be skipped or ignored, however it should be performed at a high intensity rather than slow, steady sessions on an inclined treadmill or stair-master.
SOLUTION
Try adding in interval sprints on the treadmill instead. 60 seconds of fast running followed by two minutes of walking. This allows you to burn more calories in a shorter amount of time while increasing your overall metabolism. Don’t like running? No problem! Sub these sprints on a bike, rower, or elliptical to achieve the same results.
REASON #2: TOO MANY ISOLATED MOVEMENTS
Long gone are the days where people should be breaking up body parts and using isolated machines in order to achieve their top physique. These exercises definitely have their place in training, but if burning calories and fat is your main objective forget machines and single joint movements.
SOLUTION
Instead think of targeting the “big” muscles of the body that you need multiple joints to move in order to do (i.e. Squats, Deadlifts, Step-Ups, Pull-ups, Power Cleans, Bent over rows, etc.) These lifts, especially when performed as supersets, will maximize your time spent in the gym, aid in building more muscle mass which in turn will keep your metabolism going long after your workout is complete.
REASON #3: YOU’RE NOT GOING HEAVY ENOUGH
True muscle growth will be maximally achieved when sets are high and repetitions are low. Gone are the days of doing 3 sets of 20 to “tone up.” All this really accomplishes is increasing your body’s muscular endurance, which is great, but not very applicable to weight and fat loss.
SOLUTION
Lifting heavy weight will not only aid in the muscle building process but will shoot up the testosterone released. This not only boosts metabolism but has also been shown to correlate to people with a lower body mass index. So next time you are at the gym, ditch the light weights and shoot for a couple heavy sets of 8 or less repetitions.
Want to sit down with a coach and see where your training might be going wrong? Schedule a time to meet with us below and we’ll be happy guide you in the right direction.
<noframes> <a href=”https://arsenalstrength.zenplanner.com/zenplanner/portal/scheduler.cfm”>Appointment Registration</a>
</noframes>
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;
n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,
document,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘1620053601543173’); // Insert your pixel ID here.
fbq(‘track’, ‘Lead’);
