Tuesday 10 April 2012

Why do people fail in their programs?


Let's go over some of the reasons (Not an all inclusive list) why people fail in their weight training programs. Here are just some of the reasons why people fail in their programs:

1. No Consistency .
You have to be consistent with your program. I'm not going to lie to you, building muscle is hard work and it will take consistency to build quality muscle mass. You have to show up to the gym (or your basement) and follow your workout program on a regular basis in order to start seeing the results and reaping the benefits from weight training. Doing a couple of workouts here and there doesn't cut it.
Remember that building muscle is a slow process and takes months to see any quality results. Be consistent and your efforts will eventually pay off.

How long does it take to see any quality results? Well, that depends on how well you progress. If you can keep consistent with your workouts and keep improving with each workout, you will start to see results in as little as 30 days - Of course it may be less or more, depending on your body type.

I think Woody Allen said it best - "Just showing up will be 80% of your success".

2. Poor Nutritional Habits .
You have to feed your body the right amount of calories, protein, carbohydrates and fat in order for it to grow. All of these nutrients must be in balance if you ever want to build muscle. Poor nutritional habits is probably one of the number one killers of weight training/fitness and fat loss programs (besides not showing up to the gym!).

The process of successful weight training programs is pretty simple. Show up to the gym and perform the exercises (And improve with each workout), follow a healthy, common sense diet, and get plenty of rest. Simple right? Not really because it's hard to give up bad eating habits. I can tell you this with complete honesty, get into the habit of eating 6 small, health meals per day (cut out the junk food) and you will see results almost immediately.
Don't let anyone tell you that you only need protein to build muscle. Protein is only 1/3 of the equation to building muscle. You need the right combination of protein, carbohydrates and fat to build quality muscle mass. Think of protein as your bodies building material. Think of carbohydrates is your bodies fuel source. Think of fats as the material that helps absorb vitamins and minerals. Each has it's place and must be kept in balance.
The real trick is finding your personal nutritional combination that will kick start your efforts. Once you find this nutritional key, I guarantee your body will explode!

3. Poor Technique
If you don't work the muscle, your not going to grow. If you overtrain the muscle, your not going to grow. The trick is to find a happy medium that places enough stress on the muscle that gives it a reason to grow. Proper weight training is the catalyst to muscle growth. Do it right, and you'll build slabs of grade A beef (Of course, your diet and rest must be in place), do it wrong and you'll walk a fine line between poor results and injuries. The most important thing you can do in your program is to stimulate enough muscle fibre for growth (The more muscle fibre you employ the better).
If your goal is to build muscle, you need to use exercises that stimulate the most muscle fibres as possible. These exercises are compound movements such as the squat and dead lift. Do these exercises with proper form, and improve with these exercises from workout to workout and you'll build ALOT of muscle mass. The key here is proper form.

4. Not Enough Rest .
No matter how hard you train or how much you eat, if you don't get the rest you need, your workouts are going to fizzle. It is during sleep that most growth and repair occurs. Without adequate sleep the body becomes weakened.
It is crucial to your program that you get the correct amount of sleep and rest because muscle growth happens while you are resting, not while you are training. An optimal recovery cycle is just as important as your weight training program.
You need to plan your program that gives your body the best rest and recovery time. What's the use of a weight training program if you train biceps 4 times a week? Or how productive is it to build muscle if you do the bench press 5 out of 6 days? If you want results, you need to rest, and get plenty of it.
If you were to lift weights on a steady basis and not get any quality rest, your body would slowly fall apart, just like going to the gym for 6 days straight would. Weight training tears your body down and leaves it in a weakened state. By tearing your body down on a consistent basis with no rest, you will ultimately start to break apart. This will leave your body vulnerable to illness and injuries. Do yourself a favour and plan for rest and recovery. You really want to know where you build the most muscle mass? In your bed while your eyes are closed - That's where.
Weight training tears the muscle tissue down and diet provides the necessary fuel and material for repair, but it is during sleep that the repair and growth process occurs. Therefore, sleep is as vital to building muscle as is your training program and diet.

No comments:

Post a Comment