So, you go to the gym religiously, but you’re not seeing results. It’s been months of working out 5 days a week and you’re starting to ask yourself, “Why am I not getting stronger?” As a Calgary personal trainer, Paul Anthony lays down a few factors that are probably affecting the progress in your strength training.
Fire up the intensity. Still doing 3 sets of 8 to 12 every time you hit the gym? It’s probably time to up the intensity by doing fewer reps and more sets. First, up your weight. Aim to do 3 or 5 reps, and shoot for 5 to 8 sets. This will help you move toward being able to lift more weight.
Shrug off the plateau. You’re doing the same thing and expecting a different result. It’s likely that when you started your current gym routine, you were getting great results – and fast! But it’s a few months down the road and you’re not progressing anymore like you once did. It’s time to contact 13-time Personal Trainer of the Year Paul Anthony to hook you up with a new training program to push you past your plateau.
Surround yourself with intense people. Working hard is easier when people around you are busting it, too. This is a big reason why working out with a high-intensity personal trainer like Paul Anthony can help you push your strength and lifting abilities to the next level – being inspired by people around you is the absolute best way to advance in your strength training in order to reach your goals. Research shows that simply having people watch you lift is motivation enough to add pounds to your weight.
Think “gym” outside of the gym. Gains don’t only happen when you’re at the gym, a big part of the process happens when you’re at rest. That means getting enough sleep (minimum 7 hours a night, but 8 is better), cutting back on the booze and consuming enough of the right calories to provide your body with the proper nutrition you need to recover and build healthy muscles. Boost the amount of lean protein you consume and say no to cookies and the fried stuff.
Make specific goals. This doesn’t mean “lose weight” or “get stronger”. Get down to the details. A good example of a specific goal is to want to achieve curling 40 lbs. for 5 sets of 5 reps two weeks from now. The benefit in this train of thought is that this is a goal that’s actually attainable, and you’ll sooner see the rewards of your work, as opposed to a 3-month, unspecific goal of having a shredded beach body.
Need more inspiration from one of Calgary’s best personal trainers? Or are you getting ready to take on Stage Competition Prep? Contact Paul Anthony today to get started by clicking on Contact to the left and fill out the form that pops out.
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