9 Tips To Help You See Results When Weight Training.

Are you killing it at the gym and not seeing results? Maybe you’re just getting started at weight training and you’re hoping to get some advice so you have a fair idea of what you’re getting yourself into. The last time I did any sort of weight training was about 20 years ago and during this time I had put on considerable weight, was terribly out of shape and as I soon found out, very weak!

The first few months there was a bit of weight loss and I was starting to get stronger, so my confidence level skyrocketed and my daily trip to the gym was something I quite looked forward to. But then came the sort of plateau where I wasn’t seeing any GAINS! It was frustrating and quite demoralizing. I knew I had to do something fast or I would give up! I then took a closer look at what I was doing or not doing which could lead me to answer why the gym was starting to be tedious.

Now let’s be clear, I’m not a Personal Trainer and the following tips I’m about to share are from personal experience and observations.

• plan and visualize your workout before you get to the gym. Most people use a chart, app or as in my case, I make a mental note of which exercises I’ll be doing, which machines I want to use and how long at each station
• be flexible so if a machine is in use you can easily move onto something else (the gym can get crowded during peak times) and keep the pump going
• I like mixing up my workout for the same body part, so this way my workout is not repetitive. I don’t get bored and my muscles are continuously challenged. YouTube is an excellent resource for exercise and workout ideas, with actual demos.
• chart your progress (a workout journal) use an app if it’s more convenient
• rest between sets, but don’t use this as an excuse to socialize.
• pre-workout cardio and stretching (post workout as well) to avoid injury and to bring up your core temp so you can maximize your workout.
• balance your workout (all body parts). By giving the proper amount of work to all the muscles you will be able to prevent imbalances and the potential for self induced injuries from improper training!
• REST! Recovery takes a lot of energy and since most of us deal with a lost of stress in our daily lives like jobs, family, etc. We give up a ton of energy to other things than training
• NUTRITION!  Fueling your body before, during and post workout is VERY important. We could easily write a book or set of encyclopedias on the topic of nutrition, but for now let common sense be your guide and I also encourage you to do some research. A great place to start is at a nutrition center, but be warned that they (unscrupulous ones) will try to sell you stuff you don’t need.

In a future article I will spend some more time on DIET, as this was one of my major weaknesses. Not just what I ate, but when and the lack of implementing portions into my meals. I work from home and work extremely long hours, so my ‘eating’ schedule didn’t reflect that of a ‘normal’ human being. That I’m working on and it’s turning out to be one of the areas which is allowing me to see considerable GAINS! I’m now stronger today than when I was a vigorous 21 year old and I’ve started back dropping the kilos.

Do you have some tips you’d like to share? Please leave them in the comment section below.