Something I really don’t like: spending lots of time at the gym and not seeing any results.
If you feel like your strength isn’t growing, here are some tips to help you start gaining again.
First: Check Your Expectations
Let’s get real—as much as we wish we could get stronger the moment we lift heavy, it doesn’t happen that way.
Building strength takes a long time, not just day by day. Our strength can go up and down based on what happens each day and how stressed we feel. Sometimes, you only notice you’ve gotten stronger when you look back after many weeks or months.
Expecting too much too soon can make things worse. It usually goes like this:
- Walk into the gym thinking you’ll lift a certain amount.
- Find it harder than you thought or fail.
- Think to yourself, “I’m not strong.”
- Not try as hard for the rest of your workout.
Gaining strength needs you to believe in yourself and keep trying, even when it’s tough. Don’t let a bad day stop you from working hard for your long-term goals.
Second: Eat Enough Food Not eating enough can really stop you from getting stronger.
“But Marcus, I’m eating less because I want to lose weight!”
You can still get stronger and lose fat at the same time without eating too much. But there might be limits. Depending on your situation, you might need to slowly start eating a bit more to help your body adjust.
How to eat more slowly:
- Keep track of your calories and protein.
- Add about 100 more calories each day.
- After a week or two, add 20% more.
- Watch your weight carefully.
The goal? To lift more without gaining much weight. By building more muscle and working hard in training, you can keep your body looking the same even with more food.
(Need help? Think about setting up a free chat to learn about Persist Platinum Coaching.)
Third: Keep Training Simple Lots of us like different workouts. I do too! But the longer I’ve trained, the simpler I keep my exercises—especially when I want to get stronger and build muscle.
Getting stronger means doing the same or similar exercises over and over, sometimes with just a small change in how many times you lift, how many sets you do, or how hard it feels.
Be ready to do similar workouts for a long time to see growth.
Fourth: Find Exercises That Work for You
Not every exercise is good for everyone. I learned this after getting back pain from deadlifts, even though I tried to keep perfect form. Things changed when I saw a video by Sam Dancer, a great deadlifter. He showed how rounding his back a little helped keep his ribs down safely while lifting.
This small change made me feel safer right away and helped me lift 15% more in just three months.
Keep an open mind about trying new exercises. Sometimes, you need to change things up to find what helps your body the best. I’m even trying a different way to hold the bar when bench pressing because of my shoulder.
Changing the angle, stability, or the tool you use can really help you find new strength.
Lastly, sticking to your training plan is crucial for gaining strength. At SQD5, we ensure you enjoy the exercise program. It’s designed to be not only effective in delivering results but also motivational, helping you maintain consistency and enthusiasm in your fitness journey. That’s why your feedback is so important to us—it helps us tailor our training to better meet your needs and keep you inspired.
