I think we're all guilty of trying a new diet for a week and wondering where the hell our abs are at. Additionally, I think we all know it does take time to notice a change when switching up our routine. That is why this week I am going to talk about key features that will help keep you motivated within your journey.
Lets start with the most common question "How many times a week do I have to workout to see change?". Now it all depends on you as an individual but overall 3 workouts a week is the recommended number. Now, a lot of people think you have to workout 2x a day for 6 days a week to really see results and while this may work for some, I think for the average joe (like you and me) its a no.
Ultimately, the 'intense' factor of your workouts plays a huge part. You could complete 2 classes back to back in the gym but you wont burn anymore calories than just doing 1. Why are you doing another class? Surely you should've worked out hard enough in the first one to knacker yourself out. Do you see what I'm trying to get at? As long as you put 110% into your workouts it doesn't matter if you do 3 workouts a week of 6, what matters is you're putting that work in and will see results.
Which brings me onto my next point. When should you expect to see results? Depending on what you have altered in your routine it can depend. It can range from 4 weeks to 1 year. Say if you're losing weight, you might see changes within 4 weeks. However, If you are wanting to build muscle that can take up to a year as you have to up your food consumption and make sure you are implementing progressive overload within your workouts. So the true answer? Who knows. What's important is to keep reminding yourself WHY you started and WHY you enjoy doing it? Try to enjoy the journey along with the results!
Tracking results. Now you have an idea of the hard work you're about to put in lets talk about how you can keep on top of keeping yourself motivated. Different methods to track your journey:
Taking measurements
Before and after pictures
Tracking weights used (for different lifts)
These are the 3 key tracker methods you NEED to help you look back at your progress. Personally, the one that helped me the most was before and after pictures. Since we see ourselves all day everyday, we don't notice changes as well as we think we do. Having photographic evidence to compare next to each other can help so much in not only seeing your progress but getting you hyped up if you're feeling down. Also, for me what makes me realise how far I have come is tracking weights used. Now, I don't track every workout (I'm too lazy lol) but when I think back to starting out weightlifting I am so much stronger now.
So now you know the tools to plan your workouts and ways to track your journey I would say you're ready to go and get it. Remember, we all have down days and even I have days where if I don't feel like a workout I will give myself a rest day. So listen to your body and try to follow your instincts.
Thanks for reading,
Annie
Comments