If you’re hitting the gym regularly but not seeing the results you want, it can feel incredibly frustrating. You might even feel like you’ve tried every workout program out there. Often, the problem isn’t your entire routine, but rather a few smaller things you might be overlooking.
Think about it like a doctor’s visit: sometimes you need a diagnosis to figure out what’s really going on. Are your rest periods too long or too short? What rep range are you using? Are you doing too much or too little? Do you even have a clear goal? These small details can really sabotage your efforts. Without understanding them, you’ll just keep trying new things without getting anywhere.
While not everyone can afford a personal trainer, we can get pretty close to figuring things out together. Let’s break down some key aspects of your training to get to the bottom of why you’re not making progress.
Understanding Your Workout’s "Control Panel"
In the fitness world, we call these "resistance training variables." They’re the adjustable parts of your workout plan that help you achieve specific goals. Whether you want to get stronger, build muscle, increase power, or improve endurance, these variables are like your control panel, your strategy for success.
These are general guidelines, especially helpful if you’re just starting out. Of course, there’s always room to adjust for your personal preferences, but consider these your starting point. Later, we’ll use them to put together a sample plan for you.
1. Your Main Goal
First things first: what’s your ultimate goal? Do you want to build muscle and change your body shape? Get stronger? Simply feel better and healthier? Maybe a mix of all three? Most people want to transform their bodies and improve how they feel, so let’s focus on that.
If your aim is to change your physique, building muscle and strength is the best path. Nothing will reshape your body more effectively than training for muscle growth. Don’t worry about getting "too bulky" – that’s much harder than it sounds and usually requires extreme measures we’re not talking about here.
2. How Heavy and How Many Reps?
The weight you lift (load) and the number of times you lift it (reps) go hand-in-hand. If you’re lifting very heavy, you won’t be able to do many reps. The opposite is also true. For building muscle, we’ll generally aim for a moderate rep range of 8 to 12.
If you enjoy lifting heavier weights and your joints are in good shape, go for it! But if your joints have seen some wear and tear, like mine, a higher rep range (like 10 to 20 for most exercises) might be better.
What’s more important than the exact rep range is how you perform those reps and your rest periods. The key is to get as close as possible to "momentary muscular failure" – that point where you can’t complete another rep with good form. Studies show that hitting failure on most sets and managing your rest periods are crucial for muscle growth, regardless of the rep range.
3. Resting Between Sets
From what I’ve seen in countless gyms, people often completely ignore their rest periods. You’ll see folks having long, detailed conversations between sets, especially during big lifts like bench presses and squats. They might think that resting longer will make them stronger or bigger.
And yes, if your only goal is to be a powerlifter and lift the absolute heaviest weight possible, then resting three, four, or even five minutes between sets makes sense. But if you want to build a noticeable amount of muscle, you need to pay closer attention to how long you’re resting. For muscle growth, aim for about one to two minutes between sets.
Building muscle isn’t just about strength; it’s also about activating as many muscle fibers as possible and then fatiguing them. Think of it as training your body’s capacity to grow, rather than just moving weights. This approach helps you focus less on the exact weight you’re lifting and more on the effort.
4. Workout Volume
Simply put, volume is the total number of sets you do in a workout. Some people get more detailed by including reps or even weight, but for now, let’s just stick to counting sets.
Volume is often misunderstood. People tend to overdo it for "vanity muscles" like chest and biceps, doing tons of sets, while completely neglecting their leg workouts. You’ve probably seen it – people doing an embarrassingly low number of sets for their legs.
Moderation is key with volume. A good rule of thumb is to start with the lowest effective amount and go from there. For example, begin with 6 to 10 sets for larger body parts (like chest, back, and quads) and 6 to 8 sets for smaller areas (like arms, shoulders, and calves).
5. How Often You Train (Frequency)
Frequency is another variable that often gets overlooked but can be a powerful tool for building muscle when used correctly.
Here’s some simple math: most people train each body part once a week. That means you stimulate your entire body to grow 52 times a year. That’s 52 opportunities! But what if you trained everything twice a week? That jumps to 104 opportunities a year for stimulated growth. And three times a week? That’s 156 opportunities! Of course, there’s a limit to how much your body can handle, repair, and grow, especially with life’s demands.
So, for a practical approach, let’s aim to train each body part twice a week.
6. Exercise Choices
Now that we understand the basics, let’s talk about choosing the best exercises for your program. Most exercises work well for different goals like strength, muscle growth, power, or endurance. What matters more is how you apply the variables we just discussed. However, some exercises are simply better choices if your goal is to build noticeable muscle.
It’s best to stick with "multi-joint" exercises that work several muscles at once. These include all types of presses for your chest and shoulders, rows and deadlifts for your back, and squats, leg presses, and lunges for your legs. Add a few "single-joint" movements for your arms and calves, and you’ll have a well-rounded routine.
The Power of Consistency
As important as all those training variables are, there’s one factor that can make or break everything: consistency.
You can design the absolute best workout plan with all the optimal variables, but if you don’t stick to it regularly, it will never be as effective as it could be.
Building a strong habit of showing up on your planned training days, putting in the necessary effort, and focusing on proper recovery will push you toward your goals more than anything else.
Even on those days when you’re just not "feeling it" or your energy is low, that consistent habit will keep you moving forward and make a huge difference in the long run. The goal isn’t to crush every single workout – that’s unrealistic and leads to burnout. The real secret is simply showing up every day and doing your best.
How to Keep Making Progress
One of the most common questions I get is about how to keep progressing in a program. In strength and conditioning, we have a simple and effective method called the "2 for 2 rule."
Here’s how it works: Once you can perform two extra reps beyond your target rep range for two consecutive workouts, it’s time to increase the weight slightly for your next workout. For upper body exercises, you can usually add 5 to 10 pounds. For lower body exercises, you can increase by 10 to 20 pounds.
A Sample Workout Plan
This example workout is designed for four training days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday), hitting each body part twice. Feel free to do light recreational activities on Wednesdays and weekends. Remember to rest one to two minutes between sets.
Monday and Thursday
- Incline barbell or machine press: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
- Flat dumbbell press: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
- Close-grip pull-up: 3 sets of as many reps as possible
- Bent-over barbell or machine row: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
- Seated dumbbell shoulder press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
- Dumbbell shrug: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
- Exercise ball or floor crunch: 3 sets of 20 reps
Tuesday and Friday
- Single-leg dumbbell calf raise: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
- Barbell squat or leg press: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
- Lying leg curl: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
- Barbell or dumbbell curl: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
- Triceps cable press down: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
- Hanging or lying leg raise: 3 sets of 20 reps
Wrapping Up
If your current fitness routine isn’t delivering the results you hoped for, it’s definitely worth taking these steps to figure out what’s going on. Apply each of these variables thoughtfully, pay close attention to how you execute your workouts, and work hard to build a habit of consistency. With a little patience and persistence, you’ll be back on track and making progress again in no time.