Not seeing progress in your abs or thighs? Most of us get into the habit of looking for progress in a specific area. We do a lot of ‘targeted’ exercise, maybe skip a meal here and there and are disappointed when we don’t see change. I get it! I used to do the same thing. Here are some things I wish I understood before:
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🔸Focusing on visible changes in area X means you might be missing progress in area Y and Z. My mid section changes VERY slowly, but my upper body and back lean out very quickly.
🔸You should always prioritize consistency with good nutrition and workouts (especially resistance training) is important no matter what your goals.
🔸There are no quick fixes
🔸No supplement is magic and can guarantee amazing results. PUT IN THE WORK!
🔸Give it time! The length of time you think it will take to achieve X results and the reality of how long it will take, are likely VERY different. If you gained 15 pounds last year, you can’t expect to healthfully lose that all in a month.
🔸While anything is possible with hard work, genetics play a role in where we gain and lose fat first. Ex. I have some clients get visible abs in 8 weeks, but they’re frustrated because they really just want to see more of a change in their legs.
🔸Track progress is several ways so you don’t get discouraged. There are lots of different ways: how your clothes fit, strength gains, energy levels, mental well being, measurements, body fat scans, the scale, for more
Some ways to track include:
🔸Progress pics
🔸Strength gains
🔸Body measurements
🔸How your clothes fit
🔸Weight
🔸Mental growth
🔸Caliper measurements
🔸InBody scan (left)
🔸Dexa scan (right)
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Stick to ways of tracking that encourage your efforts. There’s nothing worse than second guessing or negating your hard work because a machine tells you X, even though prior to using it you were feeling really good/proud of your hard work.
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Also, if you are going to track your bf %, it’s important to make sure you’re always comparing apples to apples. Comparing a DXA scan to an InBody scan isn’t going to serve you well (like the above image). And keep in mind these are estimations because it isn’t possible to know your exact body fat while you’re alive.
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At the end of the day these numbers don’t mean much to me. What I see in the mirror, my strength gains and how my clothes fit are all better indicators of my hard work in my opinion.
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What’s your favourite way(s) to track your progress?