If you're reading this, the answer is most likely no.
You may believe that your nutrition is holding you back, and you are probably correct, but your training is most likely not helping....
If you want to see a positive change, you must first understand what you want to achieve, what you need to do to achieve it, and how to apply it. You can rely on trial and error; you might get lucky, but you might go through the motions and accomplish nothing.
Before I begin, I'd like to state that I don't expect you to know what to do. The topic of optimal training and nutrition for results is a difficult one.
When I need to file a tax return, my accountant does it for me. Why? Because I'm a dreadful accountant. I could look it up online, have him show me how to do it, or not pay taxes and go to jail.
But I don't think so. I have him do it for me because it saves me time and money and keeps me out of jail for the time being.
I'm not saying this to sell you my coaching; I'm just saying that if you want to maximize your results, you should do some serious research or seek advice from an expert.
While I won't cover every detail here, I'll do my best to point you in the right direction.
Are you training to achieve your specific goals?
This may seem obvious, but it always amazes me how many people's training is entirely unrelated to their goals. If you want to build or maintain muscle, you must engage in training promoting muscle growth/maintenance. If you want to get fitter, you must engage in training that encourages your body to become more aerobically efficient.
If you don't know how to train, seek advice because it could completely transform your results.
Are you training your body parts evenly avoiding imbalances?
People make some poor decisions when it comes to deciding which muscles to train and how often to train them.
Mirror muscles are often maligned, whereas those that support good posture are often overlooked and underutilized. Focus on working your body evenly when planning your workouts for a lower risk of injury, better posture, and strength. Matching your sets for horizontal press/pull, vertical press/pull, and posterior/anterior chain for the lower body and core is an excellent way to do this.
If you don't know which movements work which muscles, this is a great place to start. There are thousands of exercises to choose from, but starting with a few simple movements makes a lot of sense.
Several examples
Bodyweight rows = Push-ups
Lat pull down – Shoulder press
Rear delt fly – Chest fly
Triceps – Biceps
Romanian deadlifts – Squats
Back extensions – Knee raises
Is your training plan sound?
The frequency with which you train your muscles, the order in which you perform them, and the breakdown of each session and week of training all have an impact on your results.
Working with each muscle group twice a week is a good muscle training frequency. It enables you to train with a high total volume for each muscle group while also providing an adequate stimulus for adaptation.
It is usually better to do heavier and/or more technical movements earlier in your sessions when it comes to movement sequence. Later in the session, do lighter, more isolated movements.
Going from a barbell bench press to a tricep pushdown is an example of this. Isolation work can be beneficial prior to compound movements in some cases to pre-exhaust muscles, but it is generally preferable to be fresh and strong for the movements that can handle more load.
Are you exercising safely?
The order of your movements, frequency, volume, and form all affect the safety of your training.
One of the first things to consider is whether you are performing exercises correctly. Certain, if not most, movements that are performed incorrectly can quickly result in injury. Overworking muscles can lead to injury, and training when tired can lead to injury.
To avoid problems, seek advice on your form and training schedule. The worst thing for progress is being unable to train, and I have worked with many people who have suffered from severe injuries caused by training without proper care.
Are your rep ranges, sets, rest, tempo, ROM, load, overload, and frequency appropriate?
I'm frequently asked what the best muscle-building exercises are. The truth is that the movements are less important than the other changing factors. This is likely the most complicated topic today because there are many moving parts, but these factors contribute more to your progress than deciding whether to load with dumbbells or a barbell.
"Rep" is an abbreviation for "repetition," It refers to one complete motion of an exercise.
And a "set" is a number of reps performed in a row without rest.
The amount of time you take between sets to recover is referred to as rest.
The tempo is the rate at which you perform your reps.
The range of motion for the lift is referred to as ROM.
The weight that you select is referred to as the load.
Frequency refers to how frequently you exercise a muscle.
Overload is the gradual increase in muscle stress caused by changing one or more of the preceding reps, sets, rest, tempo, ROM, load, and frequency (but not all at once.)
What rep ranges do I require to achieve my objectives?
Strength
For maximum strength gains, 1-5 reps are typically used. However, if you are a beginner lifter, I would not recommend training in this rep range until your form is perfect.
Strength/hypertrophy
6-8 reps: This is a good range for most people because it provides a good balance of strength and muscular gains.
Muscular endurance/hypertrophy
The majority of people use a rep range of 9 to 12 reps. However, most people do not train at the appropriate intensity in this range.
Instead, they finish lifting a weight for 12 reps instead of 20. As with any rep ranges, the load must be appropriate for the reps; for example, if it is 12 reps, you should be lifting a weight that you can lift for 12 reps, not 15, 20, or 100.
Muscular hypertrophy/endurance
13+ reps: While 12 reps are often considered the cutoff for hypertrophy, muscle building and muscular endurance benefits are in this range. This is also an excellent rep range for beginners to develop proper form and movement control.
Sets
The rules of sets are not set in stone, but more reps usually equal fewer sets. To see results, your muscles require a certain amount of volume.
Lifting a weight for only one set isn't going to help you much. We also want to avoid overtraining a particular muscle group. So, for example, 15 reps of squats in 15 sets is not a good idea!
4-6 sets of 1-5 reps
3-5 sets of 6-8 reps
3-4 sets of 9-12 reps
2-3 sets of 13+ reps
As previously stated, this is not set in stone, but these are reasonable guidelines.
Rest
1–5 repetitions Resting for 3-5 minutes after each set is ideal to allow for a near-complete recovery.
6-8 rep range with a 2-3 minute rest interval is typical.
Ranges of 9-12 reps You'll want to be there between 60 seconds and 2 minutes.
13+ reps with a rest period ranging from 10 to 120 seconds.
Working out the larger muscles is much more taxing than, the smaller ones, so you will need more rest.
I hope you find this post helpful and I also hope it has left you with questions as well as answers. There are always ways we can improve our training, often drastically, and having questions is a great place for continued learning.
