5 reasons why workouts lose its effectiveness

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For the first five months of my workouts, I was having little results in terms of muscle growth and endurance. That’s when I started thinking about the reasons to why a workout might be ineffective. I found out that there is more to workouts that what meets the eye.

There are a lot of reasons to why a workout might be ineffective. Some of them are personal and completely depend upon how the person does it. But there are more ‘technical’ reasons as well. That is what I like to cover in this post.

Then, there is the ‘form’

If you can’t do it right, it’s best not to do it at all. All workouts are based on a certain set of rules (the direction of movement, speed, intensity etc.). When someone alters the movement for getting some extra reps, that leads to bad form.

Also, there is a wide range of minor and major injuries waiting for those who love bad form. There are different variations to bad form. Here are some of them:

• Speed variation: The typical workout session includes a 2-sec up and 2-sec down (like in push-ups) for each repetition. However, this slow pace limits a workout sessions to 8-9 reps (depending upon the weight). The faster the reps, the more the risk for injuries.
• More weights, more gain: Workouts do not go this way. It’s “no pain, no gain” here. The idea is to use the appropriate weights that a person can lift. Taking it too far leads to bad form (and some serious back problems as well).
• Using the body while working out: Take bench press for example. You can only lift a certain amount of weight. After that, you are going to use your whole body, from head to toe, for doing a single rep. This happens when you do push-ups, bicep curls and any other workouts. This is caused by pushing ourselves too far.

Yes, intensity is the one thing we cannot measure while working out. Many confuse it with the weight they lift. While that may be justified, the notion of intensity in ‘workouts’ are completely different.

The intensity of a workout is determined by the combination of how we perceive the workouts, and the actual weights we lift. It’s how we feel while doing the workouts that determine the level of intensity. (For example, doing a hundred push-ups is different than doing a hundred ab crunches.)

Different types workouts require different levels of intensity levels. Let’s talk about the popular forms of workouts and it’s intensity requirements.

1. Aerobic exercise: This is mainly a vigorous workout and are used by women in general. Aerobic activities like aerobic dancing rely heavily on the speed and less on form. It’s basically for burning fat, not for serious muscle developing.
2. Weight training: Of course, this is what I have been saying so far. The amount of time for each session depends upon how much you can endure. The intensity levels are determined by the targeted muscles (biceps, triceps, abs etc.).
3. Body weight training: Workouts that rely on body weight (like push-ups and pull-ups) are intense as it is. The lower the speed, the more intense the workout is. I wouldn’t waste much time with body weight. (Beginners should rely on these workouts.)
4. Cardio, in general: Basic cardio like walking, running and jogging are moderate to vigorous activities. It requires moderate intensity and much speed for effectiveness.

There is not universal limit to intensity. Each of us have our own level of endurance. Remember that it’s always easy to take things too far. Limit the intensity to a level that can be endured.

The power of creativity

Creativity plays an important role in getting the best out of a workouts. Imagining about the end result and striving to be worthy of that result can motivate us.

Similarly, if I think I’ll fail, I will definitely fail. This happens all the time. I see people going into the gym, and they attend all sorts of fitness classes for months. Then, one day, the inspiration is gone. Just like that!

Mental images and experimenting with different workouts can transform a mediocre workout into an effective one. Motivation and focus comes from one’s creativity and imagination.

Never give up or back down!

This is an age-old advice given to any new bodybuilder.

Persistence, motivation and focus are the three elements a bodybuilder need to understand. There are different paths to success, but only one path matters: the right one! Am I right?

Take the damage, never back down. This must not stop a person from throwing in the towel when the limit is reached.

A reality check!

If you take a minute to search the internet, you can find tonnes of “steroids” and all sorts of “supplements” that can double your muscle growth. It’s time for a reality check. Reality is different that what we want it to be.

It’s a fool’s dream to think that anybody can top Arnold Schwarzenegger within years. There is no way a human being can do that ‘naturally.’ Why? Here are some reasons:

Most of my model bodybuilders (not the famous ones) got their body from intense workouts for years. It takes decades of workouts. Time and patience are important for proper workouts.