Workout not working? This could be why!

For those of you who have been logging hour after hour on your home gym equipment but not achieving the sort of results you were hoping for, it could be a sign that your workout is not working for you.

This can happen once you’ve spent a good amount of time engaging in physical activity, and it gives you an opportunity to reassess your fitness plan. Not only can you re-evaluate your current workout regimen, but it’s also a chance to think back on your goals and determine if you’re on the right course. Maybe when you started you were hoping to lose so many pounds, but looking back, you might realize you don’t need to drop weight so much as you need to replace fat with muscle. Or, if your initial goal was to run faster on your fitness treadmill such as the True PS100 Home Treadmill, you might now realize that you actually need to improve your endurance levels first.

Regardless of your end goals, not seeing any improvements after a few months of regular exercise means you need to make some changes. Here are some reasons why your workout may not be working for you:

Exercise feels like a chore
When hitting the home elliptical machine like the True M30 Home Elliptical Machine feels like a chore or an obligation, it can be a real challenge to find the excitement in your session. It can also lead to finding excuses to skip your workout altogether, which can really set you back.  A lingering lack of enthusiasm toward exercise means you should try mixing things up. This can happen if you repeat the same program over and over. Instead, try doing it in reverse, use another home cardio machine or create a new routine for yourself. Pretty soon, you might start looking forward to hitting the home gym again.

You always feel exhausted
Engaging in regular exercise should give you more energy, not make you exhausted. If you are constantly feeling tired, it could be a sign that you’re overtraining. Working out too intensely or too frequently makes you more susceptible to injury and it doesn’t give your body enough time to rest and recover. Therefore, your workout leaves you feeling tired and weak instead of pumped up and strong. If this sounds like you, examine your current fitness plan and maybe cut out one or two days or shorten your sessions. Once you start to feel balanced and more energized, you can add some extra sessions back in.

You can power through a workout
Those who can make it through an entire workout session without really breaking a sweat or feeling challenged at all aren’t exercising intensely enough. In order to see any results, your body needs to be pushed to affect change. If you don’t feel the slightest bit fatigued at the end of your workout than you did at the start, it’s time to make some changes. This could include running at a faster speed or higher incline, or upping the resistance level. When using the rate of perceived exertion, it should be a challenge to have a conversation and you should be breathing heavily during the most intense parts of each session.

The scale is moving in the wrong direction
Unless your goal is to add more pounds or gain weight, the numbers going up on the scale are a sure sign that something is not working. Muscle weighs more than fat and could be a reason the numbers aren’t changing, but if you’re not seeing increasing muscle definition, there could be more of an issue. It could be that you reward yourself with sweet or unhealthy treats upon completing workouts. While indulging occasionally is OK, exercise is not a free pass to eat whatever you want. Instead of giving in to that slice of cake after a great ride on your stationary bike, maybe save up and treat yourself to a massage or invest in new riding clothes.