If you're in a strength training program at the gym, you're probably trying to grow; could be size, strength, or endurance, but growth for most folks is the goal. So if you're purpose at the gym is to grow how do you know if you're achieving results? The most direct way to ensure growth is to use body metrics to track progress such as body fat% or lean body mass calculations. But what if you don't have access to or know how to use those things? Well, let's dive into your workouts and find out if you're in a program that's conducive to growth in the first place.
1. Do you have a program?
If you're not keeping track of your workouts how do you know if you did more weight than last week? Do you know if you're able to do more reps in an exercise? This does not have to be fancy but goal setting of any kind without a plan very rarely yields results, especially over the long term.
2. Does your workout have some type of progression?
Your body grows as an adaptation to stress when nutrition and recovery are adequate to do so. If your workout does not have a way of getting harder week by week at some point your workouts will no longer stress you. We use the gym to present positive stress in a way conducive to growth that's beneficial to our lives; if there are no increases in weight, the number of reps, or exercise types; you will plateau sooner or later.
3. Does your progression rate make sense?
People often use the "2 for 2" rule when how fast to increase weight. "When you can do two more reps with a given weight than you started with for two consecutive workouts, increase the weight". I use this type of methodology a lot in my simpler strength programs but if we want to get even more specific about 5% but no more than 10% a week is a relatively safe linear progression for most new participants to their strength routine. As for how fast that's highly dependent on the athlete.
4. Are you working out hard enough?
If you have a program that is progressive with proper nutrition and adequate recovery you should be growing. If you're not growing then, unfortunately, you may need to have a hard discussion about the amount of effort you're putting in at the gym with yourself. "But coach, I bust my %$$ in the gym and I'm still not seeing growth). If you're STILL not growing despite nailing your nutrition, recovery and applicable programming then let's address the last issue it could be.
5. Do you have frequent or chronic injuries/underlying health problems?
I can say unequivocally after 16 years of training experience that a person can grow while injured but they have to know how to do it intelligently while also addressing the root issue. You don't train through the pain; you have to work on dysfunction while also protecting yourself from further injury. If you have unresolved chronic pain that you refuse to address directly while trying to grow; you're probably not going to get the results you're looking for.
If you meet all the requirements above and week to week are not growing within your program; it's time to consult a health professional. There are a multitude of underlying health issues that could be stalling your program (hormonal, auto-immune disorders, circulatory issues) and would best be left to a professional. I hope this helps you on your journey and good luck with growth!
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