Strength Training, But Not Seeing Results?
Updated August 6, 2019
Doing ALL the things? Lifting (as you should be) regularly, but not really seeing the gorgeous muscle that you’re after?
You’ve been going at it for a while now (longer than 2-3 months) and yet, you’re not seeing the lean, toned muscle that you expected?
You’re not alone!
Creating the lean, toned look that many women want is actually a bit challenging. In fact, it is exactly why I do what I do!
Be sure to click on the video below to hear my thoughts on this topic. But first….
3 Key Considerations to SEEING the Muscle
- Are you eating enough to build it? Rule #1 in muscle development is that you must be eating enough calories every day to inspire your muscle to change. The more eager you are to generate more muscle, the more you have to eat. Now, there is a delicate balance here because in order to eat enough, you also risk adding a bit of body fat. Finding the right number of calories where you can inspire muscle growth and minimize body fat is where it’s at! If you are really struggling with adding muscle, try adding 200-300 calories per day to your normal diet. Give it 4-6 weeks and reassess.
- Is your muscle hidden under a layer of body fat? Muscle lies close to your bones, underneath your skin and body fat. Clearly, the more body fat you have, the less you’ll see your muscle. While this is in conflict with #1 above, the key to seeing the muscle is to reduce your body fat. This means fewer calories and strategic cardio. In a perfect world, you would follow #1 above to add muscle, then shift into #2 here to burn off the extra body fat.
- Do you need to put in more effort in the gym? At the end of the day, building muscle really does come down to subjecting your body to a stimulus that is strong enough to inspire muscle growth. You may think you are working hard during your strength workouts, but are you? Remember, in my book Lift to Get Lean, I teach that the last two reps of every set of every workout need to be extra challenging. If those last two reps are as perfect as the first two, you probably aren’t working hard enough and it’s time to increase your weight loads.
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Stay strong, friend.
why is it that every trainer tells you something different as to weight training it drives me insane you dont know what to do
I know!!!!! Health and fitness is a very complicated topic! Thankfully, their are many professionals just like me who are passionate about helping people like you! I encourage you to find the fitness authority tat resinates with your own beliefs about health and fitness.
I use to be a group fitness instructor and Zumba instructor. I now am focusing on my massage therapy practice. I am so thankful I have always had a passion for health, wellness, and fitness…I am also very thankful for this women’s strength nation website. Holly’s professional fitness advice is wise and motivating. People are so overloaded with information these days…it’s nice to be able to rely on true facts about women’s strength training and overall fitness…I have experienced first hand how it feels to be over weight and depressed…I have found it boils down to this…find some form of activity you enjoy and always have an open mind to try new activities to challenge yourself…and always nourish your body with healthy foods…thank you Holly for motivating and inspiring us.
Jessica!
Thank you so much for the wonderful comment. I do this for you, ladies. So happy you are a part of this growing community =)
In strength,
H