Sadly, achieving bigger muscles and a fitter physique isn’t as simple as randomly selecting a handful of exercises and squeezing out a rep or two with utter disregard for strategy or form. That means unless you have mutant genetics, sparking continuous muscle growth or fat loss requires strict attention to detail in terms of your training and recovery. Neglecting to do so will leave you frustrated from lack of progress, and quite possibly, on the shelf with an injury.
To help you avoid those drawbacks, we spoke with CrossFit coach Patrick Solano, CSCS. Here are six signs you need to take a look at your training style and make some key adjustments.
If you’re experiencing pain of course you’re not lifting correctly, right? Not necessarily. Muscle soreness (which we’ll cover later) differs from joint pain. The latter of which can compromise your body’s ability to perform properly while escalating your risk of injury. That said, some people train with bad form and manage to avoid injury. There might be no immediate negative effects present, but there are consequences down the line.
“You can exercise with poor technique and still get stronger and develop muscle, but it’ll create bad movement patterns,” Solano says. “Although your body isn’t supposed to move that way, training the muscles with improper form does just that, and it can end up being painful and require you to retrain yourself to do the movements properly.”
2 of 6
Hero Images / Getty
You’ve Hit A Plateau
When you fail to make gains to achieve your fitness goals, it’s referred to as a plateau. If you’re not carefully monitoring how you train and recover, plateaus can become a common nuisance and a maddening source of irritation.
“When you plateau you’re either not adding enough variety or you’re not achieving the correct intensity,” explains Solano. “For example, if you’re always doing the same chest workout in the same order—incline bench, flat bench, push-ups—chances are you’re not going to get any stronger because the muscles adapt. You’re not changing enough to stimulate the muscles.”
According the Solano, beginners should plan to change up aspects of their routines every 4-6 weeks; more advanced lifters can alter things on a weekly basis. However, what you change also matters, which brings us to our next problem.
3 of 6
Erica Shultz
You’re Not Changing Enough
Along with the changing the exercises you choose to target a certain muscle or muscle group, you also need to switch variables like the intensity, set and rep schemes, and weight used.
“’Changing things up doesn’t mean you need to completely scratch out everything you did the previous week,” Solano says. “That term can mean using a cable or kettlebell instead of a dumbbell or barbell, or using a push-pull method instead of pairing up back with bis or chest with tris. For example, if you were to go from a pulldown to a bench press there is a chance you’ll work more efficiently and maybe even lift a little more weight because you’re using the agonist and antagonist muscles.”
4 of 6
Milkos / Getty
You’re Not Sore Enough
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)—known colloquially as: Ouch, I’m sore today from a tough lift—is common and typically occurs 24 to 48 hours after you put muscle under more stress than they’re used to handling.
“If you’re not pushing yourself to where you’re getting sore after a workout the chances are you’re either recovering incredibly well or the intensity isn’t high enough to create some sort of breakdown to feel sore.”
Of course, the opposite side to not being sore enough would be…
5 of 6
skynesher / Getty
You’re Too Sore
Remember what we said about DOMS? Well, being sore to the point where you need a stretcher to cart you from point A to point B isn’t good either. While microscopic tears in the muscle tissue can translate into gains when proper recovery methods are utilized, overdoing it can be a determent to your fitness goals.
“If you’ve worked out so hard that you can’t move it can cause your movement pattern to be off and limit the intensity you can apply to your next workout, “ Solano says. “Alternatively, it can also be a result of inadequate recovery.”
6 of 6
Martyn Goddard / Getty
You’re Gaining ‘Bad’ Weight
If you’re getting stronger but also seeing your gut expand, two things are most likely occurring: “Your physical activity isn’t matching your caloric intake, and you’re not performing enough multi-joint movements to burn enough calories,” he says.
He continues, “Compound movements involve multiple joints and muscle groups. The more muscles that are involved in each lift, the more calories you burn and the more energy you expend. Take the squat—you’re using the hips, knees, ankles, calves, etc. If you’re only doing leg extensions or hamstring curls, you’re removing all of the other muscle groups.”
