These four things are killing your progress.

Everyone wants to make progress in the gym.
Most people focus on what they should be doing: new workouts, new supplements, new routines.
But just as important is knowing what you should stop doing.

Here are four common habits that might be holding you back.

💤 You’re Neglecting your Recovery and Nutrition

You don’t get stronger in the gym, and you don’t really lose weight in the gym (more on this later). All this happens after the gym. The biggest thing keeping most people from hitting their goals isn’t their workouts. It’s their diet and sleep. You beat yourself up in the gym and break your body down. When you feed your muscles and rest, you actually begin to reshape and get stronger. Bad sleep and diet never allow you to actually get better.

You should be attempting to get 8 hours of good sleep, hitting your protein goals, and eating food that is appropriate for your goals.

⚡️ You’re Doing Too Much

People who come to me are often trying to fit more into their weekly routine. More cardio, more weight training, more everything. Sometimes this is beneficial, but people often have a twisted perception of what a good exercise routine looks like. You want to find a routine that is good for YOU.

Spending two hours exercising 5 days per week sounds cool, but it’s not. Something like this is not only hard to recover from, it is hard to stick to. It can be the best workout program ever, but if you can’t stick to it… IT SUCKS!!

Oftentimes, less is more when it comes to exercise.

🔥 You’re Tracking How Many Calories You Burn

This one’s my biggest pet peeve.
Don’t finish your workout, stop your watch, and immediately check how many calories you burned.
Don’t hit the gym to “earn” food and please don’t trust the cardio machine’s calorie guestimate.

I can crush a workout and burn 500–1000 calories… and eat those calories back in under three minutes (trust me).

Exercise has so many benefits: improved strength, mood, heart health, and confidence. But “burning calories” doesn’t even crack the top 10.

👀 You’re Comparing Your Progress to Others

It’s easy to look around the gym or scroll on social media and start to feel behind. But everyone’s fitness journey starts from a different place. Age, genetics, experience, and lifestyle all play a role. Comparisons will often make you feel discouraged. It can sometimes even cause you to quit.

A better approach is to track your own progress and try to beat yourself instead. And don’t forget, progress is not linear.

Cool post.

Miss last weeks post? Check it out here.

What the Heck is Progressive Overload 

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