Blog

Weight loss can be a frustrating journey if there is no guidance, tracking, or goals set to help you along the way.

The scale can be a very intimidating thing for some people to jump on every other day, connecting their emotions to the numbers that it shows. Just remember the scale is here to assist your journey, just like your personal trainer.

The scale will show you if you’re in a calorie deficit (losing weight constantly) or not. Simply keep removing calories from your diet until the scale shows semi-consistent weight loss. (high and low weigh-ins will happen!)

Try your best to remove your feelings from whatever the number is and look at the big picture. Am I enjoying training, am I getting stronger, am I in a calorie deficit yet?

If you still can’t get yourself on the scale try some of the other methods like; Are my clothes fitting better, is my waist measurement decreasing, do I feel better?

Touch base with me if you decide a targeted nutrition plan with some personal training could be the key to get you on track with weight loss.

Always remember -The scale is just a tool to help you to win.🤙

Your fitness journey can be extremely frustrating at times. High/low weigh ins, not hitting numbers from the previous week’s training, blowing over your calories on the weekend and not having motivation to push yourself in some workouts.

It’s not as complicated as you might think and I can help you with addressing the areas you are struggling with.

Guess what!? This is normal. 🤯 We aren’t robots.

Your journey will almost never be lineal so stop expecting it to be. Roll with the punches and look at where you’re going wrong. You will be successful if you can ask or answer these questions…

If you are struggling to build strength

• Are you progressively overloading yourself?
• Are you doing enough volume?
• Is your technique good?
• Are you recovering well?
• Are you giving your body enough calories/macronutrients to perform?

If your body weight isn’t going down then whatever you are eating it’s to much….

• Are you tracking your calories?
• Are you constantly weighing yourself 3-4 times per week to see how your body is fluctuating?
• Can we add an extra day into your workout plan?
• Can we add more cardio?

It’s often very easy to see where people are going wrong. So where are you going wrong and how can Focus on Fitness support you?

The intensity of exercise should follow a progression which gives you room to grow. If you are starting a program with an intensity that is too high and/or weights that are too heavy you are limiting the amount of progression you can achieve. This can result in injury, plateau and frustration with your lack of progression.

Try this. Start your 8 week program with 65-70% of your 1 rep Max or estimated 1 rep Max (Bench, Deadlift, Squat). Then progress by adding small amounts of weight once a week over the 8 weeks. Then retest yourself and see how much progress you’ve made. 🏋

If you have noticed your form breaking down you have either added too much weight or your form might need adjustments.

If you’re unsure with your programming/exercise selection contact me for your complimentary session! 🙌

Progressing in the gym requires you to learn about yourself.

No two people are the same. We all struggle with different aspects of fitness whether it’s gym anxiety, adherence to a plan, binge eating, working around old / new injuries, overthinking every fitness decision or … you simply just don’t know what you’re doing at all. The list is endless.

Make an effort to pinpoint what you are struggling with and bring it up to your coach. Self reflection is the best method of understanding where you’re going wrong.

If you don’t have the tools to deal with something you are struggling with seek help from your coach or let them pass you onto someone who can help.

I am here to assist you. At Focus on Fitness Personal Training I want you to win. I want you to find the room to grow.

Failure while lifting safely is a massive part of your growth and the development of your training in the gym. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t want to fail more often than not as progress will be minimal. We all want progress.

Mentally failing at anything isn’t the best feeling but don’t let it disrupt your progress when moving forward. Getting support while training can help overcome these hurdles.

Learning where you went wrong in your lift is a big part of achieving your future lifts. There are many different reasons why you could be failing, for example;

• Are you struggling in a certain aspect of your lifts? (bottom or top)
• Are you racing through your weight training program and not giving your body enough time to adapt to the new stimulus?
• Are you getting enough sleep to recover from your training?
• Can improvements be made to your technique?
• Maybe just take 3 scoops of Pre-workout next time 🤷 (plz don’t)

Have a look at my client @rachelsfitness.ig smashing her previous training plateaus. 🙏  Rachel and I have been working together to improve her lifts with technique and slowly increasing her weights as she grows stronger.

Hit me up if you have any questions about your current gym training program and failure while lifting. That’s what I’m here for.💪

Supplements are heavily pushed throughout the fitness industry but do you really need them? If yes… What? When? How?

Supplement

1. a thing added to something else in order to complete or enhance it.

Before even thinking about taking any supplements are you doing the fundamentals correctly?

Are you:

• Sleeping 7 – 9 hours every night
• Eating 3 – 4 nutrient dense meals somewhat evenly spaced throughout the day (don’t be arobot)
• Hitting your protein goals (1.8g – 2.2g per Kg of body weight per day)
• Training 3 – 4 times a week
• Drinking 3 litres of water a day

If you are doing the list above then let’s talk about supplements.

• Protein powders: Protein is an essential macronutrient that helps build muscle, repair tissue, and make enzymes and hormones. (1.8g – 2.2g per Kg of your body weight should be your daily intake)
• Creatine monohydrate: Creatine is a substance that is found naturally in muscle cells. It helps your muscles produce energy during heavy lifting or high-intensity exercise. Taking creatine as a supplement is very popular among athletes and bodybuilders in order to enhance strength, improve exercise performance and recovery.
• BCAA’s: Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are a group of three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine. BCAA supplements are commonly taken in order to boost muscle growth and enhance exercise performance. Also they reduce fatigue after exercise.
• Vitamins and minerals: depending on how hard you train, training can be very taxing on the body. Taking glucosamine for joints, magnesium for muscle repair, fish oil as an anti- inflammatory and vitamin D general overall health and well-being.
• Pre workouts: can be used as a TOOL to stimulant the nervous system before a intense session. Providing added energy to help you get through a tough workout.
• Fat Burners: no study’s show that they actually reduce fat cells within the body. 🤷

The average person who just wants to train for good health shouldn’t need many supplements. If you don’t have the basics in place or have some particular health issues then talk to me or your PT, a nutritionist or dietitian or your GP.