Disclaimer: I am not a fitness professional and everything written in this post should be used for informational use only and is not be taken as fitness advice.
When you start exercising more and are consistent with it, most people expect to see progress, and when that doesn’t happen, they get discouraged and sometimes quit. Everyone who exercises consistently wants great workouts where they break records every single time, but that is not reality; some will be great, others will be terrible, but most will be average. Bad workouts are something that everyone who exercises has experienced, and it is not a sign of failure; it’s part of a fitness journey. One bad workout or even a week of bad workouts will not ruin your fitness progress, but if it’s consistent and you can never reach your goals, it’s a red flag. The habits you build outside of your workout matter because they can either hurt or help improve your performance, because fitness isn’t just about showing up, and that is only part of it. Consistency is important for improved fitness, but that is only one piece of the puzzle, and there are so many other things that you didn’t realize can negatively affect your workout performance. Why are you are consistently seeing a decline in your workout performance? In this post, I am going to talk about why you may be seeing a decline in your workout performance and how to fix it.
You aren’t sleeping enough- Sleep is often something that a lot of people don’t prioritize as much as exercising, but if you do hard workouts a couple of times a week, I can’t stress enough how important it is to get good rest. How do you expect to have the energy to do a hard workout if you aren’t resting your body? People often do not realize that you will not have the energy to push yourself as hard if you don’t sleep enough. I live with chronic pain, and sometimes I struggle with insomnia, and my workout always suffers when I have a bad night. Yesterday I slept a little under six hours, and although my workout performance wasn’t terrible, it was definitely not my best performance, and I did better today when I got more sleep. Your poor sleep habits negatively affect your workout routine more than you think, and if you’re consistently struggling with insomnia, you shouldn’t be surprised when you struggle to complete your workout. Rest is just as important as the workout, and not sleeping enough could be the reason you are struggling to reach your goals.
You are not fueling properly- If you want to see fitness progress, it is important that you show up and actually do your routine, but fitness isn’t just about exercising; nutrition plays a major role in your results. Fasting for long periods of time and cutting calories might help you lose weight, but if you aren’t eating enough, that could be why you are struggling to complete your workouts. It is so important that you are fueling properly because the food you eat is what is going to give you the energy to be able to do your workout. I am a strong believer that everyone has different nutrition needs, and it depends on your activity level because not everyone needs to severely cut calories, and very active people probably shouldn’t do that. Make sure you are fueling properly because sometimes your workout routine isn’t the reason you are consistently having bad workouts, and the problem is that you’re not fueling properly.
You exercising too hard too often– When it comes to exercise, sometimes people think that you need to be doing hard workouts six days a week. It is important to push yourself during exercise because when you challenge yourself, it creates change, but exercising at a high intensity more often does not always get you quicker results. I used to walk with a weighted backpack five days a week but recently reduced to three because I was always sore and I found myself skipping my strength training routine. High-impact workouts burn a lot of calories but you aren’t going to be able to do them as often because it requires more energy and longer recovery time. If you are going hard, six days a week, and are struggling to complete your workout, try cutting back because the problem could be that you are pushing too hard too often and your body is exhausted. High-impact workouts with minimal recovery will often hurt your workout performance because overtraining does more harm than good.
You are bored with your routine- Fitness can be fun, and most people have many options and don’t have to force themselves to do a routine they are bored with. If I am doing an exercise that I think is boring, I notice my pace is a lot slower than when I do things that I enjoy. As a physically disabled person, I am more limited than a non-disabled person and can’t always choose a different form of exercise, and my exercises have to be based on what I can do, but I do try to make fitness fun as much as I can. People who enjoy exercising are more consistent, and it is so important to find a form of exercise that you enjoy. If you are struggling to make progress in your workouts and find yourself yawning during your routine, it might be a good idea to change things up. You might not be losing fitness progress and could be bored with it and aren’t as motivated to do it. Changing things up could be what you need to do to start seeing progress again.
You are skipping stretching– Regular stretching will not build muscle, and if you want to gain strength, you need to be strength training. Stretching can help improve workout performance because it helps increase flexibility in your joints, so you have better range of motion, which is so important during exercise. Most people are very consistent with doing their exercise routine, but when it comes to stretching, it is not as much of a priority, and people tend to skip it. Exercise causes your muscles to get stiff, and if you aren’t regularly stretching them, it could negatively affect your workout. When I am exercising, I always notice when I have been slacking on stretching because I am stiffer and struggle a little bit more. You don’t need a two-hour stretching routine, and something as little as five or ten minutes can help improve performance. Don’t skip stretching if you want to be able to push yourself as hard as you can.
Bad workouts are discouraging but completely normal because not every workout is going to be your best, and that is okay. It takes months and sometimes years before you start to see progress in your fitness, so be patient and don’t expect overnight results. Focus on the progress you are making over a long period of time because one workout is not a sign of failure, and it means you are human. There are a lot of things that can negatively affect your workout routine that are not within your control, and if you have chronic pain or are getting sick, you may notice a decline in your workout performance. If you are noticing consistent poor performance, instead of giving up, try to figure out what may be causing it because it is likely a fixable problem. Don’t punish yourself on hard days; be kind to yourself because sometimes you aren’t going to have the energy to exercise, and that is okay. What has negatively affected your workout performance? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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