It is weird that you have joined the gym but there are no changes on the weighing scale. You are here to lose weight or gain weight but you have been working out at the gym for more than a month and there are no changes on the weighing scale. At this point, you are wondering if your gym routine is working?
Or probably you are in the gym to gain height but you don’t see any change on the height scale either! Now you are worried if you are doing things right at the gym, you need signs if you are following a good workout. Well, don’t worry because there is more to the gym than there exists on the cover, or in this case the scale.
Here are the top 9 ways to verify if your gym routine is working. If you pass at even one of these, then well you are on the right path and not staggering away from the methods of the gym.
1. More Energy
Once you get into the good workout routines, your body will feel the need to create more energy than it used to. Instead of not digesting food completely or storing away energy, your body will make it available for use.
On days, when you don’t go to the gym or when you go to the gym in the evening, you will feel a lot active during the day. Running longer distances will become easier. A bike ride with your friend will make you feel like you are not even trying but you are still leading the pack. Climbing a fleet of stairs will become way too easy.
You won’t see all of these changes in the mirror but your body will tell you, in fact shout at you that your gym routine is working.
2. More Strength
Opening a pickle jar isn’t that tough anymore!
The strength actually comes without you knowing about it because the process is gradual. You will not realize it right away but you will eventually find it easy to lift your gym bag.
If you have been working out for more than 4 weeks, then try lifting the dumbbell you lifted on the first day, it will feel a lot lighter. In fact, if you were afraid of 25 lbs (15kg) dumbbells on the first day like most bros and broettes are, then trying lifting it when you go to the gym next. You’ll learn there’s nothing to be afraid of anymore.
One thing that happened to me, when I was a beginner was whenever I closed the lid of a water bottle no one in the house can open it except me. I just closed it like I used to, but my parents told me it’s a lot tighter. The strength just comes in naturally without you realizing it.
3. Gaining Weight instead of Losing it
You have been trying to lose weight when you came in, but instead of losing weight you have started gaining weight, is the scale lying to you?!
Well, no.
The scale is not lying you’ve actually gained weight but gaining weight is not always bad. The density of the muscle is a lot more than the density of fat. Meaning, that if we have the same size of muscle and fat, the muscle would weigh a lot more. So, if you are gaining muscle you will gain weight.
If you lose fat and gain muscle you will put on weight slowly, but if you are gaining muscle a lot faster than losing fat, then you will put weight a lot rapidly.
In most cases, there is nothing to worry about. The only circumstance where you should worry is when you are not gaining strength and you have a very bad diet.
4. Increased determination
You won’t get tired soon and you will have an urge to do things you’ve failed at. If you failed at putting the basket in the first try, you are going to try again and you will do it unless you succeed, that is if you are interested in basketball.
If you are planning to run a marathon, something inside of you will wake you up every morning and make you prepare for it. A lot of things like these will happen, even when it comes to studying or preparing for a client call. Missing out on the gym would be out of the question.
The reason behind this is the fact that you don’t feel tired easily. You have a lot of energy in you and we generally keep trying until we are tired. It is the way your body feels, more energetic, not lazy, not slouched, you feel positive about yourself and your body and that increases your determination. That is the result of your gym routine working for you.
5. More confident in the gym
Remember the first day when you walked into the gym, all shy and afraid. When you didn’t know the reason why you are even there? Well now you know what you are doing, you are not afraid to show off your body in the dressing room, you are not shy to talk to the gym who does 100 pounds on bicep curl.
You walk in the gym with a sense of confidence, don’t look for hidden corners to change your clothes, and walk up to the set you want to do. You no longer think about people judging you for holding tiny weights because even you know you are growing and that is the most important gain.
6. More confident outside the gym
When you are out with your friends or go out to a party you wouldn’t mind trying out a new attire. You will feel a lot more confident in walking up to someone and talking to them. You will feel the energy of you walking in the room and taking over it.
Your confidence will be difficult to hide because your gym routine is working. The confidence that comes is just a sign of a good gym routine.
7. Body Positive
Have you started feeling positive about yourself lately? Don’t you caress your biceps every hour? Well, I know you do.
You feel too positive about yourself. You are not ashamed of doing it. The protruding belly is not that big anymore and you can finally see your toes. You can lean forward on you chair without your belly pushing you back.
Also, the cuts on your biceps look great, I’m just being honest!
8. Old workouts are becoming easier
4-6 weeks into the gym or further down, did you try any of the workouts you did in week 1 of the gym? Machine-assisted shoulder press, 25-30 seconds of plank, or biceps curls with 5lbs/2.5 kg weights? If you didn’t then time to try them out now.
The workouts will be a lot easier for you and I can bet on it. This is positive growth that comes only if your gym routine is working. I know you didn’t aim to lift 5 lbs weights with ease but you can do that now, right? That is the point of working out. Making each weight look easy until you can finally do the 100lbs weights.
Something that looked tough earlier is now a piece of cake. Not that you should have a piece of cake, you are on a diet! But there are cheat days in good gym routines.
9. The Mirror
The mirror is the best indicator of your workout. Though you are not losing weight, though you are not gaining muscle size, you are toning your body. If you have an old photo of you, then compare that with your present mirror body and tell me if it doesn’t feel nice.
If it doesn’t, then click a picture right now and then compare it with your mirror body 6 to 8 weeks from now. If it still doesn’t make you feel good, then well, you are doing something wrong.
Don’t compare your mirror with what you wanted it to be, but with what you were.
Okay, bros and broettes, these are the signs of a good workout routine. If any of these match, then you are doing great! Follow CannotCardio for more such content. Stay fit and Stay Awesome!
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