Are you discouraged and is it impacting your progress...
First things first - do you have a baseline to compare something to so you can see or not see your progress?
Do you have something to look back on your progress...
Do you have a baseline of measurements? Do you have have something to repeat to see if your getting faster (repeating an AMRAP every 6-8 weeks)? Are you keeping track of your weights your using during your workout program?
If your not consistently measuring these sorts of things - then it is easy to get discouraged because it is harder to see the progress you are making (some things need to be measured!). It is also makes it harder to see if something in your program needs to change. Not all programs are perfect from the start, some need to be changed along the way and you will never know what is not working if your not checking in on your baseline measurements.
How to get started:
Figure out what is your goal (loose body fat, increase muscle, decrease mile time, etc)
Get your baseline measurements (get an test like and InBODY test that will tell you your body fat and muscle mass, run a mile and record your time, etc.)
Be consistent with your measurements
Choose your time line - are you going to repeat the exact same measurements every 6 or 8 weeks
Make sure you do the exact same procedure every time so that you are keeping your numbers as accurate as possible
Change your program when you are not seeing changes (disclaimer - do not change if you have not been consistent then start! It’s the only way to see change! If you are being consistent but not seeing the changes then the program can be tweaked)
Things you can measure:
total body weight, body fat %, muscle mass (most gyms have sort of machine or calipers that can give you this information
how strong your becoming - have your PR'd a weight in your lift (squat, deadlift, bench - or even free weights and KBs?)
perform a fitness test to see your progress - how many push ups in a minute, how long can you hold a plank (in correct form), etc.
how fast your complete your mile OR if you would rather a distance (5k, 6k, 10k, etc.)
Other things to remember when you see the scale increase (so you do not get discouraged):
Muscle weighs more than fat
You can’t magically see your body fat % decrease, you will need to measure it (typically I recommend every 8 weeks)
A scale is never a full picture of health
Other things to consider when looking at your progress:
have you been consistent with your program
is your nutrition also a priority?
Measure, Perform, Repeat
*Stay Consistent*
Meg DeSalvo Fit