5 Reasons People Fail To Achieve Their Fitness Goals

We all have goals that we want to achieve. Why is it that some people seem to effortlessly achieve all that they want, while others struggle to meet even the simplest of aims?

Here we have 5 reasons why people fail at their fitness goals. If you’re guilty of one or more of these things, it might be what is holding you back from achieving the body that you desire.

1. Actions not aligned with goalsYou’d be surprised how many people have stated goals, but are doing things which clearly do not take them towards their goals.
   As an example – and I’m sure this will not be news to you – you cannot out train a bad diet if you are trying to lose weight.
   Trying to go to the gym and burn calories, while continuing to eat donuts for breakfast is simply going to frustrate you. You do not have to be completely robotic and never eat the foods that you like again, but you need to recognise how your actions are going to impact your results and align what you’re doing with what you want.
2. Not tracking progressIf you don’t know where you started, or where you are now, how on earth do you know if what you are doing is working?
   You must measure your progress and keep tabs on how things are progressing. Failing to do so often leads to us giving up because we think that we’re not making progress.
   Who knows if we actually are?
   When you are measuring, you are empowered. The data will tell you if you are doing the right thing or not. If you’re not seeing the results that you want, it doesn’t mean you have failed. It means you need to make some changes. Without tracking, you will not know this, and will feel helpless.
3. You’re lying to yourselfHow many times have you planned to train this week? How many calories have you planned to eat?
   How many have you actually done?
   Lots of people are simply not following the plan, but do not admit it to themselves. They think they’re doing the right things because they’re very strict on their diet Monday – Friday. However, when a little digging shows that at the weekend it becomes a free-for-all and you consume 7,000 calories, it’s little wonder you haven’t seen the outcome you hoped for.
   Being blind to your ‘mistakes’ does not help you. You have to be honest with yourself and accurately assess what you are doing. Failing to be honest with yourself will lead to failing to see the results that you hope for.
   The easiest way to be honest with yourself is to track everything. Yes, it can be annoying. So what?
   You are either prepared to do what it takes to meet your goals, or you’re not.
   It’s ok if you are not prepared to do the work. Just re-adjust either your goals or your motivation, to save the endless frustration.
4. You’re majoring in the minorsIf you’re following advanced training principles and doing all kinds of funky workouts, but failing to eat enough calories, you are not going to build much muscle.
   If you’re only eating organic, farm raised Mongolian mountain food, but you’re eating 5,000 calories, you are not going to lose weight.
   It’s great to get advanced plans and really focus on the specifics, but it has to come secondary to the basics.
   So many people are training hard and trying to eat well, but failing to drink enough water or sleep at night. You have to get your priorities in order and do the things that are going to have the biggest impact first.
   Advanced routines are for advanced people. If you’re in your first 3 years of consistent training, you just need to do the basics and remain consistent. Consistency will always be the key to success.
5. You have no intensityA lot of people in the gym are simply not working hard. Turning up consistently is important, but you also need to put in the work while you’re there.
   Leave your phone in the locker and focus on working hard. Keep the rest periods short, push your body and always try to do a little bit more than you comfortably want to. It will pay dividends over time.
   Find a training partner or coach that can push you. You will always work harder with someone else watching over you. The final 10% is the most important 10%. Every rep that is outside your comfort zone is worth 10 reps that are inside your comfort zone.

Get a handle on these 5 things and I promise you will start to see better results in your training. Then it is simply a case of remaining consistent. Keep doing it, day after day, week after week, year after year.

You can get an incredible transformation in a short period of time, but all great physiques were built in years – not weeks.