“I’ve been working out for a year and am not getting any stronger!”
If you are confused as to why your group exercise workout that “gets you super sweaty” or “always makes you super sore” isn’t making you stronger or changing your body, you aren’t alone! This is a question we get a lot at MSC from newcomers.
You may have heard some coaches say their workouts are based on “muscle confusion”. Well, unfortunately that isn’t really a thing. “Muscle confusion” is a concept that some use to describe the practice of using random workouts that change week to week in order to prevent your muscles from adapting to a particular exercise. There is some truth to the idea that varying your exercises can lead to some progress, and I do believe there is value in all movement especially those that bring you joy 🤗, but the concept of “muscle confusion” itself is not a scientifically established principle. Workouts based exclusively on variety probably aren’t going to be the most effective in building strength and muscle in the long run.
Now lets talk sweat💧. Some people love a good sweaty sesh, but sweating is just the body’s response to regulating your body temperature. The amount of sweat produced during a workout can be influenced by a whole slew of factors (outside temperature, humidity, age, gender, fitness level to name a few). Sweating can be an indicator of an “intense workout” but it is not necessarily a good indicator of an EFFECTIVE workout that will help you achieve your goals (sometimes it just means the heat is jacked up and/or you are moving all over the place willy nilly🥵🤪).
The key to achieving your fitness goals is to stay consistent with your workouts, consistently challenge your muscles through progressive overload (gradually increasing the intensity, load, duration of exercises over time), and also challenge your cardio vascular system (yes, cardio is still good for you!). That means spending several weeks progressing through a program that is designed to achieve your goal.
My two cents: focus on challenging yourself, staying consistent with your exercise routine, and tracking your progress over time and you will crush those goals 💪
