Here’s what to do if you want to get stronger but feel stuck.

Have you ever felt like you’re doing your best to exercise consistently but don’t feel like you’re seeing any progress?

That’s exactly how Roseanne felt when we sat down for live coaching the other week. Here’s what she told me:

I’ve been keeping a training journal and I’ve been looking back at it for the last 3-4 years and I just felt like I wasn’t seeing progress very often. So that’s another demotivator for me. (I ask) am I not doing the right thing since I see myself getting stronger or some other goals?

Roseanne is like many other people we work with: life is already packed! She has kids, runs her own business, and tries to find time to workout in between it all.

Although she strives to stay consistent with three 30-45 minute workouts each week, the reality often looks quite different. On a good week, she’s more likely to get one workout in and then have a few other little pockets of time to try and squeeze something in.

I have good news! Not only is this completely normal, you absolutely can move forward and become stronger in this situation. Here’s how:

Make smart adjustments when you’re short on time

The interruptions are normal. So knowing ​how to adjust your workout​ is key to making progress and ‘unstuck’.

Here’s a clip of our conversation discussing just that.

​VIDEO: How to change your workout when you’re short on time​

ACCENTS

• Choose big moves for your money (squats, rows, presses, lunges, etc.) over more isolation work (planks, bicep curls, tricep extensions, etc.). They are much more efficient for your time.
• Take your exercises closer to failure with match sets. Pick a weight you know you’re comfortable with and do as many reps as you can with that weight (up to 30 total). Take a short rest (30s-1min) and then do the same number of reps, even if you have to take short small rests in between (5-15s).

Adding reps before weight

Then think about how you progress from one week to the next within your workouts.

Here is the method I use most often in my training.

​VIDEO: How to get stronger when you feel stuck​

ACCENTS

• Try to add a rep each week (before adding weight). Even if you can’t do another rep, you’ll know you’ve reached your current limit!
• Eventually, you will achieve two weeks in a row where you stay at the same number of reps. At this point, try increasing the weight and dropping the reps back down to something you can do comfortably with a few reps left in the tank. Then build from there.
• If you’re stuck on a movement you can only do 1-3 reps, try using a lighter weight/easier variation to start. This will help you add more reps/volume and make it easier to progress!

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If you’re feeling stuck in your workouts, try one of these strategies for a few weeks and see how it goes. I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results!

– Matt

PS Feeling stuck with your fitness goals? Reply to this email and let me know what’s going on. I read every reply.