Why am I seeing zero results?

quietpilot87 said:But you shouldn't look at it as being "healthy"—you should just see it as a totally NORMAL way to live. It makes things so much easier on your mental state when you aren't constantly stuck in your own head thinking about everything you're giving up. Instead, you’re just living your life, eating well, and staying active.
I really think framing it that way is such a game changer..

Hmm, that is such a great way to put it... honestly, it's exactly the kind of mindset shift you need to "trick" your brain into feeling okay.👍

@Kate Doyle45/">@@Kate Doyle45 - you nailed it, I just want to see some actual results!! because if you overindulge for even a couple of days, the scale picks it up instantly. but when you spend six weeks being miserable and starving yourself, nothing 😁😁 happens. who wouldn't be frustrated, right?

but hey, even if the scale and my clothes aren't showing much progress yet, there are signs. honestly, my digestion is doing great now (regular bathroom trips, instead of how it used to be once every few days), and I don't get that massive post-lunch slump anymore—now I actually feel like getting up and moving
it's at least something 🙄😁

plus, my trainer switched things up on the stepper and the treadmill. now on the stepper, I have to do two 10-minute blocks where I alternate between fast and steady paces every 30 seconds or so. and he put the treadmill on an incline, so I'm sweating even more than usual

I'm definitely not giving up, despite everything. I really want to see what I'll look like by the sixth month of next year

but what truly drives me crazy is seeing friends and acquaintances who are skinny, never work out, eat tons of junk food, totally ignore nutrition, and yet they stay thin😠😠😠
someone please explain that logic to me🙂🙂🙂

I honestly don't even know how to put this into words... my mom is only about 112 pounds at 5'8", and she has legs that I could never dream of having, let alone achieve myself—and she’s 55! And what does she eat? Honestly, if I tried to list it all, it would take me three separate posts just to cover her diet. Does she work out? Of course not. Does she spend a fortune on anti-cellulite creams or fancy skincare? Not a chance. It’s just one of those unfair twists of fate, I guess.

wearyotter81 said:hm, nice setup... definitely need to "weld" your psyche together like that 👍

Yeah, at that point, you don't give a damn how long it takes. I've been a work in progress for two years now—and honestly, I'll probably be reinventing myself until the day I die. 🤣

mrsav, don't be such a troll! 😁
I mean, seriously—they’ve got zero muscle, but they'll probably still be heading off on some big trip to China in their thirties (copyright by ZMM 😬 )
They just look great in fancy clothes, that's all.
Just don't make that your ultimate life goal 🙂

Ti's could totally kickstart that metabolism, build some solid habits, and end up looking absolutely incredible as the years go by 🙂

Sandra Clark29 said:what actually drives me insane is seeing my friends—people I know personally—who are skinny as hell, don't hit the gym once, live off nothing but junk food, have zero regard for nutrition, and still stay thin😠😠😠
someone please explain that logic to me🙂🙂🙂

Don't let them get to you. I know it feels totally unfair, but some people's bodies just aren't built to handle that kind of garbage.
It's just biology.
The people at my office eat pizza every single day, meanwhile, I'm over here strictly sticking to tuna and protein shakes. It’s not even about craving the greasy stuff—it’s because if I eat pizza five days in a row, I’ll be passed out in a food coma and won't get anything done. If I want to actually survive a workday, I have to watch what I eat as much as possible.

The good news is you eventually adapt to everything. 🙂
But it takes time. I’m still not hitting "perfect" nutrition myself, but I'm working on it.

hold up... you're only doing 20 minutes on the stepper?

how much cardio are we talking about per session, or per week?

My trainer laid out my routine like this:
I start with 10 minutes on the stepper. For the first 2 minutes, I just find my rhythm at a steady pace. Then, for the next 6 minutes, I alternate every 30 seconds between a normal pace and a fast sprint. To wrap up those 10 minutes, I spend the last 2 minutes back at a regular tempo.
After that, I hit the treadmill for 10 minutes of power walking on an incline.
Then it’s onto the weight machines—keeping the weights light but going for high reps.
And core work, obviously.
To finish things off, I head back to the stepper and the treadmill for another round of what I did at the start, plus 10 minutes on the stationary bike.
So, between the treadmill, stepper, and bike, I’m doing about 50 minutes of cardio total per session.

I'm hitting the gym three times a week.

I don't know... feels like a bit much for a beginner who just wants to drop some weight and tone up a little... 🤷

silentpanther15 said:I don't know... feels like such an overcomplicated workout for a beginner who just wants to drop some weight and tone up a bit... 🤷

Go for it!
I feel like if you have to time everything down to the exact minute, it probably isn't even working that well... or am I wrong?🤷
It seems better to just pick one cardio machine—whatever works best, like a treadmill, elliptical, or stepper—and start with maybe 20 minutes, then slowly build up to 50 or 60!
I think she'd see much better results that way... 👍

Personally, I think you gotta hop on a cardio machine first and just ease into it for about 5 to 7 minutes.
Do some light stretching, then hit the weights or the machines.
Hit those big muscle groups—chest, back, legs—maybe doing 12 sets of 15 reps. Use a weight where you're barely scraping through. To keep things from getting boring, you could throw in 3 different exercises per group (like 4 sets each).
Once the big stuff is done, move on to the smaller muscles like biceps, triceps, and shoulders for maybe 6 sets of 15.
Finish off with abs.

And obviously, don't try to do everything at once. If you're hitting the gym 3 days a week, try something like this:
Day 1: Back, triceps, and abs
Day 2: Legs, shoulders, and abs
Day 3: Chest, biceps, and abs

After all that, wrap it up with cardio at about 75-85% of your max heart rate.
Start with 20 minutes and slowly bump it up until you're hitting 45, 50, or even 60 minutes...
You can even mix it up with two or three different activities. Like, start on the bike, move to the stair climber, then hit the elliptical...

But hey, that’s just my take on how a workout should look.
And everyone's entitled to their own opinion. 😁

Sure, if you’ve got one specific area that needs more work than the rest, you just tweak your routine to give that part a bit more love.
What I laid out is just a standard workout meant for an average person, regardless of gender...

Yeah... after six weeks of training, you should be able to crush intense 30 minutes on the stepper in one go without even breaking a sweat!

silentpanther15 said:Personally, I think you should start by hopping on a cardio machine for a light 5 to 7-minute warm-up.
Do some light stretching, then move on to the machines or weights.
Chest, back, and legs (the major muscle groups) could be done for about 12 sets of 15 reps using a weight that’s just barely manageable. You could even mix in three different exercises per group (about 4 sets each) to keep things interesting.
Once the big groups are finished, hit the smaller ones—biceps, triceps, shoulders—maybe 6 sets of 15 reps.
Abs come last.

And obviously, don't try to do everything at once. If you're training three times a week, it might look like this:
Day 1: Back, triceps, abs
Day 2: Legs, shoulders, abs
Day 3: Chest, biceps, abs

After the lifting, finish with cardio at 75-85% of your max heart rate.
Start with 20 minutes and gradually build up to 45, 50, or 60 minutes...
You can even rotate through two or three different activities. For example, start on the stationary bike, move to the stepper, then finish on the elliptical...

But again, that’s just my take on how a workout should go.
Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. 😁

😲 The volume of reps and sets, along with the general load, is just too high for a beginner.
There is no way she can execute a routine like that with proper form and focus.

For large muscle groups, stick to 3 exercises in 3 sets (8 to 12 reps), and for small groups, 2 exercises in 2 sets, keeping the rep count the same.
The key is to work with maximum concentration and appropriate weight.

Aerobic training is the priority here and deserves the most attention. Choose between steady-state cardio or HIIT. Since we are talking about a beginner, there's no question that long and steady sessions should come first.

Stick to one aerobic machine per session. Honestly, half the stuff trainers suggest is just smoke and mirrors. When it comes to burning fat via long-duration cardio within a target heart rate zone, the BIGGEST mistake is taking breaks or restarting the process (switching machines or stopping for any reason). Every time you restart, you drop out of the fat-burning zone and start burning glycogen and breaking down muscle instead, until the body "warms up" again... and that’s exactly what we want to avoid.

🤣
There isn't much of a gap between 9 and 12 sets.
Like, what? 10 minutes?
(Fair point, maybe I went a little overboard there. But not by much. A standard session runs about 45 to 55 minutes if you're keeping a steady pace.)

Btw, I never suggest girls stick to just 8 reps. They end up having to crank up the weight, and then they start complaining immediately about how hard it is or how they don't want to "bulk up"... 😁

I'm with you on that last part, but you've gotta look at it from a beginner's perspective. They just can't stay focused for 30 or 40 minutes on one machine doing the exact same movement. That only lasts maybe 8 to 10 weeks... beginners need constant engagement. Even if it's less efficient.

silentpanther15 said:🤣
There isn't much difference between 9 and 12 reps.
How much? Like 10 minutes?
(Though you have a point, maybe I overdid it slightly. But not by much. It’s a 45 to 55-minute session if you maintain a steady pace.)

By the way, I never suggest women stick to just 8 reps. That forces them to lift heavier weights right away, which usually leads to immediate complaints about how hard it is or fears of "bulking up"... 😁

I agree with that last part, but you have to look at it from a beginner's perspective. They simply can't stay focused on one machine for 30 or 40 minutes doing the exact same movement. That level of focus only kicks in after about 10 weeks... beginners need constant engagement. Even if it sacrifices a bit of efficiency.

The difference isn't huge. It depends on how you look at it. 🙂

Since I'd also reduce the number of reps per set, the total volume ends up being significantly lower anyway.

Of course, you don't want to design a workout that's too short, especially since they're hitting the gym three times a week. If they were going four times, we could trim individual sessions down further, but there's no need here.

The whole idea behind fewer reps is to maintain better form during the exercise. You aren't pushing the weight too hard, so you won't run into any pushback. 😁

It helps to frame it around the "mind-muscle connection"—you'll find that prevents most issues...😳

Breaking up the monotony is important, but I would vary the machines between different sessions. One day use the stepper, the next the stationary bike, then the treadmill... you could even throw in the rowing machine occasionally (that weird, intimidating machine sitting in the corner collecting dust that everyone avoids 😁 ).

I think it's easier to just tell someone, "Alright, hop on here and pedal for thirty minutes (or as long as you can), and next time you'll go for an extra minute or two." Then, for the following session, they can jump on the stepper or hit the treadmill, etc.

The simpler, the better.

silentpanther15 said:oh yeah... after six weeks of training, you should be able to knock out 30 minutes intense stepper work straight through without breaking a sweat!

I don't know, I haven't tried that yet.😁
I'm just sticking to what my trainer told me.
But I will tell you this: those 10 minutes on the stepper, treadmill, or bike isn't really that exhausting—it’s just incredibly boring. 😁
I don't sit there scrolling through TV or reading stuff; I actually try to focus on what I'm doing.

As for the actual workout, he has me pairing up two machines for supersets. So, I'll do 15 reps at 20 lbs for legs, then immediately jump to 15 reps at 20 lbs for arms, and repeat that whole thing once more. The only exception is the back exercises, where I bump it up to about 45 lbs.

@shockrae:

Started drafting this massive post and then realized I was just rambling... 😁
So anyway:

I'm with you. 😁

Sandra Clark29 said:As for the gear, he told me to run a couple of sets. So, I do 15 reps at 25 lbs for legs, then jump straight into 15 reps at 25 lbs for arms, and repeat that whole thing once more. Only the back stuff gets 45 lbs.

Okay, honestly? This tells me zero because I have no clue what exercises you're actually hitting.
It feels a little weird that you’re using the same weight for legs and arms, though...

I don't know... and I really don't want to be that guy who meddles in someone else's routine. 🤷

@ Sandra Clark29 (who chose the nickname 😁)

If you aren't seeing the results you want, why not try heading outdoors for some cardio instead?

Don't take this the wrong way, but honestly, ten minutes on a stepper is more like a light stroll for my 58-year-old mom. 🤷