Spending a lot of time in the gym is much easier to take when you know that you are getting the results you’ve set out to get. But how do you know if all of your hard work is actually paying off? Here are three ways to confirm that your workouts are, in fact, working:
#1: Test Yourself Regularly
Because your body is going to be changing slowly over time, you probably won’t see the results as easily as you’ve grown accustomed to them. This can be rectified by testing yourself regularly, like once a month, so that you can see the gains that you’ve made in the previous 30 days. You can do this by testing how many pushups you can complete in 60 seconds or how fast you can run a specific distance. Do this and see how your results compare to the month prior.
#2: Take Your Measurements
Another option is to keep track of your measurements in key areas of your body. This will tell you whether you are increasing or decreasing in size, whatever your goal may be. Take these measurements every 4 to 6 weeks, noting the changes. Key areas to keep track of include your chest, waist, hips, thighs, and biceps.
#3: Measure Your Body Fat
Put in a lot of time at the gym and you may see your weight go up instead of down, at least at first. This can be extremely frustrating if you are a scale-watcher, but you need to remember that the number between your toes only tells part of the story as it is measuring fat and muscle. So, if you really want to know whether your workouts are working, then you’ll want to measure your body fat percentage using calipers. You can buy them at most any sporting goods store and do this yoursefl, or you can have a personal trainer do the measurement for you.
What are some other ways that you use to tell you whether or not your workouts are working?
