ability to maintain and even build some strength in a preparation while training as intensely as possible will directly be correlated with you getting in fabulous shape . Oftentimes , I see people use much lighter loads as they focus on “ fluff ” exercises so much that their body is just not stimulating the same amount of fat loss and metabolic demand as it once was . So even though you ' re eating less , you ' re also not needing as much energy for your training . This will also directly be correlated with your ability to maintain the muscle mass you have and the body fat you will burn .
Monitor All Calories in And All Calories Out- Tracking is the key to not have any room for error in your preparation . Tracking your daily macronutrient intake as well as tracking things like steps , heart rate , workout intensity , and cardio is what it ' s going to let you see what ' s working and what ' s not . If you ' re winging all these variables , you don ' t really know the daily fluctuations you may be having in your life that will have you burning more or less calories on a daily basis . what you have to do , figure out a way to maximize your sleep quality and quantity in order to be the best you that you can be . You don ' t want to be investing so much into your preparation only to have it ruined by the fact that you ' re sleeping 4 hours a night interrupted because you have a million other life responsibilities .
As we see , it ' s not always about lowering calories and increasing cardio when it comes to losing body fat . The body oftentimes can and will fight you back and ultimately the body will always win . You can try to beat it and force it to grow , but it will oftentimes leave you with health issues and a lackluster look that you will not be happy with on stage . Make sure to prioritize those things above if you find that you are stuck in your preparation . Sometimes it ' s best to just pull the plug and say “ my body needs a little reset ; I ' m going to pull back ” before you try preparing in the future again .
Mitigate Stress- Stress is the reason why we may not be progressing . This can be either physical or emotional stress or a combination thereof . Your blood work may come back totally fine , but if you ' re having constant stress that ' s not allowing you to recover properly or sleep well , you simply won ' t be able to make the same progress as if you were in the correct headspace .
Prioritize Sleep- As a preparation continues further , it ' s extremely common to hear people sleep quality and quantity go down . This often means more reliance on stimulants , less recovery during sleep , less than optimal hormone production , and much less energy to train . No matter