Regardless of whether you're an experienced lifter, or are just starting out, seeing progress in the gym is a rewarding experience. Hitting a new deadlift PR, or maybe you're starting something like hybrid training (ex: Hryox, Crossfit etc) and just did your first muscle up with a resistance band.
Exercise is one, of many things we can integrate into our lifestyles that can help support good health. Such as supporting cardiovascular health, increased muscle mass, increased bone density, preventing osteoporosis, and decreasing risk of developing chronic diseases. In addition, exercise is a tool that can help us attain our ideal physique. However, it is important to note that there are some habits that may traditionally seen as "healthy" that might actually be hurting your progress in the gym. This is especially true for high performing athletes, as their lifestyle needs can widely differ from the general population.
In my experience as a dietitian, I see all the time people with goals to increase muscle mass, improve race times, lose body fat, improve lifts etc, but are implementing the wrong habits. These habits might seem healthy at a surface level, but in some cases might be detrimental to meeting these goals, and in some cases may actually lead to poorer health outcomes in the long term!
Read below to see four things that most people think are "healthy" that could actually be stalling your progress.
(1) Stressing about Supplements
Supplements can be a helpful tool. Some can help provide nutrients that are difficult to get in your diet (ex: Vitamin D, Omega 3), and some sport-specific supplements have strong evidence in improving body composition and performance (ex: Creatine Monohydrate, Beta-Alanine). However, one common mistake is prioritizing your supplement regimen, while neglecting other key factors in improving performance and body composition. This includes overall calorie intake, macronutrient intake/distribution (carbohydrates, proteins, fats), micronutrient intake/adequacy (vitamins, minerals), sleep, and training regimen. You are not likely to see the full benefit of supplements if you do not prioritize these core factors. For example, if your goal is to build larger, stronger glutes, adding a creatine supplement is not going to help much if you're not training enough, not eating enough calories and protein and/or if you have poor sleep.
Another example is that taking pre-workout before training can help if you're feeling tired. But it should not be prioritized over proper pre-training nutrition including adequate carbs and calories, and focusing on improving your sleep hygiene.
Additionally, many supplements such as fat burners and testosterone boosters have limited evidence supporting their claims so I generally do not recommend them. If you have questions about what supplements you should be taking, reach out to a qualified health practitioner such as a registered dietitian.
(2) Focusing on Fat Loss for Too Long
With the rise in popularity of online fitness, many people in the gym are striving for aesthetic goals often involving more muscle and less body fat. When fat loss phases are implemented properly, they can help individuals meet these goals while maintaining their performance. But it is important to note that eating, and training to optimize performance is different from eating and training to optimize physique or aesthetic goals.
Focusing on fat loss for too long, even if it is done healthily and sustainably may make it harder to improve in the gym. In simplest terms, to achieve fat loss, one must be in a negative energy balance, also known as a caloric deficit. This involves taking in fewer calories than you expend, which with the right measures taken will lead to fat loss. If someone is training for performance, but eating for aesthetics, they may experience low energy availability (LEA) or relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) due to not getting enough calories to fuel themselves. As a result, this can lead to muscle loss, decreased performance, poorer recovery, and even other health consequences including low bone density. Finding a balance that supports both performance and aesthetic goals without compromising health and effectiveness is possible. This should not involve excessively long fat-loss phases. If this is something you wish to achieve I suggest reaching out to a registered health professional who can help you attain this balance.
(3) Eating "Clean"
Eating Clean often refers to a diet pattern that consists mostly of whole foods with limited refined or processed foods. "Clean eating" is a broad term that can be interpreted in different ways but it often emphasizes more protein and vegetables with smaller amounts of fruits and carbohydrates. But this sounds amazing, right? Clean Eating sounds like a healthy way to make progress in the gym!
Depending on your sport/activity and performance goals, focusing too much on eating clean might stall your progress. One of the biggest mistakes I see particularly in youth and collegiate athletes - especially those who are trying to build muscle and strength is that their calorie, carbohydrate, and protein intakes are suboptimal.
For example, an athlete having zucchini noodles before practice might sound healthy, but they're missing out on the calories and carbohydrates that should be in a pre-training meal that will help them better fuel their workouts. While white, wheat flour pasta may not be seen as "clean", this would be a better option to include in your pre-training meal as it provides more calories and carbohydrates.
Furthermore, clean eating often involves heavily restricting, or cutting out certain foods entirely. While in most cases it is a good idea to limit ultra-processed foods that are high in refined sugars and fats, cutting these foods out entirely can make it more difficult to practice moderation. For example, rather than mindfully having a small amount of cake 1-2 times per month, someone may restrict all sweets entirely for a few months, and then overeat, or even binge on sweets for a few days after feeling deprived. This can lead to feeling physically uncomfortable and experiencing unpleasant emotions such as sadness, guilt, anger, shame, and frustration. As a result, this could potentially trigger eating behaviours that could be perceived as disordered.
(4) Too much emphasis on Cardio
Whether you like to bike, jog, hike, use the stairmaster, etc, cardio has been proven to provide many great health benefits such as improved cardiovascular health, and it can also be a helpful tool to facilitate fat loss.
However, putting too much emphasis on cardio, and not focusing on other areas of training may lead to performance deficits. For instance, over-emphasizing cardio can interfere with strength training adaptations. If someone focuses too much on cardio, they may notice they are more fatigued, and/or it is taking longer for them to recover. This can make practices, or strength training sessions more difficult. High volumes of cardio can also lead to overuse injuries, which may cause someone to take even more time away from training. Even elite, long-distance runners often integrate other forms of training such as resistance training into their routine, to build strength and prevent injuries.
Remember - all of these things: supplements, fat loss, clean eating, and cardio are not inherently bad, or detrimental to your progress. However, prioritizing these areas and not focusing on other core factors, such as optimizing nutrition (calorie, macronutrient, micronutrient intakes), your training regimen, stress management, and your sleep are often key areas to focus if your goal is to improve your performance.
If you have questions about what supplements you should take, or how you can plan your meals to perform better or attain your ideal physique, then I encourage you to schedule a free discovery call with me. As a dietitian, I am a regulated health professional who can help you meet these goals healthily and sustainably.
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