Why Some People Get Incredible Results in the Gym (And Others Don’t)

Why does the gym seemingly work for some but not for others?

Over the years I have had people tell me they have “tried the gym but it didn’t work for me”.

What does that phrase “I tried the gym but it didn’t work for me” even mean?

You mean you went to the gym? You turned up? You ticked a box? But did you actually train?

The gym is just an environment that you have access to in order to improve your fitness. BUT and that's a very big BUT the gym can’t do the work for you. You must train. You must learn. You must be willing to push yourself out of your comfort zone.

If you’ve spent any length of time in a gym, think about this.

Two people can train in the same gym, using the same equipment, and could even follow comparable programs yet their results look completely different.

One person seems to transform their body, strength, and fitness with visible results to their performance.

The other looks and performs much the same despite "going to the gym" for months or even years.

Genetics play a role, of course. But they don’t explain the whole story.

The real difference lies in what I believe are the layers of the gym. Think of this as a continuum. Something that you can work up to or maybe even backwards from.

Not everyone is playing the same game even if it looks like they are.

P.S - I doubt anybody reading this blog will ever reach level 7, me included and thats ok.

The Gym Has Layers

Progress in the gym isn’t binary. It’s not unfit vs fit or beginner vs advanced.

It’s a continuum of behaviours, mindsets and intent, both in the gym but also with all your habits and behaviours outside of the gym.

What separates people into these different layers isn’t the exercises they choose — it’s:

• How hard they’re willing to work over time. Time is key.

• How open they are to learning how to train effectively (both theory and lived experience)

• Whether they have a strong enough why to keep pushing forward when things get uncomfortable or life throws you curveballs.

Below I lay out the JW Fitness Continuum. I would love to hear your thoughts on this and if you have anything you would add or take away, let me know.

Level 0 – Resistant to Change

This is the majority of the population sadly. They don’t take part in any form of physical exercise.

They’re often (but not always) low on energy, overweight or obese, eating a diet dominated by processed foods, sleeping poorly, and highly stressed. The idea of exercise feels overwhelming to them or even pointless.

Getting out of breath isn’t seen as part of progress, it’s something to be avoided at all costs.

At this stage, training isn’t the problem, as they aren’t doing it readiness for change is. Sadly in a lot of cases this readiness to change is often brought on by a life event or medical issue.

Level 1 – The Beginner

This is the person who joins a gym knowing they SHOULD do something, but feels unsure about what to do and is left confused by the contradicting information they have read.

They might train once a week to ease themself in, making it harder to create a habit. 

They keep the weights they lift and the effort they exert in their comfort zone. They stop sets early to avoid fatigue. 

If they get out of breath, they interpret it as a sign they’re unfit, not as a necessary step towards fitness.

They will often put themselves down or downplay any progress they do have.

They often compare themselves to others who are normally further ahead than them, sucking some of the fun out of the training experience.

Fear dominates effort.

Level 2 – The cautious trainee

At this stage, consistency improves. They know and can feel the benefits of training.

 They might train once or twice per week and often hire a coach or join a gym, to help hold them accountable to turn up to sessions, help them push harder than they will on their own and to be told what to do.

They listen carefully (not carefully enough to remember how many reps but that is another post), but changes stay confined to the session itself. 

Outside the gym, habits remain largely unchanged. 

Responsibility for progress is still outsourced.

Level 3 – Comfortable but Stuck

This is where many people plateau.

They train two or three times per week and genuinely believe they’re putting the work in. 

Training has become more of what they do and it is not as much of a struggle to get their sessions in.

Early improvements have happened but now progress has slowed or stopped altogether. 

The movements feel familiar. The weights may rarely change. Effort stays within comfortable limits across all areas of fitness.

This is where other factors outside of the gym become much more important.

As well as the factors outside of the gym this is where internal motivation becomes much more important. 

What are your goals?

How much do you want to achieve those goals? 

What are you willing to do to achieve those goals?

At this layer of the continuum you may be consistently exercising but not necessarily training.

Level 4 – The Intentional Trainee

Here’s where things begin to shift.

This person understands that what they do in each session matters. They start tracking performance, pushing weights or reps gradually, and accepting discomfort as part of the process.

Getting out of breath is no longer a red flag, it’s feedback.

They begin asking better questions: not just what to do, but why they’re doing it and how they can continue to improve.

They no longer say they don’t have the time to implement new habits or to fit their training sessions in, they focus on finding the time and making their fitness a priority.

Level 5 – The Self directed trainee

Training now has a purpose.

This person works hard and smart. It is not about making themselves tired with 100 burpees but instead considering their goals, what they need to improve / focus on then putting the work in and trusting the process, no matter how slow.

They know when to push harder and when to pull back. They can remove ego from training and focus on the quality of training.

Each session builds on the last.

They’re moving well, they reflect on their performance in the gym and in certain exercises. They put thought and intention into how they perform exercises. 

They look beyond training for fat loss and focus on fuelling their body appropriately most of the time, not perfectly, but intentionally.

Progress is no longer accidental, it is intentional.

Level 6 – Training is a part of you

At this stage, training is part of their identity. You don’t train because you should, training is just a part of you. Like showering or brushing your teeth it is deeply ingrained into who you are.

They have a deep understanding of their body, their recovery, and their limits. They don’t chase fatigue for the sake of it but they don’t shy away from hard work either.

Every session has intent, even when that intent is recovery.

They don’t strive for perfection. They strive for consistency over time.

They don’t focus on what they can’t do, they fully apply themself to what they can EVEN during times of injury, illness or higher stress.

Level 7 – The Athlete (unlikely to be any of us)

At the far end of the spectrum are athletes.

They don’t all look the same, but they share key traits such as: structured training, clear performance goals, and a team around them coaches, physios, nutritionists who not only tell them what to do, but why they are doing it.

These athletes will not only look to learn why but more importantly are so internally motivated they are willing to do anything if it means they can win.

Training isn’t optional. It’s their profession.

Recovery isn’t optional, it is carried out with the same necessary intention as their training.

We are not talking about weekend warriors here. We are talking to paid professionals that represent their region, country etc.

Why I believe this continuum matters

Most people don’t fail because they lack information.

You have everything you could ever need on google or chat gpt for free.

They fail because they:

• Avoid discomfort. Not knowing how to push keeps you in your comfort zone. Muscles need stimulation to adapt. 

• Don’t progressively increase intensity in the gym. That means they need progressive overload to improve and that means pushing out of your comfort zone.

• Rely on attendance instead of intent. Going to the gym 3 times per week and applying 50% effort because you are tired may work in year 1 as a complete beginner but will NOT work beyond that. 

• Never fully take ownership of the process. Even when you hire a coach or join a gym you are still responsible for your intensity and results. Coaches will push you but you MUST be willing to push yourself if you want those next level results. That comes from taking responsibility and ownership for your own health and fitness.

The biggest breakthroughs happen when someone stops:

• Seeing training as a chore and sees it more as a privilege

• Complaining about how hard it is

• Looking for the next fad

• Looking to pass responsibility on to others

• Looking for all the reasons they can’t do it and instead puts all that energy into what they can do.

Final Thought

This continuum isn’t exhaustive and you may be across 2 levels.

It is also not about judgement.

It’s a tool for awareness.

If you know where you currently sit, you can identify exactly which behaviours need to change 

 and which ones are already serving you.

The gym is not biased or prejudiced. The gym rewards those who are willing to learn, work hard, recover, and repeat.

Not perfectly but consistently.

Where do you believe you rank on our continuum?