You’re training hard.
You’re eating clean.
But every time you step on the scale, it feels like nothing is happening.
Frustrating, right?
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone—and you’re not broken. You’re likely just missing one key piece: clear, measurable goals.
Let me break it down.
I recently spoke with a guy named Paul.
He’s been following my plans for a while. He trains consistently, eats clean, and logs everything. But he felt stuck.
His goal?
“I want to weigh 250 with muscle.”
Sounds good in theory—but it’s vague.
What does 250 with muscle even mean?
How much muscle?
What body fat percentage?
How will we measure it?
What's the timeline?
Without clear answers, you don’t have a goal—you have a wish.
We reworked Paul’s goal into something measurable:
Maintain current weight
Drop body fat from 25% to 20%
Add 50 pounds to his main lifts
Improve sleep and training consistency
Now we can track that.
Now we can optimize.
Now we can win.
Relying only on scale weight will sabotage your progress. Here’s why:
You can gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously
Hydration, sodium, stress, sleep, digestion—all impact your weight
Daily fluctuations are normal
Instead, use a full progress tracking system.
Weekly weigh-ins (not daily)
Waist measurements
Progress photos
Energy and performance tracking
Journaling cravings and hunger patterns
Weekly volume or rep tracking
Key lift progress (squat, bench, deadlift)
Muscle group measurements
Progress photos
Resting heart rate
Daily step count
Sleep quality
Blood work every 3 months
How you feel waking up
When you track the right things, you stay motivated.
Why?
Because you’re seeing progress where it matters.
And when you see progress, you want to keep going.
That’s exactly why our coaching clients stay on track.
What’s your actual goal?
How are you measuring progress?
Are those metrics aligned with the result you want?
If you’re not sure, stop firing from the hip.
Take 30 seconds and fill out the quiz linked below—we’ll help you find the right program for your goals.
It’s not about discipline or effort.
You’re probably working hard enough.
But without direction and clarity, effort feels like spinning your wheels.
Let’s fix that.
Need help building a real plan that works?
That’s what we do inside Iron Forge Coaching.
Structure. Support. Progress.
No fluff. No guessing. Just results.
Let’s work.
—Josh Holyfield
