We’ve all been there. That moment of regret when you realize you should have been doing more—more strength work, more mobility, more of the little things that keep you running strong. Maybe it’s an injury creeping in, or a race performance that didn’t match the effort you put in. Either way, you decide to get serious. You buckle down, clean up your training, and expect things to turn around quickly.
But then—frustration. The soreness lingers. Your paces don’t immediately improve. You’re still dealing with tightness, imbalances, or inefficiencies. And suddenly, that burst of motivation turns into doubt.
Here’s the hard truth: you can’t undo months (or years) of poor training choices in just a few weeks. Your body doesn’t work like a broken machine that can be fixed overnight. It adapts. It rebuilds. But it needs time.
Your Body is Playing Catch-Up
Most athletes underestimate how long it takes to see real, lasting change. And that’s because progress is happening beneath the surface before you ever feel it.
If you’ve neglected accessory work, your nervous system has mapped inefficient movement patterns. That means your brain has been reinforcing the wrong way to run, lift, or move. Even when you start doing things correctly, your neuromuscular system has to rewire itself before new habits feel natural. That takes weeks, sometimes months.
Your tendons and ligaments? They adapt slower than muscles. So even if you feel stronger after a few weeks of training, the connective tissues supporting your body are still catching up. Push too hard, too soon, and you’ll end up sidelined before you ever reach your full potential.
And then there’s your energy systems. Poor training choices don’t just affect how strong you are; they impact how your body processes fuel, stores glycogen, and utilizes oxygen. Your metabolism doesn’t flip a switch just because you’ve started training smarter—it needs time to recalibrate.
The Trap of “Phantom Gains”
One of the biggest mistakes athletes make is assuming that early progress means they’ve fully adapted.
In the first few weeks of consistent training, you will feel stronger. More stable. More capable. And that’s great! But much of that improvement is neurological—your body is learning how to fire the right muscles more efficiently, not actually making them stronger yet. It’s an illusion of progress, and it tricks people into pushing harder than their body is ready for.
That’s how setbacks happen. That’s how frustration builds. And that’s why patience matters.
Real Progress Requires Real Commitment
I know it’s hard. I know you want results. I know it’s frustrating to hear that a month isn’t enough. But the truth is, if you’re willing to play the long game, you’ll get far better results than if you chase shortcuts.
A month is long enough to start building habits. Long enough to lay the groundwork. Long enough to commit to the work ahead. But real, tangible progress—the kind that sticks? That takes longer.
So don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need to "undo" past mistakes. Instead, focus on moving forward the right way. Train smarter. Stay consistent. Give your body the time it actually needs to adapt.
If you’re tired of spinning your wheels, trying to fix everything overnight, and ending up back at square one—let’s talk. I work with athletes who are ready to train smarter, not just harder. Let’s get you on a path to real, lasting progress.