While hitting the gym can allow you to gain stronger muscles and a more trimmed physique, it’s not the only component to a healthy lifestyle. There are specific conditions and deficiencies that can negatively affect your work in the gym. Here are four tests you should be taking if you’re not seeing the results you want from your workout.

Basic Nutrient Testing

The standard adult diet often leaves out desirable nutrients, so one of the first tests that you should consider when formulating a workout regimen is a basic test for nutrients in your body. This type of test includes nutrients like vitamin D, calcium, and electrolytes. By having this test done, you can see where your body stands in regards to all these different nutrients. This test will easily allow you to identify any nutrient deficiencies that you have so that you can get them remedied. Even one nutrient deficiency can drastically affect your body’s ability to gain muscle from working out. This is a fairly easy deficiency to resolve as you can usually just alter your diet slightly or take a supplement. If after those changes you’re still not seeing the change you want, you should consult with your doctor.

Folate Testing

Folate is necessary for both cellular development and metabolism. It also plays a major role in specific areas of your daily performance, like your energy levels, and it can even lower your risk of cancer, heart disease, and depression. Unfortunately, even if you aren’t folate-deficient, you might not be getting all the benefits of folate that you should be. Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) is an enzyme necessary for metabolizing folate. If you’re eating enough folate-rich foods and supplements but not seeing the results, use an MTHFR test kit to find out whether you’re actually lacking the necessary enzymes.

Metabolic Hormones Testing

If you’re like most individuals starting a new workout regimen, you would like to lose some weight while you build some muscle. Losing fat starts with having a healthy metabolism to do so. By getting tested for the various metabolic hormones, you can identify whether or not your body is in its most optimal state to burn fat. Common metabolic hormones that are tested include cortisol, insulin, and IGF-1. Imbalances in these hormones can come from any of many reasons including diet, stress levels, and age. You can work with your physician to bring these hormones back into balance so that you can work to get the body you want.

Performance Hormones Testing

Optimizing your performance in the gym starts with optimizing your body’s hormones to meet your workout demands. A performance hormones testing kit can allow you to check your body for deficiencies. The most common performance hormones that are tested include free testosterone, testosterone, DHEA, SHBG, and estradiol. These hormones often get out of balance due to age, though other factors also contribute to the hormones’ levels. Imbalances in these hormones can lead to a wide range of health problems from obesity to thyroid problems, mood-related mental health issues, and a lack of sex drive. To give your body the best chance possible to perform well in the gym, you’ll want to identify and remedy any of these deficiencies that you discover your body has.

Your workout regimen is all about toning your body and losing that extra fat. No matter how hard you end up working in the gym, it’s going to be hard to get the results you desire when your body is out of balance. By getting these four tests performed on your body, you can identify any deficiencies that you have and remedy them so you can be at your peak performance level in the gym.