Why the same workouts lead to different results

Author: Mikhail Ziborov - author of the site makefitness.pro.
2026-03-12

This question is similar to another one: why do my brother and I have identical cars, but over a year of driving I had to go to the repair shop 8 times, while he just changed the engine oil and replaced the filters? It all depends on how you drive.

And before answering the main question of the article in detail, I would like to invite you to subscribe to our channels on Max and Telegram. There is everything you need there, check it out for yourself.

The difference in attitude toward training with the same training program

We get different results from identical training programs because a workout can be the same for people, but the approach of those people to that same workout can be different. Moreover, different people always understand training differently.

Someone comes to the gym and really gets involved in the training process:

monitors body position and the position of its parts (exercise technique);

pays attention to the sensation of the working muscles (or at least tries to understand how to feel the muscles being trained);

tries to give their all in every repetition of every set.

And someone else comes to the workout and simply completes the task. And for such a person, the quality of performing that task does not matter. But any task can be done well, poorly, or average. Simply put, everything is done formally, without enthusiasm, and just to get it done.

One person is not afraid to make mistakes, and thanks to that, grows. Because constant attempts give experience: this exercise suits me, and I grow in results; but this exercise triggers a weak response from my muscles.

Another person avoids difficult situations and stays in place. It is easier to follow a set and familiar pattern.

Someone is focused on the workout until the very end of the session. They do not get distracted by Instagram, do not scroll the feed, and during the breaks between sets and exercises they actually rest. Another person also works physically, but without all of what I described above: getting stuck in social networks increases the rest between sets, which means the amount of work done in the same time will be slightly less.

And on the outside, these two people train the same way. Everything looks the same, the same exercises, roughly the same volume, but the quality of the work performed differs.

Training aimed at results is always about being involved in the process and being ready to step beyond your comfort zone. And many people do not like stepping beyond that zone: they want results, but without too much effort.

All of this ultimately creates a difference in results. Precisely because a person approaches the training process half-heartedly, it turns out that identical workouts lead to different results.

The difference in genetics (individual characteristics)

Today it is reliably known that genetics affects your results: how much mass and strength you gain, and how much subcutaneous fat you have. My articles on these topics (with studies) are at the links.

And in studies, scientists have noted that the majority of people progress more or less the same under the same loads. But there is a small share of people who stand out from the rest: some progress significantly more under the same load (they are genetically predisposed), while others do not get results.

Perhaps this is exactly the difference between peopleI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request. But perhaps the difference between people training on the same program lies precisely here: one simply fits the genetics, while another progresses normally, as most people do. Or one progresses as expected, while for another these loads — or even this sport in general — do not lead to improved results, because the person is simply not well matched genetically to this specific sport or this training program.

Simply put, we are all different. And with the same training approach, the results can genuinely differ.

Moreover, all of us have different:

tolerance to training load, since one person’s nervous system gets fatigued more quickly than another’s, even with the same amount of work done;

recovery capacity, since one person may be fully recovered after two days, while another is still not quite there.

On top of that, there is another variable: sports nutrition and supplements. One person takes a course of vitamins and minerals, while another believes they get enough from food alone. One gets extra protein from a protein supplement, while another thinks the amount prescribed in their meal plan is enough. In this matter, I think it is better to have a bit more than not enough.

For vitamins and other sports nutrition products, welcome to our online store FitTraining, from our own DobromilFit brand.

So in the end, we get different results even though we trained the same way.