Are you bored of your exercise routine routine? Do
you have to talk yourself into exercising, track or fitness class?
Just do not see the outcomes you would like anymore? It's possible you've hit a
plateau, which can be a real downer when it comes to trying to stay fit.
But exactly what is a fitness or weight-loss plateau? A plateau is really a time when you no more see progress inside your workouts and results. For instance, you may can't lift heavier or you haven't gained muscle in a while, or you stopped losing the excess that was coming off great a couple weeks ago.
Basically, a plateau is
brought on by the body becoming confident with the stresses we are placing onto it
through our workouts or with the type and amount of food we eat. In a very
basic level, we reach a plateau from doing the same things day after day. Your
body is no longer feeling challenged and it has stopped responding as
you want.
So, how can you bust
through a plateau?
Luckily, there are some
choices you can make to address a plateau. The first choice is simple: change
nothing – not your workouts or your nutrition – and be happy with the progress
you've made to this point. This is a perfectly acceptable choice and there is
nothing wrong with choosing to stay where you stand.
But, if you really want
to push through the plateau and continue making changes for your body, we
suggest incorporating small changes, one at a time. Allow a reasonable period
between tweaks to see whether your body will respond before implementing
another change. Otherwise, how do you know what worked or what had no effect at
all?
For instance, let's imagine
you've been following a same workout plan within the last three months and
consuming simply the same foods for the same period. Over the three months,
you gained a pleasant quantity of muscle in the right areas and you lost several
inches and pounds. However, what the hell? You cannot seem to lift any heavier
and you certainly aren't seeing anymore changes.
Here are 3 methods to bust
through your toning or weight-loss plateau.
- Stop doing the same workout routine! If you're the local
elliptical queen or king, start weight lifting (that you simply must have
been doing all along, anyway). Still doing shoulder presses with
exactly the same 8 lbs for 10 reps and 3 sets for five weeks running? Well, it's the perfect time
to get some heavier weights and begin drop-setting. - Tantalize your taste bud. Are you currently primarily eating veggies inside your
goal to lose weight (while sabotaging your ability to add some muscle)?
You're ready to shake up – parts of your muscles NEED protein, carbohydrates, good
fats and water in order to get stronger and build enough to include some tone.
This means, rework your nutrition to incorporate all the macro
nutrients in appropriate portions according to your activity level. - Take an escape week. This especially pertains to people who
workout 5-6 days a week, with rarely a break. Parts of your muscles require a rest in
order to recover and rebuild. If you're continually breaking them down
using your workouts, when, if you rarely rest, could they be supposed to
repair and rebuild themselves?
Here's a fast recap of
some very simple methods to assist you to break using your plateau:
- Do not change everything all at one time. Make small alterations in your
workouts and nutrition. - Do not change variables on a weekly basis. Make a small change and
then give your body serious amounts of adjust and react. Should you change things
each week, how would you determine if you are progressing? You have to produce a
reference point and then use progression techniques again in your new
exercise variables. - Rest
Nicole P & Lara R – 2GFitness
