Are you frustrated with your progress at the club? Do you work out every day, and yet don’t see any results? Are you bored with our current routine? You may have landed on a fitness plateau. We’ve all been there – be it at the gym, trying to lose weight or even learning a new skill. At first you make a ton of progress. Things are going great, and you’re feeling good. You’re losing weight consistently, adding more weight to that barbell or running further/faster than you ever have. Then, you hit a point and everything seems to pause, or go backward, even though you may be doing “all of the right things”.
One thing to keep in mind is that the human body is an amazing machine, and extremely effective at adapting to change. When you make changes in your diet or your exercise routine you are effectively “stressing” your body. The change is something new, and thus the body has to work harder, and you see results. Once that new things becomes routine, your body adapts. If you continue to do the exact same thing over and over, your body becomes incredibly efficient at that activity. And in fact, the body can adapt so well after doing the same thing over and over, that it burns fewer calories during the process.
This is why beginners can make progress doing almost anything. As you get more advanced though, plateaus are easier to come by.
The antidote: CHANGE.
Mix up your routine. This can weekly, or monthly or daily. Add in some change!
If it’s a faster race time that you’re looking for, mix up your training. Once a week do some speed work, add in fartleks or interval training. Join a local running club on their track nights. Run with people that are faster than you.
If it’s losing weight, keep a food journal. Really pay attention to what you’re eating right now and mix it up. Try a new recipe. Juice. Try smoothies. Go raw. Eat vegan or fast one day a week. Eat a different breakfast every day for one week. Try new snacks. Always listen to your body, and try new foods!
If it’s strength you’re after, vary the amount of sets you do or add weight each week. Do some body weight training. Try intensity training. Work with a trainer.
The bottom line, when hitting a plateau or stalling out on making progress is to do something different. Consistency is a good thing – until it isn’t. Every now and then (or perhaps once a week) change up your routine. Work out in a different way or at a different place. Eat something different every day – a new snack, a new recipe, or water with electrolytes. Take a different route to work. Find a new spot to get your work done. Go to a new coffee shop. Rest. Ahhhh, rest. Make sure that you rest.
You may be amazed at what opens up by changing things up.
Change it up today.
