How To Push Through A Plateau
The key to pushing through a plateau is plain and simple.. change. When we have been doing the same workouts for a while our body gets used to them and doesn’t need to adapt. In a previous Sunday email we’ve discussed the meaning of periodization: “Periodization is defined as the planned manipulation of training variables (load, sets, and repetitions) in order to maximize training adaptations and to prevent the onset of overtraining syndrome.” (National Library Of Medicine). If you’re not sure where to start with this it can be tough to start, here are some tips to help stay on the path to progress:
Re-evaluate Your Goals:
It’s time to figure out what you really want. We can’t do all of it at the same time, we can pick something to focus on and most of the other positive things will come naturally. But you can’t have weight loss, strength gains, size gains, and your best run time all in the same plan at the same time. It takes a long term plan or a “macro cycle” to achieve multiple goals, and breaking these goals down into smaller cycles will give you a way there.
Decide What You Want Most:
So with all those goals mentioned previously, maybe you have more in there too. We have to somehow pick one. Pick the most important one, if you’ve already done that and completed your program it’s time to pick the next one and change what you’re doing. If you have the same goal in mind still and want to continue working towards that, you can still make minor “tweaks” in your program to progress and challenge your body. If you’ve been focusing on fat loss for 6 months maybe its time to switch to focusing on building a bit of muscle back but still keeping the cardio high, possibly even more intense.
Build A Plan Around That Specific Goal:
What I mentioned in the previous point ties into this. If you start to focus on muscle building you will still be weight training just a slight bit heavier, a few less reps, and maybe not circuits all the time. However, you will still want to do your cardio it will just be separate from the weight training now. This is where I find people are commonly stuck but there can be other places too.. if you’ve been trying to build muscle for a while, doing your 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps try a 5x5 strength program and see what happens. The body responds to progressive overload always but it still needs change.
This being said..
Make Sure The Plan Is Different Than The Previous One
If you’re stuck in a plateau but are feeling pretty good about yourself, try something totally different! Instead of long distance running maybe you switch to cycling or hiit circuits. If you’re still focused on fat loss and circuit training, maybe you do 4 sets instead of 3 or increase the amount of weekly cardio you do for the next 12 weeks.
Give Yourself A Realistic Timeline
Be patient with yourself and recognize that no fitness goals come without putting in the work. If you’re not much of a beginner anymore you know this already. If you were a beginner and are reaching that first time plateau stage, the results you see now may take a bit more than when you started. That’s not to deter you or make you feel like you can’t see progress, it’s just how it works. The body responds to exercise drastically at first because of that simple fact, its drastic change your body wasn’t used to.. but now it kind of is. Now we have to surprise it again like when you first started.
Stay Committed
Exercise is a long term relationship. It doesn’t appreciate when you come and go, it fancies commitment and care. Kind of like us right? When we stay consistent, do our movements properly and avoid giving up.. good things happen.
Hope that helps!
Happy exercising :)
Robyn