Hit A Plateau In Your Fitness Routine? What Now?
Everyone wants to find that perfect workout routine, one that motivates them to do it every day, gets great results, and makes them feel better for the effort. It would be great if the perfect workout existed, but the reality is that the human body adapts to any fitness routine at some point and hits the dreaded plateau. This means every athlete will eventually be required to switch things up and get out of the rut to see results. The next time you hit a plateau, consider these tips and do your body good.
1. Fuel up properly with the right foods. You might be stalling in your fitness regimen because you’re not getting enough of the right nutrients. It’s necessary to consume proper levels of calories through carbs, protein and vitamins so your body can recover from exercise. If you don’t, your body starts to hoard these essentials and go into hibernation mode – a.k.a. your plateau.
2. Change up your routine. Your body easily adapts to physical activity, which means you’re not gaining any benefit by doing the same workout every day. You need to modify your approach to expose your muscles to new challenges. Change out one exercise for another or alter the order that you do certain activities.
3. Increase frequency, decrease duration. Not only should you switch up what you do, but you must also change the duration and frequency to overcome a plateau in your fitness routine. Try engaging in more workouts per week, but for less time. You should also make adjustments to your intensity levels accordingly.
4. Go for it with a challenge. If you’re weightlifting, pay attention to reps; while doing endurance training, log your miles or minutes. Then, aspire to move to the next level. Pushing yourself to the extreme – without overdoing it, of course – enables muscles to grow and become stronger. Set a new goal every day to challenge yourself to the next level, and you’ll soon be moving out of the plateau in your fitness routine.
5. Blend cardio and strength training. You might be stuck in a rut because you’re focusing too much on either weight lifting or cardio. It’s important to find the right balance between the two in order to reap the benefits of each.
6. Get plenty of sleep. A good snooze is the best way for your body to regenerate and repair muscle tissues that have been affected by a workout. Plus, if you’re not getting enough sleep, you don’t have the energy or motivation to push through a strenuous workout – also leading to plateaus in your workout results.
Try out one or more of these tips and you’ll soon get off the plateau in your workout routine and back on track with your fitness goals. In addition, keep in mind the value of proper recovery in avoiding the plateau in your routine. Your muscles and surrounding tissues benefit from the flow of oxygen, a process that coincides with a regular recovery session.