(BlackFitness101.com) You have been on your workout routine for a few weeks and noticed significant progress. You’ve been working out consistently, eating properly and sleeping well. Then, all of a sudden, you hit a wall. Progress stymies. It’s called a plateau, and even the most ardent of fit buffs have hit it. What to do? The first thing to understand is that most plateaus are mental blocks. Or, as fitness author Steve Kamb puts it, they are really issues with concentration in disguise.
But, since the mind has reasons for which at times the body hasn’t gotten the email, there are a few practical changes you can make. Moving past physical plateaus to progress may just involve a few mental adjustments.
Here are three tips on how to move past a plateau.
Tip#1
Change Up you Recovery Routine
The first place to look is your post-workout activity – your recovery time. Most people are not spending enough time recovering. And they make the mistake of overtraining, which means they are spending even less time in recovery mode. Our bodies need rest, especially after a bruising workout. How many hours or days are you spending between workouts? The rule of thumb is 24-72 hours, depending on the intensity level at which you are training. Also, how many hours of sleep are you actually getting? Lastly, is there an inordinate increase in your level of stress during the time you have noticed the stall in progress? Stress produces Cortisol, which inhibits how our bodies respond to positive stimuli.
Tip#2
Change your Eating Routine
The next place to look is at your diet. Key questions include: Have you been treating yourself a little more than usual? Has there been an uptick in your carb count? Are you drinking three to six liters of water per day? Diet is usually the major suspect when it comes to plateaus. Bad eating habits have a way of creeping into our schedules. Lunch with the office crew, happy hour and a few midnight snacks and before we know it, it stymies our progress in the gym.
Tip#3
Change your Workout Routine
This is where most people overreact, in my opinion. They believe they aren’t training hard enough – so they go harder! The result is they end up overtraining and the mental ‘plateau’ gets worse.
Moving past a plateau may only require a few slight modifications in your workout routine. If you have been doing heavy 4-6 reps, switch to moderate 12-15 reps for a couple of weeks. If you have been going solo, consider a boot camp. The camaraderie may be just the thing you need. You really don’t need wholesale changes in your routine, just a few changes here and there.
Moving past physical plateaus to progress may just involve a few mental adjustments.
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.