So what do I mean by reaching a plateau? Progress is the only testament for whether you are in a plateau or not. Now progress doesn't only mean standing on the scale and seeing the number rise/drop, it is a combination of various shapes and forms. Looser clothing, losing inches, increase in strength, better mood, and various other things. Furthermore, one single day can have noticeable changes and hence it is not advisable to judge your progress from just a single day. Personally speaking, when I cheat on weekends and wake up the next morning I am all bloated and fluffy from all those carbs and water. But I need that Biriyani on my weekends, and we all need our cheats. Since that is what allows us to stick to our diets.
A plateau can take place for various reasons, it maybe a lack of consistency, a lack of patience or even just a bad month. Trust me we all go through that. It may even be an indication that your caloric deficit is now your maintenance calories now, since you have lost weight over time. Perhaps you got a bit too comfortable with your calorie counting and confident enough to eye your calories. But we all go wrong.
Measure your progress across a span of 27-30 days. Check whether you have been genuinely consistent for these days. Come on guys, be honest with yourself. Have you stayed within your diet? Have you worked out on your workout days (be it 6x a week or even 3x a week). If you you can cross all these and then after 3-4 weeks you find no signs of progress, then you have struck a plateau. Don't fret I've got just the solution for you.
Progressive Overload. Now this jargon has no complicated intricate definition. All it means is that you push harder than the previous time. You workout harder than your previous day, you do a bit more cardio than last day, you be a bit more stricter with your diet than yesterday. THAT is progressive overload. Going harder than the last time, just as Sensei Greg Doucette says. Now what does working out harder mean? Beginners especially, those of you who have just embarked upon this journey, stick to a single routine, doing the same exercises, over and over again. Our bodies are smarter than we perceive them, they get used to this over time and hence reaching hypertrophy(tearing muscle fibers in order to repair them for a stronger substitute) becomes much more taxing then. Furthermore, many a times, the same routine, lifting the same weights in the same motion can be genuinely boring for most of us.
This is why I advise you to switch up your routine. Say you perform 3 sets of floor pushups for your chest day; switch it upto 1 set of archer pushups, 1 set of plyo pushups and 1 set of incline pushups, that switch will be more challenging than you'd expect and naturally make you push harder. If you perform 3 sets of benchpress and incline press for your chest everyday, then try switching up your routine to a calisthenics HIIT workout for your chest. For example,
5 Minute: 45 secs work, 15 rest (Try doing 3 rounds)
a) Clapping Pushups
b) Diamond Pushups
c) Archer Pushups
d) Typewriter Pushups
e) Decline Pushups
End it with a 45 sec slow pushup (22 sec up, 22 sec down).
Trust me this workout is more challenging than you'd expect, this will not only help you test out your strength but being HIIT it'll improve your aerobic and muscular endurance too. However, if you do not wish to switch up your routine, you are more than welcome to simply increase the number on the barbell to give you a more challenging resistance and hence progressively overloading.
Finally, remember to keep a realistic expectation in this journey. Do NOT be distracted by all these models you look at in Instagram. If you wanna enjoy this process, if you wanna maintain fitness the way it was meant to be, keep pushing yourself and understand that we all have limitations. It is absolutely fine to take a break, take some rest, sit down and spend time with your loved ones, or even spend time with yourself. Fitness isn't about having those shredded 6-pack abs, it's about being mentally and physically able to take on your hurdles both literally and metaphorically.
Comentarios