Plateau Busting


 

By: Chris Tybor

Plateau: to reach a state or level of little or no growth or decline, especially to stop increasing or progressing; remain at a stable level of achievement; level off:

If the above definition fits you better than your favorite pair of jeans, then this article is for you.

SO, you have come to the dreaded zone of no progress. In this article, I will give you tips to help bust through this frustrating part of every trainees' worst nightmare.

Plateau Busting Tips:

  1. Increase your cardio. This may seem very simple, but in reality you need to avoid sacrificing your lean muscle tissue to drop those "last few pounds". With less amounts of muscle, your metabolism actually slows down. Here is my recommendation for successfully increasing your cardio. Gradually increase your frequency/duration. If you are currently doing three 30-minute sessions of cardio a week, add in a fourth or increase the duration of the original three to 45 minutes. In the beginning stages of a program start at 3 times per week and increase until you hit 5 or 6 days per week. Don't worry, this is only for the short-term and to get you back on track. Avoid doing more than 60 minutes of cardio at a time as this will most likely put your body in a catabolic, (muscle breakdown), state. Remember that less muscle equals a less efficient metabolism. You can also try interval training if you are crunched for time. Click on the following link for further information on interval training.
     
  2. Increase the frequency of your weight training. This can be accomplished a few different ways. If you are currently doing a full body routine 2 days per week, try adding a third non-consecutive day. If you are already doing 3 full body workouts, try dividing your workouts in the following manner: Day 1: Upper body Pushing movements, Day 2: Lower body movements, Day 3: Upper body Pulling movements. I would suggest a 2 days on, 1 day off split to allow adequate recovery. You can then start the cycle over.
  3. Write down everything you eat. This will take some time and be a pain in the butt, but it will be worth it. One of two things will happen, either you will be utterly disgusted with the amount of food you actually eat or you will adjust your eating so the above doesn't happen. Either way this should serve as a motivation/learning experience and help you get a hold of your calorie consumption. Two free calorie-tracking sites that I have my clients use are:

    http://www.calorieking.com
    http://www.fitday.com
     
  4. Increase your protein consumption. Most weight training individuals (especially females) under-eat in the protein department. Track your calories (see above) and make adjustments. You should aim for 1 gram of protein for each pound of lean body mass you have. For example a 100 lb person with 15% body fat has 85 pounds of lean body mass. Thus, they should consume 85 grams of protein. This doesn't have to be the exact amount you take in on a daily basis. It can be an average, so 90 grams one day and 80 the next is ok. Just don't find yourself at 45 grams for the day and try to get in 125 grams of protein the following day. That would not be the most efficient way to do things.
  5. Make sure you are getting stronger. If you focus your energy and gym efforts on the following muscle groups: Legs, Back, Chest and get stronger in those, you will have added new lean muscle mass, which will increase your metabolism. An effective way to do this is by tracking your weight training workouts. It is most humans' nature to want to improve, so push yourself to be able to handle a heavier weight. A side note, females-do not be afraid of getting too bulky, it will not happen!!!!!
  6. Have a body composition test done.. This will show you what your current body fat levels are, thus giving you a baseline to track your progress. Set a timetable to be re-tested. The accountability to another individual and yourself are great tools to help you stay on track. There are other ways to measure progress besides the scale weight and body composition is the most important, in my opinion. You can replace body fat with muscle and not necessarily see a change in the scale weight. For the uneducated trainee, this could cause them to lose motivation and give up. This is unfortunate because if they were following a structured weight-training program, they were probably making some progress, but not looking in the correct places for the signs/affirmation of their progress. If you are interested in body composition testing please email me to set up an appointment. Ideally, after initial testing is done, I suggest a re-test every 30 days. This will allow you to determine if you need adjustments in your nutrition, training program or both in order to see further progression in a positive direction.

It is the human body's job to adapt. This is very true with regard to exercise. Try to switch up your program every 6-8 weeks to avoid hitting the dreaded plateau. If you do, follow the above tips to get yourself back on track!

 

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