Break through a fitness plateau

Have you ever felt like you’ve hit a plateau? Stopped gaining muscles or losing fat? Bored? Your workouts might be to blame. Like most people we are routine-oriented and stick to the same habits. This is no different for our workout routines. 

The term "work out" literally means to work your muscles vigorously. We build muscle by challenging them. The muscles in your body after a challenging workout are "torn" on a microscopic level. We eat nutrients that help our body build the muscle fibres back stronger, bigger and better!

Our muscles are smart and adaptive. They adjust to our current exercise routines. Therefore, when you perform the same exercises repeatedly, they become climatized over time. In fact, your body's nervous system, muscles, and other physiological systems can adapt to a workout routine in less than 3 months. Eventually, your workouts won't offer you the same challenge they did when you first started your current program. That's where variety becomes so instrumental in reducing the chances of plateauing or becoming stagnant. 

Have you ever tried changing your routine to incorporate new exercises? New rep ranges? Tried a new sport? Your body might very well need time to adapt to these new "stresses" and challenges. This is where you may find yourself sore the following day. Even if it was something simple, it's new and your body is adapting to it. This is called muscle confusion and it's a great way to challenge your body.

To maintain a healthy and challenging exercise routine, it's important to include variety. Including aerobic/sport training, resistance/strength training and mobility/balance training to challenge your muscles differently can help you break through a fitness plateau, but which one is right for you?

Aerobic and Sport Exercise: When you think about working out, aerobic or cardiovascular exercise may be what first comes to mind. It includes any type of endurance activity that increases your heart rate for a prolonged period. There are many types of aerobic exercise to choose from including walking, jogging, biking, swimming, skipping, and more. Picking up sports such as softball, volleyball, hockey, etc. are great ways to challenge your body and muscles as well. 

Resistance and Strength Training: When it comes to strength training, it’s harder to build muscle if you don't add variety. Strength-training resistance exercises use a stimulus, such as a weight, to give your muscles something to work against. Over time, your muscles adapt to that stimulus. To strengthen your muscles, you need to introduce stimuli that are progressively more challenging. For example, you need to use progressively heavier weights or resistance bands. Adding variety to your strength training workouts is very important. Try to incorporate different types of exercises and resistance into your routine. 

Mobility and Balance Training: Balance is a component of fitness that many people overlook. As you age, proper balance becomes increasingly important to a well-rounded fitness program. Without good balance, you're more likely to fall or become injured, which could put all your other exercise plans on hold. You can practice several exercises to improve your balance. Yoga is a fantastic option in my opinion. Taking a yoga class is a great way to improve your balance and work on your flexibility, which can directly improve your strength training routines. It does not need to be too complicated, even simple exercises, such as standing on one leg for an extended period, can help improve your stability.

Breaking through a fitness plateau can be challenging but by adding some variety it can make a world of difference. Want to learn more but not sure where to start? Contact me and let’s get you back on track today!