Plateau Breaking Truth !!

Here’s some truth about the very famous term used and heard on a day to day basis on the gym floor, “Plateau”. We all have heard of this word and even used it endlessly to cover up for our lack of motivation and hard work. This word is not only used in the right sense when the body gets used to the activity you’re doing and stops showing results or any difference, but also in the wrong sense when you’re not doing something challenging enough for your body to react. The truth is that plateau happens when you’re body gets used to doing the same activity at the same intensity for a prolonged period of time.

Now, the question is how do we break Plateau??

Just like you always need a change from you’re monotonous routine life, you’re body also needs constant change from the routine workout to show continuous positive results. Variety is the spice of life. Giving variety to your body will definitely spice up your fitness graph. Our body is so beautifully designed that it takes only a couple of weeks to accept change or the challenge given to it, after which it reaches a comfort zone. We have to continuously make an effort to bring it out of its comfort, increase the bar and make the activity challenging as time passes.

There are various ways to achieve a plateau break. It can either be done by altering your existing workout routine by introducing a different activity in it. For example if you have been doing regular weight training and cardio in the gym and you’re body has been accustomed to it, what you can do is introduce dance, aerobics, an outdoor sport or swimming, any form of cardio exercise you like instead of the typical treadmill and cross trainer in the gym. You can even compliment the workout by doing some Power Yoga or Pilates depending on how much your body can take. This will not only give your body a new challenge but also give you a change from the usual and keep you motivated. Now if you are not a dancer or you don’t enjoy playing a sport, no problem all you need to do is change the intensity of your current weight training and cardio plan. You can either change the poundage you carry, vary the amount of reps you do or even the sets. In general bring about a slight progression in your exercises, depending on your goal of weight gain or weight loss also depending on your body’s progress chart. You can at the same time alter the cardio workout by introducing interval training, incline walking, circuit training, etc., on your favourite cardio machine.

Surprisingly diet also plays an equal and important role when it comes to breaking the plateau. It’s advisable to keep a watch and alter your diet plan regularly as the body after a while gets used to the set food pattern.

These kinds of small yet necessary changes needs to be introduced frequently keeping your fitness level and goal in mind to achieve an ongoing growth. Keep monitoring your workouts and your progress as only that can help you solve the mystery and rescue you from the highly abused word. A little bit of challenge and a bit of extra hard work will help you see continuous results, keep you motivated and take you closer to your target.