Plateau Breakers

If you've ever been on a mission to lose weight and look great by a certain date, hitting a plateau on your weight loss journey can be extremely frustrating and can lead you to lose heart and give up on your goals.

This is no way to be. The good news is there are ways to break plateau without having to work harder, but by merely working smarter. Let's examine why we experience plateaus and how we can solve the problems that come up.

Not enough calories

When we chart a weight loss course, we start by increasing exercise and reducing our caloric intake. This works initially until our bodies catch up with us. In a few weeks or months, depending on metabolism, the body begins to build muscle. In the initial stages, the body will burn excess fat but as it begins to get stronger, it will need the proper balance of fuel to keep it going. A plateau can come on when the former calorie amount now becomes insufficient. Contrary to what the diet industry likes to promote, eating too few calories for a very active body, will result in a stop in weight loss or even a gain. When your body becomes an efficient machine, it only stands to reason that it will need quality fuel. One way to break a plateau is to increase your calories starting with about 200-400 calories per day of high quality proteins or carbohydrates, such as veggies, fruit or whole grains.

Insufficient muscle damage.

According to Sport physician Dr. Gabe Mirkin, in order for muscles to grow, they have to sustain damage and then recover from that damage. Are your workouts intense enough that you feel muscle soreness the next day? If not, then this could be one reason why you are experiencing a plateau. Remember that old adage, "Feel the Burn?" This refers to the damaging of the muscle fiber during harsh exercise.

Dr. Mirkin has this to say, "Muscle biopsies taken on the day after hard exercise show bleeding and disruption of the z-band filaments that hold muscle fibres together as they slide over each other during a contraction."

This is nothing to be afraid of, it is the natural way in which a muscle builds strength. In order to get the muscle to this stage, you have to ensure that you push your workouts to the point where you feel a warming of the muscle and the last few reps feel very difficult, like there is a strong resistance (like pushing through mud) and the muscle itself feels like there is a fire inside it. Be careful though, it is a fine line between "feeling the burn" and injuring yourself. A good rule of thumb is to do as many reps as you can comfortably do without sacrificing good form; pushing those last reps, while letting your form suffer is a recipe for injury. If you wish to get the most out of your workouts by really pushing those last reps, work out with a friend who can help guide your form while you push through.

Inadequate recovery

Another reason for a stop in weight loss can be inadequate rest and recovery. Not waiting till your muscles have properly recovered before stressing them again, can not only result in injury but it can also inhibit your weight loss. If muscles do not heal between sessions, they cannot be strengthened and grow sufficiently. It is best to wait until the soreness is gone before taking a muscle out on a drive again. This can take anywhere between 24 and 72 hours, depending on how hard it has been worked. Does that mean you have to only workout once every 3 days? Not at all, but it does demonstrate the importance of alternating your workouts so as not to exercise the same body part two days in a row.

In addition, it is very important to give your body adequate rest, so it can repair itself. Eight hours of sleep at least, is a must! It is also helpful to feed the muscle with good quality protein directly after a workout. Protein shakes consisting of creatine is helpful in this.

Predictable workout routines

Just like the brain, the body needs to get smarter in order to keep growing and progressing. If you wanted to be the best mathematician in the world, you would have to progress from doing your times tables into algebra. The body is the same way. Give it the same workout to do month in and month out and it will become used to it and fail to grow. Switching routines is one of the best ways to not only get out of a plateau once you are in, but to avoid them altogether. If you wish to challenge your body and work out smart, then you should be changing your workouts at least every 4-6 weeks. Try incorporating weights, kickboxing, swimming, yoga, core strengthening. You can outsmart your body by keeping it guessing every month. Where will you take it next?

Keep it FUN!

Besides being a plateau breaker, switching your routine frequently will keep YOU excited about working out. There is nothing greater than finding something you can really sink your heart and soul into. Let's face it, riding a stationary bike and staring at the same wall every day is no way to feel positive about working out. Waking up everyday to a different routine and challenging yourself to LOVE exercise is the best plateau breaker of all.