So its the beginning of March and summer is right around the corner, how are you doing with your resolutions? If you haven't stuck with it, then what are you waiting for? If you have stalled then keep reading?
If you stopped your workout then don't despair, just start again. Everybody stumbles every now and then its not worth beating yourself up over. Figure out what your barrier to entry into an exercise program is and then work on breaking them. If you are wanting to get in shape for this summer its not too late. You have 3 months till June that is enough to lose 12-24lbs of fat...that can make a dramatic change to the way you look in a bathing suit.
For those of you that feel like you are stuck and stopped making progress...Don't STOP!! Its just time for a change and a closer look at the details of your plan..you do have a plan right?!?!
Some things that need to be looked at: Nutrition (macro nutrient ratios and overall calorie count), Frequency of workout, Intensity of workout, Type of workout, and length of Time of workout.
If you have been doing the same thing for the last 3 months then it is definitely time to crank it up a notch.
This can be done using any one of the before mentioned factors. Lets start with Frequency, this is where some people make the biggest mistake. More is not necessarily better, while it is important for you to get in some kind of activity every day you cannot push your limits everyday otherwise you are going to burn out. This can be done by alternating High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) with active recovery of the longer Slow Sustained Training (SST). This follows the General Adaptive Syndrome that states periods of high intensity need to be followed by periods of lower intensity for optimal recovery.
If you don't like that your cardio or strength training workouts seem to have turned into marathon sessions only to stop yeilding results then its time to turn up the intensity. For cardio this is easily done with HIIT, for starters use a 1:2 work:rest ratio. Then work towards bringing that ratio to 1:1 as you progress. For resistance training, if fat loss is your goal upping the intensity is not adding weight, in this case it is using supersets and circuits mixed with cardio for "rest", there are a few ways to optimize this type of working out.
Maybe you are getting tired of doing the same exercises or the same cardio machines, well then its time to switch what you are doing. For some people simply switching your mode or type of exercise is enough of a change to increase stimulation to start making gains again towards your goals.
If you are only working out 2 days per week and making no progress then...well...I shouldn't have to tell you to add another day. If you are working out 7 days per week for 2 hours at a time and are making no progress then change your time to incorporate more rest and give your mind and body a break. This is a perfect time to go to less days per week and increase the intensity while also changing the type of exercise for best results.
If you want more indepth information about how to do anything that I have mentioned feel free to contact me or post a question on my Face Book page.
Contact information:
Shawn Fears
Alaska Fitness Solutions
Cell: 907-347-7863
email: s.fears@hotmail.com or contact me through IDEA trainer finder.
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alaska-Fitness-Solutions/159113580779207
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