You’ve been exercising, eating healthily and smashing your fitness goals… then you suddenly hit a wall. Ugh. We’ve all been there and we know how rubbish it feels. So, in this blog, the KBPT team provides various tips to help you power through this plateau and come out the other side.
1. Understand why it happens
When you train regularly, your body adapts to it (your heart and muscles get stronger, for example) so, if you find that you’re no longer seeing any improvements, it’s time to switch up your training programme and/or technique. The other reason you might hit a plateau is that you’re not giving your body enough time to recover in between workouts.
2. Vary your workouts
Doing the same training programme day in day out can get monotonous and also start having less impact so how about varying the frequency, intensity and type of exercise you do? Go for a swim or a bike ride rather than going to the gym. Change the weights you’re using or the number of reps you do. Try a new running route that gives you the opportunity to do some hill sprints.
3. Focus on your form
After a while, bad habits can creep into exercise routines. Perhaps you’re not doing full squats or you’re lifting the kettlebell incorrectly. Sloppy workouts mean you’re not targeting the right muscles so slow down and really concentrate on using the right form for every single exercise.
4. Recover properly
When you’re on a mission to get fit and healthy, it’s easy to neglect recovery time. Make sure you give your body a break in between workouts and that you get enough sleep. Diet-wise, you might find it helpful to increase your protein intake, which will help to boost your metabolism and prevent muscle mass loss.
5. Stay positive
Hitting a plateau can be really demotivating but this isn’t the time to give up! You should be really proud of what you’ve achieved so far. Set yourself some new goals for 2024 and focus on what you can control.
KBPT’s all-female personal training team, based in East London, is here to help if you’re feeling stuck.
