You've been working out for weeks and you've noticed your waist is looking slimmer, arms are toner, and your overall strength is great. But, what happens when you start to feel sluggish and don't notice much change in your body? That's a sign that you've hit a wall. How do you push past this? Here are a few tips to help you break through your plateau.
More: 4 Stages of Exercise Burnout—And How to Avoid Them
1. Evaluate What's Going on in Your Life
Are you stressed? Busy at work? Do you have too many commitments? Make a list of everything you have going on and prioritize your daily tasks. If you have too many things to do in a day, you'll over exert your body and won't have energy to work out. By prioritizing your daily tasks, you'll know what to do each day and save energy to get you through a work out.
2. Avoid Overtraining
Do you find yourself struggling to lift the same weight you lifted the week before? This is a sign that your muscles are fatigued. Allow your body some time to rest. Go for a light swim instead of hitting the weight room.
More: How to Avoid Overtraining
3. Find a Personal Trainer
Look for a trainer to help you switch up your fitness routine. This will help shock your muscles and get them to work in different ways than you're used to.
More: How to Choose the Right Personal Trainer
4. Perfect Your Technique
Ask a personal trainer to look at your form and give you feedback. A good trainer will be happy to help even if you aren't paying them. This will help you lift properly and avoid injuries. You may discover you were doing the exercise completely wrong.
5. Periodize Your Work Out
Periodize training means you change your training program at regular intervals or "periods". The idea is to challenge your muscles. Change the amount of reps or sets you do per exercise. Switch the order of exercises, try cardio after a weight-lifting session or test out speed drills.
6. Try High Intensity Training
High intensity training engages both the fast and slow twitch muscle fibers, which help sculpt and tone your body. Try 30 to 60 seconds of jumping rope or mountain climbers in-between each set.
More: High Intensity VS. Steady State Workouts
