SAME SAME NO DIFFERENT….Exercise progression By Anthony Noud
Has your weight loss come to a grinding halt? Still eating well and exercising but pulling your hair out because you cant seem to lose the next little bit? I am often approached by frustrated trainees complaining that they are doing “everything right” yet still not seeing results.
So you have lost a few (or perhaps many) kilos, exercise and healthy eating is now a part of your life. You never miss a session and your food is consistent. whats going on? You saw great results initially but are now struggling to lose the last few kilos. Today I will discuss one of the possible reasons for this very frustrating yet surprisingly common occurrences… exercise progression and the results plateau.
As humans we are creatures of habit, once we start doing something, our body adapts quite quickly, making us more efficient at whatever we are doing. After some time of doing ANY program, your body will adapt to the intensity, duration, frequency and even the TYPE of exercise you are doing. In a nutshell, doing the same workout again again will only produce desirable results for a limited amount of time.
Sadly, I regularly see people walk into the gym, day after day for months and months doing the same thing over and over again, usually beginning with a 20 minute run then straight into 3 sets of 10 on the bench, a bit of lat pulldown, perhaps some dumbbell curls….might even throw in the odd class here and there…Initially this got great results and you lost X kilos and added some lean muscle….but in all honesty you look exactly the same as you did 6 months ago and your fitness/strength levels are probably fairly similar…..sound familiar?
When was the last time you felt those jelly legs when walking out of the gym? Or that cold feeling in your chest and subsequent endorphin rush to your brain after putting in 110% in your cardio session? When was the last time you did a personal best for ANY exercise?...If the answer to any of these questions isn’t “in the last fortnight” then in my opinion, you are wasting your time in the gym.
Let me pose another question, when was the last time you dropped a dress size? Noticed a “new” muscle, or caught a glimpse of your changing body shape in the mirror? Again if your answer isn’t “in the last fortnight” perhaps its time to change up your training.
I have written previously on the importance of training intensity here http://exquisitephysiques.blogspot.com/2011/03/intensity-counts.html and am a firm believer that without real intensity the best program, performed with the best trainer on the planet will only deliver average results at best. Once you are sure that you are bringing the desired level of intensity to your workouts, lets look at how we can progress your exercise and bust through plateaus!
- INCREASE YOUR WEIGHTS!! I am forever saddened by the number of ladies in the gym or in a weights class literally throwing around 2-4kg dumbells for countless reps! This is NOT EFFECTIVE! Ladies up your weights! Lifting weights should be challenging- the last few reps of EACH set should be difficult to complete. When performing compound exercises (barbell squats, deadlifts etc) you should be gasping for air and need a good minute or so rest at the end of each set, if you are not reaching this point increase your weight and/or reps until you do! If you are stuck in the stone age and subscribe to the “heavy weights will make me bulky” myth, read this now! http://exquisitephysiques.blogspot.com/2011/03/weight-training-for-women.html
- My soul dies a little inside every time I see someone plodding along on a treadmill/bike reading a magazine or watching television! Do you honestly believe that is going to get you the body of your dreams? I’m telling you it WILL NOT! In fact I am willing to bet that these people will look NO DIFFERENT in 12months time, instead they will probably have gained fat, and be ready to give up because “going to the gym doesn’t work”. Instead of doing a mind numbing 20mins on your favourite cardio machine, up the intensity, add incline, do intervals, walk with dumbells and make it a grueling 20mins! Your body will thank you for it!
- Crank up your cardio! Do you have a favourite run loop or treadmill pace you do religiously? Change it up! Lengthen your run, add interval sprints, hit the stairs, stop and do pushups/dips/squats or similar.
- Measure and track your progress. Use a training diary, and record all weights and reps. Use your previous performance as a guide and set a target to beat or better your previous best each and every workout! Even if only by one rep, one kilo or shaving one second off your personal best time. In order to keep progressing you must continually better yourself, leaving you fitter, stronger and more motivated.
- There are literally hundreds of apps available to track and record your results. For cardio try something like runkeeper (free app), which uses GPS to track, time and even notify you of pace for everything from walking to cross country skiing! For lifting weights a simple notepad will suffice, or a printed program with all exercises listed would be ideal! (I specialize in creating tailored weights programs from beginner to advanced level)
- Change up your program: This can be as simple as changing the order that you perform your exercises, to varying rep ranges, rep tempo or volume of exercises. Plan to change your program about every 8 weeks. This will give your body enough time to progress and make gains from the exercise being performed, while still being short enough to avoid a plateau.
- Using squats as an example, the changes you make can range from a major overhaul such as alternating squats with lunges or leg press to relatively minor adjustments like squatting deeper or to a box, changing your squat stance, doing speed sets, significantly altering rep ranges or rep tempo.
- Group class fiend? That’s fine! Try a new class or rearrange your current schedule, add in back to back classes, increase your weights and/or try the level 2 and 3 (more advanced) options given by your instructor! Your instructor doesn’t offer levels? Come to PURE health clubs- we do!
- On the group class note, I often see people “pacing themselves” for a class- making sure you don’t go too hard just in case the next bit is super tough. GET OUT OF THIS MINDSET!! I can think of nothing worse than leaving a class thinking, “I could have worked a little harder”. Once again- put in 110%! If you need to rest halfway through that is FINE! Nobody is going to judge you! In fact your instructor will be impressed, as will the other participants.
- REST! If you have been training intensely for several months without a rest day or rest week, perhaps it is time to give your body a short break. While it may go against common sense, I have personally found that some of my best results have been achieved after a planned rest period.
Recently I found myself hitting a wall with my results, I was training regularly with all the intensity I could muster and eating perfectly, but noticed that my strength gains and changes to my physique had seemed to stall. I had been chasing a specific strength goal for 8 months, only to fail on every attempt.
My initial conclusion was that “I mustn’t be training hard enough” or “I will increase my calories” or “learn a new technique”. I had become very comfortable with my training program and diet and only after a friend pointed out to me did I realize I had been completing the same program (a great program at that) for several months with no rest did I realize I needed to make a change.
I decided (reluctantly) to take a week off training altogether, and then on my return, implemented a few of the strategies I have outlined above like switching my training days and exercises with altering rep ranges. Essentially I started a new program… the results were surprising to no end! My Personal best lift I had been chasing for 8 months came only 6 days into my new program! I have since been setting new pb’s on almost every exercise for the last fortnight! I can personally assure you that constant progression and adjustment can make a BIG difference to your results!
Don’t become a victim of the “same same no different” exercise mentality, stand out from the majority of gym goers that look (and perform) the same year in and year out despite their best efforts. Make regular changes to your program and continue training harder, running faster, lifting heavier and pushing further than you did yesterday!
