Have you stopped seeing exercise results? Follow these tips to help you move on to the next level.
If you work out regularly but have stopped seeing improvements, you’ve reached a plateau, when your body has adapted to your training regime so it no longer has to work hard to cope. Top personal trainer Mark Anthony (markanthonysuk.com) has these tips to get you moving towards your goals again.
Take an active rest
‘If you’ve hit a plateau, take an active rest,’ says Anthony. ‘Have a week off and take leisurely walks or try a yoga class. Active rest rejuvenates your mind and body, and allows overworked muscles to rebuild.’
Mix it up
‘Change your programme regularly,’ says Anthony. ‘It takes about six weeks for your body to adapt to your training plan and once this happens you’ll stop seeing results. Have a session with a personal trainer or tweak your usual programme by adding in new moves.’
Reorganise you workout order
‘Do your cardio after your resistance workout to tap into your fat stores,’ advises Anthony. ‘Your body has three energy systems: muscle power (from an amino acid in muscle tissue, called creatine), food (glycogen) and fat. By doing strength training first, you burn through your first energy system within 10 seconds. The second system then takes around 25 minutes to burn though, which is when you should do your resistance work, so when you finish off with your cardio, your body just has fat to burn for energy.’
Prioritise
‘If there’s a certain area of your body you want to change, prioritise it by exercising it first in your workout,’ says Anthony. ‘This allows you to focus all your energy on the first few exercises at a time when you’re not too tired.’
Partial reps
Doing just a portion of a move is a great way to shock your body,’ says Anthony. ‘Doing the top half of a bench press is a partial rep, as is doing the top half of a lunge. Your muscles are used to working at a full range of motion, so partial movements will give them a shock – the muscles are under a sustained tension and a different type of stress while at a different angle. This increases your muscle endurance and helps your body burn more calories. ‘
Pre-exhaust your muscles
‘Wake up your muscles and get your heart pumping with pre-exhaust supersets,’ says Anthony. ‘Exhaust a muscle with an isolation exercise using just one muscle and one joint, then hit it again with a compound move using several muscle groups at a time. Do some leg extensions before your squats, for example. Aim for 10 isolation reps followed straight away by 10 compound reps.’
Take a rest
‘Always take a weekly rest day, so your muscles can repair themselves,’ says Anthony. As you repair them, the muscles become stronger and longer, setting you up for better gains.’
