Common fitness plateaus involve stalled weight loss or failure to increase strength or muscle mass while continuing a workout or diet program. Plateaus often follow a period of fitness accomplishments and may lead to discouragement and frustration as your body adjusts to regular fitness routines or you're near your optimum weight. You can break through plateaus with moderate exercise or dietary changes. Consult your doctor before altering your diet or exercise routine.
Causes
If you had a lot of weight to lose or were sedentary before you began exercising or dieting, you probably lost more weight in the initial stages. As your body size reduces and exercise doesn't increase, you need less calories to maintain your weight and ultimately to lose more weight. In addition, your body adjusts to routines, making exercises that may have challenged your body before less effective now.
Diet Changes
Small changes to your diet, such as subtracting 100 to 200 calories from your daily intake, may jumpstart weight loss. Adversely, if you cut calories severely, your body may be deliberately holding onto extra weight to protect against starvation, in which case you may need to increase your food intake. If your goal is increased muscle, reevaluate your protein and carbohydrate intake, as your body needs protein to build muscle and carbohydrates to fuel a workout. If your body doesn't have enough energy to get through a strength training routine, it will draw on muscle as well as fat.
Exercise Solutions
You may need to increase cardiovascular exercise and add a strength training routine for additional weight loss. Add 10 to 15 minutes of additional moderately intense aerobic exercise to your daily routine and weight train at least twice weekly. If your current strength routine has stalled, you may need to increase weight or repetitions. Avoid increasing weight training time or exercising the same muscle groups on consecutive days, as your body needs time to repair and build muscle. Whether your goal is weight loss or muscle, consider changing your routine periodically to give your body new challenges.
Considerations
Celebrate your accomplishments and stay motivated to maintain your current fitness level. If altering your diet and exercise doesn't help, it may be time to reassess your goals. If you're at or near your ideal weight and body composition, changes become more difficult. Speak with your doctor or dietitian about personalized fitness plans if you're committed to increased fitness goals or continued weight loss.
Concerns
Avoid unhealthy diets that eliminate food groups or restrict calories to unrealistic levels. While crash diets may cause you to lose weight initially, you will gain the weight back once you begin eating normally. In addition, avoid over-exercising to reduce injury. The same metabolism stalling mechanism your body uses to store energy when it doesn't get enough food can occur with over-exercising.
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