How To Push Past Your Fat Loss Workout Plateau
By Heather Picken
You find yourself doing the same workout routine and all of a sudden, you realize your body is not responding to the workout as it did when you first started. This is what happens when you hit a workout plateau. Your body just gets used to the workout and has made all the changes it can. You also might find that you start getting bored too!
In order to see changes you need to create a new stimulus to your muscles, this can be done in several ways. First, look at the weights that you are using. If the weight is not challenging enough when you lift, your body has already adapted to it.
Many women in particular are afraid to increase the amount of weight they use in their workouts fearing that it will bulk them up, but in reality that does not happen. Staying at the same weight is only counterproductive as your body stays exactly where it is at. The rule of thumb is to make the last repetitions (the number in which you are performing in each set) challenging.
Many women ask how many repetitions they should do. Well, if you are working on building lean muscle you want to go heavy weight with less reps. This can be anywhere from four to eight reps. If you are trying to build more endurance then go with 10-15 repetitions.
Another program change you can implement is to increase the time you work out. If your weight training sessions usually last 30 minutes then go up to 45 minutes. This will burn more calories which results in less body fat. You can even decrease the time spent between each set. Doing this little trick will not only force your body to burn more fat, but it will also help you build endurance.
What about doing a boot camp-style workout where you set up different stations and quickly go from one to the next? For instance you could jump rope for 5 minutes, then do step-ups and from there do push-ups and then rest for about 30-60 seconds and repeat. You can add a variety of exercises to make it fun, challenging, and of course fat-burning.
I encourage you do a variety of these things and you will find your body getting leaner and your workouts will be more enjoyable.
| Heather Picken, ISSA/P.C.P.T. helps women feel the freedom of achieving a lean, sexy, and fit body. She empowers women all over the world with 6-Week Ultimate Fat-Burning & Instant Motivational System, exclusively for women 30+ (www.mybodyisfitnow.com). Have a fat-burning question? Ask Heather your questions and sign up for her FREE fat-burning Secrets and podcast show at http://www.diet-and-exercise-for-women.com |
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