6 Ways to Overcome a Plateau and Start Getting Stronger Again

In fitness, as in life, we are always looking to move forward. If you're putting in the hard work in the gym, you should only continue to progress, right? Well, ideally, yes. Many, unfortunately hit a plateau somewhere along the way that may leave them feeling unmotivated or discouraged. If you approach your workouts the right way, however, you will only continue to progress and grow.

Here's a really helpful (not) diagram of a plateau for science.

Here are 6 reasons you aren't progressing in the way you want:

1. Intensity- Are you giving your workout your all, or are you texting in between sets? Each week, you should try to add more weight or increase the number of reps you're performing. If you just continually squat 135 lbs week after week, how do you expect to get stronger? If you're not gasping for air at the end of your sprints, you're not pushing yourself hard enough. The only way we can create adaptation is to give our bodies something to which it can adapt! It's important to make sure you enter your sessions in the gym with 100% effort. (Well...most days, anyway. We all have our "off" days...)
2. Variation- It's nice to have a set split or program and follow that week after week, but if you're only doing the same handful of exercises ad nauseum, it can get pretty dull. Every once in a while, add a few new exercises into your routine and get rid of a few of the older ones. Not only will it keep your workouts interesting, your body will find a completely new way to challenge itself with a new task.
3. Muscle imbalances- A weak or underactive muscle might be preventing you from advancing as you'd like. Let's say you have really strong quads, and you can squat 300 pounds for reps. Just imagine how much more you could squat if you actually learned to use your butt! When our muscles work together in force couples as they're supposed to, beautiful things happen.
4. Program- Maybe it's time to either ask a friend for help programming your workouts (preferably one with lots of experience) or do some research online. Unfortunately, strength doesn't progress linearly, so it's important to make sure you account for that when you write out your program. Play with the number of sets, reps and the amount of weight you're using and find out what works best for you.
5. Planning- My father always tells me "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!" You need to set real, tangible goals for yourself. For example, one of my goals is to deadlift 300 lbs before the end of the year. As you can see, I gave myself a set number and a date by which I want to achieve it. Your goal might be to lose 10 pounds by June. Whatever those goals may be, make sure you've clearly articulated them to yourself and written them down so you can hold yourself accountable.
6. Recovery- Perhaps you're not giving yourself enough time to recover between workouts. Make sure you're eating enough food to sustain your activity level and drink a lot of water. A lot of people I meet have a tendency to deprive themselves of the food their body so desperately needs to rebuild and repair itself. Remember: food and water are fuel!

When you start to see a flatline in your progress, it's time to step back and reassess your approach.

"Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

-Albert Einstein 

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Hydration for Optimal Performance

As I sit here and write this, I have a nice, full glass of water in hand.

Water is the the fluid that fuels our bodies. We need it to maintain brain and organ function and for our muscles to recover after exercise. If we are not properly hydrated, our basic bodily functions may be compromised.

Just because you do not "feel thirsty" does not mean you don't need water. Consuming adequate amounts of water before, after and during your workout can determine how well you perform and subsequently how well you recover. Eat strong suggests we "drink early and often, every day. Staying well-hydrated throughout the day benefits you in ways beyond your training. It helps keep you alert and will prevent that dull, groggy feeling that slows you down in the middle of the day. Your heart has to work harder to pump as you become dehydrated since sweat is made from fluid in your blood and your blood becomes thicker as it is lost. For the record this is not an effective 'cardiovascular' workout." In order to perform to your personal best, you must make sure you consume enough water.

According to ACE Fitness, "[in] one hour of exercise the body can lose more than a quart of water, depending on exercise intensity and air temperature. If there is not enough water for the body to cool itself through perspiration, the body enters a state of dehydration." If you do not drink enough water post workout, you will run the risk of muscle cramps and you may hinder the recovery process.

After a rigorous workout, it is important to replace the energy and fluids that you have depleted.

So just how much water should we drink? ACE gives us the following guidelines:

• Drink 17-20 ounces of water two to three hours before the start of exercise.
• Drink 8 ounces of fluid 20 to 30 minutes prior to exercise or during warm-up.
• Drink 7-10 ounces of fluid every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise.
• Drink an additional 8 ounces of fluid within 30 minutes after exercising.
• Drink 16-24 ounces of fluid for every pound of body weight lost after exercise.

Sources:

1. "Hydration, Performance & Recovery | Eatstrong.com." Hydration, Performance & Recovery | Eatstrong.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
2. "Healthy Hydration." ACE Fitness. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.

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How to Prevent Dehydration When Running a Marathon or Half Marathon

Many runners like a nice pint of carbohydrate solution (beer!) after a run, but there is more to hydration that just visiting the pub!

Any form of vigorous exercise causes you to lose water through sweating, but the intensity of running makes it an especially important issue for runners. It's generally estimated that runners can lose the equivalent of 2kg of water per hour running. Failing to replace it can have a serious effect on performance and health. It's estimated that a loss of water equivalent to 2% of body weight (1.6kg for a typical 80kg runner) reduces running performance by 6%.

Thirst is a notoriously unreliable indicator of dehydration - by the time you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated. The only solution is to be realistic and acknowledge that you will loose a certain amount of water in a period of running, and ensure that you put it back. If you want to be really precise you could even weigh yourself before running and after your shower when you return to see exactly how much you've lost - nearly all of it will be water which you need to replace.

On runs of less than 90 minutes it's normally safe to just replace what you've lost with simple water. Ideally it shouldn't be too cold as the temperature difference from your body can cause a bit of a shock, and body temperature water is absorbed more quickly. On runs of more than 30 minutes it makes sense to carry some water with you and drink at regular intervals. If you try to drink too much water before running you run the risk of feeling bloated and slow. Drinking afterwards will probably be too late to stop you feeling fatigued, and perhaps suffering from dehydration headaches.

For longer runs you need to consider hyponatraemia. It literally means 'shortage of sodium', and it happens because sweat doesn't just contain water - it also contains a number of essential nutrients, one of the most important of which is sodium. As some of your bodily sodium has been sweated out during your run, just drinking water dilutes the remaining sodium in your blood stream. If the level in the blood becomes too low it can cause fatigue, loss of concentration, muscle weakness, and in extreme cases coma and death.

Therefore Isotonic drinks are advised for longer runs. 'Isotonic' simply means that they contain the same concentration of salt and sugar as the human body, therefore helping to maintain the natural balance of electrolytes. However, care is required as there are many sports drinks which are not Isotonic, and they are mostly stuffed full of sugar to give you a quick boost. One small pack of sports gel can contain 60g of sugar. If you are running to lose weight, these gels just aren't the answer - they are plotting to kill you via diabetes!

So, it's important to maintain a healthy level of hydration. The best way is to drink water, before you need it. Only those who are likely to become very dehydrated - running in very hot weather or for more than 90 minutes - normally need to consider Isotonic Sports Drinks.

Find out more about training for a half marathon at www.erunningweightloss.com/halfmarathontraining

Rob Knowles used to be a sedentary, overweight office dweller. He still wastes his days trying to earn an honest living in an office, but he did take up running, he lost some weight and now he just won't stop going on about it!

© 2012 Rob Knowles

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert

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Day 49: You Geaux Girls!

Why is it that some days I really don’t feel like running even a mile and then others it is absolutely no problem?

Yesterday, Mira and I ran about 8 miles and it was easy! It took us about an hour and twenty five minutes, which is not too bad except for that it means it will take us about two and a half hours to run the half marathon. Two and a half hours seems like a really long time!

Earlier this week, I had a hard time running 4 miles. What is the difference and how can I make it so that every day is as easy as it was yesterday?

I read an article in Runners World about “the bonk”. This is when your body or mind gives up and you want to stop. There are many reasons for this bonk, the most common being not eating enough to sustain energy and not drinking enough, which causes dehydration and slows gastric emptying, which in turn causes cramps.

Even after reading this article, this still does not make sense to me. Four hours before running four miles the other day, I had a hearty lunch full of vegetables and carbohydrates as well as about 8 bottles of water throughout the day. Yesterday I ran at 8 a.m. and had not eaten since the night before. I drank a glass of water before leaving the house, but did not drink during my run.

Maybe it is just all in my head. Maybe it is only my own misgivings that are holding me back. In that case, now that I know for sure that I CAN run 8 miles, I should also know that I will be able to run thirteen miles just as easily. It is just a case of mind over matter.

AT END OF WEEK 7:

Average miles run per week: 13
Most miles run in one day so far: 8
Hours spent in the gym/at the park: 65

$$ spent on gym membership: $90.00
$$ spent on running gear: $158.74
Running farther than I ever have before: priceless
(sorry couldn’t resist)

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