When the great progress you have been making for the past few weeks/months seems to stall it can be frightening, frustrating and upsetting. People usually react in a couple of ways to this.
Some people start exercising more and eating less, which in itself is not a bad thing, but I’m talking about people taking it to extreme levels where they are consuming very little food and doing hours of extra cardio. This inevitably leads to burnout/injuries from poor recovery and they do not continue to progress.
More people just give up, tell themselves this is as far as I can progress, fall back into old habits and end up back where they started in the first place.
If either of these sound like you then read on for some tips on what to do if you’re in this situation.
1.Don’t panic
The first thing you need to realise is that progress is not linear. The graphic below sums it up perfectly
While the first stage may be relatively smooth then there will be ups and downs, you will feel like you are not progressing or even regressing. If you have already come to terms with this and allowed that it will happen, then you will be better equipped to deal with it when it does.
2. Stick to the plan
Avoid a knee jerk reaction and completely changing what you are doing. If the plan has got you this far then it is working, so be patient, stick with it and it will keep working. There is no harm in making some small changes but you should not completely change your approach.
3. Refocus
Are you sticking to your nutrition plan or have you been slowly drifting back into old habits? A good way to refocus the mind is to keep a food journal for a week and review it to see if your nutrition matches your goals.
Are you progressing your workouts or just going through the motions? A good way to refocus your training is to get a session with a trainer and compare the intensity to what you have been doing by yourself. Also ensure you are using the principle of progressive overload, which if utilised properly will keep challenging your body forcing it to adapt over time. ie get stronger/ build muscle/ burn fat.
4. Ask for help
If you do all of the above and still find you are not progressing, go see a qualified trainer in your area and ask for help. They will have seen this many times before and should be well equipped to get you back on track. Sometimes it can be hard to see where you are going wrong yourself, but it may be glaringly obvious to someone else.
Hope this helps you to continue with your progress. If you have any questions just ask below.
Shane