It is possible to get stuck in rut when you are exercising and trying to loose weight. Many people find they do really well for a period of time, then plateau.This can be because they are still doing the same thing and following the same workout routine. People describe a feeling like their body has become used to the workout and it doesn't seem as effective. It's more likely because you are fitter and stronger and so not working as hard. If you have written out your workouts you can look at progress, see how long you have been following a routine or doing the same reps with the same weights. This can help you plan what to change - do you need to increase your reps or up your weights? Do you need to run / cycle faster? Increase the resistance? Ideally before you begin a workout, you should plan what you want to achieve and then make sure you do it!
Arni also spoke about shocking his muscles, because he felt the muscles became efficient at doing the exercise they expected. He might up the weight to a really heavy weight or up the reps or instead of increasing the weight each rep start at the top weight and decrease. He'd throw another exercise in after completing the set. For example if he was doing bicep curls after completing the set he'd shock his muscles by doing a set of lateral raises.
This approach doesn't just have to be applied to strength training. There are lots of ways to mix up your workout routine to shake things up and make sure you pick up your intensity again. Here are some ideas you might try:
1. Instead of going for a normal run, mix it up with some sprint training, hill training or fartlek.
2. Mix some HIIT training into your workout, you could finish with it or throw it in half way through.
3. Research some new exercises and try something different.
4. Use Arni's shock approach, once you have completed a set of exercises that works a set of muscles, throw another set of an exercise in that also works the same secondary muscle e.g. Arni shared that he really felt it in his shoulders if after completing all his sets of bicep curls followed by a set of lateral raises in his shoulders.
This approach doesn't just have to be applied to strength training. There are lots of ways to mix up your workout routine to shake things up and make sure you pick up your intensity again. Here are some ideas you might try:
1. Instead of going for a normal run, mix it up with some sprint training, hill training or fartlek.
2. Mix some HIIT training into your workout, you could finish with it or throw it in half way through.
3. Research some new exercises and try something different.
4. Use Arni's shock approach, once you have completed a set of exercises that works a set of muscles, throw another set of an exercise in that also works the same secondary muscle e.g. Arni shared that he really felt it in his shoulders if after completing all his sets of bicep curls followed by a set of lateral raises in his shoulders.
