We all know the feeling. You’ve been working hard in the gym, sticking to your diet and getting in your cardio, but the scale isn’t budging. Maybe you’ve been stuck like this for a week. Maybe it’s been more like three or four weeks. Either way, chances are you’re starting to feel pretty frustrated. When you’ve been stuck in a plateau for a while, it’s easy to feel as though you’ll be there forever. The good news, though, is that you can often push through with a little troubleshooting.
The Problem: You’re Not Doing the Exercises Right
If you’ve been stuck in a weight-loss plateau for a while, one of the first places you ought to look is your exercise movement. Are you doing the movement right? Are you doing full range motions when working out?
The Solution: Improve Your Movement
Take a look at your current routine and ask yourself whether you are doing movements with full range motion or you have been doing it with partial movement. If you haven’t been doing it full range, it’s time to make a change to your movement.
The Problem: Your Rest Periods are Too Long
Sometimes, long rest periods are necessary. If you’re lifting very heavy weights, you’ll need a 3-5 minute rest in order to replenish ATP and get ready for your next set.
Be honest, though. Are you really resting for that long because you want to replenish ATP? Or, are you resting for that long because you’re getting sucked into an Instagram wormhole?
If you’re resting for too long in between sets (especially if your weights aren’t particularly heavy), you’re not going to see the kind of calorie-burning results you’re looking for.
The Solution: Set a Timer and Increase Efficiency
Luckily, the solution to this problem is pretty simple. Start timing your rest periods and make sure you’re not Instagram-and-chilling longer than is necessary.
Not only does this help you make sure you’re maximizing your rest periods and keeping your heart elevated during your workouts, but it will also help you to be more efficient with your gym time.
The Problem: You’re Not Tracking Your Food Carefully
Start being 100 percent honest about what you’re eating. Use a FNS app to take note of all your food and beverages throughout the day.
We’ve all stuffed more than two tablespoons worth of peanut butter onto a measuring spoon to try and get away with eating a little extra. That kind of behavior isn’t going to help you reach your fitness goals, though.
The Problem: You’re Dieting Too Hard
On the other end of the spectrum, there’s also a possibility that you’re dieting too hard and have cut your calories too low. Don’t forget, your body adapts to what you feed it as well as what you do with it.
If you’ve been eating a very low number of calories for a while, your metabolism may have adapted to that number. As a result, you may have stopped losing weight because your energy expenditure has decreased.
The Solution: Make sure you are tracking your food.
You can measure your food or take pictures of your food and log it in the FNS app to keep track. Review what you have been eating and assess if you are eating too much or eating too less or not eating the right foods for your body.
Don’t forget to log into your FNS Online Training Platform to check out the latest training video or strength workout. We also have recovery video for your convenience.
