cardio workouts

Your either one of our dedicated Spartan members,  or you’ve just started a healthy lifestyle journey and at first the weight was coming off quickly and then as you got into your routine the numbers tapered off, and then you’ve hit a wall and the numbers aren’t changing. Whether you’re looking to lose weight or bulk up a plateau is part of the journey. They’ll come a time where your body gets used to what you’ve been putting it through, and you’ll need to reevaluate and readjust to get the numbers moving. Here are a few ways to get over the plateau.

Trust me, Ive been there too and this is my 23rd year of training!  You figure that by now I would have the perfect formula figured out right? Well, not exactly.  The body is the most miraculous invention known to man and humans are the most adaptable species on the planet, so when our bodies begins to understand and get used to the way we shock it we need to provide it new stimulus and principles of exercise, eating and intensity to break out of the plateau period and today Ive put together 4 of my easiest ways to do so.  Hope you enjoy them!

1#  Calorie Adjustments

If you’ve been losing weight your body requires less energy to fuel the new you, however, on the other end of the spectrum if you’re looking for more muscle your body will need more to fuel the new muscle mass you’ve acquired. Revise your caloric intake based on your goals. Whether your goal is to lose or gain, make sure you’re implementing more fresh foods and less processed and begin to Log your food using this food journal and lets look at what types of areas your either under eating ( as in not enough protein every 3-4 hours) or over eating (as in eating too many fruits, grains or portion servings).  The body is unique and will only adjust or do what you tell it to, just like a computer we are the ones responsible for the outcome so dont get upset when your starting to stick or plateau!

2#  Change Up Your Routine

{{first_name}}, once you’ve established a routine that works it can be hard to stray from what’s been working, but if you’re not seeing the progress you’re aiming for it’s time for a change.  Chugging away on a treadmill or elliptical machine might have started your weight loss, but try incorporating HIIT, High Intensity Interval Training, to burn body fat.  If you’ve been pumping the same iron and your guns are no longer blazing you can change up your sets, rather than volume focus on intensity so instead of 3 sets of 10, do 10 sets of 3.

Try doing active rest principles (yes I said active rest…like skipping in between sets, slamming a heavy ball against a wall or floor or try pushing a heavy sled with weight in between sets.  You can also simply add an abdominal or core exercise in between every set you do as well if you don’t have access to a sled, or brick wall).

#3 Protein, Protein, Protein

Protein is essential for weight loss or weight gain.  Eating proteins burns more calories during digestion and contains an amino acid, leucine, that initiates your body to burn fat.   Didi also mention it gives you more satiety (feeling full) when you add it to every meal.  Just like your workouts your body can get used to what you eat. If you’ve been sticking to skinless, boneless chicken and eggs as your protein sources, change it up. Incorporate cod, beans, turkey, or quinoa into your meals.  Try adding 1scoop of protein powder + 1cup of water (or almond milk) +ice + 1tbsp of peanut butter and some spinach to your in-between snacks mid day between breakfast and lunch and then again between lunch and dinner 1!  Your body needs more protein to build stronger muscle mass as you train and improve so if you dont supply it how the heck and you break your plateau?

4# Take a break!

This may seem crazy {{first_name}}, but going full steam ahead on your goals is great, but sometimes your body needs a break. Take a week off and let your body reset. Taking a break isn’t just good for your body it’s good for your mental health also.  Despite what you may be thinking, taking a week off isn’t going to mean you’re back at square one. Studies have found there isn’t much change in a week. If you do decide to take a break, continue to pay attention to what you’re eating, don’t go crazy and fill up on sugar and fat, but do treat yourself. When you get back to the gym you’ll feel like a new person and you’ll be ready to work harder.

 5# Analyze what your actual doing right and wrong!

Sometimes we place too much stress on the body and expect it to just change, sizzle off unwanted fat and pump up with new lean muscle mass despite all the junk we sometimes put inside of it or the lack of change or new stimulus we provide.  Log your ACTUAL workouts on a calendar, are you actually sticking to the frequency you say are?  Log how high your intensity is with your heart rate monitor? Log if your doing any additional cardio on the off days? Log if your routine has been the same for more than 4-5 weeks?  Log how many times you drank wine in a week? How  many times you had ice cream 3 hours before bed… The list goes on but if you cant log what your doing you cant track or change anything.   Greg Glassman the founder of Cross Fit said the best line that I always quote,  What cannot be logged or measured cannot be defined!  Let that one sit with you today!

Bottom line…Plateaus happen, it’s a part of the journey. Know your numbers and you’ll know when things are starting to slow down. If you’ve tried making changes and still don’t see a difference talk to your doctor to make sure there are no underlying concerns.

Just remember your ATTITUDE Is EVERYTHING,

DIMITRI GIANKOULAS
Owner

P.S. if you feel you or someone you know needs a push, needs some motivation, or needs a slap of PURE Motivation forward this email to them or have them try our amazing 15 Day Trial by clicking here

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