Weight loss: Make sure you are giving yourself time for rest and recovery, if you want to make progress
Highlights
- Progressive overload principle can help you be stronger and fitter
- Eat a nourishing diet to improve exercise performance
- Have rest days in between to prevent burnout and injury
Reaching the weight loss plateau can be quite demotivating. It can make one give up on exercising and following a healthy diet. However, if you have reached the weight loss plateau and are planning on giving up, here’s what you can do. Following the progressive overload principle can help you make gains from your workout continuously. It is one way which can help improve your muscle strength, endurance and size consistently. This principle is primarily for successful resistance training.
Under this technique, if you have been performing barbell bicep curls 15 kgs and 8 reps and 3 sets, you are likely to get stronger, with biceps getting a little bigger after regular training for a few weeks. But after some time, doing 8 reps with the same weight will not seem as challenging anymore. If you continue training with the same reps and sets, and same weight, don’t expect any further gains. There is no reason for your biceps to grow larger or stronger, if they are already trained to handle that overload. From this point of time, your biceps are likely to become stronger and bigger only if you put greater demands on them. This can be done by either increasing the number of reps and sets, or by increasing the weight. This phenomenon is known as the progressive overload principle.
Follow the progressive overload principle to make progress in your workouts
Photo Credit: iStock
Also read: What Is Progressive Overload Principle And Why It Is Important To Make You Stronger, Fitter
Apart from helping you build muscles and getting stronger, it can also help you get off the weight loss plateau.
Increase workout intensity
Celeb fitness trainer Kayla Itsines says that if you are not seeing changes in your body despite working out regularly and following a healthy diet, then you can work on increasing the intensity of the workout. “Think about whether you could add heavier weights or more reps to your workout,” she writes in the caption of her post.
Also read: Reasons Why You Find It Difficult To Workout And How You Can Motivate Yourself, From Experts
Work on your sleep
When it comes to losing weight and being fit, rest and recovery hold as much important as regular workouts. Work towards sleeping for 7-8 hours every night if you want to make progress in your workouts. “It’s so important to make sure that we give our muscles and immune system time to rest and recover after training. Make sure that you have at least one rest day a week, where you don’t do any training, and don’t try and train when you are sick or unwell. This can actually slow down your progress,” she explains.
Also read: Weight Loss: Nutritionist Explains Why A Good Night’s Sleep Is Important For Shedding Calories
Watch your diet
Your diet should be nourishing enough to provide you sufficient fuel for doing exercise efficiently. “You need to give your body enough fuel to keep up with your training and see real progress. If you’re lacking in energy you may need to think about the food that you eat and considering adding more nutrition, it’s important to have a balance of protein, carbs, and fresh fruit and vegetables,” writes Itsines.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
