"Fitness Plateaus and How They Can Help"
Madison, Wisconsin – At some point, most people who have started an exercise program feel like they've "hit a plateau" – they're exercising just as hard, or being just as careful about what they eat, but feel like they're not seeing any progress.
As a senior clinical exercise physiologist with the UW Health Sports Medicine Fitness Center, Jude Sullivan will often have clients come to him and say, "no matter what I try, I'm not seeing progress." His first questions are often, "What are you trying to accomplish and how long have you been working on it?"
"If someone feels they've reached a plateau, it generally means they have a fitness goal in mind, like losing weight," explains Sullivan. "But what may seem like a plateau may not actually be one."
Sullivan acknowledges that it can be difficult even for professional trainers to figure out what's going on because progress is so individualized. The same fitness regimen can have different results depending on the person. It can be easy for individuals to fall into the trap of thinking they're not progressing especially if they're not tracking their progress.
"There is a tendency to focus on really good days, or really bad days. But if a person isn't tracking his or her progress, it can be easy to think there's been no change. Or, they have unrealistic expectations for how quickly they can reach a particular goal. That's why it's important to maintain perspective." he shares.
Someone who has just started with a program might see big changes right away – such as losing weight – and that, according to Sullivan can be intoxicating. But the body is an expert at adapting. When it is continually exposed to the same stimulus every day, it adapts quickly and the same continued stimulus ultimately results in diminishing returns. And that is when the progress starts to stall. The danger is thinking the way to deal with it is to work harder or do more.
"Many people think they have to push harder because they're not seeing the gains, but that's not always so," Sullivan says. "Their bodies may not be ready so despite their best efforts, they may actually start to backslide. And the temptation to always push harder can make people more susceptible to injury, or leave them feeling stale. What they really need is to take time for active recovery."
Active recovery basically implies that the amount and/or intensity of exercise are reduced for a brief period – such as one week every four weeks – as a proactive counter-measure to eliminate the possibility of a long-term plateau. It might include adding a different activity than what is normally a part of the routine (for example, rollerblading instead of running). But, active recovery periods aren't the only important element to avoiding plateaus. Changing your perspective can also help.
"Most people think about plateaus in the negative – they're not losing more weight or they're not getting any stronger, – but the question is can they live with the changes they've already made? It's not just a matter of getting to a particular goal, it's also about staying there," says Sullivan.
He explains that often people are fixated on the end – losing the 20 pounds, running a longer distance – that it's easy to forget about what happened on the way to getting there. Maybe they haven't lost 20 pounds, but they have lost 10 and are active nearly every day despite a history of being sedentary. So, there are successes every step of the way. And, it's also important to remember if the changes aren't sustainable, there's a chance they may find themselves sliding back to where they started.
That's also one reason why accountability is so important. Whether it's a group that can support and motivate, an exercise buddy, or even an app that tracks progress – having a sense of accountability can keep people on track toward their goals. And while working with a trainer can be helpful, it's not always necessary. In fact, Sullivan views his job as helping clients learn how not to need him.
"A lot of what we do is try to help individuals remember the little things – are you getting enough rest, are you eating real food, are you staying hydrated. It always comes back to the basics – taking the time to care for the fundamentals. If you don't, what's the point of exercising?"
Date Published: 07/18/2014
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I changed the font color on a few of the lines/segments that made me stop and think. First, of course I've thought to myself that I am not seeing any progress. Especially considering I have been stuck at the same weight since last November. I know there are other ways to track my progress - I can focus on my running (distance, pace, etc.). I can look at the fact that I have been lifting heavier kettle bells, and can see some muscle definition where there has been none. I know I feel stronger and can do more that I used to be able to. But that doesn't change the fact that I wish the scale and the way I look in certain spots (mainly my stomach, where I've always carried my extra weight) also reflected the changes I am making.
The danger is to think we should work harder or do more? This is a tough line to digest. Of course I feel like the way to kick start progress is to do more. I start to feel like what I've been doing isn't enough anymore, so working harder and doing more is the answer. Yet, I also agree with what we says next. Maybe our bodies just aren't ready. For some reason, my body is just not ready to dip below the upper 160s on the scale. Does that mean it is not making changes in other ways? No. I realized at the beginning of the summer that my measurements had changed quite a bit since the last time I checked them.
Still, I've worked extra hard this summer and have done a lot of twice a day workouts (cycling in the morning and kettle bells in the evening, for example). As I get ready to go back to work, I am nervous that if I didn't make progress over the summer with the extra work, that taking the extra away will make me backslide. But maybe the opposite will be true. Maybe going back to a "normal" routine will jump start the weight loss again? I don't know what to expect. I lost 10 pounds at the start of last school year. Who knows what could happen this year?
Active recovery is a concept that, as runners, we should be used to. Just about every running program incorporates cut back weeks for the reasons given in this article. Aside from running I am not good at wanting to decrease what I have been doing. It makes me think I will gain weight or lose the muscle. I have put in new exercises and routines this summer; I was hoping that would have made a bigger difference - but, alas, I am where I am. Do you have active recovery weeks built into your workout routine? What does that look like? Is it just changing up your activity or a true decrease in time and effort?
The big question - this is where I am finding myself growing more and more. I saw it in myself leading up to Grandma's Marathon at the beginning of the summer. Mentally, I had finally gotten to the point that I was okay with not running faster than 5 hours. I was satisfied with what I had done and finishing was sufficient. Yes, I have goals and benchmarks I would like to see myself hit. And faster than I have been getting there. But - I can also feel proud of what I've done. Proud of what I do on top of being a wife and mother who works full-time (during the school year) and has a house and family to take care of. And still know that little steps forward are continually being taken.
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So what are your thoughts on plateaus? Do you think we truly hit plateaus or just that we look for progress in the wrong area? Are plateaus positive or negative? What are your overall thoughts on this article?
I am truly curious, so please chime in in the comments!
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