Give your fitness a boost
Posted by RSVP on
Q: I have been doing cardio (treadmill and rower) three times a week and weights twice so am pretty fit but lately I am feeling flat about my exercise and have even put on some weight. Any hints to help me get my enthusiasm back and start seeing some fitness improvements and weight loss for summer?Our expert, Joe King, is a Melbourne-based exercise physiologist and personal trainer.
A: It sounds to me as though you've reached a fitness plateau - you are probably fit and strong but your body is now used to your routine and has 'settled' there.
The trick to seeing some real fitness gains and getting rid of those few extra kilos is to 'shock' your body out of its complacency by giving it some new challenges and mixing up your routine a bit.
There are various ways you can do this, which I will summarise as follows.
Time: Just add an extra 10 to 15 minutes to your cardio workouts to increase your calorie burn and improve your fitness.
Intensity: When it comes to your fitness, slow and steady does not win the race. Throw some challenges into your cardio workout by upping both the pace and incline on the treadmill for 4-5 minutes, then winding it back to recover for 2-3 minutes; then charge it up again. Similarly with the rower, increase the resistance and work on 2-minute sprints, 1 minute recovery, then repeating it several times through the workout. This is just the 'shock' your body needs to take it to the next level.
Weight: Instead of your usual weight routine when you might do 8-12 reps of the same exercise three times, mix it. Do an extra set for some exercises and for others dramatically increasing the weight but just doing 4-5 reps. Again, this trains your body to cope with new challenges.
Add something new: Replace one of your usual cardio sessions with a group fitness class such as aerobics, or if you're self conscious or have injury issues, group cycling (spin or RPM) is a great option. Try a new machine like the stepper or cross trainer or even consider some kind of team sport. This stops boredom and encourages the body to respond differently.
Focus on flexibility: Try some yoga or Pilates for a new challenge that can also boost your fitness and strength - and can be great for the mind, too.
Review your program: Ask a personal trainer or exercise physiologist to look at your program and see where it can be changed to meet your specific goals. You really should review what you are doing every 6-8 weeks to help stave off boredom and make sure you're getting an all-round workout.Finally, don't forget to watch your intake - most people put on some weight through the winter months and it can be easy to continue those bad habits so pull yourself up now and you'll thank yourself for it later!
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