Hitting Plateau
Plateau - a period or state of little or no growth or decline especially one in which increase or progress ceases.
Source: Webster's College Dictionary
I think I may have hit this one, big time. And no, this isn't about the second phase of the sexual intercourse. What do you think of me, horny? Hahaha! No, not this time. Some other time.
The thing is I haven't been to the gym more than what my regular work-out week should be and for the past couple of weeks I have dragged, trudged, forced myself to hit the gym about twice in a week and I should be hitting it thrice! Honestly, I'm just not sure how or why it happened. Before Philippine Fashion Week I was going to the gym thrice a week then doing my weekend cardio. I was like a maniacal body-builder out to trounce Mr. Universe and Mr. Gay World simultaneously then after a week of attending PFW, ppppffffttt... my body seemed to have become delirious into becoming Derek Ramsay who has a very lean and well-built physique. I can't seem to find the right motivation, from work to home to the internet. I would rather just stay home and cozy myself with the presence of a bed, my pillows and my blanket.
It's been getting more difficult let me tell you and I have been upfront telling myself that I don't have the genes of a model nor an athlete, sure, blame it on genes and heredity but the best thing I can do is try to turn the situation into something positive but right now, there just seems to be none. And this phase isn't just affecting me, my body and my thinking. It leaks to how I deal with people and some of you may have noticed that I don't blog much nowadays. Hiatus? Oh, hell no. Just some minor bumps in the road as most of us experiences every now and then.
So right now I'm hitting a plateau with my exercise even if I'm conjuring up my work-out for the entire 6 weeks. Yeah, I might get back my mojo soon I just don't know when. And for the sake of hitting gym I've even tried eating chocolates for endorphins, coffee for stimulation and lastly, you know what for more endorphin release but nothing seems to work.
This is actually not the first time I've hit plateau but this is by far the longest I've been in. Two weeks is a long time given the fact that I eat a lot everyday thinking that I would be going to the gym by night. NOT. Laziness gets the best of me especially since rainy days are hitting the Metro every now and then save for some ridiculously hot times during the afternoon but come five or six in the evening, the wind becomes cooler and you just want to cuddle your pillow or someone in your bed. Or motel if that's where you are.
Fine, I'm going to stop ranting now. Hopefully I would be in a better mood tomorrow. Giselle Bundchen's body, here I come! ;)
Source: Webster's College Dictionary
I think I may have hit this one, big time. And no, this isn't about the second phase of the sexual intercourse. What do you think of me, horny? Hahaha! No, not this time. Some other time.
The thing is I haven't been to the gym more than what my regular work-out week should be and for the past couple of weeks I have dragged, trudged, forced myself to hit the gym about twice in a week and I should be hitting it thrice! Honestly, I'm just not sure how or why it happened. Before Philippine Fashion Week I was going to the gym thrice a week then doing my weekend cardio. I was like a maniacal body-builder out to trounce Mr. Universe and Mr. Gay World simultaneously then after a week of attending PFW, ppppffffttt... my body seemed to have become delirious into becoming Derek Ramsay who has a very lean and well-built physique. I can't seem to find the right motivation, from work to home to the internet. I would rather just stay home and cozy myself with the presence of a bed, my pillows and my blanket.
It's been getting more difficult let me tell you and I have been upfront telling myself that I don't have the genes of a model nor an athlete, sure, blame it on genes and heredity but the best thing I can do is try to turn the situation into something positive but right now, there just seems to be none. And this phase isn't just affecting me, my body and my thinking. It leaks to how I deal with people and some of you may have noticed that I don't blog much nowadays. Hiatus? Oh, hell no. Just some minor bumps in the road as most of us experiences every now and then.
So right now I'm hitting a plateau with my exercise even if I'm conjuring up my work-out for the entire 6 weeks. Yeah, I might get back my mojo soon I just don't know when. And for the sake of hitting gym I've even tried eating chocolates for endorphins, coffee for stimulation and lastly, you know what for more endorphin release but nothing seems to work.
This is actually not the first time I've hit plateau but this is by far the longest I've been in. Two weeks is a long time given the fact that I eat a lot everyday thinking that I would be going to the gym by night. NOT. Laziness gets the best of me especially since rainy days are hitting the Metro every now and then save for some ridiculously hot times during the afternoon but come five or six in the evening, the wind becomes cooler and you just want to cuddle your pillow or someone in your bed. Or motel if that's where you are.
Fine, I'm going to stop ranting now. Hopefully I would be in a better mood tomorrow. Giselle Bundchen's body, here I come! ;)
sisihin mo ang panahon... bedweather kasi tayo ngayon. LOL.
ReplyDeleteEXACTLY! Hehe. I hate bedweather. Hmp...
ReplyDeleteoh don't panic, everyone goes thru that phase. ur just probably overworked :P
ReplyDeletei wanted zanjoe's body, but it's impossible at this age without Belo's help ahaha :P
and hah! put Giselle's poster on ur wall so ud have the motivation to go to the gym more often !
GANIYAN din ang naramdaman ko nung una akong mag-gym..pero since ang aim ko ay matanggal ang hypertension, yun ang naging inspiration ko
ReplyDeleteafter one month, bumuti ang lagay ng hypertsnion ko (bumalik lang ulit nang malipat ako ng duty)
In about six months of seriously taking my work-out, parang dumadating na ako sa level na yan - from 5 times to 3 times a week! pero para ma-motivate ulit tayo, tara! - pustahan at sabayan tayo and let's take note of our progress - ang matalo mag bo-bottom! hahaha
ReplyDeleteits okay guy we all go thru that phase. kelangan mo lang maumpisahan ulit ang routine mo to get your mojo back. or get a gym buddy na pipilitin ka pmunta sa gym parati like what i have. gudluck
ReplyDelete5 Ways to beat Your Fitness Plateau: from www.meanshealth.com:
ReplyDeleteI was stuck. Thousands of biceps curls for months on end, and nothing. Not even half an inch. My arms had simply stopped growing.
I took the Taoist approach: I quit trying. Instead of doing direct arm work, like curls, I concentrated on my chest, shoulders, and back, hitting them with heavy-lifting sets of chinups, rows, presses, and dips.
That's when it happened. My arms inflated.
Truth is, I hadn't really stopped working my arms. I was working them harder than ever—by association. The exercises I was using for my chest and back were also enlisting my biceps and triceps, stimulating more muscle fibers in different ways than with the arm isolation exercises.
My realization: Changing the training approach is the trigger for blasting through a frustrating fitness plateau, in either muscle or strength.
Since then, I've experimented with dozens of rut-busting methods. Here I list five of the best. For maximum benefit, use only one technique at a time, for one exercise at a time, every 4 weeks. If you've been lifting consistently for a year or more, you'll change the look of your workout—and your muscles.
Read more: http://menshealth.com/mhlists/bust_out_of_your_rut/?cm_mmc=DosefNL-_-2009_10_30-_-HTML-_-1#ixzz0VUkhkbMm
Identify Weaknesses
Every guy, on every lift, has a sticking point: that part of the move at which he's the weakest. Find yours and strengthen it, and you'll be able to lift heavier weights, which will make your muscles work harder and grow faster. Your weak link is easy to locate: It's the point at which your movement starts to decelerate.
The fix: "Partial overloads," an idea from Alwyn Cosgrove, C.S.C.S., a trainer and the owner of Results-Fitness in Santa Clarita, California. Set a pair of pins in a power rack, level with your deceleration point, so you start at your weak spot. Place the barbell on the pins and perform the exercise in the shortened range of motion. For virtually any lift, follow these guidelines: Do one set of 10 repetitions lifting about 70 percent of the maximum weight you can lift one time. Rest 3 minutes, then increase the weight by 10 to 20 percent and crank out two more sets of six repetitions.
Example: In the bench press, you'll start at the slow-down point—about two-thirds of the way up, for most men. Each time you complete a repetition, allow the bar to rest on the pins for 2 seconds, then repeat. Wait 3 minutes after each set, and then finish with a full-range set of six repetitions.
Think Small
"Most men try to increase the load by too much, and stall their training programs as a result," says John Williams, C.S.C.S., co-owner of Spectrum Conditioning in Port Washington, New York. Adding too much weight too fast disrupts your muscles' adaptation process, which should be gradual. A psychotherapist might call it baby steps. We prefer a much cooler term: microloading. It's the simplest way to see immediate gains when you're stuck in a rut.
The fix: Increase the weight by the smallest amount possible. This guarantees progress. "Psychologically, increasing your weight more frequently is tangible proof that you're making progress," says Williams.
Examples: Use 1 1/2-pound PlateMates for dumbbells instead of jumping up in 5-pound increments. On the barbell, use 2 1/2-pound plates instead of the 5- and 10-pounders you'd normally add on.
continuation...
ReplyDeleteDo More
Hormones regulate almost every physiological process in the body. Stimulate the release of hormones through exercise and you'll improve body composition and performance, says Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D., an exercise-and-nutrition researcher at the University of Connecticut.
The fix: Start hormones flowing by doing more total sets and repetitions, and limiting rest periods to 60 seconds. But restrict this to a single exercise and switch moves every 4 weeks to avoid overtaxing your body.
Examples: Decide if you're going for size or strength. For size, do five sets of 10 repetitions with a weight that's 55 to 65 percent of the amount you can lift one time. For strength, do five sets of five repetitions with a weight that's 85 to 90 percent of that amount.
Lift Light
Small blood vessels called capillaries deliver oxygen, amino acids, and hormones to your muscles, helping them recover—and grow—faster. Research has shown that heavy weight training decreases capillary density.
The fix: Do high-repetition sets with light weights (25 percent of the amount you can lift once) on your days off, targeting whatever muscle group is lagging. "It'll increase the number of capillaries in your working muscles, allowing better nutrient transfer," says Chad Waterbury, a strength coach in Arizona.
Examples: Perform a total of 100 repetitions with the light weight. So if your triceps are lacking, continue to do your normal workout 1 or 2 days a week. But you'll also do 100 repetitions of a triceps exercise on the other 5 days. Use a weight that's about 25 percent of the heaviest amount you can lift one time. Do four sets of 25 repetitions, or two sets of 50 repetitions, spaced throughout the day.
Move Faster
When you lift weights slowly, your body uses only whatever muscle fibers are necessary. As those fibers fatigue, others take their place, while the first ones recover and wait to return to action—it's sort of a tag-team effort. So if you're doing 10 slow repetitions, a fiber might work for the first three or four repetitions, be replaced by another, and then recover to contribute on the final two or three repetitions of your set. This limits the number of muscle fibers you're using, unless you're lifting near maximal weights.
The fix: Lift light weights fast. "Trying to move a weight as fast as you can forces your body to recruit more muscle fibers," says Craig Ballantyne, C.S.C.S., author of Turbulence Training. This will help you improve strength quickly, while challenging your muscles in a different way than heavy weights.
Examples: For exercises like the bench press, use a weight that's about 40 to 55 percent of the heaviest weight you can lift one time. Do six to eight sets of three to five repetitions, resting for 60 seconds between sets.
Note: Sometimes you need to overhaul your routine to get your body to the next level. Men's Health Personal Trainer provides a multitude of programs to choose from, as well as customization options to keep your body from getting bored. Kick your routine into gear and join today.
dama kita. ang hirap mamotivate.
ReplyDelete*Carrie - you are by far the longest commenter ever in the history of blogosphere! What is this?! Hahaha! But thanks for it, I have tried this before, didn't do me much of a difference. Although I think I know what the problem is already...no sex. Haha! Just kidding.
ReplyDelete*Soltero - I used to like Zanjoe, I thought he's handsome but come PBB, oh gosh, PRAWN to the highest level. Haha! Giselle? Oh, I love her and all the Victoria's Secret Models. Yummy.
*anteros' dominion - that could be a good motivation too. Hmmm...I have to think wht really is my driving force. Is it for people to like me or for me to be fitter and healthier?
*JR - Ok fine, I lose. Nyahahaha!
*Jaytee - getting a gym buddy is out of the question, I once had. He was a classmate from college and we spent more time talking than actually hitting weights. That's when I figured I don't want to mingle much in the gym because I wanna stay focused and don't want to lose momentum.
*daredevilry - I know! Haha! But as what I always say: Be a Better Me than Yesterday. Woohoo!
THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. Pun never intended.
When you hit the gym long enough, plateau is never important. You would realize its hard to be out of your fitness activity that you would be forced to return, even if your mind doesn't want to.
ReplyDeleteI've already hit tens of plateau moments (including this most recent one) and still, I go back to working out.
@ guy - body lng ni zanjoe haha kc ganun gus2 ko lean hehe
ReplyDelete@ carrie - nakupo! ikaw na! ikaw na ang may hawak ng guinness book of world record sa blog commenting! ahahaha :P
*Mu[g]en - I know that but it seems to me that once people hit plateau they just hit the gym to feel good about themselves then stop once more.
ReplyDelete*Soltero - I like Zanjoe's body too but not so much like before. I know,Carrie copy pasted an article. Hahaha! The author would be so frustrated at him. :)
aba, aba, aba... naglagay na ng fez sa blogspot. hahaha.
ReplyDeleteHangcute mo naman. :-)
Haha! Uhm, thanks? ;)
ReplyDeletehonga..hangcute!!!!! :0
ReplyDelete