You work and work, make incredible progress and then ... bang ... the progress stops. What happened?
If you are serious about your eating and training, this phase in your development is inevitable.
What is a plateau? A plateau is characterized by an actual or perceived lack of progress towards your goals; fitness goals as it relates to this discussion, but applies to most endeavors.
What causes a plateau and what can be done about it?
A plateau occurs for exercise acclimation reasons and for dietary nutritional reasons (sleep deprivation and stress may very well play roles as well.)
In short, our bodies acclimate to habit. If we do the same exercise at the same pace for any amount of time, our bodies will acclimate, expending less energy as the muscles are "trained and remember." From my observation this is the biggest reason that people either plateau or don't achieve progress in the first place.
Related to this is the simple concept of effort expended. If you are on a treadmill every day, walking at a speed that allows you to read a book, it is highly unlikely that you will make any appreciable progress towards your goals, for both acclimation and insufficient effort reasons.
What about the case where you are working hard but are just not seeing any improvements in your muscle definition or weight loss goals?
One potential answer lies in the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. You may not see the scale move much but may be losing fat and gaining metabolism-firing muscle. Muscle drives your metabolism up.
Lets talk more about metabolism. Many people like to do consistent cardio; same overall time, same consistent rate and energy expenditure because they remember that they were told that you must stay in the fat-burning zone. This has been proven to be inaccurate. Interval training where high levels of expenditure > 85% of maximum heart rate are followed by short lower intensity duration and then repeat the cycle, is better for the cardio vascular system, and results in elevated metabolism sometimes for hours after such a workout.
There is nothing wrong with cardio workouts as long as resistance training is major part of the exercise plan. Again, interval-based cardio workouts; e.g. Tabata, spin classes with a knowledgeable instructor and workout programs like Insanity, 21 Day Fix, T25 and similar workouts are excellent ways to get your cardio workout in. Some of these programs are especially good because they combine high intensity cardio interval work with resistance training. An interval workout of half or a third of the time of traditional "steady intensity" workout, will generally burn at least as many calories.
Vary your workouts daily. Don't watch just the scale; watch the mirror. Wear a heart rate monitor to get an accurate assessment of your heart rate. Work with a qualified and knowledgeable trainer or coach to help ensure that you are optimizing your time and effort.
Diet and nutrition can have an impact on the plateauing effect. While calorie restriction through portion control can have positive effects on being aware of exactly what and how much you are eating, as your body becomes more efficient at burning fuel, caloric restriction can have an effect of slowing down the metabolism and pushing you into a plateau scenario.
Be aware also that not only are your calories in line, but that you are getting adequate nutrition. These don't always go hand in hand. Sometimes you just need to eat more or supplement. Pay attention to how your feel. Are you getting increasingly sore after workouts? Reassess your supplementation and overall nutritional needs.
Finally, ensure that you are getting the kind of support that you need to meet your goals. Surround yourself with like minded individuals and consider the investment in yourself with a highly qualified coach and trainer; one who understands the roles of nutrition, portion control, interval training, periodicity, need for adequate rest and how to change up routines to maximize your results and expectations.
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