Hitting the dreaded plateau

[Mr. Ryu]

Try a different work-out. Add Boxing, Muay Thai, Pilates, Yoga, Swimming, etc. Your body is used to your current work-out system. You need variety. Also, those work-outs that i listed are functional work-outs.

[neoshaman]

OP: How many essential fats, and what type, are included in your normal daily meals? Saturated and monounsaturated fats are important for overall health. Women require a good amount of healthy fats, more than men, for proper hormone regulation, muscle fuel, nervous system health and cellular, health, repair and maintenance. Avocado, coconut, pastured eggs, grass finished meats, wild caught seafood, raw nuts, raw dairy, especially butter and cheese are excellent sources of the vital nutrients.

Essential fats do not encourage the body to store fat but help the body purposefully use what's stored already and reduces the accumulation of more. Don't forget that genetics play a major role in fat storage and placement.

Do you eat within 30 to 45 minutes after your routine? If so, what is the nutritional profile of your recovery meal? It should contain high quality fats, proteins, minerals and vitamins. Grains, not so much. Organic fruits and veggies, much recommended.

Are you getting any days of complete rest? The body needs time to heal and recoup from the stresses of exercise. I recommend to my clients one to two days per week if going all out (as you seem to be) the rest of the time. Over-training is a real threat to your progress and overall health and conditioning. Also, consider taking a full week off every few months to give yourself time to regenerate. During this time be on point with your eating habits! Don't stray to the darkside too much. When you begin your routine again, you should find more energy, better results and may enjoy it even more. Bruce Lee was an advocate of changing his routine (types and methods of exercise) almost daily to continually shock the body with new stimulus to coach it to avoid adaptation to any one regimen. I practice this personally and train my clients to do the same. It keep things fresh and fun. The great Ryu is correct.

You'll do fine. You have the drive and consistency so just keep it up!

[augiedogie]

To a certain degree, we have to accept and live with the body we have. Woody Allen could never become Arnold Schwartzennegger. You sound like a very fit attractive woman. Maybe try to be happy with what you have. I've seen pictures of some of these women who get so addicted to a certain look, men too, like the body builders, that look like freaks. Same goes for some of the bicycle racers, and others that have to go to extremes to be successful in their sport. I've read stories where women long distance runners stopped having their periods. That can't be a good thing for long term health. Think about.

[WildHeart22]

Originally Posted by augiedogie

To a certain degree, we have to accept and live with the body we have. Woody Allen could never become Arnold Schwartzennegger. You sound like a very fit attractive woman. Maybe try to be happy with what you have. I've seen pictures of some of these women who get so addicted to a certain look, men too, like the body builders, that look like freaks. Same goes for some of the bicycle racers, and others that have to go to extremes to be successful in their sport. I've read stories where women long distance runners stopped having their periods. That can't be a good thing for long term health. Think about.

You are very right. I am happy with what I have, especially knowing the progress I have made (I was definitely one of the overweight kids in middle school...wasn't terribly overweight in high school but definitely not very active/athletic/fit). I'm very proud of the moment I realized I was unhappy with how I looked, how I felt, and how my clothes fit and decided to do something about it. I can see how far I have come in my ability to run and lift weights. I completely agree that some take it to extremes and I am by no means trying to do that or achieve that look (all the more reason why I won't diet and prefer to just eat healthy/consciously without denying myself things I like). I feel that my body in general is probably at its peak of how far I'm willing to push it, but I am however trying to hone in on the areas listed in the original post. Basically just trying to find the best workout plan that will target all areas equally so that I am well-rounded in terms of strength and appearance.

[schmedes2]

No such thing as targeting. If areas are not as toned as you want them to be it means there is fat covering those areas and to "tone" them you have to remove the fat. To remove the fat, you have to eat fewer calories than you expend.

It sounds like your routine primarily consists of cardio workouts. Even the weight routines sound as if they're isn't enough of a stimulus to cause the body to respond and change. Essentially, you're doing 5 or 6 days of cardio which the body has adapted to; it's not being forced to change. You're options are to start doing workouts twice a day to force the body to expend more calories or you can add 2-3 dedicated days of strength training with weights you could only possibly lift 10-12 times. Lifting weights is good, but if it's a light weight that you could lift 20 or more times, you're doing cardio and not doing anything to actually "tone."

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