Stopped Losing Weight?

Ever heard of diminishing returns? That concept applies to the world of fitness quite often. What does it mean? Basically, the more you work out with the same routine, the less effective it becomes. To consistently benefit from exercise, you need to change your routine frequently. A good time to switch up a routine is when you stop seeing results.

A real life example would be those who have picked up running in order to lose weight. The first few weeks of running will result in a loss of weight, but this success is only short lived. Simply put, after weeks of running, the body will have adapted to the running. In effect, it has become very efficient at the strenuous activity. Once this happens, the body will cease to lose weight as effectively as it once did. To see better results, you would need to increase running intensity or distance.

The same thing applies for weight lifters. The beginner weight lifter will see tremendous muscle growth if he/she has a decent workout routine. After awhile, the same routine will no longer increase strength or have much of an effect on muscle growth. This is because their body has grown accustomed to the amount of weight and sees no reason to grow. Much like in the running example, a change in either routine or amount of weight is needed.

Next time, when you see yourself not losing weight or gaining muscle, step back and look at your routine. Have you been doing the same thing  for months? If so, a change in rythm is needed.