#27 Breaking through plateausThis is a featured page


Before I start this fitness tip for March I would like to say thank you to everyone who wrote to me following last month’s tip. I am always open to feedback and happy to answer your questions. For the benefit of everyone on the distribution list, here are my responses to the emails from last month:
  1. No, I am not also an astrologist (but for all star signs I see an increased focus on health and fitness this month)
  2. No, I will not apologise for the things I said about February (Never ever look back…go March!)
  3. Yes, I have considered running a few group training sessions again…I’ll let you know if I do.
  4. Yes, I will try keep the rambling to a minimum this time (and focus on the actual fitness tip)
I love March (especially this year given the weather has been warmer than the whole of summer combined). But a lot of people do not like March as much as I do…and this is because they are the few who have kept their New Years Fitness Resolution, and March has marked the inevitable results plateau…when the weight just doesn’t come off any more, and the tape measure stays just as long as it used to be.

I call this results plateau "inevitable" because scientifically it is. The human body is an amazing machine…most notably because of its ability to adapt.

When you shock the body (through training a way you haven’t before) it pulls up very sore. To avoid this happening again, it will build muscle and drop fat, so that it doesn’t hurt as much the next time.

However if you keep doing the same thing for weeks on end, it doesn’t shock the body any more, so it stops building muscle or dropping fat, and you hit a results plateau.

Hence the saying, “If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always gotten”.

Typically, plateaus kick in about 6-8 weeks from starting a new fitness regime and this is why March is such bad month for New Years Resolutioners.

As a personal trainer, I always prided myself on being able to help my clients break through results plateaus. I recall training a sprint car driver by the name of Marty Perovich (essentially these are go karts with V8s).

Marty was an up and coming driver, however he had realized that the best drivers in the sport were the ones who had the muscular strength and endurance to hold the car to the end of the race, whilst enduring massive G forces.

Following an 8 week pre-season training regime using the overload techniques below and more (designed to break through the training plateau to the next level of fitness), that year Marty became one of the top drivers in Australia.

So in short, the key to breaking through a plateau is to shock the body, One way of doing this is to change the exercise regime you are doing completely, another way…and personally my favourite…is to use overload techniques.

Overload Training

Overload basically means increasing the intensity of your training over what you would usually do. I am going to focus on weight training for this tip, as I have covered some overload cardio training in previous tips.

Now ladies before you delete this email, these techniques apply equally to your training as they do to mens. Just keep your repetitions high when using these weight training techniques and you will see toning results like never before.

Below I outline two of the most popular types of overload weight training, super sets and drop sets. There are many more than this, and if you want to read more I suggest visiting the online encyclopedia of this type of training

Super Sets

These are the staple diet of any personal trainer or pump instructor. They are really easy to explain…basically you do two different exercises in a row without a break (I know what you are thinking…this guy is brilliant!).

But there is slightly more to it than that because the variations you can do on a super set are many (some of which are explained below).

Super sets overload the muscle by fully exhausting it either by hitting the muscle from multiple angles, or by working opposing muscles at the same time.

Here are some variations you can try


  1. Same Muscle Group Super Sets
The most common super set. Do two exercises that work the same body part. For example: Barbell bicep curls followed by dumbbell bicep curls, or bench press followed by push ups.


  1. Pre Exhaustion Super Sets
Do an isolation exercise (where you are just targeting one muscle group) followed by a compound exercise (multiple muscle groups). For example a dumbbell chest fly followed by a bench press.

This combination in particular works well, as it is the arms/triceps that give out on a bench press before the chest. By pre exhausting the chest with the flyes, you will get a better chest work out on the bench press.


  1. Antagonist Super Sets (antagonist = opposing muscle groups)
Do a set of an exercise for one muscle group, then immediately do a set of an exercise for the opposite muscle group. For example: biceps then triceps, or; chest then back, or; thighs then hamstrings.

This allows each muscle group to recover while working the other muscle, saving you time in the gym.


  1. Upper body / Lower body Super Sets
Do an upper body exercise then a lower body exercise, or vice versa, e.g. chest then thighs, or thighs then chest. This works to shunt blood around the body increasing cardiovascular fitness.


  1. Monster Sets
Anyone who has trained with me will know what these are.

They are my favourite overload technique.

Basically I will pick up to eight exercises in a row that hit the same body part from different angles, providing complete exhaustion and the most effective workout in the shortest time.

Monster sets work the best for the abs as they like endurance – here is one you can try
  1. Crunch with legs in the air, touching your hands behind your legs at the top of the crunch x 30
  2. Bicycle crunch, left elbow touches right knee then vice versa x 30
  3. Heel taps. In the crunch position with your feet flat on the floor, keeping your back on the floor crunch to the right side and touch your right heel with your right hand, then crunch to your left side and touch your left heel with your left hand x 30
  4. Reverse crunch flat on your back bringing your knees to your chest and hips off the ground x 30
  5. Hover/Bridge – hold a push up position at the top for 30 seconds
  6. Rest for 1 min and repeat the above.
Drop Sets


With this technique you do a set to failure with a weight then immediately do another set to failure of the same exercise with a lighter weight.

This can be done as a double-drop (reduce the weight once), triple-drop (reduce the weight twice), or down-the-rack (use every consecutive set of dumbells down a rack).

Well that is it for this month, most importantly remember to keep changing your training routine every 6-8 weeks, or use overload techniques such as the ones above, to avoid hitting results plateaus.

Exercising Gets You High

I always thought it was the case, but one of my loyal readers has forwarded a link proving for once and for all that exercise is better than taking drugs.

Til next month,

Chris

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