(Akiit.com) When you make the conscious decision to workout and train your body, you’re making a commitment to yourself. You are putting a lot of stress on your body to tone it, strengthen it and generally improve your fitness so that you are in the best possible shape that you can be. One of the ways that you can improve on your current workout programme is to learn how to push yourself harder. Sometimes, you reach a plateau when you workout hard, and you need to level up a little to push yourself through that plateau to reach even higher workout goals. This isn’t always easy, but we’ve got six ways that you can do it:
Map A Goal. Are you looking to tone your muscles or lose further weight? Whatever your reasons for needing to push through the plateau in your workout, you need to know what your goal is. Having a goal gives you something to aim for and you can stay on track and continue to maintain your focus.
Switch It Up. If you have found fitness success by pounding the pavement and running, it may be time to give your body a break and switch over to something that makes a little more sense. Investing in endurance road bikes and piling your energy into long distance cycling can make a huge difference to the way that you workout. You are putting stress on your body to get further than you ever have before, and you need the equipment to do that.
Plan It Out. So, you have a goal and you have your equipment, you now need a written plan to stick to that can help you out. You wouldn’t run a marathon without some intensive training, so start small and build yourself up in intensity. The hardest part of an exercise program is getting through to the end of the program.
Learn To Rest. Pushing yourself through a plateau isn’t just about adding to your intensity levels. It’s about all the pieces of the fitness puzzle from your nutrition to your rest periods. You may be pushing your body harder than ever before, but you need to be able to rest and recuperate at the same time. It’s all about balance.
Keep Your Motivation. When the winter mornings roll in and it’s still dark at 7am, it’s hard to want to sit up and get ready for the day. You need to keep pushing forward and keep re-reading your workout plan. Once you’ve done that, you’re going to want to stay the course and see it through to the end.
Be Safe. Intensive training doesn’t mean hurting yourself. You need to be smart about how you push yourself and to what limits; you still have yours intact and you need to remember that.
Working out should be fun, safe and get you to the goals that you’ve set for yourself. Don’t push yourself too hard if you’re going to end up hurt!
Staff Writer; Peter Jones