5 strategies to break through a training plateau

It happens to all of us despite our goals – whether they are performance orientated, aesthetics or just pure weight-loss, eventually we will reach a point where our progress just seems to stop. Yes, the dreaded ‘training plateau’.  It’s at this point many people turn their back on their exercise regime, revert back into old bad habits of eating the wrong foods or simply are just happy plodding along knowing that doing something is better than doing nothing, but are ultimately frustrated that their efforts are not being rewarded.

As a fitness professional it is one of my jobs to help clients manage this process and give constructive advice, increase motivation to achieve and make sure the training sessions are appropriate to my clients goals – although more importantly it’s the clients responsibility to do their part and put all the necessary changes into their life outside of the 2-3 hours contact they may have with me weekly.

I know not everyone has the luxury of being able to employ a trainer or coach to give them advice, so here are my top 5 strategies to break through a training plateau.

1  Get a training partner who has the same goals as you

This one sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised at the amount of people I see training together who have completely different training goals or are on different stratospheres in their ability. If your goal is to improve your 10km run time and your mate’s goal is to improve his 1 rep max bench press, then why are you both compromising on what you want to achieve and attending a body pump class? This is of course a far-fetched example, but the point is you will get more success of teaming up with someone who is at least looking for similar training outcomes to you.

So if you have reached a point in your training where your progress has halted, look at your friendship group and think about who has similar goals to you and has a similar schedule to you and team up with them. The elements of support, a bit of friendly competition and the fact you will have two lots of energy being injected into the sessions will help push through those barriers.

2  Mix up the exercises you are doing

I know this almost sounds like a slight contradiction to the last point I made, but let me give you a common scenario;

Take someone who has been going running 2-3 times per week for many years and for a long time it seemed to work, they kept their weight down and felt like they were keeping fit. Recently the weight has started to creep back on and they have noticed that they can’t run any faster without hurting themselves.

I would advise this person to add in some interval or high intensity cardio training (doesn’t have to be running), to get them out of their comfort zone and push the heart and lungs to new limits as well as adding in strength training exercises so that the muscles can work harder and take the pressure off the joints (note: there are potentially many more things you could advise too, these are two examples).

You see, the human body is an amazing biological work of genius. It has evolved over millions of years to adapt to our environment very quickly to ensure we are able to survive. So when we constantly do the same exercises in the same order at the same tempo the body will get used to it and save energy. It therefore stops being a workout and becomes just part of our routine.

Changing things around not only gives the body a proverbial kick up the backside, but starts waking up a load of new muscle fibres that may have been unused for a while and have gotten lazy.

This is not just relevant to the running example I used earlier. Kettlebell guru Pavel Tzatzouline, highlights in his book, “The Russian Kettlebell Challenge”, that using kettlebell workouts has shown improvements in pull-ups, bench press, deadlifting, back squats and overall endurance. These are very common areas that I know lots of people wish to make improvements in. So, start mixing it up for a while and you will see the improvements in performance.

3  Work on transition exercises

Those who know me or follow my Facebook page will know that I have got quite into Olympic lifting over the last couple of years. I’m not doing too badly, but have a long way to go before I consider myself good at the sport – but none the less it takes up a lot of my training time. I made the common mistake this year and attempted to improve my lifts by just working on the exact lifts (these are the Clean & Jerk and the Snatch). This ultimately meant that my sessions were not particularly effective and I was stuck around the same weights.

So, I got out my coaching manual, thought about what my coach Giles Greenwood would say to me and started to focus on the transition and complementary exercises again. So, rather than just getting a bar, loading it up and doing an hour of clean and jerks or snatches, I have been choosing specific exercises I know will improve each phase of the lift and every now and then will throw in a session of full lifts. The result has been my lifts are improving once again.

I know this is a specific example, but the method can be transferred into many performance orientated goals and help break that plateau.

4  Think like an athlete

I know that most of the people reading this will not be athletes, so what do I mean by this? I am talking about the way athletes use a method called periodisation in their training plans. This means their coach will look at what the performance outcome of the training programme is, then map out specific steps to achieve this.

For example, the coach will need to establish how long the training cycle is, what areas of fitness need to be worked on (strength, endurance, conditioning, co-ordination, balance, speed, explosive power etc.), what rest periods need to be factored in and how progress will be measured along the way.

Now, I’m not expecting you to suddenly be fully competent in the finer details of strength and conditioning, but again the template is a good one to implement in your own programmes. A start would to be take a look at the goal setting pyramid I posted a few months back. This will provide a simple structure to establish SMART goals (specific, measurable, action orientated, realistic, time based) and give steps along the way to put them into action.

If you want to perform like an athlete, then start thinking like one!

5  Look a bit deeper

Ok, you’ve got a new highly motivated training partner, you’ve added in new exercises to shake up your routine, you’ve analysed your performance and found appropriate transition exercises and have set up a full training cycle, but are still struggling. No it’s not time to give up and take up drinking instead! It’s time to look a bit deeper.

A colleague of mine Tony Wilson, is currently trying to hit some new personal best lifts in his squat and deadlift. To look at him it’s hard to spot where things could be improved. He eats perfectly, he sleeps enough, he trains hard and regularly, he gets regular sports massage etc. But he has not been hitting the numbers he wanted on these particular lifts.

So, he had a full biomechanics assessment and has been given a list of very intricate muscle imbalances that he needs to improve that will help him break through the barriers.

Again, this specific example isn’t relevant to everyone. To be honest, most people just need to significantly improve the basics before they have to worry about a full biomechanics assessment, but areas that are often overlooked when it comes to performance goals are;

• Mobility
•  Flexibility
• Stress management 
• Sleep
• Nutrition
•  Posture
• Core strength

All of these factors will affect your overall performance in the gym, out on the track or sports field and I guarantee if you fine tune any of them or all of them you will see improvements.

If you’re unable to seek professional advice from a Personal Trainer, Fitness Coach, Lifestyle Practitioner or Nutritionist on these matters, then good resources of information are available in many good books. For example; Supple Leopard by Kelly Starrett, for mobility, posture and flexibility or Eat, Move and be Healthy, by Paul Chek for a fantastic introduction to improve your lifestyle. I know both these books have changed the way I approach my fitness and my life in general.

Good luck busting those training plateaus…

Stay healthy!!

Finding motivation to train: My top tips to beat the post-holiday blues

In true British style, the summer has come and gone in a blink of an eye. To be fair, we have had some fantastic sunny weather and I’ve enjoyed some long hazy days, some alfresco dining courtesy of my new barrel barbeque and have even taken up running again as it was too nice to be stuck inside the gym all the time. However, as I write this I’m looking out through the window as the rain pours down and gives me a big reminder that autumn is well and truly on the horizon.

As a veteran trainer of many years I always witness a trend in September; that it takes a while for people to return to the gym after the summer holiday season and relocate the motivation to push on with their training. Why does this happen? My theory is that the majority of training leading up to summer – pretty much from January onwards – is geared towards aesthetics, so as soon as the fear of wearing clothes that reveal lots of flesh has dispersed, then so does the motivation to exercise frequently.

The problem with this is that it is very short term and just creates a cycle of repeated behaviour every year:

So here are my top tips to break this cycle, get back in the gym and start taking a more strategic approach to your health and fitness all year round.

1. Improve your foundations to keep injury free

One of the issues you have to contend with when going through a negative training cycle is that injuries will be common, as you are over-training in short bursts to make up for months of inactivity.

My advice is to approach this autumn as if you are starting from scratch and work harder at building the foundations. By this I mean look at your posture, your mobility, muscle imbalances (speak to your trainer about how to assess this) and take time to improve your technique of all the foundation movements – squats, deadlift, lunge, push, pull and twist. Not only will you see a ramp up of improvement in your performance, but the common aches and pains you suffer with every spring and summer will miraculously disappear.

2. Reset your nutrition and learn how food can make you feel better

Transforming the way you eat doesn’t have to be geared towards losing weight. The excesses of the summer holidays – too much alcohol, too many desserts, too many meals out… well, just generally TOO MUCH of everything – can leave you feeling bloated, lethargic and unmotivated, so physically you may not be performing at 100%.

Cleaning up your diet through my favourite reset method – elimination – can help you learn about how your body reacts to certain foods and forces you to plan meals, cook with wholesome ingredients, find the most nutrient dense foods and remove all those very addictive junk foods that are just not great for your long term health.

3. Set yourself some performance goals not aesthetic ones

Take a break from trying to lose weight, reducing your body-fat or increasing how big your muscles are so you look good in your swimwear and think about setting yourself some performance goals in the gym.

It doesn’t matter what level of fitness you are, you can always hit a new personal best. For some it may be being able to run 1 mile non-stop; for others it might be to squat their bodyweight or do unassisted pull-ups. Whatever your performance goal, I can tell you that if you set out a strategic plan to achieve your goal then you will get some aesthetic benefits at the same time and without the stress of focusing on them every day. The buzz you get from hitting your targets and seeing your fitness improve month to month will keep you motivated all year round.

4. Try creating some new healthy habits

Using this period of non-aesthetic focus on your health and fitness is the perfect time to start looking at other ways to improve your total wellbeing by creating some new and healthy habits.

I have written before about how it’s actually easier and more beneficial for your health to create new habits than it is to break old habits, so I was pleased to read an article by James Clear – an entrepreneur who uses an understanding of behavioural science to succeed in life and business – agreeing with that principle, but also giving some fantastic practical tips to put it into action.

He states that you should look at the 3 Rs of behavioural change when trying to install a new habit:

Reminder – the trigger that initiates behaviour

Routine – the behaviour itself

Reward – the benefit you get from the behaviour

How does that work in the real world?

Well first of all, it’s important not to try anything too radical; just small tweaks in your habits and behaviour will give you a greater chance of success. So, if your new behaviour is to drink herbal tea every morning, then look to tie that into an existing habit.

For example: if every morning you go into Costa Coffee (other coffee shop brands are available!) to get a cup of hot sugary milk with extra syrup then your ‘REMINDER’ is going into Costa Coffee, your ‘ROUTINE’ is now ordering a herbal tea instead, and your ‘REWARD’ is whatever you want it to be. I think a non-food reward works best, maybe putting the money you saved from buying a tea (even if it’s only £1 every time) into a pot that can build up over the next few months to then buy yourself something.

Healthy habits to try could be:

• Stop eating bread
• Flossing daily
• Drink herbal tea everyday
• Watch less TV
• Cut down your use of social media
• Call your friends and family more often
• Take a daily walk

5. Book yourself into an event for charity

If none of these suggestions takes your fancy, then put those narcissistic tendencies about how you look to one side, and do something for charity.

There are countless physical challenges that are available for people to sign up to in the name of charity; running a 5km park run, wading through muddy obstacle course races, climbing the peaks of our national parks or even attempting an amateur triathlon. All of them will require months of dedication to training and an improvement in your physical fitness and nutrition before you could complete them, so can help towards setting some long term targets to keep you motivated through the autumn and winter months.

Stay healthy!

Top tips for damage limitation on your summer holidays

For many people their summer holiday is a huge motivator to get in the gym and work on their beach body (note, I said for many, not all, so please not another social media hate campaign against the fitness industry). They’ll have spent many months partaking in gut busting routines to shape their legs, firm their bottoms and pump up their pecs. 

They would’ve counted carbs, sunk alkalising green juices that look and smell like pond water and deprived themselves of so many treats they would make a nineteenth century puritan look like a party animal, all so they can put on that designer bikini or pair of funky board shorts and feel a sense of achievement and pride (and lap up the compliments) that they are in the best shape of their life.

So there is absolutely no point going through all this pain to ruin it all within 48 hours of hard drinking and filling up on junk food to end up a bloated mess. Here are my top tips for damage limitation whilst on holiday.

Beware the all-inclusive buffet

It may offer fantastic value but there is no need to try every single dish on offer every night. The sheer amount of food that is piled onto plates in the all-inclusive buffet is staggering and the bizarre combinations are slightly stomach turning. I would estimate (purely based on observation) that the average person eats 2-3 times more food every day than they would normally consume if they go all-inclusive, guaranteeing they will be going home with some unwanted poundage. My advice if you are going to an all-inclusive resort is just to pace yourself and have a good look round the options before you choose your meals, that way you won’t get food envy and want to try everything and anything. 

Explore by foot and potter about

One of my favourite things about being on holiday is not needing a car. I really enjoy exploring the area by foot and depending on where you are this may include; coastal walks, exploring capital cities, long walks along the beach or just getting from your resort to the local town and back. It may not be a huge calorie burner, but cutting back on taxi’s or ditching the hire car will allow you to stretch the legs out, bask in the sunshine (soaking up that vitamin D), take in the local scenery and atmosphere and I always find that a good walk helps get rid of aches and pains by forcing you to be in a natural upright position – which is vital as far too much time is spent sitting these days.

Look out for the omelette station at breakfast

The breakfast buffet is probably the best thing about hotel food. There is always loads of pancakes, waffles, bread rolls, bacon, cured meats and much more on offer and it’s as tempting as the evening buffet to go overboard. I have found the best way to approach a hotel breakfast is to go for eggs. There is always an omelette station and they are always freshly made and have a good selection of fillings available – this breakfast is full of protein and good healthy fats, satisfies your appetite and gives a feeling of self-righteousness that can be rewarded with an ice cream later in the day ;-)

Give the water sports a try

If like me you are from the UK it’s not often you get to go in open water without needing a wetsuit or emergency treatment for hypothermia, so it seems a shame to not fully take advantage of the aqua based activities available at most summer holiday destinations. Whether its sea kayaking, water skiing, swimming, surfing, coasteering or climbing back on the banana boat after being thrown into the drink for the umpteenth time, you will be using elements of fitness such as strength, balance and co-ordination. So ditch the hotel gym for your holiday workout and head down to the beach to try out some of the awesome and fun sports on offer and turn your holiday into an active adventure.

Look out for local patrons

Unfortunately the view of many resorts is that Brits like to eat burgers, chips and beans and have very unsophisticated palates, so the quality of food available in the more touristy zones is ropey at best. So I have found the best way to get decent food that the locals would eat is to ask, erm the locals. Take some time to get some inside knowledge about the best restaurants that are not in the tourist areas and you will most likely get better quality, better value and food that doesn’t destroy your gut leaving you bloated and smelling of fried food.

Coconut water is a perfect hangover cure

After a night dancing away until the early hours and sinking a few too many sangrias there is no better hangover cure than a cold coconut water. It’s full of electrolytes which is great for hydration and packed full of nutrients such as potassium and magnesium which can help reduce the inflammation in the body. If you’re lucky enough to be staying on an island paradise then a fresh coconut is perfect, but if that isn’t available then a carton full of non-concentrate coconut water will more than do the job leaving you refreshed and ready to face another day.

All of these tips recognise the need to enjoy yourself whilst on your holiday; the key is not to deprive yourself but to have these tricks up your sleeve so that you can get the best of both worlds. You avoid ruining all of your pre-holiday hard work and won’t face a huge repair job once you get home.

Enjoy your holiday and stay healthy!

Losing weight and leaning up: The good, the bad and the ugly!

I recently put myself through a 6 week exercise and diet plan, devised by myself and a colleague (Tony Wilson) that was geared towards losing body fat, increasing muscle and improving digestive function.  It was a successful period for me, I hit some personal goals – losing 4kg in body-weight and dropping just over 3% body-fat in that period, as well as maintaining my strength in the gym.

Those who have read my articles before will know that my philosophy in the health and fitness world is not usually geared towards aesthetics – it is more geared towards achieving a healthy mind, body and soul through understanding of behaviour, nutrition and good movement, so this was an unusual programme for me to follow. So, instead of writing a blog about HOW I have achieved my results, I wanted to highlight the GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY that comes with dedicating yourself to a focused goal and how it can affect your life and the people around you.

The GOOD!

Let’s be clear about this, there are many positive aspects of finding a goal, sticking to a plan (even if it’s all consuming) and achieving your results. I felt really pleased with myself that I got what I wanted out of the 6 weeks and am able to show my clients that I practice what I preach. What did I experience?

 More energy! 

No real surprises here, but I mainly put down the increased energy to eradicating wheat and gluten and overall reducing the amount of carbohydrate I was eating. 

It is often thought that starchy carbohydrates and whole grains are needed for energy, but I found that reducing carbohydrate intake overall and planning the amount based on my daily activity level really helped give me a boost in energy. No more sugar spikes!!

I was also keeping well hydrated through lots of water, herbal teas and vegetables which would have also been a positive factor in my energy levels, as would the improved sleep I was getting by eating lighter in the evenings.

Improved gut function! 

Again, no real surprises here. I had slipped into a few bad habits over a 6 month period and was consuming too many grains and refined sugar, which had resulted in a feeling of lethargy, bloating and weight gain (even though my exercise habit had been consistent). 

Removing wheat, gluten, dairy and alcohol for a 30 day period helped get my gut functioning better which improved my digestion, my skin quality, my toilet habits were more regular and I lost weight around my middle which is what I was aiming for.

A great sense of achievement! 

This was on two fronts – first of all it is a great feeling when you prove that you have the strength to push yourself physically in the gym past your normal boundaries and the mental toughness to tackle your diet and create new positive habits in the kitchen. Secondly there was some professional pride in my results. I spend a lot of time talking to clients about fitness, nutrition and lifestyle so it’s good to give them some recent evidence of my own success and prove that I am providing sound advice and a professional service.

 Improved motivation! 

Not just in the gym, but for life. The positive feeling I got from hitting my goals spilled into other aspects of my life and I was approaching my daily life with a new found zest and enthusiasm - even more so than usual ;-) 

The BAD!

Yes, I’m afraid that anyone telling you that these type of goals and programmes come without negatives then they are either lying, or haven’t actually experienced it for themselves. What did I experience?

Obsessive behaviours!

I was beginning to show signs of obsessive behaviour, which although were helping me form new habits and track my progress, are no good for a healthy mind in the long run. 

• I was weighing myself all of the time – shocking!
•  I was obsessed with carbohydrate content and reading food labels. 
• I was constantly thinking about my next meal and how I could plan my days around eating.
• I was beating myself up mentally if I ate too much, or slipped up on my diet, or missed a workout.

Narcissism was creeping in! 

This I guess could be highlighted as obsessive behaviour too, but I wanted to tackle it individually. I was becoming totally self-obsessed with how I looked. I was always checking my profile view in the mirror, asking my fiancé whether she thought I was looking better and looking at old photos to compare. Now, I know you’re all reading this and thinking that sounds like typical behaviour of most Fitness Professionals and anyone who lifts weights – you may be right in some cases, but it was unusual for me to do it on such a grand scale.

Becoming a bit reclusive! 

I think it’s totally normal and necessary to moderate your social life whilst attempting to challenge yourself with a fitness and nutrition goal, especially if you have an active social life and it’s 100% essential to give up booze for a period of time. But, I was beginning to avoid people so I didn’t have to make choices about food, or get hassled for doing something that they think is stupid or a waste of time. I even was happy that my fiancé went to Canada on business for a week whilst I was starting the ketogenic part of my diet so I didn’t have to think about her when it came to food (I did miss you too Emily…. I promise!). 

This of course was all a means to an end, but I guess the reason I have highlighted it as a negative is because if it goes on too long you may find your friends don’t want to invite you out anymore. So, keep your periods of extreme goals relatively short.

The UGLY!

Haters are going to hate!

What I mean by this is there are some people out there who are never happy for you – or happy for anyone probably. When you put yourself out there in the public domain and let people know you are trying to achieve something, even put out pictures and updates to help keep you motivated and on track, there are always going to be people who criticise you. You haven’t lost enough, you could do more, I can’t see any difference, you’re mad for doing it, it’s not normal etc etc.

So, if you’re taking the brave step of pushing yourself physically to the next level, you will have to deal with haters in some form. If you can thicken your skin and deal with it, then you’ll have no problems, if you are a sensitive soul, my advice would be to keep your goals private and don’t tell too many people.

To sum up, I found the whole experience inspiring and despite a mix of positive and negative feelings throughout the process I felt it was 100% worth the effort. Even if your long term goal is to maintain a healthy existence I urge people to get out of their comfort zones and try to push those mental and physical boundaries and adding in some tough, short term challenges.

Stay healthy!

5 things people who are getting results at the gym are doing that you need to do.

1   Taking goal setting seriously

I don’t mean turning up every day at the gym and deciding that you need to work your arms because they look flabby, or do thousands of crunches because your tummy is bloated.

No, real goal setting takes thought, process and execution. I recently listened to a motivational speech by gold medallist sprinter and ex-professional athlete Derek Redmond, he gave an insight into how he set goals for winning medals.

He used a 100 day goal setting pyramid to set overall goal, performance goals and process goals using the SMART system – each goal should be;

                     Specific – Measurable – Action based – Realistic – Time based

Going through this process allows you to sit down and really think about what you really want to get from your training, what you can actually commit to and keeps the targets short enough that you don’t get bored and lose motivation.

For an example of how the goal setting pyramid looks, check out my blog or email james@hutchisonpt.co.uk and I’ll send you the document to use.

2   Seeking expert advice

This doesn’t only mean booking in sessions with a Fitness Professional (although it’s a good option), it can mean talking to people who have achieved what you want to, booking in on fitness seminars, reading blogs from industry experts or watching fitness & nutrition webinars.

Whatever the source of expertise you seek out, it will always help you reach your goals and break those training and motivation plateaus. Remember, it’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help and I can tell you that even after 15 years in the business I am still learning every day.

3   Taking their nutrition seriously

It’s an old cliché that you can’t out train a bad diet, but I’m afraid it’s totally true – especially the older you get. Whether your goals are weight-loss, fat loss, muscle gain, performance or general health you need to have more than a basic understanding of nutrition and I don’t mean calories in vs calories out.

Do you know how much protein you need? Do you know how much carbohydrate you need for your goals? What about why fat is essential in your diet, the best sources of nutrient rich foods or how to eat pre & post workout?

Taking the time to seek out the information will empower you with the tools to fine tune your diet in a scientific way and reap the rewards in the gym as your energy levels sore, your recovery time improves and your body functions in an efficient way.

4   Training at the correct intensity

Now it’s very tempting for me to ask the question, “Are you working hard enough?” In many cases this is definitely an issue. I see loads of people in the gym getting sweatier walking up the stairs to the gym floor than they do during their workout. How do they expect to change their physiques when they refuse to get out of their comfort zone?

However, the correct intensity is dependent on your goals. For example, if your goals are to increase your muscle size and strength then going to a body pump class and doing high rep –low weight exercises isn’t going to be effective regardless whether you feel “worked out” after an hour.

Referring back to our earlier goal setting post, be specific with your goals and then you can be specific with your training and implement the appropriate intensity.

5   Having rest days

I can’t emphasise how important this is, quite simply your body needs recovery to change. Now, I’m not going to fall into the trap of claiming everyone is overtraining, as even those of us who train regularly are not anywhere near the levels of professional athletes who are pushing their bodies to the limit day in day out.

However, if you are training hard and not seeing results, then look at your rest and recovery procedure. Are you taking complete days away from the gym? Are you getting regular massage? Are you learning how to use a foam roller to break down muscle tissue? Look at your sleep patterns or even how you are eating and drinking on non-training days.

If you are looking for real results then these factors can be the difference between success and failure and let’s face it, what’s the point of breaking a sweat and feeling pain in the gym if nothing is changing?

Stay healthy!!

Goal setting pyramid

Take the time to fill out your own goal setting pyramid and help set realistic and achievable health and fitness goals.

All the goals should be what I call SMART goals.

Specific – Measurable – Action orientated – Realistic/relevant – Time based

For example;

 Your 100 day outcome goal is to lose 10kg in bodyweight.

Your two 50 day performance goals are measureable indicators of your progress, e.g; 5kg reduction in bodyweight, improved 1 mile run time.

Your controllable process goals are things that you are 100% in control of and are key processes in achieving the 100 day outcome goal, e.g; eradicate processed food, exercise 5 hours per week, reduce alcohol intake, sleep for 8 hours per night.

I would also like you to list the barriers that you feel may get in the way of you achieving your goal.  

Potential barrier	Overcoming the barrier

Stay healthy!

Nothing is achieved in your comfort zone!

If there is one thing I can guarantee, it is that as a coach or trainer nothing is achieved in your comfort zone. Let’s put your training to one side for now and look at some other things you may come across in life.

If you want to get promoted at work, you wouldn’t expect it to happen by sitting in the corner not getting noticed; you would go the extra mile, work harder and take on extra responsibility to show that you are capable of more. 

If you wanted to start a business, you wouldn’t wait around for it to happen; you’d take a risk by borrowing money or investing your savings into the project, knowing that you are going to have to be uncomfortable before you succeed.

The same is true of your training and nutrition goals – sometimes you need to suck it up and put yourself in a place that you know is going to take extra effort and preparation, is going to need sacrifices and at times is going to take some mental toughness to succeed. But if you have a goal that is intrinsically important to you, the overwhelming positive feelings that come with reaching that goal will far outweigh the temporary pain along the way.

I’ll give you an example. I am currently putting myself through a regime of training and nutrition with the goal of reducing body fat. Those who know me, or have read my articles before, will know that I am not usually bothered with aesthetic goals. However, recently I have slipped too far into my comfort zone and my training has been purely based around things that I enjoy – picking up heavy things for low reps. My nutrition has also slipped into comfort and I have allowed myself too much variety, which has ended up with me overeating for a number of months, resulting in 3kg in extra weight (not all muscle) and a general feeling of sluggishness.

To get myself back on track and firmly step out of my comfort zone, I have done the following:

• Written myself a fitness plan that includes higher volume and more conditioning work – or in lay terms: things I find difficult and don’t enjoy.
• Put myself on a regimented nutrition plan with restrictions and a process to follow. This curbs my natural enthusiasm for variety and will instil some discipline over a set time period (I am still allowing variety in what I eat, but am planning it in advance – even self-inflicted rules can provoke rebellion in me!).
• Set myself a body composition goal. This is totally different from my usual performance goals.

This of course is all personal to me and I would never suggest that my goals should be your goals, but here are a few things you could look at to help you break out of your comfort zone and revamp your training goals. 

Work harder. Are you coasting through your workouts without really breaking a sweat? If so then you need to ramp up the intensity of what you are doing and make sure you are coming out of the gym knowing that you pushed out every possible rep.

Change routine. If you have got used to doing exercises a certain way then change your routine. This doesn’t always mean completely new exercises, but could mean changing rep range, shortening rest periods or using different forms of the same move (front squats instead of back squats for example). If you like gentle cardio sessions, then try some high intensity work. If you like body building, try some calisthenics instead. The choice is yours.

Go public with your goals. Nothing makes people more uncomfortable than pressure from your peers. Tell people what you are going to achieve and put a time limit on it. Saving face is enough to make sure you achieve your goal.

Try an elimination diet. An elimination diet puts you more in touch with how you feel about food. Many people have forgotten what it’s actually like to function at 100% and do not even realise that common ailments such as fatigue, headaches, skin rashes, blocked nose, excess gas, feeling bloated – to name a few – are most likely caused by what you are eating. An elimination diet removes the most common contaminates from your diet (wheat, gluten, dairy, alcohol and processed food) over a period of 30 days and allows the body to reset and become energised naturally. It’s hard, but totally worth it!

Create some new habits. Breaking habits depletes will power and is an inefficient way of changing behaviour. Creating new habits on the other hand has been shown to be a really successful way of entering into a change cycle. Watching new TV shows; getting your news from a new media outlet; trying new foods; starting a new hobby – anything that makes you fire up some new brain activity is going to be mentally healthy for you and will enrich your life and have a positive effect on your overall motivation levels.

 I’m going to leave you with one of my favourite quotes that sums all of this up nicely:

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

Albert Einstein

Stay healthy!