If your training bouts are stuck in a rut you may think you’ve maxed out your potential and there’s nowhere to go but down. Fortunately, you’ve likely only hit a temporary plateau that’s putting a cap on your performance. With these 4 hacks you’ll be able to bust through your limiting plateaus and get your training back in the right direction.
Take Time Off
It may seem counter-intuitive, but taking some time away from your training is the fast track to getting over humps. Keep in mind that your body actually adapts to training between sessions, not during. If you don’t give yourself ample time to recover you can easily suffer from overtraining –a very real condition that causes diminishing returns for your results. Start with at least a week and see if you feel more fresh, focused and strong the next time you put your sneakers on.
Mix Things Up
More and more athletes are turning to sports outside of their domain to get stronger, faster and more agile in their sport de jour. For example, LA Lakers forward Kobe Bryant has taken up yoga in order to gain the flexibility he can’t get through traditional stretching. A new sport in activity is also a great way to get some mental freshness back into your sport. Many people find that when they return to their sport after moonlighting in another they feel a new appreciation (and determination).
Fix Shortcomings
Every athlete has a weakness that keeps him or her from achieving peak performance. Tragically, many people ignore their shortcomings and instead put all of their focus on improving their strengths. For some athletes a single weakness — such as poor flexibility, weak core strength or lack of balance — can throw off their entire game. Ask others that you practice and compete with where you could use a brushing up. Oftentimes addressing this weakness unlocks a boatload of new potential.
Look At Your Diet
Your diet is a direct determinant on how well you perform. Your can also be the difference between busting through a plateau like a steaming freight train or hitting it head on. In order to properly recover and adapt to training you need to eat an abundance of essential nutrients such as complete proteins, fresh produce and healthy fats in the form of omega-3s and fish oil. Also, a lack of carbohydrate stores known as glycogen may be impeding your performance. Ensure that you eat enough healthy slow-digesting carbohydrates, such as whole grains and legumes, before and after your workouts in order to replenish your muscle’s glycogen stores.
Spencer Mitchell is a blogger and search engine optimization pro that makes a part-time living from surveys for money. You can read his latest posts by visiting his site here.
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