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This Weeks Question

Q: The Dreaded Plateau

"I have hit, or actually hit some time ago, the dreaded plateau. I have a heart issue that sometimes gets in the way, and I was told that I was not eating enough to support my aggressive workouts. I was overtraining, the doc said.

So I started eating a little more, and more often, and backed off a bit on the workouts, and all my progress stopped and hasn't moved since. My cardiologist is happy but I'm not!

I'm starting in again as I'm up about 10 pounds, so am restricting the diet and doing more weights. I thought it might be good to mix it up, so bought a bosu ball. Years of abuse to the knees keep me feeling unstable and unable to do the lunges they advocate. But it is good for situps!

Thanks again. Wish you were closer so you could help me!"
-D.P.

A:

First of all, it probably goes without saying- Always follow your doctors recommendations. Especially because he or she knows you personally.

Since there is no way to diagnose "overtraining" (blood testing, etc.), it can be difficult to tell if someone is actually "overtrained" or just in need of a week or so of almost complete rest.

If you are very active, meaning doing something vigorous more days than not, you will need to take an easy week every 4 weeks or so. Not doing so is one cause of the "dreaded plateau". Many endurance athletes, like triathletes, runners and cross-country skiers, find this out the hard way early on in their careers. So, you are in good company :)

An easy week should be easy! 2-3 days completely off followed by an approximate 50% decrease in volume and intensity for the remainder of the week. Maybe get a massage too.

You won’t get fat or lose strength. You might feel sluggish at the start of the next week, but this will soon be replaced with newfound energy. And that’s the key to your next breakthrough!

It’s a good idea to work on building some strength and lean muscle mass. This should help to increase your metabolism.

You mention the bosu ball which is great (If lunges hurt the knees, DON'T do them. Try half-squats.) I would also buy some basic dumbbells, or resistance bands for home use. Or, find somewhere to workout with free-weights and/or machines.
Heart rate zones are HIGHLY individual. There is no formula that's right for everyone. I cringe when I think of all the people on ellipticals and treadmills trying to keep their heart rate in a one-size-fits-all zone.


To answer your fitness question, it’s true that at an intensity of around 65% of your maximum heart rate, the calories used for energy come from fat. Workout harder than that and additional calories start to come from stored carbohydrates. If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s better to burn as many calories as possible, regardless of whether they come from stored fat or carbohydrates.

Without going too deep into the physiology of it all, you will lose more fat over time if you go beyond the so-called fat burn zone. The trick is to find a pace that's both challenging and sustainable for the duration of your cardio workout.

The recommended intensity on your treadmill is probably too low. You’ll still make progress toward your goal, but it won’t be as fast as if you were going a little harder.

So, how hard should you go? You should at least break a sweat, but you don’t want to go so hard that you couldn’t carry on a conversation, at least using short sentences. You can always go harder of course, but it could be difficult to keep it up for 20-45 minutes.

On that note, I have found that a lot of people do better with interval type cadio workouts that alternate periods of high-intensity with more moderate rest periods. I frequently prescribe these for my clients as it seems to burn a lot of calories and it makes the time go by faster!

Thanks for your question!

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