Ask Ade: Reaching and surpassing the dreaded training plateau

Wed, 11/12/2008 10:53 AM | Health

Ade Rai is Indonesia's most famous bodybuilder and a passionate advocate of good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. Every second week, he will be offering professional advice and answering your questions through this column.

Hi Ade Rai,

I have been an avid gym member for 2 years, and I am 40 years old. For the first 6 months, I got great results and quite frankly I was very happy with the progress I made.

However, the results I have seen over the last 18 months don't even compare to those I got the first time around. I am at the point of almost giving up, because any training or dieting program I do just doesn't seem to give me the results I am looking for.

Could you please tell me what went wrong? Why did the progress stop or slow down? I thought the more experienced I got with my training, the better the results would be. Ms. D. Singh, Jakarta

Hi Ms. Singh,

Thank you for your questions. Your problem is actually a common one. So, please don't despair, as there is a fix for every problem, including yours.

What you are experiencing is commonly known as a "training plateau". For the first quarter of your training program, your body was in a state of shock with any form of physical stress, no matter how small the stress was. After a while, your body became accustomed to the stress -- it adapted to it in the form of improved strength and stamina.

The human body has a great survival mechanism by which it adapts to most physical stresses you put it through; it can become stronger. Training also triggers this mechanism, allowing your body to form better endurance, better muscle strength and size, and be able to perform higher jumps, more accurate throws, or faster runs each time you increase the intensity of stress in your training.

What I am trying to say here is that you need to try to apply a higher intensity every time you exercise, allowing your body to always adapt (making the improvements that you seek).

In a resistance-training program, for example, the measure of intensity is the load -- the actual resistance itself. For aerobic activities, the measure of intensity is the heart rate -- the number of heart beats per minute.

For a resistance-training program, follow these simple steps:

-- Determine the weight that sees you reach failure by the eighth repetition; meaning you can do eight clean repetitions, and the eighth rep is the last repetition you can do on your own.

-- When you come back the next week for the same workout, try to make it to the ninth repetition and so on until you can do 12 clean repetitions after about 1-2 months on the same weight.

-- Increase the weight slightly so your number of clean repetitions drops back to the eighth count.

For an aerobic program, try the following steps:

-- Know your current bodyfat level first. If it is above 30 percent, you should aim for a lower intensity for a longer duration for each session. For your age, the target heart rate would be around 100-110 beats per minute.

-- If your current body fat level is somewhere between 20-29 percent, you should aim at medium-pace intensity over a slightly shorter duration for each session. For your age, the target heart rate is around 110-125 beats per minute.

-- Try to include a variety of aerobic activities to keep your workouts fun and never boring.

Of course, a fitness program is never complete without a sound nutritional program. For your body to progress beyond the plateau, you need to take your eating habits to a new level.

Increasing your protein intake is one essential tip to make your training fruitful. After all, protein feeds your muscles and other tissues in the body.

A good rule of thumb to follow is to have a protein portion the size of your palm in every meal. Have this at least three times daily, then add a couple of servings of low-fat, low-carb, pure protein drinks. A good dairy or soy protein powder and multivitamin-mineral complex would also be great to supplement your diet.

Please remember, all growth and recovery happens during rest time. A balance between quantity and quality of sleep every day is paramount, not just for the recovery phase, but also for longevity.

I wish you all the best with breaking through your plateaus, Ms. Singh. Keep up the great work and please update me with your progress.

Hi Ade,

I am a 38-year-old woman, my body weight is 52 kg and I am 162 cm tall. I undertook an exercise program at a gym with a personal trainer for 3 months to improve my muscle tone and abs.

My PT (reputably the best one at my gym) set me an exercise regime that was above the average for women. I was lifting 8-kilogram dumbbells in the first term of PT, and had reached 14 kg by the last term. After three months of exercise, only my biceps and triceps had slight improvement.

At the start of my PT program, my body fat level was 28.4 and it is now 24.2. My BMI was 18, which is now 20.2.

I drink a whey protein supplement once a day after exercise. I am vegetarian. I exercise five times a week, including cardio.

The problem is, it seems so hard for me to gain muscle from weight lifting as there is little change to my body shape after three months of exercise.

What is wrong? Is it my exercises? Or my diet? I'm getting frustrated. I need your advice. Thanks. E. Christie, Serpong.

Hi Bu Christie,

Thank you for writing in with your questions. I can feel your frustration, but first allow me to pinpoint some things you can be happy about.

Your strength is up by 75 percent -- that's progress that shouldn't be taken lightly. Your BMI has gone up and your bodyfat has gone down, which means that you lost fat (0.8 kg) and gained muscle (5.6 kgs) simultaneously during a short period of 3 months.

These results are fantastic! I bet hundreds of women your age would dream of such dramatic improvements. The results you have achieved so far are great and are considerably easier to achieve by a non-vegetarian; to achieve what you have by being a vegetarian, only shows the greater magnitude of your success.

Quite frankly, I wouldn't say your PT program has failed you. In fact, it's been a huge success! Which explains why your trainer is considered the best at your gym. So, I wouldn't worry about changing a thing until you experience a training plateau. Your trainer should be smart enough to help you with that too, if you stick with him/her.

Have an exercise or diet question? Fire away via ask_aderai@yahoo.com

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