Best Exercises For Dealing With A Weight Loss Plateau

Weight loss plateaus happen to everyone. Weight fluctuates daily; things like water weight can increase or decrease an individual's weight by quite a few pounds overnight. But if you’ve been stepping on the scale week after week only to see the same numbers, it can be disheartening, especially if you’ve double- and triple-checked your diet to make sure you are maintaining your calorie defect. One of the best ways to break that plateau is to change up your exercise routine. Cardio is the best way to burn calories in the short term, but building muscle will help increase your resting metabolic rate, meaning you’ll burn more calories while you’re working or sleeping. We’ve pulled together a list of exercises especially suited to breaking out of your plateau and getting back on track with your weight loss.

High-Intensity Interval Training

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has seen a huge boom this year for a good reason: it combines the benefits of going as hard as you can with carefully timed rests so you don’t burn out. There are myriad varieties of HIIT, from straight cardiovascular exercises to rowing to full-body strength workouts. If you are already doing HIIT and are still plateauing, try changing up your routine and make sure you’re going as hard as you can. As your body adjusts to your exercises, you will need to up your intensity; what was your eighty percent before may only be your fifty percent now. If you’re just starting out, remember that you will get the most out of your workout by doing shorter, more intense intervals. It’s harder to sustain a good burn for a full minute, but doing an interval for twenty seconds means you can push yourself well out of your comfort zone. The further out of that comfort zone you go, the more your body will have to work, and the more likely it is you’ll break the weight loss plateau.

Keep reading for more tips on breaking a weight loss plateau.

Kickboxing

Changing things up from your usual routine is one of the best ways to get your body back to burning fat. The human body is a marvel built to adjust to even the most strenuous of conditions; keeping it guessing by switching from a running or strength routine to the combination exercises of kickboxing might be just what you need to kick a plateau to the curb. While it's primarily cardio, the complex routines also give a great full-body toning session with your body weight for resistance. Keeping your posture solid and your core tight also works for the big muscle groups in your torso and abdomen, which means you are burning more calories. If you’re someone who cannot stand the repetition and mindlessness of something like HIIT, kickboxing offers a moderate to high-intensity alternative that makes it feel like you’re accomplishing something worthwhile. After all, the more you enjoy a workout, the more likely it is you will keep at it. Keeping at an exercise regimen is one of the biggest factors in ending a weight loss plateau.

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