Concept2 Forum

I have been training 5 plus days a week for months and started to see a 12lb drop probably due to better ratio of carbs/protein. My weight loss has stalled for weeks. I have been doing steady state pieces of 10k or more. SUggest intervals? 2k repeats? Or introduce some cross training? Thanks for any help.

Ryan

Hi Ryan!!
Plateaus are very common.Especially if you have been doing the same thing for a long time.Plateaus will happen in weight loss, fitness goals etc.You need to change your routine or "mix it" up a bit.If you think you have your diet in check..good carbs versus bad carbs and good lean protein..then you need to do what I refer to as rev your metabolism.It is all a matter of energy in versus energy expended.If you use more energy you will burn more calories.So ..interval training is a way to get your metabolism revved..it is like a walker who starts to jog then adds a run ..then sprints etc.Slow periods then faster periods..spurts of activity.You can do this with the rower..but doing intervals of whatever you feel you can do.At a faster rate or harder effort.Cross training is very important.You may want to add another cardio activity to your rowing.Walking, running, elliptical trainer..bike etc.Also..are you weight liftng?? Strength training? If you add muscle mass ..you will burn more calories and even while you are at rest.
So I would recommend intervals, cross training and strength training to your rowing to break your plateau.We ALL experience them and it is just a matter of fine tuning what you do.
Hope this helps.I am a certified Personal Trainer and have had to help many a client overcome these plateaus.Not everything works for everyone in the same way but if you know some direction to head in..it will work for you.

Pat

Intervals and strength training are both good. The other part of the equation is what you are eating. I dropped a lot of weight, but I made sure that I addressed both exercise and nutrition. How are your eating habits? Are you getting your 5-a-day fruit and veg for example?

Thanks for the response. I have been doing long steady state pieces for the NARC and other challenges. I am in a time constraint for cross training and no access to weights. Considering a core training workout or maybe some yoga. Can't run have had multiple stress fractures in both tib/fib. My diet has gotten better. No empty carbs.. I have also eliminated wheat from my diet, feel much better. Also getting the fruits and veggies. I think I have to be careful with time and quanitiy. Work one job 4 days a week and another two nights a week. My meal times are messed up. I just started using Xeno's DVD set. I like the rate changes workouts guess just looking to adapt that over a longer distance. Thanks for any other suggestions as far as longer interval pieces or any other ideas how to break this plateau and keep working back to being a lightweight again.

Ryan

Ryan..
You don't need free weights.Get some resistance bands, carry them with you.There are several kinds and resistance levels.They work just as well..your muscles won't know the difference.Inexpensive too!!

Pat

Pushups, pullups, one legged knee bends (with second leg on a chair behind you) are very effective strength training exercises that can be done almost anywhere and does not take long time.

If you get your food content right, next make sure you get it at the right time. Split it up on 5-6 occassions during the day, that keeps the metabolism up. Do not eat the 2-3 hours before you go to bed.

Throw in some hard periods in your long rows. It is easy, just do some 2 minutes as hard as you can, and than go slow afterward utill you recover enough to continue your steady state sped. Those power periods will also increase your metabolism. Try to get the training done many hours before you go to bed and get one of those meals in directly after. The training increases the metabolism for hours but goes emmediately very low when you fall asleap. So for weight loss, a lot of the benefits go away if you go to bed directly after.

Stefan, Thanks I have actually taken alot of you advice and the others and have been able to drop another three pounds. I have gone to a short 10-15 min workout once a day and then a longer piece with intervals or pyrmaids built in (Xeno Muller dvd's). Thanks for the help everyone.

Ryan

ltwt_mt wrote:Stefan, Thanks I have actually taken alot of you advice and the others and have been able to drop another three pounds. I have gone to a short 10-15 min workout once a day and then a longer piece with intervals or pyrmaids built in (Xeno Muller dvd's). Thanks for the help everyone.
Ryan

That is great Ryan, 3 lbs in a short time is a lot!
You know, 1 lb per week is a very good rate for also being able to keep it of long term.

One more tip. For people that work at loosing weight over a long period, it is usefull with one "eat what you want day" per week. Its has two benefits.

1. It reduces the tendence for the body to adjust to the low energy intake by reducing metabolism.

2. It increases the chanse to keep it up and not fall victime to fatigue and boredom.