Articles

Plateau Prevention

For world-class athletes, it is more important than ever to keep up with the competitive environment. If there is one thing we have learned, we have learned that you can't keep doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. In recent years, athletes have been breaking records and doing things we only thought imaginable (like running a 3-minute mile). What has contributed to that is the type of training the athletes do to succeed. Within every athletes training arsenal is the concept of periodization.

Periodization is basically cycles of different training modes, methods, intensity, and volume. Depending on the athlete, these cycles can focus more on strength, speed, agility, endurance, etc. However, every athlete may go through every component to maximize athletic performance.

In recent years, professional trainers have also incorporated this concept for all types of people, not just athletes. More importantly, we've incorporated this concept for overweight and sedentary individuals to boost metabolism. While working with many people who fall into this category, I have found that many quit exercising because they hit a plateau. After examining their previous exercise history, I have found it's because they did not change anything in their program.

You see, what you're really trying to do when you lose weight is not lose weight, but lose body fat. In order to do that, you have to condition your metabolism to burn more fat. To maximize your metabolism's body fat burning ability, you have to incorporate cycles of training that include muscular endurance, strength, intensity, and volume of training. During these cycles, you train many train different "types" of muscle fibers. All of which help you burn more fat at rest. However, if you do the same thing over and over again, you will hit a plateau.

Most recently, I have created a training concept known as MeSoFit . Though I have always incorporated the cycle training concept, this new plan is suited best for those I have worked with the most- BUSY PEOPLE. With this program, I have found a way to help even those with the busiest of lifestyles to get fit and trim. However, this program will work for anyone, busy or not. By the way, MeSoFit has two meanings. The first you might have guessed ME (meaning you) -SO Fit (really fit- haha). The other meaning comes from the Latin - meso. Meso means in the middle and often used as a prefix in medical terms, however, it is used often to describe muscle location and size. Thus, I give you MeSo (muscle) Fit.

Kelly Huggins, B.S., ACSM HFI
The Fitness MythBuster
404.303.8305 kelly@kellyhuggins.com