Periodize Your Workouts and Nutrition
Don’t let the word “periodize” scare you! In fitness, periodization is all about planning your diet and workout routine based on your goals. If you do the same exercises and eat the same foods every day, you’ll eventually hit a plateau. The only way to achieve your objectives and make significant progress is to plan your training program. For example, you can add new exercises to your routine every week, change the level of resistance, or increase intensity.
If your body gets used to your workout routine, it will stop growing or losing fat. Your muscles as well as your metabolism adapt very quickly to the changes in your training program. To prevent plateaus, it’s essential to add new stimuli. Every time you try different exercises or change your diet, you activate a whole new set of adaptations in your body. This leads to greater gains in size, strength, and endurance.
Your macronutrient ratios should be based on the amount of work you do in the gym. Since you’re constantly changing your fitness routine, it’s necessary to adjust your diet accordingly. For instance, you can eat fewer carbs and reduce your daily calorie intake during those weeks when you’re working with lighter weights or skipping cardio. This way you’ll build lean muscle and keep fat gains to a minimum.
Remember That Fluctuation Is Normal
Whether you want to lose fat or build muscle, your results will fluctuate. You may lose eight pounds in one week, and gain three the next week. These things are normal and shouldn’t scare you. Your muscle and strength gains as well as your weight loss results depend on a number of factors, such as how much water you drink, how much sodium you eat, how hard you work out, and how stressed you are. There will be days when you’ll be bloated and heavy, and days when you’ll be able to see your abs perfectly.
Staying lean all year around doesn’t equal happiness. Many times, you’ll end up feeling depressed, anxious, and frustrated. But you’ll also have moments of pure happiness when your body will look at its best. Every step you take matters. As long as you stick to your diet and workout routine, you’re on the right path. Careful planning and hard work are the keys to success.
