What thing(s) usually is/are the culprit(s)? I lost 70 lbs and i've kind of hit a lull. I'm losing weight but at a very slow rate. I am doing the same thing i've been doing. More even. I run 2 miles in the morning and 2 at night and lift every other day. Any ideas how to speed things up? PS look for my before and after pictures in the pictures thread soon.

What thing(s) usually is/are the culprit(s)? I lost 70 lbs and i've kind of hit a lull. I'm losing weight but at a very slow rate. I am doing the same thing i've been doing. More even. I run 2 miles in the morning and 2 at night and lift every other day. Any ideas how to speed things up? PS look for my before and after pictures in the pictures thread soon.Hi legend,

I am planning to touch on this subject a bit in tomorrow's Daily News update. :)

Usually a plateau is a result of your body adapting to what you are doing. You should shake things up a bit: try a different cardio exercise and/or routine (for example, give HIIT a try instead of your normal aerobic-level cardio workout).

Your diet might also need adjustment. Once you get down to low body fat levels (just speculating - you didn't mention your BF% or diet), it takes a pretty clean diet to continue to shed fat.

Congratulations on your excellent progress so far! :tu:

Thanks John. You're my main inspiration.

Do you know if using a rowing machine is good cardio?
I have a stationary bike but I never really use it. I never feel like i'm burning, I hardly sweat when I use it like I do when I run on the treadmill. Probably because the spokes double as fan blades that blow air on me.
Does anyone know if a stationary bike burns as much as running on a treadmill?

Thanks John. You're my main inspiration.

Do you know if using a rowing machine is good cardio?
I have a stationary bike but I never really use it. I never feel like i'm burning, I hardly sweat when I use it like I do when I run on the treadmill. Probably because the spokes double as fan blades that blow air on me.
Does anyone know if a stationary bike burns as much as running on a treadmill?It's all about getting your heart rate to your desired level(s) for the desired length of time. Anything that allows you to do that will work just fine - from running to rowing to jumping rope to the stationary bike.

Simple enough really. Noted though. Thanks. I have a couple more questions i'll throw out if anyone would care to answer them. (Thanks in advance)

Can overdoing it (running 4 miles a day) cause a plateau? A way of your body telling you to take a break perhaps...

If I just keep doing what I'm doing, will I eventually "break" the plateau or am I going to need to modify my workout plan or diet?

I had lost about 45-50 lbs when I had a 2-3 week plateau where I had not lost much. I actually increased my intake and the weight started to come off again. I guess it was my body's way of saying that it needs a minimal amount of calories to operate, and if it does not get it, then it will hold on to what it does have....

AND, I changed my cardio routines as well.

I had lost about 45-50 lbs when I had a 2-3 week plateau where I had not lost much. I actually increased my intake and the weight started to come off again. I guess it was my body's way of saying that it needs a minimal amount of calories to operate, and if it does not get it, then it will hold on to what it does have....

AND, I changed my cardio routines as well.
I'm eating plenty I think. I balance carbs, proteins, and fats rather well. I'll try switching my diet up a bit, though. Does anyone think the problem could be in my workout routine? 20 mins/2 miles twice a day, once in morning and once at night. The night cardio is preceeded by 20 mins of bench press, leg press, and various weights-based exercises. Any opinion is valued highly.

I jumped on the scale this morning and it appears that I am actually gaining weight, which is quite disappointing. It won't ruin my motivation but it is quite a downer.

I think I may be in a little better position to answer this than some others in the forum. I am a competitive cyclist - translate: long endurance workouts. In all honesty, if your goals are to add lean mass then long cardio sessions are just about the worst thing you can do. There is a long chemical interaction explanation, but basically endurance type exercises activate certain pathways that encourage the muscular cross-sectional area to diminish (become smaller and leaner) in order to encourage oxygen transfer effieciency.
I don't hold any hope of adding muscle in season, usually I lose quite a bit which is why an off-season weight program is crucial to repair and rebuild.

In sum, if you want to encourage muscular development - shorten the cardio. Go with interval type training for shorter duration. These types of exercises activate different muscle fiber types - they type which are prone to hypertrophy.

Thanks. This is all great advice and it will come in handy in a while but i'm still in my fat loss phase. I still have quite a bit to lose. Any ideas for that phase? Basically, I should just start switching my workouts up? Thats what most of the replies here point to. I'll have to jump on that bike, although I hate it.

Legend,

From what I have learned here, you should keep up with cardio and really take a hard look at your diet. Do your calculations on your BMR, which will give you rough figures to go by for your calorie count and then you can make the minor adjustments from there. But from what I have learned here, and elsewhere, your diet is by far the most major factor, cardio is important as well, but changes in your diet can have the biggest impact.

Yeah, i'm going to spend the day researching and revising my diet. It can't hurt, right? Thanks for the suggestion.


Another question i'll throw out to avoid making a new thread, related though.


How is cardio most effective? Should I try to spend 30 minutes on the bike or do 13 like John? What are the benefits of each? Also, John, was your 13 minutes, because it was a short amount of time really a fast and intense workout?

Yeah, i'm going to spend the day researching and revising my diet. It can't hurt, right? Thanks for the suggestion.


Another question i'll throw out to avoid making a new thread, related though.


How is cardio most effective? Should I try to spend 30 minutes on the bike or do 13 like John? What are the benefits of each? Also, John, was your 13 minutes, because it was a short amount of time really a fast and intense workout?I do 23 minute HIIT cardio sessions, with the occasional 50 minute aerobic-level cardio session here and there for variety.

I used to do brief (12 minute) HIIT workouts on weight training days, but I stopped doing that long ago. My current and past workouts are on my training page if you want to take a look.

I modified my diet and workout plan and am already seeing results. Thanks everyone. My before and after pictures are up now in the photo gallery to anyone who is concerned. Thanks!!

In all honesty, if your goals are to add lean mass then long cardio sessions are just about the worst thing you can do. There is a long chemical interaction explanation, but basically endurance type exercises activate certain pathways that encourage the muscular cross-sectional area to diminish (become smaller and leaner) in order to encourage oxygen transfer effieciency.
I don't hold any hope of adding muscle in season, usually I lose quite a bit which is why an off-season weight program is crucial to repair and rebuild.

In sum, if you want to encourage muscular development - shorten the cardio. Go with interval type training for shorter duration. These types of exercises activate different muscle fiber types - they type which are prone to hypertrophy.
I'd love to know more! I've entered a 150 mile two day bike ride and I'm training for that. I was once an avid (not competitive) cyclist and I'm getting back into the sport. Do you have a link where I can get more information?