5 Steps to Bust Through a Weight-Loss Plateau:  

After a few weeks, any workout gets boring. Maybe you stop seeing results. And if you're not seeing results, why bother, right?

 

Wrong. You need to adjust your attitude and your workout. We make that easy.

 

The Belly Off! bodyweight workouts are designed to eliminate boredom and keep the pounds melting off. Each week you add more reps or another set, which means your muscles are challenged in new ways—and that means new muscle growth and more calorie burn.

 

But if you’re on the Belly Off! program now and limiting yourself to the bodyweight workouts, and you've hit a plateau, add some cardio to your program. But don't freak out if you hate running or treadmills—you can knock off an effective cardio workout in just minutes (see below).

 

Here are five tips to help you ramp things up and avoid the dreaded weight-loss plateau:

 

Keep things varied with intervals. They burn belly fat more effectively than standard cardio. Remember, though, that intervals are relative—so increase intensity equally. The biggest mistake people make is working too hard during the recovery period, which defeats the point of intervals.

 

Interval training "will skyrocket your post-workout metabolism, allowing you to burn almost twice as many calories as you would with traditional cardio workouts," says Craig Ballantyne, Men's Health fitness advisor, who designed the bodyweight workouts. Your easiest move: Get on a stationary bike, go as hard as you can for 20 seconds, rest for 20, and go again. Do that eight times. You'll be drained—but done in just minutes.

 

Stay motivated with social support. Get your friends and family to train with you. Or create a profile in the Belly Off! community. Listen to a guy who calls himself Crux on the Belly Off! forum: "Keep in mind that you are not just doing this for yourself. There are a lot of people counting on you living a long and healthy life—your kids, wife, husband, brother, sister, parents, etc. Keep these people, and your goals, in mind, and you will succeed!"

 

Use your days off effectively. Non-training days don't necessarily mean non-active days. Aim to do 30 minutes of light cardio or stretching through leisurely activities such as walking your dog or try yoga. It will improve your breathing, focus, and endurance—not to mention relieve sore muscles. This sort of between-workout activity can be mentally refreshing and physically restoring—perfect for breaking out of a slump.

 

Don't overdo it, though—you don't want to compromise your "on-day" workouts. Your focus should always be on quality, not quantity. Your body needs time to recover after difficult sessions.

 

Learn to increase resistance properly. Focus on reps before weight. If a set calls for eight reps, any weight where you can do six to 10 reps is the right amount. If you can do more, increase the weight; if you can't do six, drop back.

 

Write down what you eat. Your gains at the gym are reflected on the scale only if you're eating a healthy diet and watching calories. We all have the tendency to underestimate how much we are eating. Don't think you can just "guesstimate" your daily intake—losing weight is a numbers game. Write down what you eat and, based on your calculations, gauge the necessary changes you need to make.

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