Resurrecting The Champ

4 Easy Techniques

A weight loss plateau is when you keep doing your steady exercise routine, but the calories don’t seem to be burning off anymore.  It may put you into a state of panic and question your success at losing weight.  But, don’t despair – we all hit plateaus from time to time.  You’ll pass it eventually, but in the meantime, there are some things you can do to overcome them.

Zig Zag Your Calorie Intake

One method for overcoming plateaus that works great is “zig-zagging.”  This means varying how many calories you take in each day but keeping the same weekly amount.  Most people worry about their daily calorie intake, but this way, you focus on the week.  Keep each day’s calorie intake different – sometimes a little higher and sometimes a little lower.  This keeps your metabolism from getting into a rut.

Work Those Muscles

One major reason some people suddenly see plateauing is that they don’t have enough muscle tissue.  This is especially the case with calorie-restricted diets.  They can cause your muscle tissue to waste away with the fat.  If you have lots of lean muscle tissue, it will help your metabolism work more efficiently by using the extra calories that would otherwise go to fat.  So, make sure that you’ve got enough muscle and if not, build it.

Turn Up The Intensity

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of turning up the intensity of your workout.  You might be ready for the next level.  Or, doing the same exercise repeatedly might be fatiguing your muscles.  If there’s too much repetition, you’re using the same muscle groups and they’re getting used to it.  This means no more building muscle.  Try varying your routine so that you work out different groups and alternating the intensity.  Interval training is a great way to do this.

Indulge A Little

When you’re following a strict exercise and dieting schedule, you may be tempted to stay just under the acceptable range just to be on the safe side.  This ensures that you’re not eating too much.  But sometimes, this also keeps you from pushing your weight loss to the next level.  Your metabolism gets static and it won’t burn anymore.  When this happens, it might be a good idea to cheat and head to your local fast food restaurant.  A burger or other indulgence once in a while can help to jumpstart your metabolism and get it burning again.

Try a few of these plateau-busting strategies and see if they work for you.  You probably just need a little change of pace to keep your muscles growing and your metabolism on its toes.

Ask anybody who has tried it and they’ll tell you that the Insanity Workout gets insane results.  They’ll also tell you that you have to be a bit crazy to give the routine a try.  It’s a high intensity workout that completely transforms your body in just 60 days.  If you’ve got the commitment and motivation to stick with it, the Insanity Workout will produce amazing results.

What Is Insanity?

The Insanity Workout Program focuses on plyometric and isometric drills.  It contains lots of cardio and aerobic workout, but its main focus is strengthening your core.  It pushes you to the limit with non-stop interval training.  This is a rigorous program that produces results quickly, and no weights or other equipment is necessary.

The real key to the success of your Insanity workouts is the interval training.  Interval training means doing long bursts of high intensity exercise alternating with short rest periods.  This allows your body to recover just enough to keep going.  Personal trainer Shaun T took the traditional interval training routine and pushed it to the extreme.  The result is a workout that burns up to 1,000 calories an hour and promises results in just 2 months.

What The Insanity Workout Contains

The Insanity Workout comes with 10 exercise DVDs.  Each of these has a variety of routines that mix strength training, core fitness, cardio, resistance training and more.  The entire insanity workout dvd set is split up into two segments of four weeks, with a recovery period in between.

To make sure that you’re getting the fuel you need, it also comes with a comprehensive Nutrition Plan.  These dietary recommendations have been created to make sure that you’re getting all the nutrients and calories you need to get the best results.  It makes the routine much easier by breaking it all down for you.

The Insanity Workout program also comes with a few other goodies.  The package includes a calendar to help you track your progress and stay on track by keeping the end result in sight.  It offers a quick fitness guide that shows you the whole program at-a-glance.  One more nice bonus is that you get access to online resources so that you can talk to fitness experts and others who are doing the program.  You can use these online resources 24/7.

Finally, if you get Insanity from their official site, it comes with a full refund just in case you don’t get totally insane results.

What People Are Saying About Insanity

Lots of reviewers on Amazon who are veterans of workout programs like P90X love the Insanity work out because it’s so intense.  They say that it kicks your rear even harder than the others, and it gets you results that are truly ridiculous.

Many reviewers liked the improvement of their core strength.  Although Insanity fitness works every area of your body and creates leaner muscle, one of the unique results it gives you is a stronger core and middle.

One quality that many reviews found positive was the fact that you don’t have to buy any extra gear.  All of the drills used in the Insanity fitness program can be done without weights or anything extra.  Lots of programs require you to spend even more money on gear, and many people found this a refreshing change.

The exercises are tough, but the entire program is easy to follow.  For those who are basically clueless on how to get into shape, this is a good program because it walks you through step by step.  The insanity workout calendar and insanity nutrition guide also make it much easier.  The only tough part is doing the actual workouts.

Downsides Of Insanity Fitness

And that is the one downside that some Insanity Workout program reviews mentioned – It is tough.  This routine really pushes you to the extreme.  It takes time commitment and motivation.  Many people said that it’s a kind of advanced-level workout, and only suitable for those who are really serious about getting ripped and improving core strength.

Overall, most Amazon reviews were very positive.  They praised this insanity workout for getting them the promised result in just 30 days.  For others who might get Insanity, they recommend making sure you can make the time commitment, drinking plenty of water, remembering to breathe well and taking it at your own pace.  If you’ve got the motivation and drive, the program will take care of the rest.

The qualities we all want – cut abs, toned legs and arms, tight shoulders – come from building lean muscle.  Lean muscle means cutting down on body fat, and it improves your stamina and metabolism.  This means that, in addition to looking great, lean muscle helps you burn more calories.  Here are the best ways to do it.

Eat Right To Gain Weight

It may seem ironic, but in order to get that cut, lean look, you need to be eating enough.  Muscle needs primarily protein to grow, but it also needs plenty of calories.  This means that you need a diet that is high in protein and calories, and that fits your exercise routine.

Don’t skip meals, and go ahead and indulge in protein rich foods; just make sure you’re spending the time you need to at the gym.  While working on building muscle, you should also make sure you’re eating plenty of leafy green vegetables.  These will help your body perform its metabolic functions more efficiently.

Variety Is The Spice Of Life

There are two things that build lean muscle.  The first is the intensity of your workout.  You really need to get your blood pumping and your sweat glands pouring.  The other thing that you need is variety.  Too often, people who want to build muscle work away at one exercise machine or practicing one type of lifting.  What you really need to do is have a variety of different exercises going.  Switching from one to another gives your muscles a challenge and works out different muscle groups.  This is essential for building lean muscle.

Strength Training

The focus of your exercise routine should be strength training.  You can do strength training either through bodyweight exercise, such as pull-ups and squats, or free weight exercises.  Most experts recommend starting with bodyweight exercises because it’s better at putting all of your muscles under the stress they need to grow.

Hardcore Cardio

The other necessary element of your routine is cardio.  Cardio exercise is anything that involves lots of movement.  This is what gets your heart pumping.  Cardio exercises are great for burning calories, but they’re also excellent for building muscle mass.  These calorie-burning exercises are what give you the “lean” muscles.  The best way to do high intensity cardio is with interval training.  Interval training means doing short bursts of high intensity workout with lots of fast motion followed by periods of rest to let your body recuperate.

Building lean muscle mass turns your body into a calorie burning machine.  It’s like a furnace, burning calories 24 hours a day no matter what you’re doing – even when you’re sleeping!  Lean muscle also makes you look great, and it’s a wonderful body sculpting technique for both men and women.  Start working on it today, and you’ll start seeing results fast.

If you are searching for a great fitness program that will help you build lean muscle and look great, you may be interested in P90X.

When you first started working out, you probably noticed that you seemed to sleep better.  As soon as you hit the sheets, you’re out like a light.  Long before you start to see any of the other results of your workout routine, you start noticing that your sleeping has improved.  Why is that?

How Exercise Works To Get You To Sleep

Forget about sleeping pills or a nightcap – your body has all the chemicals it needs.  It’s designed so that, when in balance, everything works together to function perfectly.  The reason why exercise helps you sleep is that your body releases chemicals when burning calories.  These chemicals are like natural sleeping pills; they stick around and help you get the best snooze possible when you hit the sheets.

Exercising also has to do with your body’s natural cycles.  If your “body clock” is out of sync, it is probably because of your lifestyle.  It may be stress, weird scheduling or lack of sleep.  Exercising helps you to release the hormones you need to get your body clock back into balance.

Can Exercise Make It Harder To Sleep?

Many people have noticed that rather than making them sleepy, exercising actually gets their blood pumping and works like a stimulant on the body.  Why is this?  The simple reason is that it has to do with your schedule.  Exercising definitely helps you to sleep better at night, but exercising in the evening before you go to bed may make it tough to get to sleep.  This is because it raises your body temperature.  What you need is a body that’s nice and cool before sleeping.

What if you’ve got a busy schedule and the evening is the only time you can work out?  This is fine; there are some ways to keep it from affecting your sleep adversely.  One thing that you can do is to wind down your workout with some yoga or meditation.  These are exercises that are meant to relax your body and achieve a state of inner calm.  You can also spend the last hour of the day doing something that relaxes you like reading a book or taking a hot bath.

Making Exercise Work For You

To get the best sleep from your exercise, try exercising in the morning before work.  Experiment with different times of day and keep a “sleep log.”  Write down in this log how many hours you got and how well-rested you feel.  Eventually, you’ll find the right exercise schedule that gives you the best sleep.  Make sure you’re eating well too and avoid caffeine or alcohol before bed.

When you exercise, you get better sleep; and when you get better sleep, everything improves.  You’ll find that you have more energy, better concentration and steadier moods.  You’ll also be much better able to handle stress.