If you are a regular gym goer, you are certainly familiar with the feeling of reaching a fitness plateau, when you have been working out consistently for months but are not experiencing the same results you saw a few months ago. It’s annoying and demotivating, but it’s also a sign that things need switching up.

Yasmin Karachiwala, Fitness Expert and Celebrity Master Instructor offered the following advice to help you break through your fitness plateau and get back on track to reaching your fitness goals:

Alter your training program

“If you’ve been performing the same exercises and regimens for a long time, your body may have acclimated, slowing your growth. Changing your routine is one method to break past your plateau. Experiment with new exercises, and heavier weights, or modify the sequence or duration of your sessions. You may also experiment with other types of workouts. For example, if you’ve been doing a lot of weightlifting, consider incorporating some cardio or a yoga session into your routine. The key is to push your body in new ways to stimulate muscle growth and improve overall fitness.” advised Yasmin.

Increase your effort

If you’ve been exercising at the same intensity for a time, you might need to push yourself a little harder to notice results. Adding high-intensity intervals to your training is one method to do this. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) consists of brief bursts of intensive activity followed by rest intervals. These activities are excellent for improving cardiovascular health, burning fat, and building muscular mass. Lifting bigger weights is another approach to boost intensity. If you’ve been using the same weights for a time, experiment with increasing a few pounds to observe how your body reacts.

Enhance your diet

Nutrition is an important aspect of reaching fitness objectives. Make sure you’re eating nutrient-dense foods and receiving enough protein to power your exercises. If you aren’t currently tracking your macronutrients, this is an excellent time to start. The three primary dietary categories are referred to as macronutrients or macronutrients. You can verify that you’re receiving the proper quantity of each macronutrient by tracking your macros. To improve your nutrition, Yasmin recommends eating a handful of 23 almonds per day. Protein, fiber, vitamin E, calcium, copper, magnesium, and riboflavin are all found in almonds.

They also include iron, potassium, zinc, and B vitamins niacin, thiamine, and folate. A 30-gram serving of almonds contains 13g of unsaturated fat and 1g of saturated fat. In reality, almonds are a delightfully essential element of every diet, not just plant-based diets. You may also try eating more whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean meats while reducing your intake of processed foods and sweets.

Obtain ample rest and recuperation

“Overtraining can sometimes be detrimental to your growth. Make sure your body has adequate time to relax and recuperate between workouts. This includes getting proper rest, taking rest days, stretching, and foam rolling to avoid injury” advised Yasmin.

Establish new objectives

“Having a specific objective in mind might help you stay motivated and focused. If you’ve reached a fitness plateau, it’s time to set a new objective. This might range from running a 5k to lifting a specific weight. Setting a goal allows you to strive towards something concrete and quantifiable, which may help you stay motivated and focused” advised Yasmin.

Consider hiring a personal trainer

If you’re still having trouble breaking through your fitness plateau, it might be time to seek expert assistance. A personal trainer may analyze your current fitness level and provide a customized strategy to help you break past your plateau. They may also give encouragement and accountability, as well as fitness suggestions and tactics.

“Getting past a fitness plateau requires time and work,” said Yasmin Karachiwala. It is critical to be patient and devoted to your goals, and to remember that success is not always linear; but, I am certain that by following these basic steps, you will see progress over time.”

When you’re feeling stressed and busy but also a little restless, try a 10-minute workout—any of the ten listed below will suffice!—to clear your thoughts, take a break, and keep on track with your fitness programme.

Warm-up

Warm-up and stretch correctly before exercising to avoid injury and improve the effectiveness of your activities. This stretching and warm-up regimen should take around 6 minutes.

Booty blast 

All-day languishing? This quick glute workout will get your backside going. Walter Kemp, nicknamed The Booty Builder, conducts this 10-minute workout booty-focused exercise that consists of a standing and on-the-floor squat sequence.

Low-impact cardio dance 

Ana Clarke’s dancing cardio class will get your heart rate up (while still having fun!). This high-energy, full-body exercise incorporates boxing, aerobics, and body-weight strength training and is suitable for all ability levels — no dancing experience is necessary.

Abs 

This core training is an excellent complement to a stroll. Expect Russian twists, leg lifts, and basic crunches. Melody Davi emphasises appropriate form while also providing progressions for those looking to take things to the next level. 

Legs 

The lower body is the centre of this Pilates routine of a 10-minute workout. The good news is that you can do the full workout while lying down! But don’t imagine you’re in for a walk in the park. Marcia Meade, your instructor, walks you through a sequence of modest, careful moves.

Esha Gupta is a mysterious woman with several skills. She’s beauty and intelligence in one stunning package, partaking in the most healthy of pursuits, and we’re here to witness it. The Jannat 2 actress is a fitness fanatic who frequently shares her energising exercise videos on Instagram. She does everything with evident zest and vim, whether she is hiking, lazing in the sun on her lawn, or working out with her trainer at the gym.

 

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Most people think about crunches, bicycle kicks, sit-ups, and the like when they hear the phrase “core,” but we can tell you that the core of your body is much more than that. Core workouts are critical for total physical health and fitness. The muscles in the belly, back, and pelvis play an important part in supporting the body’s motions and maintaining good posture. Not only for aesthetic reasons but establishing a strong core may provide you with a plethora of other advantages. These are some of the primary advantages of using core workouts in your fitness routine.

Better posture and balance

A strong core workout can assist to stabilise the spine and keep it in appropriate alignment, minimising pressure on the neck and back muscles and improving posture. Strengthened core muscles also imply that your body can carry its weight better, which improves your overall balance.

Improved performance

When participating in a sport such as a tennis, football, basketball, or even swimming, one must use their limbs to exert power. A strong core workout keeps your spine in a neutral posture and stabilises it, giving you the capacity to create force in such motions safely and efficiently.

Increased adaptability

The splits you’ve always desired are just a stone’s throw away if you train your core regularly since it enhances your range of motion in the lower back and hips. This also aids in the development of limb flexibility.

Back pain relief

Sure, we understand your anguish. Back discomfort affects everyone, regardless of age. A strong core workout can help relieve lower back pain by improving posture and lowering the tension in the back muscles.

Injury risk is reduced

Training your core will assist develop your stomach and back muscles, which will aid you in your daily motions.

Each series consists of four intermittent sets of three, six, nine, and twelve repetitions. Lower repetitions are for heavier or more difficult motions, whereas nine and twelve are for working on other fitness attributes. The idea is to allow yourself no more than 20 seconds to transition from one series to the next.

Workout No. 1:

1. 3 reps of Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift, rest 20 seconds
2. 6 reps of Ultimate Sandbag Clean and Press, rest 20 seconds
3. 9 x Goblet Squats, rest 20 seconds
4. Body Rows for 12 reps, rest 1-2 minutes

The preceding workout demonstrated how we progressed from loading a single movement pattern (the hip hinge) with greater weights to less complex exercises using multiple movement patterns as we progressed through the series. We started with a hip hinge, then moved on to a vertical press, a squatting pattern, and lastly a horizontal pull.

When the body was at its freshest, the series began with the practice that required the most steadiness. That means we’re still receiving parts of maximal strength while also taking into account strength endurance. Rest for 1-2 minutes after the cycle and then try again. The goal is to hit 3-4 rounds in total.

Workout No. 2:

1. 3 pull-ups, rest 20 seconds
2. 6 reps of Ultimate Sandbag Rotational Lunges on each side, rest 20 seconds
3. The Amazing Spider-Man 9 push-ups, rest 20 seconds
4. 12 kettlebell swings, rest 1-2 minutes

Workout No. 3:

1. 3 times get-ups, rest 20 seconds
2. 6 reps of Ultimate Sandbag Lateral Step Cleans, rest 20 seconds
3. Rows renegade x 9 per side, rest 20 seconds
4. 12 Bear Hug Paused Squats. Rest for a minute or 2

Can you change 3-6-9-12?

Without a doubt! You can tailor it to a certain training goal. For instance, if you wanted to emphasise strength or power, you could make it 1-3-5-7.

Do you want to develop the type of labour capacity and power endurance that will lead to championships? Take your 3-6-9-12 plan and add repetition to the next after each round (completing the complete 3-6-9-12 series).

Round 1: 3-6-9-12, for example.

Round 2: 4-7-10-13

Round 3: 5-8-11-14

You’d still take the break after each series, but you might have to lose some weight.

Are 10 Minute workouts actually effective?
10 minutes workout at a moderate or high intensity can be really helpful and can make a huge difference in your health and fitness level. Science has consistently shown that some exercise, even just a few minutes a day, is better than none. As long as you can squeeze a few mini-workouts into your day, it is still worth your while in your busy schedule.

10 minutes sessions can help in gaining muscle, boost your metabolism, increase endurance and assist in weight loss. Even at the moment you feel flushed, to clear your head, take a break, and stay on track with your fitness routine, these 10 minutes workout come in handy.

And here you go with the Cardio Blast:

Note: Warm up with a light jog in place (30 seconds), then complete the following exercises.

Jumping Jacks : We’re sure you’re familiar with Jumping Jacks. 30 Seconds of Jumping Jacks really gets the blood moving and the heart pumping.

For a more challenging exercise, just jump faster, and widen your jump slightly.

Burpees : If done correctly, Burpees can improve your strength, endurance, general fitness, and boost your weight loss because it cranks up your heart rate and metabolism. 30 seconds of burpees is an efficient way to challenge your body and improve your fitness.

High Knees : The High Knees exercise will engage multiple muscle groups including your core, hip flexors, and leg muscles, working your calves, quads, and hamstrings. High-knee running is useful for burning calories in just 30 seconds.

Squat Jumps : This targets the muscles of the calves, quadriceps, buttocks and hips. It also targets the bones in the spine. 30 seconds of Squat Jumps increases your heart rate for a significant calorie burn.

Push-ups (Traditional or on your knees) : There is no limit to how many push-ups one can do in a day. Done properly, it will tone your upper body. Doing pushups every day for just 30 seconds can be effective if you’re looking for a consistent exercise routine to follow. You will likely notice gains in upper body strength if you do pushups regularly.

Once you complete one round of all five exercises, rest for 60 seconds. Then start over and do the circuit one more time to complete a total of 10 minutes. By adding fewer workouts everyday, you will feel stronger, leaner and more energized.

Looking out for a bonus? Plank – for as long as you can hold it! If you like, you can swap one set of push-ups with 1 minute plank. This exercise is designed to be tough, so even 30 seconds is really good going! It surely gives your back and core muscles a workout.

Make sure you drink plenty of water and do some stretches post the workout. Workout may leave your muscles sore, some stretching will give your whole body a little extra love and closure it needs after a workout. Fun Fact: Stretching will help you burn calories at a faster rate than you usually would and it will allow your entire body to lose weight better.

The global Digital Fitness market was valued at USD 8037.7 million in 2019 and it is expected to reach USD 26550 million by the end of 2026, growing at a CAGR of 18.5 during 2021-2026; where in, in 2020 itself, the market size was valued at USD 4.4 billion. Among other countries, India saw the highest increase in downloads of fitness apps – rising by 156%. What happens in 2021 depends on the vaccine rollout, however, exciting new ideas and technology have emerged making sure digital fitness stays intact.

The situation in India is driving a massive surge in the demand for virtual classes for yoga and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) cardio workouts such as Zumba, Aerobics, and Pilates. Not only gym workouts, but Indians try to stay fit by combining household chores with virtual classes and DIY home workout routines.

Working out at home could be boring but some applications made it quite interesting to workout during tough times. Shivjeet Ghatge, co-founder and CEO of the StepSetGo app said, “The problemis not how to count your steps. The problem is how to keep up your motivation”. StepSetGo, a winner in the Aatmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge, found a way out to maintain social engagement while physically distant. Apart from offering fitness motivation, it makes every step count, and every workout fun and rewarding. Every 1000 indoor steps you take is rewarded with 1 SSG Coin. These SSG Coins can be collected over time to claim products & discounts in the in-app ‘Bazaar’. Over 5 million users are enjoying the app today, and certainly, it’s a winner.

You have a chance to become a Hero in Another World with the Zombies, Run! App. All you have to do is walk, jog or run anywhere in the world. Hear your mission and music through your headphones. If you’re chased by zombies, you’ll have to speed up! You’ll automatically collect supplies to build up your base. You get to create your own missions and have fun at any speed. Over 1 Million users did not run out of motivation, would you? Try it out!

Sarvesh Shashi, founder of Sarva that focusses on yoga-based wellness, says the platform recorded 1,440 hours of yoga and meditation videos over the last year. Apart from curated yoga workouts, Sarva offers mediations & sleep stories as well and is now a family of 500,000+ users.

When it comes to online training, SOHFIT aims to change people’s perspective on fitness. They have been successful in putting out the fun in the 40 day challenges as well as virtual bootcamps. SohFit reached a greater reach altogether during the pandemic having trained celebrity clients including Alia Bhatt, Mira Kapoor, Kiara Advani and Parvin Dabas. “To me, fitness is not purely about muscle gain or even weight loss for that matter. It is the ability and the confidence to do things you never thought your body could do. It is a state of mind. Don’t train for a special occasion, train for life”, says Sohrab Khushrushahi, the Founder of SohFit.

Similarly, Tridev Pandey, the Founder of Nice&Easy Fitness Studio offers online classes and has trained a number of celebrity clients like Sanya Malhotra, Sunny Singh and for boxing Parvin Dabas for strength, conditioning and in sports.

We live in a digital world. When you could order a crate of eggs on your fingertips, then why not order a bit of health! Everyone has the access to a healthy lifestyle, and so do you.

Even after the pandemic is finally under control, seamless experiences for members will be an important aspect. Gyms will open up at some point and we are pretty sure many of you want to go back to them, but do you think you’d feel safe enough in the current situation?