Keeping Your Gains

The holiday season, with its packed schedules, festive gatherings, and tempting treats, can be a challenging time to stay on top of fitness goals. Amid the holiday rush, it’s easy to hit a plateau in strength training, where progress slows down or even stalls altogether. If you’re not seeing the results you’re used to, you might be facing a classic training plateau, but there are effective ways to break through—even during the busiest time of the year.

Recognizing the Holiday Plateau

During the holiday season, hitting a plateau can be particularly frustrating, especially when you’re working hard to maintain your fitness. Look out for these signs to know if you’ve plateaued:

1. Prolonged soreness or fatigue: The added holiday stress might make recovery harder, leaving you feeling sore for longer after workouts.
2. Inconsistent performance: Between holiday parties and travel, a lack of regularity can lead to unpredictable workout outcomes.
3. Lack of progress: Despite sticking to your routine, you may notice that you’re not building strength or muscle tone as before.

Types of Holiday Season Plateaus

Plateaus can affect different areas of your fitness journey. Identifying what kind of plateau you’re dealing with can help you overcome it more effectively:

• Full-Body Plateau: Overall progress stalls when workouts lack progression or variety. Sticking to the same exercises and rep counts can cause the body to adapt, making the routine less effective.
• Isolated Muscle Plateau: A specific muscle group stalls, which often happens when holiday workouts get shortened or you skip exercises targeting particular areas.
• Performance Plateau: If you’re unable to hit previous strength or endurance levels, it may be a result of inconsistent holiday routines or insufficient recovery.
• Progress Plateau: Despite maintaining your workout and diet, you’re not seeing changes in muscle tone or fat loss. This can be especially noticeable during the holiday season when treats and celebrations affect consistency.

Strategies to Maintain Progress Through the Holidays

With a few adjustments, you can stay on track and even break through plateaus during this holiday season. Here are some expert-backed strategies:

1. Reassess and Refresh Your Routine

Take a moment to evaluate your routine: is it varied enough? If you’ve been doing the same exercises and rep schemes for a while, try mixing things up. Adding new exercises, increasing weights, or trying a different format, like circuit training, can challenge your muscles in new ways. This not only fights off stagnation but can also make workouts more exciting, which is especially helpful when time is tight.

2. Use Eccentric Movements for Efficiency

Focusing on the eccentric (or lowering) phase of movements can bring a new level of challenge without extending workout time. For example, take longer to lower the weights during squats or bench presses. Eccentric training builds strength efficiently, which is ideal for holiday schedules that may limit gym time.

3. Switch Between High-Intensity and Volume Phases

Instead of maintaining a fixed intensity, try alternating phases of high-intensity, low-volume workouts with lower-intensity, high-volume sessions. For instance, for a few weeks, focus on lifting heavier with fewer reps, then switch to higher reps with moderate weights. This strategic switch helps muscles adapt and grow, making it an effective way to keep workouts fresh and avoid holiday burnout.

4. Schedule a Deload Week

The holiday season can be a perfect time for a “deload week,” where you intentionally reduce workout intensity to allow your body to recover. This can mean cutting back on weights by 30-40% or reducing workout volume. Giving your muscles a rest can make a noticeable difference when you resume full-intensity workouts, helping you break through plateaus and return stronger.

5. Incorporate Mobility Work

Mobility training can often get sidelined during the holidays, but taking time for dynamic stretches and mobility drills improves joint health, range of motion, and overall strength performance. Set aside just a few minutes before or after your workout for exercises like hip openers or shoulder mobility drills to reduce injury risk and keep your form sharp.

6. Focus on Sleep and Recovery

Sleep is essential, but it can take a hit with holiday events. Aim to keep a consistent sleep schedule as much as possible, aiming for 7-9 hours per night. Quality sleep supports muscle repair, recovery, and performance, making it a vital factor in overcoming plateaus.

7. Keep Nutrition on Track Amid Festivities

Holidays bring plenty of delicious foods, which can sometimes sidetrack nutrition goals. To stay balanced, aim to incorporate protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbs into your meals to fuel recovery and muscle growth. Staying hydrated is also crucial; even mild dehydration can impact performance, so remember to drink plenty of water each day.

Setting Manageable Goals for the Holiday Season

Setting small, realistic goals can prevent burnout and keep you motivated. Instead of aiming for a big strength or size gain, consider goals that match your holiday lifestyle, like maintaining consistency, staying injury-free, or focusing on specific performance improvements (such as adding one more rep to your set or reducing soreness).

Fitness apps like SHRED can be invaluable for maintaining consistency, especially during the busy holiday season. With structured workout plans, progress tracking, and on-demand guidance, these apps provide a flexible yet disciplined approach to fitness. SHRED, for example, offers customizable workout programs that adapt to your goals and schedule, helping you stay accountable even when time is tight. The app’s variety of training styles—from strength circuits to high-intensity intervals—keeps workouts engaging and helps combat the stagnation that leads to plateaus. Additionally, SHRED’s performance metrics allow users to monitor their progress in real-time, providing motivation and making it easier to stick to a routine, no matter how hectic the season gets.

Breaking Through and Starting the New Year Strong

Overcoming a plateau during the holiday season not only keeps you in shape but also sets you up for success when the New Year rolls around. With mindful adjustments, you can enjoy the season while staying on track with your fitness goals. Embrace these tips to keep progress going and avoid the common setbacks that the holiday season can bring.

Remember, even with a busy schedule, you can push past a plateau and maintain your progress—setting yourself up for a stronger start in the New Year.