9 times out of 10 when you reach a plateau in training it’s down to the imbalance of ‘Effort vs Expectation.’ This is why I recommend a log book to track your training and progress.
A log book allows you to track and evaluate your progress over time and with this information at hand you can ask the questions;
Am I training enough?
Are you adding enough stress and stimuli for the body to react and therefore adapt to?
Have I progressed in my field? (Weight, Distance & Times)
Have you gained strength to lift more weight? Are you running faster / longer?
Am I resting adequately and eating enough to allow for optimal recovery?
Are you allowing yourself enough recovery for your muscles to repair & grow?
And so on…
All this information is useful for creating and adapting an optimal programme for the goals you’ve set.
Logging Nutrition.
There are so many apps that make logging your food quick and easy. I often recommend ‘Nutracheck’ to clients.
Nutracheck allows you to scan food packages and also includes popular restaurant menus. You are then able to see the kcal and contents of the nutrition you are eating and drinking. This is a great way of bringing an awareness to eating more optimally for sport and healthier habits!
Equally if you’re an athlete who wears a Fitbit or Garmin to track your daily movements, this links with the app. So it's a great way to ensure you are eating enough when training hard, as quite often we see athletes not eating enough and therefore compromising their gains!
So all in all logging your workouts and being aware of your nutrition means you'll continue to make progress.
WINNING!