Hey Everyone,

Thanks (as always) for another great week in the gym.  I’ve been really enjoying this new (September) Boxing block – I’ve been working on trying to come up with a ‘standard’ block of sessions (simplistically 4-minute rounds, 5-minute rounds, 1-minute rounds etc but with a bit more ‘complexity’ in the back end) and August-September has been my first try at implementing this plan…I’m half way through setting up October using the same sort of methodology.   Anyway, to me – so far – it’s working really well! 

Over in the strength gym we are about to kick into week #7 of our Wendler program and things are getting ROUGH!  Just remember, you have to stress to progress and even if the change is only by 2.5kgs, that will be enough to really drive adaptation and muscle gain as long as your training is consistent.  I know that it sometimes it feels like you just don’t have ‘anything’ more to give – and that makes it hard – but remember we do want to keep moving ahead…

Getting stuck in ‘one place’ – or hitting a plateau in your fitness journey can be frustrating. You’re putting in the effort, showing up, and doing the work, but the results you’re chasing – strength gain, weight loss, body composition change – seem to have stalled. It’s a common challenge that everyone faces at some point…but there are always solutions.  Today I want to talk about using interval training – really using it – is the key to pushing past performance related plateaus.

What do I mean by a ‘performance’ based plateau?  Basically, when you want to be ‘fitter’:  Stronger and Faster!  If you want to talk about ‘stalled’ progress when pertaining to body composition and weight loss, well…that’s going to be a diet question – maybe send me a quick note offline so we can catch-up and chat:  michael@round1fitness.com.au

Anyway – back to the ‘Hitting a Plateau’ subject at hand – I have some good news!  Our Boxing for Fitness sessions at Round 1 Fitness are DESIGNED to help you break through those plateaus and keep progressing.  How?  Well, we use that time honored secret training method called “Interval training”. This structured approach to exercise can push you beyond your limits and help you achieve new heights in your fitness journey.

The Power of Intervals

In our Boxing for Fitness sessions, we use a simple but effective formula: work, work, work, rest, repeat. Each session is broken down into rounds, with 3 minutes (or 2, or 4, or 6 etc – varied intervals is another secret sauce!!) of focused work on an activity, followed by a brief rest, and then onto the next challenge. For example, you might start with 3 minutes of intense work on the bike, move to a 3-minute kettlebell circuit, and then off to do a couple of rounds on the heavy bag. It’s a dynamic, high-energy workout that keeps your body guessing—and that’s exactly what you need to break through a plateau.

Why It Works

So why does this method work so well? It’s all about the balance between intensity and recovery. During the work periods, you’re pushing your body to its limits, challenging your muscles, and forcing your cardiovascular system to adapt. But then comes the crucial rest period, giving your body just enough time to recover and prepare for the next round.

This alternating pattern prevents your body from becoming too efficient—something that can actually hinder progress. Instead, you’re constantly pushing your boundaries, which is key to making gains in strength, endurance, and overall fitness. Plus, the variety of activities, from biking to kettlebells, rowing to boxing, barbells to ski-ing, ensures that no two rounds are the same, keeping your workouts fresh and your body constantly adapting.  For a LONG time I changed the session every day – these days we run each ‘workout’ twice in a month…BUT:  even if we ran the same class EVERY DAY, due to the nature of the intervals the experience should be different every time!  Hell, I grew up in an old boxing gym and we started (every day) with a 20-minute run, then a 10-minute skip…then we alternated between bags and pads for another 30-minutes with NO set combos (we had to come up with them ourselves!)…and we did that EVERY SINGLE DAY. 

Personalising Your Progress

One of the best things about our Boxing for Fitness sessions is that they’re accessible to everyone, regardless of fitness level. During each work period, you can adjust the intensity to suit your own capabilities. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned athlete, the structure allows you to push yourself as hard as you can while still benefiting from the format.  Some stations you will modify by CHOICE – for example by choosing a lighter weight.  Other stations you will find are modified by SKILL – as you become more adept, your boxing and power punching will improve…which will organically increase the difficulty of each and every session.  Lastly the cardio efforts – start on the ‘FITNESS’ targets (we offer scaling options for a REASON) but don’t allow yourself to be SATISFIED – push towards the ‘PERFORMANCE’ options then really set yourself for them.

And let’s not forget the importance of those rest periods. That time between stations is CRUCIAL – it’s not just a chance to catch your breath/grab a drink – those moments are what allows your body to recover just enough to give your all in the next round. It’s this balance of work and rest that helps you push through plateaus and achieve results you never thought possible.  Now – I know ‘some-days’ it seems like there is ‘NO REST’…but 100% those breaks are built into every circuit (usually in the cardio rounds!).  Do your work early, hit your target and take a breather before hitting the next station.

Conclusion

If you’ve been feeling stuck in your fitness journey, it’s time to shake things up. Jump into some Boxing for Fitness sessions – with their interval-based structure, they are 100% designed to help you break through plateaus and keep progressing.  If you’re ‘stuck’ but you’re already doing them – just have a bit of a reset in your thinking…when the bell goes, GO!!  Don’t think about getting to the end, think about ‘GO’!!  I know this is a trap I fall into pretty regularly – I train to get to the end rather than to maximise my outcomes!

You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve when you embrace the work, work, work, rest rhythm of our workouts.

See you in the gym,

Michael.