Breaking Through A Plateau

Understanding a Plateau and Breaking Through It:

A plateau when lifting is definitely one of the more discouraging things that can happen and trust me, it WILL happen. Hitting a plateau means that you haven't been able to increase weights with your lifts for a increased period of time (over a month +). So if your bench press increased 10 lbs over a month and then the next couple months you haven't been able to lift anything more than that +10 increase, you my friend, are plateauing. This is so discouraging, because a lot of times it will happen after a pretty decent weight increase over a consistent period. There are many reasons why someone can hit a plateau, this article will try and explain the reasons, while also giving some tips to break through these plateaus.

WHY?:

Plateaus can happen for many reasons. A lot of times I'll hear about plateaus from people that just began lifting and had their “noob gains”, where their weight will rapidly increase over a few weeks then suddenly halt. This may not be really a plateau by definition, but just meaning that your body is now use to weight training and will go through normal strength gains, not 10 lb increases

every week. Plateaus can happen from muscles becoming over trained, exhausted, and stale. They can also be contributed to things like never changing workouts and choosing the same exercises for the same muscles every week. These will be explained below as ways to break a plateau.

VARYING EXERCISES:

Varying your exercises is a great way to break through a plateau. You know when you do something all the time and you get tired of it, most likely become lazy while doing it? Don't you think your muscles feel the same way when you make them go through the same exercises every day, without any change? Just like you need some spice in your life to feel energized, so do your muscles! Varying exercises will keep you energized in the gym also, so you don't become sedentary doing the same exercises daily. If you always do barbell bench, switch to dumbbell; if you always do cable curls for biceps, try using barbell or dumbbell; you get the point here. It's always a good idea to switch things up and give those stale muscles a break from being used every week, while also activating some new muscles. If you feel like your doing the same thing every week, break that habit and work some new exercises in. You and your muscles will appreciate it.

TAKE A BREAK!:

Everyone should know that muscles need REST to grow, they won't grow without it. This being said, your muscles may be over trained and exhausted if you haven't taken a weeks break in 2+ months. A whole week off can do so much for muscle strength and growth, if you can get over the mental barrier of not going to the gym for a week (hard for me). When hitting a serious strength plateau, a week off might do your body exactly what it needs to break off. Make sure during this week off, your still sticking with a healthy diet and getting the proper amount of protein so the muscles grow and recharge. The week off will allow you to come back more focused and energized, and also have a mental break from the gym. Personally, its hard for me to skip the gym for a WHOLE week, even a day for that matter. Stay positive and know your body is going to be a lot better once you get back in the gym after a whole week of rest and recharge. Just like we all need a break from work/school every once in a while, your body requires the same thing while lifting. But if you are in an obvious strength plateau, I recommend it to get through it; don’t work through it, rest through it.

CHANGE, CHANGE, CHANGE:

When going through a plateau, the body just isn't responding to what you're doing anymore. Something in your routine needs a change, whether it be nutrition, rest between sets, or the whole routine. Typically, when I see my gains start to halt, I'll completely change my routine. I know this works, because after I get use to a routine, I usually don't wake up sore after a workout. But with a new routine, I'll wake up with some sore muscles in my body during the first week or two. So I know that I'm crushing my plateau, since my muscles are being worked harder and differently than before, so gains will come. My best advice to break a plateau would be to completely switch your routine. I usually find great routines on www.bodybuilding.com, they have everything on that site. Try to change your routine every 2 months or so, this way you'll avoid a plateau before it hits. You may want to try resting more or less between sets, maybe add some super sets into your workout, just attempt some type of chance and see if it helps. A plateau is also a good time to look at your diet and make some appropriate changes that may be costing you in the gym also. Take a step back and look at the whole spectrum, see where you can make a change, make a plan, and put it into action!

THE BOTTOM LINE:

The bottom line is that plateaus are a part of life, in every way. For sure in the gym, but even in life, everyone always comes to a standstill. I challenge you after reading this article to look at plateaus you may be going through in life and try to adapt these workout plateau tips to real life. Take a break, vary some things in your life, try to change something and make it fresh! I write these articles to help the world stay/become healthy, but a lot of my articles can be applied to real life situations also, outside of the gym. Breaking through a plateau should feel like a victory, because once we breakthrough ANY plateau, we should realize that we cannot be stopped by anyone. The only person that can stop you is YOU! When we hit a plateau, lets not be discouraged, lets use it as fuel to power through it. The mind is stronger than the body, so conquer your own mind and the possibilities are endless.

Sorry for the delay, had a busy weekend and wasn't around the laptop. Hope everyone enjoys the article and is looking forward to Wednesdays. Make sure to just click the ads on the side so I can receive a small payment for my blogging. Please like the FB page too: https://www.facebook.com/DrewsHealthAndFitnessBlog

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