Beyond the Plateau: Reignite Your Progress

We’ve all been there.  Putting in the hard work -  consistently training, logging food, hitting calorie and protein goals,  and seeing AMAZING results!  Then, out of nowhere… you stall out.  The scale won’t budge, you aren’t progressing in your lifts anymore, your run time isn’t improving.  This is referred to as the dreaded plateau… 

Whether your goal is shedding those last 5 pounds or aiming to add 10 pounds to your lifts, a plateau can feel like a major roadblock.  Plateaus are frustrating, but beyond this, they can make you doubt your efforts and tempt you to just give up altogether.  Counter to what you may believe in the moment, a plateau is NOT a sign of failure, it is a sign that your body is adapting to the current routine.  This means with the right strategies and adjustments, you can quickly break through plateaus and reignite your progress!   Inevitably a stall in progress will happen, so let’s break into why plateaus happen and strategies to quickly overcome them so you can continue making progress and achieving your goals!  From adjusting macros to switching up your workouts, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge needed to power through!

Why Plateaus Happen

There is often a moment of confusion when a plateau first strikes.  You know you’re doing everything “right” -  but the results aren’t mirroring your efforts anymore.  Truth is, that there are often several things at play when this occurs.  

From adaptation to mental roadblocks, here are the key reasons plateaus happen:

• Your Body Gets TOO Good At It’s Job

• Your body is a remarkable creation with a drive for efficiency.  It’s fundamentally wired for survival, meaning it will seek to conserve energy wherever possible by adapting to its stressors.  As you repeat your workouts, your body adapts, strengthening itself so you can complete your lifts with less effort.  This means fewer calories burned and slower muscle growth.  Think back to jr. high, that first timed mile - for most of us… it was rough!  After a few weeks of running consistently in athletics, that mile felt easier and your time likely improved.  The same concept applies to all kinds of fitness - your body becomes more efficient.  Adaptions, while necessary, unfortunately, work against you when you are trying to make progress.  

• Pushing TOO Hard, Too Often

• While consistency and dedication are key, there comes a point when too much exercise is counterproductive.  Overtraining depletes energy stores, hinders recovery, and often leads to injury - all of which can derail progress.  Recognizing the signs of overtraining allows you to make adjustments before burnout or injury forces you to stop altogether.

• Subtle Signs of Overtraining:

• Muscles feel heavy and achy even after rest days.

• Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up feeling unrested.

• Increased irritability; getting annoyed more easily than usual.

• Decreased performance; workouts feel harder

• Mental Burnout

• When you’ve hit a sticking point, it’s common to lose the motivation and excitement that fueled your earlier workouts.  Lack of motivation can have a negative impact on how hard you push and whether you consistently show up at all.  Everyone experiences dips in motivation, even the most dedicated athletes.  The key is to recognize where you are and have strategies to combat this mental burnout.  

Understanding the reasons behind plateaus is the first step to conquering them.  Let's move on to the practical strategies that will help you break past your sticking points and reignite your progress.

Strategies for Overcoming Plateaus

Now that the key reasons behind plateaus have been identified, it’s time to strategize.  By adjusting your workouts, tweaking your nutrition, and optimizing your recovery, you’ll reignite your progress.

• Adjusting Workouts (carefully)

• Increase intensity.  Adding extra sets or reps, or shortening rest periods are ways to challenge your body by adjusting intensity.

• Increasing volume.  Increasing the weight being lifted or slowing down the tempo of each rep, both increase volume.  

• Add new exercises.  Every 3-4 weeks introduce new exercises that mirror similar movement patterns.  This will ensure you are targeting the same areas but under a different stressor or at a different angle.  

• Change up the order.  Play with the order of your exercises. Consider starting your workout with your most challenging exercises while you have the most energy. This reversal in the order of your exercises, such as starting with pulldowns on upper body day instead of the bench press, can force other parts of the body to work more since you have already fatigued another area. By changing up the order, you'll engage different muscles and potentially promote overall growth and strength development.

• Fuel Your Progress

• Assess your current diet.  Are you really consistently hitting your macros?  Even with perfect workouts, inadequate nutrition will stall progress.

• Experiment with calorie cycling.  Explore adding more protein or slightly increasing calories on workout days.  Protein fuels muscle recovery, and sometimes, your body needs slightly more fuel to push through plateaus.  

• Emphasize hydration.  Dehydration impacts performance.  Staying hydrated ensures that joints are lubricated and nutrients are being delivered to your muscles for repair.

• Prioritize Rest

• Optimize sleep.  Lack of sleep hinders recovery and amps up hunger hormones. Aim for 7-8 hours a night consistently.

• Incorporate active recovery.  On "off" days, gentle activities like a mobility session or walking boost blood flow and keep joints mobile, aiding muscle repair without adding excessive stress.

Add-on Tips For Busting Plateaus

• Track Progress: Think beyond the scale; Log workouts & keep track of exercise stats; weight used - sets - reps - time.  Review and reevaluate every 3-4 weeks, seeing subtle progress, even during a plateau will help keep you motivated.

• Accountability: A workout partner, a coach/trainer, or an online fitness community can help provide support and keep you accountable to stay on track.

• Celebrate WINS: Big or small, celebrate them all!  Did you add 5 pounds to your squat?  Cut your mile time down by 5 seconds?  Acknowledging your victories is fuel for motivation.  

Conclusion

Plateaus are an inevitable part of everyone’s fitness journey.  Identifying and understanding the why being the plateau, being persistent, and adjusting your approach are the keys to overcoming them. Remember, 

Consistency + Strategic Adjustments = 🔥Reignited Progress

Celebrate your ability to adapt and overcome, remain consistent in your practices, and embrace every challenge on your journey to greatness.

Choose ONE strategy from that you think might help you break through a plateau. Commit to implementing it for 1-2 weeks, then reassess! If you'd like guidance in selecting or implementing a strategy, I'm here to help with personalized coaching. Use the button below to book your Strategy Call!

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