9 Tips to Burst out of Training Plateaus

Hitting plateaus is something that happens to every lifter and it can be very discouraging. Your workouts are stale, and gains come slowly. A plateau is where your body adapts to the present situation and stops producing results. And without making changes to your training, it’s unreasonable to expect much improvement. Luckily, There are ways to overcome plateaus each and every time you find yourself in a training plateau. Here we present a list of few things you can do to get over a plateau and reignite and propel your workouts to a whole new level.

1. Recruit a partner

Sometimes you just need a little motivation. This is where a training can be very useful. Using a workout partner will allow to push through limits and break through plateaus. A partner can help you push more weights and perform more reps that you would normally do by yourself by assisting in using plateau-bursting techniques such as forced reps, rest pauses, drop-sets, etc… or he or she can simply give you that little push to get past your sticking points and get that one last rep.

2. Change your training variables

If you do the same thing workout to workout, your body will get accustomed to that routine and the next thing you know you find yourself in a complete rut. To avoid this, challenge your muscles by adjusting your reps, weights, and exercises from workout to workout and to ensure long-term progress overhaul your whole workout routine every two to four weeks. Your focus should be progressive overloading by gradually increasing the loads you apply to your muscles. This will give your muscle a new fresh and continued challenge every two to four weeks to continue growing.

3. Workout at a different time

Some people tend to be more active and have more energy at a different time of the day. If you find yourself in a plateau or your energy low during your workout, this is one method you can utilize by heading to the gym at a time where your energy at the highest point during the day. This will allow to focus that energy on that workout and push through your plateaus and limits.

4. Take time off

If you train too hard for too long, you will undoubtedly hit a plateau. Intense workouts not only drain your targeted muscles but also your physiological and nervous systems. Adequate rest and recovery are thus critical if you want to continue making progress in your workouts. This can entail taking a least a week to four weeks away from the gym and allowing your body to recover completely before touching a weight again. Your body will benefit from the occasional vacation from the heavy and intense training in order to return to the work of tearing down and building up muscle with revitalized vigor. Even if you don’t believe you’re overtraining, take at least two one-week breaks from the gym per year to recover. And during that time, eat good food, sleep well, and get massages to recover to your physical potential.

5. Get enough sleep

A lack of sleep can put you on a plateau and that’s because the exercises you do place a great tool on your body and sleep provide the body the opportunity to recover and rebuild itself stronger. If you are sleep-deprived, muscle growth will stagnate and your performance in the gym will plateau. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, get at least eight hours of continuous sleep each night. To improve your sleep, go to bed at the same time each night and rise at the same time each morning. A slightly cool room is ideal. Cooler temperatures mimic your body’s internal temperature drop during sleep. Avoid chemical stimulants, such as caffeine, in the evening and stressful physical or mental actions that elevate your blood pressure. A shower or bath an hour or two before bed can relax your body and mind. If necessary, use a natural sleep aid, such as the hormone melatonin.

6. Recover from your workouts

Your performance in the gym largely depends on how well recovered you are before hitting the weights again. Physical recovery after workouts is not only critical in helping the body rebuild itself stronger but it can also prevent plateaus. After workouts stretch sufficiently and get in the sauna or simply take a long hot bath. The benefits of this include relaxed muscles and nerves, increased circulation, lowered blood pressure and improved flexibility. Additionally, consume a postworkout shake within 30 minutes of your workout; ingest 50-100 g of simple carbohydrates and 40-50 g of whey protein. Also, take in 5 g of glutamine and Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) before and after each workout. Glutamine promotes recuperation, aids digestion and enhances immunity. BCAAs are crucial for sparing muscle protein and deferring fatigue. Taking a multivitamin/multimineral tablet or pack can also help guard against stressful nutritional deficiencies. The B-complex vitamins and vitamin C are especially important for workout recovery.

7. Try our new supplements

Preworkout supplements can give you that burst of energy and focus you need in the gym, however after a while they stop giving that jolt of energy that you used to in the beginning. Cycling off your current supplements and trying out different ones can give a new jolt to push over a hump.

8. Shock your muscles

One of the easiest ways to break out of your plateau is by shocking your muscles with high-intensity training principles which force them to work harder in a short period of time. Training with these muscle-shocking techniques will spark new muscle growth and take your muscles beyond where it’s ever been. The following 5 muscle-shocking methods have been tried many times over by expert trainers, champion bodybuilders and muscle-hungry gym rats with smashing success. See the following article for further information: 5 Techniques to Shock Any Muscle Group into Growth

9. Focus on good nutrition

Proper nutrition provides your muscles with the nutrients they need to rebuild as well as the fuel to last through intense muscular effort. Consequently, what you eat before and after your workouts can determine the effectiveness of that workout and how fast you recover. See the Guide to Good Training Nutrition for proper training nutrition.