Four Ways to Break Through Workout Plateaus

| 2 min read

A medium shot of a female Japanese weightlifter looking at the mirror.
If you’ve been working out consistently but aren’t seeing results, you might have simply hit a workout plateau.
A workout plateau is the point in a workout routine when the progress you’d been making seems to crawl to a stop. Your body composition might stay steady, whether measuring by muscle, weight gain or loss, or overall performance strength, but you just can’t make any more progress. Many times, your body has become used to your routine and it might be time to switch things up.
In order to overcome and break through your workout plateau, try implementing these simple steps:
  • Switch up your workout by adding different variables: Small changes are key, so that your body is adapting and making modifications in little ways. Adding variation of foot width, arm direction, or even body position, can switch things up so that your mind and body are engaged in new ways, to show slightly different results.
  • Find someone to assist you in your workout and be a “spot”: Having someone to work out with provides an opportunity to gain a substantial amount of motivation during your workout. This can also spark new ideas to implement and ultimately ensures you are correctly pursuing each individual exercise. You can even work out with a partner virtually.
  • Choose completely different rep ranges: Switch up the number of each exercise that you are doing. This gives your mind something else to think about and there is a different small goal within each workout. Your body will also experience some variation by doing more of, and less of different exercises.
  • Improve your diet with supercharged foods: An exercise goal is nearly impossible to achieve without taking a healthy diet into account. Working out burns calories, and your food intake restores that. Too many unhealthy food choices can sabotage your fitness efforts.
Many people experience plateaus and slumps when working out. It’s important to stay motivated, keep your focus on bigger picture goals and find ways to work past your frustration.
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