4 Secret Strategies to Breaking Through a Plateau

Have you ever wondered why those first few pounds you worked so hard on came off easily, but all of a sudden, you feel like nothing’s changing? Don’t fret, as you’ve probably hit a plateau. Those who undergo bikini competition workouts, fitness competition preps, or just regular weight-conscious individuals can all be hit by this awkward and dispiriting. If you feel like you’re stuck in a rut with your results, and you want to take things up a notch, check out this handy guide to help you break through a plateau.

Why Plateaus Happen

Plateaus are a normal part of training and working out. They happen because of how smart your body is as it learns to adapt to whatever you throw at it. If you decided to go for a 30-minute bike ride several times a week, you’d struggle at first, but eventually, you’ll get really good at it! Unfortunately, that also means your body has adjusted to your workout and has become more efficient, burning fewer calories or building less muscle.

How to Break Through a Plateau

Hitting a plateau is no reason to quit. Most of the time, it’s a sign that you need to take your training to the next level. Since your body is already getting used to your training regimen, it’s time to mix it up and introduce something new to your routine.

Tweak Your Tempo

Varying the tempo of a move means manipulating the time under tension. To those who are unfamiliar with this, the time under tension is key to growth. Achieving this involves increasing or decreasing the concentric part of the move or increasing the eccentric part of the move. You can try slowing down each rep, especially during the lowering portion of the exercise. The slow tempo will boost the amount of time the muscle is under tension while increasing the overall difficulty of the exercise.

Modify Your Reps

Training involves a lot of repetition, but doing the same amount of reps every week will eventually drive you to a plateau. To keep your workout fresh, experiment with different set and rep schemes. Instead of doing the usual three sets of ten, do ten sets of three to spur new muscle growth and jumpstart your progress.

Experiment with Different Exercises

Plateaus is your body’s own way of reminding you that you’re becoming too comfortable with your exercises and that it must be time to try and experiment with a new routine. Varying your routine is crucial for encouraging progress.  Try incorporating some strength training or endurance exercises if you haven’t already. If you want to try something entirely different, then you might want to dabble into learning some advanced powerlifting techniques or balance exercises.

Rotate Your Protein Sources

If you’ve been eating a lot of chicken breast, scrambled eggs, and flank steak as your main sources of protein for the past couple of weeks, you need to mix this up as well. The simplest way to do this is to pick three new protein sources and skip the old ones for at least a week. On top of that, make sure you’re not repeating what you eat twice in the same day.

Conclusion

Looking at these tips, you should be able to realize the pattern forming. A plateau is when your body becomes accustomed to the stresses you place upon it. The only way to bust out of it is to become unpredictable enough that your body will not get complacent. In a nutshell, you need to keep challenging yourself no matter what.

Push your body even further with the help of a personal trainer. Award Winning Fitness is an online and in-person premium fitness training provider. From getting the basics of being fit to learning how to get ready for a fitness competition. Contact Award Winning Fitness today and get started on your fitness journey.