3 Ways to Bust a Fitness Plateau Today!!!

Screeeeeeeeech… the sound of all your progress coming to a halt. Whether it’s not being able to bump the deadlift up the next five pounds, feeling totally stuck on your pull up goal, or dreading one more minute on the treadmill, plateaus happen to everybody! You’ve probably seen it before, but there is a good graphic (see below) that shows what we expect the path to success should look like, a straight line shooting up without interruption on a line graph, versus the actual pattern for change, a squiggly line that moves in the direction of process but is often interrupted by steps back. The danger is not in the plateau itself but in its power to derail us from trying at all. A plateau can serve as an explicit sign it is time to change something. Maybe we have stopped adapting to the stimulus, maybe we have been lulled into boredom, or maybe our body is asking for a break.

While everyone’s “stuck” moment is going to be different, these three strategies can be applied to most circumstances and can have you changing up your plan just enough to kick start progress.

1. Take One Step Back

Oftentimes we hit a plateau because we have gotten ourselves into such a nice little groove that we can’t get out of. It’s as if we’ve walked on the same path for so long it’s begun to sink into the ground and now we are forced to go in circle after circle never seeing what the rest of the forest has to offer. Maybe you’ve been hitting your program hard for a while and despite being consistent week in and week out you can’t bump up the weight. Or you just can’t speed up your mile time despite not skipping a workout this month. You are likely doing everything you need to do AND your body just needs you to take one step back and proceed forward a little differently. It’s a little like continually hitting the nail in the wall over and over again and it won’t budge. Simply move the nail an inch to the right and it slides right in.

When it comes to your goal, it can be very helpful to step back a bit. This might mean a workout or even a few workouts training with a slightly lighter weight, or different rep scheme. Maybe it’s what you did last program. Try that for a short time and then progress again slightly differently, possibly increasing the weight in different increments, varying your rep scheme or rest time, or mixing up the day/time/or even location of the workout. Don’t get stuck trying the same solution for a problem that clearly isn’t changing.

2. Vary The Stimulus (even for a short time)

Mix it up!!! A plateau by definition lacks variety. Maybe you aren’t having fun with your workouts anymore because you keep doing the SAME thing over and over and over again. Now don’t get me wrong, good training necessitates repetition but well-planned variety/changes in stimulus can have a really positive impact when it comes to adherence (actually doing your workouts) and enjoyment.

Being unable to reach a particular goal can also require changing the stimulus because the plateau can be your body’s way of communicating it needs a change. Always doing high load low rep strength work? Shift the program for a short time to include more endurance or metabolic conditioning work. Always training your pull ups on a bar? Try a few weeks using some machines and free weights for a different training stimulus. Always running? It might be time for a yoga class or some resistance training to support all your hard work and give your body the shake up it is looking for!

3. Take A Break

And sometimes not making progress means you just need a break. Rest is essential for muscle recovery and if you keep hitting a wall it might mean your body isn’t getting the down time it requires. When you have a big goal within your sights, it can definitely feel difficult to allow yourself to rest but take a breath and remember your training is more than just the time you spend working out. A little break doesn’t mean failure!

Consider setting a time frame for your rest like a purposeful de-load week, vacation, or simply a few days where the movement you do is purely restorative. While the first workout or two back from some time-off can feel like a slog, it won’t be long before you see the fruits of your rest! And you might even be a little surprised that you can lift a little heavier or go a little faster as soon as you come back to it.

Your fitness journey will be full of peaks and valleys. That’s life! Take it in stride, make a plan for these plateaus, and show yourself some grace.