If you’re like most people, you’ve worked hard to build a regular workout routine. You’ve been consistent in your dedication and worked up to a level of fitness that makes you proud. However, after all the hard work, there may come a time when the results begin to decline or flatten out altogether.
What’s worse is that this slowdown can happen whether your goals are weight loss, endurance training, or any other aspect of fitness. So what can we do about it? The answer is more complex than simply pushing yourself harder at the gym.
If you want to continue making progress toward your fitness goals, then it’s important to first understand what a plateau looks like and why they occur in the first place. Then you can move on to different steps that can help you bust through those barriers and make some real progress again. Here are the best ways to train when you hit a plateau.
Check Your Technique
If you aren’t sure if you are using the correct form, check out videos on YouTube or find an experienced trainer in your area to help. There are plenty of free exercises on YouTube that can show you how to do different exercises correctly. If the exercise is a new one for you, it may be worth paying for a personal trainer.
A mirror can also be useful if done correctly. While doing any exercise, stand in front of a mirror and line up from head to toe with your reflection. Make sure everything is aligned properly, shoulders squared, knees slightly bent, and feet pointed straight ahead or slightly outwards. This will ensure that your body is properly aligned when performing the movement, so there won’t be any unnecessary strain on joints or muscles.
Another option is using video cameras (such as GoPro) while training. This allows athletes more freedom regarding how they should position their bodies during exercise movements. While simultaneously allowing them to view themselves performing said movements later on so they can dissect some possible mistakes they may have made while doing each rep.
Hire a Personal Trainer to Help You
If you’re finding that your results are stalling, it might be time to bring in a personal trainer. A good personal trainer will help you identify exactly what is causing the plateau and then come up with a plan for overcoming it. They can also help you find exercises that will target the area where you are having issues, whether it’s strength building, muscle toning, or burning fat. If you are from Cincinnati, look up personal training in Cincinnati and similarly for other areas.
The best way to break through a plateau is by changing up your workout routine so that your body isn’t constantly doing the same things over and over again. For example, if one set of bicep curls hasn’t been working for you recently, but another type of curl has been giving great results, like barbell curls instead of dumbbells, then try switching things up.
From there on out when it comes down to choosing between different exercises (such as hamstring curls vs hip thrusts), make sure that they aren’t just similar but complement each other well in terms of their mechanics. So as not only to keep progressing forward but also to avoid putting too much strain on certain muscles while neglecting others altogether.
Beat the Plateau by Changing Your Routine
The best way to beat a plateau is to change your routine. An easy way to do this is by using different exercises, equipment, and the order of exercises. The more you vary your workout routine, the more likely you are to stimulate your muscles in new ways and avoid hitting a plateau.
If you’ve been doing the same basic weightlifting routine for months on end without seeing any results, it’s time for a change. Try switching up what type of machines or dumbbells you use at the gym (for example, switching from dumbbell chest presses to barbell chest presses).
Or how about trying some yoga or pilates classes instead? Not only will changing workouts help prevent plateaus but also give an added boost mentally as well as physically. If changing up workouts doesn’t work for you, then try changing things up within each workout itself by changing reps per set, changing sets per exercise, or doing supersets or circuits.
Do Regular Exercises with a Twist
The good news is that there are many ways to keep your muscles challenged and interested in working out. The bad news is that these exercises can be difficult for beginners, so you’ll need to be smart about how you approach them at first.
The easiest way to modify an exercise with a twist is by using less weight or using fewer repetitions of the exercise while still getting some quality time under tension (the amount of time it takes for a muscle to contract). After you’ve mastered doing modified versions of these exercises safely, try increasing the intensity by adding more weight or doing more repetitions than usual. You should feel like this workout has treated your muscles well.
Use Complimentary Training Methods
When you’re experiencing a plateau in your workout results, one of the best things to do is to use complimentary training methods. Complimentary training simply means mixing up your workout routine with some variety. This can be done by adding new exercises into the mix or trying a different type of exercise altogether, like kickboxing instead of running every day. It can also mean adding intensity and/or duration to an existing routine (For example, increasing reps or adding an extra mile on the treadmill).
In short, complimentary training refers to any method that helps break yourself out of a rut and yields better results than what you were getting before. These types of workouts are great for plateaus because they allow you to keep pushing forward while improving on what has previously worked well for you in terms of both gains and enjoyment factors.
Use Different Types of Resistance
You can change the way you use resistance by changing the type of equipment and method. For instance, if you were doing bicep curls with dumbbells, try doing them with a machine instead. If you normally do leg presses with a barbell on your back in a seated position, try doing them standing up or lying down.
If you’re using bands for strength training, try using dumbbells instead and thereby increasing their weight by about 50% (the amount by which band resistance increases when stretched). You can also use other forms of machine-based resistance such as cables, pulleys, or hydraulics (hydraulic machines are often found in gyms).
The idea here is to use different types of resistance for different muscle groups so that one workout doesn’t become repetitive too soon. And then change up those exercises as well so that over time there’s variation in terms of both muscle groups targeted plus how those muscles are targeted. All without having to go back through old routines again.
We hope this article has helped give you some ideas for ways to push through your plateau and reach new levels of strength and fitness. It can be frustrating to hit a wall in your training, but we’re here to tell you that it happens to everyone from time to time. Don’t let yourself get discouraged by it. Whether you try one of these suggestions or come up with something else entirely, keep doing what works for you and keep at it until you break through.
