10 Amazing Ways to Exceed Your Workout Plateau

You have never been so eager to get to the gym to do those workout programs.

No doubt, you can see the effects of your continuous workout. However, you gradually notice that you aren't doing as much workout as before, and you don't get excited about your programs anymore.

In fact, a look in the mirror is all you can need to confirm that you aren't getting any bigger.

So, what happened? 

Well, the most likely conclusion is that you have reached your workout plateau. Yes, this usually occurs when your body adapts to a specific regiment or workout. Hence, this leads to no visible change in body mass and consequently results in a lackluster attitude towards working out.

There are so many reasons why we experience workout plateaus For instance, some experience the workout plateau due to insufficient sleep or calories.

In addition to this, some reach when they are impatient to see the results of their workout sessions.

So, let's explore how you can exceed these plateaus in order to get to the next level. 

Change Your Diet

Sometimes, changing your diet is all you need to overcome your workout plateau. For instance, if you've been feeding on lean protein like chicken breast, flank steak or scrambled eggs, it's time to have a diet change.

This section is important for bodybuilders who are looking towards bulking up. For you to exceed your workout plateau and experience much improvement in your body mass, a change in protein source will do the trick.

Try Exercise Rotation

Humans are creatures of pattern and it's mostly difficult to break such patterns in workout sessions. And that's why it's easy to hit your workout plateau when you get stuck with a routine. However, you can break this pattern and exceed your plateau by practicing exercise rotation.

For example, if you've reached a plateau on your barbell bench press, you can switch to the dumbbell bench press. You can try the exercise rotation technique for one or more of your workouts every 5 to 6 weeks. This will, no doubt, build your strength while building new stimulus to push you past your plateau. 

Utilize Micro-loading

Micro-loading centers on increasing your workout activities to build strength, endurance, and ultimately break through the workout plateau. In fact, this might just be the perfect technique if you are stuck at lifting the same weights for weeks.

More so, it's for joggers who have pegged their limit at a certain distance without pushing through it. With Micro-loading, therefore, you can increase the weight on the bar or dumbbell by 2.5kg or 5kg. Furthermore, you can increase your set distance for jogging. Trust me, this might seem difficult at first, but you will feel stronger and more excited about the new challenge.

Train at Various Intensities

Several studies support the fact that you burn more calories and gain more lean muscle mass when you do high-intensity workouts in short time periods. For example, you burn more calories when you sprint than jogging.

Is it strange? Not so much.

With high-intensity training, you push your body to extreme levels and subsequently, break through any workout plateau. In fact, you don't need to spend hours in the gym or in a cardio exercise before you can get the desired results. Here's more: join a high-intensity boot camp if you want more motivation.

Hit the Gym at the Right Time

Timing matters if you aim to break your workout plateau. You will ever break your plateau if you hit the gym or do a cardio exercise after a stressful day at work. I believe the best time to start working out is in the morning or after your lunch break.

Remember that a tired mind lacks the motivation to break free from limitations. So go to bed early and hit the gym early in the next morning. You will be amazed at how much strength you have to tackle the tasks in your daily activity.

 Get a Training Partner

Some people need an extra push: they need someone to motivate them. If you belong to this category, you need to have a workout partner if you want to break free from your plateau. It's that simple.

In fact, it's for this reason why some hire personal trainers to push them beyond any self-inflicted limit. Mind you, your training partner might not have to interfere with your training. However, his presence is enough to give you confidence in exploring new heights.

Drink More Fluids

It's simple, right? It will surprise you how much people don't drink enough fluid during workout sessions. According to different studies, drinking 500ml of water can boost your metabolism by 30 percent within a time frame of 1.5 hours.

This may translate into more energy needed to break free from your workout plateau. A cup of coffee or other caffeinated drinks may help in increasing your metabolic rate during so workout. In addition to this, drinking green tea before or during workout sessions helps in burning calories by 17 percent.

Get Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep is important for your mental health and got exceeding your plateau. When there's insufficient sleep, the brain processing speed is significantly low, hence your metabolic rate increases. Consequently, an increase in metabolic rate spikes up the appetite and induces weight gain. No doubt, no getting enough sleep is the reason why you are not burning enough calories. In fact, recent studies revealed that metabolic rate increases by 2.6 percent when people slept for more than 8hours. Mind you, too much sleep might cause an adverse effect.

Avoid Alcohol

Sometimes your alcohol consumption might be the reason why you can't exceed your workout limits. Alcohols contain a boatload of calories and 1.5 ounces of this substance can provide you with 100 calories. Besides this, this substance loosens your inhibitions and lets you slip back into old unhealthy habits. In fact, according to a study on behavioral weight loss, a reduction in alcohol consumption resulted in greater weight loss and more optimism during workouts.

 Adjust Your Rest Period

Altering your rest period determines the effectiveness of your workout. In fact, you can break beyond your plateau by adjusting the rest period based on your workout routine. For example, a heavyweight set requires a longer rest period, as it allows your muscles to recover. On the other hand, a lightweight set requires a short or moderate rest period, since it enables you to build resistance.

Wrapping Up

You don't have to despair about your workout plateau. Rather, see it as an opportunity to re-ignite your passion for your workout session. With these amazing ways, you can bounce back and even become well.

List of References

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14671205
2. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-green-tea
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC535701/
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26792773