Weight Training Plateau - How to Overcome One

Learning how to overcome a weight training plateau is vital for increased gains and continuous progress in the weights room. Unfortunately there will come a time when every lifter will experience a weight training plateau. Overcoming a weight training plateau however is relatively simple once you know how so let's get started. A weight training plateau is your body's way of telling you that it has adapted to the type of resistance training you are doing and therefore doesn't feel it needs to grow any bigger or stronger to cope with it.

How to Overcome a Weight Training Plateau

In order to overcome a weight training plateau and continue building muscle we need to address the following points:

Eat enough calories to overcome a weight training plateau

If you've been slacking on your diet and nutrition recently this may be hampering your performance in the weights room. Ensure you're taking in enough quality calories in your diet to help aid recovery and build lean muscle mass along with top sustanon cycle. Remember that to build muscle we need to be consuming more calories than the body needs, roughly 500 calories above your body's maintenance level should do the trick.

Eat enough protein to overcome a weight training plateau

By now we should all know how important protein is when looking to building muscle. If you didn't, protein is the building blocks of muscle. Protein is responsible for helping build new muscle in the body and also helping to repair the muscle. Making sure you consume enough protein can help you overcome a weight training plateau and build quality lean muscle. As a guide you need to be consuming around 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. That means that if you weigh 140 pounds you need to be consuming 140 grams + of protein each and every day to help support new muscle growth.

Take a week off to overcome a weight training plateau

This may sound crazy to a lot of you gym rats out there but is vital if you want continued gains. Overcoming a weight training plateau is often as simple as taking a week's break. This is especially true if you have been lifting heavy weights for the past 2-3 months. The body can only lift heavy for a limited amount of time before it starts to struggle to recover. Struggling to recover will destroy any progress you are looking to make and should therefore take a week's break. During your weeks break you should keep up your good nutrition habits as you would on your normal workout days. Do not start to slack and think you can begin eating whatever you want during this week as your body will be calling upon important nutrients to help it recover and grow at this time.

Eat enough quality calories, keep protein levels high and take in sufficient amounts of carbs and good fats. Also, don't forget to drink at least 2 litres of water each day. Water will help regulate the body and flush out harmful toxins whilst keeping you fully hydrated throughout the day. A week off will not only help your muscles recover but should also keep motivation levels high and have you excited to return to the weights room and lift again. The weeks rest will also help you overcome any niggling injuries that you sometimes encounter when lifting heavy weights, leaving you feeling focused and refreshed.

Change your weight training routine to overcome a weight training plateau

Changing your actual workout routine can also help you overcome a weight training plateau. Introducing your body to a different type of resistance can sometimes be exactly what your body needs to grow and break through a plateau. The reason for this is simple. Because you have been performing the same exercise routines for a prolonged period of time, your body has adapted to these exercises and what type of stress it puts on your muscles. Introducing your body to a new type of stress will shock the body and force it to once again rebuild and grow stronger.

Picture this. Your traditional chest workout consists of 3 sets of bench press, 3 sets of incline bench press and 3 sets of dumbbell flyes. Don't get me wrong this is a pretty solid chest workout that will produce results. However, after around 2-3 months you begin to notice limited progress and can't lift any heavier weights. If this happens you should take a close look at your workout and maybe even consider revamping your entire routine. Carrying on from the above example, you could then change your workout to look something like the following:

- 3 sets of Push-ups

- 3 sets of Dumbbell flyes

- 3 sets of Decline bench press

This will help shock the body into more muscle growth as it tries its best to adapt to a different kind of stress placed upon it. It's also worth remembering however that you should not be changing your workout routines too often. Don't fix what isn't broken!

Change the order of your workout to overcome a weight training plateau

Changing the order of which you carry out your exercises is another way to help overcome a plateau. Some exercises can be a lot tougher than others so changing the order of which you perform them can place additional stress on your muscles.

De-load for a week to overcome a weight training plateau

‍