So you are training almost every day, following a strict diet, and yet your body doesn’t seem to change anymore. It’s stuck at a fitness or weight plateau. That can be extremely frustrating, if not completely discouraging. But don’t give up just now. A plateau means that your body can’t transform itself any longer if you continue to use your fitness program. In other words, you’ve just reached the limit of your fitness program. It might have served you well until now, but it doesn’t bring anything new anymore. That’s fine. It wasn’t a waste of time: It has improved your body and your performance until the plateau. Now, all you need to do is to think of your fitness factors and consider which ones you should revisit with the support of a fitness coach or a specialist nutritionist. Indeed, hitting a plateau doesn’t mean that your body can’t change any longer. It just means that you have to change your fitness approach to make it work.
How effective are your workouts?
Whether you are working your way to a stronger body or a smaller dress size, hitting a workout plateau is never fun. But use the occasion to reassess the effectiveness of your workouts. You may think you are still trying hard, but your body might have simply got used to the level of efforts and consequently, you are not making any progress. Or worse, you might track your workouts in terms of time. One hour at the gym doesn’t mean that you’re still making the most of your calorie-burning activity. In fact, you might not be pushing yourself hard enough anymore. Additionally, if you stick to the same workout for an extended period of time, your muscles begin to get too accustomed to the exercises to progress. Varying your workout can keep your body guessing and create the boost you need to reach your goal.
Does your metabolism get what it needs?
You hit a plateau when you’re not feeding your body with food that boosts your metabolism. In other words, under eating, for example, is a common mistake that first-time dieters do. They want to lose weight. Therefore they eat less. However, if you cut down on daily portions too much, then your metabolism enters what is called a starvation mode and store the energy as a defense mechanism. If this is the case, you will need to add more carbs and proteins to your diet to help to speed up your metabolism. Additionally, you can always introduce supplements to support the metabolic transformations, such as androgenic steroids, and rely on trustworthy reviews – the Winsol review is a good one to start with as it’s the ideal supplement for bodybuilders and performance athletes. Not into supplements? Switch to a paleo diet instead, as it’s high in proteins to build muscle mass without increasing fat.
Do you get enough resting time?
Here’s some news for you: Muscles need rest to recover from training and grow stronger. Recovery time matters just as much workout time: With no recovery time, your muscles have no time to grow. What does it matter? No recovery means that you can’t outgrow your performance. You’re stuck at a plateau. It also increases the risk of injuries, which can worsen your plateau experience.
In other words, if you’re stuck at a plateau it’s a sign that you may not be training right, eating right or resting right. Don’t fear the plateau. Embrace it as an opportunity to improve your fitness regime.
