Overcoming Fitness Plateaus: How to Break Through and Keep Progressing

What is a fitness plateau? Have you ever hit one? What kind did you hit? (There are different ones.) Everyone is different, so finding an image for this blog was difficult. You might want to draw a line to see what your progression feels like. You may have had a slow or fast start; you may plateau sooner or later, or you may adapt and never plateau.

Image by SpringBoard Business Coaching

Let's start with how our bodies respond to exercise. Your muscles, bones, circulation, and cardiovascular system respond as you work out, whether cardio or strength training. When you are starting, specific actions may be challenging. As you continue to train regularly, you get the hang of it. Actions become easier to do. Easy is the exact dynamic that can lead to the first plateau.

The Working Hard Plateau - Your body has adapted to the challenge of your workout.

Another specific plateau is when you have been losing weight on a diet and get stuck on the same number when you want to drop more pounds. A similar plateau is feeling like you aren't gaining any more muscle. You may get a new bone density test and be disappointed there is no improvement.

Stuck in Place Plateau – Progress has halted 

You will hit a different plateau if you tend not to care for yourself as you work out. You are doing your routine but sleeping less, not eating enough, or eating junk. Conversely, you might be doing too many intense workouts back-to-back without time for recovery.

The Insufficient Recovery Plateau – You are run down.

The last plateau I can think of is if your workout is boring. Boredom can happen if you have done it too long, haven't incorporated variety, or need a workout buddy or new workout buddy.

The I'm Bored Plateau – You can't do it the same anymore.

Hitting a plateau isn't necessarily a bad thing. If things aren't working optimally, this signals that you will do better if you make some changes.

Start with how you feel. Pay attention to your body's sensations. Evaluate everything you are feeling. Test for injuries or areas that need rest. Similarly, determine if specific muscles are weak. A bone density test may have clued you to where you need to strengthen.

Find the fun. If things have gotten boring, is there something new you can try? Might you enjoy your workouts more with a buddy or workout gang? If you work out at home, do you want to try the gym or take some classes? If you work out at the gym, do you want to try exercising at home or outside? If you do your own thing, do you want to try a personal trainer or online videos?

Review your present workout program using the F.I.T.T. principle.

-    Frequency – how often do you exercise?

-    Intensity – how hard do you exercise? For cardio, what zone are you training in? For strength training, how much are you lifting?

-    Time – how long is each exercise session?

-   Type – What types of exercises are you doing?

If your weight loss has plateaued:

1.    Take an honest assessment of what you've been eating. Did you reduce your protein intake? Did you sneak in more processed foods? Did you unconsciously increase serving sizes?

2.    Take an honest assessment of your workouts. Did you skip some days? Did you work less hard? In general, have you been more sedentary?

3.    If you passed 1 and 2 with flying colors, you may want to try reducing your calories by 10-20%. Be sure you eat plenty of protein so you aren't hungry. Balance, but see if you can get by with a bit less. If you are hungry, eat enough to feel satisfied but not full.

4.    Even if you pass the workout assessment, it may be time to increase your effort. New approaches could include trying H.I.I.T. or high-intensity interval training. You may be ready to increase the volume of weights you are lifting. I recommend increasing when completing three sets of 12 reps with perfect form. Strength training is a constant process of stepping up.

5.    Stay active throughout the day. Notice when you are sitting and may need to sit for work. Take a break every hour to move, take a walk, do a brief exercise, or stretch. Add physical activity wherever you can. Park further away to add a walk. Choose to use the stairs instead of escalators or elevators. Endeavor to sneak movement in anywhere you can.

Whatever changes you make to your workout, remember to include recovery time. Recovery includes rest in between sets, post-workout stretching and recovery, and a good night's sleep.