Train Like an Athlete

Have you ever hit a plateau whether that's on flat bench, barbell back squats, deadlifts, etc. in your training? If you have, then you're not alone! I've been there before and it isn't the best feeling. Let me guess, you feel stuck and you start to question everything.

Trust me, I get it.

So now you're wondering, what should I do to get out of this plateau?

Well I'm here to help you!

6 Reasons Why You Hit a Plateau

Your effort may be too low. What is effort? I personally define effort as the amount of action with physical & mental exertion to perform a specific task or activity. One good indication to provide how much effort you're performing a task is asking yourself where you stand using an RPE Scale of 1-10; 1 being that the task is too easy/barely break a sweat or 10 being that the task is way too difficult and you most likely cannot complete it. A good RPE number would be between the 7-8 range.
Too much volume in a workout. You're more likely familiar with the saying less is more. I know you've heard me say this plenty of times in the past but it's true. If you have 7-10 exercises you typically do for a workout that sit always within the 8-12 rep range, then you might fall under this. I always try to keep it short and sweet now but when I focus more on what kind of repetitions I do as well as what specific exercises they are, I definitely get more of what I'm trying to focus on. Which leads me to my next reason...
You've been sticking with the same exercises for the past 6-12 months. When you do the same movements/exercises so often, you become less stimulated which means that the exercise may be less of a challenge. This isn't a bad thing! It may just mean your body got well adapted to it & now your body can take the stress of the exercise. That's why there are different variations of the same movement, it targets slightly different parts of the same muscle and provides you with different stimuli which can have your brain keeping you on your toes.
You don't train in different phases of training. What I mean by this is that you may doing all the right things in your program but don't supplement any power-based or explosive exercises in your training with power & explosiveness, the similar effort of how athletes perform. Now, I'm not saying to perform all the exercises that athletes do but training like one is sprinkling a little into your workouts. For example, sprints can play such a critical role in your leg days that you may struggle in or taking a HIIT class can get different muscle fibers that you know you didn't have. Try it out for the next 60 days and I guarantee that may be your solution to breaking your plateau.
No cardio is being done. I know a ton of people that hate doing cardiorespiratory training but it can be what's stopping you. If you've ever read the book "The Obstacle is the Way", then you might be familiar with this. You may be stuck because of overlooking things that are right in front of you. Cardio can be as simple as getting your 10K steps a day and I bet you that you don't get that amount. If not, make it a goal and if that shit is too easy, then find an aerobic activity that challenges you like running in a running club. *wink wink*
It may not be gym or fitness related. Now this can be a tricky topic to talk about because you can follow a program or stick to a routine of training properly but your life outside the gym can affect your results. This can mean that your sleep may not be the best, your nutrition isn't the greatest, and/or you party every weekend. It can be any of this but your life outside the gym can correlate to results. I've seen it and I've been there as well. Eventually, cutting out unnecessary stuff that does pertain to training can help and you'll be where you need to be.

Recovery Gets You Results

Once you've taken to account all of the reasons above, recover like a champ. Recovery is what gets results so if you prioritize getting the rest that your body needs after training, that's where adjustments need to be made.

What recovery means to me is eating right, hydrate, making time for your leisure times/breaks throughout the day, and all of the other in-betweens.

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