A Plateau Should be a Geographical Land Mark...not a Limiting Factor in Your Weight Training

A Plateau Should Be a Geographical Land Mark...Not A Limiting Factor In Your Weight Training

"Plateau" is not the way you want to think of your weight training program.  Especially when the internet defines plateau as "a period during training when there is no apparent improvement in performance even though practice continues".  This is sometimes referred to as the "plateau of despond" and when you pump arm-curls out day after day with no visible gains then you know exactly why it is so named!  We all know the reason muscles grow is that they are asked to perform tasks that are outside their current level of capability.  When these muscles become too accustomed to the kind of work asked of them they become stale and a plateau is reached.    Until you discover the reason for the staleness and correct it you remain at this stand-still and further growth will elude you.

If your training program has remained the same for too long you invite a plateau into your life.  Perform the same exercises with exactly the same number of repetitions lifting the identical weight day after day and you are inviting a plateau into your life.  The muscles you work with these exercises become accustomed to the work and deny growth.  As long as you deny change your body finds that increased growth is not necessary to complete the tasks.

Change your workout routines.  Plateaus generally are reached when the workout intensity no longer challenges the body.  Solution: increase the intensity of what you are doing.  If you are not experiencing desired growth then increase the amount of work you are asking your body to do.  Rather than four or five repetition sets of ten bicep curls increase this amount to eight or nine reps (or the other choice would be to increase the number of curls in a set).  You muscles will respond to the change and growth should resume.  However, do not make the mistake of decreasing your workout demands.  Your muscles have already slacked off so why give them reason to slack off more?

Perhaps you are at this plateau because you are bored?  This might be a hint to explore a bit of cross-training in your routine.  If you enjoy bicycling then incorporate a “power-ride” into your weekly workouts for a change.  Or perhaps swimming is one of your loves.  It will not hurt one bit to take a swim or two each week as part of your daily workouts.  Cross-training should keep your programs interesting and as well may help reduce your body fat or increase the oxygenation abilities of your pulmonary system. 

The one thing you do not want is to let this weight training plateau become a pitfall to your future health.  Your body has adjusted to your demands and is looking for something different.  Vary your work out method, vary the type of food you eat or the amount of sleep per night.  Change something; change the type of included exercises, include different types of workout machinery you use or alter your schedule to a different hour of the day.  Whatever you do this is not the time to quit.  Discover other methods of challenging your body and your rewards will be two-fold. First you will work yourself off this plateau and resume the muscle mass growth you are after.  And secondly you will allow yourself additional knowledge in the area of bodybuilding and weight training.