What to Do When You Hit a Fitness Plateau

You fully know how you've worked hard and followed your fitness programme to achieve your ultimate fitness goal. However, at some point, you notice that you are not going anywhere. It's as if you have hit a roadblock so hard that no matter how diligent you are at following the routine recommended by your personal trainer, it seems that change is barely happening at all.

What you are experiencing at the moment is most likely a fitness plateau or workout plateau. Fortunately, you are not alone in that situation since most people are also trudging in their own fitness journey.

While you can always seek workout advice from your personal trainer, it wouldn't harm if you learn a thing or two about what fitness plateau is. That said, keep reading on as we will further discuss what plateau is in the context of fitness, how to tell if you have reached one, and what fitness advice you can follow if you indeed have reached a plateau.

What Is a Fitness Plateau

In the fitness context, reaching what we call a plateau means the lack of noticeable results or changes in your body, even after closely following a regular fitness program. Your body hits a plateau because the human body is so intelligent that it can quickly adapt to the demand of whatever you let it do.

For instance, your daily workout routine involves a 20-minute run on the treadmill, followed by 15-minute weightlifting. If you do the same thing every day, your body will grow accustomed to it. In the process, your body becomes efficient at it. This means that you will no longer burn the same number of calories as when you first started doing the routine because your body is now in much better shape than your first day of workout.

What to Do When You Hit a Fitness Plateau

Of course, you might wonder what you should do once you hit a fitness plateau. In this case, it will all boil down to your fitness goals. If you are currently satisfied with your fitness level, there shouldn't be a problem with your current exercise routine. But if you want to lose weight, gain muscle, or see progress in general, then the following are some things you should consider.

Make Small, Gradual Changes

Since your body has already adapted to your daily routine, what you need to do next is to make small but gradual changes. You can start by increasing the number of reps, weights, and intensity. For instance, you want to increase your reps. If you were used to 2-minute planking, you can do a two-and-a-half-minute plank and increase it by another 30 seconds the next week or so.

Keep Your Food Intake in Mind

No matter how hard you exercise, but you still eat the same way before you start your fitness journey, you will surely not see any changes. Nutrition weighs a lot, so make sure that you incorporate nutrition in your fitness programme. And most importantly, ensure that your food intake supports the kind of routine that you have. Choose foods that are rich in healthy fats, protein, and other nutrients that will make it easy for you to recover and build muscle.

Do Not Forget to Hydrate

In your attempts to break your workout plateau, you will muster all the strength you can to endure the changes in your workout. When that happens, make sure you have a bottle of water with you. Being hydrated can improve your performance, plus it also has an impact on your mood, motivation, heart health, and digestion.

Set a Rest Day

While you need to increase and change things up so you can finally see progress, resting is still an essential factor that you shouldn't pass on. Working significantly harder than usual might shock your body, to the point that you will get injured. In your attempt to religiously follow your trainer’s fitness advice, don’t be too hard on yourself. Take time off from the gym and allow your body to rest at least once a week to recover. That way, you can deal with any changes in your current workout routine.

Reach Your True Fitness Potential with True Personal Training

Hitting a plateau in your path to fitness is undeniably frustrating and, most importantly, demotivating. That is why having a personal trainer is worth considering if you want to succeed in your fitness journey.

Fortunately, here at True Personal Training, you can possibly get your personal training membership. We have fitness solutions that will suit your current body's needs. If you are looking forward to getting back on track on your fitness game, you can always turn to us for fitness advice, and we'll give you a free consultation.

You may reach us on 01937 338 098, and you can also fill out our contact form on our website, and we'll get in touch with you.