Overcoming Fitness Plateaus: Strategies from a Personal Trainer
March, 2024
We all love making progress in our fitness journey.
When you see muscle starting to build, a few pounds being shredded when you step onto the scales, or when you can run 5k when a short time ago you couldn’t jog half that distance – progress is incredibly rewarding.
There does exist something called a fitness plateau.
So, in this month’s blog, I want to explore fitness plateaus and give you expert advice on how to overcome it.
What do I mean by a fitness plateau?
A fitness plateau is when your progress comes to a halt.
It is very common especially in people who have recently started exercising and working out regularly. Most people notice a fairly sharp increase in their performance and gains over a short period of time, then it starts to level out. You’ll often find that your body will get used to your usual exercise routine and progress will slow down.
Strategies for overcoming a fitness plateau
Even if you do feel like you are stuck in an exercise rut, there are ways to overcome this plateau. Here are some tips from my experience.
#1 Fuel your body
Chances are that you’re experiencing a fitness lull because you aren’t fuelling your body with the nutrition it needs. Eating the right foods to complement your workout is vital to see continued performance and progression.
Carbohydrates are ideal for providing energy to workout longer and with more intensity and upping your protein intake will also help to build muscle.
If you are experiencing a fitness plateau, aim to up your nutritional intake to give yourself more energy.
#2 Mix up your cardio
Another solution I have found that works with clients who feel like their progress is stunted is mixing up their cardio routine.
If you go to the gym and do the same workout week in and week out, your body will get used to the repetitiveness. So, start mixing it up and work different parts of your body.
Instead of just hopping on the exercise bike and the treadmill every week, use the cross trainer or the rowing machine. Also, you might want to look at upping your cardio intensity levels as well.
#3 Is motivation a factor?
Sometimes we can stagnate not necessarily due to our physical ability, but because of our mental health
Motivation can play a huge role in pushing ourselves and helping us to achieve our goals. When you hit a plateau, it can be easy to give up or not go that extra mile because you aren’t seeing steady progress.
This is where a personal trainer can massively benefit you. Motivation is a key part of a PT’s role and it can really help you to overcome an exercise plateau and keep you moving towards your goals.
Plateauing doesn’t mean the end
If you are starting to see a decline in your progress, don’t fret! It happens to most of us at some point.
What I’ve learned by working as a PT is that several things can cause this. The key is identifying the problem and working on a solution.
I’ve found that having an exercise routine that is too repetitive at the same intensity, not giving your body enough energy to push yourself, and lacking motivation are the main reasons for hitting a fitness plateau.
It doesn’t mean the end and by adjusting your exercise and making some small tweaks, you’ll start to see progress again.
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