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Fitness Tips

4 Ways to Improve Gym Results When You’ve Hit a Plateau

You know the song and dance.

You start hitting the gym. You look great, you feel great, and everything is smooth sailing as long as your routine and diet are in check.

But then you hit a wall. The gains stop, your weight stagnates, and you generally find yourself frustrated and spinning your wheels.

If your gym results have hit a plateau then you know the pain. Read on and we’ll show you five ways to bust plateaus and get your gains back on track.

1. You’re Stuck in a Rut

If you’re doing the same workout, with the same volume and intensity, day in and day out you’re going to peak at some point.

The key to exercise is to take advantage of your body’s natural tendency to adapt to external pressure. By increasing the volume and intensity of your workouts progressively you’ll be able to see results for a longer period of time.

Don’t neglect any muscle groups either, sometimes a slight shift in your routine can bust through a sticking point.

For instance, if you’re focusing primarily on powerlifting, you might see some benefits from adding in some functional movement training to change things up.

2. Take Stock of How Much Rest You’re Getting

People tend to go one of two ways with their rest periods: too much time between sets or not enough time off. You don’t need to be in the gym for hours every day to see consistent results and overtraining is harmful and easy to accomplish for those Type A personalities.

On the other hand, some people tend to sit around and check their phones and generally take too much time in between sets. If that’s the case then a simple timing app can make all the difference, keeping the intensity up so you’ll keep seeing progress.

3. Try HIIT

Cardio is boring but easy, right?

Hop on the treadmill, jog at a steady pace for twenty minutes, and you’ll shed fat in no time. And it works, for a few weeks, then you stall out again.

Once you have a decent endurance base to build on, take a look into high-intensity interval training protocols to really start to shed fat. Just take it slow or prepare for a whole new level of sore.

4. Count Calories

If your goal is weight-oriented and you’re stalling on progress then it’s time to count calories.

You’ll need to make sure that between your activity levels and diet you’re in either a surplus or deficit depending on which direction you’re headed.

Many people fail to realize how much or how little they’re eating and getting hard numbers can be key to your success. Remember that a single pound, either plus or minus, is equivalent to about 3,500 calories and you’re on the right track.

Ready to Get Better Gym Results?

When it comes to plateaus, we often don’t know the best way to go about getting the gym results we’re looking for. The above are only suggestions, everyone’s body is a unique situation.

If you’re looking to cut down on experimentation and start getting the results you’re working for, however, then you may need some professional assistance.

Why not check out our private training program?