BREAKING PLATEAUS | PART 1
Have you been training consistently for the last few years and feel the progress has stagnated or even come to a full halt? Do you find yourself wearing down? Are you frustrated that your efforts aren’t showing like they should? You are not the only one that feels this way. This is commonplace for people that have dedicated significant time and energy to training for a prolonged amount of time. To help you save time and frustration, consider the concepts below to get out of your plateau and on the road to GAINS!
GET FOCUSED (less is more): Oftentimes we feel we need to do more to add onto our busy schedules and programs. Doing too much can be disastrous and usually ends in frustration. Taking a more concise and focused approach may be more of what you need. Instead of chasing more volume, more weight, and more work in less time, consider focusing on ONE thing and attacking it. Look at the low hanging fruit and plan accordingly rather than trying an everything at once approach.
FIND A TRAINING PARTNER/TRAINER: Get together with a friend or someone you know that is trying to accomplish the same thing. This will allow for a little bit of competition and accountability. You will build a camaraderie and help each other out to work through barriers. It also helps to have another set of eyes to see what you may not realize. The other alternative would be to look into hiring a trainer to help keep you consistent and help show you the way. The goal with this concept is to have someone that is going to help you see and push you to the light at the end of the tunnel.
DO THE THINGS YOU SUCK AT: When we are in control of our own training we typically choose the exercises that we are already good at. This can be a bit redundant and lead to a stalemate in progress because we’ve gone to the same well over and over and it’s dried up. By working on things that we struggle with we are breaking monotony (adding frustration) and potentially creating a stimulus that can help us break out of our stagnation. This doesn’t mean you have to completely scrap all the exercises that you enjoy, but consider breaking down what your program may be lacking. For example: If you want to increase your squat, build a program that emphasizes attacking technical flaws or addresses sticking points or requires more dedicated strength work.
Written by Director Of Performance Dak Notestine; M.S., CSCS
We do not claim to be medical professionals or claim to give medical advice. You should consult your physician or doctor if you have any questions or concerns regarding this information.