When progress stalls: how to smash through plateau

 

“Hard work pays off” - we’ve all heard this saying thousands of times. In the fitness industry, it is pretty straightforward: you put in the effort, show up for yourself and over time you start to see positive changes: whether it’s in your physical appearance or mental health. But sometimes, even when you stick to your routine and continue working hard, your progress seems to slow down or even completely halt. If you ever caught yourself in a situation like that and couldn’t help but wonder: what is wrong with me? We have an answer for you: nothing. Most likely, you just hit a fitness plateau, and that’s completely normal! 

So how do you know when you ended up in the fitness plateau? The signs are quite easy to catch sight of. First, look back at your original goal: if you are trying to lose some kilograms, you might find your weight stalled, and if you want to get more strength, you may feel weaker instead. Also, look at physical signs like no muscle gain and loss or decrease of your appetite. And last but definitely not least, look at how motivated you feel to work out. In most cases, you will be way less willing to go to the gym or hit play on that YouTube workout you usually turn to. Once you’ve determined that you are indeed in the fitness plateau, you are probably wondering how you ended up there and what you can do about it. 

First of all, pay attention to your nutrition. Whether you are reading some online article or consulting a personal trainer, almost all the sources will tell you that eating healthy and working out go hand in hand. But as we know, a healthy diet is not about eating salads all day long, it's about balance. Let’s start with the basics: you need to make sure you are consuming enough carbohydrates, proteins and fats, as those are the building blocks of feeling energised, as well as key supporters of your muscles, bones and joints. If you’ve got this covered, look at your vitamins and mineral intake. Those can make a huge difference when it comes to staying active, and anti-inflammatory nutrients can significantly help with the recovery process, getting you back on track to achieve your goals. 

 

However, this only sounds simple. In reality, each body is unique, and, unfortunately, there isn’t one magic nutrient formula that you can use. To ensure your diet suits you perfectly and supports your fitness journey, I would recommend seeking professional advice. You can find a personal trainer who would not only help you with workouts, but also design a detailed and personalised diet plan on the new online platform Emploi. All the skills, qualifications and certificates are easily available, so you can be 100% sure that your personal trainer has the necessary knowledge. 

Another reason why you might have ended up in the fitness plateau is too much stress. Yes, hard work is important, but it is so important not to go too hard on yourself! Constant intense workouts layered onto your daily life demands, can lead to chronic stress and fatigue. This is more dangerous than people usually anticipate - chronic stress disrupts our hormonal balance, affecting things like sleep quality, energy levels and recovery rates. You can remind yourself of the importance of getting a good night sleep in my article “How vital is sleep to you and your training?”. On top of that, give yourself time to rest between workouts. If you are completely restless and need to do at least something at all times, try incorporating active recovery days - that could be going for walks (which are also great for your mental health!), doing yoga or stretching. One of Emploi’s professional personal trainers could also be of great help here: they could design a workout schedule that takes into account both your usual sleep cycle and hormonal fluctuations. If your natural body rhythms are aligned with your fitness journey, you are way less likely to hit a workout plateau again! 

Now let’s talk about the most common reason people face challenges like the fitness plateau. Getting too used to your workout routine. Our bodies are extremely adaptive, so over time certain types of exercises or their intensity won’t feel like a challenge at all. That’s usually how you know that you are making progress: your strength and endurance are improving. But if you don’t change up your routine in time, you will eventually find yourself in some sort of slump. You might be still getting tired from your regular workouts, but pay attention to things like your heart rate - this will accurately reflect how your body is reacting to the challenges (or not so challenging workout anymore?) you are putting it through. I know it can be tricky and time-consuming to constantly think of new activities to do and exercise to try, even if you follow a bunch of fitness bloggers for inspiration. YouTube workouts also tend to repeat themselves, so why not turn to a personal trainer? It’s so simple: you just shift all the responsibilities to a professional, and now it’s them who have to think about your workouts, diet and schedule. You can find a perfect match for your fitness goals on Emploi and never worry about your workout routine again!

Remember, hitting a fitness plateau doesn’t have to be overwhelming, it is just your body telling you to try out a new approach! But if it is too much to deal with yourself, you can always seek advice from a professional. Emploi is a platform that helps connect personal trainers with their potential clients, and it is very easy to use. You can either submit a request by outlining all your goals and demands, and the platform will match you with a suitable candidate, or scroll through all the available personal trainers until you see the one for you. With a highly skilled fitness trainer by your side, you won’t have to worry about your workout routine at all!