How to Overcome a Plateau

By Rachel Rowenhorst, NASM CPT

Personal Trainer at Harvard Recreation

        When initially asked to tackle this prompt I chuckled at the irony. At the time, I, myself was in a challenging training plateau that I couldn’t seem to rise above. It happens to everyone at some point, whether it means pushing past a specific mile time, increasing your one rep max or hitting a mental/emotional training plateau (post runner’s high, anyone?). If you’re feeling like you have hit a wall in regards to training or reaching your health goals you are not alone. The good news: well researched and curated evidence offers help when searching for proven ways to overcome plateaus. If you find yourself in the midst of a plateau, check out the following factors to see what you can do to rise above. 

1.    Recovery/rest: Rest is possibly one of the most important factors in training; are you giving your body enough time to rest and recover? You can slay this approach a few different ways: first, evaluate how much quality sleep you get. This differs person to person, however, the recommended amount of sleep is 7-9 hours per night. This is a great way to see if you are giving your body enough time to rest and rejuvenate. Second, when was the last time you took a week off from formal training? Before you break down at the suggestion that you take a week off from movement altogether, hear me out. Taking a step back from organized exercise for a week while still performing low level activities may give your body the rest it needs, especially if you find that you’re hitting exhaustion after workouts. Exercise should build you up, not break you down. 

2.    Modify your reps: If you’ve hit a weight training plateau and can’t seem to push past a specific rep or weight, try taking a step back and modifying your reps. This goes in either direction. If you’ve hung out at reps of 10-12 for six week, try decreasing your rep range to 6-8 and go for a higher weight (or vice versa). 

3.    Diversify your exercises: Three approaches can be taken here: first, ensure you are performing diverse movements. Essentially my advice here is “If you solely [BLANK] then add [BLANK]. Example, if you solely [run], add in some [weight lifting, yoga, organized sport]. You get the gist. I could go on a tirade about the importance of movement diversity, unfortunately my articles are already long-winded. If intrigued, reach out and we can talk more. Second, graduate from exercises you’ve outgrown. Rather than continue to add weight or reps, progress the movement. Example: moving from a row machine to a supported bench row, to a standing bent row. Option three, swap out exercises for different (but similar) movements. Performing similar, but altogether different exercises can help recruit different supporting musculature. Example: switching up your chest press with a push-up. All options can make a workout feel fresh, which is mentally satisfying as well. 

4.    Change tempo: The beauty of changing tempo is that the principle applies to *almost* any form of exercise. For those training at home with one dumbbell and you’ve mastered three sets of twelve goblet squats to the point where you could do it in your sleep, tempo will be your new best friend. For weight training exercises slow it down. Adding a 5- second descent to your squat, lunge, push-up, chest press, bent row, etc. creates longer time under tension and can make an old workout seem new and refreshing. It also builds more stamina and endurance, which may help give you the oomph needed to overcome a plateau. For the classically defined “cardio” exercises (running, rowing, cycling, swimming, etc.) tempo change can offer a plateau boost as well. If your regular exercise focuses solely on distance, integrate track work, sprints, hills, HIIT work (or vice versa). 

5.    Mental plateau: Seek to discover whether you truly hit a physical plateau or if your mind is playing tricks on you. I’ve seen it with every client: we will have worked hard for weeks and reached hulk status and all it takes is one bad day spiral someone into questioning everything they know about their body. Don’t let one bad day or week of workouts set the tone for the coming training weeks. To quote my yoga teacher, “rinse it out and leave it on the mat.” Meaning, the pose is done, no need to dwell on it to validate your being. 

6.    Movement prep/integrate mobility: Nothing makes my trainer heart happier than seeing a well thought out movement prep segment (aka warm-up) and integrated mobility exercises. If not already part of your workout, dedicate 5-10 minutes to a warm-up. This prep should seek to move your muscles and joints through their range of motion. Ideally the movements will mimic your selected exercises (just at a lower weight or different pace). Movement prep also seeks to wake-up your trunk (think abdominals plus GLUTES and any muscle that crosses over the hip). Trunk activation is vital for anybody that moves. Including a few core/hip exercises in the beginning of a workout can help you better realize how to channel the postural strength you should feel when completing your workout. Integrating mobility in your workouts allows for a productive “rest” between exercises in addition to facilitating ROM training after heavy muscular contraction. 

        Overall, overcoming a plateau is not solely about your effort in the moment, but every way that you’ve prepared your body to overcome that challenge in the moment. Approach your plateau holistically and you may just find you’re better equipped to conquer it.