What Causes A Fitness Plateau and What Can You Do About It?

• How to break a weight loss plateau?
• Will more reps help me progress?
• Do I need to change my workout routine?

If any of that sounds familiar, you’re in the right place.
We bring you all you need to know about fitness plateaus and a foolproof strategy to overcome them. Keep reading for more.

What Is A Fitness Plateau, And How Is It Caused?

A plateau in fitness is when your progress toward the fitness goals (weight loss, building muscle) significantly drops or comes to a complete stop. You are doing all you were doing earlier to promote your progress, but now you are getting no results. So, why does this happen? The human body responds strongly to new workouts in the beginning, even experiencing small muscle tears. But after a few months, as we do the same things repeatedly, our body adapts and moves past the ‘newbie gains’. Your muscle fibers get used to the training, and you experience fewer tiny muscle tears that trigger growth. As a result, muscle growth and strength gains slow down. This happens because muscle protein production, which builds muscle, also decreases. Plus, as your nervous system becomes more efficient, your progress slows naturally. After about 6 to 12 weeks, this slowdown becomes noticeable, meaning you have hit a plateau.

Common Reasons You Are Experiencing A Fitness Plateau

Undertraining Without Progressive Overload

A common reason for hitting a fitness plateau is not pushing your body enough to grow. This is called undertraining without progressive overload. A lot of people make this mistake when trying to lose weight or build muscle.

It means your body has adapted to your current routine, and your strength, endurance, or weight no longer changes because the challenge level isn’t increasing.

In short, a fitness plateau due to undertraining is your body’s way of saying it’s time to change things up to keep up with the progress.

Overtraining Without Enough Recovery

Doing too much without adequate rest is known as overtraining, and it can also lead to a fitness plateau. When you push your body beyond its ability to recover, your muscles don’t get the time they need to repair and grow. This can result in chronic fatigue and a noticeable drop in performance. In this stressed, overworked state, your body struggles to adapt, and progress stalls, despite hard effort.

Lack Of Nutrition: The Diet Plateau

Another thing that drags you into a plateau is insufficient training. If your diet lacks enough calories, protein, or essential nutrients, your body won’t have the fuel it needs to build muscle or lose fat.

Similarly, hydration matters equally. Even the slightest dehydration can make you feel weak and influence your ability to recover.

Genetic Limitations:

When you eat less, your body slows down your metabolism to conserve energy, a process known as adaptive thermogenesis.
Your hormones also shift:

• Leptin drops, so you feel less full.
• Thyroid hormones fall, slowing metabolism.
• Ghrelin rises, making you hungrier.

These changes make weight loss tougher and can lead to yo-yo dieting, where you lose weight, regain it, and start over again.

Mental And Emotional Burnout

Fitness plateaus aren’t always physical; mental and emotional burnout play a big role. If you are feeling stressed, unmotivated, and exhausted on the inside, it can affect the quality of your workout. Burnouts happen after months of intense training without variety or rest. It affects your focus, causing you to perform below your best or skip sessions altogether.

Also, read why working out is so effective in beating stress!

How To Know If You’ve Hit A Plateau?

It’s not always obvious, but plateaus often show up between the 6th and 12th months of consistent training. The first clue?

Progress stalls on the scale, in the mirror, or in your workouts.
Here are common signs you’ve hit a plateau:

• You’re not losing weight, even with regular workouts.
• Your muscles aren’t growing anymore.
• Workouts feel easy, but don’t challenge you like before.
• You get tired or run out of energy faster.
• You don’t feel sore after workouts like you used to.
• It takes you longer to recover from the workout.
• You feel unmotivated or bored with your routine.

How To Get Over A Plateau?

Takeaway:

A fitness plateau doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong, it just means it’s time to adjust. Whether it’s your training, rest, food, or mindset, small changes can get your progress moving again. And if you’re feeling stuck, TIFFxDAN fitness programs can help you break through. Our well structured workouts can help you overcome plateaus and reach your fitness goals fast.

FAQ’s On Fitness Plateaus

Q1: How do I break through my weight loss plateau?
A1: Make small changes to your workouts, check your diet, and make sure you’re getting enough rest and water.

Q2: What’s the best exercise to break a plateau?
A2: There’s no single best exercise to get out of the plateau. If you are not progressing because your body has adapted to the workout, try a fresh workout routine and focus on progressive overload (through lifting heavier weights, doing more reps, or a combination) to get things moving again.

Q3: How did you feel when you hit a plateau at the gym?
A3: It can feel frustrating or demotivating. But it’s important to remember that plateaus are normal, and your body is telling you to change something, whether it’s your diet, routine, or rest time.

Q4 Can increasing the reps help me break a workout plateau?
A4: Yes, increasing your reps can be an effective way to overcome a plateau, but it depends on why you’re stuck. The weights you are using might be too light to stimulate muscle growth or the exercises you are choosing are ineffective.