If you've been training for a while, whether for muscle gain, fat loss, or overall fitness, you've likely experienced it: the dreaded plateau. Progress slows down or flatlines completely. The scale doesn't budge. You can't break through to the next personal record. You feel stuck and frustrated. Fortunately, plateaus are not permanent.
This article explores why plateaus happen, how to identify them, and how you can use Gym Log Track's performance tracking features to overcome them.
What Is a Plateau in Weightlifting?
A plateau occurs when your body adapts to your training, and your progress stalls as a result. In weightlifting, this might look like failing to lift heavier weights over time or not building new muscle.
Plateaus are a natural part of the body's adaptation process. They are frustrating - but they are also proof that your body has made changes and is now trying to maintain homeostasis. The key is learning how to stimulate new change.
Why Does It Happen?
Plateaus can happen for a number of reasons:
- Adaptation to Training - The body is efficient. If you perform the same routine, your muscles will adapt and won't be shocked into growth.
- Lack of Progressive Overload - In resistance training, progressive overload or pyramid reps - gradually increasing weight and reps is needed to make gains. Without it, strength and hypertrophy gains stall.
What Is a Weight Loss Plateau?
In weight loss, this typically manifests itself as the scale not dropping despite continued efforts with diet and exercise.
Plateaus occur primarily because of the lack of performance tracking. If you don't track what you are doing and fall into a routine of doing the same thing, you are not stimulating the body to make new changes.
Why Does It Happen?
Plateaus can happen for a number of reasons:
- Metabolic Adaptation - For those losing weight, your body may reduce its resting metabolic rate after significant fat loss, making further loss more difficult.
- Body Composition Change - Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you are building muscle while losing fat simply using the scale to track this change is not efficient.
Start tracking your workouts with Gym Log Track
Tracking your workouts is essential for making consistent progress and achieving your weightlifting or weight loss goals efficiently. By logging exercises, sets, reps, weights, you can use the compare feature to check your progress at the exercise level and the workout level. This data-driven approach helps you make smarter adjustments to your training routine, ensuring that progress is made in every workout. Tracking workouts provides insight into patterns that may affect progress, such as sleep, rest days, or nutrition. With Gym Log Track, by tracking your workout progress pictures, you can visually observe changes that will not be reflected in the scale.
How to Break Through a Weightlifting or Weight Loss Plateau Using Gym Log Track
Volume Targeting
Aim for a 2-10% increase in volume or 1RM calculated with every workout. As you look back and compare current to previous exercises, your gains will compound over time. For example, let's calculate the gain for a workout of 10 reps of 100 lbs with a 2-10% increase.
- Workout 1 - weight 100 lbs - volume = 10 x 100 = 1000 lbs
- Workout 2 - weight 105 lbs - volume = 10 x 100 = 1050 lbs - 5% increase
- Workout 3 - weight 110 lbs - volume = 10 x 110 = 1100 lbs - 4.7% increase to workout 2 - 10% increase to workout 1
- Workout 4 - weight 112.5 lbs - volume = 10 x 112.5 = 1125 lbs - 2.27% increase to workout 2 - 12.5% increase to workout 1
Weightlifting TIP: Chasing the 1RM PR while sacrificing volume.
With Gym Log Track you can ensure that your volume is not sacrificed while chasing your next One-Rep Max. All too often gym-goers make the mistake of lowering their volume when chasing their One-Rep Max which will lead to a lack of hypertrophy stimulus, causing the muscle's growth to stall.
Weight Loss TIP: Watch out for the cardio and calisthenic trap when targeting weight loss.
If you are solely focused on using only cardio or calisthenics for weight loss, remember that as you lose weight, your volume drops. Cardio and calisthenics use your own body weight as stimulus. For example, let's calculate the volume for a workout of 50 air squats a week.
- Week 1 - weight 250 lbs - volume = 50 x 250 = 12500 lbs
- Week 2 - weight 245 lbs - volume = 50 x 245 = 12250 lbs
- Week 3 - weight 240 lbs - volume = 50 x 240 = 12000 lbs
- Week 4 - weight 235 lbs - volume = 50 x 235 = 11750 lbs
- Week 5 - weight 235 lbs - volume = 50 x 235 = 11750 lbs - stalled