5 Reasons Your Fitness Has Plateaued
You’re completely dedicated to your fitness routine. You hit the gym regularly, give it 100% each time, and even track your progress. There’s just one tiny problem. You’ve stopped seeing any. No matter how hard you train or what you do, you no longer see any positive results. If this sounds like an all-too-familiar tale, you could have hit a fitness plateau. Here are five possible reasons you should consider.
5 Reasons Your Fitness Has Plateaued
1. Your Nutrition Needs Some Work
If you’re not giving your body the fuel that it needs, there’s no way it can perform well. Eating well is a baseline requirement when it comes to training. Should you find that you’re struggling to reach your fitness goals, you may want to consider making some changes to your everyday eating plan. The truth is that the diet you follow could have a serious impact on your overall performance.
For instance, one study from Edinburgh Napier University found that consuming antioxidant-rich leafy greens can help prevent the stress your body encounters during a workout. The research suggested that consuming these food products around two hours before you train could yield the most effective results.
Of course, when creating an in-depth nutrition plan, you should consult with a medical professional first.
2. You’re Overtraining
Make no mistakes: rest and recovery are essential parts of the training process. Failing to give your body the time to recuperate is a mistake. Period. When you start to struggle with your training regime, that’s a red flag that you’ve been training too hard.
Other signs include tiredness, irritability, insomnia, and a loss of appetite. When you notice these things, it’s important that you take a reasonable break so that your body can recover.
3. Your Programming is Off
Creating an effective training program for your fitness level is perhaps one of the hardest obstacles. You might think that your routine is effective but if you’re finding it hard to progress, there might be a simple reason for that. Your programming – like the number of reps you’re doing or the weights you’re using – might not suit you.
It’s a highly common issue and it could be the very thing that’s holding you back here. If you’re having trouble getting your regime right, it might be worth working one on one with a coach. Doing so will mean that you can get the expert advice you need to help you create a schedule that will enhance, rather than stall, your performance.
4. You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep
Are you getting enough sleep each night? It might sound obvious but if you’re not getting enough rest, it could be having an awful impact on your workout routine. Research from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests that sleep loss can negatively affect your training and slow down your responses.
Should you find that your training has plateaued, you may want to consider improving your nighttime routine.
Of course, when you’re stressed out or have a poor work-life balance, it’s only natural that your sleep may suffer. What’s important here is acknowledging that fact and finding a way to combat it. >
Decreasing your stress levels, keeping a stable routine, and taking the time to unwind after work could all help to boost the amount of sleep you ultimately get.
5. You’re Not Varying Your Workouts
Are you stuck in something of an exercise rut? We hear you. If you keep to the same exercise routine week in, week out, you might want to think about switching things up. Exercise plateaus often come about when you fail to challenge yourself physically. So, if you constantly complete the same routine, your body will get used to it and it will feel too easy. Instead, it’s worth varying your workouts and trying new routines. Give it a go!
Sadly, there are few things more frustrating than feeling as though your fitness has plateaued. If you’re not moving forward in your training, you need to get to the source of the problem. Consider these five points and see if any are the root of the issue. Making some small lifestyle changes could help to reboot your workouts.