4 Tips for Breaking a Fitness Plateau

Any athlete who has ever experienced a fitness plateau can tell you just how frustrating this can be. No matter how hard they try to amp things up, it doesn’t seem like they are building any more muscle mass or losing those few inches around the abdomen. In fact, if you are looking to break a fitness plateau, what you ‘should’ do is probably completely contrary to what you ‘are’ doing. Let’s look at four things you may never have considered.

1.

For several years now, athletes have been told that antioxidants are the best supplements to aid in muscle recovery, especially after a grueling session at the gym. While this isn’t bad advice, there may be better information out there. There is no reason to stop taking antioxidant supplements, but Turkesterone may be an option that is effective and has no side effects. While it is still being studied, this ecdysteroid is similar in molecular structure to a steroid but is most often plant-based found almost solely in the ajuga plant. Not only does it aid in recovery but is used to build muscle mass.

2. Take a Break

There is almost nothing worse than trying to work through grueling pain when seeking to build muscle mass. As mentioned above, there is nothing worse than trying to build mass if your muscles need that time to recover. Along with that ecdysteroid, you need to take a break for a day or two to allow your muscles a chance to recover. Supplements like protein recovery drinks and ecdysteroids will help but a break is encouraged as well. Think of it like giving your muscles a good night’s sleep.

3. Mix Up Exercises and Routines

After a while, your body will get used to the exercises you do routinely and may, in fact, stop benefiting from the same pattern of those exercises. Pro trainers suggest that you mix up your exercise routine so that your body begins to respond. It might work well to change up routines after that short break you really need to allow yourself. Perhaps change up exercises after each break so that your muscles’ response time is faster. If you’ve reached a plateau, it’s time to take steps to break it, and mixing it up is one of the fastest ways to accomplish just that.

4. Stay Active in Between Sessions

One of the mistakes many newbie fitness freaks make is to think that taking a break means going home like a couch potato. Actually, it’s quite the contrary. Although you are told to relax a bit, it doesn’t mean that you need to rest for the next three days until you hit the gym again. It is most advisable that you stay active, known as active recovery, in between, even if not exercising, because you aren’t giving your muscles a chance to tighten up. In order to stay loose to heighten recovery, stay active as usual.

In education, it’s called a curve of learning where you retain so much information until your brain needs a break to compartmentalize all of it. It’s the same thing when working a fitness regimen. After a time your body needs a time of adjustment to ‘compartmentalize all that you’ve done to build mass. Unless you take time to recover while giving your body the nutrients and supplements it needs to recover, that time of adjustment may not be as effective as it could be. Breaking through that plateau is easy if you know what to do and these four tips should help.