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21 Ways to Break a Workout Plateau and Keep the Results Coming In

By Greg Brookes

21 Ways to Break a Workout Plateau

Have you hit a workout plateau with your training?

Sometimes no matter how many times you perform an exercise you just don’t seem to be getting any stronger or achieving any more results.

Don’t panic this is very common. Just by making a few changes to your workout you can burst through workout plateaus and continue to make improvements.

Making subtle changes on an ongoing basis will keep your progress climbing just like this:

Hwo to Break through a Workout Plateau

Here are 21 techniques you can use to reinvigorate your workout and break through your workout plateau:

1 – Take Time Off

It is very common for people to do too much. Taking an extra days rest or even a week totally off training could be all you need.

If you lack your usual motivation or your pulse is higher than usual in the morning you are probably overtraining and need a bit more rest.


2 – Speed Up

Increasing the speed of your exercise repetitions will make the workout feel totally different.

If you are used to exercising at a steady pace start injecting a little speed so rather than squatting at a pace of 2 seconds down and 2 seconds up, try 1 second down and 1 second up.

Be careful though, if you are a beginner speeding up an exercise is a quick way to lose form and build up bad habits.


3 – Slow Down

If you are looking to build muscle or are new to exercise slowing down your ‘time under tension’ will make all the difference. Most people perform their exercise repetitions far too quickly. Why? Because slower reps are far more challenging.

If you are performing a push up with a tempo of 1 second down and 1 second up try 3 seconds down and 3 seconds up. Although you will struggle to perform the same amount of reps the rewards will be greater if you are looking to gain muscle.


4 – Rearrange Exercises

Sometimes all you need to spark a fresh change in your body is a switch in the exercise order. As a general rule the most challenging exercises should always be first on the list. So a kettlebell snatch would always be before a push up or squat.

Kettlebell Snatch Exercise
Kettlebell Snatch Exercise

Related: Ultimate Guide to the Kettlebell Snatch

Also the most important exercise should always take priority first too. So if you are weak at Lunging but strong at Push Ups you should always perform the Lunges first.

Take a look at your workout order and see if you can switch things around a bit.


5 – Negatives

Negatives involve concentrating on the eccentric phase of the exercise. The Eccentric phase is when when the muscle is lengthening. So if you think about a Pull Up, the lowering phase is the eccentric part or the negative phase.

Sticking with the Pull Up example, to work on the negative phase you would use a chair to help you get into the top position with the bar at chest height and then lower slowly under control for 5 seconds.

Be warned negatives will leave you feeling very sore but they are a great way to increase strength during a certain movement.

Related: Muscle Soreness, Everything You Need to Know


6 – Partials

Performing just half or a quarter of the exercise can stimulate growth in areas than have not be focused upon before. To perform a partial simply perform only a part of the complete movement.

So if you think about a squat you may do 1 full squat followed by 1 half squat. Another example may be one full Chin up followed by half a Chin Up, followed by half a lowering Chin Up.

I often use partial movements for rehabilitation in order to tighten up sloppy joints.

Kettlebell Goblet Squats are excellent for Partials:

Kettlebell Goblet Squat Exercise
Kettlebell Goblet Squat Exercise

Learn more: 7 kettlebell squat variations you need to know


7 – Drop Sets

This type of training comes straight from the body building handbook. Drop sets are highly effective but should not be over used because they do cause a lot of muscle tissue damage and so require a lot of recovery.

The process is simple, perform for example 10 reps with a weight then reduce the weight and perform another 10, then reduce and perform another 10.

Continue for 4-8 sets until you cannot take any more and have little weight left to move.


8 – Plyometrics

Explosive training like jumping and throwing movements are classed as plyometric. Jumping onto boxes, off boxes, performing jump squats, slamming a medicine ball, clap push ups or jumping lunges are all plyometric exercises.

These are definitely not for the beginner and the chance of injury certainly increases with these types of exercises.

However, if you have hit a rut then a few weeks of Plyometric based exercises with some good recovery in between workouts can really help.


9 – Get Functional

How 3 dimensional are your workouts? Have you tried side lunges? or Rotational Squats or Push Ups? Most people get stuck in a workout routine that is primarily Sagittal or forwards and backwards. In life we don’t just move this way. We bend, twist, turn, step, and rotate all over the place.

If you have hit a plateau then addressing the direction of your movements can work muscle never trained before. If you usually do forward lunges, try a side lunge instead. Spice up your squats by adding a twist at the top.

Here’s an example a Lunge with a Twist:

Kettlebell Lunge with Rotation Exercise
Kettlebell Lunge with Rotation Exercise

Related: 16 Kettlebell Lunge Variations from Beginner to Pro 


10 – Recovery Methods

What do you do once you have finished your workout? Do you eat a meal high in protein and complex carbs? Do you take a cold shower or ice bath? One great way to increase your recovery time is to take a cold shower after your workout. Turn the shower to cold and dive in.

If you have just completed a run then try a cold bath. No need for ice just fill the bath with cold water and sit in there for 5-10 minutes. Changing temperature from cold to warm will help flush toxins from your body and stimulate fresh blood and nutrients.


11 – Nutrition

If you are eating badly then your body will not be getting the fuel it requires to grow and improve. If you have hit a plateau then take a look at your nutrition. Do you eat fresh organic food that is full of life or do you poison your body with dead food made in a science lab?

Want more? 9 most effective nutrition tips for fat loss


12 – Intervals

If you are performing slow steady cardio in preparation for a 5k or 10k race then getting stuck into some interval training twice per week will seriously improve your time. Try running hard for short periods (eg. 30 seconds) and then running easy for a while until you have recovered before repeating again.

If you are not a runner then you can still perform intervals by working hard at an exercise, for example Kettlebell Swings and then resting for a short period before repeating.

Related: 7 Kettlebell Swing Workouts in Under 10 Minutes


13 – Change Equipment

Try something new to shock your body into change. Have you tried Bodyweight Training, Medicine Ball Exercises, Power Clubs, TRX, Powerbags?

You can perform exactly the same workouts but with some different equipment and get a totally different response. The way some equipment moves and how your body has to stabilise it can be a total game changer.

Related: 51 Bodyweight Exercises Your Can Do Anywhere


14 – Single Sided

I once read that we spend 85% of our time on one leg when we are on the move.

Do you train yourself with one legged exercises? Have you tried one legged squats or pistols?

How about deadlifts with just one leg? How about a single arm press or row? Using just one arm or leg is a lot more changing not only for your balance but for your core and stabilisation muscles too.

If you are comfortable with an exercise on both feet then try just one leg and feel the difference. Nothing beats single leg squats for developing shear leg strength and power.

Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift
Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift

Related: Single Leg Deadlift, Everything You Need to Know


15 – Instability

When we move around the ground is very rarely flat. Lumps, bumps and other objects knock us off balance and change our course of direction. If you really want to fire up those small stabilising muscles and bomb proof your body against injury then try performing a few exercises on an unstable platform.

Stability balls or Exercise Balls are great for challenging your balance, so is the Bosu and training on a matted floor. Try performing some forward lunges onto a Bosu and feel the difference as your body fires up all those stabilising muscles.

How about Push Ups on a Stability Ball like this:


16 – More Reps

As a general rule beginners should start out with 4-6 weeks of high rep training in order to condition connective tissue. Muscle develops much quicker than connective tissue due to its rich blood supply. A course of high reps will protect your soft tissue from future injury.

If you have been training for some time then chances are you haven’t performed many high rep sets for a while. Grab a good size weight and perform 20 full squats and just feel the difference that high reps can have.

If you have hit a plateau in your Squatting numbers then a few weeks of 20 rep workouts will see you bursting through to new heights.


17 – Less Reps

If you have been training for some time then a series of heavy sets can give you the neurological advantage that you may need. The classic workout of 5 reps x 5 sets is a definite winner.

Make sure you take 2-3 minutes rest between sets and go for a big compound exercise like Squats or Deadlifts. Limit these types of workouts to 2 times per week due to the huge demands they place on the body.

Kettlebell Pistol Squats are an excellent choice:

Kettlebell Pistol Squat Exercise
Kettlebell Pistol Squat Exercise

Related: Master the kettlebell pistol squat with 5 progressions for beginners


18 – Challenges

There is nothing like an exercise challenge to enliven the spirit and increase motivation. I have put together a number of kettlebell challenges for you to try.

Related: 3 Kettlebell Challenges For You to Try

Generally fitness challenges require a high number of reps and will leave you totally wiped out for a day or two. But this overload to the system may be just the stimulus you require for a few weeks to get you over a hump.


19 – Change Rest Periods

Sometimes we get into a habit and find a comfortable rest period. Grab yourself a timer and shake things up a bit. Chances are you are resting too long between exercises so try knocking a few seconds off and push yourself a little.

I’m sure you will feel more out of breath and even perform less reps on your next set but it may be enough to change things for you. If you are working on strength training then you can try resting for a little longer between sets, even up to 5 minutes.


20 – Change When you Exercise

Do you exercise in the evening, afternoon or morning? Hormonally we are best prepared first thing in the morning. If you are training at night and can manage a morning session then give it a whirl.

Conversely if you find that you are tired first thing in the morning then try an afternoon session. Don’t forget to get to bed on time, by 10.30 is best. Rest is vital for recovery from exercise.


21 – Adjust your Grip

If you are using dumbbells, barbells, or a pulley machine changing your grip can make a vast difference to the muscles used for that exercise.

For example have you tried Chin Ups with a parallel grip? or shoulder presses with a hammer grip? or rows with a reverse grip?

How about the Kettlebell Bottoms Up Grip:

Kettlebell Bottoms Up Clean Exercise
Kettlebell Bottoms Up Clean Exercise

Related: 7 Kettlebell Holding Positions You Need to Know

Take a look at all your regular exercises and see if you can change grip position for a month and see what difference that makes to your strength gains.

To see more posts about general kettlebells workouts and advice, go here.

Now Over to You

Have you tried any of these techniques and broken through a workout plateau?  

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    1. Ekaterina Tabakova Avatar

      Great post, thank you, Greg!

    2. Tammy Avatar
      Tammy

      Hi Greg,

      Thanks for all the tips. What is the neurological advantage that you referred to in number 17?

      1. Greg Brookes Avatar

        Hi Tammy, in answer to your question, basically you improve muscle recruitment so your body becomes more efficient at using the resources that it has. The same principle applies to newcomers, although they are getting stronger it is not through adding extra muscle more down to better muscle recruitment.

    3. Michael Harold Avatar
      Michael Harold

      Like many other people (I presume or hope) my right arm is stronger than the left, but exercise routines do not seem to allow for this. For a sense of equilibrium it would be better to have equally strong arms (legs), what would be the best way of achieving this?

      1. Greg Brookes Avatar

        One little trick you can use is to simply always start with your weaker side and then match that amount of reps on the other. Never do more on the stronger side!

        I’ve used this many times in rehab and it doesn’t take long before the weaker side catches up.