Remember the first year or two of training when you were making huge gains and seeing PRs go up a ton all the time? Those were great times. We all wish those times could last forever. However, the longer you train the more incremental your gains tend to become. And, sometimes, it will feel like they aren’t moving forward at all. Here’s a few tips to help you break through a plateau. Just remember, sometimes you have to go “backwards” a little bit in order to progress.
1. Stop always choosing speed over heavy weight. If you want to progress, you’re going to need to work on your weaknesses.
2. Stop always choosing heavy weight over speed. If you want to progress, you’re going to need to work on your weaknesses (do you sense a theme???)
3. Get your technique dialed in – even if it means slowing down and/or reducing weight. If you’ve got sloppy form, you’re never going to able to progress past a certain point.
4. Make sure you’re eating/sleeping/recovering enough. The time spent not in the gym can have as much (if not more) of an impact on your training as time spent working out.
5. Get a session or several with a personal trainer. Sometimes a different perspective and professional knowledge can help you figure out what you need to change to start getting PRs again!