How to Break a Fitness Plateau

Plateaus stink and we’ve all been there. You’ve been following your diet 100% and hitting the gym regularly. You’ve already dropped weight and everyone is noticing the change. Then all of a sudden the progress stops! However, you never changed your diet or routine, you’ve been doing everything the same. What gives? And what can you do to finally make progress again? Let’s find out.

Cut back on Salt and Sodium
Water is attracted to sodium like a magnet, so when you down a little more salt or sodium than usual, you may hang on to extra fluid. Two cups of water (16 ounces) weighs one pound, so a shift in fluid will have an immediate impact on the scale. The best way to slash sodium is to skip the saltshaker or sodium-laden seasonings and eat more fresh, unprocessed foods.

Change up the Tempo
When suffering from lack of progress, try slowing down each rep, especially during the lowering portion of the exercise. The slow tempo will boost the amount of time the muscle is under tension, while increasing the overall difficulty of the exercise.

Get More Sleep
Getting too little sleep can cause a chain reaction of decline in your health. It can be the reason for the plateau itself. Make sure you are getting enough sleep every night. Make a bed time and stick to it!

Try New Techniques
Try a new workout routine or new workouts. By changing your workout routine and adding new workouts to your routine you will exercise new muscles and help stop the plateau.

Put these tried and true tips into action, and soon you’ll be saying, “What weight-loss plateau?”