Bodybuilding/Strength Plateau

When you first start lifting weights, your muscle mass and strength increases tremendously due to the stress placed on your muscle fibers that your muscles are not used to. You'll see great gains for a good amount of time, but eventually you'll reach a point where you just can't seem to gain any more. This is called a Plateau.

Plateau's can be very frustrating. We all have them so don't feel left out, and do not give up hope! There are many ways to blast past a plateau and start seeing big gains in no time at all. Here are a few ways to initiate your gains again!

Change Your Routine
This is probably the main reason that people reach plateau's. If you do the same routine every workout, your muscles will become too accustomed to the workout and will not grow more. Shocking your muscles by doing different exercises is the best way to jumpstart your gains. Do negative reps, where you slowly move the weight down while using a weight that you normally couldn't lift by yourself. Switch to all-dumbell routines to shock your stabilizer muscles. Switch high-rep days with low-rep days.

Eat a lot!
As advised on the "Bulking Tips" page, your body needs calories to grow. If you're training and you're not eating, then expect to see nothing! Consume lots of protein, complex carbs, and good fats.

Avoid Overtraining and Sleep
Your body needs to rest and you need an appropriate amount of recovery time in between workouts, especially for specific muscle groups.