Getting Through Training Plateaus

“Why am I not making progress?

I feel like I am eating right, training hard, and sleeping well, but…”

If you have felt this way before you certainly are not alone! We all hit training plateaus, periods of time where we feel progress has become stagnant, and it is entirely normal and expected. However, that doesn’t mean it is time to hang up the workout clothes and sit with a tub of ice cream. It just means we need to tweak our approach.

The three areas we should examine to explain this plateau are training, nutrition, and sleep. Though there are tons of small things which could be taking away from your results these are the big three! 

For Training:

Let’s start by asking, have you been in a routine? Are you repeating the same workouts over and over again? If so, a simple change could be adding more variance, not only will the new stimulus cause your body to adapt, but it is far more enjoyable to try new things!

If you are doing CrossFit, this is likely not an issue, we get plenty of variance for you to keep up the enjoyment of training. 

Next, I would look at intensity, are you hitting your workouts hard enough? Though you don’t need to lay on the ground in a puddle of your own fluids every day, you do need to push yourself to see results. If you are not working on the edge of your physical and psychological tolerances it will take a lot more time to improve.

For Nutrition:

The reality is most of us don’t have the time, or mental energy, to weigh and measure every gram that goes into our mouth. But you do still want to be aware of how much we are getting! Do an inventory of your daily intake, and spend 2 days weighing and measuring your food to get a good idea of what your portions should look like. It is easy to forget how much chicken it really takes to get 20g of protein! 

Make sure you are eating enough food to fuel your body, while also supporting your body composition goals! Huge caloric deficits are out of style, we are no longer starving ourselves to get rid of a few pesky pounds. Focus on how your body feels when you are well-fueled, and try to replicate that every day!

For Sleep:

The reality of training is that without rest, we can’t recover. If you are sleeping poorly, in terms of time or quality, you are digging yourself a hole. You need to recover between training sessions, if you don’t you’ll end up exhausted, overtrained, and injured. Focus on getting as much sleep as you (consistently) can! We all have busy lives, and I know it is impossible to say “Never sleep less than 7 hours per day!”, but avoid sleeping less than 7 hours whenever possible! 

Try setting up a nightly routine, for example: set an alarm and plug in the phone, set up the coffee pot, lay out your clothes for tomorrow, do your nightly hygiene routine, then have some quiet time before laying yourself to bed. If you have a consistent way to wind down each night your brain will start getting tired as soon as you plug in your phone. Leading to better quality sleep.

If you have any questions about training plateaus and how to deal with them reach out to me here: Justin@JustinSweeneyCoaching.com