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How to Bust Through Training Plateaus

When I was new to strength training, I used to constantly chase one rep maxes. I was enjoying the beginner gains phase of my lifting career by adding weight to the bar almost every single workout. This was one reason I fell in love with powerlifting early on: it was exciting and empowering to see such rapid improvement.

However, as any experienced lifter knows, I wasn’t able to sustain this rate of progress forever. It started to take longer and longer to set new PRs. My workouts became more grueling and I had to work harder to eke out smaller gains. Eventually, my progress seemed to stall altogether. I hit my first training plateau.

It seems many of my friends and readers are experiencing similar frustrations, because I’ve been getting a lot of questions about plateaus. After working with hundreds of clients over the years, I have learned that when progress stalls at the gym, people are usually making at least one of these mistakes:

  1. Chasing too many conflicting goals at once.
  2. Always performing the exact same number of reps.
  3. Never switching exercises.
  4. Only focusing on barbell lifts and neglecting assistance/accessory/supplemental exercises.
  5. Not following a structured training program.

I’m going to share my top strategies and solutions to overcome all five of these roadblocks below. Addressing just one of these in your own training can make a significant difference for your results, making your training much more enjoyable.

Get clear about your goals

When asked about their goals, many people say they want to get stronger on their big lifts, and lose weight and build muscle, all while training for a 10k race. This kind of shotgun approach to training is a recipe for lackluster results and frustration. For best results, pick one goal to focus on at a time.

Although the bulk of my training centers around certain core principles, I always tweak programs depending on individual client goals. I want all my clients to build strength, but the client who is training for a powerlifting meet needs more specificity and intensity than the client who just wants to feel better on a daily basis. I believe everyone should perform some cardio, but clients who want to lose weight may need more than clients whose priority is to build muscle.

It’s important to have a clear focus so we know what’s important right now and what can wait. We can’t do all the things all the time at the gym. Instead, choose one major goal for every 3-4 months of training. In addition, I rarely recommend clients chase the same goals all the time because this also leads to plateaus, frustration, boredom, and burnout. Instead, most people should shift gears at least a few times per year.

If you’re not sure what to focus on, try picking your goals based on the season. Winter and spring are great times to focus on fat loss as you get ready for the summer. When the weather is nice, cut back on gym time so you have more freedom to be active and spend time outdoors. In the last third of the year, prioritize building strength and muscle to capitalize on the extra holiday calories you’ll be consuming. Structuring your training in this way can help you make steadier progress over the long term.

Sometimes it’s your diet, not training, that’s causing the plateau. If your primary goal is to lose fat, your results are heavily affected by long-term diet adherence. You can’t out train your diet if you’re consuming more calories than you need. On the flip side, some people don’t eat enough to support their goals. If you want to get big and strong, you need to eat lots of high quality foods to support intense training. Consuming a high quality protein source and some carbs around your workout time can make a world of difference for your performance at the gym.

Train in different rep ranges

Almost every time I talk to a new client who’s been stuck in a rut, they’ve been doing the same number of reps for a long time. Whether you use 5×5, 3×10, or are constantly trying to hit 1 or 2 rep maxes, you won’t make progress indefinitely. Eventually, you need to make a change to introduce some novel stimulus to your training.

What that change looks like depends on what you’ve been doing. If your training looks like mine once did – lots of heavy, low rep sets – try building strength in higher rep ranges. If you’re doing a lot of higher rep sets, try reducing the reps and moving heavier weights. I like to change reps every 4-6 weeks to avoid excessive fatigue or plateaus. However, some people (mostly newer trainees) can get away with longer periods of time.

When I write programs for my clients, I select reps based on an alternating linear periodization model I learned from the coaches at Strength Faction. Here’s how this works:

Let’s say my client is about to start a four-month block of training. In month one, we start by performing six reps on their big lifts to lay a solid foundation. The next month we drop the reps down to three. My client should be lifting significantly heavier weights on the same exercises. In the third month, the reps jump back up to five. If my client can move the same or heavier weights for the additional reps, we’ll know they’re making progress. Finally, I reduce the reps to two in the final month. This is where all the hard work my client has put in over the last three months really pays off. Performing only two reps gives them the chance to set new PRs and move some serious weight.

I’ve found this to be the best approach to ensure consistent long term progress for the vast majority of my clients. You get stronger, your training stays interesting, and you are less likely to get injured or stuck in plateaus.

Switch exercises

No one can make steady progress on the same exercise forever. If you aren’t seeing strength gains, or if an exercise is leaving you excessively sore or tired, it may be time to cycle it out of your workouts for a while.

Don’t perform every exercise you know each time you go to the gym. I see this most commonly when people are trying to build muscle. For example, their chest day includes flat bench, incline bench, decline bench, flyes, and pushups in a single workout. What happens when their progress at the gym slows or they stop building muscle? They have no fresh exercises left to substitute. It’s better to leave a few exercises out of your regular rotation so you can cycle in new things when you hit a plateau.

What if your goal is to build strength on specific exercises? Won’t taking a break from these exercises hurt your progress?

When I was first getting into powerlifting, I spent over a year following the Westside Barbell method. Most of the Westside training focuses on exercises that are similar to, but not exactly the same as, the big three powerlifts. Building strength with these alternative exercises can help improve technique, improve your weak spots, and make you a more well-rounded lifter who is less prone to injuries.

Instead of just doing the same big lifts all the time, try building strength with these same-but-different options:

Instead of back squatting, try…

  • Barbell front squat
  • Barbell zercher squat
  • Safety bar squat
  • Box squat (could be back, front, zercher, or safety bar)
  • Heavy dumbbell or kettlebell squats
  • Heavy single leg movements like step ups, split squats, and lunges

Instead of bench pressing, try…

  • 2 or 3 board press
  • Barbell incline bench
  • Barbell floor press
  • Close grip barbell bench press
  • Heavy dumbbell pressing variations

Instead of deadlifting, try…

  • Switching stance (sumo vs. conventional deadlift)
  • Rack pulls from different heights
  • Block pulls from different heights
  • Trap bar deadlift
  • Heavy kettlebell deadlifts

Don’t neglect other exercises

Once you’ve been lifting for a while, it’s difficult to get stronger or build muscle using only the big barbell lifts. If you want to avoid injuries and see steadier progress, include plenty of dumbbell, kettlebell, cable, bodyweight, and even machine exercises. I group these other exercises together and call them “assistance training”, because while they aren’t the main focus of your workout, they support you as you work to achieve your goals.

On numerous occasions, I’ve met with new clients who want to build strength but who aren’t doing much in the way of assistance training. They’ve spent a lot of time practicing with the barbell but they can’t perform a quality RDL, lunge, row, or dumbbell press. It’s amazing how much progress they make just by introducing a handful of targeted assistance exercises to their workouts.

Here’s a quick rundown of some of my favorite assistance exercises to help you get stronger on the three powerlifts.

If you want to build a stronger barbell squat, try…

  • Dumbbell and kettlebell squats
  • Single leg exercises like step ups, split squats, lunges, single-leg squats
  • Glute bridges and hip thrusts using a variety of implements
  • Leg curls
  • Core exercises like dead bugs, planks, and other anti-core movements

If you want to build a stronger barbell bench, try…

  • Dumbbell pressing: flat, incline, decline, floor press
  • Lots of upper body pulling, especially horizontal rows of all kinds
  • Pushups
  • Tricep isolation work like cable pushdowns, close grip pushups, and skullcrushers

If you want to build a stronger deadlift, try…

  • Other hip hinges like Romanian deadlifts, pull throughs, and kettlebell swings
  • Lots of upper body pulling, especially horizontal rows of all kinds
  • Grip work, especially loaded carries
  • Glute bridges and hip thrusts using a variety of implements
  • Core exercises like dead bugs, planks, and other anti-core movements

Read more: Core Training Beyond Crunches

Follow a structured program

I’ve included a ton of information about goal setting, program design, exercise selection, and training philosophy in this blog. If you feel overwhelmed, or simply want to ensure you’re doing the things you need to do to keep making progress, you are best off following a structured training program. Hiring an in-person coach or an online trainer is the best way to get a program uniquely tailored to your goals, likes and dislikes, and resources. When you work directly with a coach, they can also tweak your program as you go if you aren’t seeing the results you want.

Getting in shape is a long game. Practicing patience, regularly re-assessing, and taking a big-picture approach to your training can keep workouts fun and help you push past the inevitable training plateaus.

Looking for a training program? I created Full45 to help you get strong and see renewed progress even if you have minimal access to equipment and little time to train. Check it out to grab your copy for three months of structured done-for-you-workouts.

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Try This to Set New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Actually Keep

It’s that time again: time to pull out the planners and chart a course for the new year.

For many people, setting New Year’s resolutions is an enjoyable process. It can be exhilarating to think of all the big things you plan to achieve. There is a sense of hope and possibility around this time that can difficult to recreate later in the year.

For others, this time of year is full of anxiety, disappointment, and even shame. Maybe you didn’t accomplish everything you wanted to over the past year. Perhaps you’re reminded of a resolution you’ve repeatedly set and failed to keep. You may feel so overwhelmed by your immediate challenges that it’s difficult to take a step back and think about the bigger picture.

Here’s some good news: failing to achieve goals doesn’t mean you are a failure. Setting goals isn’t necessarily something you’re good at right out of the gate; it is a skill you need to be practice and develop. Regardless of your past results, you can use certain strategies to set more realistic and meaningful New Year’s resolutions this time around.

I’ve previously written about finding goals which actually matter to you and the deeper meaning behind the most common health and fitness goals. Today I want to discuss goal setting from another angle: how the types of goals you set affects whether you make lasting changes.

Outcome Goals vs Habit Goals

We are all familiar with outcome goals:

  • I want to lose 70lbs.
  • I want to gain 15lbs of lean muscle.
  • I want to deadlift twice my bodyweight.
  • I want to run a sub 4 hour marathon.

All of these are worthy goals. Unfortunately, we ultimately don’t have much control over whether we achieve them because we cannot control exact numbers or outcomes.

What we can control are our actions and behaviors. That’s why I often work with clients to turn their outcome goals into habit goals.

A habit goal focuses on the actions you take to support your desired outcome. Accomplishing a habit goal is totally within your control because you are the one who decides whether you’ll take positive action every day.

Let’s look at the first goal listed above – wanting to lose 70lbs – and break it down into habit goals. What does it take to lose 70lbs? What habits do I need to develop to make this goal a reality?

These are the “big rocks” you need to move to lose a large amount of weight. But these are still too vague to make much of a difference in your daily life. So the next step is to break these down into a handful of smaller practices.

Let’s just look at the first bullet point, consistently eating in a caloric deficit. I’ll list the two nutrition practices which made the biggest impact on my journey to lose 70 lbs years ago:

  • Logging my food every day to gain an awareness of how much food I was eating and make sure I wasn’t consuming too many calories. (Read more: All About Food Logging Parts 1, 2, and 3)
  • Cooking my own meals at home most of the time so I could control the quantity and quality of my food. (Read more: How I learned to cook and you can too)

Once you’ve broken down your big rocks, your list should consist of things under your direct control. Cooking and logging my food were behaviors I could do every day to move the needle closer to my ultimate weight loss goal.

Instead of focusing on the number of pounds I wanted to lose, I focused on consistently nailing these new habits. Every day I checked those boxes, I could feel good about my choices. Although I couldn’t know exactly how much weight I would lose, I knew I would progress as long as I kept practicing these habits.

habit checklist todo list new year's resolution
Focusing on daily wins creates more long-term success than focusing on numbers and outcomes.

The Power of Daily Practice

The best habit goals are those you can practice every single day. Bonus points for goals like the two I listed above which you do multiple times per day.

It takes practice and patience to build new habits, especially if you’ve been set in your old ways for a long time. The more exposure you have to new positive changes, the more success you will have.

One of the best parts about setting habit goals is learning to love the process of self-improvement. It’s so easy to get hung up on numbers or fall prey to quick fixes when your only goal is to reach a specific outcome. You do whatever it takes to get where you want to go without considering whether your approach is sustainable. Once you reach your goal, it’s easy to fall back into your old ways and ultimately end up back where you started.

On the flip side, practicing habit goals helps you write a new script and make lasting changes. Even if you never reach the exact number or outcome you were hoping for, you will be better off than where you started. You learn what works for you and what doesn’t. You find ways to enjoy training, cooking, and whatever else you’re doing as opposed to just viewing them as means to an end. This is where the magic of lasting change happens.

One of the most powerful habit goals you can set in the new year is to become a more consistent exerciser. Getting in the gym on a regular basis benefits not just your physical health but also your mental health and sense of identity. Now is the best time to figure out how to make exercise a staple of your routine. If you’re struggling, check out my 4C System Course. I created this free 5-day email course to help busy professionals get more consistent with exercise. Sign up using the box below and you’ll receive the first lesson right away.

Have a happy new year and here’s to your good health!

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Why Motivation Doesn’t Work (and What to Do Instead)

What is motivation exactly?

At some point, we’ve all been fired up to work out:

  • Perhaps you watched an inspiring video and you’re excited to hit the gym.
  • If you just signed up for a race or purchased a new training program, you may feel eager to start your new workouts.
  • Maybe you’re one of the millions of people who, upon reflecting about the last year, feel a strong push to make changes on January 2.
  • Motivation can also come from a negative experience, like not being able to button your favorite pair of jeans.

Many of us prefer to be in the right mood before we work out. If we “don’t feel like it,” we may not go to the gym today. Sometimes, when we don’t want to work out but know we should, we search for a bit of inspiration. If we can just find the right video, story, or transformation photo, then we will find the energy to drag our butts to the gym.

The problem with relying on motivation is that motivation is fleeting. It’s a feeling, and feelings come and go. Allowing our actions to be dictated by our feelings gets us into all kinds of trouble because we can’t truly control our feelings, only our responses to those feelings.

We need some way to ensure action even when we are dealing with a negative emotion or lack a positive one.

If you constantly seek motivation, the things that once inspired you will eventually lose their effectiveness. Those videos of impressive physical feats, tear-jerker personal posts, or jaw-dropping before and after photos? Eh, not doing it for you anymore. Now you have to keep chasing some new and novel source of motivation. Eventually you become numb to all of this stuff and still don’t feel like going to the gym.

Motivation feels good in the moment, but it can be counterproductive to long term success. We start to crave this good feeling and associate it with working out. On days we don’t feel motivated, inspired, or energized, it is  even harder to drag ourselves to the gym.

motivation doesn't work exercise momentum
You shouldn’t always expect to feel like this.

The solution? Use momentum

Think back to your high school physics class when you learned about inertia. Inertia is a property of matter that states that a body in motion tends to stay in motion, while a body at rest tends to stay at rest. This has many implications beyond its literal scientific application.

Getting started is always the hardest part of making a change. Once you’ve gotten the ball rolling, you’ll have a much easier time sticking with your new routine.

We are all creatures of habit, and habit can work for or against us. The choice is up to you. Make a realistic plan and don’t allow yourself to give up as you wade through the challenging first steps. Put your gym time on your calendar as an important meeting that cannot be skipped. After a couple weeks of practicing and keeping your commitments, your new habits and routines will start to become more automatic.

Momentum helps keep us going so we don’t skip the gym just because we aren’t feeling it. We may not feel inspired to work out, but we go anyway because we’ve been doing so well and don’t want to stop. This is the power of building momentum – the positive effects of your own actions take the place of fickle and fleeting feelings of motivation.

Our core identities start to change as we build momentum. When we consistently keep our commitments, we begin to look at ourselves in a different light. Instead of being a person who always skips the gym, we gradually become a person who never misses a workout. You can accelerate this process by deciding to live as if you’re already the person you want to become. Ask yourself, “what would a fit person do in this situation?” “If I never struggled to stick to an exercise routine, what decisions would I make today?” Then act accordingly.

Read More: How Taking Action Changed My Life (And How You Can Do the Same)

What to do when motivation doesn’t strike

Here’s my quick and easy advice for what to do when you don’t feel motivated to go the gym: do it anyway.

Each time you show up you build positive momentum, making it less and less likely you’ll skip workouts in the future. The majority of your workouts will feel pretty mediocre, and that’s perfectly ok. Just show up and do the best you can.

There are, of course, legitimate reasons to skip a workout. If you’re sick, it’s in everyone’s best interest for you to stay home. Emergencies, last-minute meetings, and unavoidable changes of plans happen. However, when you find yourself about to skip the gym, honestly consider whether you have a real reason not to train or if you’re just feeling uninspired. Consistency trumps everything else in the long run. It may seem harmless to skip a workout when you’re feeling lazy, but over time skipping chips away at your results.

If you find you are consistently unmotivated, you may need to reassess your training. Many people feel pressured to chase goals which don’t resonate with them or align with their values. Sit down and think about what is truly important to you. If your current workouts aren’t getting you where you want to go, it may be time to change course. Make sure your workout program is realistic and appropriate for your schedule and your fitness level.

If you’re still struggling to stick to a training routine, find some extra accountability. It’s much harder to bail on the gym when a trainer or workout buddy is there waiting for you.

Lastly, make sure you’re spending plenty of time doing things you like. Training should ultimately be fun and enjoyable on some level. If you don’t enjoy your workouts, you won’t stick with them for long.

If you want more tools, tips, and strategies to help you dominate your health and fitness goals, sign up for my email list here. I’ll send you my 4C System, a free 5-day email course teaching you to become a more consistent exerciser (without overly relying on motivation).