What to Do When You Stop Getting Stronger
You’re working out and getting stronger. Suddenly, your weight training no longer works. You’ve hit a plateau. What to do? Get-Fit Guy has the solution.
Ben Greenfield
If you lift weights frequently (and you should, given the anti-aging and fat-loss benefits of weight training), then you may have found that at a certain point, you simply stop getting stronger.
This can become an issue because when you stop getting stronger, your muscles are not being challenged adequately for you to get all the hormonal, metabolism-boosting, and toning benefits of strength training.
So the question is, what should you do if you stop getting stronger? Do you increase the amount of weight that you lift? Or change to entirely new exercises to throw a curveball at your body?
A recent study asked that very question. Researchers compared two weight training groups. The first group changed exercises, while the second group kept its exercises the same, but simply increased the weight. The results were illuminating.
Researchers found that changing up your exercises to new exercises is a more efficient way to produce strength gains for physically active individuals. However, this only works as long as the training intensity is tough enough.
See also: 7 Ways to Add Variety to Your Workout
So if your only goal is to get stronger, then change up your exercise once you stop getting stronger with the exercises you’re currently using. Otherwise, if your goals are simply to maintain tone or to build muscle, you can simply increase intensity and keep your exercises constant!
If you have more questions about what to do when you stop getting stronger, then join the conversation over at Facebook GetFitGuy!
About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.