How to Break Through a Strength Plateau: Tips for Intermediate Lifters
Hitting a strength plateau is something every lifter will encounter at some point in their journey. It can be frustrating when your progress stalls, even though you’re putting in the work. If you’ve been stuck at the same weight or level of progress for weeks, it’s time to reassess your approach. Here are some proven tips to help you break through that strength plateau and continue making gains.
1. Embrace Progressive Overload
Progressive overload is the foundation of all strength training success. If you’re not consistently increasing the weight, reps, or intensity of your workouts, your muscles will adapt to the current workload, halting further progress. This principle is simple: to get stronger, you need to gradually increase the challenge on your muscles.
Start by adding small increments of weight (as little as 1–2 kg) to your lifts each week. If you can’t increase the weight, focus on adding a few more reps or sets to push your muscles past their comfort zone. You can also vary the tempo of your lifts to add a different form of intensity.
2. Incorporate Accessory Work to Target Weak Points
Strength plateaus often arise because certain muscles aren’t keeping up with the main lifts. This is where accessory exercises come in handy. These movements target specific muscle groups and help build overall strength to support your major lifts.
For example, if your bench press has plateaued, incorporating accessory exercises like close-grip bench press or dumbbell tricep extensions can help strengthen the supporting muscles and improve your overall bench press performance. Similarly, adding rows or face pulls can help improve posture and back strength, which is crucial for deadlifting and squatting.
3. Ensure You’re Resting and Recovering Properly
One common mistake that leads to plateaus is overtraining. Your muscles need time to repair and grow stronger, so if you’re pushing them too hard without enough rest, you could actually hinder your progress. Make sure you’re giving each muscle group adequate recovery time between workouts, and consider adding in active recovery days, such as light cardio or stretching sessions.
Additionally, getting enough sleep and maintaining proper nutrition are key components of recovery. Ensure you’re consuming enough calories and protein to fuel muscle repair and growth.
4. Vary Your Training Program
If you’ve been doing the same workouts for months, your body may have adapted to the routine. It’s important to mix things up to keep challenging your muscles. Try switching up your rep and set schemes, incorporating different types of lifts, or even experimenting with new training styles like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or periodisation programs. This variation will keep your muscles guessing and encourage new growth.
Ready to take your strength training to the next level?
At VALT Coaching, we can design personalised programs to help you smash through plateaus and achieve your lifting goals. Contact us today!