In a Fitness Rut? How to Get Results Again

The Muscle Mass Plateau

Despite lifting and increasing your protein consumption, you’re not gaining size or seeing improved muscle definition.

What to do:

Increase your calories
Men who are trying to increase muscle mass and lose unwanted fat may be sabotaging their efforts by consuming too few calories. “Most guys know that they need adequate protein,” says Antonucci. “But if they’re watching their physique, they may not be eating enough calories to induce muscle weight gain.” Getting a resting metabolic test from a sports dietician can help you find a specific recommendation, not just an average or estimate, for exactly how many calories you need to gain, and maintain, muscle.

Go back to basics
Fitness trends come and go, but you can’t go wrong with the classics. Mucurio recommends maximizing your time at the gym by focusing on compound, functional movements like squats, deadlifts, pushes, and pulls. “These exercises utilize multiple muscle groups simultaneously, forcing your body to use more energy and recruit more muscle fibers,” he says. If you’ve been working at a challenging weight and still aren’t seeing results, try doing fewer reps at a heavier weight. “Many times you will build strength, size and definition by simply working three to five sets of three to five reps at a challenging load,” says Mucurio.

Change your perspective
The primary focus of exercise should always be on its health and performance benefits, says Garber. “There are physiological limits on how much improvement you can make, so make sure you are realistic,” she says. In other words, if it’s not in your genes, you may never have six-pack abs or jacked shoulders, no matter how hard you train. But that doesn’t mean you won’t live to be 100 and be able to out-run and lift men half your age. And while it’s important to have goals, chasing some unattainable stereotype of an ideal body can lead to a tailspin of frustration and unhealthy choices. It may sound trite, but it’s worth remembering: Work for your best body, not someone else’s.

The Performance Plateau

You train religiously and push yourself during every session, but your endurance has flat-lined, and you’re not setting any new PRs.

What to do:

Dial in fuel and hydration
This is another area where limiting your intake can actually backfire, says Heidi Skolnik, certified nutritionist and owner of Nutrition Conditioning. Often, athletes are too restrictive with their calories and under-eat, she says. Inadequate fueling zaps your energy, which leads to a subpar performance and prevents you from getting the most out of your training. It doesn’t take much to ensure you’re ready to work — Skolnik says 15 to 25 grams of carbohydrates prior to a workout is all it takes to ensure you’re ready to work. That could be a bowl of instant oatmeal, or a small banana.

Dehydration and electrolyte depletion can also mess with your performance (and make you feel like crap). Athletes should consume fluids before, during and after exercising, says Antonucci. “If it’s humid, or you’ve got a particularly long and rigorous workout lined up, be sure to bring along water and salt tabs or an electrolyte replacement drink,” she says. Don’t worry so much about the sugar content of that sports drink either, she adds. There’s a time and place for everything, and while a bottle of Gatorade isn’t a smart choice for a night on the couch, it’s appropriate after a 10-mile run in the sun. 

Be cautious of overtraining
You may think “overtraining” is only for those who are slogging through multiple sessions every day. Not so. “Overtraining can also be considered training on lack of sleep and during stressful times in your life,” says Mucurio. “Your body does not differentiate between physical, mental, psychological and social stressors. Therefore, any stress placed on the body can limit your gains.” Make sure that you’re giving yourself time to recover, and allow space to take care of other aspects of your life — even if it cuts into gym time. “It is important to take rest days,” says Garber. “You may be physiologically or psychologically fatigued – or both.”

Mix it up
If you run the same four miles and work through the same weight-training circuit three times a week, you’re bound to hover around the same levels of endurance and strength. “Your body is an amazing machine that quickly adapts to any stimulus,” says Mucurio. “You should switch it up every six weeks to ensure constant improvements.” That could mean swapping cycling for running, lifting dumbbells instead of a barbell, doing more reps at a lower weight, or vice versa. “Adding new movements, different training strategies, and switching the sets and reps will all help you get over that hump,” he says.