How can you stay motivated to continue your fitness journey, even when you hit a plateau or find it tough?
I get it, you’re showing up to the gym 3-5x a week, meal prepping and eating healthy 80+% of the time, but you’re not reaching your big hairy goals you set for the new year.
It’s super frustrating, because you know you’re doing “all the right things” like your accessory work from Coach Dan, and saying NO to cookies in the office, and you deserve to see the results that come from it.
You’ve hit a plateau.
Plateaus aren’t the worst thing to happen at the gym; they’re a natural part of life & training, and they can actually be where a lot of the real growth comes from.
A plateau is “maintenance mode,” and that can be a nice place to hang out when life is super busy or when you’ve just completed a major life event.
We don’t always have to chase the next milestone so quickly because, eventually, the novice gains will wear off.
When you first start lifting, it’s usually easy to add 5-10lbs per week on an exercise and go from a 50-100lb deadlift in a short period of time.
It would be nice if this continued forever, but then we’d all be lifting 1000lbs!! Woohoo!
The reality is, when you look at the experienced powerlifters: it could take a year to put 10lbs on a lift.
Is that a plateau? No, they’re still busting their butt training 6x a week!
But the novice gains have worn off, and every pound must be fought for and earned.
In fact, rushing this novice phase can actually be detrimental, because you’ll reach your current potential much sooner, vs pushing that ceiling up higher and higher slowly.
The same thing happens when you follow a crash diet. You lost a bunch of weight quickly, but then are more likely to rebound because you haven’t spent time creating a new set point.
If it’s a tough season for you, find the minimum daily & weekly actions that you can take that will still keep you pointed towards your goals.
Here are a few tips for when this happens, either with weight in the gym or weight on the scale.
How do I handle a strength plateau?
In the world of barbell strength, progress isn’t linear.
You won’t add 5 lbs to your back squat every single week forever. When the numbers stop jumping, it’s time to shift your focus from the weight on the bar to the quality of the movement.
- Refine Your Technique: Use this “slow” time to master your deadlift, squat, and press mechanics.
- Show Up Anyway: Motivation is a feeling; discipline is a choice. Our most successful members, whether that’s the ones who lose 80+ lbs and keep it off, or the ones that have been with us for 9+ years, are the ones who show up even when they aren’t hitting PRs.
- Lean on the Team: This is why we train in a community. When your own drive is low, the energy of your coaches and Radix Community will keep you going and help you focus on enjoying the JOURNEY rather than focusing on the results only.
Why did my weight loss stall?
When it comes to nutrition, plateaus are often just your body finding its new “normal” after a period of change.
I’ve been there myself—I plateaued for about a year after losing 25 lbs when my twins stopped nursing.
It wasn’t because I was “failing”; I was just in busy maintenance mode, focusing more on training (and surviving toddler life LOL) than being strict on food.
If you’re stuck, stop looking for a “magic” cottage cheese recipe or the latest influencer hack.
Usually, the answer is getting back to the basics:
- Prioritize Protein: It is the foundation of nutrition for a reason.
- Audit Your Habits: Sometimes we wait too long to make a change. I waited until last January to fix my own plateau, and then lost and kept off 12lbs since then, but you don’t have to wait for a specific date to get the support you need.
We have Nutrition Club Clients starting all year round. - Focus on the Long Game: Real results happen in real time, with real people. Remember kids, the internet is not a real place LOL. Living the RadixLife is about building habits that last the next 10 years, not just the next 10 days.
Is it time to change your plan?
Sometimes a plateau is a sign that your current routine has become “background noise” to your body. If you’ve been “winging it” or following a generic app that doesn’t care if you show up, you’re going to hit a wall.
Are you actually showing up 4-5x/week, or is it more like 2-3x?
Are you actually following your meal plan 90+%, or is it more like 65%?
Let’s take a look together and see what needs to change to move the needle on your progress.
At Radix Gym, we don’t do “mirrors and machines” workouts, or the average 45-minute sweat sessions.
We lift heavy and sprint fast, in whatever way that looks like for you, personally. We provide the smart programming and the tough love accountability you need to break through the boring part of your fitness journey.
Ready to get unstuck? Book a Free Fitness Consult to see how we can build a plan that actually fits your busy life, whether here with us in Oakville or online arond the world.