They say that if you want to see results you have to go to the gym for years, but small progress should be noticeable sooner. One of the reasons why you don’t notice progress can be improper alteration of your training program. Everyone is different and bodies develop and function differently between people, but it is completely normal that after some time following the same training program, the body stagnates, which can lead to unwanted results.
How to recognize stagnation?
A lot of signs point to stagnation. However, it is best explained by the feeling of being unable to achieve progress in the set goals, as well as through increased feeling of tiredness and lack of motivation. These are the signs your body uses to tell you that it needs a change. One of the fundamental ways to avoid stagnation, and introduce change, is by keeping track of the progressive overload during your training.
Progressive overload
For an effective increase in muscle mass and strength building it is necessary to include progressive overload in your training. Proper progressive overload encourages body, especially muscle, adaptation which strengthens and increases muscle fibers, consequently influencing muscle growth. Progressive overload approach helps train muscles to enhance force.
Nevertheless, you should be careful. Most people consider progressive overload to be the same as lifting heavier weights, however, it is advised to use a progressive model by which a person is capable of performing all reps and all sets without difficulty and with proper form before increasing lifting weight. If the form is not proper, the risk of injury increases, there is no progress and you can even regress. Additionally, if the weight you lift is upped quickly, the progress can be noticeable, but it will also be short-term. On average, it is advised to increase the overload’s weight by 0,5% - 2% so that muscles would have enough time to adapt to each upcoming overload. Adding isolation exercises helps with overall progress too, but saturation caused by additional exercises can have the opposite effect. Excessive volume of additional isolation exercises can hinder progress and desired results.
What else affects stagnation?
If you have either lost or accomplished your goal, it is necessary to find a new one. Without a specific goal, your motivation decreases, and with that, your will to train. Motivation can be lost by staying within the routine for too long as well. The body adapts to new tasks quickly, so you have to surprise it and give it a new challenge from time to time. You can change your training routine completely, or you can change certain exercises, their frequency, number of sets or reps etc.
And of course, don’t forget to take breaks between your exercises. They help you bounce back well-rested and ready for progress, making us happy that you are achieving that progress with us by your side.
your Gyms4you team
