We have all been in this situation. The physical return on your training is no longer there. You don’t seem to be increasing your 1 RM or you are not seeing any change in muscle growth. In your desperation you turn to social media or bodybuilding magazines for advice. While they might offer great training advice, it is probably not the answer you were looking for, largely due to the fact that most articles default to the most popular exercises. So, what is the solution? The Fitness Maverick, Gareth Sapstead, suggests that you need to start thinking out of the box. But what does that mean for your training?

What To Do When You Hit a Training Slump?

Our bodies are remarkable in their ability to adapt to the load that is placed on them. However, if there is no new stimulation on the neuromuscular system then our bodies can not only plateau but could also go into a state of detraining. To avoid hitting the plateau we need to think out of the box and avoid just performing similar exercises. Let’s look at some methods you can use to give a fresh spin on your routine. Learn more about how to stay motivated when the newbie gains end.

Exercise Selection

As Gareth mentions, bench press is possibly the most performed exercise. Gyms are packed with people loading the Barbells with weights to give their pecs a good workout. You can still focus on training your pecs but change the exercise. Instead of performing the flat bench press, why don’t you try an incline bench. You could also select Dumbbells instead of doing barbell exercises. Both changes will create the new stimulus we are looking for and result in adaptations to strength and muscle size.

Exercise Routine

Does this sound familiar? Chest session on Mondays, then a back session on Tuesdays leaving arms for Wednesday and at some point, squeeze in a leg session? We are creatures of habit and tend to stick to our routines. In a similar way to performing the same exercises over and over, by sticking to similar routines you are not forcing your body to adapt. Once again, with a bit of outside the box thinking you can make that breakthrough in your training. Gareth suggests pre-fatiguing your muscles to elicit a change.

To do this select an isolation exercise first and follow that by a compound movement that targets the same muscle group. For instance, if you were training the chest you could perform cable flys on a Functional Trainer and follow that by doing bench press. You will have to lower the weight of your bench press but by pre-fatiguing the chest you will get that burning sensation that is fantastic for hypertrophy.

You can also look at changing your training completely. It generally takes around three weeks for the body to adapt. So, you could perform a three week block of training of a certain style of training such as max strength training and then switch over to a new block of training such as HIIT training. Kettlebell or battle rope Tabata routines can still be used for strength gains while changing the stimulus and you will find your body would be more responsive when you switch back to a max strength training block.

Training Intensity

Training intensity, usually measured as 1 Rep Max and the training loads can also be manipulated to create a change in training stimulus. We tend to get stuck in a rut of performing 5 sets of 5 reps with the heaviest weight we can push for those reps. Simply changing this around can create the change you are looking for. Reduce the 1 RM to 70% but increase the number of reps. Or you could try pyramid training where you start at a certain percentage of 1 RM and increase it by 2.5% for each subsequent set.

Don’t keep following the same advice. Think outside the box. Start with certain exercises and routines and allow the body to start adapting. Then, once the body is feeling comfortable, “shock” it by making a change to the routine. Throw in a new exercise for the same muscle group or increase the reps with a lower weight. Maybe you want to add in some explosive exercises rather than always doing the slower exercises. There are so many variations and methods to make sure that you can keep the body adapting. All you need to do is think out of the box.

Written by guest author Brendan McBirnie.

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Tags: Target Area > Waist