Stuck in a Rut

If you weight train on a regular basis, the time will come when your routine will no longer yield results. Your muscles will just become accustomed to your routine and stop growing.

Assuming that you have realistic expectations for yourself, your muscles should continue to grow if you train properly. Just remember that researchers have concluded that the human body cannot make more than 1 pound of muscle per week, no matter how hard you train.

If your expectations are in check and you are still not seeing the results you want, there are ways to get out of your rut.

First, change your work out. Change the exercises you do for each muscle group. Different exercises target the muscles differently and even slight changes will help get you back on track. Alternatively, you can lift heavier with fewer repetitions or lift lighter with more repetitions. You can also change rest periods or range of motion.

Finally if you are a beginner to weight training and have been doing full body or even two-day splits, you might want to ramp up your program and go to a three or four day split, which is more taxing for your muscles.

Other important factors to consider are nutrition and recovery. Make sure you are feeding your body the proper amount of protein after your workout. Your muscles need protein to replenish and grow. Lifting weights and then denying your muscles of the protein they need defeats the whole purpose of weight training. Although there is no precise amount of protein that you will need, most experts agree that if you work out, you need approximately 1.2-1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (or 0.6-0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight).

Finally, your muscles need at least 48 hours to recovery time. Muscles don’t grow during a workout. They grow during rest. So if you’re not allowing the adequate time for them to grow, they simply won’t and your intense workout will have gone to waste.