What to do if your muscle gains hit a plateau

You’re pumping iron, getting gains, life is good! Then… nothing. You work harder, lift heavier, but muscle growth that came so fast at first now stubbornly refuses to go any further.

When you've hit a muscle plateau, the solution might seem obvious. Just lift your work rate and do more reps. But the human body is a tricky beast and will do anything it can to stay comfortable, so you may need to come at this roadblock from a few different angles.

If you’re no longer seeing muscle gains, here are three things you can do to give your training the best chance at success:

1. Stick to the program and be real with yourself

If you’re pushing for gains, make sure you’re doing it right. Let's put your routine through a checklist:

Am I completing every workout as prescribed?
Am I skipping or short-changing rest breaks during my workouts? Not resting between sets is a common mistake that will make it hard to progress your training loads, blunting your muscle building.
Am I performing exercises with the correct technique?
Is the weight I’m lifting too easy? If so, it may be time to add weight.
Is the weight I’m lifting too heavy? If so, chances are you’re not completing enough reps or you’re cheating your form to compensate for more weight.
Are you coming into training energized and giving it your all? You know when you’re giving a workout maximum intensity – so dial it up and push for more.

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2. Nail your nutrition to overcome a weight gain plateau

From a nutrition perspective, there are a couple of reasons you may find yourself stuck on a muscle-building plateau.

The most likely reason you’re not seeing gains is quite simple: you’re not eating enough.

Gaining muscle mass requires a calorie surplus. You may need to add extra snacks or meal portions to your diet.

Start by adding a couple of extra snacks or a super smoothie throughout your day, or add extra carbohydrates (such as sweet potato or rice) to your dinner. Increase your intake slowly and see how your body responds.

If it’s not a lack of calories holding back your gains, it could be your protein spacing. If you are following your Planner on Centr that should lay the foundations – but the frequency of your intake makes a difference.

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Aim to eat good quality protein every 3 hours throughout the day for optimal muscle protein synthesis – at least 0.7-0.88oz/20-25g every time.

Don’t forget, your needs will change as you make progress with your training. As you gain muscle, your metabolism is increasing, which means you’re burning more energy and you need to eat more to stay in a calorie surplus. If you don’t adapt to this progress, your results will plateau.

3. Get some sleep

Getting enough sleep during a muscle-building program isn't just about having the energy to get up and do it all again tomorrow. Along with the nutrients you’re getting from your food, blood flow to your muscles increases when you fall asleep, aiding repair and growth.

Then as you hit that deep stage of sleep, your muscles relax, relieving tension and pain. If this restorative process doesn’t get the chance to play out, you won’t get the full impact from your training. So while you may be smashing it at the gym, remember, your body is doing its best work while you sleep.

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