If you have been lifting weights for a while now, chances are you may have hit a plateau in one or many of your different lifts, or you feel like you are no longer progressing to your goals. Oftentimes we get into a rhythm and end up repeating the same workouts because they worked
for you in the past or it’s what you are comfortable with, which may result in progress slowing down or coming to a halt all together. This can be very frustrating when you are still working hard but don’t see any beneficial changes. The saying if you train the same you stay the same
is often the issue, you need to change it up to confuse your muscles. Here are a few ways you can switch your workout up to keep the body guessing and keep working towards those goals.

Sets, Reps and Recovery:
If you are doing the same reps and sets every time you workout your body will adjust. So if you have been doing 12 reps for a while try doing heavier weight for 6-8 reps, or lighten the weight and do 15-20 reps. You can also add sets to increase the volume of your workouts so
instead of doing 2-3 sets do 4-5 sets. Also try changing up how long you give yourself rest in between sets, for toning usually you want less time in between and for strength you want longer breaks but try changing it up.

Repetition speed:
Another great way to confuse your muscles is by changing the speed at which you complete each rep. The standard concentric lift is 2 seconds on the way up and 2 seconds on the way down. Eccentric training is done by lifting the weight up in 1 second and then controlling the weight down for 3-4 seconds. Eccentric training has been shown to break muscle down faster than the standard concentric training.

Different workout:
If changing the reps and speed at which you lift doesn’t help break through your plateau then you may need to change up your workout. You don’t need to cut everything you have been doing and start from scratch but try introducing a few new workouts to your routine each day.
You can also change up what type of equipment you are using like dumbbells, bands, machines, and barbells.

If you are still not seeing any results from these changes you may need to look in other areas than your workout. Make sure you are getting enough sleep, your diet is what it needs to be, and that you are not overtraining. If you are still stuck it always helps to have a fresh set of
eyes, working with a personal trainer may help give you some new ideas and fresh information to help get you over your plateau and back on track to reach your goals!