7 Ways to Push Past a Workout Plateau, According to Fitness Experts

Many of us have been there: After making significant gains and steady progress on your fitness goals for weeks or months, you feel like you’ve hit a screeching halt. You’re not getting faster, you can’t lift heavier weights, or you don’t feel ready to bump up your bike’s resistance during a hill climb. If this sounds familiar, you might’ve hit a workout plateau.

This rut can feel frustrating and less than motivating, but we’re here with good news: You’re not alone, and the fact that you might be plateauing means that you’re already several steps into your fitness journey.

“You only plateau if you’re trying to go somewhere,” says Peloton instructor Andy Speer, noting that if you’re not exercising at all or are moving to stay physically fit rather than progress over time (which is a laudable mission too!), you won’t plateau. “If your goal is to lift heavier, lose weight, become faster, or gain muscle, you can plateau.”

Ahead, we’ll walk you through what a workout plateau feels like, reveal why they happen, and decode how to break through exercise plateaus—and possibly prevent them in the future.

What Is a Workout Plateau?

A workout plateau is a “stuck” feeling that stretches for two weeks or more, Andy says. Amidst a training plateau, you don’t see growth in the weight you can lift, the reps you can pump out, the intensity in which you can train at, or the pace of your ride, run, walk, or row.

“An exercise plateau is a stage of progress when your body adapts to the current training demands and stops improving,” explains Heather Baker, a physical therapist at Swedish Hospital—Endeavor Health in Chicago.

There are generally two types of workout plateaus, according to Ryan Wooderson, a physical therapist and the cofounder and director of Revo Physiotherapy and Sports Performance Denver:

Why Do Exercise Plateaus Happen?

There are a number of possible physical and mental causes of workout plateaus, experts say. These include:

1. A Lack of Workout Variety

The most common cause of a workout plateau is doing the same thing every day or every week, Wooderson says, which can easily result in a “spinning your wheels” sensation. Baker agrees: “If someone regularly performs the same exercises at the same intensity, the body will grow accustomed to the load, pace, or resistance, and will no longer be challenged by the demands of the exercise,” he says. 

For instance, maybe you’re devoted to your daily 45-minute cycling class or three-mile run and never mix things up. You’ll be able to perform the same routine just fine, but you’ll likely stop noticing improvements in athletic performance, strength, speed, or weight loss, Baker says.

2. Overtraining

Overdoing your workout routine or cadence without proper rest is another frequent cause of workout plateaus, especially among endurance athletes like long-distance runners and cyclists. 

“People ramping up for a big event can easily get coaxed into either putting in too much volume and time or skipping rest days,” Baker says. “This prevents the body from recovering, and slowly, progress stalls.” Andy adds that the resulting workout plateau is simply your body saying, “enough. You’re already pushing too hard.” 

3. Undertraining

On the flip side, your body needs enough stimulus to learn to adapt and grow, Andy says. If you’ve been training for a while and always, say, opt for 10-pound dumbbells or steer your programming to flat cycling rides—even though you can handle more—there’ll probably come a point when your muscles and heart are no longer being challenged. What was once tough is now a breeze, and your body needs more of a push to progress, Andy explains.

4. Mental Roadblocks

Everything from emotional trauma to untreated depression and anxiety to a disruption in routine, such as travel or late days at the office, can leave your brain drained. While it might not seem related to your physical output, this mental fatigue has the ability to plateau your fitness progress too.

5. A Draining Lifestyle

You can’t get very far when you’re running on fumes. “The body needs balanced nutrition to meet the demands of a workout, as well as rest to allow the body to prepare for the next workout,” Baker explains. “If adequate fuel and rest are not provided, progress will again slow.” Poor sleep and dehydration can also impede advancement.

6. Inconsistent or No Tracking

Perhaps you actually are making progress towards your fitness goals, but don’t notice that you’re moving the needle. “If you’re not tracking your performance, you don’t know,” Andy says. If you’re doing random training without metrics, it’s tougher to gauge what you’re doing, he adds.

Common Signs You’ve Hit a Workout Plateau

Do you feel like your body isn’t allowing you to push harder or make headway? If your answer is “yes,” Andy says this could be a solid sign that you’re in the thick of a workout plateau.

More specifically, common symptoms of an exercise plateau include: 

Keep in mind that these symptoms could also be potential causes of an exercise plateau, depending on the circumstance. If you have any questions or concerns about your symptoms (clearly, there are a lot of possible side effects at play with a training plateau), it’s always a wise idea to reach out to your doctor.

How Long Do Workout Plateaus Last?

“A workout plateau lasts until you do something different—period,” Andy clarifies. 

To overcome a workout plateau, you must identify and then address the cause(s), Baker says. Since that list of possible causes varies widely, a workout plateau can last a few days or indefinitely. That’s why it’s so important to investigate what’s triggering your plateau and try to resolve it promptly.

“The length of anyone’s plateau often relates to discipline: in their rehab, in getting back on routine, or in seeking professional help,” Wooderson says. “There are many factors that might affect a plateau, but the only variable in anyone’s control is their discipline and the choices they make every day.”

How to Break Through an Exercise Plateau

To limit the amount of time you’re stuck in a rut, our experts recommend the following steps:

1. Do a Workout Audit

Although it might seem counterintuitive, remember that you might be pushing a little too much if you’re plateauing. If you suspect you’re overtraining, try dialing back the frequency and/or intensity of your workouts for a month and track your performance. Remember to prioritize an appropriate amount of rest days too.

2. Consider Your Daily Routines 

Take a look at your daily habits and adjust anything that could benefit your recovery and growth. Ask yourself the following questions, and address accordingly if you notice that your lifestyle could use some fine-tuning:

3. Start Small

If your workout plateau feels more mental than physical, go little-by-little back into your fitness routine. “Start with something so easy it would be ridiculous to think you couldn’t do it,” Wooderson says. “Then do it again and again until it would be silly to think of not exercising.”

4. Sprinkle In Some Fun

Another mental motivator: Seeking out opportunities to find the fun in fitness. While important, “not everything needs to be squats and deadlifts,” Wooderson says. “Go for a walk, dance in your living room for 15 minutes, ride a bike, hike, or play with your kid.”

5. Incorporate More Variety

Mixing up your typical exercise routine with cross-training will also challenge your muscles in new ways, making it another stellar way to bust through a training plateau, Baker says.

“There’s a balance between progression and variety,” Andy says. “You need to do the same thing for long enough, but add stimulus.” For instance, if doing a three-mile run five days per week is your fitness M.O., try adjusting to the following:

6. Write Down or Edit Your Goals

To be able to spot and celebrate progress, take a baseline fitness test, then set specific, measurable goals related to what you’d like to improve upon. 

“A benchmark class on the strength platform or the same run or ride is a great way to check in every two or three months,” Andy says. Do the workout, record key metrics (think: reps, resistance, or speed), and then a couple months later, do the same workout again to test how you’ve improved. (Psst: The Peloton App keeps track of several key metrics for you all in one place.)

Remember that you likely won’t make big leaps every single session or re-test, but the general trajectory should be up. “Progression is non-linear,” Andy says. “It will go up and down, in a general upward trajectory. You need to push and back off to allow growth to occur.”

7. Ask for Help 

“Whether it’s with coaching to develop a plan or with another professional to work through physical or emotional challenges, it’s wise to call in reinforcements,” Wooderson says.

Can You Prevent a Workout Plateau?

Exercise plateaus, while frustrating, are extremely common, Baker says. To reduce the chances that you’ll fall into a workout plateau in the future, our experts recommend that you:

The Takeaway

The bad news: Workout plateaus are common and can feel defeating. The good news: It’s possible to overcome and conquer the “stuck” feeling fairly quickly. To do so, you must identify the cause, take steps to remedy the potential block(s), and chart a path forward that supports and allows for development, new PRs, and finding the fun in fitness again.

This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized advice. It is not intended to replace professional medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician for questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. If you are having a medical emergency, call your physician or 911 immediately.