Have you been putting your all into working out, but still not making any progress?
This is a very common and frustrating problem faced by millions of people who want to get fit.
This lack of progress is one of the reasons that cause people to stop exercising.
Applying a few techniques can help you break through those plateaus and stimulate muscle growth.
Unfortunately, a lot of folks approach their exercise routines without a crystal clear and well-thought-out plan for maximum muscle growth.
By the way, building muscle doesn’t mean you want to look like a huge bodybuilder.
Everyone has their own definition of what muscle growth means to them.
For instance; a soccer mom may view muscle growth as developing more muscle tone, while an athlete may equate it with growing bigger muscles.
Regardless of how you define what muscle growth means to you, today you will discover three ways that can help you blast past any plateaus that may be preventing you from making consistent physical progress.
Let’s go over them now…
1)) Use Exercises That Work Two or More Muscle Groups
I’m certain you don’t have an unlimited amount of time or energy when you go to perform your workouts.
Since you can only do a limited number of exercises during each training session, why not consider doing those that work for multiple muscle groups simultaneously?
For instance, the pull-up works your upper back, biceps, and forearms.
The push-up works your chest, triceps, shoulders, and chest muscles.
The shoulder press will work your triceps and your shoulders.
I could go on with many more examples, but I’m sure you get the point.
On the flip side, doing barbell curls will work out just your biceps, which is why this type of exercise is called an isolation movement because it only works for one muscle group at a time.
Isolation exercise movements take the same amount of time as doing those that work for multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
Exercises that work for multiple muscle groups at the same time are called compound movements because several muscles are involved with the lift.
Examples of Compound Exercise Movements:
- Squats
- Step-Ups
- Barbell Deadlifts
- Lunges
- Standing Calf Raises
- Bench presses
- Barbell Rows
- Close-Grip Bench Presses
- Lying pullovers
- Push Ups
- Pull Ups
- Dips
- Military Presses
Why not get more out of each training session in less time and still stimulate new muscle growth or become more toned?
Pick and choose exercises that work out multiple muscles to help streamline and supercharge your workouts from this day forward.
2)) Change Things Up Every 2-3 Weeks
If you keep doing the same exercises again and again, your body will get used to the movement and you'll stop seeing as much growth from your workouts.
You must understand that once your muscles are able to handle a certain exercise movement and not feel challenged, you will stop making progress.
Why?
Because when you perform the same workout over and over with the same amount of weight and/or intensity, your body becomes efficient.
When that happens, you’ll hit a plateau and further muscle growth including toning will cease to exist.
To avoid this frustrating scenario, change things up every couple of weeks.
Use different exercises that target the same muscle groups. Do your reps slowly rather than quickly or vice versa.
Try high weight, low rep if you've been doing high rep exercises - or vice versa.
Every once in a while, try out a completely different workout style. If you generally do weightlifting, for example, try adding in some kickboxing once every week or two.
You may want to try cycling during your training.
For example; you could perform 12 to 15 reps per exercise using lighter weights for the first 2 to 3 weeks. Then increase the weight a little so that you’re only able to perform 8 to 10 repetitions for the next 2 to 3 weeks. For the next 2 to 3 weeks, you could increase the weight or resistance so that you’re only able to perform 6 to 8 repetitions of each exercise.
You get the point.
In short, figure out what your pattern is and change things up so you're keeping your muscles guessing at all times.
3)) Spend No More Than 40 Minutes Working Out
If you're determined to build a toned body, it can be very tempting to work out for a long time. For example, you might spend an hour and a half a day exercising really pushing your muscles to the limit.
The reality is, however, spending more than 30 to 40 minutes a day working out is really counter-productive.
This is especially true for men because their testosterone levels peak at about 45 minutes into the workout, then begin to plummet.
Keeping your workouts within a 40 to 45-minute time-frame allows you to push your muscles.
You can get optimum results by performing short intense workouts.
Working out past 45 minutes can work against you.
If you go past that, you're just burning energy and preventing your body from rebuilding new muscles.
Remember, your muscles grow after the workout during the recovery phase.
If you choose multiple muscle group workouts, change things up regularly, and exercise at high intensity for short periods of time, you'll quickly find your muscles growing at a spectacular rate.
Conclusion
If you’ve been working out and giving it your all with nothing to show for it, you now have three ways to stimulate new muscle growth.
There’s not a single person who wants to train day in and day out with no return on their investment of time and energy.
You may be aware that most people are not fans of working out and see it as a necessary evil.
That’s not a good attitude to have, because it makes remaining consistent more difficult.
I’m of the belief that if you’re going to put your body through intense training sessions, you should reap the benefits such as developing muscle growth.
The only way to consistently develop more muscle is by following a diet that supports your training, cycling your workouts, changing things up, and proper recovery.
If you want to continue making physical progress, always apply the fundamentals.
Good luck on your journey to develop new muscle growth!
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