Whenever you are faced with a plateau just remember one thing, it is happening for a reason. Usually, people lean towards genetics as their excuse, however in my experience, only a small minority have really extracted all from their DNA! Below are 5 steps I strongly recommend for overcoming plateaus in muscle growth. 

 

Step 1 - Assess Everything 

 

Before you begin another week of training, step back and asses everything that you are doing. When was the last time you tracked your training volume, reps achieved with specific weight, counted the rest between sets and actively chased overload?

 

Many people fall into instinctive training without any direction whatsoever. Although I do like to use instinct on times, I am always aware of the key variables which dictate progression. By assessing everything I am confident you will quickly notice there are many areas you can improve with your training. Becoming aware of this is the first step!

 

Step 2 - Challenge Yourself 

 

Challenge yourself to push harder in the gym, tracking this with numbers. For example, people following the Health Kik Muscle Gainer programs will have new workouts every week to get through - I encourage them to beat their previous best within specific rep ranges. Sometimes it is as simple as selecting one compound lift for each muscle group and making it your mission to get stronger on that!

 

Step 3 - Introduce New Stimulus 

 

The best workout for muscle growth is the one you haven't done yet, or at least for some time. This alludes to the fact that introducing new forms of stimulus is a great way to activate new muscle fibers, avoid stagnation in the gym and target both forms of muscle hypertrophy (many are not aware, you have myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy). 

 

This is why the Health Kik Muscle Gainer program has a very varied way of training, where members are constantly challenged by new training styles each week. 

 

Step 4 - Slow Down

 

Start learning to feel your muscle work harder by slowing down the eccentrics on every rep - suddenly the weight becomes much harder and your central nervous system becomes more engaged. Using a 4 second count is a great place to start, this is particularly powerful for muscle groups which are stubborn. 

 

Step 5 - Add Frequency 

 

Members of Health Kik on the Muscle Gainer Program will tell you that there is increased training frequency on certain muscle groups. Approximately 4-5 days after training a muscle group there is added volume on the same body part, doing this helps elevate muscle protein synthesis in that muscle again. This must be done the correct way otherwise you can create too much inflammation in the area. 

 

Kris Gethin 

​