In training, there are many methods one can take to get stronger or keep fit. However, some of them may cause an athlete to plateau, or be unable to advance any further.
One mistake people make in training that can cause them to plateau is trying to improve everything at once. When training, it is only natural for athletes to want to see results of their work. As such, many might be tempted to do workouts that will show up all over their body. Although this works for beginners, after a while, the results will become less and less apparent as the workouts become easier for one’s body to handle. This is because the stronger a person becomes, the more stress his or her body will need to experience to grow even stronger.
In order to keep from hitting plateaus, an experienced athlete can decide to work on one part of their body specifically, increasing the workouts in difficulty as required. This allows the specific part of the body to continue to grow as desired, without hitting frustrating setbacks. Goals should also be set early in the process, to provide added motivation for somebody approaching the limits of his or her strength.
Similarly, another mistake people can make that causes them to plateau is using too many exercises in training. Higher-level athletes who are seeking to keep fit and get stronger need to focus extensively on the part of the body they are seeking to improve, as a result of how far along they are. Varied methods of training that focus on more exercises with less time spent on each will almost certainly not cause any visible improvement, so workouts for such high-level athletes should be simple, focused solely on what needs to be improved.
A third mistake people can make is training at the highest level at all times. While this may seem like a strange thing to worry about, spending too much time exercising like a maniac can actually be bad for one’s body. As such, high-intensity workouts should only be done 2-3 times a week, with lesser (but still useful) workouts taking up the remainder.
By following these steps, athletes can avoid the frustration of hitting a plateau, and shatter their own expectations. You can also learn how to avoid training plateaus and get optimal results here: STACK Sports Performance Training
