Why Am I Not Making Progress?

We know that hitting a plateau at the gym, despite your best efforts, can be one of the most frustrating experiences. You're putting in all the work, sweating it out session after session - but somehow the results just stop showing. It's a common problem faced by many, and sometimes it can even tempt us to throw in the towel. The good news is: it's often due to a reason that’s easy to fix once you identify it correctly. So let's look at the three critical areas you need to account for to push past your current limits and continue making progress. And if that’s not it, we offer some food for thought at the end of this article, so keep reading.

1 - You're Not Eating Enough

The Role of Nutrition in Fitness

Proper nutrition is the foundation for your training. Food is the fuel that powers your workouts and provides your body with the building blocks it needs for recovery. Before you even start to wonder about macros, you should ask yourself if you are eating enough calories. Because if you're simply not eating enough, your body won’t have enough energy to repair and grow muscle effectively. It's vital to ensure your calories in at least match your calories out, or better exceed them if muscle growth is your goal. Of course these calories should ideally come from a balanced diet with around 1.5-2.0 g of protein per kg of body weight per day [1]. 

Signs You Might Be Under-eating

The most common symptoms of under-eating include constant fatigue, prolonged muscle soreness and an overall halt in progress (aka the dreaded plateau). If you're experiencing these - it might be time to reevaluate your diet!

Solutions

Incorporate more nutritious, calorie-dense options into your meals and snacks. Focus on a healthy balance of macronutrients. Protein is particularly crucial for muscle repair and growth, so make sure you're getting plenty [2] - how about a nice smoothie with peanut butter and banana post-workout? If you feel stuck, consider talking to a nutritionist. 

2 - You're Not Sleeping Enough

The Impact of Sleep on Recovery

Sleep is widely underestimated. It isn't just a time-out from daily life - it's when your body undergoes most of its recovery and muscle-building processes! Hormone regulation, including the release of growth hormone, occurs during deep sleep [3]. Practicing good sleep hygiene can be difficult depending on your individual circumstances, but it is one of the most powerful recovery assets in your toolbox. Getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep nightly can significantly impact your recovery and performance.

Signs of Insufficient Sleep

Increased muscle soreness, irritability, trouble staying focused and a drop in workout motivation can all be signs you're not getting enough Z's.

Solutions

One of the top tips to improve your sleep quality is to establish a consistent bedtime routine - going to sleep and waking up roughly at the same time every day, including on weekends. Catching some natural light during the day and avoiding blue light from screens at night can help stabilize your circadian rhythm [4]. It can also be helpful to optimize your sleeping environment for comfort and relaxation, keeping your bedroom cool and dark. If you feel like you suffer from insomnia, it might be a good call to speak to a healthcare professional.

3 - You're Not Challenging Yourself Enough

The Principle of Progressive Overload

For continuous progress, you need to keep challenging your body beyond its current capabilities. This is the basis of what’s known as progressive overload [5]. If your workouts feel comfortable, you've likely hit a plateau because your body has adapted to the demand and it’s time to increase the intensity or difficulty of your training. This could be achieved for example by adding more reps, weight or sets, or decreasing your rest periods.

Signs of a Plateau

If your workouts feel easy and you're no longer seeing improvements, it's a clear sign you need to take it up a notch.

Solutions

Especially if you are newer to working out, we strongly suggest speaking to your coach or trainer about reviewing and adjusting your workout plan. They will help you with suggestions for increasing the weights or altering the structure of your training to reintroduce challenges and stimulate growth in a safe, meaningful manner. It’s important not to overshoot to avoid injury or overtraining.

Food for Thought

There you have it. Stalling progress in the gym is in most cases caused by not eating enough, insufficient sleep, or not challenging yourself adequately. But what if you’re already nailing all of these areas and still feel stuck?

If you feel like none of these applies to you, here’s some food for thought: How do you measure success? Because we think it doesn’t only mean hitting a new PR every few months. Has your technique improved? Did you learn a new movement? Has your relationship with your body improved? Do you feel more confident? Did you overcome a challenging period in your life? All of these are great indicators of success and progression that have nothing to do with how much weight you lift or how fast you run. 

We'd love to hear how you've overcome your fitness hurdles. Share your experiences and tips for smashing through plateaus with us - and keep pushing towards your goals!

Sources

[1] Pencharz PB, Elango R, Wolfe RR. Recent developments in understanding protein needs - How much and what kind should we eat? Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2016 May;41(5):577-80. 

[2] Phillips SM, Chevalier S, Leidy HJ. Protein "requirements" beyond the RDA: implications for optimizing health. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2016 May;41(5):565-72. 

[3] Steiger A. Neurochemical regulation of sleep. J Psychiatr Res. 2007 Oct;41(7):537-52.

[4] Giannotti F, Cortesi F, Sebastiani T, Ottaviano S. Circadian preference, sleep and daytime behaviour in adolescence. J Sleep Res. 2002 Sep;11(3):191-9.