Today we’re going to tackle something that every lifter, athlete, and overall high achiever eventually runs into sooner or later: the infamous plateau.

It’s that moment when all progress seems to come to a complete stop—and no matter how hard you push, everything is at a standstill, and it can feel like a constant uphill battle to make any progress.

If you’ve been training for any amount of time, you’ve probably already experienced this. You start off strong, you’re adding weight to the bar, and you are building muscle. But then, all of a sudden, it just comes to a complete stop. The numbers quit going up, your motivation starts to slip away, and you’re left wondering, “What in the hell is going on here?”.

I’m using the gym as an example because it’s where most people are going to experience plateaus, but this isn’t just something that happens in your training. I’ve seen this same pattern show up in business, personal growth, and every other aspect of life.

What I’ve come to realize is that the longer you work on something, like improving your fitness or building a business, the bigger your goals will have to become over time. That’s because the objectives must get bigger as you progress, which will require more effort to see results. It becomes an endless cycle of always having to take that next step upward.

Your first wins are usually pretty easy to obtain. Things like dropping 20 pounds in bodyweight, deadlifting 315, or hitting 6 figures in sales are results that most people can get without a ton of effort. But with every milestone you reach, you are going to have to tackle something larger to continue growing. That’s when things start to get more difficult and discouraging.

It’s frustrating because you’re putting in the same or even more effort than before, but results are coming at a much slower pace. When this happens, it’s easy to start thinking, “Am I doing something wrong?” OR, “Am I just not good enough?”

The answer to both of those questions is “yes.” You are doing something wrong, and you aren’t at a higher level yet. But that’s okay because it’s the same process that everyone has to go through—you’re not alone.

I’ve been there countless times myself, and I understand now that plateaus are necessary and even a good problem to have. They are the obstacles that you have to overcome to level up. ‍

‍You see, your body and mind are built to quickly adapt to stress. It’s a survival mechanism. They quickly get used to what we throw at them, and you must keep applying more pressure to continue evolving. So, when the same routine stops working, it’s probably not because you’re slacking. I mean it might be, but you know if you’re putting in the effort or just fucking off.

Either way, if your routine isn’t working anymore but you are putting in the right amount of effort, it’s because your system has adjusted to the workload, and it’s time to apply more tension that will force you to evolve.

You can look at plateaus as your body’s way of telling you that it’s ready for a new challenge. You’ve made it this far, but now you have to stack new and bigger victories if you want to continue progressing.

It’s tempting to go all out when progress stalls because you think that brute force will break through that wall. But that’s not always the answer. As a matter of fact, most of the time, working harder without an actual strategic plan of attack just leads to burnout or injury, which is the last thing you want. When that happens, all motivation goes out the window. You will get frustrated, start comparing yourself to other people, and eventually fall into this toxic loop of self-doubt.

Here’s the truth: You absolutely have what it takes, and no plateau is permanent. You just need to approach it differently.

In this article I’m going to break down:

• Why plateaus happen 
• What’s really going on when you hit that wall
• And how to break through it and continue moving forward.

Once you understand how to handle plateaus in the gym, you’ll start to see how these principles apply to every aspect of your life. Whether it’s business, relationships, or just overall personal growth. It all comes down to making the right kind of adjustments and approaching it with an actual strategy.

So, let’s dig into the heart of the problem—because plateaus aren’t just about numbers that stop going up. They come with a whole set of mental and physical challenges that can really mess you up if you don’t handle them correctly.‍

Why Plateaus Happen‍

The first thing we need to talk about is the mental side of it all because this is where most people get blindsided.

When you’re showing up day after day, giving it your absolute all, and the results stop, it’s going to start messing with your head. That’s pretty much guaranteed. You’ll start questioning everything. When self-doubt starts to creep in, it’s easy to begin spiraling.

This is where things can get bad because you start comparing yourself to everyone else OR you decide to recklessly push harder without a plan because you think that going berserk is the solution.

Unfortunately, neither of those approaches really work in your favor. Comparing yourself only makes you feel worse and sets unrealistic expectations, and brute force usually ends in things breaking, like your body and mind.

Which leads us to the whole physical side of all the situation. When progress stops, the natural reaction is to panic, to carelessly pile on more weight, squeeze in extra sets, and even skip time off to recover. And yeah, that might work for a little while, but eventually the cracks start to show, and you’ll be right back where you were before, if not further off course.

It’s the same cycle that I’ve seen so many people fall into—including myself: Work hard. Plateau. Panic. Push harder. Burn out.

This always leads to you being stuck on the sidelines, taking weeks or even months to recover when it could have been avoided.

So, the key problem isn’t just that progress comes to a standstill. The real issue here is that plateaus push people to the brink mentally and physically, which causes them to give up or push so hard that they end up putting themselves in a weaker spot. Once that happens, it’s a long, frustrating climb back up to the top.‍

What Really Happens When You Hit that Wall‍

This is why so many people get stuck. They think the solution is to just do more or throw in the towel, but in all reality, the solution is just doing things better.

To do things more efficiently, you have to understand that effort without strategy won’t get you very far. You need to have a solid plan of attack to obtain victory.

Now, before we dive into how to do that, it’s important to understand that plateaus are a good thing because they force you to grow.

Because of that, you actually develop a deeper appreciation for the whole process.

Think about it for second: When something comes too easily, we tend to take it for granted. But when you really have to put in the work and break through the resistance, you come out the other side with real lasting strength and gratitude.

So, plateaus are actually proof that you are moving in the right direction. They aren’t a stop sign, they’re a reminder to develop a better strategy to push through the opposition.

Having to overcome plateaus will build resilience and allow you to keep moving forward in every aspect of life. You stop looking at every little obstacle as a defeat, and instead, you just take a step back to figure out how to overcome it.

When you do finally break through plateaus, it’s not just your body that is getting stronger, your whole mindset is going evolve as well. You stop relying on quick wins and develop the patience to play the long game, and that is when you really start to dominate life.

You can look at it this way: Small, consistent improvements over time will always lead to massive results. Progress doesn’t always look exciting in the moment. You’re not going to hit PR’s every training session or see huge gains every week, but those small victories will continue to stack up if you stay consistent and adjust your strategy along the way.

These plateaus you hit are going to push you to be more intentional with your effort. They teach you to track your progress, experiment with new strategies, expand your knowledge, and cultivate lasting patience. These are skills that most people never develop because they’re too focused on instant gratification—but you have to have these traits if you want to win at life.

At the end of the day, hitting a plateau makes you more deliberate. It’s going to shift your focus from short-term, shallow results to long-term triumphant growth. Once you cultivate that mindset, you stop seeing plateaus as setbacks and start recognizing them for what they are: opportunities to level up physically and mentally.

So, let’s talk about how to break through plateaus, and we are going to do it with a strategy called progressive overload.‍

How to Break Through Plateaus: Progressive Overload‍

Progressive overload is simple to implement but the return is pretty much infinite.

Your body only grows when it’s forced to handle more than it’s currently used to. But here’s the thing, you’re not going to put it back into growth mode by making huge, reckless jumps. You start seeing progress again by making small, intentional improvements over time.

You can think of it like building a fortress brick by brick. It’s not a big deal at first, but if you keep laying those bricks, day after day, the final result will be solid and lasting. This should be the main goal for your body. 

You need to make this machine of yours strong and capable so you can dominate every aspect of life for as long as possible. That’s why we have bodies in the first place—they are vessels that allow us to navigate the physical world.

So, let’s go ahead and break this down into some practical steps that you can start using immediately.

Increase the Weight: The most straightforward way to apply progressive overload to your workouts is to increase the weight you’re currently lifting.

Once you’ve nailed a lift with actual solid form, add a small amount of weight—like 5 to 10 pounds. And yes, I know that doesn’t look exciting and won’t get you a bunch of likes on Instagram, but you have to leave your ego at the door if you want to build lasting strength. 

Those small increases might seem irrelevant at first, but over time, they will add up into huge results.

Increase the Volume: Now, if the weight feels too heavy to increase immediately, you can always increase your volume instead.

So, for example, if you’re doing 3 sets of 8 reps, try 3 sets of 10 reps. It might seem like a small change, but increasing the workload on your muscles will force them to grow and adapt.

Reduce Rest Time: Another way to challenge your body is to reduce rest time between sets. If you’ve been taking 2 minutes of downtime between sets, try cutting it down to 60 seconds. 

This forces your muscles to recover faster, which increases intensity and helps build endurance. Just make sure you’re not sacrificing form. This is about smart effort, not reckless effort.

Increase Efficiency: Now, sometimes the key to progress isn’t adding more—it’s just a matter of doing things more efficiently—which is actually almost always the case. 

What I mean by that is you can tighten up for your form, slow down your movements, and increase your range of motion. Controlled, deliberate reps engage your muscles in ways that make the same weight feel 10x harder. It’s definitely not glamorous, but this approach is the best bet for long-term results. And anyone who’s been playing this game for a while will have more respect for you.

Track Your Progress: Now, this final piece needs to be done regardless of all the other steps—track your progress.

Remember this: What gets measured gets managed. Don’t try to keep everything in your head. Write down your workouts. Keep a log of your weights, reps, sets, and rest times. This not only keeps you accountable, but it also shows you exactly where you are and where adjustments can be made to continue progressing.

Now, there are more strategies that we could go over but this is a good starting place without it getting overwhelming.‍

Develop Your Plan of Action‍

I want you to take one of these strategies that we just talked about and apply it to your next workout if you have hit that wall. You don’t need to do a massive overhaul of everything overnight; just choose one small change and commit to it.

The one that makes the most sense if you’re not already doing it is tracking your progress.

Remember to trust the process, even if it feels slow and boring. I promise you that those small victories are going to build momentum, and that momentum is what will continue to carry you forward.

Everyone, at some point, has also hit a wall when pursuing a goal. What separates the ones who succeed from the ones who quit is the ability to keep moving forward, even when it feels like progress has stalled or started to decline.

You need to have an attitude of unwavering positivity and keep that vision of who you want to become in your mind’s eye. This is what will carry you through.