Keep your Muscles Guessing and They Will Keep Growing

As we are all aware working out is a great way to build and tone muscle. When we first begin to workout we usually for the first little bit see quick results, but as a lot of us who have been working out for a good amount of time know that this quick growth slows down, and most of us have even experienced the workout plateau. The workout plateau is where your muscles get stuck at a certain size or strength and you notice that you are unable to make anymore gains. The reason you hit a workout plateau is because you muscles after a while become used to the stress that they have to endure during the workout, because of this they do not feel the need to get any bigger because they are able to effectively handle what is being thrown at them.

Workout plateaus often leave people discouraged and wondering if they will ever make gains again. The good news for everybody that has come across this problem before or are currently experiencing it, is that there is a solution. The even better news is that it is a lot easier than you think it is. The key to overcoming a plateau is to surprise your muscles with something new. This surprise will shock your muscles into growing again. In the following paragraphs I will give you a few suggestions on how to bust through your plateau and start seeing those gains that your working hard for.

The whole reason that your muscles have stopped growing is because they have gotten used to the current way, or intensity of your workout. So the key here is to keep your muscles guessing. Every 4-6 weeks you should change something in your workout just to keep the element of surprise. Some of these changes could be any one of the following.

Order Change Up
After a while of working out on the same plan your muscles will be accustomed to the order in which you do your exercises so if you take a week off and then start working out again, working out in a different order this will shock your muscles because they will be expecting something different.

Increase Reps or Sets
Increasing the amount of reps or sets you do in a particular exercise will cause your muscles to experience a change in intensity. This change in intensity will tell your muscles that they will now have to get bigger and stronger in order to be able to handle this sudden change in intensity. This is another great way to bust through your plateau.

Exercise Change Up
As most of us are aware there are dozens of different exercises our there that work out certain muscle groups. To get past your plateaus try changing your workout to include new exercises for each muscle group. This could also include going from barbell exercises to dumbbell exercises.

Supersetting and Dropsetting
Adding these lifting variations to a workout have helped many to overcome their plateaus, as they add a great deal of intensity to your workout. Supersetting for those of you who aren’t sure is just doing one exercise and then right after going to another exercise that hits that same muscle group. Ex. Bench press to flyes. Dropsetting is where you move to a lighter weight after your firs set without any rest, so benching with 50lbs and then with 40lbs and then with 30lbs all without resting.

Everybody who works out will eventually hit a plateau if they don’t keep their muscles guessing as to what they are going to have to endure next. The next time you hit a plateau simply try one of these tips or come up with a creative way of making changes to your workout that is going to leave your muscles shocked and begging for mercy.

About The Author-- Nate is the owner of the website http://www.healthandfitnessfocus.com as well as the blog http://nateshealthandfitness.blogspot.com These sites are filled with great information on weight loss, fitness, nutrition and much more. I would encourage you to visit my website or blog for more valuable information.

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