It happens to everyone. You are on the road to a new PR week by week, and it happens. You hit a wall and are stuck. You decide to push through and yet are still stuck. What do you do? How do you beat it? Can you beat it? As the doubts and frustration roll in, you are faced with a choice. You either beat it or walk away. Let’s check out several ways to bust through that plateau.

Option 1. Plateau busting partials

People hit plateau’s all the time. If they didn’t, everyone would simply continue to get stronger and stronger. I have yet to see a man bench press 2000 pounds, so yes, it does happen. Whether you are trying to beat your PR (Personal Record) on deadlifts, or bench pressing, the diagnosis is the same. Find the weak spot and exploit it. Deadlifts can be difficult coming out of the hole, and completing the lift. The key is to find which area is your sticking point. Using our example of deadlifts, as you are lifting determine whether you have trouble at the top or bottom of the lift. Once you find this out, you can choose to do “partials”. This means you complete that portion of the lift, to improve technique, form, and strength. All aspects required to push forward.

This option needs to be chosen with caution. If you have been training hard and heavy for 12 or more weeks, it might be time for a de-load. This involves reducing your workload by around half of its current volume. You will also come nowhere near your 1RM (1 Rep Maximum). Cut all training sessions in half. Half the number of sets and half the weight normally used.

Option 2. Get Negative

This does not mean you need to start trash talking yourself. There’s no need to look like the weirdo in the gym. This advanced technique involves incorporating a weight that is heavier than your current 1RM. You will need a spotter to complete these properly. Choose a weight that’s around 5-10% more than your 1RM. You will only complete the negative (aka eccentric) portion of the lift. So, for a bench press this would be lowering the weight to your chest. The goal is to lower the weight as slowly as possible. You will only be able to complete 1 or 2 negative sets per workout.

Option 3. Hibernate

As stated before, the body knows when it’s time to rest. If you’ve been going hard and heavy week after week, you may simply need a rest. I have seen countless people trying to push the realms and achieve goals. Only to have them fall flat due to injury. Do not allow this to happen. Do not get greedy. If you have reached 10 to 12 weeks of continuous training, take a week off. If that is a bit too much for you, then opt for the deload week (explained above). Basically, reduce all things by half.

There are other options to push past your plateau. However, these options are nearly foolproof and provide fantastic results. The key is to understand your body and what it needs. It’s a terrible waste of time and effort to push yourself to the point of injury. The feeling of breaking through a plateau is great. Breaking an arm, that’s a different story. Lift smarter, not (necessarily) harder.