Every bodybuilder hits a plateau eventually. It might happen after 6 months of training, or 6 years. We’re all built differently. No matter how good your genetics are, how intelligently you train, or how careful you are with nutrition, there will inevitable come a point where your gains in the gym stop coming. This point of minimal returns is known as a plateau in bodybuilding circles. It simply means you either don’t have the recovery resources available, or your body has adapted to the training you throw at it. Whatever the cause, muscle growth seems to halt.

When this happens, you should first increase your caloric intake and change up your training. If your body isn’t receiving the nutrients it needs to grow, then your muscles simply cannot grow. Follow that up with a new training strategy. New exercises, rep and set scheme, or even training in a new gym altogether can help a stalled bodybuilder. Finally, taking a break form training for 7 to 10 days might work. Here are a few reasons why actual rest might be the best solution of all.

CNS

Your body’s central nervous system, or CNS, is a huge network of nerves and recovery resources which assist you in growth and repair following not only workouts, but all facets of your everyday life. Over time, the CNS becomes more and more dulled by the bevy of work we throw at it, and its recovery ability can become impaired. A week of rest – or more importantly, a week away from the stressors of lifting – can help to repair the CNS and allow it to help you start growing again!

Joints

You may not know it, but slow buildup of calcium in your joints from years of lifting may be causing you to suffer from a constant, numbing joint pain. Spend 7 days away from the iron and see if you don’t lose that nagging shoulder or knee pain.

Sleep

Try spending the 60 to 90 minutes you would normally be at the gym under the blankets sleeping. Or lie out in the sun working on your tan. Or meditate. Don’t just work an extra hour a day or spend more time watching television. Use that time to your advantage. You will want to improve your mind, body, and spirit each day.

Mindset

Over time, when completing the same menial tasks every day for months or years at a time, we may fall into a mental rut of sorts. Use this temporary escape from the iron to clear your head, reassess your goals, and come back stronger with a new vision for what you’d like to get out of bodybuilding.

Refocus

Often, bodybuilders find that the time they gain in their life allows them to re-write their diet, training schedule supplementation plan, or other essential aspects of bodybuilding growth. Imagine having the 90 minutes you’d be at the gym, to do nothing but buy food and work out a new supplementation schedule. You may find a few holes in the way you’ve been doing things, and fix them!

Limits

Taking a break can be good – but an extended layoff if not. Don’t be one of those people that stops their training right before the holidays and is still trying to get back in the gym when summer rolls around. Plan your break length ahead of time, and stick with it.

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