The 15 Worst People in the Gym - Ever!

Don't irritate people at your gym.

There are too many people who irritate everybody else at the gym. Are you a new gym user? Don't be one of these guys!

There might just be a thing or two on this list that makes people hate you behind your back, without your knowing about it. 

Read up on the things that irritate everybody to make sure that you don't do any of these them.

Don't be irritating.

Things that irritate everybody else at the gym

1. People who make too much noise

2. People who drop the weights

3. People who leave their weights lying around

4. People who talk too much

5. People who stand in the way

6. People who take up all of the machines at once

7. People who leave sweat and other gross stuff everywhere

8. Screaming in the change rooms

9. People who change the steam room temperature and leave after 5 minutes

10. People who parade their junk in the change rooms

11. People who belittle others

12. People who take too long on machines

13. People who talk to you mid-set

14. People who ask for a spot but can't move the weight

15. Spotters who become drill sergeants

Don't do any of these things.

1. People who make too much noise

Grunting can actually be beneficial to your lift, strength and mental focus. 

Heavy exhalation on the concentric phase of lifts like pulls up, dead lifts and squats will help to tighten your core. This will help with form during these tricky lifts. 

It is one of the recommended ways to overcome light-headedness from squats and deadlifts. It also helps to maximize your bench press ability.

Don't overdo it

But there is a fine line between what is acceptable and what is not. Your grunt should be a genuine by-product of your training and should not be disrupting or distracting to the other people around you.

Don't grunt, scream and perform as way of showing off. That makes you look like a douche and puts you off as the guy who is just there to seek attention.

People can tell the difference between the war cries of someone pushing themselves to the limit and the guy that hopes his screams will make others stop what they're doing and stare. No one cares. We're all here for ourselves. Keep it to yourself.

On shouting: Don't scream to your mate across the room. We are all here to train and we don't want to hear about your fake manliness. 

People are trying to focus on their training and other voices ringing in their ears make them wish certain people weren't there at all. 

Save your Tarzan voice for emergencies only (like a heart attack, choking, someone dying under the bar, or forgetting your post-workout shake at home). 

Be considerate. If you want to say something, get off you're lazy ass and walk across the room.

People don't mind you having conversations with your mates. Just don't make us lose focus, okay?

Silence is wise.

2. People who drop the weights

It's impressive to see a guy who can curl 50's, until he suddenly loses all his 'strength' and drops it onto the floor.

Did you just make me look in your direction mid-rep and lose my focus?

If you can't put it down properly, go lighter and until you have the strength to put the weights back in the same way that you lift them in the beginning of your set.

I've heard a lot a haters judge these guys. I'm one of them. It doesn't make you look strong. It makes you irritating.

Want to be the guy that nobody likes? 'Accidentally' break one of those weights and make the rest of us wait a week or two before the gym replaces it.

Don't fake it, make it.

3. People who leave their weights lying around

I hate running around the gym looking for a weight that you were too lazy to put back, and I'm not the only one. 

You don't know it, but we are watching you; waiting to silently condemn whoever messes with our weights.

Want people to like you? Don't make it harder for them to do what they came to the gym to do: work out.

Be responsible. People notice.

4. People who talk too much

There's nothing wrong with having a chat or two in between sets at the gym. I do it often. The gym is a great place to make good friends with the same interests as you. 

They could motivate you to push harder and get further in your physical endeavors. I've learnt a lot from mates I've met at the gym, and I've made good friends there.

However, there is a big difference between the friendly guy who says hi and strikes up a good chat every now and then and the guy who goes there only to talk. We know the difference.

Don't be the guy that people end up avoiding because they are forced to hear you babble on about something that no one cares about for 15 minutes. Some people like to talk (like me) and others don't.

There are lots of people who avoid any talking at all and only want to lift. Don't irritate people. If you can't tell when you are irritating someone, rather don't try and let people approach you instead. Is no one is approaching you? Then focus and gym harder!

Click here if you need a few more guidelines for socializing at the gym.

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5. People who stand in the way

Don't stand in the way of mirrors, water fountains, weights, machines, racks, hallways, walkways, stairs, and anywhere else people might want to exercise. 

You can take up mirror space if you're using it correctly. If you're not, get out the way. Some people are too nice to tell you to move, but that doesn't mean that you are not in their way. 

Don't sit on machines that you are not using, even if it looks like no one is using it. I've waited a long time for some loser who just sat on a machine and got up without doing anything on it.

Keep moving.

6. People who take up all of the machines at once

If you're using the bench, don't put your phone, towel, water bottle, or anything else on the bench next to you. 

Someone might want to use that bench but can't because they think someone else is using it. It can make people pretty angry when they later discover that it was just you who couldn't put your stuff on the floor like the rest of us. 

Don't take up 3 machines at the same time when there are people waiting to use them. Your work out is not more important than the next guy. If you want to super-set, offer to share the equipment with anybody else who might need it as well.

Think about others.

7. People who leave sweat and other gross stuff everywhere

Sweat is good for you. If you sweat on the equipment, clean it off. It will take you a few seconds and will save you a lot of self-imposed hate. 

If you use tissues, throw them away. Don't expect the cleaning staff to do it because it makes you look bad in front of everybody - not them. 

Also, throw away any other stuff like water bottles, juice boxes, gum papers etc. 

Most people think of this as common sense. If you never thought of it, now you know. Don't spit in the water fountain, ever. Be a man and swallow if you have to.

Keep it clean, bro.

8. Screaming in the change rooms

I personally find these people the most annoying of them all. 

I've just finished an exhausting workout that almost killed me. I finally get to sit for a few moments on a bench in the change rooms, downing my protein shake and silently congratulating myself for an amazing workout. 

This moment of rest is important to me. It is one of my favorite moments. I love feeling like I have just conquered the world after an intense workout. 

But my moments of victory are interrupted up by the ignorant fools screaming at each other - like they can't hear the echo of their own voices. I hate being the one in-between the guy in the shower and the guy by the bathroom mirror's conversation about why they're so cool or whatever. 

Don't talk to anybody when you shower at the gym. In order to be heard above the shower's stream you have to shout and the other is going to need to shout so you can hear them. This irritates everybody!

Talk normal.

9. People who change the steam room temperature and leave after 5 minutes

These people walk into the steam room, change the temperature because it is 'too cold' and leave after 5 minutes before breaking an actual sweat. Your body needs time to respond to the heat of the steam room to get the proper benefits.

Many people use it to sit back and relax. I use it to sweat, raise my core temperature, detox and flush out lactic acid, jump starts my immune when I need it or increase blood circulation. 

If you are curious about the benefits of steam rooms, click here.

Sit in the steam room for at least 5 minutes before deciding that it's too cold. If it is still too cold, ask the people in the steam room (especial the ones that were there before you) if they would mind if you change the temperature.

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10. People who parade their junk in the change rooms 

You aren't shy about being bare and natural in the change rooms. Congratulations! Now put some clothes on. 

Most of us change in there and being naked is inevitable, but get done with it and move on. A cold shower is better at cooling you off from your workout or sauna, but we don't want to see the sights that come with it. 

You might be comfortable in your own skin, but you could be making others uncomfortable without knowing it. Some people consider it rude to have your junk in their faces for longer than what is necessary.

Keep it PG.

11. People who belittle others

Don't mock the new kid at the gym who isn't using the best form. It makes you look bad, not better.

If it bothers you so much, offer some advice; but don't get offended if he wants to learn for himself. So what if the other guy uses low weights and high reps? By the way, high reps are great for muscle growth.

Not everybody in the gym is a bodybuilder and some people want to have less muscle mass for various reasons.

Be careful, it's a small world out there and people talk. I've seen what people say come full circle all too often. I might be a big guy, but when I hear my smaller mates belittle the people who are smaller than them, there's a level of respect that I lose for them.

I have a high regard for the bodybuilding sport and for everybody that tries - whether I think that they are doing it right or not.

If someone is always on their phone or is constantly looking in the mirror more than working out, how is that affecting you? 

It doesn't look like that guy is really focused on lifting I might agree with you - but remember - each to their own.

Be kind.

12. People who take too long on machines

If there are only two benches and the other one is taken, don't take half an hour to do your three sets.

The list of people waiting on (or hating on) you is growing by the minute. It is okay to take your time, and be sure not to sacrifice the quality of your workout, but you need to be reasonable.

Place yourself in the shoes of the other people waiting inline. Mentally come up with a semi-compromise. 

Resting a little less in-between a set is not going to kill you. Who knows... the random muscle confusion might benefit you.

Compromise

13. People who talk to you mid-set

If you need to ask a question or say something, wait until the person is done with their set. 

Do not talk to them in the middle of their squat, curl, dip or lift. Lifting weights comes down to an internal battle between the mind and body. Respect his or her moment of focus. 

Interrupting people while they're busy with their set is just plain nasty. This applies whether the person is a complete stranger or your best friend.

Providing motivation and mental pump-ups during sets are fine, that's not what I am talking about.

I hate the 'how many sets do you have left?' guys when I'm focused on reaching that 8th curl. Could you really not wait a few more seconds?

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14. People who ask for a spot but can't move the weight

These people are the biggest clowns in the gym. 

If you are going to ask someone to spot you, don't load a weight that you can't handle and expect the spotter to do part of the work in moving the weight.

The spotter is there to ensure that you don't injure yourself or that you don't fail and end up under the bar - nothing more.

If the spotter is a good mate of yours, then it might not be seen as annoying; but asking someone you only know in the gym to spot you is the same as asking him for a favor.

Don't make him expend his own energy when he already has a workout to do. He isn't your personal trainer.

Don't annoy people by giving them more physical work that they didn't ask for. I laugh when these people ask 'how much of that did I lift?' afterwards. None dude!

Your spotter is obviously going to be polite and say it was all you - even when it wasn't. 

'Riding' means balancing. If your spotters needs more than a finger to assist you, it's too much. 

The only time he might need to exert a little more energy is if you fail on your last rep and he helps you rack the bar.

Use your own strength.

15. Spotters who become drill sergeants

When people ask me for a spot, I ask how many sets they want to do and if they want me to 'ride with them' (guiding the weights as the lifter moves them, so that they don't lose balance and topple the bar) or just stand by in case they fail and can't rack it. 

While spotting, be prepared to help out if you need to. Don't push the lifter to do more reps then he was planning to do.

Unless they ask for your motivation, they already know what rep range they are going for, and they might not want to train till failure. 

I, for example, train till failure in some programs and avoid failure in others to vary my training.

Forcing the poor guy to do more reps then he intended is not going to win you any brownie points. I avoid asking certain people to spot me now, solely for this reason.

Do you know of any people who need to read this? Share the article and decrease the amount of douches gym-wide. STAY STRONG.

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Why Size Doesn't Win Bodybuilding Competitons

Size matters, but do does other factors.

It's not always the biggest guy who wins the bodybuilding competition 

Perhaps you want to pursue a career in bodybuilding but can't seem to place better than you should.

One of the biggest mistakes that most beginners make is to assume that the goal is to get as big as possible and that their success on stage is proportionate to the amount of muscle mass that they can present to the judges. 

Size is a big factor in determining the winner, but it is definitely not the only factor that matters. If size is still your weak point, try these supplements, or build your own bulking diet here.

Size isn't all that matters.

Have you ever been to a bodybuilding show and wondered why the biggest guys are sometimes placed lower than someone clearly smaller than them? 

The judges aren't blind. They just judge according to different criteria than you. While size is what distinguishes bodybuilders from the rest of the world, is it only one factor in determining the ultimate bodybuilding athlete.

Size is important, but certainly not the most crucial part of winning.

How to win a bodybuilding competition

1. Symmetry

2. Posing ability

3. Stage presence

4. Proportion

5. Muscle definition

6. The total look

Requirements of a bodybuilding winner

1. Symmetry

Balance is important to the bodybuilding aesthetic.

See how bodybuilders earn their salaries here.

You can be twice the size of the guy next to you. But if any muscular imbalances are visible to the naked eye then you might as well give your spot away to your smaller but symmetrical competitor.

Judges grade competitors on a points system. Body symmetry can cost you the most points without you even knowing about it. 

Have a good look in the mirror. We all have a 'good side' and a 'not as good' side, but one of your main goals will be to close this gap as much as you can. 

You need to work hard to find any parts of your body that don't quite match the other half and correct them. Only upon closer inspection might you see that your left peck slightly dominates your right.

This might not be a big issue in normal life. It is definitely a possible 'I don't know why I didn't win' card for you to pick up after the next time you step on stage. Correct imbalances like this to do better at your next show.

Work on your imperfections.

2. Posing ability

What are the best poses? Which poses do you need to do on stage? Have you practiced them in front of the mirror so many times that it feels natural and comfortable?

More importantly, do you know how to execute each pose so that every body part and muscle is flexed in such a way that it boasts your physique in the best possible light? 

Take a good look at the next show you attend and take note of who knows how to pose the best, in your opinion. Take note of who poses more naturally and who looks like they need to concentrate more on pulling the right muscles at the right time.

Match these findings up to the winners afterwards and you will be surprised by how much posing ability actually determines the winner.

Judges can easily see the difference between people who are completely in touch with what makes their bodies look the best with each pose and those who are just doing what the others are doing and 'going with it'. 

It looks like practice really does make perfect.

Practice makes perfect.

Everybody is different. 

Take the 'front double biceps' pose, for example. Do you know which body parts this pose emphasizes and how you should hold this particular pose for your body's best look? 

With practice you will find that perhaps you need to bend your knees a little more to show off the leg muscles or rotate your feet in a certain direction to get the best calf angles. Get big calves now.

3. Stage presence

Choose what you project.

Do you look like the newbie who is still trying to come to terms with the bright light in your eyes when you first walk on stage? 

As the audience turns their attention to you when your name is called out, is your body language that of a champion that deserves to carry the legacy of bodybuilding forward to the next generation?

Does your body language show nerves or an 'I'm trying not to look scared' face? 

Walk with confidence. Let your presence on stage depict a victor in need of reckoning. This takes time, but you need to work on developing a persona that envelopes the crowd.

With time, you need to learn to conquer the crowd with your presence - don't let the crowd conquer you. 

Command admiration, and it shall be given to you. Walk like the champion, be seen as the champion.

4. Proportion

Grow the weak. Balance the strong.

Do you know what one of the biggest destroyers of would-be bodybuilding champions is? Calves!

Upper-body and lower-body proportions are extremely important. Bigger competitors are often placed below their smaller peers because of body proportion.

If you have freakishly large pecks, make sure the rest of your body is just as freakishly large or it could actually work against you. 

You cannot afford to lose the placement that you deserve because your one muscle groups is larger or smaller then what is considered 'proportionate' to the rest of your body. You need to work on keeping everything in proportion.

Imagine trying to not let any other body part outshine the other. 'My chest is smaller but my bigger arms will make up for it in the show', said one loser to another. 

A few friends of mine have lost shows purely because of certain muscles being out of proportion to the rest of their bodies. 

We often see bigger guys lose to smaller guys because their legs weren't in proportion to the rest of their body. If your calves need work, click here.

5. Muscle definition

You must define what you grow.

How well can each muscle be seen within every muscle group? Can you see all three heads on your triceps, for example? 

Reduce body fat and decrease the water reserves in your body to reveal the muscles underneath.

Be able to show the muscles that you worked so hard to get. It is just as important as the size of those muscles. 

You can get all the muscle in the world. If they aren't seen clearly, what is the point of entering a bodybuilding competition?

6. The total look

Check your hair, skin and style.

Every bodybuilding federation has a certain look they tend to lean towards. You need to look the part.

Winners are chosen among those who a certain bodybuilding organization or federation feels would fit their image and embody what they feel is the picture of the ultimate bodybuilder according to their standards.

Do you look like someone who would be sponsored by big companies? How far is your look from the guy that these competitions want to find?

We all have a different image in our heads, but there are definitely similarities in general. 

'The look' comprises of your body, face, haircut, outfit, body language, persona, eye contact, and more - even down to skin tone. 

Work to create the look that these organizations are after. Be the one that they chose because you are their prefect poster boy.

If you want to compete in South Africa, check the local bodybuilding competitions here.

Conclusion

So as you can see, size doesn't win bodybuilding competitions because it is only one aspect that will be judged to find the ultimate bodybuilding champion. 

Work hard on all these often under-looked areas and you will be well on your way to placing better and better after each bodybuilding competition. 

Work hard. We hope to see you in the next magazine! STAY STRONG!

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How to break a plateau

Get back to progress.

If you follow the same workout program for too long, you will start to see diminishing results (fewer gains in muscle size and strength) over time as your body adapts to the stimulus placed on it. This is called homeostasis.

You want to grow as fast as possible, right? A gym program is only as good as the strength and size gains that it brings you. 

There might be nothing wrong with your program, but if you’re doing the same thing over and over, your body will have adapted to it and stop growing to meet the same old physical demands.

Signs that you've hit a plateau

1. No increase in physical performance for two weeks or longer
2. You aren’t losing fat or building muscle anymore: Your body weight isn't changing
3. Your gym regime seems more like a daily routine instead a challenge
4. The work seems easy but you still reach failure and can’t push past your previous bench marks

Change it up.

1. No increase in physical performance for two weeks or more

You aren’t increasing your reps and weights anymore. You're stuck at the same place that you were two weeks ago. 

It needs to be for two weeks in a row for you to be concerned, because all of us suffer from drops in performance for a day or two, every now and then. If your physical performance is not improving, your body won't either.

2. You aren’t losing fat or building extra muscle: Your body weight isn't changing

This is a classic plateau symptom. Your body has adapted to your exercise routine and has become comfortable. It does not feel the need to change because it feels safe with its physical expectations and output.

3. Your gym regime seems more like a daily routine, instead a challenge for your body to overcome

This is a psychological symptom of a plateau. If your workout no longer challenges you, and if you don't need that much determination to finish your workout, it might be good time for change. 

I personally change my workout plan whenever I feel like it is getting boring to avoid hitting a plateau. This will also encourage that lack of motivation, since you aren't feeling or seeing any physical changes as a result of your hard work anymore.

4. The work seems easy but you still reach failure and can’t push past your previous bench marks

This is a classic, common sign that you've hit a plateau. If you don't feel like your workout is taking a lot out of you, even though your body won't let you go any further, you've most probably hit a plateau. 

If the maximum volume, time, reps or weight that you can do stays the same; you've hit a plateau. If your maximum output decreases, you might have over trained.

Change is awesome.

Although over training and plateau’s can interlink, they are not the same thing. 

It is possible to over train without hitting a plateau - and it is possible to hit a plateau without over training.

A plateau leads to a lack of physical progress. Over training leads to reversed progress (you get weaker instead of stronger), joint pain or injury, and exercise-induced depression.

Signs of over training 

If you’ve overtrained then you need to remedy that instead of trying to break a plateau. Click here to heal from over training.

1. Insomnia or oversleeping

2. Lack of motivation

3. Extreme appetite changes (no appetite or extremely high appetite)

4. Moodiness, frustration, depression or emotional outbursts

5. Diminished physical performance

6. Muscle spasms and twitches

7. Low immune system

8. Constant, unquenchable thirst

Note that it is extremely unlikely to get any of these symptoms from a plateau (except for the emotional response for people who tie their self-worth to their exercise performance or physical progress).

Don't push your body too far.

1. Sleep: you suffer from insomnia or oversleeping

Ironically, struggling to get good sleep, sleeping too much or the constant desire for more sleep is all caused by over training. All three symptoms can arise from too much physical stress being placed on your body. 

For people who struggle to sleep, your body is under so much stress on the central nervous system that it can't calm down to recover properly. Read more about your central nervous system, how over training affects it and how to help it recover here. 

Sleeping for too long is common among others who are over-trained because your body needs more time to recover, but the stimulus placed on it is so high that it never catches up on needed recovery.

This will also explain lethargy, fatigue and the desire to sleep all the time. This is how to fall asleep ASAP.

Sleep problems are rarely caused by a plateau, though.

2. Lack of motivation (could also be present in a plateau, but not as much)

While a plateau can also sap out your motivation to further your goals, over training attacks your motivation more aggressively. 

Some people don't lose their motivation when they've hit a plateau. They just fall into the monogamous routine of doing the same thing over and over again - even when they don't see new results anymore. 

Over training is the most common culprit among athletes who begin to wonder why they are putting so much effort into their sports or exercise efforts in the first place. 

Many of them start to hate the sport that they do or dread the idea of practicing or exercising. Over training can cause depression, whereas hitting a plateau does not have as a big an impact on your emotional state.

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3. Diet: lack of appetite or constant cravings for high calorie/fast food

This is a very common sign of over training that isn't usually present in people who have hit a plateau. 

Since their bodies are bombarded with physical stress and they are frantically trying to recover, they might not be able to regulate their hunger (ghrelin) and satisfaction (leptin) hormones properly.

Again, different people will experience this in different ways. Some people will lose their appetite completely because their bodies are starting to break down from too much physical stress. 

Others crave high calorie and high fat foods because their bodies try to get as much energy from food as possible to compensate for drastic energy depletion. 

If you feel like this might refer to you, you need to recover from over training.

4. Moodiness

This is commonly seen in athletes who have over trained. Since the physical stress starts to crush the body from the inside out, the emotional state suffers as well. 

The brain does not have enough time to recover during sleep, since the body is taking as many resources as possible to recover physically. 

Also, mood-regulating hormones fall out of balance along with the rest of the body's normal mechanisms.

5. Halted or diminishing physical performance

When you train more than what your body can recover from, your physical performance will not increase but slowly start to decrease. 

The longer you stay in this overtrained state, the faster the rate at which physical performance declines. The longer you over train, the longer it will take to recover.

Too much of anything is unhealthy.

6. Muscle spasms and twitches

This is due to the central nervous system being over stressed. It starts to fall apart. Getting this from hitting a plateau is almost impossible.

7. Lowered immune system: Falling ill more easily and more frequently

Your immune system also takes a big hit when your body suffers from over training. If you are getting sick more often, you might have over trained and your body probably needs a good long break.

8. Constant, unquenchable thirst

This is another common symptom that is associated with over training. You might also feel nauseous often as well. In other cases, it also becomes harder to follow your normal daily routine (waking up, working, spending time with friends and family, bed time, etc.)

There 8 other possible reasons for extreme thirst from exercise.

If you have over trained (nearing or at the point of over exertion), a few rest days might be all that you need. Here are great ways to make your rest day the best recovery day that you've ever had.

Rest is good for you.

Now that we've distinguished the difference between over training and hitting a plateau, read on if you think that you have hit a plateau.

How to break a plateau

There are 8 ways to break a plateau. These methods can turn your workout routine back into the body-enhancing agent that it is meant to be.

1. Take a rest week

2. Change your diet

3. Use creatine

4. Change your exercise routine

5. Get more sleep

6. Increase sunlight exposure

7. Invite a friend to your workout

8. Mix in some music

Do this and prosper.

1. Take a rest week

A rest week might be all that your body needs. 

Your body adapts between workouts the best that it can for the time being, but there is also a long-term recovery that the body can use to maximize your progress. 

It is recommended to take a rest week off every 10 weeks that you spend hitting the iron so that your body can repair itself on a deeper level. 

Lack of long rest might be causing your plateau as the need for deep recovery starts to accumulate.

Avoiding this kind of long rest for too long and you risk eventual over training.

Benefits of a rest week

Have you ever noticed that your muscles look bigger when you've skipped a few days of exercise?

A rest week will allow your body to re-align muscle fibers, strengthen bones and joints and stock up on inter-muscular nutrients without the stress of quickly recovering as best it can before the next workout. 

Many people have larger muscle growth rates in their rest weeks than on normal training weeks! I am one of these people. 

People often return to the gym with increased strength, stamina and motivation. I recommend that you spend two days during this week at the gym - only stretching and relaxing in the sauna, which will help to maximize your body’s recovery.

It is hard to avoid the gym, road or studio when you've finally built up the dedication to make exercise a daily habit. Trust me when I say that the results (and mental benefits) are worth it. You will return with more motivation than ever.

Try it out at least once and see how you feel when you return. 

In the meantime, use this opportunity to clean your house, spend some extra time with the family or do something fun. 

A nice, relaxed walk can do wonders for you, both mentally and physically, during a rest week. The goal is not to stop moving completely. It is to allow the body to go into a deep state of recovery.

Not sure what do to with your extra time on rest days? Turn an awful rest week into an awesome recovery week. 

Here is the perfect rest guide if you're only doing it for a single day.

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2. Change your diet

You’ll be surprised how often too much or too little of something is the cause of that annoying plateau. 

Are you consuming enough calories to sustain muscle growth or energy output? Are your macro nutrients (protein, carbohydrate, fat, fruit and vegetables) in the right proportion and size according to your current physical needs? 

There are many ways to customize your diet.

1. Try a simple/fast-acting carbohydrate food straight after your workouts to replenish glycogen stores in your muscles quickly

Your body might need more energy to advance to the next level. Use MyFitnessPal to monitor whether you eat enough calories.

2. Increase protein and water intake (throughout your daily meal plan)

You need water to recover. Avoid beverages that cause dehydration. You can't build new cells or repair them without protein.

3. Increase the total daily calories you consume

If maximum muscle growth is your primary goal, try a diet high in calories for maximum muscle gain.

4. Switch out your protein sources (too much whey, too little fish?)

Try taking protein supplements according to the way the protein enters your body so that your body always has the protein that it needs to recover.

5. Add micro-nutrients like vitamins, minerals or oils

Are you eating enough fruit and vegetables to get important nutrients that your body uses for recovery? Do you need more minerals or electrolytes? You lose precious nutrients every time that you sweat.

6. Check your supplements: Are they really perfect or is it time for a change-up?

I've seen many cases where simply changing supplements increased muscle growth. Here are the supplement basics that everybody should know.

7. What else can you add or subtract to help your body get its growth back?

Is all the sugar in your diet slowing you down? Perhaps you eat too much junk food or too little carbohydrates for sufficient energy production.

Try a few of the points above until you find what works for you. I battled with a shoulder joint injury until I supplemented with fish oil daily.

Try different things to find what works.

3. Go on a creatine cycle or use a pre-workout

A good pre-workout or creatine cycle will give your body a boost to blast past that wall it can’t climb over. 

Start with a half dose for 2 weeks. Advance a full dose for 2 weeks. Go back to a half dose for the following 2 weeks. Keeping the same reps and weight numbers you did on the full dose when you do the second half dose. 

Sometimes our bodies just need a good push in the right direction to get them growing again.

Find the form of creatine that works best for you. Don't use creatine for too long without giving your body a break. You should always cycle creatine.

Try other types of supplements for muscle performance.

4. Change your exercise program

This is the most common way to overcome a plateau. I've listed it at the fourth best way to overcome a plateau (instead of the first) because you should automatically change your program at least every 2 months.

How long have you been following the program that you are currently on? Go back to the other points if you've hit a plateau and you've changed your program within the last 2 months. 

It’s time to change things up if you use the same exercise plan that you did 2 or more months ago (regardless of whether you hit a plateau or not).

Change the whole program completely (like from a standard 5-day split to a Push-Pull-Legs (PPL) program or vice versa) or change a few small things within the program if you want to keep at it a little longer. 

If you are ready for a real challenge (advanced weight lifters only), try the GARRY workout program. You can also check out our research on what the best workout split for muscle growth is.

There are many things you can change in your existing program to bring back your body’s awesome adaption mechanism.

Change equals growth.

1. Rep range

Many people cycle between a week of higher reps and a week of lower reps to keep the body in its prime adaption phase. Try using heavier weights with fewer reps or lighter weights with more reps.

Changing your rep range can have a great counter-plateau effect. High reps can also build muscle mass.

2. Rep times

Increase your TUT (total time under tension) with each rep. 

If your reps are usually under a second, take a full second to lift the weight, another second to hold it there and two seconds to lower the weight back to your resting position. 

The burn you feel in your muscles after doing this will definitely be an indication of greater stimulus being put on the muscle.

3. Number of sets

Change the number of sets to a higher or lower number. 

Would your muscles benefit from a few more sets per exercise? Are you doing too many sets for them to recover sufficiently before the next exercise session? 

4. Change the exercises

Switch rows with pull-ups. Replace cable presses with bench presses. Do hack squats instead of knee extensions.

This will help you to bust out of that plateau instantly.

5. Change your grip

Reverse the grip on all of your exercises to work the muscles from an angle that they are not used to. This will force them to adapt to a new form of stimuli.

I was shocked at the positive change that this simple hack brought to my own training regime when a friend recommended it to me.

6. Change your set format

Swap the standard 8, 8, 8 set for a pyramid style (15, 12, 10, 8, 6); drop set (6, 10, 12, 15, 20) or super-set (bench press and dips in the same set) to keep forcing your muscles to grow.

7. Intensity

Decrease the amount of time that you rest in between sets. 

Now muscles will need to get stronger and bigger to be able to cope with less recovery time they have before being recruited to work again. 

You can also increase your rest time, so that you have more strength with each set.

Discover which rest times work best between sets.

8. Exercise order

Change the order of exercises you do, so that different fibers in the muscles are recruited at different exercises. 

The bench press might be exhausting your triceps before you hit the dips. 

Now your triceps can do more on the dips and your chest will need to step it up to complete the bench press afterwards.

9. Rest between exercise sessions

You might rest too little in-between sessions that use the same muscles. They therefore aren’t at their full potential next time round. You might rest for too long. In this case, they are over-rested and have started shrinking back to normal before they are stimulated again.

Keep it fresh.

You don't have to implement all of these changes at once. Choose the ones that you are going to change and take it from there. 

The next time you feel a plateau coming on; you can change a few of the other elements. 

Sometimes, all it takes is one good change instead of many. 

If you really want to change everything up at once, go ahead. That's also okay.

5. Get more sleep

You might feel fine, but an extra hour or two of shut eye might be all that your body needs to recover to the max for its next workout session.

Most muscle growth happens when you sleep. It is important that we get enough of it and have the right nutrients in our bodies when we sleep so that our muscles can do what we want them to – grow!

This is how to fall asleep efficiently at night.

6. Get some sunshine

Expose your skin to the natural rays of the sun. This will increase your testosterone levels naturally through the vitamin D that our skin makes during contact with sunlight.

No wonder why our energy levels are lower and we're just plain lazy during winter!

There are many ways to increase your testosterone naturally.

Sun and sleep help with performance.

7. Add a friend to your workout session

Studies show that people perform better at physical exercises when their friends are with them. 

Some healthy competition between you and a bud will increase your muscular output. This might sound crazy, but who cares if you're getting stronger?

8. Mix some music into your workout

Music can increase physical performance during exercise.

Imagine beating your personal best just because the right track was playing!

My personal, top 3 methods to blast past a plateau

Everybody hits a plateau (although some plan ahead and make changes before they plateau). My personal, favorite ways to speed up muscle growth are:

1. Taking a rest week

I like the idea of getting a good, deep recovery every few weeks. I personally feel like it sets my last cycle’s gains well into my new cycle’s starting point. 

After a week of rest, my new size and strength gains become the new ‘starting stats' for me to improve on before my next rest week. 

I take a rest week every 8 weeks.

2. Going on a creatine cycle

I feel like creatine can be the jumper cables to a body that wants to start slow down. 

It is natural for our bodies to save energy whenever they can. They will only grow when it feels like it has to in order to survive. 

A helping hand from mister C never hurts.

3. Change of program

I generally do a rest week and then a creatine cycle once I've maxed out. 

I then create a total change in my exercise program (different exercises, reps, split and everything). 

I love the soreness in my muscles when starting a new program because I feel like the muscle is being forced to grow even bigger. 

If my muscles aren't suffering, why would they grow?

STAY STRONG!

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