This content is for informational and educational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider.
Last Updated on July 25, 2025 by Grace Oluchi
Aside from your body adapting to your exercise and diet routine, other things can slow down or even halt your progress to lose weight or build muscle. Plateaus in weight loss or muscle gain can be caused by things like:
Lack of progressive overload, due to you not challenging yourself enough. So, since there’s nothing new and taxing, your body becomes laid back, which may cause it to stop progressing as you train.
A poor diet can also be a reason for slow results. It’s very important to eat the right kinds of food, and most importantly, ENOUGH of it.
No sleep and too much stress can also affect the results of your exercise and diet routine. Sleep is important; it helps your body recover and work better. So, if you’re trying to lose weight, build muscle, or maintain a healthy body…. You. Need. To. Sleep.
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How To Overcome Plateaus In Weight Loss
You just need to do a few things right, and you’d be able to break through.
1 . Intentionally monitor how many macros you’re eating, so you can be sure you’re getting enough of them.
2 . Strength train to build muscle and increase your metabolism, which can help you burn fat and lose weight. You can start lifting weights, even a 2-4 kg dumbbell can help. Bodyweight exercises like pull-ups, push-ups, squats, and jumping jacks can also help you in your weight loss journey.
3 . Walk a lot more. Walking is very effective when it comes to burning fat, which may help to lose weight. So, increasing your daily steps may help you move past the plateau faster.
4 . HIIT is a great way to speed up your metabolism and burn fat.
Muscle Gain
To break through a plateau in muscle gain, slowly increase the weights you train with to work your muscles.
- Lift heavier
- Longer sets or reps
Also, start eating more protein, too little protein may be the reason your muscles aren’t growing. Protein is highly important for building muscle and recovery. So, fill your plate with enough protein the next time you eat.
In addition, do compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, lunges, pull-ups, to work several muscle groups at once. Compound exercises are great for building muscle; you’ve just got to add them to your routine.
Dealing with plateaus can suck, big time; it might even want you to give up. But you shouldn’t. Overcoming fitness plateaus is not as hard as you might think; you just need to switch things up. That’s all. However, if after doing so, results are still slow, you may need to see your doctor.
