By Bret Stetka — 2016
Record-breaking has slowed, but science could find new ways to make us keep getting stronger and faster.
Read on www.scientificamerican.com
CLEAR ALL
Plateaus are tough mothers. They happen for a few reasons, but a big one is that the human body really doesn’t like to go outside of its’ safe little shell. The brain also doesn’t like to move outside of its’ cave.
Plateauing happens to athletes at all levels. It’s good for training regimens to become a way of life, but doing those sessions over and over again can become like mindlessly checking a box. Inputs remain the same–which can be detrimental to increasing performance outputs.
Plateaus – aka periods of little to no progress – are inevitable in the sport of weightlifting.
Let me ask you a question. Have you ever hit a plateau in the weight room when it comes to increasing strength? What about when it comes to increasing power output (vertical jump, short-distance sprint)? Well if you have, you are not alone.
“It was a downward spiral for about three years. I just reached a natural point where I felt that I wasn’t going to see immediate results anymore and that was hard for me to accept. I did the same thing every single day for so long that I could just tell I was not improving.
We’ve all been there. You’re kicking ass at your goals, feeling so much stronger, hitting new PRs every week, noticing how much looser your jeans are starting to feel… And then one day, it all just stops. The number of push ups you can do stays the same, for a long time.
Putting the training in but not seeing much in the way of improvement? Making changes to your regular routine can bring reward says Scott Overall.
If you ride long enough, chances are you’ll experience a performance plateau. Here’s how to break through when you feel stuck pushing the same power.