Many believe they are in a training plateau if their strength doesn’t measurably increase within a few weeks. I completely disagree.
Many lifters have been given the wrong impression that if they are unable to add a rep or weight to their exercises every week (or even more often than that), they are not building muscle or strength and are in a dreaded plateau. This shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how much and how quickly the human body is able to adapt.
In May, I added a few pounds to my working weight on the decline bench press. I was very pleased. I did not add any weight or reps again until September. Yes, it took roughly four months to add three pounds to my working weight on that exercise. Throughout this time, I never worried. Why? Because that is a fairly standard rate of progress for an experienced natural lifter. That equates to a ten-pound increase over the course of a year. That may not sound like much, but if that pace is maintained for five years, that is some serious progress.
A true plateau is something I almost never encounter with my clients. Generally speaking, stimulus continues to build size and strength. However, it does so more and more slowly the bigger and stronger one gets. If we added five pounds to each exercise each week, we would be adding 260 pounds per year, and 2 600 pounds every ten years. Needless to say, that’s not realistic.
Assuming decent training, nutrition and recovery are in place, the solution is almost always to simply trust the process. Don’t be in a rush to add weight prematurely. Your muscles and joints will thank you.
A good video on the topic: