No matter how good your program or how hard your clients work, plateaus are an almost unavoidable part of the fitness journey. However, they may be kept to a minimum in both frequency and duration. A plateau occurs when the client is no longer seeing changes and improvements; he is no longer moving toward his goals, but rather remains at a standstill for a period of time. This is frustrating and discouraging, and may occur for a number of reasons.

Why Plateaus Occur

The most common reason for a plateau is failure to vary the program. The body is an amazing machine. Muscles have memory and the body quickly adapts to the demands placed upon it. Therefore, if you perform the same routine the same way for an extended period of time, the body will get used to the stress and the effects will diminish.

You may find a client reaches a plateau due to an orthopedic injury. In this case, the goals of the program need to be rewritten to focus on the rehabilitation of the injury. If you are not qualified in this area, you should refer the client to a physical therapist and work with her to help your client return to full function. Once the injury has been rehabilitated, you can refocus on progressing the client's program.

Plateaus may also occur because a client has reached his genetic capabilities in a certain area. Everyone has a maximum potential and will be unable to progress after a certain point. This, however, is a rare occurrence, but if it does occur you can simply focus on developing another area of fitness.

Plateaus can also be the result of the client underestimating what she is eating. Keeping a food journal can help keep track of any extra calories she may be consuming. Some things for your clients to watch out for include:

• Liquid calories. Many people forget to count the beverages they're drinking. For example, drinking a lot of fruit juice or sports drinks can add extra calories, and visiting coffee shops on a regular basis for smoothies and other sweet drinks can pile on more calories than one might think.

• Alcohol consumption. This is another area where many clients don't keep track of extra calories. On the average, twelve ounces of light beer can contain more than 100 calories — drink four or five of those in one sitting and they've taken in an extra 400–500 calories.

• Hidden calories. Does your client put a lot of cream in their coffee? Does she nibble on snacks throughout the day that she doesn't keep track of? Make sure she writes down every single thing she eats, even if that means counting peanuts or chips, to make sure she is really eating the calories she thinks she is.

• Measure, measure, measure. Clients may complain about having to measure their food, but they will be shocked when they actually do it and see how much they're really eating. Have your client measure everything she eats for one week to see if she's on track.

• Make their own meals. The only way for your client to really know what's in her food is to make the meal herself. Eating out, even if she chooses healthier options, can lead to eating more calories.

Avoiding or Getting Past a Plateau

It takes foresight and experience to be able to avoid or minimize plateaus. Every trainer has struggled with this issue. In an ideal world, a client will set her goals and gradually move closer until she has attained them. At this point, she will either set bigger goals or work toward maintenance of her previous goals. Things will rarely happen this way. Even a properly developed program can still result in your client reaching a plateau, though a well-planned program will have few plateaus and they will be relatively short in duration. Minimizing the damage caused by a plateau is important. Your client may become frustrated by a plateau and lose her focus. Worse, she may quit because she feels discouraged. The more time your client spends in a plateau, the more likely she will be to lose her motivation.

A beginning client will rarely reach plateaus, but if she does, it is not as difficult to move past as it can be for the advanced client. Varying frequency and intensity are usually enough. However, you will have to employ more advanced techniques for clients who are very fit or are long-time exercisers.

• Periodization: See page 210.

• Forced Reps: Upon completion of the required repetitions, the client performs two to five more repetitions with the assistance of the trainer.

• Compound Training/Supersets: Involves training a muscle group with back-to-back exercises (a dumbbell chest press followed by a pushup).

• Negative Repetition Training: The client performs the lowering phase of the exercise, but requires assistance for the pushing phase, because the weight used is too heavy to be lifted without help.

Once again, these are advanced techniques only to be performed by experienced trainers working with experienced clients. Employing them will help your clients stay motivated and continually moving toward their goals.

Cross-Training

Cross-training allows clients to enjoy variety and stimulation while working toward their goals. It can also help them get through a plateau. The basic concept of cross-training involves using different forms of exercise in order to bring balance and variety to a program. It helps prevent overuse injuries, and can also be psychologically stimulating. If, for example, your client is a runner, she could cross-train by swimming or biking once or twice a week. She would still receive cardiovascular benefits, without placing the same types of stress on her muscles and joints. Cross-training is only beneficial if your client enjoys what she is doing. Discuss some options with your client before making any decisions.