How do you get out of a weightlifting plateau?

In an ideal world, making progress in weightlifting would be continual — as athletes, we'd constantly improve, moving better each time we entered the gym and lifting heavier and heavier weights.

In reality, that's not how it works. Sometimes, due to technical quirks, strength or mobility limitations or even the occasional mental block, we get stuck in a weightlifting plateau that we struggle to break through. 

When that happens, how do you overcome it? In this edition of Mem’s Weightlifting Blog, we tap into Mem’s vast experience as an international athlete and weightlifting coach to find out...

To benefit from Mem’s coaching expertise first-hand, book your session at our Olympic weightlifting gym in London or sign up for a personalised online coaching programme.

"It's hard to give general advice on how to get out of a weightlifting plateau, because really, as a coach, you need to be able to see how each athlete is moving before making an assessment on what's going to improve them as a weightlifter. 

"But there are normally two reasons athletes get stuck in a weightlifting plateau. The first is technical issues, the second is to do with strength.” 

Breaking through a weightlifting plateau: Step #1 — Work On Technique

"First, I would always work on an athlete's technique. There can be small flaws in their lifting mechanics that need to be ironed out. To do this, we'd usually go back to basics, work on empty bar drills and really nail their positioning. Keep it very light and perform lots of repetitions. That way good habits are drilled into muscle memory.” 

Breaking through a weightlifting plateau: Step #2 — Strength Drills

"If I'm happy that their technique is good but they're still struggling to push the weight of their top-end lifts, we'd focus on strength drills. These are obviously very personal to the individual athlete; we all have different weaknesses and imbalances so there’s definitely no one-size-fits-all approach. 

"But basically we’d look to isolate certain muscles using accessory movements — these might be considered ‘bodybuilding’ exercises but they can be really useful in improving strength for weightlifting too."

"Technique is harder to master; it takes far longer to overcome a technical problem with your snatch or clean and jerk than a strength issue. 

Breaking through a weightlifting plateau: Step #3 — Good Programming

"In our programming, we include both technical and strength training drills, with the aim of helping our athletes continually improve. The principle of progressive overload is important — we’re constantly trying to increase the resistance our athletes are training under so their strength increases and they are able to lift higher weights proficiently. 

“But clearly, we each have our own personal limit — the absolute maximum that we'll ever be able to lift. The aim is to give ourselves the best possible chance of reaching that limit."