Breaking Fitness Plateaus: How to Push Past Limits and Keep Progressing

Breaking Fitness Plateaus: How to Push Past Limits and Keep Progressing

If you’re stuck in a plateau, don’t overthink it—it's often all in your head.

Now, don’t get me wrong, breaking through performance barriers takes serious training too.

And you probably are doing that part already!

But the real breakthrough? That happens in your head first.

Your Mind Sets the Limits, Not Your Body

Let me give you an example.

Running has always been my biggest physical challenge. I’m 6’1”, 180 lbs, with long limbs, lumbar lordosis (arched back), muscle imbalances, and an anterior pelvic tilt.

Not exactly the ideal mechanics for a smooth, effortless stride.

Growing up, I played tennis from age 8 to 18, so sprinting?

No problem. I love the technique, the explosive power, the feeling of moving fast.

In fact, I see sprinting as part of the calisthenics family—it’s pure bodyweight movement at its most primal.

But long-distance running? I used to hate it.

That changed when I hit my 30s and got serious about my calisthenics workout.

I started incorporating one 45-minute run per week.

Here is how I did it.

Then, when I moved to Los Angeles, I stopped running altogether for a few years.

By 2021, I knew it was time to change that.

I’m now 45, and I’ve realized that the ability of running—for 20–40 minutes at good to high intensity—is essential for a strong, lean physique, solid cardiovascular endurance, and lung capacity.

Simply put, I needed to get better at it.

The Only Thing in My Way? My Own Mind

Once I committed, dropped the excuses (my body is not made for it), and progress followed.

I run at least once a week, sometimes twice. I also add a sprint session every week. I’ve stuck to this for four years, and the improvement is undeniable.

I have put a LOT of focus on running mechanics and breathing techniques!

And here’s the thing: Running is tough.

It’s an essential human skill that we’re biologically designed to perform, but that doesn’t mean it comes easy. Still, I don’t believe in excessive running.

You don’t need hour-long runs or marathons to get the benefits.

I prefer to look at nature. Ancient humans developed endurance running through persistence hunting—chasing prey over 20–30 minutes until it exhausted itself. That’s the sweet spot.

My personal running protocol?

Two miles (about 3 km). That’s where I focus on improving my pace.

I’ve gone from 12-minute miles in my 20s to 7.5-minute miles today. And every second shaved off has been more mental than physical.

The Run That Proved It

Last week, I matched my record time, and it had nothing to do with physical strength. It was all in my head.

Here’s what happened:

I run fasted, first thing in the morning. No matter how much I train, I never actually feel like going for a run. But I do it anyway.

That day, I decided to start fast instead of easing in.

One mile down, I felt it—legs heavy, breathing heavier.

The LA River bike path stretched ahead, mountains in the background. So I focused on the view.

Then on my breath—switching to a 2:2 pattern (inhale for two steps, exhale for two).

Then, I heard it.

Footsteps behind me. Someone was gaining. And that’s when my brain flipped the switch.

This guy is NOT passing me.

I didn’t turn around. I just pushed. Hard.

Everything in my body was telling me to ease up, but my mind wasn’t having it.

By the time I reached the gate at the end of the path, I finally glanced back.

Turns out, the guy had only been sprinting to the gate before stopping—but I didn’t know that at the time.

My mental story pushed me to a level I wouldn’t have hit otherwise.

How to Strengthen Your Mental Game

Breaking plateaus isn’t about grinding harder—it’s about shifting your mindset.

Here’s how you can start training your brain the same way you train your body:

• Visualize success before you start. Picture yourself hitting that PR or making that last rep count. Your mind needs to believe it before your body can do it.

• Reframe discomfort. Instead of thinking, this is hard, tell yourself, this is where I get stronger. Your body follows the story your mind tells.

• Create mental triggers. A song, a mantra, even an imaginary competitor on your heels—use whatever it takes to keep pushing.

• Commit to consistency. Your brain adapts just like your muscles. The more you challenge it, the stronger it gets.

Your brain will always give up before your body truly needs to.

If you want to hit that next level in your calisthenics workout, endurance, or strength training, recognize that the real battle happens in your head first.

Get out there. Push past it.

And see what happens.

Train with me here.

Nicolas