4 ways to break through a muscle-building plateau, according to the trainer who helped Chris Hemsworth get ripped for 'Thor'

• To build muscle, you need to challenge your body over time, according to Chris Hemsworth's personal trainer.
• Switching up your workout can help you keep gaining muscle and strength.

If you're trying to build muscle and get stronger, you'll need to keep challenging your body over time to see results, according to Luke Zocchi, Chris Hemsworth's longtime personal trainer and head trainer at Centr, Hemsworth's fitness app.

"Everyone hits a plateau eventually because the body is smart. If you keep doing the same thing, you'll get to a point where you won't adapt any more and change," he told Insider.

To break through a plateau, consider switching up your workout structure to keep your gains going strong, Zocchi said.

Explore different rep ranges to push your muscles to grow

When you first start exercising, you can see muscle and strength gains from just about any type of workout, experts previously told Insider.

However, the initial, quick progress of "newbie gains" will slow down as your body adapts. To continue making gains, you'll need to adjust your workouts to keep your muscles working hard, a principle known as progressive overload.

A simple way to progressively overload is to increase weight over time.

But, if you find you've stopped being able to add weight, and aren't seeing results, it may be time to experiment with volume, or the total number of reps and sets you complete in a workout, according to Zocchi.

"Try doing the opposite of what you've been doing to find that spark again. If you've been going for heavy lifts for low reps, switch to lower weight and higher reps," he said.

It's a myth that one specific rep range is ideal for building muscle; you can benefit from incorporating different rep ranges to challenge your muscles in a new way, experts previously told Insider.

Work in functional movements like pull-ups and push-ups

Some of the best exercises for building strength and muscle include heavy compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and presses, which work multiple muscle groups all at once.

Start your workout with weightlifting to help make sure you have the energy you need to get the most out of heavy exercises, Zocchi said.

However, he's also a fan of incorporating body weight exercises like pull-ups, push-ups, and split squats to keep your body feeling good as well as looking good.

"I like to incorporate bodyweight exercise into all my strength work because it's not just aesthetic. It's about living a better life, not just being jacked and strong and feeling terrible," he said.

Avoid overworking your muscles, which can stall gains

While strength training is key for making gains, you need to let your muscles rest enough to build back stronger, Zocchi said.

Overtraining cause more damage than your muscles can repair, preventing your progress. For best results, you need to get plenty of sleep and good nutrition, according to Zocchi. Techniques like active recovery and ice baths can also help ease muscle soreness more quickly to get you back in the gym sooner.

"You've got to do the hard work, but you grow and get bigger in the recovery," he said

Be patient

Finally, you also need to stick with a muscle-building program over time to see results. Although making changes can help keep your workouts challenging, switching too often or doing random workout without a plan can prevent you from making consistent progress, according to Zocchi.

"The biggest problem a lot of people have is they change things up too much," he said.

He recommends spending at least three months, or 12 to 13 weeks, on a block of training to give yourself time to improve.