Getting Past Plateaus?

[MrNiceGuy23]

Question for all of you who are into lifting / bulking up.

I've been working out for a long time, on and off mostly due to injuries or surgeries.

My problem is I can't get past my current weightlifting limits. It seems no matter what I do I just can't increase my weight. I don't take pre-workouts as I don't believe in them. All I take is Optimum Nutrition Whey.

I'm about 6'1", 195 pounds, around 15% body fat percentage.

Current Maxes:

Bench Press- 225
Squat - 385
Pull Ups- Full bodyweight x 12
Curls - 50
Skulls - 100

I know people say changing up routines and exercises works but I need more information then that, how do I change it up to blow past the plateau?

Thanks.

 

[switch]

http://www.askscooby.com/excellent-...g/?PHPSESSID=0c04b628e01a0aaead086fbc708e4d4f

^ i read that sometime back, good read.

 

[Krueg]

I need to know what program you are following. You seem to have decent numbers for the squat and bench. Are you deadlifting or OH Pressing as well?

How are you progressing?

 

[Krueg]

Bump!

 

[MrNiceGuy23]

I'm sorry, I've been very busy lately with my courses.

I don't deadlift, I've had a history of lower back problems, so I'm afraid to injure a disk again and set me back even further. I always heard doing squats and deadlifts are good, but if you only do one, squats are better.

I do a pretty basic cycle, 3-4 days depending on how crowded the gym is or how motivated I am on any given day.

Example Schedule:

Day 1:
Bench Press (Flat, Inverted, Decline) 3 Sets of increased weight and lower reps. Normally 8 reps, 6 reps, 6 reps. My grip is slightly wider than shoulder width apart, do I need to go wider?

Pec Flys (Flat and Inverted, depending on what bench is available) 30-40 pounds in each arm, again 3 sets of about 7 reps each.

Skulls 85-100 pounds, 3 reps, 8,6,6 reps.

Tricep Extension (Overhead) Max at 90 pound dumbbell, 3 sets

Cable pull downs 80-110 pounds, 3 sets

Dips (Full bodyweight) 3 sets

Depending on how I'm felling I'll throw in some push ups at the end.

Day 2:
Wide grip pull ups (full bodyweight) 12 reps, 10 reps, 8 reps

Rows on a bench. 90-100 pounds per arm. 3 sets, 8 reps per set

Lat pull down. 225 pounds total, 3 sets

Bicep curl (palms facing up and palms facing down to work inner and outer bicep peaks) Around 80 pounds, 3 sets

Forearm workout (nothing too extreme here)

Negative reps with a buddy (not tons of weight, probably 50 pounds, but done very slowly)

Day 3:
Shoulder Press. 150-170 pounds. 3 sets

Shoulder shrugs. 160 pounds. 3 sets

Straight arm dumbbell raises. 25-40 pounds per arm. 3 sets

Deltoid raises. 100-150 pounds total. 3 sets

Day 4:
Squats. 225 to warm up. Max at 385-400. 3 sets. 7-8 reps per set. Down to thighs are below parallel with floor.

Leg press. Similar weight and reps to my squats.

Leg extensions and calf raises. Whatever the max the machines can do. 250 I think at my gym. 3 sets.

Overall, I'd say I'm pretty satisfied with my physique. I've gotten smaller from a month or two ago cause I've had so much work but I like where I'm at. I do cardio on off-lifting days because I'm trying to get my bodyfat lower.

I'd say mass wise, I only want to get a little bit bigger. But strength I still want to go up. I want to get my bench to around 285-315, squat to around 450-500. I'm pretty sure I can do the squat increase on my own. When I started lifting heavy again last summer I started at 185 and increased to 385 in a few months. Chest is my biggest plateau, I've never been able to rep more than 205 and max more than 225, I've been working out for several years too.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[goundra]

squats are dangerous to your back AND your knees! aint that OBVIOUS? if you have access to a leg press machine, stick to that for your quads.

for the bench, what has always worked for me is out of Arnold's old book, 30 years ago. 12 reps with weight that you can fairly easily do that many. add weight, 10 reps, add weight, 8 reps, add weight, 6 reps. go back to starting weight, 12 reps. For the first few months (at least) of this bench program, most men with no prior lifting experience are able to add 5, sometimes 10 lbs per week using this routine. try it and see if it helps you.

same thing with other muscle groups, but in my case, I have to lay off some of them, while I work on others. for instance, if I work on shoulder/chest much at all, I can't do much for triceps. So what I do is work on one or the other for a month, then switch up. Always doing the same old stuff is what causes plataeus, guys. google for and read a few of the entries about Jack Lalanne.

 

[MrNiceGuy23]

squats are dangerous to your back AND your knees! aint that OBVIOUS? if you have access to a leg press machine, stick to that for your quads.

for the bench, what has always worked for me is out of Arnold's old book, 30 years ago. 12 reps with weight that you can fairly easily do that many. add weight, 10 reps, add weight, 8 reps, add weight, 6 reps. go back to starting weight, 12 reps. For the first few months (at least) of this bench program, most men with no prior lifting experience are able to add 5, sometimes 10 lbs per week using this routine. try it and see if it helps you.

same thing with other muscle groups, but in my case, I have to lay off some of them, while I work on others. for instance, if I work on shoulder/chest much at all, I can't do much for triceps. So what I do is work on one or the other for a month, then switch up. Always doing the same old stuff is what causes plataeus, guys. google for and read a few of the entries about Jack Lalanne.

I've had good squat form for years so I'm not afraid I'll injure myself squatting, I've never done deadlifts before though.

 

[DanZy]

I've had good squat form for years so I'm not afraid I'll injure myself squatting, I've never done deadlifts before though.

I injured my spine a few years ago (a compressed vertebrae) and I reckon I can thank deadlifts for helping me deal with that. Spinal injuries don't heal, all you can do is strengthen the muscles around it.

 

[Krueg]

Some things to consider;

1. Start doing deadlifts. Don't think of them as a "lower back" exercsise, Yes your low back is a secondary muscle involved, but it works the same muscles as the squat, plus upper back. I know when my deadlift goes up, so does my squat and vice versa. Start out light and work on your form. If you start feeling it in your lower back, shut it down.

2. Start focusing on your weak areas, if you want a bigger squat or bench you have to train the smaller and weaker muscles involved. For example the squat, your weak points are going to be: Hams, Glutes, Low Back and Core.

OR are you possibly weak off the chest from the bench or have trouble locking out? Doing bench press variations could improve that..

3. For your bench grip, if your benching wide, start bringing in your grip and use more of your triceps to help your pressing power.

4. You may possibly need to start adding more calories in, I know your trying to cut down your body fat but, sometimes to gotta keep the weight up to keep handling the bigger weights.

5. Maybe you need to add speed work to your training, learn about being more explosive and learn how to move the weight faster.

Things of that nature.

 

[twentee]

form has nothing to do with what i am talking about. the possibility of "tipping" when a muscle, tendon or joint weakens is not nearly as serious with the press. have this happen with squats and you are fvcked.

 

[MrNiceGuy23]

What are cheat reps?

Krueg, people have always told me I bench with a close grip. If I want to build my chest up bigger, wouldn't it be better to use a wider grip and isolate the chest more? My triceps are pretty strong and well defined as is, I want the size of my chest to match the size of my arms, shoulders, back, etc.

 

[switch]

What are cheat reps?

Krueg, people have always told me I bench with a close grip. If I want to build my chest up bigger, wouldn't it be better to use a wider grip and isolate the chest more? My triceps are pretty strong and well defined as is, I want the size of my chest to match the size of my arms, shoulders, back, etc.

incline bench press ,nuff said.

also i like to agree with Danzy, i had 3 herniated disks, sat on a wheelchair for 6 months.... but now i'm starting to do deadlifts and i have no problem
you have to train your back in a "special way" before moving to deadlifts

this is how it goes

DB squats = 2 weeks
V
barbell squats == until you can squat equal to your bodyweight (BW X 1)
so if you are 180lbs then you have to reach 180lbs on squats
V
rack pulls === till you can pull BW X 0.5-0.6
V
deadlifts== start at 45lbs and make your way up, do 1 set X 5 reps

^ whole thing takes around 4 months

now i've been told that i shouldn't go beyond 220lbs on deads untill i've trained for 6 years,if this sounds stupid or BS it's because we have "special needs" , we aren't the 270lbs behemoth with good spinal disks...
so IMO stop at 220lbs and hit a plateau for deads there

 

[DanZy]

I deadlift 342lbs with no hassles to my back, you just have to progress at a steady pace and ensure that your form is solid.
I agree, incline bench has really helped my chest fill out. It targets the upper pectoral muscle more than normal bench.

Cheat reps are using things like momentum to get the weight up when your muscles can't do it. Such as swinging the bar when doing bicep curls. I don't like them, they just end up hitting other muscles that you're not trying to work. Watch the guys who often curl, 80% of them swing nearly all the time. Do that and your traps and back are just going to be sore in the morning.

I'd stop doing curls completely and start doing weighted chins, compounds beat isolation by default.
Add weights to your dips to make your triceps stronger but you're doing a ton of direct tricep work already which is strange.
Pec flys probably aren't needed if you add in incline bench.
You may want to try benching several times a week for a short period of time to overload the muscles and follow it up with a recovery period.

 

[Krueg]

Krueg, people have always told me I bench with a close grip. If I want to build my chest up bigger, wouldn't it be better to use a wider grip and isolate the chest more? My triceps are pretty strong and well defined as is, I want the size of my chest to match the size of my arms, shoulders, back, etc.

A closer grip is better for power, a wider grip will work your outer and lower pecs. If you feel your upper pecs are lacking you can throw in some Incline Presses. By the way, don't go too wide or you will fvck up your shoulders, unless your in a bench shirt but, that's a different story.

Also, others will probably disagree but, this comes from guys who bench 500-600 or more pounds. If you want a bigger bench, train your biceps.

 

[[S]alvatore]

Question for all of you who are into lifting / bulking up.

I've been working out for a long time, on and off mostly due to injuries or surgeries.

My problem is I can't get past my current weightlifting limits. It seems no matter what I do I just can't increase my weight. I don't take pre-workouts as I don't believe in them. All I take is Optimum Nutrition Whey.

I'm about 6'1", 195 pounds, around 15% body fat percentage.

Current Maxes:

Bench Press- 225
Squat - 385
Pull Ups- Full bodyweight x 12
Curls - 50
Skulls - 100

I know people say changing up routines and exercises works but I need more information then that, how do I change it up to blow past the plateau?

Thanks.

Have you tried increasing your food intake? When was the last time you deloaded?

 

[MrNiceGuy23]

I eat like a horse usually. I try to get around 4000 calories a day for my bodyweight and activity level. I was around 175 pounds back in May and put on a bit of weight when I was trying to bulk up, but I don't like the extra fat that came from it so I'm trying to cut back while maintaining strength.

My incline bench is definitely lagging behind everything else, my decline is stronger than my flat bench. So I'll start doing incline presses more often and try to overload to shock the muscles into building up.

Closer grip benching will help build up my chest too so that makes sense Krueg. I'd say my biceps are pretty strong, individually I can curl around 60 pounds per arm.

My triceps are very strong. I only use 100 pounds when I do skulls because that's after I already have done dips with my full bodyweight and overhead extensions.

I can sort of see the benefits of cheat reps, but I don't like the idea. I understand having someone help get the weight up, like in negative reps, but swinging your body around is just asking for injury. I always shake my head when I see people curling by swinging their back to get the weight up, most people don't realize they're not even using the biceps when they do that and they just look foolish.