YAWT - I've hit a plateau

[WhiteKnight]

I've been lifting regularly for about two years now but this morning while I was at the gym I looked at my notebook and realized that I haven't really made any progress in several months. I've been changing my workout regularly, supplementing my diet with protein shakes, and staying on a regular routine, but I just seem to have hit a wall. My regular workout schedule is:

M: Shoulders and back
T: Cardio
W: Chest, bicep, tricep
Th: Cardio
F: Legs

This has varied a bit over the months of course. There are a smattering of ab workouts in there too. I usually do two or three sets per exercise, about 5-7 reps. I'm 5'11", 165-170, atheltic build. It seems that regardless of fluctuations in my diet (I went to Italy for a week last month) my weight never varies by more than +- 2 pounds. In fact, after that week in Italy, I didn't lift any more weight than I usually do, but it did seem easier.

Anyway, any thoughts on how to work through this? Thanks.

 

[NINaudio]

have you tried varying your amounts of sets and reps? instead of 2-3 sets, try 3-4 and 7-10 reps. You may need to use slightly less weight, but the change in sets and reps might help you nreak that plateau.

 

[Rent]

a) Increase weight
b) Increase reps
c) Increase time on every rep (do it slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwly)

Taking a short break can be beneficial to your body by allowing it to rebuild areas that normally wouldn't have time to due to your regular routine.

You also need to be clear about what your goals are. Are you going for endurance or definition or strength?

 

[Calin]

ok, there is a limit for what you can do, and pushing over it will get you only accidents. If you want to try more, you could try lots of things - isometric effort, negative effort, and more.
(and I envy you)

Calin
EDIT: or you might be overtraining - you could try to reduce the total weight pushed in a training

 

[Fingolfin269]

Change it up man. Do something like :

Chest/Tris
Back/Bis
Legs/Shoulders

If you use barbell switch to dumbell and vice versa.

 

[CVSiN]

how is this YAWT.. that would be "Yet another WoW Thread"... ie World of Warcrack around here =P

 

[Red Dawn]

Take a couple of weeks off from lifting, that always helps me.

 

[Afrotech]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Take a couple of weeks off from lifting, that always helps me.

this has worked for me as well.

 

[Cleaner]

I recommend all of the above. Rest, changing routine, hitting the muscle from different angles. They are all very good ideas.

 

[Aharami]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Take a couple of weeks off from lifting, that always helps me.

really? now that ive finally gone on a regular routine, i feel like a slob if i skip 2 days

 

[StageLeft]

It's good you're using a notebook to keep track of progress.

First of all, take a week or two off from weights. WHen you return do a different program. Try going more frequently, with less sets, or jacking up your reps. Instead of one day chst/tris and another back/bis, try chest/bis and back/tris (yes I realize this is an atypical approach). You could look into HST, which prescribes a full body workout every 48 hours (but with so few sets that overtraining is not much of a concern).

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Aharami

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Take a couple of weeks off from lifting, that always helps me.

really? now that ive finally gone on a regular routine, i feel like a slob if i skip 2 days

Do Cardio while you take a break from weights.

 

[edro]

Shock your system. Whenever I hit a plateau, I will do a few weeks of COMPLETELY different exercises. If you do bench press, do dumbell bench press. If you do barbell incline, do a machine incline. Whatever motion you do, do it using a different medium. If you aren't feeling sore the next day or day after, you probably didn't get a good enough workout and your body is used to the same motions. Another thing you can try is, for a few weeks, do like 6 sets of 4 reps at the most weight you can push (very heavy).

 

[WhiteKnight]

Thanks for the ideas. I'm going to be missing my regular workout next Monday and Tuesday anyway, so maybe I'll just take the whole week off. As for my goals, I'm pretty much just doing it for general fitness. I rock climb too so of course lean muscle helps with that. I'm certainly not looking to get huge, but more definition is always nice.