Charno

Hi all,

I've been training almost a year now and after seeing improvements in strength for the first half or so of training I'm not struggling to increase the weights I'm pushing.

Some days I can go a little heavier and then the next time I'm back to square one. I keep a note of my sessions and it seems like months since any of my weights have gone up. I'm just drifting around the same few weights.

Now I've read about plateaus and the need to change your routine to, well, come at things from a different angle, freshen it up and such and I do try to tweak things based on the good advice I read here.

I do think perhaps I'm doing too much in terms of work volume, too many sets, maybe I'm pre-exhausting myself. I don't feel exhausted in the gym though, just not very strong. Perhaps it's a confidence thing.

Anyway, I'm arguing myself in circles. I'm asking your advice and/or opinion not talking to myself.

I tend to do a 4 day split, chest & triceps, back & abs, legs and Shoulders & biceps. Do three to four exercises for the big body parts and two to three for arms, three to four sets of 10 each time one of which is a warm up. Any more details which would help let me know.

Thanks.

wogihao

Can you write down the exersises that you do,

Theres are as many strenght training programs as they are grains of sand on a beach - therse going to be one that will suit you.

Now your training is only part of the picture, what is your diet like? do you rest enough (sleep).

all these things will come togeather in a sucesfull program.

What are your goals? do you want to be a good powerlifter? strongman? Olympic lifter? whats the plan? your answer changes the advice that people will give you.

andyboro

Post up a full routine mate.. im sure someone will be able to give you some suggestions.

Charno

Ok I've posted my old one before. This is slightly amended based on the advice I received and the options the gym leaves at my disposal. It's a 4 day split and it looks like this:

Monday
Chest
Flat Dumbbell Press 4sets
Incline Press 2-3sets
Dumbbell Flyes 2-3sets

Triceps
Dips 4sets
Cables Pushdown 2-3sets
Triceps Extension 2-3sets

Tuesday
Back
Single Arm Dumbbell Row 3-4sets
Wide Grip Pull Ups 4sets
Row 4sets
Rear Deltoid Fly (Dumbbell) 2-3sets

Abs
Ab Crunch 3sets
Knee Raises 3sets

Thursday
Legs
Leg Press 4sets
Extensions 2-3sets
Seated Leg Curl 2-3sets
Squats 4sets
Calf Raise 2-3sets

Friday
Shoulders
Shoulder Press 4sets
Arnold Press (Dumbbell) 3sets
Side Raises (Dumbbell) 3sets
Front Raises (Cable/ Dumbbell) 3sets

Biceps
Barbell (Cheat Curls) 2-3sets
Dumbbell Hammer Curls 2-3sets
Cable Curls 2-3sets

I sometimes do dead lifts but my gym has no Olympic bar, and my technique is still not good enough to avoid lower back pain on the subsequent days. I try to do them when I'm pain free and I keep the weight low.

My diet isn't great. I normally go:

Breakfast: Porridge
Lunch: Pasta, Rice, occasionally chips, Sunday lunch
Evening meal: Sandwiches, generally ham & pickle

Sleep wise I usually try to get 7 or 8 hours but I'm periodically a bad sleeper. I seem to wake up at all hours sometimes.

My goals are not really fixed in my mind, I just want to look in the mirror and see something I like. Size isn't as important as muscularity but I do want an element of both. I'd like to be stronger, to feel stronger. I don't know, that sounds pretty wishy-washy really.

wogihao

Ahhh theres me thinking you were intrested in strenght haha.

Anyway from a bodybuilding perspective there are a couple of issues you need to fix before your see progress on any program realy.

First your diet, your having only 3 small meals a day. Your need to eat more to get better growth/progress in the gym.

Second your rest patterns - 7-8 hours is fine, however your post indicates that you often get disturbed sleep. so maby your not geting the ful benifit of your rest period. I think this is potentialy down to your overtraining but it could be anything in all honestly.

Lastly, your program has alot of exersises in it, also your doing quite a few sets. This coupled with everything else is causeing you to stall and not gain on your program.

See if one of these points were in isolation you could probably wing it and still make sub-optimal progress but your problem is that all 3 are in error and thats why you have hit a brick wall.

Take baby steps - fix the diet first, add in small meals gradualy (one extra every few days) that alone will probably help.

After that go and get yourself a apointment with your GP to check for sleep related conditions that are preventing your rest.

Now consider some bodybuilding routines that will focus on the compounds and less so on isolation at the begining and probably training 3 times a week.

Good luck!

thestudbeast

you need to periodize your training, for the sleep thing start supplementing magnesium. Not much else to add that has not already been said.

Lost Soul

Did you hope for more out of your training whilst using the above?

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Tatyana

Do you know how many calories you are eating?

Not enough protien, not enough veggies or fruit.

That looks like a girl's diet, you need to eat more.

I would also change your rep ranges, try doing a 5 x 5 for a month or two then CHANGE your workout, do a de-load period, do German volume training for two weeks, then Vince Gironda 8 x 8, Westside barbell..................

Charno

Thanks wogihao.

Oh no I'm not a real weight trainer. Strictly lightweight me!

I know I'm probably doing too much and I've been told as much before on here and I go into the gym with good intentions but I somehow always seem to squeeze in extra exercises and sets. I guess feel I'm not doing enough if I do less when really I'm doing more.

I am gaining in size and definition though, I must say. I feel that I am anyway, despite not getting much stronger. So in a sense it is strength that I feel I'm lacking. I've gained around a stone in the past year or so, from around 11 to 12 stone. That was after crashing from 14 to 11. I'm sure most of this stone gained is muscle, well I hope some of it is anyway. My muscles all feel pretty hard.

I just feel getting stronger will take me to that next level. Whatever that may be. It's a voyage of discovery.

Charno

I'm not a big believer in vitamins and minerals, but I'll look into it, thanks.
Foolishly it seems, I'm afraid I did.

1. No idea.
2. I'm definitely looking into adding more fruit into my diet, protein, I do eat meat, mince, stewing steak, beef, ham. Milk in the porridge. Aren't these sources of protein?
3. I do eat large portions of the above...erm I shave twice a day!

4. 5x5 I do use sometimes when I start a new weight, I also use it doing dips and pull ups now and again. The other stuff I'll have to google. Thanks.

thestudbeast

What do you mean you don't believe in vitamins and minerals, thats like saying you don't believe water is needed or food is not required.

Charno

I mean I don't believe in taking supplements, I've tried a few and not noticed any short or longer term difference. I know some people swear by them but I'm unconvinced. I admit I haven't read any studies or anything, just going on personal experience.

Mind you I haven't tried any supplements since I started lifting weights so maybe I might notice the difference more now.

thestudbeast

Choosing the right supplements is vital to getting results from them as is the quality of them. A magnesium supplement should end in an "ate" eg magnesium orotate or magnesium aspartate. I'd start off with around 1/2 gram pre bed and work up too 2 grams pre bed presuming you don't get any stomach complaints from the higher doses. 50% of the population are mag defficient and as it's also an electrolyte an even higher percentage of weight trainers are mag defficient, defficiency of this mineral is the most common source of sleep issues.

Charno

Sounds like a miracle cure but thanks I'll look into it. I'm sure it's all new to me.

Tatyana

There are supplements that have been studied to death and they work, for example, whey protien and creatine.

A lot of people are deficient in one or more of the micronutrients, which are the vitamins and minerals.

Especially if you are not eating a lot of fruit and veggies, or other whole natural grains, beans, seeds and nuts, and then there still is the debate as to the quantity of micronutrients in modern agriculture.

These are not necessarily things you will 'feel' BTW.

Do you feel your body breaking down or making glucose in your body? Making enzymes, haemoglobin?

I would also highly recommend you get a rough idea of how many calories and especially protein, that you are eating.

Otherwise you are really guessing, and study after study when people 'self report' on what they eat have found that they have absolutely no bloody grasp of the reality of what they are putting down their necks.

As far as the calories you need for the day, the easiest and most accurate way is to multiply your weight in pounds by 16.

That is only maintainance. To put on muscle (get stronger) you need to eat in excess of that, 10-20% extra calories is a good place to start.


Here you go, micronutrient deficiency

You need these minerals as cofactors for enzymes in your body, for example magnesium and copper are co-factors in collagen synthesis, not enough, the enzymes don't work as well, as fast, or as efficiently.


http://www.bjcardio.co.uk/pdf/2047/V..._2005_p5-7.pdf

Micronutrient deficiency

For most micronutrients, Lower Reference Nutrient Intake
(LRNI) thresholds have been set. Intakes below this level are
unlikely to be meeting the needs of most of the population.

From the NDNS dataset, low intakes (i.e. intakes below the
LRNI), particularly for the youngest age groups, were reported
for vitamin A, riboflavin (vitamin B2), iron, calcium, magnesium
and zinc. Some micronutrients were of particular concern:
for example, approximately 40% of women aged
19–34 years had iron intakes below the LRNI and unlikely to
meet their needs.1 In addition, although most women had
folate intakes above the LRNI, the diet (food plus supplements)
of most women of child-bearing age failed to reach
even 400 μg/day (the additional amount on top of normal
dietary intakes recommended to reduce the risk of neural
tube defects). But inadequate intakes were also observed in
men: nearly 20% of those aged 19–24 years had intakes of
vitamin A (16%), magnesium (17%) and potassium (18%)
below the LRNI. These three micronutrients are necessary for
normal body function. Potassium, in particular, has been
shown to have a beneficial effect against high blood pressure.
Finally, status of vitamin D (which is vital for healthy teeth and
bones and which aids calcium absorption) was low, particularly
among those aged 19–24 years (24% of men and 28%
of women). Therefore, as health professionals we need not
only to focus on the quantity of foods eaten but also the
quality.

Strategies are needed to boost micronutrient status (particularly
among younger age groups). Increasing fruit and
vegetable intake will improve intakes of folate, carotenoids,
potassium and fibre, but other dietary changes are needed
too, as a number of the problem nutrients are not found in
large amounts in these foods (e.g. iron, calcium and zinc). An
increased intake of cereals and cereal products (e.g. fortified
breakfast cereals consumed with low-fat milk) would further
extra calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Women
in particular, would also benefit from increased intakes of lean
meat to boost iron and zinc status.
help low micronutrient intakes, while the milk would pro