Thread: Plateaus

Hey all, I seem to have fallen into a pattern with my training lately: I start weight training after some time off (1-2 months) from regular training. Of course at first I am not able to use the same weight as the last time I left off, but gradually my strength returns to previous levels. Inevitably though, the gains taper off and then quit. Occasionally certain muscles or excercises will see a little improvement over previous bests, though that is pretty rare. I switch things around and try to focus on training/diet/rest to get over the plateau, but after a month or two of stagnation I usually end up losing motivation and the cycle begins all over again...

Haven't really make any size or strength gains for nearly 2 years!

Of course I've switched routines around trying to find something that will shock me out of this rut... modified everything I can think of: sets, reps, time inbetween sets, days of rest, muscle groups, movements, intensity, etc... most variations have been effective at first, until I am up to previous strength levels, then I hit a wall!

So, here I am thinking maybe there is something I am missing? I really work my butt off at the gym, try to make every session count. Currently I'm doing the following (which is a big deviation from previous routines):

Day 1: Deadlifts, Bent Barbell Rows, Barbell Curls. Day 2: Squats, Stiff Leg Deads, Calves. Day 3: Barbell Bench, Military Press, Close Grip Bench.

All excercises except calves are performed 5 sets of 5.

I have been using fitday.com to track nutrition, and I'm thinking my diet is pretty good. Been trying to keep a 40/30/30-ish split. I can eat enough (while still eating well) to gain weight, but it's never good weight!

I think I'm ok in the rest dept, I usually get 8-9 hrs a night and don't feel tired or worn during the day.

Maybe I'm just ranting (complaining), but I feel like I'm missing something here... fwiw I'm 26, 6', 210ish, and prob around 15%bf. If you were bored enough to read all that, any ideas?

I'm glad to see you are using 5x5, but I think you need some adjustments to the weight being used.

At this point drop to 5 sets x 3 reps and increase the weight by 5lbs per week. Then when you hit another wall, 5 sets x 1 rep.

I also see you train deadlift and squat in consecutive workouts. Even if there is one day in between, it is too close. Separate them by 2-3 days. These exercises are virtually the same.