Thread: Growing has stopped!

I've just started (as in yesterday) GoPro's P/RR/S routine. It was odd to lower the reps so much, from my normal ~10 to 4-6, for my power cycle. Not the usual pump feeling, but more of an exhaustion.

It looks like a good system. hope that helped.

Cheers dude, but Ive been lifting for a number of years now and although you were right to suggest Go-pros routine, I have indeed used that already for a good duration and then tuned it to suit me after I felt I'd gotten the best out of the original routine. I feel both have run the course for me now. I feel I need something more fixed to get me through this plateau. After that I'll probably go back to something like Go-pros system. I know what you mean, it does hit one extreme to the other, with heavy power to lighter endurance. Those supersets start to kill you after a while too! Thanks anyway though dude, good luck lifting.

Originally Posted by Mags

Hey guys

I used to be the type of lifter who did the same routine of exercises week in week out for all muscle groups. I did, like most lifters when they start, gain a good amount of weight and saw decent enough strength increases. However,it soon got to the point where the gaining stopped. I then started at a new gym and started training with different guys and began changing my routine up all the time and again, strength increases and size followed. I added more calories over the last four months and have bulked up nicely (still defined though for a clean diet of 4400 cals ED) but even that progression has levelled out now. The thing is although Im still alternating workouts every week, I feel like im not making as much progress as I should. For example, I do bench press one week and the following week I do dumbell press. My bench is still creeping up slowly,but my dumbell lifts have been on the same weight for a while now. I didn't know if I should change it up again and go back to a set routine where I use the same exercises week to week for a few months just to try and push through this plateau and get the weight increasing more quickly again? Again, an example being just do bench presses each week for a while to get that up instead of doing dumbells every other week? What you guys think? Thanks

It is a given that your progress must halt at some point. As you progress you are coming closer and closer to you body's ceiling of limitation, meaning you are slowly but surely approaching you maximum potential. Once you reach that point even making the slightest of gains takes hurculean effort. You don't sound like you are varrying your routine much either, maybe you should try a wider variety of exercises to add some life to your routine.

Originally Posted by The275lbAnimal

It is a given that your progress must halt at some point. As you progress you are coming closer and closer to you body's ceiling of limitation, meaning you are slowly but surely approaching you maximum potential. Once you reach that point even making the slightest of gains takes hurculean effort. You don't sound like you are varrying your routine much either, maybe you should try a wider variety of exercises to add some life to your routine.

My whole lifting history has been a mish mash of changing things up. I did lifting every night at uni in my room with just basic weights and a bench etc- a whole body workout, bench presses, flyes, shoulder press, side laterals, bent rows, abs and curls etc, nothing like a proper training routine. I saw gains (obviously only the body taking shape etc). I then went to a gym and got a personal trainer to do me a routine (ha, I remember asking him for a mass/size increase program and he gave me mostly cable exercises for chest/back etc,ha). I again made more progress. When meeting and training with other lifters/reading more and understanding nutritional needs, I rocketed up in strength and size. By this point I'd done basics, done fixed routines and done routines where we'd jumble the workout up. I moved back from uni and continued my routine at that time. My gaining stopped. I moved to a weightlifting gym from the fitness gym, met new lifters and new and old techniques. I realised more about diet. I used Go-pro's routine for months and made more gains. Now Im back to where Im not growing as much. Im not sure if just loading on more cals will force me bigger or just make me fat. I understand both muscle growth and fat come together, but don't want fat to overtake muscle mass etc. At present, I do alternate week routines e.g. Wk1- Bench Press, Incline Press, Decline press, cable flyes. Wk2-Dumbell Press, Smith Incline Press, Dumbell flye, cable crossovers etc. Same thing applies to other muscle groups. Didn't know if it'd be better just doing say the week one exercises every week for how many months to see if I get more size and strength gains with that alone for a while etc? I see what you mean about genetic limit, but Im 6 ft and only 225lbs. My lifts aren't bad, but I feel I can and must get to my maximum size and strength before thinking of other means to get bigger. Thanks

I think you're focusing too much on changing exercises as opposed to other variables. Things like intensity, volume, and frequency are going to impact your results and prevent homeostasis to a larger degree than changing the exercises you are performing.

Do you periodize your routine? Have you considered something like alternating or undulating periodization? Check out the sticky I wrote up on designing a training routine.

Originally Posted by CowPimp

I think you're focusing too much on changing exercises as opposed to other variables. Things like intensity, volume, and frequency are going to impact your results and prevent homeostasis to a larger degree than changing the exercises you are performing.

Do you periodize your routine? Have you considered something like alternating or undulating periodization? Check out the sticky I wrote up on designing a training routine.

Do you mean as in alter rep ranges and weight, adding supersets etc?