Thread: No more gains

How many exercises do you do per muscle/group? How often do you take a week off?

mostly it's a diet issue , post your diet at the diet forum ...5 days is too much 3-4 is enough unless you are a steroid user..... post your training routine here so people would give you advice...

I do 4 exercises per muscle, 4 sets 8 reps per exercise. First set being a warm up and heavy on the last 3 with non compleation on the last set. I take off about 1 week every 4-5 months. last time I took a week off was due to tendonitis in my left arm. That was about 3 months ago.

that's a lot , have you checked the stickies at the training forum??? i think you are over training , but you have made good gains before because yoou were still a beginner...

Periodization.


Vary your workout. Your body adapted.

Also, I would unload once every >8 weeks.

Originally Posted by viet_jon

Periodization.


Vary your workout. Your body adapted.

Also, I would unload once every >8 weeks.

even if he periodizes ..he must lower the volume a lot , doing 16 set per each muscle group 5 times per weak is impossible ....also he does 2 body parts per workout that means he does 16x2 set per day...or a little less if he is doing 12 per small muscle groups....

but first i suggest that you post your diet at the diet forum ...it's the number 1 factor for muscle growth..

Fist off remember in my 4 sets the first set is warm up but not to light. this is a quick rundown. some of these are changed around with other exercises that work the same thing but just to change it up a little. I also know my diet kinda sucks. I also take creatine, protien shakes before and after workout, and N.O. Explod.

Mon:
CHEST
Flat bench 4 sets
Incline dumbell 4 sets
Butterfly 4 sets
decline barbell 4 sets

Shoulders
Dumbell shrugs 4 sets
Military press 4 sets
Delt raises (machine) 4 sets
Not sure what it is called (raising a barbell from waist to under chin) 4 sets

Cardio
15 minute run at 6 mph

TUE:
Back
Lat pulldowns wide grip 4 sets
seated rows 4 sets
Lat pulls close grip 4 sets
bent dumbell rows 4 sets

Wrist and forearm
forword wrist raises 4 sets
Reverse wrist raises 4 sets
rope winds 4 sets

Cardio
15 minute run at 6 mph

Wed:
Several ab workouts
15 minute run at 6 mph.

Thur:
Bi's
preacher bench curl with curl bar 4 sets
Preacher bench curl with dumbells 4 sets
Hammer curls 4 sets
concentration curls 4 sets

Tri's
wieghted dips 4 sets
pushdowns 4 sets
scull crushers 4 sets
raises behind head two handed 4 sets

Fri:
Legs
Calf raises 4 sets
leg curls 4 sets
leg extensions 4 sets
leg press on sled 4 sets

Abs
4 different ab workouts 4 -5 sets

SAT-- off
SUN-- off

Way to much for eachbodypart. I think its on P's profile, but it is said to train movements not bodyparts.

BTW wheres your squats and deads? I wouldnt have this program. Those to mass builders are no where to be found. You need to try and include those.

Originally Posted by jameser

Fist off remember in my 4 sets the first set is warm up but not to light. this is a quick rundown. some of these are changed around with other exercises that work the same thing but just to change it up a little. I also know my diet kinda sucks. I also take creatine, protien shakes before and after workout, and N.O. Explod.
^^ THAT'S NUMBER ONE REASON YOU STOPPED PROGRESSING (DIET).
Mon:
CHEST
Flat bench 4 sets
Incline dumbell 4 sets
Butterfly 4 sets so if you'll do 4 sets per workout drop flyes
decline barbell 4 sets
periodize ...on the week that you do 4x6-8 then no need for isolation ....if you'll do 3x10-12 do some isolation....Shoulders
Dumbell shrugs 4 sets
Military press 4 sets
Delt raises (machine) 4 sets
Not sure what it is called (raising a barbell from waist to under chin) 4 sets
same here drop front raises when you do 4 sets
Cardio
15 minute run at 6 mph

TUE:
Back
Lat pulldowns wide grip 4 sets
seated rows 4 sets
Lat pulls close grip 4 sets
bent dumbell rows 4 sets alternate with bent over barbell rows

Wrist and forearm no need for grip,wrist work dead lifts and dumbell shrugs and pull ups will do the job
forword wrist raises 4 sets
Reverse wrist raises 4 sets
rope winds 4 sets

Cardio
15 minute run at 6 mph

Wed:
Several ab workouts
15 minute run at 6 mph.

Thur: take thursday rest and add 3 sets of biceps curls to back day and 3 sets of skull crushers at chest day
Bi's
preacher bench curl with curl bar 4 sets
Preacher bench curl with dumbells 4 sets
Hammer curls 4 sets
concentration curls 4 sets

Tri's
wieghted dips 4 sets
pushdowns 4 sets
scull crushers 4 sets
raises behind head two handed 4 sets

Fri:
Legs instead of all that isolation just do squats + dead lifts and maybe legcurls/extensions if you are using high reps low intensity....
Calf raises 4 sets
leg curls 4 sets
leg extensions 4 sets
leg press on sled 4 sets

Abs
4 different ab workouts 4 -5 sets

SAT-- off
SUN-- off

you are doing a lot of isolation / focus on compound lifts ...^^ also read my additions..

I agree, take Thursday off and work tris with chest and work bis with back. No need for a single day of arm work.

finally you need a good diet before you start anything..then.......

1- periodization is needed in your program.

weeka 4 sets x 6 reps (no isolation)

weekb 3 sets x 10 reps (isolation if you want)

2-cancel arms day it's a total waste of time and a reason for overtraining.
instead add few sets of arm work after major lifts (chest/back)

3-no real leg work is done , where is squats ,the number one leg builder.

4-grip/wrist work sucks.
instead use thicker barbells/do towel pullups and other strengthening exercises/they'll get worked well when doing dead lifts/shrugs/pullups.if you still wanna add wrist work do just a set or 2 after you back/biceps workout.

5-read the stickies they'll help you to get more ideas.

6-good luck.

The reason I dont do squats or dead lifts is my lower back has had several problems which have put me out for weeks at a time before. I have tried adding them but It feels like my back is ready to go at any time. I will try again to add them.

I Thank everyone for all the input so far. Keep it coming.

What kinds of problems with your lower back?

Missalignment issues and pinched nerves. When it goes out I am laid up for one to two weeks.

assassin, I am going to try out your recomendations. I will keep you guys updated on progress. This will be wierd dropping my arm day, it seems like I will loose strength. But it will be nice having an extra day off.

Thanks again

Originally Posted by jameser

assassin, I am going to try out your recomendations. I will keep you guys updated on progress. This will be wierd dropping my arm day, it seems like I will loose strength. But it will be nice having an extra day off.

Thanks again

you won't lose strength you'll gain more strength when you rest.... also after you lower the volume you'll feel your strength increasing ,but don't forget the diet , it's the most important thing..

Instead of squats and deads, why not do some leg press? Atleast then you will keep your back out of it.

if your back hurts while doing squats decrease the weight ..but i still think squats are the best natural movement that'll build your lower body....if it hurts try other variations of squats if you can't do any variation of squats then try another lower push exercise...same for deads...

Well you know what you can and cant do with your back. If you dont think you should push it then dont. Simply do the exercises that are good on your back. Doing anything is better than nothing.

If my back hurt, I wouldn't do anything to it.

No squats
No deadlifts


better to play it safe.

^^ Agreed (if its a huge problem) ^^

I'm going to add dead lifts and squats. Ill start low wieght and if all goes well I will increase from there. I have been doing the leg press with the sled, pushing it upward. Is there an alternate to doing Dead lifts? I am starting the new workout on monday. I will give a breakdown on monday of what the workout consist of. I will plan it out over the weekend.

THANKS FOR ALL THE POSITIVE HELP.

good luck..

Vary frequency, intensity, volume, etc.

If you're looking to make cosmetic changes, then your diet may be your limiting factor.

Read the stickies.

Good luck Jameser! If you still find yourself struggling, read Brawn - it maybe that like me you are a hardgainer and need to train less - but the PTs on here will guide you best on that sort of thing - I'm just an enthusiastic amateur at the mo

Less is better and diet is crucial.

I'm adapting the "undulating periodization" method presented in the stickies - w/ some slight alterations. Mainly adding a little more variation and cutting the total number of sets a little. This seems downright 'smart' to me... at my first plateau.

With me, fullfilling diet requirements (again, knowledge I've gained here) is the toughest requirement for me.