# I've hit a Plateau



## 502 (Jan 15, 2015)

Alright, I have hit a plateau and don't seem to be growing anymore. Could be due to diet, could be workout, or could be both. I'll work on the diet, I will post my workout and see if anyone can critique it a bit. 

*Monday*. Off day work then school


*Tuesday*: Chest 
Barbell bench- 5x5 @ 225 or 5x10 @ 205 Don't have a spotter so hard to do anything above that I rotate each week on 5 reps or 10 reps. 

Incline dbell bench- 5x12 60lb dumbbells

Incline fly's 35lb dumbbells 3x15

Don't know what it's called but take the dumbbell and hold it straight out and lift it with arms straight 3x10 45lb dumbbell

Tricep push downs on cable machine single arm 60lb 3x15

skull crushers 70lb bar 3x15

close grip bench 95lb 3x15

Push ups 4x25


*Wednesday:* Back

Deadlifts- 5x10 @225lb

Pull ups- 5 sets to failure

Barbell rows forward and reverse grip 3x10 of each

dumbbell rows single armed 5x10 45-50lb dumbbell

seated alternating curls
25lb dumbbells 5x10

reverse grip curls 50lb bar 5x10

ezbar curls 50lb on the bar 3x12

shrugs 225lb 5x10-12



*Thursday:* Shoulders

Shoulder press 5x10 45lb dumbbells

side lat raises 20lb dumbbells 5x10

front lat raises 20lb dumbbells 5x10

for rear delts Idk what it's called but i lay on an incline bench with 20lb dumbbells and pull up and out, small motion but I can really feel it. Old school body builder showed me that

*Fridays*- Legs 

Squats- 225 5x12

lunges- 45lb dumbbells 30ft each way there and back is 1. I do 3 sets

hamstring curls- machine 100lb 3x15

calf raises- 4 plates 3x15

Legs are not really my problem, my arms do not seem to grow, they are stuck at 15.5 inces and have been for a while. 

*Saturday* I usually hit back again since i'm training a chick on friday and sat nights. I've been doing this workout with these reps and sets for 3 weeks now. Before that i was winging it for the past 2-3 months. 

I do abs at the end of every workout and usually 30 min cardio 3 nights a week

Stats
5'7
180lb
14%bf


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## Assassin32 (Jan 16, 2015)

Lift a lot heavier 502. Mix in singles and doubles, you will get bigger and stronger.


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## 502 (Jan 16, 2015)

Thanks brother! I'll do that. maybe throw in a single or double at the end of the sets? I was doing a benching program when i first started lifting and It had a heavy single at the end of each workout. I did notice gains then. I thought maybe it was because I was still new. I may be thinking too far into it. I guess that would work for every body part. I'll try it out for a few months and see how it goes. I am pretty sure a lot of it is my diet. I've slacked up on that. I don't think I'm eating enough.


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## DF (Jan 16, 2015)

Assassin32 said:


> Lift a lot heavier 502. Mix in singles and doubles, you will get bigger and stronger.



Agree with this ^^^^^^ your rep range is a bit on the higher side.  Try heavier weight, lower reps & more food.  Also you may want to change up some of you exercises, not the core of course but you get what I mean.


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## transcend2007 (Jan 16, 2015)

To me simply lifting heavier is not the solution.  It is a part of a larger problem.  You need to cycle sets, reps and exercises every 6 to 8 weeks.  if you been lifting over 2 years mixing it up is the key.

I lift heavy for 2 weeks 4 to 7 reps.....then 1 week of 8 to 11 reps.  I also have a 6 week set routation.  

Week 1 = 2 sets per exercise 8-11 reps
Week 2 = 3 sets per exercise 4-7 reps
Week 3 = 3 sets per exercise 4-7 reps
Week 4 = 4 sets per exercise 8-11 reps
Week 5 = 5 sets per exercise 4-7 reps
Week 6 = 5 sets per exercise 4-7 reps

If I don't feel burned out I repeat 5 sets 4-7 reps for another week or 2.  5 set days are 90 minutes serious ball busting workouts.  2 set days are a nice recovery from 5 set weeks...and when I grow the most many times.

Eating a clean diet with calorie surplus as well as getting a MINIMUM of 8 hours sleep. 

Try it, I think you'll like it!


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## PillarofBalance (Jan 16, 2015)

502 get back to basics of growing. When you lift your body adapts accordingly. If all you do is bench squat and dead 225 week after week your body will adapt to a point where you can lift 225. After all that's the only expectation it has. 225 over and over and over.

So like it's been said above. Mix up your rep ranges and weights every week. 

One week do sets of 10. Next week sets of 5. Next week sets of 3. Next week do max effort singles. When you PR bump your weights up 20lbs for squat and deads and 10 to 15 for bench.  

Also eat 2 poptarts mid training and two more after training.  That's like 800 additional calories right there.


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## jennerrator (Jan 16, 2015)

If you need a spotter to go heavier then ask someone because you are defeating yourself if you can't go past a certain weight


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## AliCat (Jan 16, 2015)

Sometimes I have gotten out of a plateau just by resting a little.


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## Bro Bundy (Jan 16, 2015)

eye of the tiger rock..eye of the tiger


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## deejeff442 (Jan 16, 2015)

If you are truly doing all you can and are sore after workouts.take a week off and eat like a horse.i do it and always come back stronger.also in the winter when i get more food and sleep i hit a muscle every 6 days in the summer less food and rest i hit them every 7 or 8 days.you have to learn what your body wants .nobody can tell you.it takes years and trying differnt things to find it.but once you do its all good.personally when i hit a wall i get some dbol lol


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## 502 (Jan 17, 2015)

Yea, I think mixing it up will fix it and upping the weight. I also need to eat more. I'm not on dbol but i'm on 350mg tren a and 500mg test cyp, just finished 500mg of test p a week for the past 4 weeks. On back days, I am honestly doing all I can right now, I am sore as fk after those. Legs, I need to go heavier I think, last week I wasn't sore at all the next day. Chest I'll try to find a spotter. When I had one, I'd do a 2rep at the end of 275 and when I'd max my last max was 305. 

I think I really have been overthinking it. Yes I've been lifting consistant for 3.5 years now. Sometimes you just need someone to state the obvious on shit. I was trying the higher rep range as someone said they saw the most growth in the 12-15 rep range. Well that hasn't worked for me. It has hardened me but not made me bigger. I guess I needed to harden what I already have though, so I guess that is progress too. 

Thanks for all the tips guys. Greatly appreciated.


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