Post: #1

Whats a good strategy for overcoming plateaus in the gym? I especially struggle to get my bench up, since it always has been my weakest lift. Any suggestions?

Post: #2

Incorporate strength training into your routine.

Post: #3

Well BoiBoi, it would be good to have some input on how long you've been lifting, your current routine, and numbers.
If you don't want to share specifics here are two nice applications that will help you with a progressive overload routine if you have issues sticking to a program. This one is a very basic "Starting Strength" spreadsheet, only caveat is that it's in kilograms. Should be an easy conversion though.

http://www.workout-calculator.com/2011/0...alculator/

If you wrote this in a strength training forum (like rippetoe's) he'd boil it down to "DTFP" and "GOMAD". So here's the twelve week progression.

And if you're not into SS, here's Wendler's "Boring but Big Routine".
http://www.workout-calculator.com/2011/0...on-pdf-xl/

Lots of guys have gotten good results out of both.
If you are stalling out despite doing the program, then upping the weight somewhat, dropping the reps, and increasing the sets usually helps out a lot for strength gains.

Post: #4

If you're just itching to get your numbers up, you could try lowering the reps to 1-5 (yes, that's a single) and increasing the sets anywhere from 5-20 depending on how well you recover.

Lower the amount of exercises you do, too. If you think any assistance exercises you're doing is hampering your recovery, then stop doing them for a while.

Stick to the basics.

Oh, and increase your training frequency. Don't to go to failure, either.

Post: #5

(03-27-2013 05:11 AM)BoiBoi Wrote:  Whats a good strategy for overcoming plateaus in the gym? I especially struggle to get my bench up, since it always has been my weakest lift. Any suggestions?

No secret. Just keep showing up, fine tune the details in your regimen and diet, and gain as much knowledge about lifting as you can.

Post: #6

How have you been lifting till now?

1) If many reps and few sets, switch to many sets and few reps.

2) change the complementary exercises. Do weighted dips instead of skull-crushers, military press instead of shoulder press.

3) cut the weight and focus on getting form 100% right for a few weeks

4) Drop bench entirely and hit the military press, db presses and weighted dips hard

5) maybe you just need to deload. Take two weeks off doing nothing but push-ups, back-extensions and crunches.

There are several avenues, and they can work alone or in unison.

The point is that you've been hitting one approach. Stop. Discover a different method you ahve not tried at all and go that way 100% instead. Try going from heavy bench to doing 100 push-ups instead.

Post: #7

Grip the shit out of the bar.

Post: #8

Two opposing strategies that have both worked for me.

1. Work out target muscles several times per week.
2. Work out target muscles every other week.

1 works for muscles that I'm naturally lagging in. 2 works for muscles that I have good genetics for but have started to plateau on.

Post: #9

Yeah, I was being a little unspecific. I'm no newbie to the gym and basically switched to a SS/5x5 kinda routine a year ago, with great results but hurt my ankle last month and am still in rehab, hence, no squatting, deadlifts or any other exercises involving my legs till it heals completely.

I'm hitting the gym 3 times a week and switched to an upper body routine while still using the 5x5 guidelines, doing warm-up sets, increasing the weights and then the heavy working sets, always aiming to hit 5 reps.

Here is my workout schedule (more or less):

Mon: Bench (5x5), Chinups (8x3), Incline DB-Flys (5x5), Seated Cable Row (5x5), Leg Raises (10x3), Bicycle crunches (20x3), Plank (1minx2)

Wed: Bench (5x5), Seated Military Press (5x5), Weighted Dips (8x3), Chinups (8x3), Ab Pulldown (12x3), Plate Twist (20x3), Back Bridge (10x3)

Fri: Bench (5x5), Chinups (8x3), Pushups (10x5), Seated Cable Row (5x5), Leg Raises (10x3), Weighted Back Extension (12x3), Ab Windmill (20x3)

I know that benching 3 times a week probably isnt the best thing to do and might be the reason for plateauing, but thats why I asked. Thing is that I dont really want to use machines and since my injury, I kinda ran out of compound lifts and therefore am benching that often.

Post: #10

(03-27-2013 07:35 AM)BoiBoi Wrote:  Yeah, I was being a little unspecific. I'm no newbie to the gym and basically switched to a SS/5x5 kinda routine a year ago, with great results but hurt my ankle last month and am still in rehab, hence, no squatting, deadlifts or any other exercises involving my legs till it heals completely.

I'm hitting the gym 3 times a week and switched to an upper body routine while still using the 5x5 guidelines, doing warm-up sets, increasing the weights and then the heavy working sets, always aiming to hit 5 reps.

Here is my workout schedule (more or less):

Mon: Bench (5x5), Chinups (8x3), Incline DB-Flys (5x5), Seated Cable Row (5x5), Leg Raises (10x3), Bicycle crunches (20x3), Plank (1minx2)

Wed: Bench (5x5), Seated Military Press (5x5), Weighted Dips (8x3), Chinups (8x3), Ab Pulldown (12x3), Plate Twist (20x3), Back Bridge (10x3)

Fri: Bench (5x5), Chinups (8x3), Pushups (10x5), Seated Cable Row (5x5), Leg Raises (10x3), Weighted Back Extension (12x3), Ab Windmill (20x3)

I know that benching 3 times a week probably isnt the best thing to do and might be the reason for plateauing, but thats why I asked. Thing is that I dont really want to use machines and since my injury, I kinda ran out of compound lifts and therefore am benching that often.

You tried close grip bench? Ie: work out the triceps as well?

People can hate on me all they want, but I literally measure every part of my body for the correct ratios, that's how I find "weak spots" in my body and then hammer those body parts out until they get bigger/stronger and everything else usually goes up after that.

Post: #11

Can you do leg-extensions and leg-curls?

Forget the push-ups. Do a set for a warm-up.

Go for one day of heavy bench (5 sets of 3 reps) and one day of volume (flat+incline db presses, 4 sets of 10-12 reps) and cable-flys.

Do pendlay or bent-over rows, too. Chin-ups 2x a week is good, but pull-ups is better.

The rest is just complementary.

Get some cambered bar curls or preacher-curls in their, too for more volume.

Lateral raises, as well. Bent-over DB rows. Weighted dips/skull-crushers.

Post: #12

(03-27-2013 07:55 AM)ElJefe Wrote:  Can you do leg-extensions and leg-curls?

Forget the push-ups. Do a set for a warm-up.

Go for one day of heavy bench (5 sets of 3 reps) and one day of volume (flat+incline db presses, 4 sets of 10-12 reps) and cable-flys.

Do pendlay or bent-over rows, too. Chin-ups 2x a week is good, but pull-ups is better.

The rest is just complementary.

Get some cambered bar curls or preacher-curls in their, too for more volume.

Lateral raises, as well. Bent-over DB rows. Weighted dips/skull-crushers.

Aight, I changed up my regimen a little and will follow your recommendations the next couple of weeks.
Just a few more things:

1. Whats the difference between chin-ups and pull-ups? I thought those were synonyms. I do mine with the palms facing outward and pulling up to the neck, widish grip.

2. If I understand you correctly, you recommend alternating between SS/ 5x5 and moderate weight+high reps days, right?

@Hades: Thanks for those spreads, once my ankle heals, I will use the SS sheet.

@all: Thanks for the input.