Tips for Overcoming a Plateau

[mikevfk]

Morning guys! First time poster here. I was hoping to seek out some advice on overcoming the plateau I've found myself in lately. TL;DR included at the bottom.

When I first started training, I was 6'2, 135lbs. In about half a year I managed to bring myself to 150lbs, which is where I currently sit. issue is that I hit 150lbs in early June, and remain there now, in late August, whereas beforehand I was seeing steady and constant muscle growth. The lack of progress is making it difficult to stay motivated, and I'd like to get myself back on the right track. average week includes 5-6 training days. Before plateau, I was noticing strength gains on most exercises on a weekly/biweekly basis. Now, I find I need 3-4 weeks+ to even add 5lbs to an exercise while maintaining form and a good amount of reps (I usually go for 3 sets of anywhere between 8 and 12).

I've boiled it down to two factors, but I would like to hear what you guys think. The first is nutrition. I haven't yet really properly adjusted diet plan to accommodate for the fact that I am 15 pounds heavier. I plan to change this starting next week, but question is; is it simply a matter of eating more and upping calorie intake, or do other changes need to be made if I want to keep seeing progress?

The second factor is job. I feel like it is no coincidence that I hit plateau at the same time I came to current place of employment. I work 9-10 hour shifts 5 days a week, most of it out in the sun, and I feel that I burn a lot of calories and energy doing so. Going to the gym after a shift often leaves me feeling drained and unfocused which I feel is factoring in to slower progress. I am fortunately moving down to part time when I return to school next week. Do any of you think it is possible job is a factor, and that working less hours will mean I see progress start to return?

I've also heard recommendations that I drop down to 3-4 training days from regular 5-6, as I may be over exerting myself. I'd love to hear advice in that regard as well.

TL;DR: haven't made much progress over the past few months, looking for ways to overcome the hurdle.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I look forward to hearing your opinions!

[4thlevelfitness]

So any or all of the advice you've received might be correct. The only way you'll find out which is to try things out one at a time. Here's what I'd suggest you try, in this order:
1. Eat really fast:
The idea is to ingest as many calories as you can before your stomach lets your brain know you're full. Obviously high quality protein sources would be ideal for this, but if you're looking to put on weight you can mix in grains, fruits, and veggies too.
2. Change up your go-to set/rep scheme:
If you've been doing 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps, bump down to 5-6 sets of 2-5 reps and vice versa. Low rep/high intensity applies primarily to compound lifts and wouldn't work well for bicep curls, but see what you can do to mix things up.
3. Add in some carries:
Just Google "Dan John carries" and you'll be squared away.
Not a super-technical answer, but most of our fitness issues aren't super-technical problems. Try each one, one at a time, for 4-8 weeks and see if you break through. Best of luck!

[Boss Man]

Hi Mike good to talk to you.

It does sound like an over-exertion problem coupled with a slight lack of calories.

What has been said above by the previous poster is sound enough, so you've got some good pointers to work with I feel, just don't take the "eat fast" part literally, as you don't want to make yourself belch when you're eating.

The more you chew food the easier it should be for all the good things like enzymes, gastric juices, stomach acid and bile to get stuck into your nutrition and aid the digestion process, so don't wolf food down, as that might lead to less consideration for how you eat .

[heysick_aisic]

If I may, I would also like to get in on the input as to why you may be hitting a plateau. Initial steady muscle growth and definition comes from pre-existing muscle cells firing that had not been previously firing(this growth happens over the first two or so months of resistance training). It's not until after a few months of consistent training that muscle tearing/regeneration really begins. This transition usually leaves people in a plateau phase, like the one you are experiencing. Just keep pushing yourself, and take the previous posters' advice into account(keep caloric intake up, keep protein intake high, consider mixing in plant based proteins as they are easier to digest and absorb, mix up your reps/targeted areas), and you should notice slow, periodic increase of mass

[Boss Man]

Micro tearing of muscle could happen potentially in week one, when your beginning an adjustment phase of weightlifting, but when someone actually gets to around 6 weeks in and they are hitting lifts equivalent to 95% of failure, then the real growth phase can begin, assuming the nutrition is en pointe and then the real potential of someone can start to kick in, if they train correctly and consistently at the maximum levels I eluded to.

[AnthonyDee]

Congratulations, you are now an intermediate lifter, so you'll progress like one!

1. Make sure you are getting in enough calories and protein to grow - a surplus of 200-400 calories is ideal for most people, most of the time. I like to set protein at around 1g per pound of lean body mass.
2. If you aren't making progress after a full mesocyle (typically four weeks), do a one-week deload. If again you don't manage to increase the weight on the bar, try resetting your weight by 10% and re-building. If that doesn't work either, you may be doing too much volume.