[Week 17's Topic] - Breaking Plateaus

GameDayDog · 08-28-2005, 09:47 AM

That's it.. pure and simple... Now I have topics out the yin - yang.. but thys topic of the week is extra special because it was suggested by a fellow member of IronMASS!!!

I'm not gonna limit thys to just exercyse plateaus ... for example... My bench plateaued at 225... ... Instead, I want you to thynk outsyde the box and mention all kynd of plateaus... especially including weight gain & weight loss as well...

Of course, don't just tell us about your plateau... but tell us about how you broke your plateau ... or if you're currently at a plateau, feel free to tell us what you're thynking about doing to break it...

***********

As usual, I guess I'll start... I haven't reached many exercyse plateaus, but I'm at a weight gaining plateau... I weighed about 155 - 160 when I started lyfting weights and exploded up to a high of 193 ... I'm shooting for 200 pounds... I got sick.. the flu .. and my diet went down the toilet for the most part & I didn't workout... I lost 10 - 15 pounds and have weighed in around 180 - 186 recently ...

The weights I use in the gym are returning to my pre-sickness levels and folks say I look bigger so I guess it's working... but to break my weight plateau and get over 190 and eventually 193 and eventually reach 200... I've taken my nutritional intake (diet) seriously... I visited Fitday.com and calculated a diet that's getting me 3700 cals a day... I also have a new routine with new exercyses... Styll using the same rep scheme & such, but I'm sure that eating thys way and monitoring my daily calories will help me continue to gain weight... Then I can reach my goals and be bigger than all the humans...

...

How about you??

Peace..~G

**Peaked_18** · 08-28-2005, 05:02 PM

There are a ton of solutions for breaking through plataeus. #1: Diet, #2: Training, #3: Supplements.

#1: Diet
Most people don't understand that when they hit a plataeu that there diet can be changed just by a little bit will break through a plataeu. By increasing, carbs, and fat you can easily bust though a plataeu of strength. Increase protein to 2x times your body weight or add 10-20g of carbs, or taking an extra serving or two of olive oil rtc.

#2: Training
Your muscles get used to your training and develope adaption. Then they start growing and getting stronger, but then it dies down into a hard plataeu. A way to bust through a plataeu is to use machines instead of barbells for an exercise or switching free weights. You can also change from bodybuilding training to powerlifting for a while and use different rep schemes.

#3: Supplements
Before going to supplemens for the answer, change your diet and training to break the plataeu. But if it doesn't work do all three and see if that helps. Using a new supplement you haven't used before is always good. A new type of supplement is another good idea. Trying many different supplements gives you a good idea of what to do here.

I guess that's my opinion, I busted through plataeus with just diet and training changing and that's all I had to do.

**NNTB** · 08-28-2005, 05:08 PM

When i started lifting weights i was a smaller kid, maybe about 150lbs in my junior year lifting for football. I continued and made some great gains in my first couple years and got up to about 170 by the time i was 19. However around that time my gains started slowing down and i knew that i had to change something. I had been training with the same routine that i either found in a magazine or on some website, and my diet wasnt exactly fit for growth. I did a lot of researching and found out that i was going to have to find out what would work best for me. I threw out the old routine and tried a few different training styles until i found out what was most suiting for my body and finally got my diet in check. Since i have made personal adjustments to my diet and training the gains have just kept on coming.

joed · 08-29-2005, 11:18 PM

Assuming you are eating right, IMO two things can help break thru a plateau: 1. rest, 2. volume training.

These ideas about volume training came from Ted Post's bodybuilding site (which may no longer be operating). Volume training is size training & it creates long, beautiful muscles. Rather than focusing on lifting heavy weights, you try to stimulate the muscle into growing. Lift s-l-o-w-l-y with a full ROM, total control, with deep contractions & squeeze at the top, high reps, multiple sets. This is the heart of size training:
1. Get a false pump started with 15 or 20 reps.
2. Get a real pump started with a little more weight & 10-13 reps.
3. Get more strength for the next training day with more weight & 6-8 reps.
4. Do back sets of 50% of your strength for 10-12 reps.
5. Do 20-40 sets, depending on how you feel that day.

The total number of reps is what counts during your 45-60 minute workout. Do 2 wks of volume, then 2 wks of heavier, lower rep/sets lifting.

In the past this routine has worked well for me.

pammiejoe6 · 08-30-2005, 02:06 AM

when i started losing weight at 302lbs i was overwhelmed...i wasnt sure what exactly to do, but i knew i had to do SOMETHING....after i read the atkins book i felt pretty confident that that was a plan i could follow, so i decided to go full throttle in that direction ( even though i had no idea about nutrients....fat, protein, cals, carbs etc)....i had great amount of success on this plan because i think just cutting out the 3 or 4 2-liters a day of soda and all the bullshit carbs i was eating made a big difference....eventually i became knowledgable in the macros and i realized that perhaps cycling my foods would be a good thing, so i started reintroducing carbs into my life...this was disastrous for me...i reintroduced like CRAZY...with no regard to any certain plan, and i gained 30lbs....

eventually i realized the error of my way and i started eating clean and limiting the carbs and calories i was eating...but i found that eating clean and watching cals wasnt as easy as i thought...after a few months of clean eating i realized i had reached a sticking point of 220lbs...no matter what i did i couldnt lose weight! ok wait...i COULD...but i was afraid to drop my calories too low for fear of stalling my metabolism...soon though i realized that dropping my cals to about 1500-1600 instead of 1800-2200 was a much better mix for me...i started working my way OUT of my sticking point and started losing weight again...i dunno if his counts as a REAL plateau, but i can honestly say that by lowering my cals by about 300 i started losing weight again and i am slowly but surely losing again in inches each week and feeling confident.

for those of you who have reached that damn plateau...just remember there IS A SOLUTION...keep tweaking and never let it get you down...there is a chance to keep losing that weight or those inches OR GAINING THAT WEIGHT....take it from me...never giving up is in your best interest! i am now 212lbs from 302lbs and one of these days i will be a lean whatever lbs i am and i will feel fantastic! never give up!!!!!!!!!!!!

**BobThePotato** · 09-03-2005, 03:14 AM

diet / shock training

LuxuryChic · 09-05-2005, 04:02 AM

on the week of july 4th i reached my first dieting Plateau since I started this in late feb. I just ate like shit for a whole week! i was at 220 couldnt lose a thing and this had been going on for a whole month! i was stalled at 220lbs for the ENTIRE MONTH OF JUNE! needless to say i said **** it and ate WHATEVER i wanted!! cake, ice cream, pizza, chinese food, name it i ate it! for an enite week. I only gained like 2lbs in that week (oh yeah no weight training or anything during that week either) When i got back on my diet the following week, there i was losing 2lbs a week again!! then i stalled again early august at 205! i didn't want to eat like shit, so i just keep eating good and weight trainining but still couldnt lose, so now this last week i've eaten EVERYTHING! especially cheesecake!! omg my dad makes the best cheesecake!! back on it tomorrow tho!!!

09-03-2005, 03:14 AM	#6
BobThePotato Nublarsaurusrex Join Date: May 2005 Location: Calgary//Alberta Posts: 513 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 21	diet / shock training __________________ "Geadelt ist wer Schmerzen kennt vom Feuer das in Lust verbrennt."

09-05-2005, 04:02 AM	#7
LuxuryChic Pro Stature Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 113 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 5	on the week of july 4th i reached my first dieting Plateau since I started this in late feb. I just ate like shit for a whole week! i was at 220 couldnt lose a thing and this had been going on for a whole month! i was stalled at 220lbs for the ENTIRE MONTH OF JUNE! needless to say i said **** it and ate WHATEVER i wanted!! cake, ice cream, pizza, chinese food, name it i ate it! for an enite week. I only gained like 2lbs in that week (oh yeah no weight training or anything during that week either) When i got back on my diet the following week, there i was losing 2lbs a week again!! then i stalled again early august at 205! i didn't want to eat like shit, so i just keep eating good and weight trainining but still couldnt lose, so now this last week i've eaten EVERYTHING! especially cheesecake!! omg my dad makes the best cheesecake!! back on it tomorrow tho!!! __________________ Lift-eat-sleep-grow-repeat Age: 18 Weight: 262bs Goal: August 2007 - 220lbs

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08-28-2005, 09:47 AM	#1
GameDayDog The Dawg Is Back!! Join Date: May 2005 Location: Doin Compound Movements 4 Scooby Snacks! Posts: 1,914 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 32	[Week 17's Topic] - Breaking Plateaus That's it.. pure and simple... Now I have topics out the yin - yang.. but thys topic of the week is extra special because it was suggested by a fellow member of IronMASS!!! I'm not gonna limit thys to just exercyse plateaus ... for example... My bench plateaued at 225... ... Instead, I want you to thynk outsyde the box and mention all kynd of plateaus... especially including weight gain & weight loss as well... Of course, don't just tell us about your plateau... but tell us about how you broke your plateau ... or if you're currently at a plateau, feel free to tell us what you're thynking about doing to break it... *********** As usual, I guess I'll start... I haven't reached many exercyse plateaus, but I'm at a weight gaining plateau... I weighed about 155 - 160 when I started lyfting weights and exploded up to a high of 193 ... I'm shooting for 200 pounds... I got sick.. the flu .. and my diet went down the toilet for the most part & I didn't workout... I lost 10 - 15 pounds and have weighed in around 180 - 186 recently ... The weights I use in the gym are returning to my pre-sickness levels and folks say I look bigger so I guess it's working... but to break my weight plateau and get over 190 and eventually 193 and eventually reach 200... I've taken my nutritional intake (diet) seriously... I visited Fitday.com and calculated a diet that's getting me 3700 cals a day... I also have a new routine with new exercyses... Styll using the same rep scheme & such, but I'm sure that eating thys way and monitoring my daily calories will help me continue to gain weight... Then I can reach my goals and be bigger than all the humans... ... How about you?? Peace..~G __________________ I am Thee Alpha.. RaSP is Thee oMEGA.. Between the 2 of us - We have everythyng covered... I want to be bigger than all the humans!! "I'm sure I should be doing cardio too....but I don't run from anything...so why practice?" - 1stInDoor Goal - 200#'s 5/27/07 - 4/27/07 - 175# 3/27/07 - 167#

08-28-2005, 05:02 PM	#2
Peaked_18 a la commode Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 4,247 Recipes: 2 Rep Power: 96	There are a ton of solutions for breaking through plataeus. #1: Diet, #2: Training, #3: Supplements. #1: Diet Most people don't understand that when they hit a plataeu that there diet can be changed just by a little bit will break through a plataeu. By increasing, carbs, and fat you can easily bust though a plataeu of strength. Increase protein to 2x times your body weight or add 10-20g of carbs, or taking an extra serving or two of olive oil rtc. #2: Training Your muscles get used to your training and develope adaption. Then they start growing and getting stronger, but then it dies down into a hard plataeu. A way to bust through a plataeu is to use machines instead of barbells for an exercise or switching free weights. You can also change from bodybuilding training to powerlifting for a while and use different rep schemes. #3: Supplements Before going to supplemens for the answer, change your diet and training to break the plataeu. But if it doesn't work do all three and see if that helps. Using a new supplement you haven't used before is always good. A new type of supplement is another good idea. Trying many different supplements gives you a good idea of what to do here. I guess that's my opinion, I busted through plataeus with just diet and training changing and that's all I had to do.

08-28-2005, 05:08 PM	#3
NNTB rEVOLutionary Join Date: May 2005 Location: FL Posts: 2,447 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 163	When i started lifting weights i was a smaller kid, maybe about 150lbs in my junior year lifting for football. I continued and made some great gains in my first couple years and got up to about 170 by the time i was 19. However around that time my gains started slowing down and i knew that i had to change something. I had been training with the same routine that i either found in a magazine or on some website, and my diet wasnt exactly fit for growth. I did a lot of researching and found out that i was going to have to find out what would work best for me. I threw out the old routine and tried a few different training styles until i found out what was most suiting for my body and finally got my diet in check. Since i have made personal adjustments to my diet and training the gains have just kept on coming. __________________ "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it." Abraham Lincoln

08-29-2005, 11:18 PM	#4
joed Pro Stature Join Date: May 2005 Location: More than a mile high Posts: 187 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 5	Assuming you are eating right, IMO two things can help break thru a plateau: 1. rest, 2. volume training. These ideas about volume training came from Ted Post's bodybuilding site (which may no longer be operating). Volume training is size training & it creates long, beautiful muscles. Rather than focusing on lifting heavy weights, you try to stimulate the muscle into growing. Lift s-l-o-w-l-y with a full ROM, total control, with deep contractions & squeeze at the top, high reps, multiple sets. This is the heart of size training: 1. Get a false pump started with 15 or 20 reps. 2. Get a real pump started with a little more weight & 10-13 reps. 3. Get more strength for the next training day with more weight & 6-8 reps. 4. Do back sets of 50% of your strength for 10-12 reps. 5. Do 20-40 sets, depending on how you feel that day. The total number of reps is what counts during your 45-60 minute workout. Do 2 wks of volume, then 2 wks of heavier, lower rep/sets lifting. In the past this routine has worked well for me.

08-30-2005, 02:06 AM	#5
pammiejoe6 Pink Members Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: south texas Posts: 4,175 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 85	when i started losing weight at 302lbs i was overwhelmed...i wasnt sure what exactly to do, but i knew i had to do SOMETHING....after i read the atkins book i felt pretty confident that that was a plan i could follow, so i decided to go full throttle in that direction ( even though i had no idea about nutrients....fat, protein, cals, carbs etc)....i had great amount of success on this plan because i think just cutting out the 3 or 4 2-liters a day of soda and all the bullshit carbs i was eating made a big difference....eventually i became knowledgable in the macros and i realized that perhaps cycling my foods would be a good thing, so i started reintroducing carbs into my life...this was disastrous for me...i reintroduced like CRAZY...with no regard to any certain plan, and i gained 30lbs.... eventually i realized the error of my way and i started eating clean and limiting the carbs and calories i was eating...but i found that eating clean and watching cals wasnt as easy as i thought...after a few months of clean eating i realized i had reached a sticking point of 220lbs...no matter what i did i couldnt lose weight! ok wait...i COULD...but i was afraid to drop my calories too low for fear of stalling my metabolism...soon though i realized that dropping my cals to about 1500-1600 instead of 1800-2200 was a much better mix for me...i started working my way OUT of my sticking point and started losing weight again...i dunno if his counts as a REAL plateau, but i can honestly say that by lowering my cals by about 300 i started losing weight again and i am slowly but surely losing again in inches each week and feeling confident. for those of you who have reached that damn plateau...just remember there IS A SOLUTION...keep tweaking and never let it get you down...there is a chance to keep losing that weight or those inches OR GAINING THAT WEIGHT....take it from me...never giving up is in your best interest! i am now 212lbs from 302lbs and one of these days i will be a lean whatever lbs i am and i will feel fantastic! never give up!!!!!!!!!!!!