Stalled on lifts, looking for advice

lev_k

Hi,

So I've been doing some powerlifting for a while and seem to have permanently stalled/plateaued on all my lifts and was perhaps looking on some advice as to what I can change to break plateau and continue making progress.

Some context:

I've been powerlifting on/off for a while now and have been at minimum consistently lifting for the last 6 months.

My workout is most similar to Greyskull LP, where there are A/B days and are split up like this:

A:
Squats: 3x(4-6)
Bench: 3x(4-6)
Row Variation: 3x(7-10)

B:
OHP: 3x(4-6)
DL: 1x(4-6, with more warmup sets)
Lat Pulldowns: 3x(7-10)

I also occasionally include extra accessory workouts such as flys, another row variation on day A, shoulder press on day B.

Current weight: 175lbs, 25% body fat (this is a guess), I am most like the 25% picture here:

https://ultimateperformance.com/your-goal/fat-loss/male-fat-loss/male-body-fat-comparison/

I have been on a (somewhat inconsistent) weight cut for a while now (~1year) with periods of time where I take a break and am on maintenance (usually for about 1month). My rate of weight loss has been on average 1lb/week (not including the maintenance periods.

My current goal is to cut for another 25weeks at 1lb/week until I'm 150lbs.

Current max lifts:

Squats: 240lb x 4 reps
Bench: 150lb x 4 reps
DL: 285lb x 4 reps
OHP: 105lb x 4 reps
Lat Pulldown: 125lb x 7 reps

Stats:
Male, 29, 5'10''

I've already tried de-loading a few times, but always seem to be getting stuck around these max numbers. I've also tried pushing through these numbers by lifting the same amount for a couple of weeks, or even going a little higher with less reps, but still no luck.

Should I move on to a different program? Am I perhaps overworking my body (FYI I also do Jui Jitsu 2/week and vball 1/week). Do I need to focus on tightening up my diet?

I know that I'm unlikely to put on muscle mass on a cut, but I did expect I would make some better strength progress, especially since the lift numbers right now seem like they have some room for improvement

I'm happy to provide more detailed information if needed. Would appreciate any advice from this community.

Thanks

Chieflrg

So running a cookie cutter program has some slight advantages. You just run it, see progress consistently for a period of time, and enjoy.

The cons are usually the volume/dosage stays the same and there are no desensitizing to the stress because lift selection, volume, intensities become stale to the body. Also running a A/B set up is not going to last very long on progress. That typically is for a untrained person or somebody returning from a hiatus.

Another possible issue I see from your post is you are cutting weight. Which doesn't mean you can't see progress(my programming I typically see about 4-6 weeks still during a cut for my clients). Cutting weight for a extended period of time we won't typically see progress other than possible technique and/or or possibly work load capacity improvements depending on the programming & individual. So your goal of losing weight while progressing in lifts is not exactly reasonable for a longer time period.

Simply put you need to prioritize your goal(s) from what you learned and I highly suggest running more advanced programming. Again the "free cookie cutter" programs are more geared towards novel lifters and the majority of programs titled for the next level are not the best realistically though there are a couple that can return benefits decently depending on the recent lifting history of a individual.

If it was me in your situation, I would look into investing in a either a online coach with a proven track record or one that can work with you in person(more than likely not one that boasts of having CERTS or employed or works in a commercial gym would be ideal).

nossmf

^^This.

By "de-loading" do you mean you take one week at a lighter weight? When I ran into a glass ceiling with my squats a few years back, I cut the weight down to about 70% of what I was trying to lift and just repped the blazes out of it, sets of 20, for 2 months. When I loaded the weight back up again after this two month stretch, I not only easily blasted the stubborn plateau but had added another 30#.