Will strength gains plateau?

IsaackGMOON
IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
edited November 8 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi guys, I plan to start lifting some time this week, I have done some before and I increased my strength quite fast and I was only eating around 80g of protein or something around that.

I plan to lift long term, but would my strength eventually plateau while in a deficit? Just a thought...

Replies

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    With the exception of newbie gains, you will not be gaining muscle in a deficit.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Strength will eventually plateau, then you readjust your program, and do things a little differently to break through it. That's natural.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    With the exception of newbie gains, you will not be gaining muscle in a deficit.

    I know that, I was just curious about strength.
  • Remo_Williams
    Remo_Williams Posts: 73
    You will eventually plateau even when eating all the food you can get you hands on, it's just what happens. You will likely plateau sooner, and need to deload more often and/or workout with reduced total volume when eating at a deficit.

    Most of your initial strength gains will be neurological (the "newbie gains" to quote above) so feel free to ride those as long as possible.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    With the exception of newbie gains, you will not be gaining muscle in a deficit.

    I know that, I was just curious about strength.

    I imagine it will hit eventually, but for me (6 months in on my re-comp), it hasn't happened yet. I am progressively getting stronger. When it does, I'll do what db says and change something.
  • Wetterdew
    Wetterdew Posts: 142 Member
    Strength plateaus eventually. If it never did, then there would be no limit of human strength. While on a deficit you can make some strength gains, but it will plateau quickly compared to if you weight train while eating more food.
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    I don't know how accurate this is, but based on personal experience I suspect sleep deprivation can cause rapid strength gains to slow prematurely. I've only been lifting for a couple months, but I am no longer making rapid progression like I was for the first few weeks. And I'm not eating at a calorie deficit either. My guess is that my stalling is somewhat due to the fact that I have only been getting a restful sleep some days.

    If you get enough deep sleep regularly, I would think you can keep going for a few months.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Your wedding tackle might have issues working too if you go too deep into the weeds with sleep dep and training.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    Yes, it would.

    Depends on how big a deficit, how frequently you train. How much volume you expose yourself to. How aggressively you increase load. That's without individual differences in recovery and how you personally react to whatever routine you attempt.

    But as others have said, you back up, try different stuff, eat more, get more sleep, de-stress, work on mobility, address strength imbalances with targeted work, etc. And move on past the point you were previously stuck at. Keeping a thorough training journal and employing form-check videos will help for when you get stuck and need to work out how to proceed.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    There is a theoretical limit on how strong your existing muscle tissue can be. I have a hard time believing that ceiling would come into play for almost anyone, and certainly not many MFPers.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    edited December 2014
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    There is a theoretical limit on how strong your existing muscle tissue can be. I have a hard time believing that ceiling would come into play for almost anyone, and certainly not many MFPers.

    But the rate you can continue to build up strength is going to tail off. Even for an overfed beginner who's got all the advantages, strength gains session-to-session are going to stall. It's not the limit-strength of existing muscle tissue, more like cns fatigue, or over-taxed recovery ability, or however else you want to describe it. That's why intermediate routines exist, after all.

  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    edited December 2014
    jimmmer wrote: »
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    There is a theoretical limit on how strong your existing muscle tissue can be. I have a hard time believing that ceiling would come into play for almost anyone, and certainly not many MFPers.

    But the rate you can continue to build up strength is going to tail off. Even for an overfed beginner who's got all the advantages, strength gains session-to-session are going to stall. It's not the limit-strength of existing muscle tissue, more like cns fatigue, or over-taxed recovery ability, or however else you want to describe it. That's why intermediate routines exist, after all.

    Agreed, completely. Maybe I'm assuming too much, but to me session to session gains aren't realistic beyond the first few months, maybe year depending on the program. Slower, longer term gains (month to month, for example) are perfectly normal, and to be expected.

    I read "plateauing strength gains" as going even beyond that, to the point where gains stopped almost completely.

    To me, making gains on a monthly basis is normal, not a plateau.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    jimmmer wrote: »
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    There is a theoretical limit on how strong your existing muscle tissue can be. I have a hard time believing that ceiling would come into play for almost anyone, and certainly not many MFPers.

    But the rate you can continue to build up strength is going to tail off. Even for an overfed beginner who's got all the advantages, strength gains session-to-session are going to stall. It's not the limit-strength of existing muscle tissue, more like cns fatigue, or over-taxed recovery ability, or however else you want to describe it. That's why intermediate routines exist, after all.

    Agreed, completely. Maybe I'm assuming too much, but to me session to session gains aren't realistic beyond the first few months, maybe year depending on the program. Slower, longer term gains (month to month, for example) are perfectly normal, and to be expected.

    I read "plateauing strength gains" as going even beyond that, to the point where gains stopped almost completely.

    To me, making gains on a monthly basis is normal, not a plateau.

    At this point, making gains on a monthly basis is cause for celebration. Some of my lifts I only get to add 5lbs to a couple times a year. And only while bulking.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    jimmmer wrote: »
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    There is a theoretical limit on how strong your existing muscle tissue can be. I have a hard time believing that ceiling would come into play for almost anyone, and certainly not many MFPers.

    But the rate you can continue to build up strength is going to tail off. Even for an overfed beginner who's got all the advantages, strength gains session-to-session are going to stall. It's not the limit-strength of existing muscle tissue, more like cns fatigue, or over-taxed recovery ability, or however else you want to describe it. That's why intermediate routines exist, after all.

    truth.

    There comes a point where you need all the food and rest you can get- and then you go for a bulk- and you sleep- lift eat- and sleep some more- and you'll be THRILLED to add 10 pounds in 3 months to a big lift.

    it's normal.

    It happens.

    I've been stalled on bench for almost 9 months- but I'm at a deficit- I'll be happy if I that I haven't lost 20 pounds off my lift... but when I cycle back through- I'll be thrilled with a total of 5 pounds total to that lift- which is 2.5 on each side- seriously- I'll be thrilled when that happens.
  • juliewatkin
    juliewatkin Posts: 764 Member
    DopeItUp wrote: »
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    jimmmer wrote: »
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    There is a theoretical limit on how strong your existing muscle tissue can be. I have a hard time believing that ceiling would come into play for almost anyone, and certainly not many MFPers.

    But the rate you can continue to build up strength is going to tail off. Even for an overfed beginner who's got all the advantages, strength gains session-to-session are going to stall. It's not the limit-strength of existing muscle tissue, more like cns fatigue, or over-taxed recovery ability, or however else you want to describe it. That's why intermediate routines exist, after all.

    Agreed, completely. Maybe I'm assuming too much, but to me session to session gains aren't realistic beyond the first few months, maybe year depending on the program. Slower, longer term gains (month to month, for example) are perfectly normal, and to be expected.

    I read "plateauing strength gains" as going even beyond that, to the point where gains stopped almost completely.

    To me, making gains on a monthly basis is normal, not a plateau.

    At this point, making gains on a monthly basis is cause for celebration. Some of my lifts I only get to add 5lbs to a couple times a year. And only while bulking.

    This is true for me as well. With bench in particular, I have difficulty making any gains.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    I have been lifting for almost 2 years, trying to hold a deficit the whole time. My lifts have slowed, but deadlift and squat have not stalled yet. Bench is a fight, but it always has been for me, so I hesitated to say that one has stalled either. OHP...probably at a stall because I hate it and don't really care if it gets bigger.

This discussion has been closed.

Categories