Building muscle and size
alisonstory
Posts: 39 Member
Iv been training for 45 weeks and built up a reasonable amount of muscle but now my newbie gains are behind me and progression has slowed . Would anyone like to share any tips?
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Replies
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Eat a calorie surplus and lift heavy things? That's about it.
Or get on gear.0 -
Have you varied your training schedule? Varied your reps/weight? Changed up to new exercises? Tried dropsets/superset/etc.?0
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Lift more weight, always have to increase weight or you will lose or at least see no gains. Check diet, more calories ...protein ? It is hard to stay lean and make gains. You might have to increase calories dramatically and bulk up then diet down.0
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He's ON POINT here...Eat a calorie surplus and lift heavy things? That's about it.
Or get on gear.
slow progression is key from here on in, eat on a slight calorie surplus as suggested & MONITOR PROGRESS in the weightroom, progressive overload, focus on increasing strength on your compound lifts ie squats, deadlifts, Bench press, OHP etc. with strength coupled with a slight surplus slowly increasing overtime = muscle gain.
Also judging on your profile pic you are lean.... it seems you want to stay that way thats why progression stalls.... ditch the idea of getting lean all year round and embrace " a little fat gain ". What I mean here is if you want to increase size you will have to eat in a surplus which will mean " gaining muscle + fat ", switch your " goal " to strength gain.
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Yup. Time to bulk.0
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Yep to some it up I have to lift heavier and eat more - I've got to get to it!
I'm definitely a hard gainer weight wise and have upped my calories but obviously need to add a couple more hundred and see how that goes . looking for a training partner in the gym to push it harder.thanks for all your comments .0 -
Are you doing powerlifting or body building or some combination? We could offer better suggestions if we knew your goals and program.0
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Also judging on your profile pic you are lean
This could be an issue, since women need to stay at around 20 % body fat (give or take a few percent) in order to keep their hormonal balance the right way up. If you get too lean, you'll start messing up that balance and then it will become really, really hard to make any gains what so ever.
TL;DR: Eat more, lift more.0 -
are you following a structured program or a homemade one..?0
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I'm also trying to gain healthy weight even though my BMI is in the lower mid range. At the moment I'm trying to eat surplus calories per day but does that mean if I reach my goal for that day and end up excersising then must I eat more to compensate? And tips re: food/snacks/meals for gaining?0
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alisonstory wrote: »Iv been training for 45 weeks and built up a reasonable amount of muscle but now my newbie gains are behind me and progression has slowed . Would anyone like to share any tips?
1) get on a good program, that reflects your experience level, if your an intermediate lifter find a good intermediate program.
2) Eat
3) be patient, once your out of the noob gains things take time.
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Wheelhouse15 wrote: »Are you doing powerlifting or body building or some combination? We could offer better suggestions if we knew your goals and program.
Iv been training in the 4-6 rep range for hypertrophy - 3 sets for most exercises which has allowed me to gain muscle and size but seemed to plateau at around 35 wks. Switched to pyramid training to see if that helped break the lull but has ended up with my final weight on set 4 being less than my programm before. My goal is to add size and muscle.0 -
Time to bulk
I managed about 6 months at deficit, before my lifts stalled out - no need to change programmes just get more calories in.0 -
are you following a structured program or a homemade one..?
I've been following mike matthews bls and its worked a treat but struggling to lift heavier now without my posture or full range of motion suffering. Switched to pyramid training to see if that helped , prob has with regards to proper execution of excercises but not with weight.0 -
He's ON POINT here...Eat a calorie surplus and lift heavy things? That's about it.
Or get on gear. slow progression is key from here on in, eat on a slight calorie surplus as suggested & MONITOR PROGRESS in the weightroom, progressive overload, focus on increasing strength on your compound lifts ie squats, deadlifts, Bench press, OHP etc. with strength coupled with a slight surplus slowly increasing overtime = muscle gain.
Also judging on your profile pic you are lean.... it seems you want to stay that way thats why progression stalls.... ditch the idea of getting lean all year round and embrace " a little fat gain ". What I mean here is if you want to increase size you will have to eat in a surplus which will mean " gaining muscle + fat ", switch your " goal " to strength gain.
I agree , must admit I don't like it when my abs disappear but that's what cutting is for I suppose . I need to give a proper bulk a good shot.0 -
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alisonstory wrote: »Iv been training for 45 weeks and built up a reasonable amount of muscle but now my newbie gains are behind me and progression has slowed . Would anyone like to share any tips?
1) get on a good program, that reflects your experience level, if your an intermediate lifter find a good intermediate program.
2) Eat
3) be patient, once your out of the noob gains things take time.
It's been said I'm impatient and it's true! Just want to make sure I use my time in the gym wisely , thanks for your reply0 -
Lift more weight, always have to increase weight or you will lose or at least see no gains. Check diet, more calories ...protein ? It is hard to stay lean and make gains. You might have to increase calories dramatically and bulk up then diet down.
Think iv got to really bulk and stick with it for a while hopefully strength will increase , thanks0 -
Sounds like you have hit the novice lifter wall where you were doing linear progression but now you are an intermediate lifter and need a program with periodization and slower progression. You might want to try looking at Texas Method, Wendler 531, or West Side and give those a try. Your overall progress will be slower but it should help get you past your current stick point.0
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It sounds as though you are at a point where you need to periodize your training. One way to do that is with reverse pyramid training although there are many other strategies. Basically, at your current level, you need to work in more rep ranges. The reasons are many and it is probably too complex an issue to discuss in this thread. With Mike Matthews, he has a BBLS program that is structured this way. Layne Norton's PHAT system is also undulating.
(edit): Yeah, you are going to need to bulk too0 -
jasonp_ritzert wrote: »Have you varied your training schedule? Varied your reps/weight? Changed up to new exercises? Tried dropsets/superset/etc.?
Yeah switched from 4-6 rep range to pyramid 12 rep down to 4 - 4 sets . Helped with ROM and good execution but not really with strength gains0 -
I switched up to this program about 6 weeks ago and have really liked it...kinda has a little bit of everything mixed in ...strength, hypertrophy, etc...the burn sets are a little tiresome..but overall I like the program ...
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/4-day-power-muscle-burn-workout-split.html
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I switched up to this program about 6 weeks ago and have really liked it...kinda has a little bit of everything mixed in ...strength, hypertrophy, etc...the burn sets are a little tiresome..but overall I like the program ...
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/4-day-power-muscle-burn-workout-split.html
Holy crap, I just started that one last week. On week 2 now.
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Wheelhouse15 wrote: »Sounds like you have hit the novice lifter wall where you were doing linear progression but now you are an intermediate lifter and need a program with periodization and slower progression. You might want to try looking at Texas Method, Wendler 531, or West Side and give those a try. Your overall progress will be slower but it should help get you past your current stick point.
This is a good point too. Haven't tried the others but I can't recommend Wendler's highly enough.
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Elizabeth_qtr wrote: »I'm also trying to gain healthy weight even though my BMI is in the lower mid range. At the moment I'm trying to eat surplus calories per day but does that mean if I reach my goal for that day and end up excersising then must I eat more to compensate? And tips re: food/snacks/meals for gaining?
You need to be in surplus esp when you train , as you would have burnt extra cals and need to feed your muscles.
I try to keep my snacks light but fairly high in cals so not to fill me up to much for my nxt meal. Try to eat 6 meals a day so you don't end up having just 2-3 heavy meals which take longer to digest . P/Shakes are great for snack with a banana/peanut butterIt sounds as though you are at a point where you need to periodize your training. One way to do that is with reverse pyramid training although there are many other strategies. Basically, at your current level, you need to work in more rep ranges. The reasons are many and it is probably too complex an issue to discuss in this thread. With Mike Matthews, he has a BBLS program that is structured this way. Layne Norton's PHAT system is also undulating.
(edit): Yeah, you are going to need to bulk too
I'm reading beyond bls at the mo , just getting to grips with the structure and thought will start it in nxt couple of wks . Think that is the way to go along with a good bulk . Great advice thanks0 -
Wheelhouse15 wrote: »Sounds like you have hit the novice lifter wall where you were doing linear progression but now you are an intermediate lifter and need a program with periodization and slower progression. You might want to try looking at Texas Method, Wendler 531, or West Side and give those a try. Your overall progress will be slower but it should help get you past your current stick point.
I agree .Going to start new routine in 2 wks with good bulk0 -
I switched up to this program about 6 weeks ago and have really liked it...kinda has a little bit of everything mixed in ...strength, hypertrophy, etc...the burn sets are a little tiresome..but overall I like the program ...
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/4-day-power-muscle-burn-workout-split.html
Holy crap, I just started that one last week. On week 2 now.
I'm going to give it a couple more wks ( 10 in total) and switch to reverse pyramid . Iv enjoyed the routine but want to go for heavy lifts first now.0 -
I switched up to this program about 6 weeks ago and have really liked it...kinda has a little bit of everything mixed in ...strength, hypertrophy, etc...the burn sets are a little tiresome..but overall I like the program ...
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/4-day-power-muscle-burn-workout-split.html
Going to look into this myself, thanks 0 -
I switched up to this program about 6 weeks ago and have really liked it...kinda has a little bit of everything mixed in ...strength, hypertrophy, etc...the burn sets are a little tiresome..but overall I like the program ...
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/4-day-power-muscle-burn-workout-split.html
Holy crap, I just started that one last week. On week 2 now.
how do you like it?0
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