Weight lifting plateau

scottdsexton · January 2017

I am 52 and getting back into shape, including strength training weight lifting every other day. I started September 2016 and basically have the same exercises each lift day for one hour (3 sets 10 each; 1 minute rest between). I do bench, incline bench, military press, barbell curls, bent rows, situps, pushups, and french curls. I was able to rapidly increase weights or reps in all exercises for first four months (about 10% -15% per month) but have been stuck for last four weeks. I am currently not able to increase reps or weight at current levels.

Is this normal? How long is normal if so?

I am still seeing results in body fat reduction and muscle mass, but am frustrated at exercise stall.

comptonelizabeth · January 2017

I have no answers but following because I,too,have reached a plateau (I'm 61)!

comptonelizabeth · January 2017

Ps I'm no expert but have you tried lifting heavier but with fewer reps and longer rest periods?

psuLemon · January 2017

If you have been doing the same things for awhile and haven't been able to increase load, you have a few choices; 1. you could deload for a week where lift at around 50% of your max and then 2. come back with a lower rep count (e.g., sets of 4 to 6).

Side note, where is the lower body moves?

edickson76 · January 2017

Yes, it is normal. If you don't change what you are doing, it will go on for weeks and probably months.

As psuLemon said, the common solution is a deload week.

However, I have three concerns with your routine. One, you have no lower body work, which will create an imbalance. Two, you have a ton of workouts for the front (bench, incline bench, military press, pushups) and one for the back (rows). Another imbalance. This is going to round your shoulders, creating poor posture and increasing the likelihood of shoulder injury due to misalignment. Three, the total volume is on the high side. By my count you are doing 240 reps each workout, and you have 4 workouts per week. So your total weekly reps are 960. For comparison: someone doing the Strong Lifts routine has a weekly rep total of 185-205. As you have just gotten back into weight training, I suspect you could still see gains with lower volume (lower reps and fewer exercises), lower frequency (# of workouts per week) and higher intensity (more weight).

Good starting place on weight training: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/beginning-weight-training-part-1.html

Also check psuLemon's thread on workout routines for options.

canadianlbs · January 2017

yeah to the stuff about balance, i.e. more back and legs. but just focussing on the work you are doing, noob gains could be a factor as well if you've been consistently increasing your weights for 4x however many weeks it is since last september.

basically, 'linear' growth only lasts for so long. that's while you're taking up the slack between where you are at the start and your natural 'genetic' potential. so you might have maxed that window out for the muscles you're already working on. i'd suggest looking into something else like wendler's 5/3/1 programme, except what you ought to do is go back to a different square one and get started on using up your noob gains for the deadlifts and squats.

although mind you, wendler would have you doing exactly those things

so there's that. just that progress happens slowly with 5:3:1 and if you've got lots of room to progress faster than that for a while with lower body/back work, then why not.

disclaimer: not a trainer or anything of the kind.

psuLemon · January 2017

edickson76 wrote: »

Yes, it is normal. If you don't change what you are doing, it will go on for weeks and probably months.

As psuLemon said, the common solution is a deload week.

However, I have three concerns with your routine. One, you have no lower body work, which will create an imbalance. Two, you have a ton of workouts for the front (bench, incline bench, military press, pushups) and one for the back (rows). Another imbalance. This is going to round your shoulders, creating poor posture and increasing the likelihood of shoulder injury due to misalignment. Three, the total volume is on the high side. By my count you are doing 240 reps each workout, and you have 4 workouts per week. So your total weekly reps are 960. For comparison: someone doing the Strong Lifts routine has a weekly rep total of 185-205. As you have just gotten back into weight training, I suspect you could still see gains with lower volume (lower reps and fewer exercises), lower frequency (# of workouts per week) and higher intensity (more weight).

Good starting place on weight training: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/beginning-weight-training-part-1.html

Also check psuLemon's thread on workout routines for options.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

Here it is. And great post. This is where i was going.

wrl11 · January 2017

I like the balance posts above. Also I like to keep records for the working sets (ones after warm ups) of weights and reps. Every workout is a competition with my prior self (prior workout) to boost reps at the same weight, and if i hit the upper band of my reps, then increase the weight. This keeps you from getting in a rut and really pushing yourself.

riffraff2112 · January 2017

Everyone hits plateaus.
Many options to help you through them.
Less reps with increased weight usually helps me shatter a barrier. Getting away from full body exercise to split routines helped too. A complete overhaul of the routine wouldn't hurt once in awhile as well. The body adapts quickly, and change is what keeps it adapting.
I've been lifting for 20 years and hadn't really noticed any gains for quite awhile, until I started doing more compound lifts and big muscle groups exclusively. My bicep strength increased by doing some serious bent over rows, and pull ups, not having actually done curls in two months.
Paying attention to diet, sleep, form, time of day, reduced cardio, time-off (take a break) are things that i have also noticed can pay off.

FitMommy_91 · January 2017

Hi riffraff I suggest you read or listen to this audio book "Bigger Leaner Stronger" by Mike Matthews he also has a great website with lots of information on hitting plateaus www.muscleforlife.com I'm always looking for new knowledge and better ways of improving my lifts and progress in the gym.. He has definitely opened my eyes about a lot of things and I lift way different these days and I couldn't be happier with my results. check it out you will be happy you did

scottdsexton · January 2017

edickson76 wrote: »

Yes, it is normal. If you don't change what you are doing, it will go on for weeks and probably months.

As psuLemon said, the common solution is a deload week.

However, I have three concerns with your routine. One, you have no lower body work, which will create an imbalance. Two, you have a ton of workouts for the front (bench, incline bench, military press, pushups) and one for the back (rows). Another imbalance. This is going to round your shoulders, creating poor posture and increasing the likelihood of shoulder injury due to misalignment. Three, the total volume is on the high side. By my count you are doing 240 reps each workout, and you have 4 workouts per week. So your total weekly reps are 960. For comparison: someone doing the Strong Lifts routine has a weekly rep total of 185-205. As you have just gotten back into weight training, I suspect you could still see gains with lower volume (lower reps and fewer exercises), lower frequency (# of workouts per week) and higher intensity (more weight).

Good starting place on weight training: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/beginning-weight-training-part-1.html

Also check psuLemon's thread on workout routines for options.

Thank you for the info (everybody!) Great ideas here. A couple quick responses...I realize my strength training is all upper body related. I run on the off days about 3 miles per day and I feel (maybe incorrectly) that this is conditioning and strengthening lower body. I could probably add in some leg training but I am trying to keep my total workout to one hour or less to keep motivated.

I am intrigued by the deloading and/or lowering reps and increasing weights. I think I will try the second approach first and see how it goes. Also, the upper body imbalance issue.... in my own mind I was doing two exercises per target area (incline and bench --chest; barbell and french curls--arms; pushups and situp---core; military press and bent rows--shoulder + back on rows). What would be a better set of exercises to round out the upper body ( I work out at home with free weights so no gym)

Thanks again everybody!

psuLemon · January 2017

scottdsexton wrote: »

edickson76 wrote: »

Yes, it is normal. If you don't change what you are doing, it will go on for weeks and probably months.

As psuLemon said, the common solution is a deload week.

However, I have three concerns with your routine. One, you have no lower body work, which will create an imbalance. Two, you have a ton of workouts for the front (bench, incline bench, military press, pushups) and one for the back (rows). Another imbalance. This is going to round your shoulders, creating poor posture and increasing the likelihood of shoulder injury due to misalignment. Three, the total volume is on the high side. By my count you are doing 240 reps each workout, and you have 4 workouts per week. So your total weekly reps are 960. For comparison: someone doing the Strong Lifts routine has a weekly rep total of 185-205. As you have just gotten back into weight training, I suspect you could still see gains with lower volume (lower reps and fewer exercises), lower frequency (# of workouts per week) and higher intensity (more weight).

Good starting place on weight training: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/beginning-weight-training-part-1.html

Also check psuLemon's thread on workout routines for options.

Thank you for the info (everybody!) Great ideas here. A couple quick responses...I realize my strength training is all upper body related. I run on the off days about 3 miles per day and I feel (maybe incorrectly) that this is conditioning and strengthening lower body. I could probably add in some leg training but I am trying to keep my total workout to one hour or less to keep motivated.

I am intrigued by the deloading and/or lowering reps and increasing weights. I think I will try the second approach first and see how it goes. Also, the upper body imbalance issue.... in my own mind I was doing two exercises per target area (incline and bench --chest; barbell and french curls--arms; pushups and situp---core; military press and bent rows--shoulder + back on rows). What would be a better set of exercises to round out the upper body ( I work out at home with free weights so no gym)

Thanks again everybody!

Running is no where near the same thing as lifting. A good lifting program will augment and improve your running. It's a lot easier to add volume to your training with a good lifting program than just running. Please running is more endurance than actual strength. So if you want to be a good runner, than you should definitely incorporate lower body, especially in the off season.

richardgavel · January 2017

+1 on adding lower body work to help running. With my squat and deadlift work, it helped a lot to get more complete muscle activation in my legs, hips and especially glutes. As a result, those muscles are working during a run and not taxing the quads as much.

jwknight67 · January 2017

I had the same problem when I first started lifting. When I started routinely changing up my workouts, I started to see gains on a regular basis. The human body adapts to routine, but if you can keep your body guessing whats next instead of allowing it to expect things, you should be pleased with the results

edickson76 · January 2017

scottdsexton wrote: »

Also, the upper body imbalance issue.... in my own mind I was doing two exercises per target area (incline and bench --chest; barbell and french curls--arms; pushups and situp---core; military press and bent rows--shoulder + back on rows). What would be a better set of exercises to round out the upper body ( I work out at home with free weights so no gym)

Starting Strength or Strong Lifts are decently well-rounded programs. See psuLemon's thread (or Google) for links. I don't know how much weight you have at home, which might be a hindrance to successfully doing those programs, but the exercise selection in each is good. Also intensity is high but volume is low, meaning you will have no problem using a short 2-3 mile run to warm-up for the lifting and still be done in about an hour.

mattyc772014 · January 2017

Keep a log book or use an app to record progression. It is so important to do this to keep track of all the lifts. Even if I increased over a month by 5lbs on an exercise I am happy. I progressed and will work to get another nickle. I learned from someone to use a simple method of pennies, nickles and dimes. Pennies=reps, nickles represent 5lbs and dimes represent 10lbs. As long as I am depositing over time, my bank is getting bigger.

richardgavel · January 2017

scottdsexton wrote: »

meaning you will have no problem using a short 2-3 mile run to warm-up for the lifting and still be done in about an hour.

I do 5x5 and I really enjoy it, but as much as I love cardio and running, I feel I am better off warming up with the actual exercises that I will be doing (empty bar or little weight on it). You get your body used to the motions and weight bearing movements you'll do when the real weights are on.

Weight lifting plateau

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