Stuck on same weight grip strength getting worse. Any ideas?
Gearhead01
Posts: 13 Member
Hi guys. I’m relatively new to bodybuilding. I started a workout program a while ago. When I started on my bench presses I was moving up in weight rapidly, which is normal. I then hit 70 pounds on my bench press.
I’ve been stuck on this weight for about a month and I’m not hitting my reps consistently. I’ve also began to notice that my grip is getting worse on my Romanian deadlifts and my lat pull downs. I’ve heard about central nervous system fatigue and I’m wondering if this is connected or not, any ideas?
I’ve been stuck on this weight for about a month and I’m not hitting my reps consistently. I’ve also began to notice that my grip is getting worse on my Romanian deadlifts and my lat pull downs. I’ve heard about central nervous system fatigue and I’m wondering if this is connected or not, any ideas?
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Replies
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Gearhead01 wrote: »Hi guys. I’m relatively new to bodybuilding. I started a workout program a while ago. When I started on my bench presses I was moving up in weight rapidly, which is normal. I then hit 70 pounds on my bench press.
I’ve been stuck on this weight for about a month and I’m not hitting my reps consistently. I’ve also began to notice that my grip is getting worse on my Romanian deadlifts and my lat pull downs. I’ve heard about central nervous system fatigue and I’m wondering if this is connected or not, any ideas?
The nervous system is absolutely connected but it's hard to give you strategies without knowing more about your training.
*Are you saying that 70 lbs is your one rep max for the bench press?
*How many times a week are you bench pressing?
*Could you give a little more information about your training over a weeks time?
*What type of training are you doing that you notice your grip giving out? High rep/light weight? Low rep/High weight?0 -
It definitely could be. Couple of questions for you:
-Do you know how heavy you're lifting in relation to your 1-rep max? 60%? 80%?
-If not, how many sets and reps are you doing? If you're not able to do more than 6 reps, you're lifting at least 75% of your 1-rep max.
-I ask those questions because if you're lifting heavy like I suspect you are, have you been doing deload weeks? Meaning every 4-6 weeks, taking one week to lift at 40%-60% of your 1-rep max instead of lifting heavy (75+%).
Deload weeks are helpful for continuing to build muscle, avoiding plateaus, and giving your system a break. If you haven't done a deload week, I'd strongly recommend it, especially if you've been stuck at a particular weight for a month. That's a long time to see no progress.
Even if you're not lifting as heavily as described above, I'll still recommend backing off maybe 10% - trying to lift closer to 60lbs than 70lbs - to give your body a break and get back to hitting reps consistently. Then try increasing again.
Good luck!
*I am not a personal trainer or fitness professional. I lift consistently when I work out.1 -
Not sure from your comment, but don't use straps. Over hand grip on deadlift (not mixed).
Try adding various carry exercises to your routine. Grab two (or one) dumbell and walk for one minute without dropping it. Suitcase carry. When you do the exercise, does your grip give out first or something else. There are alot of variations that will challenge your grip strength.0 -
ok - so, if you are just interested in body building and not strongmaning or powerlifting - get straps. I use Versa Grips and they are a saviour. I can't lift of pull down stuff without them when the weights get too heavy for my *kitten* little wrists and delicate fingers. With them on tho - easy as pie.
Lots of people use straps, even those big muscly super duper competition bodybuilders - it's not a big deal. Unless you NEED to improve your grip strength for some reason.
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Gearhead01 wrote: »Hi guys. I’m relatively new to bodybuilding. I started a workout program a while ago. When I started on my bench presses I was moving up in weight rapidly, which is normal. I then hit 70 pounds on my bench press.
I’ve been stuck on this weight for about a month and I’m not hitting my reps consistently. I’ve also began to notice that my grip is getting worse on my Romanian deadlifts and my lat pull downs. I’ve heard about central nervous system fatigue and I’m wondering if this is connected or not, any ideas?
The nervous system is absolutely connected but it's hard to give you strategies without knowing more about your training.
*Are you saying that 70 lbs is your one rep max for the bench press?
*How many times a week are you bench pressing?
*Could you give a little more information about your training over a weeks time?
*What type of training are you doing that you notice your grip giving out? High rep/light weight? Low rep/High weight?
No, 70 lbs is not my one rep max for the bench press. I usually do a warmup and do the heaviest weight I can do for 3 sets and try to do about 6-8 reps of it. I only bench press once a week, but I have two different upper body workouts.
I just changed my schedule this week because of an internship that I have. I can show you the older one if you want.
Here’s my workout Schedule:
Monday:
- Romanian Deadlifts 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Leg Press 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
- Leg Curls (one leg each side) 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Standing Calf Raises 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
Tuesday:
Bike
Wednesday:
- Pull ups 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Barbell Shoulder Press 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Seated Cable Row 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Dumbbell Flyes 2 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
- Barbell Curls 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
- Skull Crushers 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps.
Thursday:
- Squats (I do any type of squats, back, front, cleans from knee, mid, floor.) 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Split Squats 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Leg Curls (Both Legs) 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
- Seated Calf Raises 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps.
Friday:
Break
Saturday:
Bike
Sunday:
- Bench Press 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Rows 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Incline Dumbbell Press 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Lat Pull-Downs 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Lateral Raises 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps.
- Triceps Pushdowns 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
- Dumbbell Curls 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps.
Note: I try to do the highest amount of reps possible.
I’m not quite sure what to make of this program because it doesn’t fall into the high weight low rep category or the low weight high rep category. I just move up in weight when I hit the prescribed reps.
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It definitely could be. Couple of questions for you:
-Do you know how heavy you're lifting in relation to your 1-rep max? 60%? 80%?
-If not, how many sets and reps are you doing? If you're not able to do more than 6 reps, you're lifting at least 75% of your 1-rep max.
-I ask those questions because if you're lifting heavy like I suspect you are, have you been doing deload weeks? Meaning every 4-6 weeks, taking one week to lift at 40%-60% of your 1-rep max instead of lifting heavy (75+%).
Deload weeks are helpful for continuing to build muscle, avoiding plateaus, and giving your system a break. If you haven't done a deload week, I'd strongly recommend it, especially if you've been stuck at a particular weight for a month. That's a long time to see no progress.
Even if you're not lifting as heavily as described above, I'll still recommend backing off maybe 10% - trying to lift closer to 60lbs than 70lbs - to give your body a break and get back to hitting reps consistently. Then try increasing again.
Good luck!
*I am not a personal trainer or fitness professional. I lift consistently when I work out.
No, I don’t know what my one rep max is. I usually do 3 sets of an exercise and try to do the highest amount of prescribed reps. For example, if I’m doing bench presses that require me to do 6-8 reps, then I would do 8 reps. If I could hit those reps then I move up in weight. I’ve never done a deload week. So it could be helpful. Also, what’s so important about a one rep max?0 -
Gearhead01 wrote: »Gearhead01 wrote: »Hi guys. I’m relatively new to bodybuilding. I started a workout program a while ago. When I started on my bench presses I was moving up in weight rapidly, which is normal. I then hit 70 pounds on my bench press.
I’ve been stuck on this weight for about a month and I’m not hitting my reps consistently. I’ve also began to notice that my grip is getting worse on my Romanian deadlifts and my lat pull downs. I’ve heard about central nervous system fatigue and I’m wondering if this is connected or not, any ideas?
The nervous system is absolutely connected but it's hard to give you strategies without knowing more about your training.
*Are you saying that 70 lbs is your one rep max for the bench press?
*How many times a week are you bench pressing?
*Could you give a little more information about your training over a weeks time?
*What type of training are you doing that you notice your grip giving out? High rep/light weight? Low rep/High weight?
No, 70 lbs is not my one rep max for the bench press. I usually do a warmup and do the heaviest weight I can do for 3 sets and try to do about 6-8 reps of it. I only bench press once a week, but I have two different upper body workouts.
I just changed my schedule this week because of an internship that I have. I can show you the older one if you want.
Here’s my workout Schedule:
Monday:
- Romanian Deadlifts 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Leg Press 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
- Leg Curls (one leg each side) 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Standing Calf Raises 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
Tuesday:
Bike
Wednesday:
- Pull ups 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Barbell Shoulder Press 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Seated Cable Row 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Dumbbell Flyes 2 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
- Barbell Curls 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
- Skull Crushers 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps.
Thursday:
- Squats (I do any type of squats, back, front, cleans from knee, mid, floor.) 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Split Squats 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Leg Curls (Both Legs) 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
- Seated Calf Raises 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps.
Friday:
Break
Saturday:
Bike
Sunday:
- Bench Press 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Rows 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Incline Dumbbell Press 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Lat Pull-Downs 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Lateral Raises 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps.
- Triceps Pushdowns 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
- Dumbbell Curls 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps.
Note: I try to do the highest amount of reps possible.
I’m not quite sure what to make of this program because it doesn’t fall into the high weight low rep category or the low weight high rep category. I just move up in weight when I hit the prescribed reps.
So at doing anything only once a week it's important that the intensity (whether it be load or volume) be relatively high considering you will need to really stress that system or body part.
It's also important to understand that the reps should coincide with the proper load. So doing 3 sets of 6-8 reps would be somewhat futile if you were simply lifting soup cans.
Rest times also play a big part of training properly. If you're training for primarily strength in that given session and not hypertrophy then generally you want to rest a bit longer to allow proper recovery between sets. The goal is to be able to sustain and repeat. Not just destroy and beat down.
Take all of this in context as there's dozens of variables and factors that go into these things but I'm just trying to shotgun a few things at you.
You can also switch the order of things. Try moving your priority lifts to the top of the list and do those first so that you're as fresh as possible.
Specific grip work is good for you too. Carries and holds can help.3 -
I had trouble with grip strength when I started. My trainer said it would improve just because of what I was doing, but we added a wrist roller. Now I'm starting to have enough wrist strength to make it to muscle failure without having to reset my grip. Was it the roller or just natural improvement from training? I don't know, but I'm still doing roller once a week.2
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Gearhead01 wrote: »Gearhead01 wrote: »Hi guys. I’m relatively new to bodybuilding. I started a workout program a while ago. When I started on my bench presses I was moving up in weight rapidly, which is normal. I then hit 70 pounds on my bench press.
I’ve been stuck on this weight for about a month and I’m not hitting my reps consistently. I’ve also began to notice that my grip is getting worse on my Romanian deadlifts and my lat pull downs. I’ve heard about central nervous system fatigue and I’m wondering if this is connected or not, any ideas?
The nervous system is absolutely connected but it's hard to give you strategies without knowing more about your training.
*Are you saying that 70 lbs is your one rep max for the bench press?
*How many times a week are you bench pressing?
*Could you give a little more information about your training over a weeks time?
*What type of training are you doing that you notice your grip giving out? High rep/light weight? Low rep/High weight?
No, 70 lbs is not my one rep max for the bench press. I usually do a warmup and do the heaviest weight I can do for 3 sets and try to do about 6-8 reps of it. I only bench press once a week, but I have two different upper body workouts.
I just changed my schedule this week because of an internship that I have. I can show you the older one if you want.
Here’s my workout Schedule:
Monday:
- Romanian Deadlifts 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Leg Press 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
- Leg Curls (one leg each side) 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Standing Calf Raises 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
Tuesday:
Bike
Wednesday:
- Pull ups 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Barbell Shoulder Press 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Seated Cable Row 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Dumbbell Flyes 2 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
- Barbell Curls 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
- Skull Crushers 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps.
Thursday:
- Squats (I do any type of squats, back, front, cleans from knee, mid, floor.) 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Split Squats 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Leg Curls (Both Legs) 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
- Seated Calf Raises 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps.
Friday:
Break
Saturday:
Bike
Sunday:
- Bench Press 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Rows 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps.
- Incline Dumbbell Press 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Lat Pull-Downs 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
- Lateral Raises 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps.
- Triceps Pushdowns 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.
- Dumbbell Curls 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps.
Note: I try to do the highest amount of reps possible.
I’m not quite sure what to make of this program because it doesn’t fall into the high weight low rep category or the low weight high rep category. I just move up in weight when I hit the prescribed reps.
So at doing anything only once a week it's important that the intensity (whether it be load or volume) be relatively high considering you will need to really stress that system or body part.
It's also important to understand that the reps should coincide with the proper load. So doing 3 sets of 6-8 reps would be somewhat futile if you were simply lifting soup cans.
Rest times also play a big part of training properly. If you're training for primarily strength in that given session and not hypertrophy then generally you want to rest a bit longer to allow proper recovery between sets. The goal is to be able to sustain and repeat.
My goal is for muscle hypertrophy. What would I do in that case?0
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