Wait I’m confused about the week 1-2 part. So dont squat or DL for those weeks and eat good food while week 3-4 you eat healthier and squat and dl?.
Also for some reason even 8 reps is a struggle. I feel like I could do it but the cns or mind tells me to give up. Hence I think the reason my lifts went down were because let’s say I squat 225 for 10 but next workout this “thing” holds me down so I follow the general advice to go lighter(so I can hit 10). Then my body realizes that the lighter weight, maybe 200, was a struggle so the workout after this one, same thing happens so i drop it to 160. Same principle and then since i dont want everything to go wrong I decrease the reps but keep it at the lighter weight after trying to hit my original weight for 4 reps.
Therefore you see my irritation on me being able to squat 225x10 but now barely squeezing out 3-4 reps with 225.
Dang you’ve been training for how long? Also when did you experience the most muscle growth? During your first years of lifting? First time when you bulked? Or everytime you got way stronger despite the # of years trained
I saw a lot of growth at the 4 year mark, when I left my high school weightroom and got to college, with lots of cool machines and a meal hall. Then at the 8 year mark, when I graduated, got a home gym so I could train the way I wanted and married a beautiful woman who cooked great food for me. Then at the 11 year mark, where I started competing in powerlifitng and had a new goal to chase. Same at the 14 year point, where I switched to strongman. And most recently, running the Deep Water program and diet.
I only split it up because it’s hard for some to make changes all at once. Just tackle the nutrition and then focus on increasing the lifts. You’ll have better fuel for workouts. Get comfortable being uncomfortable
I don’t know why anyone would want to troll, but there are plenty of them out there.
Okay, I’ll assume good intentions, then. That being said, I answered your comment about you lifting for two years, and being concerned that it’s harder to build strength and muscle the longer you’ve trained, that it’s not a concern at 16. Your response was to swing completely the other way like I was claiming that meant it should be super easy to build lots of muscle because of your youth.
There’s a whole spectrum between “I’m young and totally untrained and I can gain strength and weight by looking at a barbell” and “I’m an advanced lifter who has to work my ass off to add 10-20#/year to my lifts”. Gaining strength is never what I’d call easy, but at 16 your body isn’t close to fully developed. You’re way to the beginner end of the spectrum still, but you’re to the point where it stops being as easy as it will ever be, and you start having to push through some plateaus.
As far as what’s causing the specific plateaus you’re hitting, there’s lots of things that can do that, which is why people are asking for as much detail as they can get. What are your current numbers for lifts? What is your height/weight? What program and progression are you running? Exactly what are you eating every day? How is your rest every day? What other stressors are in your life that can affect your lifting? All of these and more will contribute to your performance in the gym.
Incline bench pyramid for total 4 sets
Hammer machine iso for 3 sets pyramid
One dumbell front press(OHP with 1 dumbell in front of chest) 3 sets 8-10 speed reps
Lateral raises 3 sets 12 reps
Rear delt pulls 3 sets 10-12
Usually my push days had more volume but the most recent was really crappy
I was supposed to do a pull day on friday but skipped it because I was so disappointed in myself and depressed due to my current lifting situation.
Today I’m debating whether or not to hit legs which might go bad
Not to hijack the thread but I’ve wanted to ask this for a while since having read your blog: does that mean that, according to your experience, you don’t necessarily agree with the statement “you need carbs to grow”?
You know, I’m probably the one to be wrong but, every time I feel like I am not where I want to be lifting wise, my first instinct is to hit the gym harder rather than not going. The latter isn’t going to help you get there.
I have skipped a handful of sessions because sometimes life gets in the way, but never have I deliberately decided to skip the gym just because I didn’t feel like going. Most users here can probably relate.
You definitely don’t need carbs to grow, but they make it far easier. Rice or potatoes go down faster compared to meat in a calorie for calorie comparison.
I genuinely don’t know much about carbs, or nutrition in general. I just know that, to grow, they’re not necessary.
However, I will say that there are essential fatty acids and essential amino acids that, if you do not eat, you will die. There is, however, no such thing as an essential carbohydrate.
If you are willing to spend 5-10 minutes I highly suggest you read Lyle McDonald’s article “how many carbohydrates do you need?” in which he addresses your argument about the absence of essential carbs.
I read it sometime ago so I can’t recall all the content, but the bottom line was that while carbs aren’t essential per se according to the definition of essential (i.e. Your body can produce them and you can live without dietary carbs), it doesn’t mean just because you can live without them that they aren’t needed for optimal performance.
Of course, experience is more important than theory, but if you have some spare time it’s an interesting read.
I could very well be the one mixing the concepts. I mentioned optimal performance because I think one can argue that, even if you train for growth, having a better performance in the gym will lead to better growth.
Again, maybe I’m confused but I think that what is good for increasing performance usually is good for growth as well, and vice versa.
It could very well be. You’re most likely more well read than I am on nutrition for optimal performance, as it’s simply not something I’m interested in.