I cannot seem to break 230 pounds. I’ve upped my caloric intake to 4300, whereas my plateau initially began when I was at 4000. and still absolutely no increase. My training goes to failure on my last set, the intensity is there.
I’ve tried three different programs in the past few months, Hypertrophy 1 by Alwyn Cosgrove and Lou Schuler, Thib’s Superhero program, and one of the phases out of Thib’s Jekyll and Hyde.
I’ve been hovering around 228-229 almost since Christmas and I’m just sick of it. I suppose the obvious answer is up my calories more, but having done that and seeing no results I have to wonder a bit.
For reference, I began lifting last June at a weight of 195 lbs. A month and a half ago a skinfold test told me I was 12% bodyfat.
[quote]Carbon-12 wrote:
I cannot seem to break 230 pounds. I’ve upped my caloric intake to 4300, whereas my plateau initially began when I was at 4000. and still absolutely no increase. My training goes to failure on my last set, the intensity is there.
I’ve tried three different programs in the past few months, Hypertrophy 1 by Alwyn Cosgrove and Lou Schuler, Thib’s Superhero program, and one of the phases out of Thib’s Jekyll and Hyde.
I’ve been hovering around 228-229 almost since Christmas and I’m just sick of it. I suppose the obvious answer is up my calories more, but having done that and seeing no results I have to wonder a bit.
For reference, I began lifting last June at a weight of 195 lbs. A month and a half ago a skinfold test told me I was 12% bodyfat.
So, any tips for a 4-5 month plateau?[/quote]
Couple of quick questions to see how we can troubleshoot your way through the plateau.
How long did you follow the three programs you mentioned? 4,6,8 weeks? And what are your eating patterns like? Are you eating before bed? What kind of macronutrient breakdown are you currently on? Are you eating around your workouts? What types of foods are you eating?
In terms of cardio, are you doing any?
There are plenty of levers we can pull to try and blast through your plateau. “The dark side,” as someone put it, shouldn’t really be an option ESPECIALLY as you are only a year into lifting. I don’t even know what to say to advice like that.
Shoot back with those answers and we’ll get you through it.
[quote]sharetrader wrote:
At 230 you may have hit your natural size limit. You could still increase strength though
If this is not enough for you, the dark side beckons …[/quote]
That has nothing to do with someone not being able to gain any weight at all. He is simply not eating enough. I am not sure why anyone would asume that a 200-300cal increase in food intake would automatically lead to more gains in body weight.
Obviously, if that isn’t working, you eat more. If it takes you 4,000cals at 200lbs to gain weight, it is going to take a hell of a lot more for you to maintain 30 extra pounds on top of that as well as add even more body weight.
The amount of food it takes for me to just maintain my current body weight is more than I would have eaten all day long when I was trying to gain weight under 200lbs.
I’m taking in the 4300 at about 40/30/30 P/C/F. No cardio, lifting 4 days a week. I have two scoops of a casein/whey mix with a tablespoon of flax oil before bed. PWO is 50 grams of maltodextrin mixed with 29 grams of whey and 8 grams of creatine.
Primarily I eat whole foods, with the exception of MRP shakes that I use in between lunch and dinner. I can list out my diet if you want, but I can assure you I hit the macros I set out and my diet is VERY consistent.
I should also mention that I’m 6’5", so the current 229 isn’t all that impressive. I have plenty of room left to grow. I’ll just jack up the calories some more and see how it effects me.
[quote]Carbon-12 wrote:
I cannot seem to break 230 pounds. I’ve upped my caloric intake to 4300, whereas my plateau initially began when I was at 4000. and still absolutely no increase. >>>[/quote]
I weigh a little more than you do at 6,2 and eat 1000 more calories a day. You may have to break down and accept a higher BF level if you want to get any bigger.
[quote]Carbon-12 wrote:
<<<I’ve tried three different programs in the past few months, Hypertrophy 1 by Alwyn Cosgrove and Lou Schuler, Thib’s Superhero program, and one of the phases out of Thib’s Jekyll and Hyde. >>>
[/quote]
Maybe it’s also time to start learning your own philosophy which means adapting to your own needs instead of simply following prescriptions.
[quote]Carbon-12 wrote:
<<< I’ve been hovering around 228-229 almost since Christmas and I’m just sick of it. I suppose the obvious answer is up my calories more, but having done that and seeing no results I have to wonder a bit.
[/quote]
As has been said a 300 calorie boost is pretty minor. That’s like one eleventh of a pound.
[quote]Carbon-12 wrote:
<<< For reference, I began lifting last June at a weight of 195 lbs. A month and a half ago a skinfold test told me I was 12% bodyfat.
So, any tips for a 4-5 month plateau?[/quote]
I find it very tough to believe that you have hit your “genetic potential” since last june in fact I don’t believe it at all.
[quote]Carbon-12 wrote:
I’m taking in the 4300 at about 40/30/30 P/C/F. No cardio, lifting 4 days a week. I have two scoops of a casein/whey mix with a tablespoon of flax oil before bed. PWO is 50 grams of maltodextrin mixed with 29 grams of whey and 8 grams of creatine.
Primarily I eat whole foods, with the exception of MRP shakes that I use in between lunch and dinner. I can list out my diet if you want, but I can assure you I hit the macros I set out and my diet is VERY consistent.
I should also mention that I’m 6’5", so the current 229 isn’t all that impressive. I have plenty of room left to grow. I’ll just jack up the calories some more and see how it effects me. [/quote]
As X mentioned, you’re probably needing to up the density of your foods to up your caloric intake per meal. Don’t try to cram it all in to one or two meals, just focus on upping it across all meals.
Also, it may be worth increasing the variance of your meals and increasing your PWO protein. One last thing would be to only use MRPs when absolutely necessary and do your best to take in whole meals as much as possible.
In terms of training, try cycling between 6-8 week phases of hypertrophy bumpered with a focus on strength training. Also, up the rest to work ratio if you want to further slow your metabolism to aid in weight gain.
Just some practical tips is all and shoot back in a couple of weeks if you don’t see the changes you want.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
sharetrader wrote:
At 230 you may have hit your natural size limit. You could still increase strength though
If this is not enough for you, the dark side beckons …
That has nothing to do with someone not being able to gain any weight at all. He is simply not eating enough. I am not sure why anyone would asume that a 200-300cal increase in food intake would automatically lead to more gains in body weight.
Obviously, if that isn’t working, you eat more. If it takes you 4,000cals at 200lbs to gain weight, it is going to take a hell of a lot more for you to maintain 30 extra pounds on top of that as well as add even more body weight.
The amount of food it takes for me to just maintain my current body weight is more than I would have eaten all day long when I was trying to gain weight under 200lbs.[/quote]
Umm, that was tongue in cheek. Nobody who has been lifting for less than a year should be thinking about juice
[quote]sharetrader wrote:
Professor X wrote:
sharetrader wrote:
At 230 you may have hit your natural size limit. You could still increase strength though
If this is not enough for you, the dark side beckons …
That has nothing to do with someone not being able to gain any weight at all. He is simply not eating enough. I am not sure why anyone would asume that a 200-300cal increase in food intake would automatically lead to more gains in body weight.
Obviously, if that isn’t working, you eat more. If it takes you 4,000cals at 200lbs to gain weight, it is going to take a hell of a lot more for you to maintain 30 extra pounds on top of that as well as add even more body weight.
The amount of food it takes for me to just maintain my current body weight is more than I would have eaten all day long when I was trying to gain weight under 200lbs.
Umm, that was tongue in cheek. Nobody who has been lifting for less than a year should be thinking about juice :)[/quote]
I wasn’t even responding to that comment. I was responding to the remark about him reaching some weight limit when he stated that he wasn’t gaining weight at all. That indicates a lack of sufficient food intake, not some genetic limit.
When I’m trying to make gains I forget whats its like to hungry. It actually seems absurd how much I have to eat. One time I stopped making gains. Someone told me I need to eat more.
I though “shit no way, I eat 8 times a day are you joking?” but I started eating even more and what do you know I started making gains again. It was a pain in the ass but it worked. Thank god for MRD’s
[quote]Professor X wrote:
sharetrader wrote:
Professor X wrote:
sharetrader wrote:
At 230 you may have hit your natural size limit. You could still increase strength though
If this is not enough for you, the dark side beckons …
That has nothing to do with someone not being able to gain any weight at all. He is simply not eating enough. I am not sure why anyone would asume that a 200-300cal increase in food intake would automatically lead to more gains in body weight.
Obviously, if that isn’t working, you eat more. If it takes you 4,000cals at 200lbs to gain weight, it is going to take a hell of a lot more for you to maintain 30 extra pounds on top of that as well as add even more body weight.
The amount of food it takes for me to just maintain my current body weight is more than I would have eaten all day long when I was trying to gain weight under 200lbs.
Umm, that was tongue in cheek. Nobody who has been lifting for less than a year should be thinking about juice
I wasn’t even responding to that comment. I was responding to the remark about him reaching some weight limit when he stated that he wasn’t gaining weight at all. That indicates a lack of sufficient food intake, not some genetic limit.[/quote]
I agree. BOTH my comments were tongue in cheek - hardly likely that anyone could reach their maximum muscle potential in less than a year either.
Well, up the calories go, I’ll add another 400 or so per day and see how that goes, if there’s no change in two weeks I’ll increase it again until I see some difference. I think Berardi recommended this method.
[quote]Carbon-12 wrote:
Well, up the calories go, I’ll add another 400 or so per day and see how that goes, if there’s no change in two weeks I’ll increase it again until I see some difference. I think Berardi recommended this method. [/quote]
Well, thank goodness. Where would we be without someone coming up with specific protocols for shit that should be common sense.
