Progressing Past Beginning of Intermediate Phase?

What is the typical culprit if I have not been able to add to my lifts for several years?

Ran 5/3/1 for one year; no gains.

Ran my own program of 4 sets of 8 at 70% of 1RM; no gains.

Tried Thib’s program for natural lifters (heavy rest/pause and drop sets); no gains.

I am unable to add any weight to any of my lifts.

If I eat more then I just get more fat, not muscle.

I’ll be 42 in May; been working out for about five years now.

Married with two kids and work 8-5 so I get up at 4:30 to eat breakfast and start working out about an hour later.

I have a squat cage in my garage and a barbell so my lifts are press, pull ups, bench press, rows, upright rows, rear delt rows, front squats (I’m 6’3", all legs), deadlift, and one leg calf raises.

Any advice would be invaluable. Please don’t flame me out. Thanks

LOL I would never flame you out.

First off, there’s something horrible called anabolic resistance that occurs as we age, due to our hormones not being as responsive to training as they are in our teens and 20’s.

anabolic resistance usually plays a part in having reduced insulin sensitivity, due to having an increased level of low-grade chronic inflammation.

This is why guys need to be supplementing with fish oil and doing some form of fasting if reducing inflammation is a goal (which is should be).

I will have an article hitting on fasting here soon. So stay on the lookout for that. For now, get in the Flame Out to your daily supplement protocol as well. Up the protein, reduce carbs until post workout, and make sure sleep is adequate and that you’re managing life stress with healthy coping mechanisms.

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Thanks Paul!

I figured it was a hormonal thing but as I have no plans to be a professional athlete in this lifetime then I don’t really have a legitimate reason to use exogenous hormones, but that doesn’t make being weak and scrawny any easier a pill to swallow

Hmm… not sure if you missed it or are focussing on the negative but he did post a pretty good strategy as well. Fish oil, fasting, manage stress, sleep, increase protein, target carbs to post workout.

What are your lifts btw?

Never tried fish oil supplements but I do eat sardines several times a week.

Yeah I tried reducing my carbs to around the time of my workouts…half a cup of oats in my morning shake, a post workout of milk and whey protein, and then nothing but meat, green vegetables, walnuts, eggs, and Greek yogurt the rest of the day. I had no energy, was depressed, had no libido (which my wife didn’t appreciate), and by the end of the first week of doing this I was so lightheaded that I could barely stand up. The next day I ate three doughnuts and a carton of ice cream (which I never do) and I felt better than I had felt all that week.

In other words I apparently haven’t really figured out how to do the carb timing thing.

Lifts are paltry. I weigh 170 lbs and lifts are:

Press 125x5
Bench press 160x5
Front squat 160x5
Deadlift 315

… pretty much what they were years ago. No idea why I keep getting up before daylight to work out but for some reason i still do

Ok sooooo did you get the Super Solider Protocol where I cover all of these in detail?

I have not! If you cover all that in detail then I certainly will though

That’s essentially the basis of everything I go over when it comes to supps and nutrition. Reducing inflammation and creating a very robust physiological environment.

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