Help, hit a platue

Originally Posted by BreakMyWallet

I think "annihilate" has a different definition to everyone. I've felt absolutely beat after some 40:20 workouts but others may have just passed out. I do think you should get the most out of your muscles, but atrophy obviously is restricting, and should be. Just have to know your body I guess.

I agree, but we're proficient lifters. The less proficient tend to overdo it.

I know personally if I'm not making a hideous facial expression and grunting on last reps, I'm not working hard enough. I hate "grunters" so I always try and control it, but when it forces itself out I know I'm working hard

Originally Posted by dabears

I know personally if I'm not making a hideous facial expression and grunting on last reps, I'm not working hard enough. I hate "grunters" so I always try and control it, but when it forces itself out I know I'm working hard

I think the same could be said for sex.

I love to do reps to fail. HSPU to fail!! My wife gets pissed because she is watching TV and she says "tonight dont do those crazy things (burpees) where you are about die at the end."

BTW- not to be a d1ck but no way OP is 15% BF based upon that pic.

Originally Posted by jmcdolej

I love to do reps to fail. HSPU to fail!! My wife gets pissed because she is watching TV and she says "tonight dont do those crazy things (burpees) where you are about die at the end."

BTW- not to be a d1ck but no way OP is 15% BF based upon that pic.

I think he actually is... at his weight that would mean he has 140lbs lean mass, and given the weight hes lifting I would say thats about right? Because he hasn't put on much lean tissue he could get to 10% and look less ripped than someone who had 160lbs lean mass and 15% bf.

I'm dealt with same thing (cutting fat at 15%) at 150lbs lean mass and finally stopped being a retard and focusing on putting on more size

Originally Posted by dabears

I think he actually is... at his weight that would mean he has 140lbs lean mass, and given the weight hes lifting I would say thats about right? Because he hasn't put on much lean tissue he could get to 10% and look less ripped than someone who had 160lbs lean mass and 15% bf.

I'm dealt with same thing (cutting fat at 15%) at 150lbs lean mass and finally stopped being a retard and focusing on putting on more size

That makes sense. That sucks. That would be tough as hell to get cut looking then. Natty anyways.

What does stimulate don't annihilate mean to you?
I hear it all the time and I get a different answer from each person. In literal sense, it means to stimulate the muscle by keeping it challenged and confused, and not kill it. It sounds like something you would hear in an Immortal Technique song, you go..... Ok.

My problem is in the kitchen and cardio (either to do a lot more or a different form of it, I jump rope), because after workouts I can barely get myself out of the gym and I'm always sore. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.

I took some of the advice from you guys, on my back day today, I almost passed out, but I got some good numbers (with dd rows and pullups), never thought I would get to those numbers. Has anyone passed out after a set? I feel if I push myself like this on legs or chest days I'm gonna either throw up or pass out. I guess that's one area I learned, I have not been pushing myself enough, but it's kind of tough/dangerous if I have no spotter.

Thanks man. You're right I was not pushing myself enough. But I read in many articles not to go to failure on each set especially on heavy sets. That's where I get confused.

Usually for most sets I go heavy in 6-8 rep range. For certain sets (flies, rear delts, etc...) I go lighter in 12-15 range.

Many articles talk about importance of rep range variety (high vs low reps). But from what you're saying; regardless if it's high or low reps I should Always go to failure?

Originally Posted by Glight

I'm going to give an answer that is contradictory to what most people here are saying. If this comes off as tough love, or being a d!ck, I apologize. I don't mean it that way. My intent is to give you a kick in the ass like I wish someone had done to me 6 or 7 years ago.

1. EAT. Fvck this low carb / high carb stuff. Fvck the low fat. Eat AT LEAST 500 calories a day more than you are right now, every single day. Step on the scale once a week and if the number is less than a pound higher than the week before, starting eating more. If you starting getting fat, cut 100 calories a day and reevaluate after a week.

2. TRAIN HARD AS FVCK. You're not doing that right now. From the picture you posted you could have told me that you had never lifted a weight in your life and it wouldnt have been unbelievable. Not trying to be a d!ck. I've been there. I wish someone had told me that instead of letting me waste years in the gym.

If you aren't seriously afraid of certain training days, your programming isnt intense enough. If you aren't failing reps ever, your programming isnt intense enough. If you aren't increasing the weights you are lifting every week (at the beginning training stage you are at now), your programming isnt intense enough. Do whatever kind of programming you want, unless it is absolutely retarded, having enough intensity is going to ensure you make progress.

3. STOP CHANGING UP YOUR PROGRAMMING. Pick something and stick with it for at least a few months. People that make the best progress might follow the same program for 2 or 3 years, not 2 or 3 weeks like I hear a lot of people on here doing. Do isolation if you want, do compound if you want, do zumba if you want. Just stick with it long enough to know if its actually working for you.

Alright, enough all caps for me for tonight. Hope this helps. Man up, eat, and lift some fvcking heavy weights. Its not that hard.

How did you do that? Cutting fat and adding more size?
I get the verdict is to go through a bulking phase, then a cutting phase. I don't know if my understand is right; bulking, eat alot and lift heavy. Cutting, eat less than daily needed calories and go on a high-rep workout. Did I get that right? How did you go about it?

Originally Posted by dabears

I think he actually is... at his weight that would mean he has 140lbs lean mass, and given the weight hes lifting I would say thats about right? Because he hasn't put on much lean tissue he could get to 10% and look less ripped than someone who had 160lbs lean mass and 15% bf.

I'm dealt with same thing (cutting fat at 15%) at 150lbs lean mass and finally stopped being a retard and focusing on putting on more size

Originally Posted by z00

How did you do that? Cutting fat and adding more size?
I get the verdict is to go through a bulking phase, then a cutting phase. I don't know if my understand is right; bulking, eat alot and lift heavy. Cutting, eat less than daily needed calories and go on a high-rep workout. Did I get that right? How did you go about it?

Generally speaking, there are very few people who can achieve both simultaneously, so you will hear this information regurgitated on a regular basis (..and for good reason). To put it as simply as possible, when you are seeking to build muscle, more calories (..and fat) are needed. You can curtail the fat gain to some degree, but understand that you will gain some. When you begin to cut down you will adjust your diet and likely your workout regimen (..and increase your cardio). You will STILL eat a healthy amount of calories, just less than what you ate when you were putting on muscle and your macro breakdown will be different.


I'll leave a detailed dietary write-up to dabears. He likes that kind of stuff. LOL!

Originally Posted by z00

How did you do that? Cutting fat and adding more size?
I get the verdict is to go through a bulking phase, then a cutting phase. I don't know if my understand is right; bulking, eat alot and lift heavy. Cutting, eat less than daily needed calories and go on a high-rep workout. Did I get that right? How did you go about it?

@ m3inline ... I really do for some strange reason. Better than doing financial analysis at the moment.

Here's my simplistic version. Excuse some of this if you already know it. We are both in similar situations, I just have about ~10 lbs more lean mass than you... nothing to brag about. So my experiences can hopefully help you.

The difference between "bulking" (adding mass) and "cutting" (reducing mass) is by either creating a calorie surplus (more calories in than out, bulking) or cutting (less calories in than out, cutting). As an individual, you burn so many calories throughout the day... being alive, walking around, as well as exercise. Your maintenance calories (if you need a calculator, ask) are the amount of calories you need to eat to stay exactly the same weight. When you eat more than this, you gain weight. Less, you lose weight. The keyword here is weight. What type of weight (muscle/fat/water) is determined by both your exercise program and macronutrient (p/c/f) intake.

Your weight lifting workouts should ALWAYS be heavy (I like the word intense better). For your goals, rep ranges of 6-12 (on the lower end for compound exercises like squats/bench/deadlifts, higher end for isolation types such as skullcrushers, curls etc). Pretty much what glight said... you should dread going to the gym.

When you couple this type of workout with a calorie surplus (bulking) your body uses the surplus calories as building blocks for new tissue... mostly muscle, some fat.

When you have a calorie deficit, you haven't supplied your body enough energy in the form of food to "fuel" itself. So it needs to balance the equation, and will make up the deficit by breaking down and utilizing tissues. If you are using a good, intense, weightlifting program (the same one you would be using to ADD muscle) and have a healthy intake of protein (at least 1g per lb of bodyweight, so for you thats 165g) then the body will mostly use fat for energy. However if you are not stimulating your muscles and are not in "recovery" mode, the body will have no issue breaking down both muscle and fat... something we all want to avoid.

To sum it all up, when trying to add muscle, there will always be some fat gain. And vice versa, when trying to lose fat, there will always be some muscle loss. There are things you can do to minimize the bad and increase the good however.

My suggestion for you? Listen to what glight said. Eat around 3200-3500 calories a day and stick to a good workout program (there are tons of posts here) and don't worry about the little things. Train hard, eat big meals, and stick with it for a few weeks and then see how things are going.

Think of it like this. If you try and build a house (your body) with shitty cardboard & plastic screws (processed / nutrient deficient foods), you most likely will find it collapsing on itself. However if you use good, strong materials (like your current diet) then you will have built a strong, sturdy place to live

You are lucky in the fact you know how to eat healthy. What you need to do is add more fat to your diet, because getting to 3200 calories the way you currently eat will not be sustainable, trust me.

Eat big meals, as often as it takes to get to that number. Try it coupled with a good workout routine and see where you are at in a month.

Thanks guys. I have changed a couple of things and will see how progress goes.

Why dont you give the forums on Bodybuilding.com a look some good info there.

Originally Posted by vtmichael1

Why dont you give the forums on Bodybuilding.com a look some good info there.

Why sift through the BS when there's 8 guys here with enough knowledge and easily accessible.

Originally Posted by DylloS

Why sift through the BS when there's 8 guys here with enough knowledge and easily accessible.

That's why I'm over on BB.com getting camshaft sensor advise.

Originally Posted by vtmichael1

That's why I'm over on BB.com getting camshaft sensor advise.

Reverse psychology!!!!

It has been a month. I'm glad I listened to you guys. I changed the below:

1- lift heavy, keep my reps in 5-6 range for big lifts

2- push myself hard. Sucks with DB bench press because I cannot get 70lbs up off my knees. I do 65lbs 6 times fine. Don't have a spotter. Any tricks?

3- I added front squats (I did only back squats). Boy, they make a big difference for quads. I feel I can fly. My front squats weights are 15% lower than my back squats.

4- Dropped arms days, on back day I cannot feel my biceps. I do tris with shoulders.

5- I don't do abs, but they're getting defined (top 4). Chest looks good. Back looks like South Dakota.

6- I went down from 163lbs to 161. But I look better. If I get to 170 with this progress I would be very happy. I still don't understand how I lost weight and I can lift more than before.

7- I eat 3200 calories on lifting days. 2500 on rest days. I'm thinking of making it 3500 on lifting days, 3000 on rest days but I'm afraid I'll get fat.

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