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Anonymous
>>11066 Right off the bat, I'd say you are overtraining, which is usually the problem when someone hits a plateau (especially if they are inexperienced).
If you are seriously trying to gain mass/strength, I would make the following suggestions:
1 - only work each major muscle group ONCE per week (ex: Mon: Legs, Wed: Chest, Fri: Back) 2 - work unrelated minor muscle groups in between (Tues: traps & abs, Thurs: calves, Sat or Sun: shoulders) 3 - Make sure you are getting plenty of protein in your diet, supplement with protein powder if you need to. You should be getting between .5 to 1 gram per 1 lb of bodyweight per day for gain. 4 - REST - your muscles only grow during the rest period in between workouts, if you don't give them enough time, they don't grow. The workout itself is only the stimulus to get the muscles to grow. Short, heavy workouts with plenty of rest in between will help you find the right balance of stimulus and rest.
The reason for the offset in major/minor is that you are still working the minor when you work the major, and you need to give them more than 1 day of rest before working them again. Major muscle groups require several days rest if you are really working for mass & strength.
For reference, I have about 20 years of experience in the gym, started as a powerlifter in high school, went to bodybuilding in college, then back to powerlifting. I haven't been active lately, but at my last peak I was 240 lbs with a bench of 425, squat of 660 and deadlift of 565.
hope this helps
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