#1 Reason We Don't Make Gains

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
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There are few training problems large enough that you can’t eat your way through them. The number one problem I see is that people aren’t willing to eat properly, eat enough, and eat consistently for long enough. Unless you participate in a sport with weight classes, getting bigger is almost always a solution.

On the training side, the issue seems to be a problem of pride. People are always trying to lift weights that they’re not ready for yet, and are unwilling to make small amounts of progression. Get yourself a set of fractional plates and you’ll never stall again.

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[quote]Tiribulus wrote:
scottiscool wrote:
MytchBucanan wrote:
Even busting your ass in the gym will result in no gains if your body has adapted to the routine.

I see people write similar things a lot and I’m hoping you can explain so I’m not jumping to conclusions here. Let’s make it simple and say someone is doing 5x5 for barbell rows with 185.

When you say adapt do you mean no longer progresses in terms of weight reps sets etc, or something else like an amount of time doing the same procedure?

If it’s the first I understand and pretty much agre, but if it’s the second I couldn’t disagree more.

Yeah, if you’re working the exact same weight/sets/reps the obviously you’re going to stall and probably after not too long. However I’ve never bought into the idea that after a certain period it’s just time to change your program/routine.[/quote]

Me either. Personally I feel that all this talk about the need to change up routines every so many weeks is pretty much a marketing maneuver. Sure, if you’re an athlete who needs to develop numerous physical attributes and skill sets then periodization makes sense. But for someone who’s primary goal is muscle, it’s really must overcomplicating the issue IMO.

There are numerous real world actual flesh and blood examples of people who build impressive physiques without ever changing up their routine (in terms of sets/reps/frequency) and who stick with that routine for literally years and continue to make progress.

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[quote]IrishMarc wrote:
The number 1 reason people don’t make gains is effort.[/quote]

EXACTLY!! You can call it effort,hard work or intensity,it all adds up to the same thing.

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[quote]Sentoguy wrote:
Tiribulus wrote:
Yeah, if you’re working the exact same weight/sets/reps the obviously you’re going to stall and probably after not too long. However I’ve never bought into the idea that after a certain period it’s just time to change your program/routine.

Me either. Personally I feel that all this talk about the need to change up routines every so many weeks is pretty much a marketing maneuver. Sure, if you’re an athlete who needs to develop numerous physical attributes and skill sets then periodization makes sense. But for someone who’s primary goal is muscle, it’s really must overcomplicating the issue IMO.

There are numerous real world actual flesh and blood examples of people who build impressive physiques without ever changing up their routine (in terms of sets/reps/frequency) and who stick with that routine for literally years and continue to make progress.[/quote]

Here’s a weird report.

For about 2 months I was utterly stuck at the same weight for my 3 main leg exercises for the same 3 sets of 10 each except deads which were sets of 8. Could not get one more pound or rep, BUT I was growing and at a decent pace too.

Suddenly one day I was able to get additional reps on all three. Next workout I boosted the weight and was able to get my reps and with a bit to spare. Next workout more weight same reps, next workout same weight and one more rep for each. next workout even more weight for the same reps and it’s evened out again.

What’s the point? Don’t ask me, but same workout, same exercises, same order same time, same day. What looked on paper like a plateau actually had me growing and then a few weeks of of a strength spurt. At least in this case I wonder how much better off I would’ve been switching routines, which I was getting tempted to do even though I was growing.

I dunno, so few things are black and white in this game.

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[quote]k1t0r5 wrote:
As for the ‘we don’t make gains’ statement, speak for yourself.

You know what I think is the number one reason ‘some’ people don’t make gains? People spend too much time just reading the ‘guru’ programs and not learning anything about functional anatomy, training methodologies, or even the reasons why ‘gurus’ suggest the things they do.

It goes back to the old saying, “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”

People need to stop spending so much time trying to find out what the new fad program is and they need to learn the basic strategies for gaining strength, gaining size, gaining explosiveness, etc. Then they need to get their ass in the gym and fucking workout. They need to keep track of their progress in the form of a workout log and once they get enough of this thing called experience (which everyone seems to forget about), they will know what works for them and be able to come up with their own “programs”.

I honestly think that if you are just following one cookie cutter program after another, whether you see it all the way through or not, you are never truly gaining any experience. You are simply eating the fish that are given to you and you will stay a newbie for the rest of your training life until you learn to think for yourself.[/quote]

Couldn’t agree more. Learn how to train yourself–from time, patients, and experience–learn how to work with your own body, and the sky is your limit.

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[quote]Tiribulus wrote:

Here’s a weird report.

I dunno, so few things are black and white in this game.[/quote]

Tiribulus I saw you mention this before and although it goes against what I believe to be what “works” for bodybuilding in the end all that matters are the results.

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[quote]scottiscool wrote:
Tiribulus wrote:

Here’s a weird report.

I dunno, so few things are black and white in this game.

Tiribulus I saw you mention this before and although it goes against what I believe to be what “works” for bodybuilding in the end all that matters are the results. [/quote]

And it’s an exceptional instance for me as well. I don’t know when or if something like this will happen again, but I kept at it because I was growing.

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[quote]MNguns wrote:
Here’s my thoughts on why peopel don’t make the gains they are after:

  1. everyone is overtraining ( I know I opened a can of worms with that comment, but so be it )
  2. your not drinking enough water
  3. your not getting enough quality sleep
  4. your diet sucks
  5. your dont have a training diary
  6. your flexibility sucks
  7. your flexibility program sucks even more
  8. you dont have a clue how to right your own programs, and they are unbalanced
  9. you dont train your weaker side 1st? whats this, you dont know what side is weaker?
  10. you dont know when to say when
    …
    …
    …
    …
    etc… I could go on for ever. [/quote]

hmmm, that’s pretty general, I disagree with number 1 and number 8 the most, the rest I can tolerate. When you say everyone, you must mean yourself as well? No not everyone is overtraining, not the people making progress in the gym.

Also a plethora of people suck at making there own programs, but a basic knowledge is easy to get and all you need when writing a balanced program, so few people do this but it’s common sense imo, once you get the knowledge.

Use me, at times I will do 5 full body routines a week, that feels pretty good doing my chest, lats and traps, quads and hamstrings and such 5 times a week. Almost all the time my workouts are different when I go to the gym, sure I keep the basic bench press, squats, pullups, rows and deadlifts but I change the variations and some of the other less important exercises almost everytime.

I still make good progress as well, everyone has there own thing that works for them. You may call that over-training, but hey I’m getting stronger and bigger and still feel energized going to the gym, so I know it’s working.

I think saying effort in the gym isn’t true, because I know people who work there ass off in the gym but get dick all results. I still believe it’s diet, I was shocked when talking to a client about his diet. This guy is fairly fit, fairly toned and in fairly good overall shape minus a history or never training his legs.

I was surprised to hear he does know his general caloric intake, but frustrated to hear it’s around 1500, when I asked to try to get it up over 3000 he looked completely confused. He said his goal was to put on a solid 15 pounds of muscle by Christmas.

People’s diet sucks…if you got a good, smart routine, work your butt off, get adequate rest AND your diet is where it should be, you will get results, that’s just how the body works.

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I think diet is a general rule. I think training depends on the person lifting. If you can find the right combination your onto a winner. Took me ages to find out that total body programs are where i progress most. i need to chop and change things too in sets/reps/excersizes in order to progress.

I tried to stay on the same few programs for ages (split routines) waiting for my body to ‘catch on’. I now now that i need frequent stimulation of the same body parts in order to grow and slightly less volume in a workout. The next guy that posts im pretty sure will say thats aload of rubbish, i made gains doing ‘insert program here’.

I think if there was a perfect way to do it then everybody would do it and somebody would be very rich. The real mystery is how come we cant help talking about it? including me.

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[quote]Dedicated wrote:
#1 Reason in my opinion is you don’t want it bad enough. If you want it bad enough you learn through trial and error and by sticking with it over the years to see true gains. Desire elicits the tenacity to see truly big positive changes in health, strength, and body composition.

D[/quote]

Well said.

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Here’s a great article from EliteFTS that touches on this topic…

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/powerlifting_and_add.htm