Hey everyone, I decided to try to get “unstuck” from a plateau by doing the old Poliquin-advocated idea of pounding yourself into the ground for a few weeks and then letting yourself recover with some days off.
Well, it worked.
Prior to attempting this, my lifts were:
Bench - 290x1 and 225x7
Deadlift - 520x1 and 460x5
Squat - 335x1 and 285x5 (yeah, I know)
Standing overhead press - 180x6
Bodyweight pull ups - 15
Weighted pull ups - 50x5
Bodyweight dips - ~30
Weighted dips - 80x12
So that should give you an idea, and I’m 5’8 and float between 180-190 lbs seemingly depending upon carb intake. I look better at 180. Last bodyfat check had me at around 12%, however I think I may be higher…I have a few pics in my profile…
Anyway, I pounded away for 2 weeks, and one week I think I probably benched 5x. All in all, it was a lot of lifting and the volume was ludicrous. It got so bad that I was feeling foggy all the time and wanted to sleep in every day…by the end of the second week, I did just that and slept for about 14 hours. Then I took some time off from the gym and today was my second day back and I feel excellent.
Lifts tested so far:
Bench - Finally hit 300x1 and got 225x11
Pull ups - 18 body weight
Overhead press - 190x6
Deadlift - 475x5
So far, so good and I’m feeling a lot stronger. Basically, the overtraining/supercompensation technique seems to work.
If I’ve learned anything, it’s that I really need to rest more.