Stalled

Training Bodybuilding
1

I’ve been working out for a little over a year now. I’ve seen some great gains and my diet and physique have really improved. Yet, I’m having some trouble realizing my fitness goals. I would like to be able to bench in the 400’s, squat 500’s and Pull in 500+. I’d also like to be able to run a mile under 6min 30sec.

I’m stuck though. I’m still floudering at 330 on the bench, only at 420 on squat and can pull 430. I’ve utilized Westside with some huge improvements but those seemed to stall out as well. I switched to using the 10x3 but there still isn’t as much prgress as I’d like.

My routine is as follows:

Monday:
Squats 10x3
Leg Curls 3x8
Good Mornings 4x6
Abs

Tuesday:
Bench (incline, decline or Floor Press) 10x3
Rows (cable or bent) 3x8
Dips (weighted) 4x6

Wednesday:
Sprint Stadiums at local HS

Thursday:
Romanian or SLDL 6x3
Shrugs 4x6
Chin Ups 3x8
Leg Lifts

Friday:
Shoulder Press 4x6
Side Later Raise 3x8
Skull Crushers 4x6

I cycle this for about three weeks then take a week off and do 2 sets of 12 for my Mon and Tues workouts and that’s it. My diet is pretty clean:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with flaxseeds, banana and OJ
4 egg whites

10:00am:
Protien shake

Lunch:
Pound of meat (chicken beef or tuna)
small yam
Vegetables

3:00pm
Cottage cheese

Workout with shake at end

Dinner:
7 eggs (only 2 yolks)
Peanut butter

Then a small salad and some more cottage cheese before bed. I’m not small (6’4 260 12%BF) and I think my goals are realistic. Any advice?

2

Ok, what exactly are you complaining about? You have been lifting for a year and you can bench 330lbs? Shut up, you obviously have awesome genitcs(or you are a pimply, scrawny 13 year old kid being an ass), maybe you need to up your caloric intake or change up your training, either way you are a hell of a lot farther along than I will be when I hit the 1 year mark.

3

dude, for only lifting for 1 year, you’re hella strong already. don’t worry too much about the speed of your gains. just pick a sound program and stick with it. in time you will acheive your goals.

4

No, I’m not a 13yr old being an asshole. I’ve been kinda big (260+lbs) and about 26%bf since I was 21. A year and four months ago I decided to change the way I looked, the way I ate; basically everything about myself. From contact lenses to actually giving a shit about the way I presented myself to others in general.

I love lifting. When I first started I overtrained to the point were I developed a stress fracture in my left forearm. I had to take off 6 wks and coming back into it just fueled my obsession with self improvement and realizing personal goals.

5

Beginner?
You obviously know what you are doing. Both diet and workout look excellent. Analog said it best. Bump the calories and change the workout to shake things up. As for the 6:30 mile, I don’t know where you’re at now, but if you have any distance to make up, running one day a week might not be enough. Pick a
goal–work towards it–then go to the next one

6

My advice man, coming from a guy thats been at it for a while that has numbers lower than yours but also just simply smaller 5’7" 175lbs.

Gains in the gym come in the long run… you may think your stalled but something will be improving as long as you switch up your training every once in a while and keep your diet and intensity in check. For me my gains come in spurts in different things.

On a side note I just hit 285 on the bench press this afternoon (something that had been stalled for a few months) up from 270 two weeks ago. Keep busting your ass and you will get places. Consistency is key man.

P.S. Sounds like your a big mofo too bad I cant train for height.

7

If I’m not mistaken the 10x3 method is more specific to hypertrophy then strength.

If I were you I would switch back to something like westside and maybe even throw in some bands or chains.

8

I second trying westside for strength gains.

9

[quote]sasquatch wrote:
Beginner?
You obviously know what you are doing. Both diet and workout look excellent. [/quote]

Are you kidding? Diet? Excellent?

10

[quote]lesboporn wrote:
I’ve been working out for a little over a year now. I’ve seen some great gains and my diet and physique have really improved. Yet, I’m having some trouble realizing my fitness goals. I would like to be able to bench in the 400’s, squat 500’s and Pull in 500+. I’d also like to be able to run a mile under 6min 30sec.

I’m stuck though. I’m still floudering at 330 on the bench, only at 420 on squat and can pull 430. I’ve utilized Westside with some huge improvements but those seemed to stall out as well. I switched to using the 10x3 but there still isn’t as much prgress as I’d like.

My routine is as follows:

Monday:
Squats 10x3
Leg Curls 3x8
Good Mornings 4x6
Abs

Tuesday:
Bench (incline, decline or Floor Press) 10x3
Rows (cable or bent) 3x8
Dips (weighted) 4x6

Wednesday:
Sprint Stadiums at local HS

Thursday:
Romanian or SLDL 6x3
Shrugs 4x6
Chin Ups 3x8
Leg Lifts

Friday:
Shoulder Press 4x6
Side Later Raise 3x8
Skull Crushers 4x6

I cycle this for about three weeks then take a week off and do 2 sets of 12 for my Mon and Tues workouts and that’s it. My diet is pretty clean:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with flaxseeds, banana and OJ
4 egg whites

10:00am:
Protien shake

Lunch:
Pound of meat (chicken beef or tuna)
small yam
Vegetables

3:00pm
Cottage cheese

Workout with shake at end

Dinner:
7 eggs (only 2 yolks)
Peanut butter

Then a small salad and some more cottage cheese before bed. I’m not small (6’4 260 12%BF) and I think my goals are realistic. Any advice?[/quote]

If you are really 6’4" 260lbs, 12% bodyfat then you are GROSSLY undereating. It’s a wonder that you even can maintain that weight. Your only real meals are breakfast and lunch. You should be eating WAY more fruits and vegetables, WAY more healthy fats, and eat more than 2 real meals a day. Congratulations on your progress so far.

Go read some of the articles in the archives by Dr. John Berardi. Massive Eating 1, 2. Massive Eating Reloaded 1, 2.

11

[quote]RIT Jared wrote:

If you are really 6’4" 260lbs, 12% bodyfat then you are GROSSLY undereating. It’s a wonder that you even can maintain that weight. Your only real meals are breakfast and lunch. You should be eating WAY more fruits and vegetables, WAY more healthy fats, and eat more than 2 real meals a day. Congratulations on your progress so far.

Go read some of the articles in the archives by Dr. John Berardi. Massive Eating 1, 2. Massive Eating Reloaded 1, 2.
[/quote]

When I say Cottage Cheese I mean nearly an entire 16oz container. Yeah, I should up my calories it’s just that I have this nagging fear of getting fat again. I’ve worked so hard to shed all of this fat off of myself that I’m reluctant to put any back on (which, from reading T-Nation I know is the only realistic way for strength gains outside of steriods).

I hear ya’ Twisted. I’ve noticed the same thing during my brief training career (my numbers are ok I realize but I’ve only been training for over a year so I know I have A LOT to learn still, that’s why I consider myself a beginner).

12

Switch your lifts up. For instance, do something besides bench for chest. Do front squats or hack squats for a while, instead of regular back squats. Change your stance, grip width, etc. I find that if I prioritize things differently for a while, when I do come back to whatever I was working at before, I am stronger.

Have someone knowledgeable examine your form or post video of it. You might have some weak links that you don’t realize.

Keep lifting hard!