Hi, I’m 32 my weight is 73kg, body fat 10%. I’ve been doing gym for 15 years and also been a rower. I’m defined and lean but I feel stuck now, I want a bit more size, not much as don’t wanna gain fat.(I also did rowing until 2 years ago, and had some issues with back and knees, hence can’t lift too much).
I’ve been doing this program or similar ones for more than a year, but I feel stuck, I get to a max weight where I fail, I drop 10% and up again until I get to the same weight, and failing again, no progress and also don’t feel very strong or like I’m improving.
In terms of diet I think I’m eating ok, I use myfitnesspal app and try to eat healthy, having Huel (similar to joylent or soylent) almost every night and eating fish or chicken for lunch.
Do you guys think this workout plan is ok or would you suggest something different?
Monday
Upper A
Bench 3x5
Incline Bench 3x8
Lat Pulldowns 3x8 (any grip)
Bent Over Rows 3x8
Curls 3x10/Reverse Flies 3x12 Superset
Tuesday
Lower A
Squats 3x5
Weighted Back Extensions 3x8
Leg Press 3x10
Leg Curls 3x10
Ab work 3x15/Calf raises 3x12 Superset
Wednesday
Run/Rowing
Thursday
Upper B
OHP 3x5
Flies 3x10
Pullups 3x8
Pendlay Rows 3x8
Face Pulls 3x12/Tricep pressdowns 3x10 Superset
Friday
Lower B
Front Squat 3x5
Romanian Deadlift 3x8
Leg Extensions 3x10
Leg Curls 3x10
Ab work 3x15/Calf Raises 3x12 Superset
You need to drop weight and add more volume overall. You should then find you stall further down the line. An extra set or a + type set or "speed work " or assistance work should be enough.
Also, how much are you eating? If you’re eating only enough to maintain your weight - ie your maintenance calories - add 500 cals to your daily intake (Id say make it mostly protein but I don’t know if your diet is seriously lacking in carbs or fats) and that can make a huge difference in strength. I do think your program looks good, but you can certainly add more volume if you feel it’s necessary.
I’m actually eating to maintain my weight. I really don’t like to gain fat, but that might be the problem yeah, I could try to add some more calories per day
I think there’s a language issue here. My impression is @rower687 is using the term volume to mean muscle size. Correct, @rower687?
Edit: Would facilitate discussion @rower687 if you would use the word size instead of volume henceforth. On this website, the word volume is used to refer to the amount of exercises/sets/reps one does in a workout (eg, doing 1 exercise for 3 sets of 3 reps would be a ‘low volume’ workout, whereas 5 exercises for 10 sets of 20 would be a very ‘high volume’ workout).
I’m currently enjoying a program that alternates adding volume and weight.
I do 3 sets during the first workout, then 5 sets on the next. Add 5 lbs for upper body and 10 lbs for lower body and repeat. I started with sets of 8 for three weeks, then sets of 5, now I’m doing sets of 3.
More size should facilitate more strength gained. You have to decide wether you want to stay lean and weak or gain some size and a bit of fat to get stronger. Only you can decide what you want.
Human body is an adaptive machine. That being said, you should vary the angles of your training ( not only referring to a bench). For a proper periodization you should change your training each 8 weeks:
Different excersices
Weight you use
Intesity and tempo
Also, I do see that the amount of rep per set for some exercise are not enough for a proper hypertrophy. Vastus mediales and lateralis ( the V cut of your quads) need high range of reps ( between 10 to 15) to get them activated since those muscles are 67% Slow twitch fibers. Also, eating and sleeping are crucial for a proper recovering and grow the muscle.
…if you want to get bigger, the most important thing is diet. 99% of the article on “dieting for mass” are so fucking awful so be wary who you listen to.
For Training:
Main work - less
Supplemental - more
Jumps/Throws - less
Assistance - more
Hard Conditioning - none to less
Easy Conditioning - usual 30 min/day
Recovery - 1 session per training session
