i need help Veeky Forums. you're my only hope. i pray someone of you guys read this and helps me figure this out
>lifting for 1.5 years
>MyFitnessPal streak on 470 days
>been religiously controlling diet
>160 - 200g of protein each day, 400-600 kcal surplus
>missed maybe five to seven workouts maximum
>started really low due to skinnyfat skelly and had already had a lower back hernia
>slowly worked weights up
>hit the strength roof after around a month of doing essentially form
>since then have struggled with raising weights
>could raise around 4.5 lbs a while on big lifts MAX
>now I can barely progress with even half of that
my lifts are at:
>squats 3x5
185 lbs
>deads 1x5
190 lbs
>ohp 3x5
85 lbs
>seated cable row 3x8 (due to back hernia I did this instead of pendlay...)
160 lbs
>dips weighted 2x10
37.5 lbs
>pull-ups 2x8-10
22 lbs
>biceps curls (one hand) 2-3x8-10
33 lbs
>tricep cable pulldowns 2-3x10
64 lbs
>bench press 3x5
150 lbs
Weak as fuck but still bad progress
(cont.)
i've had to deload on bench once and squats twice due to weight becoming too heavy and my knees start to cave in majorly etc. basically i can't grow muscle strength fast enough to maintain good form, and that's even if I'm raising the weight in really small increments as in 1.5-2 lbs on DEADLIFTS. oh and each gym pass takes like... 1.5 hours due to me not being able to lift if I don't wait 5 minutes in between the big lifts. in what kind of increments should i increase?
granted, i did have a 4-5ish month cut in the middle due to people saying i was getting really fat (and i was pretty pudgy due to me trying to eat 700 calories surplus a day for a while since i was struggling so much and people told me to eat more)
am i doing something wrong guys? i'm losing motivation. i've read starting strength recently and realize i could never do those big strength gain jumps the first few times like rippetoe describes, but i did wait two months until i started doing accessories and dips and stuff like that. would i benefit from "starting over" at all, stripping down to concentrate on the big core lifts, or would that mean my dips and pullups would just go to shit without me gaining much from not doing them?
please help. i look like shit, and i feel like shit.
gotta confuse the muscles. do sum incline bench or dumbbell bench, shit like that switch ur workouts up more.
Sounds like you might have other things in your life stressing you out. I'd recommend taking a blood test and looking at you hormone levels.
Stop doing progressive overload shit and just go in there balls to the wall, lots of people think they're lifting hard but they aint.
Or eat more
i did take a blood test a while ago. i told the doctor on a annual checkup that i often felt tired.
but i don't think it was a testosterone test? i'm assuming that's what you mean. but he said the sample looked fine at least.
Height and bodyweight?
Had you done any physical activity before you started lifting? Doing anything now?
6'1, 157 lbs
i was at 172 lbs before that cut. i think that was mostly fat.
i just had my 24th birthday last week
no, i was basically coming out from 10 years of moving the mouse and hammering on the keyboard having been my sole physical activity.
i'm lifting now, but that's pretty much it.
i'm not even close to intermediate according to symmetricstrength
The 6'1 157 probably has something to do with it. That's small, particularly if it isn't super lean. I'm not saying eat yourself into obesity, but that scale better be ticking up over time.
Honestly, it sounds like the best thing you can do at this point is ditch the super-specific linear progression type of program and aim to build some overall conditioning/work capacity/etc. Keep lifting, but bring up the volume over time and start doing more bodyweight work, conditioning and cardio. Basically what we need to do at this point is make up for the fact you never did any of the general physical stuff that's expected of people going into those programs, so you've gone into them without the physical development needed to get the most benefits.
You can entirely throw out any idea of the weights involved being a good definition of beginner/intermediate/advanced. If you have to use those terms, think in terms of how fast you can progress. Otherwise think in terms of whats holding you back.
godspeed, my child. you're gonna make it someday.
I'd suggest getting your test checked out asap.
Your lifts are good dude,1.5 years isn't that long, just keep at it and you will get stronger, its physiologically impossible not to. Maybe try doing a routine that uses percentage of maxes instead of 3x5? 5/3/1 is slow progression but works in the long run.
At 6'1 157, i think you will find it profoundly difficult to get fat. Even at 200lbs with 28% bf, you probably still look skinny, or not fat, at the very least. I suggest going back to your old
kcal surplus, and gp to the gym more often or just stay longer on the days you do go
>he won't look fat @ 28% bf
>28% bf
>not fat
???
>190x5 deadlift after 1.5 years
>good
what the fuck
run SS by the book, including gaining 1lb/week, limiting life stress and sleeping well
if this does not work, find a new hobby
...
Try heavier sets on the big compounds once in a while to stimulate progress. 1-3 reps. Switch up rep ranges. I've never done the 5 x 5 shit, I warm up, then do heavy sets with only 2-3 reps, then 4-6 reps. Usually to failure (use the safety rails or a spotter).
If you can do 5 sets of 5 with the same weight, it's not heavy enough
>what the fuck
People are not one uniform template, everyone develops differently. If what OP says is true, they are really giving it their all and so their lifts are good for them.
Lack of accessories shouldn't affect strength gains that much OP. You could also just be burned out from working out heaps. You sound very form conscious, during heavier lifts there is some form breakdown, you're not limiting your sets to only 'perfect' form reps are you?
If you really are doing everything right, then i'm with go see a doc and ask whats up, you could have a medical condition.
There's no need to cuddle him, his progression is terribly slow and he is rightfully frustrated. What would actually help him is finding the root of his problems.
Since OP eliminated bad diet, it could be bad form, low test or some other hormonal imbalance, stress... I dunno.
coddle*, unless this board is gayer than i remember
190x5 deadlift after 1.5 years is not "good" for anyone except an older woman maybe
Huh, I actually never knew coddle was a different word.
t. not native English speaker
If you know the root then please enlighten us. My bets on medical issue.
If you've actually been lifting for 1,5 years there's something wrong. Go to your doctor and get blood work done, could be a whole range of issues causing it from naturally low test to diabetes.
How tall are you, what is your weight and how much do you eat a day? Could be as simple as you not eating enough, 90% of the time that is the answer. You also need 8 hours sleep every night.
Ditch the LP. If you're not progressing with it anymore, then stop doing it. Do something "suboptimal" like AllPro beginner.
Underlying medical condition or not, you're alive. That means you'll adapt. Maybe LP is too high intensity for you. Maybe. So do something else.
Ignore them fuckers who are forcing you to do SS.