went from 160lbs to 230lbs, now stuck

[willc86]

Hey guys, in the course of 3 years, I went from 160 to 230lbs; however, I can not move from there anymore. Seems like I am stuck. I was wondering if there is some kind of exercise science that goes along with gaining muscle that works best

Maybe someone can provide me a good rep/set motion.

Currently, I am doing 5 - 6 sets on about 4 to 5 different machines. (do not tell me that is too much, because i will never gain just doing 3 sets anymore)
and aiming for about 6-7 reps.

Now, I ve been doing drop sets. so example, I start at 100lbs, then drop to 80lbs, 60lbs, and do about 4 to 5 sets of those. Would you guys have any other recommendation in terms of scientifically proven to work? That goes with supplements as well. Thanks in adnvaced

 

[Abe Lincoln]

Was this natty or with anabolics?

 

[mountainman33]

Just a generic answer, but if you're looking for mass, and you've been doing 6 - 7 reps, then you'll need to change your rep scheme to 10 - 15 reps per set for a while.

 

[Abe Lincoln]

Calories need to be high enough so you can gain as well...

 

[willc86]

Thanks guys

this was natural. But i honestly been thinking of doing some pro horomones.
so would you say 10 to 15 reps using drop method would be fine? like example

100lbs - 5 reps
50lbs - 7 reps
30lbs - 3 reps
total 15 reps

5 or 6 sets of those pyramid drops?

 

[mountainman33]

Thanks guys

this was natural. But i honestly been thinking of doing some pro horomones.
so would you say 10 to 15 reps using drop method would be fine? like example

100lbs - 5 reps
50lbs - 7 reps
30lbs - 3 reps
total 15 reps

5 or 6 sets of those pyramid drops?

No just straight sets of 10 - 15 reps with 1 weight. You're looking for TUT for size.

 

[Abe Lincoln]

How tall are you? Might be hitting that genetic barrier

 

[Docmattic]

look at the original mi40 program by ben pakulski or, hypertrophy max - which is a 12 month program designed so there are no plateaus.

 

[HIT4ME]

Damn, if you packed on 70 pounds of muscle in 3 years...naturally....then I can see why you feel like you've slowed down. At this point, if you can gain 5-10 pounds/year that would be awesome.

What did you do to pack on so much muscle? What was your routine and eating like? You were doing something right.

 

[Abe Lincoln]

Doubt it was all muscle..

 

[HIT4ME]

Doubt it was all muscle..

I am with you. Even if he packed on 40 pounds of muscle in 3 years that would be great, IMO. But he didn't say he got fat in that time, so I just assume.....

 

[tommurph]

Damn, if you packed on 70 pounds of muscle in 3 years...naturally....then I can see why you feel like you've slowed down. At this point, if you can gain 5-10 pounds/year that would be awesome. What did you do to pack on so much muscle? What was your routine and eating like? You were doing something right.

Kids can do that. When I was 21 I couldn't get over 160lbs. I started eating so much food. I drank close to 1 gallon of whole milk a day, every meal was chased with a cheese burger, plus protein shakes with ice cream in them! I grew to 220 in a year and a half, and looked good, but a year later stopped working out and got fat. So anyway kids can pack on weight pretty fast in the beginning.

 

[Abe Lincoln]

Haha true.. I blow up on cycle 15lbs normally if I'm eating right.. Even when not on cycle I still grow like a weed haha. Gallon of milk a day>
People say you will get fat but when you are young and if you eat properly while pounding that milk back, the gains are tremendous

 

[tommurph]

Haha true.. I blow up on cycle 15lbs normally if I'm eating right.. Even when not on cycle I still grow like a weed haha. Gallon of milk a day> People say you will get fat but when you are young and if you eat properly while pounding that milk back, the gains are tremendous

Yeah man, as long as your hitting those weights consistently and eating big you can pack it on, but once you stop working out it sure is easy to get fat!

 

[Abe Lincoln]

True true.. Body starts storing good as fat as there is no muscle tears to fix, or whatever haha

 

[jamesjudo5]

How tall are you? Might be hitting that genetic barrier

This^^.
I want you to think how many people have the natural genetics to be that size and fairly lean. Perhaps it's time to cut for a while??

 

[Abe Lincoln]

Cutting down is a good option depending on how much bf you have. And than when in lower bf lean bulking as insulin sensitivity will be better, so more muscle gains, less fat

 

[Doss]

As people have said, there could be a number of things going on. From hitting your genetic barrier, not continuing to increase caloric intake or work capacity enough to stimulate the body to grow. Could be any of those things.

One thing that jumps out at me is that you said "5 - 6 sets on about 4 to 5 different machines" What has your progress been like lately in the big lifts? Are you deadlifting/benching/squatting consistently and adding weights to those movements? If not, you should be. For me, squat numbers and bodyweight go up side by side.

 

[01tj]

Try a few weeks or high (100 total in as few sets as possible) reps then go back to something like 8-12. I did this years ago and it seemed to really help. It will also give you a mental boost because 100 reps will challenge you in ways that lower rep heavier weight never could