EDIT: I do see your point but im not really bulking or cutting. I eat what my body needs to make myself grow. I have done 2-3 bulking/cutting phases...it just doesn't work for me because as soon as I take a break from working out for personal reasons, my body always goes back to its original weight because of my metabolism...So changing my nutrition doesn't convince me about getting over plateaus in strength gains.
I'm not a huge advocate of "bulking/cutting phases", especially since my body almost always recomps regardless of what I do. However, if you stop training, then yes, your body will highly likely stop making progress, and it may appear that you have "lost" any gains made because your muscles will appear smaller due to lack of pump, etc. from lifting, when they are not; although, you CAN lose your gains if you don't eat to MAINTAIN them.
Re strength, this is BOTH a nutrition AND training issue - you can eat for gains, but if you're not lifting appropriately for strength, then you may not see any progress in that area.
Haha I like your determination a lot rosie, your one of the very few girls who truly understand proper training protocol...Most girls eat very little and workout for hours and complain why they don't get results...but thats another topic, as for my defense sake i found that 2600-2800 is sort of my sweet spot. It's not really muscle growth that concerns me, its more of getting the most out of my gym time. The plateau comes from mostly constantly having the same rep range and strength despite my routine.
I know about most girls - hence why I take such a firm stance on what I do and want to educate people on females and training, etc., change the many wrong mindsets that a high number of both females AND males have when it comes to females, training, and getting results - but yes, that is another topic; one that we are not going to get into.
"Getting the most out of my gym time" can mean any number of things. Personally, whilst it is important to be fit and healthy and exercise is good for you, unless you have a PURPOSE for being in the gym and training, you are just wasting your time and effort being in there, IMO. EVERY training session should have a goal, a purpose in the progression towards your overall goal or endpoint.
You pointed out one of your issues right there: "The plateau comes from mostly constantly having the same rep range and strength despite my routine." Adjusting and manipulating your training means changing rep ranges, adding weight in consecutive sessions, varying recovery periods, etc. More importantly, whilst there is an "accepted" and "general" rep range for strength - i.e. 4-8 reps for basic strength and 2-5 reps for strength/power - you can do a lot working within those ranges to aid in strength gains. You don't even have to use the same rep range for the same given session every week, either. Knowing how to adjust your training will ensure that you don't plateau and continue making progress.
doesn't DAA have some side effects if im not mistaken?
It can cause an increase in estrogen - hence why the Erase was recommended to be stacked with it; not to mention that it would assist re progress.
~Rosie~
