Not gaining strength like I used to

Flaw

Flaw

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I've been lifting religiously for about 11 years. The wear and tear on my body is starting to show. I have tons of muscle knots and I work on foam rolling them out all the time. I am forced to keep pretty flexible just so that my muscles get proper activation. I've mainly only trained to build. Bodybuilding you can say. I have very thick/dense muscles and have been able to gain a lot of lean muscle over the years naturally. I'm 5' 11'' weighing in around 222 right now and around 13% body fat. The issue I'm having is even though I build muscle still, I don't gain strength well. I feel that my bench is poor. My 1rep max is probably under or just at my bodyweight. I used to be able to bench much more. I've maxed out at over 310lbs in my early 20's. The time getting there was also much faster. Here's where I'm looking for advice. Is it time that I stop "building" and start a completely different program. Maybe train for power? My programs have always consisted of rep ranges anywhere between 5-20 but it's always been for building. Maybe someone that has been in my shoes can fill in here on some advice. Before you ask about diet or anything else my diet has been solid for many years. So these changes haven't come from diet. If your gonna think hormonal well I had blood work for testosterone 2x this year. Both times back my total t was normal within range and my Free T is actually high. Like I said, I build muscle fine, that's not the issue but all suggestions and advice are welcomed. Thanks.
 
R1balla

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what up bro. havent spoken with u in a while. big game saturday huh. anyways, have u ever taken a cycle of juice or ph around ur teenage years or early early 20s? im sure you know this already but if so, it can affect how you grow and get stronger later in life by slowing it down. just a thought
 
Flaw

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Yeah! Big game, I don't know what's gonna happen. Can't believe they couldn't score one point! Makes me feel like they aren't gonna go far in the playoffs even if they win this one.

No, never taken a steriod cycle or ph cycle in my teens or ever. Closest thing to pro-hormone I have taken was 6-oxo. Had no side effects from that.
 
Rodja

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Do you train in the same fashion consistently? When I say this, do you stick to roughly the same volume/rep range?
 
Flaw

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Do you train in the same fashion consistently? When I say this, do you stick to roughly the same volume/rep range?
No, I pretty much constantly change my rep ranges. For example my last chest day was bench press- 5 reps of 5 sets- High intensity. Cable flys 12 reps 3 sets- low intensity. Then smith machine incline press to failure on each set- Weight is moderate, reps can go anywhere from 20 down to 5 depending on how worn out I am. The next week I'll change it up somewhere, either in volume or reps. I never keep it the same unless i'm strictly trying to work on one thing. IE bench. This goes for all my exercises. My biceps have pretty much maxed out it feels. I feel like I can't gain much more strength then where I'm at there. I don't always train to failure either. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I almost feel as if my body has seen so much it just don't respond the same.
 
R1balla

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I dunno what to say then lol the only thing i can think of is change workout routine or try the 5x5 to break a peak

Eagles - after they scored, sports reporters are saying we held back on the playbook so we didnt show all of our blitz packages and offense trick plays. i kinda believe that cause we didnt even use vick. im pumped for this game. andy reid said earlier in the season that the public will not see the full VICK till we really need him in the playoffs. oh yeah, DALLAS SUCKS! hahaha
 
suncloud

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just a suggestion. DC training uses 8-12/4-6/2-3 rep range schemes. if you altered that to 6-8/3-4/1-2 you'd gain minimal mass, but gobs of strength. i mean 6/3/1 is darned close to a powerlifters rep scheme, and 8/4/2 is barely a mass setup.

dunno, wish you the best though.
 
Rodja

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Two things that really, really help:
1. Rest-pause: I used this long before I heard about DC training
2: Reduced volume: As you age, your CNS can only handle so much. When I'm focused solely on strength, I do maybe 5 exercises and core per session. I train antagonist lifts together (e.g. dips followed by pull-ups) and do 2 of these combos and an assistance lift.

Here's a quick example of a vertical flex/ex session:
Dips
Pull-Ups
Overhead Press or Push-Press
Upright Rows or High Pulls
Assistance lift for traps
Core work

I also foam roll at the beginning and end of the session along with DC stretches at the end of the session.
 
Flaw

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just a suggestion. DC training uses 8-12/4-6/2-3 rep range schemes. if you altered that to 6-8/3-4/1-2 you'd gain minimal mass, but gobs of strength. i mean 6/3/1 is darned close to a powerlifters rep scheme, and 8/4/2 is barely a mass setup.

dunno, wish you the best though.
Is this for 3 sets or do you repeat for more? What kind of intensity are you using?
 
suncloud

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Is this for 3 sets or do you repeat for more? What kind of intensity are you using?
maximum intensity, and that is the only set, after your warmups. first set is 6-8 reps, rest for 30 seconds, second set is 3-4 reps, rest for 30 seconds, third set is 1-2 reps. the goal is to add one more rep on any of the 3 parts, on every workout day until you hit 8/4/2. then its time to add 2.5-5.0 pounds per side of the bar, and shoot for 6/3/1. work your way back up, rinse, repeat.

every workout should net you one more rep, and you should be hitting failure on each part of the set.
 
Flaw

Flaw

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Two things that really, really help:
1. Rest-pause: I used this long before I heard about DC training
2: Reduced volume: As you age, your CNS can only handle so much. When I'm focused solely on strength, I do maybe 5 exercises and core per session. I train antagonist lifts together (e.g. dips followed by pull-ups) and do 2 of these combos and an assistance lift.

Here's a quick example of a vertical flex/ex session:
Dips
Pull-Ups
Overhead Press or Push-Press
Upright Rows or High Pulls
Assistance lift for traps
Core work

I also foam roll at the beginning and end of the session along with DC stretches at the end of the session.
1. I like to practice deep breathing before exercise and then in between sets. psychologist recommend this for stress. It works excellent to enhance oxygen flow and I do believe it helps strength. What I do is 7 sets. Breathe in deep , fill your lungs, hold it for 3 seconds then let it out slow for 3 seconds. Repeat 7 times. Then in between sets I do this a few times while resting. You should try it if you haven't.

2. I usually limit my exercises to 5 as well. I have trained antagonists together. I believe it's a excellent warmup for the other side your going to hit. I haven't done this in awhile though.

I foam roll at the beginning every time. Then general warm-up. Then dynamic stretching with actual muscle warm-up. If I don't my work outs suck. I try active-isolated stretching in-between sets as well and then static when I'm done everything. I cringe when I see people not warming up and going straight to the bench. One day it will get em.
 
Flaw

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maximum intensity, and that is the only set, after your warmups. first set is 6-8 reps, rest for 30 seconds, second set is 3-4 reps, rest for 30 seconds, third set is 1-2 reps. the goal is to add one more rep on any of the 3 parts, on every workout day until you hit 8/4/2. then its time to add 2.5-5.0 pounds per side of the bar, and shoot for 6/3/1. work your way back up, rinse, repeat.

every workout should net you one more rep, and you should be hitting failure on each part of the set.
Looks simple. I'll give it a try. Thanks a lot!
 
suncloud

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Looks simple. I'll give it a try. Thanks a lot!
you'll know if its working after 2 weeks :) that's what i like about the setup. hopefully it works as well for you as it does for me.
 
Flaw

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Yea, i'll see what happens. I'm also gonna be running inhibit-e as a stand alone to see if this give me a boost. Gonna run a log in the supplement section.
 

youngandfree

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It sounds like you need a structured workout plan that is focused for building strength. Varying each lift and rep schemes so often doesn't give you the opportunity to focuse on strength improvements. If one workout you do 15-20 reps then 6 reps next workout, then back up again, you aren't using progressively heavier load each time. That is one of the keys to gaining strength. Check out some powerlifting routines and try one you like and stick with it for the next 6 months or so. Get a structured and proven plan and stick to it as outlined.
 
Flaw

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I just started incorporating the method you showed me suncloud. I like how the rest periods are short. I got tired of waiting around so much and this seems like a excellent change. My resistance training is going much quicker. My mind is very into this as well. Today hit chest and biceps. 195lb bench 8 reps, 6, 3, and 1 just cause i didn't feel tired. Then went to flys 60lbs 10, 8, 4 reps. Dumbell incline presses 50 lbs 12, 12, 8. I wasn't sure on max weight on that one so i ended up with higher reps. Biceps was interesting with this method. Took 35lb dumbells. 8,6,2. Then rope cable curls, 70lbs 15, 12, 8 . Felt great! We'll see what happens as I continue this method.
 

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