seems i am at that limit.. or possibly stress

[LakeMountD]

It is getting very hard to gain any mass in my upper body. i am growing like a weed in my lower body because of an injury i had a while back i could only start lifting heavy with them recently.. i am getting very slight strength gains still but mass is becoming hard and i am getting mroe calories now then i did then...

i think it could be stress too... my major is nuclear physics and you can imagine the workload.. doing high volume (16 sets sometimes) and only getting 4-5 hours sleep a night with a 2 hour nap during the day.. isnt exactly the best way to gain weight.. i think until i can lower my stress level and get some sleep i wont grow that much.. i was thinking zma might help slightly for the sleep and maybe a lil on the test, as well as the flax oil..

 

[sage]

training, nutrition, aerobic/cardio, rest. tha last element doesnt just mean the hours you get of sleep each night, but the stress and work you might endure from classes, your profession, family, etc. the thing not to do, is have it get on your nerves. just keep working hard, eating well.....Sage

 

[Andy2k]

Forget about adding mass for a few weeks - just concentrate on the exercises themselves. Look elsewhere on this forum and you'll find a 'mind-muscle link' post - this is where you need to be.
Concentrating on anything in the way you are will hold your gains back a bit - not only will your focus be in other places than your training, but the stress will release CORTISONE which won't do your gains any good at all.
You need to accept that the body can't do everything at once. Some Vitamin B5 may help with the stress induced cortisone, but in the meantime change your training so you're doing less sets (10 sets per bodypart is more than adequate - 8 is a better bet) and concentrate more.
Do the reps SLOWLY - close your eyes if you need to, use a weight that you can control, and do 2-3 seconds positive, 3-5 seconds negative. Concentrate on the feel - nothing else. A few weeks of this will allow you to return to 'normal' training (though I'd skip doing 16 sets!)
If your college/uni has a sports science department, see if they do sports massage - get yourself one if possible.

 

[pudgy]

bro take a week off of training and then shock your whole upper body over three days, you will grow i promise.

 

[LakeMountD]

bro take a week off of training and then shock your whole upper body over three days, you will grow i promise.

yeah i was going to do that this week.. but spring break is in two weeks so i need to just wait till then.. i wont have much sleep etc so that would be the best time to take off sicne training would just worsen the situation.. and yes i do high volume but it only seems to work when im not stressed so im going to down the volume abit..

 

[pogue]

bro take a week off of training and then shock your whole upper body over three days, you will grow i promise.

bump, you could even take two
no supps, chill on the diet and just relax