Have I Plateau'd?

P

Psyk0sisS

0
Hey All,

First off, I'm new here and somewhat new to the bodybuilding aspect of fitness.

I've been trying to bulk up and for a while I'd gain about a pound a week. I'm 5'10" and went from ~142lbs prior to the gym to almost 162lbs now, and I'm at 8.5% body fat. The past 4-6 weeks I've not gained anything, and the weight I'm lifting is not going up anymore either.

I was on a 15,12,12,10 rep on my exercises and thought I should try heavier weights at 10,8,8 reps to mix it up and also threw in a new exercise for each muscle group (to get my muscles outta their routine). I usually rest 30-60sec between sets, and my workouts are usually about 45min. I do 5 days a week, different groups each day...
Mon) Chest / Triceps
Tues) Abs / Cardio
Wed) Back / Bi's
Thurs) Legs
Fri) Shoulders / Tri/Bi Supersets.

I have 3 protein shakes of about 50-60g for mid morning, mid day, b4 bed. I eat 2 eggs, 2 strips of turkey bacon, light yogurt and a slice of toast for breakfast, 2 fruits for brunch, lunch varies (but I try for at least 40g protein), and usually some grilled chicken or deli turkey/chicken for dinner. I drink over a gallon of water a day, take a multi-vitamin 2x daily. I try to keep as low carbs as I can because my doc said if I don't I could become diabetic. On Sat & Sun I don't eat nearly as much or take in much protein.

So do I need to take maybe a 2 week break and start again (I've heard you should take a break every 3 months or so...is that true?), or up my calories (which I've not really paid attention to) or do I need to go ahead and up my carbs?. I'm just looking for professional or experienced help, a trainer is way too expensive for me to get.

Thank you SO much for taking the time to read this, your suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I'm hoping you all can give me my motivation back! :)
 
Last edited:
Body part splits, where you work only one or 2 body parts per day and only hit most muscle groups 1 or twice a week are generally not very good for anyone except advanced trainees (more than 5 years consistant training), or genetic freaks or drug enhanced trainers. A 3 day per week total body workout is almost always better. I would try that for a while.

If you are truely 8.5% body fat (how did you determine to .5% accuracy your body fat?), then you are pretty lean and would find it very difficult to sustain gains at that level. Most individuals need to go up to 10-15% body fat (or higher) to make long term gains, especially rapid gains.

Whatever doctor told you too much carbs would give you diabetes is a little confused, unless you have some underlying condition which prediposes you for diabetes. If you stick with low glycemic index carbs (whole grains, vegetables, fruits...healthy foods) there should be no danger of developing diabetes.

Check the stickies on here for TBT workouts and 30/40/40 diet plans and you should have no trouble making progress in the future.
 
Body Fat

dswithers said:
...If you are truely 8.5% body fat (how did you determine to .5% accuracy your body fat?)...
Click to expand...

The gym had a body fat / BMI tester. Looked like a Playstation controller. You grab it by both handles for about 10 seconds and I guess it sends pulses through the body. I dont exactly remember my BMI, I know it was somewhere between 20-30.

So the TBW is best huh? Should I rest in the off days or do cardio, or what?

Thanks again :)
 
That was probably an Omron handheld. Those are best used as a general estimate to determine gain/loss. Sort of like home scales for weight - they are not as accurate as properly calibrated doctor's scales, and can easily 5-8lbs off, but can still give you a decent idea of whether or not you've gained 10 pounds (assuming you minimize as many variables as possible).

Most people here prefer whole body wkouts (myself included). Although I've seen people get good results doing splits as well. If you spend half the day doing 6 different kinds of bicep curls, well, you might want to reconsider your wkout plan. However, you don't have to work the whole body every time to see results either.
 
The handheld or scale bf monitors can vary greatly - especially depending on level of hydration.

I actually have an Omron, and it read the same as an experienced person using calipers, and the same as a Futrex (uses NIR). However, they are known to not always be accurate, as hydration levels in your body vary, which effects the reading.
 
Oh okay, was just curious because i have a phyiscal/check up with my doctor next Tuesday and I was wondering if he has anything to check my bf
 
Phate89 said:
Oh okay, was just curious because i have a phyiscal/check up with my doctor next Tuesday and I was wondering if he has anything to check my bf
Click to expand...

I doubt your doctor will but your gym should, You go to a gym or do you workout at home.

To the origanal poster - The bioelectrical impedence method is only as accurate as you want it to be. There is no real way of measuring bodyfat very accurately unless your doing cadaver studies.

Theres not much point in knowing an exact number. The best thing to do is just see how much you loosing. Look in the mirror and take pictures etc. Its the best way to measure results.
 
He might but he probably doent know how to use it properly, You can go to a gym and have them measure it for you on the scales, they would do it for free most likely it only takes 30 sconds. If you want a calliper test done it might cost you a small fee but then again most trainers havent even got a anthropometric certification.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top