Busting a plateau?

[Charlie Golf]

For some reason, on almost all my upper body strength exercises I have hit plateaus in weight I can lift.

Bench I've hit a plateau but my chest feels like it has a lot more to go...my pecs and delts seem to be crapping out on me there.

Mil Press I feel like I could go up in weight but would have to sacrifice form to do so and I ain't gonna do that.

Biceps I've hit a wall as well and it seems to be my forearms and my grip that is limiting me.

My legs, back, tris, abs, etc. I could keep on cruisin' but I'm wondering what I should try to bust over the hump?

I was thinking about backing off on the weight for a little while and building some muscular endurance but not sure if this is an endurance or a strength issue?

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[Danger_Dave]

have you been changing up the sets x reps and rest time? You could also employ drop sets or forced reps (if you have a partner). A different exercise using the same group of muscles also helps. Instead of doing Bench Press, do DB chest press and so on.

 

[dswithers]

As AZN said, do something different. If you have been going to failure, don't for a few weeks; if you have been doing heavy weights and low reps, do higher reps for a few weeks; if you have been hitting the weights consistantly 6 days a week for the last few months, take a week off and play basketball or something, instead; if you have been neglecting cardio, emphasize that for a few weeks (sometimes the boost in cardiovascular and/or lung capacity may be enough to push you over the hump).

And, of course, remember what you eat may have a huge effect as well. Are you getting enough protein, vegetables, good fats and carbs? Have you been eating an caloric defict or excess? Are you cutting or bulking? Try the opposite for awhile.

Otherwise, give us a more detailed description of your exact workouts and diet and we might be able to give you some more exact suggestions.