Breaking plateaus

[Kerpal]

I am stuck at plateaus in 4 of my major lifts and need help breaking them.

Background info: 21 years old, 5'11, 175 lbs lifting for about a year now. Currently doing the Rippetoe program. I also train in MMA 5 days a week, do conditioning workouts for that 2-3 days a week, do seperate core workouts 2-3 days a week, and I ride my bike to class 5 days a week (about 1.5 miles each way). Yes, I know it's pretty much impossible to gain weight doing this but I don't care, my main goal with the Rippetoe program is gaining strength and power not gaining muscle.

Squat: Stuck at 280 lbs for 3 sets of 5. I can do all the reps with good form, but the bar is moving very slowly and it takes everything I have to complete all the reps. I go all the way down when I squat, my ass is only a few inches above the floor.

Deadlift: Stuck at 345 lbs for 1 set of 4. The problem here is my grip strength. My left hand keeps opening during the lift, regardless of whether it's supinated or not.

Overhead press: Stuck at 115 lbs for sets of 4. I've been stuck here for a while now.

Dumbbell bench press: Stuck at 75 lbs each hand for sets of 4, and the last rep moves very slowly and is quite a struggle.

Anyone have any suggestions on how I can break these plateaus?

 

[EFFORT]

I I also train in MMA 5 days a week, do conditioning workouts for that 2-3 days a week, do seperate core workouts 2-3 days a week, and I ride my bike to class 5 days a week (about 1.5 miles each way). Yes, I know it's pretty much impossible to gain weight doing this but I don't care, my main goal with the Rippetoe program is gaining strength and power not gaining muscle.

well that also makes strength and power gain tough as well. Thats a lot of work on your cns!! Best thing u could do is reduce down all that stuff your doing and if you must do all that training switch off rippetoe and do twice a week modified wsb routine, you could probably still get some strength gain off that, but your biggest strength gains will come when your not training mma 5 days a week.

 

[Kerpal]

Good point. I definitely feel like all this squatting, riding the bike to class, and MMA training is taking a toll on my legs, especially using the guard in BJJ and drilling takedowns in wrestling. I don't really want to cut down on my training though because it's fun, and it's the main reason I work out, I'm not really into bodybuilding at all anymore. I mean I care what I look like, but I don't go out of my way to try to make myself look better.

Is "WSB" the Westside for Skinny Bastards program? I checked it out once but it seemed complicated, I don't even know a lot of the exercises in it, the rep ranges seemed kind of high (I'm used to never going over 6 reps though), I didn't like how there were no overhead lifts, and it used machines a lot, I don't like to use machines (hopefully I'm thinking of the right program).

I might just take out 1 Rippetoe day and replace it with a strength workout from Infinite Intensity. Those workouts don't take as much of a toll on you because it's mostly weighted bodyweight stuff (pistols, glute-ham raise, pull/chin ups) and unilateral dumbbell stuff (snatches, clean & press, push press, etc), you don't use really heavy weights like you do in Rippetoe, and the exercises may act as assistance exercises for my main lifts.

 

[shaunuk]

WSB = Westside barbell, westside for skinny bastards is just a westside variation.

Westside doesn't use many machines, westside are a powerlifting club, so most if it is based around squat, deadlift and bench plus their assistance lifts. (plus some other stuff that's preferable for bodybuilding like curls, calf work etc)

I'm sure EFFORT could hook you up with a 2day westside routine if you wanted, try asking him

 

[Warboss Alex]

change rep/set scheme, train deadlift with straps and do grip work seperately.

 

[EFFORT]

Good point. I definitely feel like all this squatting, riding the bike to class, and MMA training is taking a toll on my legs, especially using the guard in BJJ and drilling takedowns in wrestling.

YEAH HAS TO BE TAKING SOME SORT OF TOLL

I don't really want to cut down on my training though because it's fun, and it's the main reason I work out

WELL YOU MUST CARE SOME ABOUT STRENGTH OR YOU WOULDN'T BE POSTING ABOUT BREAKING THE PLAT IN THE FIRST PLACE

, I'm not really into bodybuilding at all anymore. I mean I care what I look like, but I don't go out of my way to try to make myself look better.

I UNDERSTAND

Is "WSB" the Westside for Skinny Bastards program? I checked it out once but it seemed complicated, I don't even know a lot of the exercises in it, the rep ranges seemed kind of high (I'm used to never going over 6 reps though), I didn't like how there were no overhead lifts, and it used machines a lot, I don't like to use machines (hopefully I'm thinking of the right program).

SEE WHAT SHAUN SAID

I might just take out 1 Rippetoe day and replace it with a strength workout from Infinite Intensity. Those workouts don't take as much of a toll on you because it's mostly weighted bodyweight stuff (pistols, glute-ham raise, pull/chin ups) and unilateral dumbbell stuff (snatches, clean & press, push press, etc), you don't use really heavy weights like you do in Rippetoe, and the exercises may act as assistance exercises for my main lifts.

GOOD STUFF BUT DON'T THINK YOU'D GET THE SAME STRENGTH GAINS FROM THAT AS YOU WOULD FROM TRAINING LIKE THE PEOPLE THAT LIFT THE MOST WEIGHT (POWERLIFTERS/STRONGMEN)

CAPS

 

[Warboss Alex]

I might just take out 1 Rippetoe day and replace it with a strength workout from Infinite Intensity.

don't mix and match programs.

 

[simba_]

where can I find an example of a WSB 2-day split? I am in a similar situation... it would work perfectly at this point in my life

 

[Kerpal]

Does anyone here use 1.25 lb plates? I was thinking it would be easier to break plateaus if I could increase the weight by 2.5 lbs each workout and hit all the reps instead of increasing 5 lbs and missing reps and having to use the same weight repeatedly. The smallest plates my gym has are 2.5 lbs.

 

[Throttle]

Does anyone here use 1.25 lb plates? I was thinking it would be easier to break plateaus if I could increase the weight by 2.5 lbs each workout and hit all the reps instead of increasing 5 lbs and missing reps and having to use the same weight repeatedly. The smallest plates my gym has are 2.5 lbs.

i can't come up with a link w/ examples right away, but there are lots of ways to improvise this.

 

[Quagmire911]

Does anyone here use 1.25 lb plates? I was thinking it would be easier to break plateaus if I could increase the weight by 2.5 lbs each workout and hit all the reps instead of increasing 5 lbs and missing reps and having to use the same weight repeatedly. The smallest plates my gym has are 2.5 lbs.

Type platemates into google. Very expensive though.

Throttle said about improvising, I know you can get chains and things that can work. I bought a set of wrist weights that are 1lb each so one on each side and I can go up in 2lb/3lbs increments, instead of 5.5lbs. Not tryed it yet, only cost me a couple of quid. I reckon it'll work, crude though. If it doesn't it won't be that bad. Platemates will definitely work though. I've been needing something like this for bench.

Quagmire

 

[Kerpal]

Saw the platemates, they are expensive, and they won't work on the type of dumbbell they have at my gym, so I couldn't use them for the bench press. But a couple of 1.25 lb plates would be cheap, and I could just take them with me to the gym.

 

[Warboss Alex]

if microloading isn't an option then change up exercises/rep schemes or work on weak points.