Can't get bigger

[D'light]

Hey I got a question for you big guys....
I started bulking my freshmen year of college, which is this year. I started at 155 and am now 182. My goal is 190, but I've been stuck around 180 for about a month now. My diet is the same, which is what Diesal outlined in his builking diet plan, and my exercise routine is also the same, which is really close to the one he outlined. What can I do to break this plaetue? By the way, I have taken one week off a few months ago. Should I take another week off, and get back on creatine? I used creatine orignally, but havent had any for over a month now.... Makes me think that was it. Any advicse would be really appreciated.

 

[D'light]

by the way, I'm 6'1, so its not like I'm that big beacuase im so tall!

 

[FlyGuy]

155 to 182 huh? That's some good progress, congrats!

There are a lot of things you can do to get past plateaus, here are a few ideas:

Every 12 weeks you should take a 2 week break from dieting and training. This gives your whole body a chance to rest and rebuild. Also your body only grows when it is being placed in conditions it is not used to, so if you chronically over train your body will actually get "used to" the training and stop growing. So a 2 week break also keeps your body guessing, and when you go back to training it shocks your body again.

You should also add variety to the lifts and exercises you are doing. This can be as simple as focusing on the negative aspect of the lift (for example - if you're doing bench press you push the weight up for a count of one, then lower it for a count of three which focuses on the negative motion). Or you can switch up your entire routine every 4-6 weeks (maybe do dumbbell bench presses instead of barbell, and switch up other exercises as well, etc).

Obviously you should also be aiming to increase the weights that you lift every session, even if its only by very small increments. Getting back on creatine may also give you another burst of growth, but its not garunteed.

 

[Devilman]

FlyGuy give some good advice,

I think that maybe u might need to eat more, since you gained so much weight you might need to recalculate how much calories your intaking etc, i assume that with all that weight you gained some of it was muscles and with an increase in Lean body mass you should increase the calories to support and build on etc,

it's like with cutting ppl might lose a few ib's r whatever and stop losing weight and it's usualy to do with not updating there diet to match the ongoing change

 

[~UnDisputed~]

be sure to incorporate good supplementation while working out. whey protein, creatine, l-glutamine etc.

whey protein should be your primary soirce of protein due to its fast absorption into the muscles.

l-glutamine- slows to lactic acid (burning sensation) so you can work a little harder while working. (if you run track this stuff is great)

the key to breaking your plateau is, like flyguy said, switching up your routine. if you switch it every 5-7 weeks it should help immensly. youll hit you goal in plenty of time

 

[D'light]

so do you guys think I should go ahead then and take two weeks off or just change up my routine, go back on creatine, and start eating even more (if i can handle it!)?

 

[Devilman]

I think you should take the two weeks off if you've been lifting for 4-6 months straight, that is the norm for most lifters anyways, and after that see how it goes, if still nothing changing try some of the other ideas mentioned.

I remember a dude once telling me it's 2 steps forwards one step back, as he was telling me too take a 2 week break from lifing because i was lifting for 7 months straight