Pretty Big Problem In Regards To My Training

[FuryV]

PRETTY LONG READ BUT THANKS A LOT IF YOU DO DECIDE TO READ THROUGH IT!

I'm a massive overanalyzer & at times it even prevents me from training properly because I think about things too much, and this I think is one of those times.

My Stats:

Age - 21
Height - 5,10"
Weight - 252lbs
Bodyfat - 17-18%
Experience - 6 Years
Insulin Dependent Diabetic

My Question/Problem:

I've been worrying & worrying now for a couple of weeks about my current routine. For a few years now I've been training using a 3 day split (M/W/F) that looks like the following...

Monday - Chest/Biceps
Wednesday - Legs/Shoulders
Friday - Back/Triceps

Every 6 weeks I'll change the reps from 6-8 to 10-12, and I'll also change exercises etc, e.g. Barbell to Dumbbell Bench. I figured this was enough to keep the program from stalling & to keep me from plateau'ing.

I don't even know whether this is working for me anymore. People say "if you are still gaining, then stick to it" but I don't know if I am. Considering I've been training 6 years, and I actually LIVE with my own body on a daily basis, I can't really tell if a particular training program is working for me or not, because personally I'm not gonna notice a 1-2lb increase in Lean Body Mass. For all I know, I could be following a program that is doing nothing for me in terms of size & so I'm just basically wasting my time. To be honest, I personally think I've looked the same now for at least 2 years or so, but I still convince myself that I MUST be gaining somehow, therefore I keep going back to the gym. I may NOT be gaining at all anymore, and this is one of my biggest concerns because I don't even know. Also, at my current bodyfat level it's even harder to tell if I'm gaining any size, and the scales aren't really a good indicator because any weight increase doesn't necessarily mean it's muscle... It could be just fat I'm gaining & I'm none the wiser.

For this reason I'm losing motivation EXTREMELY fast & every day I'm just constantly thinking about whether or not my actually going to the gym is giving me any results anymore. I eat a hell of a lot each day (6-7 times) plus being diabetic I HAVE to eat this often, so I don't think it's my diet that's the problem. I just think that my current training method is a waste of time & I'm basically going to the gym for no reason.

I'm not even sure whether to increase my workout days to 4-5x a week instead of 3x because if this doesn't work then my motivation will drop even LOWER due to the fact I'm spending more time in the gym, but getting the same results, which at the moment "seems" like none at all.

I thought that by now, having been training for 6 years, I would have figured out what works for me, but it seems I'm just back to where I started when I first began bodybuilding. I don't know what the hell to do. Should I increase my workout days from 3-5x a week, should I try a completely different training method (5x5 etc?), should I stick to my current training method & keep convincing myself that it's actually working? There's a small chance it "could" be working, but how the hell am I meant to know, if the gains are so small (e.g. a 1-2lb increase in size every few months).

My long term goal is to get as BIG as I possibly can whilst keeping bodyfat levels relatively low. To put this in perspective, if somebody said I could look like Jay Cutler or Branch Warren tomorrow, I'd say YES YES YES! I realise these guys have amazing genetics, but if I could even get to be a respectable size "in comparison" to them, I'd be happy. I just don't think that with my current way of training I'll ever get there. With so much information around and so many things to choose from, I'm completely lost as I don't know WHAT to change in regards to my routine. I don't know what kind of dedication it takes to get to that level etc. I don't particularly want to "go back to the basics" either such as doing a TBT (Total Body Training) routine 3x a week, because I hear these are more for beginners, and for me to just go back to doing a TBT routine or something similar after having been training for 6 years, I'd feel like the past 6 years have been a complete waste of time mentally AND physically.

I realise this is getting a little bit long now, but for all who have read up to this point, I really appreciate it, and would be EXTREMELY grateful if somebody could help me out, as I'm not sure where to turn to now. This is basically my last resort.

Thanks a lot in advance!

[dinger8]

this is what i would do
completly change every aspect of your routine weight rep even do really high reps 20-30 down to 2-3
even change gyms if you can or would
buy some new workout clothes or shoes
change the food you eat or up your cals eating 6-7 timrs dosent help if its just a few crackers or somthing and i know it is more just saying
just think back to when you first started and everything was brand new and we all got thoose good newbie gains.
i know it suks and so do the other 100 people on this site but desperate times call for desperate messures , i wish you the best of luck and dont give up hang in there man
dude your 252 pouds just noticed you hav a problem lol

[GuyJin]

First off, I do think you're overanalyzing everything, but that's good in a way, as a thinking trainer is likely to be a better trainer. I won't say anything about your diet, as I'm still struggling with that myself, but as for your training, you have to look at a few things.

1. Have you absolutely plateaud on ALL the compound exercises? If so, keep track of WHEN (i.e. how many weeks) you stall out. Chances are, you may be changing too quickly. Generally, it takes about six weeks to go stale, but some guys go flat earlier than others, so keep track. You may have to either change earlier or later. It all depends.

2. When you do change it up, are you substituting an equally hard exercise for the first? (i.e. front squats instead of back squats). If you aren't, then that's a mistake. You said d'bell bench to barbell bench and vice-versa; how about doing inclines for awhile, or making dips your mainstay exercise? Just a thought, here.

3. Rep schemes. You said you're switching from 6-8 to 10-12. Have you tried doing, say, 5-8 on the compounds and then 10-12 on the isos? If not, give it a shot. Same with the sets--too many will stall progress unless you can handle the additional volume; too few, you go nowhere.

These are just suggestions to think about. I'm not one for increasing days per week unless you can handle the volume. Maybe you've tried that before, maybe not.

The last thing to think about is a deload. If you've been switching back and forth without any rest or downtime, that may also be the culprit. I realize that these ideas are not a cure-all for what you're going throug--and I've plateaud quite a bit myself, but by doing deloads and training within my personal limits, I've done better than I expected.

Hope this helps a bit...

[FuryV]

this is what i would do
completly change every aspect of your routine weight rep even do really high reps 20-30 down to 2-3
even change gyms if you can or would
buy some new workout clothes or shoes
change the food you eat or up your cals eating 6-7 timrs dosent help if its just a few crackers or somthing and i know it is more just saying
just think back to when you first started and everything was brand new and we all got thoose good newbie gains.
i know it suks and so do the other 100 people on this site but desperate times call for desperate messures , i wish you the best of luck and dont give up hang in there man
dude your 252 pouds just noticed you hav a problem lol

I currently train at home with a Power Rack, Bench etc, so changing gyms isn't an option. Seeing as I workout at home, I just train in whatever I feel is comfortable lol.

A typical diet for me looks like the following:


Upon Waking - Protein shake & 2-3 slices wholemeal bread with natural peanut butter.

Mid Morning - Cup of brown rice & vegetables with 2 chicken breasts fried in Olive Oil.

Lunch - Tin of tuna with 3 TBSP Mayo, 1 Jacket Potato, Vegetables.

Post Workout - Protein shake, 2 slices white bread with jam & tin of fruit.

Dinner - Either cup of white rice or jack potato with tuna/mayo or Minced Beef.

1 Hour Before Bed - Protein shake.

Straight Before Bed - 150g Cottage Cheese or Quark & a glass of milk (around 250ml).

First off, I do think you're overanalyzing everything, but that's good in a way, as a thinking trainer is likely to be a better trainer. I won't say anything about your diet, as I'm still struggling with that myself, but as for your training, you have to look at a few things.

1. Have you absolutely plateaud on ALL the compound exercises? If so, keep track of WHEN (i.e. how many weeks) you stall out. Chances are, you may be changing too quickly. Generally, it takes about six weeks to go stale, but some guys go flat earlier than others, so keep track. You may have to either change earlier or later. It all depends.

I'm not concerned with strength all that much as I'm more into gaining mass. I know that strength & mass go hand in hand though. My lifts DO seem to be going up but sometimes they can stall for around a month or longer before I see any more progress.

2. When you do change it up, are you substituting an equally hard exercise for the first? (i.e. front squats instead of back squats). If you aren't, then that's a mistake. You said d'bell bench to barbell bench and vice-versa; how about doing inclines for awhile, or making dips your mainstay exercise? Just a thought, here.

Yes, I do exactly that. Also, I do incline work for chest each workout. E.g. at the moment I'm doing Incline Barbell Bench, so after 6 weeks or so I'll change it to Incline Dumbbell etc.

3. Rep schemes. You said you're switching from 6-8 to 10-12. Have you tried doing, say, 5-8 on the compounds and then 10-12 on the isos? If not, give it a shot. Same with the sets--too many will stall progress unless you can handle the additional volume; too few, you go nowhere.

All my sets/reps stay the same for each one of my exercises. E.g. If I'm doing 3x6 on Bench, I'll do the same for Bicep Curls etc. When I change my rep scheme, I change my rep scheme for ALL of the exercises in my routine.

These are just suggestions to think about. I'm not one for increasing days per week unless you can handle the volume. Maybe you've tried that before, maybe not.

I tried it around a year after I started, and I remember I hated it, but I'm just thinking I might be able to put up with it now, I'm not sure.

The last thing to think about is a deload. If you've been switching back and forth without any rest or downtime, that may also be the culprit. I realize that these ideas are not a cure-all for what you're going throug--and I've plateaud quite a bit myself, but by doing deloads and training within my personal limits, I've done better than I expected.

[B]I always take a complete week off training every 12 weeks or so.[/B

^^ Comments in bold. Thanks for reading through.

[Jneves]

you need some measurable goals. This is very simple, all it takes is a training log, a scale, and a tape measure. You have been plugging along without any feedback so it easy to see how you lost motivation. If you have a goal and can see your self working towards it your motivation should come back.

[GuyJin]

After reading your post, I think the problem you have may lie in your set/rep scheme. (I can't be sure, but here's what I think).

First off, strength and size do go together, although strength gains will always outpace size gains, unless you're one of those rare responders who gets big and strong at the same time a la Casey Viator. Since we can already rule out you're not the next Viator (and neither am I) here's another suggestion--actually two.

1. Do NOT do the same set/rep scheme for ALL bodyparts. You said ex. 3x6 on the bnech and 3x6 on the curl. Why not change it to doing, say, 4x5 on the bench and 3x10-12 on the curl? Sometimes, a little change is all you need. (And sometimes you need to change everything).

2. If you think you've plateaud strengthwise on the compounds, have you tried micro-loading? That is, instead of making 5 or 10-pound jumps in the weights you do, how about doing just one or two-pound increases? Granted, one or two pounds a shot doesn't sound like much, but diligently applied will lead to long-term gains.

The last thing is you might need is to shorten the training periods. Joe DeFranco has shorter cycles of training---every three weeks or so--and that may be of greater benefit to you. Whatever course of action you decide to take, good luck with it.

[FuryV]

UPDATE

Not sure if this is of any help to answering my questions, but here it is anyway.

The way I train is as follows (Routines are shown in the attachments):

I do routine One for 6 weeks using 6-8 reps. I then do routine Two for 6 weeks using 6-8 reps. I then take a week off & revert back to routine One but this time I change the rep range from 6-8 to 10-12, and so on for routine Two. I set this up, so that there was always a change in stimulus. E.g. Different exercises, different rep ranges etc.

Routine One - http://img33.picoodle.com/img/img33/...em_29f5f7f.jpg
Routine Two - http://img29.picoodle.com/img/img29/...om_0322f90.jpg

[dinger8]

maybe you should incorpirate some intensity sets like drop sets ,forced reps, negatives , stuff like that. or try rotating those routines on a 5 on 2 off ie. 12312 off off 31231 off off 23123. sounds like you just might be getting board with the same oid stuff