Suggestions to prevent plateaus?

[Nicklk1795]

So it's only been a week of 4 days of interval training/moderate cardio, with 5 days of working out. I am already showing more definition in my abs, and other areas and just feel generally better.

Basically, my goal Is to get down to at most 10 - 11.5% bf with allot of gained muscle/strength by the 3rd month. Currently I'm 13.5% bf.

So, I understand there's plateaus that can impede ones progress or just generally expand the time of leaning out and getting stronger, so what should I do to keep my body in a consistent progression?

Should I simply be more colorful with my regiment and switch things up or intensify things every week/month?

[Nicklk1795]

I have the insanity DVDs. Should I run one week and do insanity the other week and just keep switching?

[BOME]

I'd change up my routine from time to time and also be consistent with the diet. Also, you should make adjustments to your diet when you start realizing you're plateauing. Hope that helps!

[Nicklk1795]

Yeah my maintenance level is 2000 calories. I've been eating a very clean 1650 calorie deficit. I actually feel quite settled every day so it seems just right. I'm not so concerned about weight lifting because my muscles build quite quickly, it's really just finding the best cardio routine. I think I'll switch up insanity and running day to day.

[hanger1989]

Obviously changing exercises is a good idea, but also you can change the order in which you do your exercises during a workout aswell, that always helps to keep your muscles guessing. Once your muscles get familiar and settled into a routine they start to become immune to it.

You should only really start to plateau though once you get really big, or your not eating a good diet. Aslong as you keep eating properly at 160 pounds you should still keep growing.

[chamelious]

Once your muscles get familiar and settled into a routine they start to become immune to it.

Just, no.

[chamelious]

So it's only been a week of 4 days of interval training/moderate cardio, with 5 days of working out. I am already showing more definition in my abs, and other areas and just feel generally better.

Basically, my goal Is to get down to at most 10 - 11.5% bf with allot of gained muscle/strength by the 3rd month. Currently I'm 13.5% bf.

So, I understand there's plateaus that can impede ones progress or just generally expand the time of leaning out and getting stronger, so what should I do to keep my body in a consistent progression?

Should I simply be more colorful with my regiment and switch things up or intensify things every week/month?

If you're trying to gain muscle, cardio is counter productive to this goal. To gain muscle you must be in a caloric surplus with a solid strength training routine in place which focus's on progressive overload. Aka you need to eat more and get stronger.

[hanger1989]

Just, no.

Really? Tell me why you think im wrong, rather than being so arrogant

[mtownballer20]

What do you want first to be cut or big? It's much easier to do one at a time, nearly impossible to do both. I'd chose one and take the appropriate nutrition approach.

[NicktheStick]

Obviously changing exercises is a good idea, but also you can change the order in which you do your exercises during a workout aswell, that always helps to keep your muscles guessing. Once your muscles get familiar and settled into a routine they start to become immune to it.

You should only really start to plateau though once you get really big, or your not eating a good diet. Aslong as you keep eating properly at 160 pounds you should still keep growing.

Really? Tell me why you think im wrong, rather than being so arrogant

He's arrogant because this post is just dumb-bro-science. BRB... not going to squat this week because I'm immune (what does that mean??). lBRB... going to do curls before bench to surprise my chest into growing!!

The OP will plateau... he's on a cut, trying to get lean... he won't progress (at least strength wise) while cutting.. No amount of "muscle confusion" will help.

[ScottThePotter]

He's arrogant because this post is just dumb-bro-science. BRB... not going to squat this week because I'm immune (what does that mean??). lBRB... going to do curls before bench to surprise my chest into growing!!

The OP will plateau... he's on a cut, trying to get lean... he won't progress (at least strength wise) while cutting.. No amount of "muscle confusion" will help.

Nah, if he is a total noob he'd definitely gain strength on the right program, just not muscle mass. I point this out because we don't want to hear from him again in 2 months telling us he built tons of muscle on a cut because his bench went from 90 to 135.

OP: If you want to gain strength, look at the beginner programs in the workout programs forum. There is no need whatsoever to change up your program, once you find one you like. Just slowly add weight to the bar. As the weight gets heavier, your body will become stronger over time in response to being forced to lift it. If you wish for this strength gain to happen more effectively and be accompanied by an increase in muscle, then you will need a calorie surplus.

Hanger1989: You have a lot of reading to do before you are answering questions for people.

[NicktheStick]

Nah, if he is a total noob he'd definitely gain strength on the right program, just not muscle mass. I point this out because we don't want to hear from him again in 2 months telling us he built tons of muscle on a cut because his bench went from 90 to 135.

Good point.

[hanger1989]

He's arrogant because this post is just dumb-bro-science. BRB... not going to squat this week because I'm immune (what does that mean??). lBRB... going to do curls before bench to surprise my chest into growing!!

The OP will plateau... he's on a cut, trying to get lean... he won't progress (at least strength wise) while cutting.. No amount of "muscle confusion" will help.

That is not what I said. Your twisting what I wrote, I never said don't do an exercise because you become immune to it. I said you can become immune to a routine.

What I mean is changing up the order in which you do your routine is a good idea. As your muscles will be more fatigued for some of your later exercises, so you may not be getting a proper workout in those areas if you continue to do them at the end of your workout for every routine.

It keeps your muscles guessing if you change the order.

[Nicklk1795]

Lol quite a conversation. Ok so to respond to what others have brought forth here - I'm aware that I'm on more of a cut than I am on a bulk, as I stated my goal was to get lower on body fat, and a few posts ago I had stated that initially I just want to be very lean, which is why I said I'm not so concerned about the weight lifting part since I'm just trying to gain better definition in my abs, back and just generally lean out. I understand that doing a deficit and lots of cardio will prevent a bulk and a better extent of strength, so I definitely don't expect myself to be vastly stronger or bigger in 3 months, I just wanted to see suggestions for how to get the best results in leanness, with some good strength (meaning my general potential fitness wise), and where when I get lean my muscles are well defined.



Hanger 1989 answered my question in what I interpreted as changing up my cardio routine, again the weight lifting will generally be the same.

The rest of you guys thanks for the info on gaining more mass and strength with a heavier diet and building up the weight each time, etc.

Sorry for not being as clear within the post and overexagerating myself in contradicting the point of having the goal of cutting. You all had good inputs though, thanks.

[NicktheStick]

Hey OP... regarding your avi pic.... abs on a skinny guy is like big jugs on a fat chick... they don't count.

It keeps your muscles guessing if you change the order.

A muscle doesn't guess. And if a muscle is fatigued from an exercise performed early in the routine then that's an indicator that it's been sufficiently worked...having to use less weight, or less volume later in the routine because that muscle has been pre-exhausted doesn't matter.

[hanger1989]

Hey OP... regarding your avi pic.... abs on a skinny guy is like big jugs on a fat chick... they don't count.





A muscle doesn't guess. And if a muscle is fatigued from an exercise performed early in the routine then that's an indicator that it's been sufficiently worked...having to use less weight, or less volume later in the routine because that muscle has been pre-exhausted doesn't matter.

Most exercises hit more than just the one muscle, so one muscle could be to fatigued to do an exercise that works out another. For example if on back day your routine consists of Deadlifts, pull up and bent over rows. Start with a different one at the start of each back workout, don't start with the same one and end with the same. That's just how I've been taught to do it.

As far as the 'guessing' comment goes, it was just a figure of speech, I didn't expect people to take it literally. I'm not saying muscles have there own brains and actually guess haha!

[ScottThePotter]

Most exercises hit more than just the one muscle, so one muscle could be to fatigued to do an exercise that works out another. For example if on back day your routine consists of Deadlifts, pull up and bent over rows. Start with a different one at the start of each back workout, don't start with the same one and end with the same. That's just how I've been taught to do it.

As far as the 'guessing' comment goes, it was just a figure of speech, I didn't expect people to take it literally. I'm not saying muscles have there own brains and actually guess haha!

Nevertheless, this is unlikely to be the best way.


Novice lifters, especially ones on a cut, don't need to be doing a large quantity of exercises for each muscle group. At this stage, most/all muscles are worked sufficiently with heavy compound work. There will inevitable be overlap between exercises, as you noted. The tried and true novice programs take this into account and logically plan out the order of the exercises. For example, Starting Strength begins with squatting, then moves to pressing, then deadlift. If one decides to, lets say, reverse the order the following situation takes place:

deadlifting first will greatly fatigue the lower back (among other things). Pressing will add a fair amount of fatigue to the abs. Then, when squatting last, you are going to be asking those fatigued muscle groups to stabilize your spine while you attempt drive a weight upwards with your legs and glutes. This could obviously have negative consequences.

This is not to say you have to do everything the program writers say to get strong, but the good ones probably know more than you and have a good reason why they organize things how they do. You should make sure you have a darn good reason before messing around with a program until you know a lot about lifting. I certainly don't think advising a novice to do so is the correct course of action.

[hanger1989]

Nevertheless, this is unlikely to be the best way.


Novice lifters, especially ones on a cut, don't need to be doing a large quantity of exercises for each muscle group. At this stage, most/all muscles are worked sufficiently with heavy compound work. There will inevitable be overlap between exercises, as you noted. The tried and true novice programs take this into account and logically plan out the order of the exercises. For example, Starting Strength begins with squatting, then moves to pressing, then deadlift. If one decides to, lets say, reverse the order the following situation takes place:

deadlifting first will greatly fatigue the lower back (among other things). Pressing will add a fair amount of fatigue to the abs. Then, when squatting last, you are going to be asking those fatigued muscle groups to stabilize your spine while you attempt drive a weight upwards with your legs and glutes. This could obviously have negative consequences.

This is not to say you have to do everything the program writers say to get strong, but the good ones probably know more than you and have a good reason why they organize things how they do. You should make sure you have a darn good reason before messing around with a program until you know a lot about lifting. I certainly don't think advising a novice to do so is the correct course of action.

Fair enough if he's a novice, I was just answering the question about how to avoid plateauing, as that was the question that was asked.

I only really mean to change the routine around if your focusing on a different body part each day, and are doing a 4 day routine.

Like if your doing chest you can switch around flys, dips, incline and flat bench each routine.

That's all I was saying, I'm not saying to switch it around if your on a special noob compound type programme.

The OP though never specialised what type of programme he does, all he said was that he went down the gym 5 days a week.

[Nicklk1795]

Hey OP... regarding your avi pic.... abs on a skinny guy is like big jugs on a fat chick... they don't count.

Lol thank you for that humbling comment

[kanis999]

My suggestion is to PLAN ON THEM, and know what to do when it does inevitably happen.

[Nicklk1795]

Thanks for the support kanis

[NicktheStick]

Lol thank you for that humbling comment

lol...just breaking balls man. Goodluck reaching your goals.

[Nicklk1795]

lol...just breaking balls man. Goodluck reaching your goals.

Haha, appreciate it man. ill add in some more calories in my diet to benifit the strength growing process. Leaning out is important I think with what I'm trying to do currently, but of course understanding how to keep a good extent of muscle on me is something I need to pay more attention too, regardless of how much I've been lifting recently. It'll just be a learning process I guess, and only results will tell if I've been doing the correct regiment.
Thanks for the support and input nick.