Time for supplements?

[theAMOG]

I've been lifting for a while, kind of go in spurts, 3 months on 1-2 off stuff like that. I like to keep it totally natural, all i do is eat as best i can and take protein shakes when i dont have the time to eat. My gains have been slowing recently though almost to a stop, and i'm wondering if anyone else has gone through this is and if so any advice they might have.

I'd rather not take supplements, but I would consider it. If it helps, i weigh 180, rep 185 and max 230-235 on bench and basically all the other lifts are equal in relative strength to what one would expect me to do for someone benching that amount.

Also i'm a hard gainer, i have to eat like a machine when trying to gain weight/muscle for it to happen, and my weight has also been increasing slower than i'm used to. I eat as much as 6k cals a day and still have only been gaining about a pound a week, maybe just over.

Any insight as to what I need to change to see better gains? Plateauing sucks.

[Machmood]

My first advice is stick to a schedule, do not take as long as 2 months off, 2 weeks at the most. If you wanna gain weight effectivly you need to take your diet seriously. You need to figure out how much protein/carbs/fats/calories you need in a day and meet that requirment. This is the ONLY way your going to achieve your goals of gaining weight. As for supplements i dont see the need unless you are intrested in taking the pro hormone route. My best advice is figure out your daily requirments(diet) and stick to it. Find a workout that suites your goals and stick to that,and thats all you can really do
Edit- I concider a good pre/post workout shake with protein/carbs/cals/glutamine and BCAA essential, so these supps you should def look into. But you used the work "natural" so i assumed you meant pro hormone supps

[Machmood]

If you want PM me and i will send you some links where you can come up with a diet/workout routine

[theAMOG]

21, what i'm failing to grasp is why what i have been doing for so long has worked for me but seemingly no longer does, do i just need to change my workout? And yeah, I don't want to take supplements, so go ahead and send me those links and I'll look into the routines.

[Machmood]

well hitting plateaus is 100 percent expected when trying to get bigger/stronger. I have 2 completly diff workout routines i switch on and off of withins a year to keep me from platueing. Also 6k cals is just too much, and not needed. Ill send you the link about comming up with your own diet, if u need help feel free to pm and ask questions aboout foods and what kinda foods to use

[theblackkeys]

yeah, plateauing is normal. Try dropping the weight 5-15% and work your way back up. I'm assuming you'll keep the volume the same, just at a lighter weight. It will give you a sort of deload week which might be what you need. You can't just progress linearly forever. Also, it's not clear from your post if you are doing squats or deads, since all you mentioned was bench press numbers. If not I definitely suggest making those the centerpieces of your future workout programs.

As a better alternative to the "resetting" advice above, I suggest reading madcow's site listed in the FAQ for a better understanding of what goes on in trainees after they get past easy beginner gains. That way you can create your own program or adopt a quality one with a proven track record. It should give you a better idea of what you need to do to keep progressing.

[theAMOG]

Yeah I do squats and deadlifts, and a couple other leg lifts.

My current workout is as follows

2 days on 2 days off cycle

day 1- chest, triceps, shoulders

day 2- biceps, back, legs

day 3/4 - run/abs one of the 2 days, rest other

[theAMOG]

Also, I'm not sure what qualifies as "easy beginner gains", but I'm not that far off from as strong as I want to be really. I don't want to be like bodybuilder strong, just looking for athletic/lean strength like an NBA physique.

Repping 225 on bench would be the most I'd ever want to be able to do, and whatever the equivalent would be for other upper body lifts. As for legs though, my preferable ceiling would be higher.

[shemp]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't want to be like bodybuilder strong, just looking for athletic/lean strength like an NBA physique.

[/ QUOTE ]

How would you feel about weightlifter strong? And adding a lot of body mass would depend quite a bit on diet, I'd guess. People don't accidentally explode in there quest to rep 225 on the bench.

You haven't described this program that you are stagnating on. You can work in a new rep range, or otherwise vary sets and reps. Change the work/rest ratio. Change the exercises. Change the approach to or from a bodybuilder split from or to total body....