Top Reason Your Training Progress Stalled
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There’s a key training mistake I’ve seen too many hard working guys make that leads to burnout, frustration, and plateauing in the gym.
And here is how to fix it.
More and more studies, and the resulting data, is telling us that though there are numerous variables we can adjust to make training more effective, there is 1 variable that wins out most frequently.
And though training hard (intensity) is an essential ingredient in the recipe of building bigger stronger muscles and a lean and jacked physique, it comes at a cost.
Unfortunately, this is where most guys sink too much of their energy. They train 1-2x per week and wreck themselves in the gym getting debilitatingly sore and then can’t walk let alone lift until next weekend.
I wrote about this HERE in a recent article, but no single session will make us jacked, just like eating 1 salad won’t make us lean. It’s about being smart and periodizing our efforts out over days, weeks, and months so that we don’t fall prey to the supercompensation trap.
Training volume.
Volume can be manipulated in various fractions of impact, meaning we can increase training days (the biggest opportunity for most guys as going from 2-3 days is 50% increase), number of times we train a given muscle group (more sessions = more opportunities), more sets per session, and more reps per set.
Most guys could increase the number of days they train per week, but this requires the greatest challenge on daily life demands, maximizing the number of days you can train per week has the greatest level of impact on overall training volume capacity.
So optimize for frequency first.
Weekly Frequency
Once you've reached your time cap, let’s say it’s 3 days per week on the conservative end, and 5 on the more liberal end, then you need to know how long each session can be.
Let’s say again that it’s 45-60 mins. Only now can you decide how much training volume you can fit into those sessions.
The training data tells us that 8-15 sets per muscle group per week is the sweet spot for effective training gains without taking on overtly large time and fatigue costs. That's a big range and leaves lots of room for progress if you’re smart about it.
A good rule of thumb for how many sets of any/all exercises per 60 minute session is in my experience 15-20 sets with adequate rest and reasonable transition time from lift to lift including set up and breakdown.
In-Session Frequency
So what does this mean practically for your training sessions to make sure you are maximally productive and don’t plateau?
3 sessions per week
60 mins per session
8-15 sets per muscle group per week.
3-5 lifts per session (3 exercises at 5 sets, 4 exercises at 4 sets, or 5 exercises at 3 sets).
So you can only really afford to prioritize 3-5 muscle groups per training cycle over 3x60 min training days.
Some example splits:
Chest/Back/Biceps/Triceps/Delts?
Chest/Back/Quads/Hams/Abs?
Push/Pull/Legs/Abs/Arms?
If you add a 4th day, you can spread that volume out over 25% more total training opportunities and even add a musle group.
Hopefully this math is adding up to you and you;re seeing why you want to optimize for training frequency first and why you might be struggling to make progress if you’re capped out 2-3 days per week.
Per Muscle Frequency
Once you’ve optimized your training frequency per week and the number of times you’re going to train each muscle group per session, then you can more accurately focus on exercise selection within each session.
For the most well rounded and standardized approach to training your biceps for example you might set it up as fellows.
Training 3 lines of pull/muscle lengths/joint angles.
1 - Lengthened muscle length bias with shoulder extension.
2 - Shortened muscle length bias with shoulder flexion.
3 - Neutral muscle length bias with neutral shoulder angle.
You can see the full breakdown of this example in the images below. 👇👇
Now this isn’t to say this is the only way to set up the training week/month for biceps, but it’s an example of a standardized start that if you worked with me, I would optimize over time to make it more and more specific to your goals, needs, and preferences. Again, no good or bad, must do or must avoid exercises, simply a customized program built on the most efficient and effective choices for you.
In summary
Most guys try and add more intensity and it provides diminishing returns early in the training process which in turn leads to plateauing, frustration, and usually disengagement with the training program or program hopping (swapping effectiveness for entertainment is rarely the answer).
If you’ve hit a road block in your training efforts and you can feel you’re on the brink of jumping ship or have lost the faith and desire in your process, then know it doesn’t have to be this way.
At builtXyou, I work exclusively with high achieving men with ambitious careers, family demands, and limited time to waste spinning their wheels in their health,fitness and physique efforts.
When you work with me inside builtXyou, you;re investing in elite level 1-on-1 concierge coaching that guarantees you’ll build up to 5lbs of muscle and lose up to 40lbs of fat in 16 weeks or less….GURANTEED!
That’s why these guys did, and you can do too - click below to apply for one of my limited monthly coaching spots today.
PS.
Now obviously, we can increase efficiency with smart and time conscious exercise selection to minimize time spent setting up or breaking down lifts. This is key because your training time is precious and since there are no good/bad or must do exercises, we can build a program that smartly pairs or sequences lifts to minimize time wasting in a session. That’s exactly what I do with every guy inside the builtXyou Transformation and Legacy programs to aid their long term success.
