Train without partner, plateau

Thank you for opening the new thread I truly appreciate.

Now, I don't want to start weight fight as it's totally useless. Everyone has different body composition and condition. And women are much smaller in everything anyway.

But I've started lifting seriously for couple months and I bench press 38kg, dumbbell press 17.5kg now, without any spotter or assistance. I'm planning to bench my own weight 53kg in coming month and 60kg in 3 months.

I had a serious back issue and haven't really been athletic in my life, so I followed Scooby's rule. Now I can do 10 pullups and 20 pushups, so I started different routines.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/home-workout-plans/

I do bench press only once in a week as I have to go to gym, it's impossible at home. Rest of the day, I do lighter dumbbell workouts at home.

So perhaps you could first check if you could do body weight workout correctly. Actually I'm still struggling to do 10 pullups in clean form.

And then, weight doesn't actually matter. It's more of muscle-mind connection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMbPMm_Xo7g&

If these are well connected while you're lifting, you will get huge muscle increase.

Anyway, thank you for being a partner! I'm enjoying beating you! Do I need any other better motivation? Life is gooood!

@omatsu:
Are we talking about 1 rep max or training weight, which can be moved 8,10, even 15 times?

According to this calculator http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/OneRepMax.html My one rep max would be about 43 kg. Anyway thats getting stanger. You bench as heavy as I do, but I do 40 pushups in a row and I don't even train that until recently at Kung Fu. Which makes even less sense, since my weight is 12 kg heavier than yours.

Logic tells me I should bench much more than you and you should do much more pushups. The opposite is the case. Another logic would be, that you can pushup relatively according to your benching, which also doesn't seem to apply.

After all that supports my impression that I don't know, it's a barrier in my mind or in my muscles that I have difficulties to increase weights and drop reps. It's more easy for me to work in a range of 15-25 reps.
Okay because of all the frustration with my benching I did more and more dips and less benching in the past.

The thing is, I really feel bad sometimes after training in a rep range below 10 or so. I get a sort of DOMS that is.. can't tell.. bad and I feel restless, somehow not good. Whereas I feel very fine after training in a higher rep range. I might get DOMS as well, but it doesn't feel bad. I feel relaxed after that not restless in a bad way.

For example I did a 2-split 3 sets of 8-10 this weekend. I did legs on Sunday and now my legs are so sore I had difficulties walking stairs.




@vertigo: Hey thanks for your suggestions. I have never heard of that training system. Actually I don't use the same rep range all the time. I use mostly 8-12 reps or 15-20 reps. Sometimes I switch between both within one week or I do one rep range fpr 1-2 month. In the past I also tried 4-6 reps, but have stopped that.

I might try your suggestion and might increase weight up to a rep range of 5x5 or so. Maybe doing such circle of a big rep range might do some good. Will definately not hurt.....

Or I try 5x5 again... which I really hated... 

As I said with lower reps, like I do right now, there is the tendency to feel bad.. restless, sometimes sleepless after a while of doing so, DOMS that feels bad.. probably overtraining, dunno, since I only do full body or 2-split. And even 2-split doesn't feel too good. The more I split, the more unathletic I feel after a while. Anyway I do other sports than lifting. And if I have terrible DOMS in my legs like today I can't jog or swim or stretch or do anything cardio for 3 days, not to speak of martial arts, but even at times I do fitness only, I do not feel comfortable in lower rep ranges.

So that way lifting would decrease my athletic ability outside of the gym instead of increase.


What is my goal, exactly, good question. Now it's making progress in Kung Fu. Inside the gym I really can't decide right now.. muscle or weights? I would say weights for know, only more muscle mass, when I have lost 2-3 more kg of fat, since I look already big enough right now. *cough*
What I realized my chest and triceps are still growing with dips and I make progress there, but bench and some shoulder exercises only so little if any.

How do you cheat in benching pressing, when you're alone? Just not full ROM?


I switch up exercises, but a typical 2-split I do right now looks like that:

day 1: Chest, upper back, shoulders, arms

- assisted pullups: 3 x 8-10
- bench pressing (barbell): 3 x 9-11
- bend over row (barbell): 3 x 12 --> superset it with benching
- military press (dumbell or barbell): 3 x 10
- chest flies or one arm bench press (dumbell): 3 x 12 --> superset with military press
- shrugs: 3 x15
- shoulder flies: 2-3 x 10
- bizeps 3 sets
- triceps 3 sets --> superset with bis, shrugs, shoulders
- abs 2 sets
- sometimes calves
- sometimes I do heavy deadlift on that day, depending what i did this week already for my lower back

Day 2: legs and lower back
- Plyos, about 10-20 Jumps over the bench or jump squats with knees up or overhead squat
- walking lunges with dumbells: 2-3 x 20 steps or deep and heavy squats 3 x 10
- stiff leg deadlift 3-4 x 10
- side lunges: 2 x 10 per side
- leg extension: 2-3 x 10-12
- calves standing 2-3 x 10-20
- calves seated 2 x 15
- calve jumps: 20
- abs/obliques 2-3 sets
- sometimes abductors and adductors on machines, but mostely not

Oh lordy....safety and the smith machine don't go well together IMO. 

To OP: As a fan of full ROM exercises done with free weights, you can use dumbells to get a good workout and be safe.  If you're working out at a gym, this is probably your best option.  Really is no need to cheat.  Cheating in the long run can also reduce mobility because you don't strengthen the entire ROM of the muscles used. 

Or alternately, if you're at a gym, can't you just ask for a spot? You don't need a partner per se, just someone with arms. 

J have followed Reg Park for 40yrs and can`t stand the 5x5 format currently pushed on the net. Reg did 2 warmup sets then 3 working sets which in your case 25/30/35/35/35kg, but myself work better with volume like Reg did with his 5x10 program. One method that worked well in old days was eg 1x12@25,1x10@30,1x8@35 when easy move the weight, but yea if been stuck in a rut a long time may need a whole new approach, even supersetting can be a good change to spark if of again..cheers

Thank you guys for your input.
I really will examine my gym workout.
In general I also feel better with higher volume und lower intensity. But maybe I’m doing this for too long now.
@Sprite:
It’s true I’m a fan of free weights, full ROM. Spotter is a thing. There is this power lifter, who tries to show me technique. Problem is, we don’t speak the same langue, not a single word. There is another power lifter, but we don’t have the same training time.
I think to ask just someone, I’m too shy, because yeah I’M just a little shy and have made bad experiences in the gym with certain men. So I suspect there a lot guys who don’t want to have me there (but know they can’t do nothing about it).

Squat cage is not working, it’s such a strange construction, the catches are too high for benching (or the benches to low), but a good smith machine is there (which I haven’t used yet).

@Ozmuz:
Thanks for your suggestions.. ..In the past I only tried 5x5 once in a version where you have the same weight for all 5 sets. I didn’t liked it much. (like I also didn’t like other intense techniques like super slow or PITT Force).
I searched on the internet and found the ramp up version of 5x5. That sounds somewhat logic to me, to gain strength, without haven too heavy weights, like doing only 3 reps in the max-set.

My idea now is, instead of switching to muscular endurance, like I planned, I will try this plan:
http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Bill_Starr_5x5#Madcow_Intermediate_5x5

I will accommodate it to my needs. That means the Cardio-Day is my Kung Fu Training Day. I will do: Tuesday or Wednesday: Heavy Day
Friday: Kung Fu
Saturday: Light Cardio
Sunday: Medium Day
It’s not optimal, but due to my weekly schedule and the times of the training group the days are fixed for now.
I also will do bend over row or on the medium day, instead of squats, because of health reason.
Today I will go to the gym and work on my power clean technique, which lets a lot to desire, may do some arms.


Next week I will see, if my plan works out or if it interferes with Kung Fu.

http://oldschooltrainer.com/bill-starrs-5-x-5-training/

If you plan to do 5x5, you might want to give this a read before trying madcows. :3

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In the case of Little Sprite, I think he didn't mean to come off as rude.  It's just that that's the point of view of a guy in a gym doing guy things.  May be he didn't put into consideration what a girl might think or feel at the moment.  It's what we guys do.  Thus, makes us a bit like a brute, but that's why you love us. Hehe.

peace peace.