My greatest challenge: changing a stale routine

[penguinsfan]

By far my greatest challenge is figuring out what to do when I've lifted the same routine for months and months and just see myself going nowhere. I know what I want, but not necessarily how to get it. I know some guys will do 4 sets of 10 reps religiously. Other guys pyramid and try other ideas. I look through muscle magazines now and then, but I want far more strength than size. I see an endless amount of routines in the magazines, but how long are these good for? Do you see diminishing results in 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, longer?

What do you guys do when you have a routine you really like that just seems to fizzle out?

 

[9cyclops9]

There are only a handful of lifting magazines that are worth paying attention to (MILO, PLUSA, and Strong! come to mind). The BB rags are worthless. If you're aiming for strength, I recommend a good 5x5 program such as this one:

http://www.geocities.com/elitemadcow1/5x5_Program/Linear_5x5.htm

Or just a low volume program you design yourself. This is what I'm currently doing:

Day 1

3x3 Squat
3x3 Bench Press
3x1 Rack Pull
3x5 Bent Row

3x8 Hammer Curl
3x8 Calf Raises
3x8 Pulldown Abs

Day 2

3x3 Deadlift
3x5 Incline Press
3x3 Suitcase Deadlift
3x5 BB Curl

3x8 Dips
3x8 Lateral Raises
3x8 Side Bends

Day 3

3x3 Power Clean
3x3 Military Press
3x3 Front Squat
4x5 Weighted Chin-up

3x8 Single-leg Back Extensions
3 Timed BB holds
3x8 Decline Sit-ups


Most importantly, read all you can about training theory and program design. You'll get to the point that you can design your own programs based on your goals, rather than following something written by someone that doesn't know you. I still use pre-written programs sometimes, but only if I find one suitable for my goals at the time. The next time I go on a hypertrophy phase, for instance, I plan on using something by Chad Waterbury or Christian Thibaudeau.

 

[prince Albert]

By far my greatest challenge is figuring out what to do when I've lifted the same routine for months and months and just see myself going nowhere. I know what I want, but not necessarily how to get it. I know some guys will do 4 sets of 10 reps religiously. Other guys pyramid and try other ideas. I look through muscle magazines now and then, but I want far more strength than size. I see an endless amount of routines in the magazines, but how long are these good for? Do you see diminishing results in 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, longer?

What do you guys do when you have a routine you really like that just seems to fizzle out?

Cycle your poundages,bench press for example you add weight or reps every week until you reach a sticking point then you drop the weight back down 20-30lbs and over the next 6-7 weeks build back up to your previous best,you should then be able to add weight for a fair few weeks until you reach a sticking point again then you drop the weight back down again and build back up again,its a very effective way to keep your poundages moving up.

 

[LambdaCalc]

I use a program for about 4-6 weeks then change. I've found the routines at T-nation to be extremely fun and beneficial. Here is a link to several routines that will last you a long time, and provide dynamic parameters that are key to success.

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=625027