How to be at peace when NOT making progress?

I’m doing strength training and I’ve reached a weight that I’m satisfied with for both conventional squat and conventional deadlift. It took about 2-3 months of straight, consistent progression.

I’ve been maintaining the weight by going to the gym once a week, and in less than a month, I’ve grown restless. I feel like going to the gym to just maintain the weight, to be this annoying chore I have to do and get it over with. So, I changed it up a bit and increased the rep range from 5 reps to 12 reps, lowering the amount of sets, with the same amount of weight(originally did 5 reps, 5 sets at a high weight, now doing 6 reps, 4 sets and so on).

I’m not restless anymore. I realized that if I don’t perceive myself working towards something or doing some form of progression, then I’ll become restless again.

Before I get to the point where I’m maintaining the same amount of reps, sets and weight, I want to learn how to accept or be at peace with maintaining a certain amount of weight. I understand it’s a perspective thing, so I suppose meditation would help? How can I be at peace on this topic?

Thanks in advance! :slight_smile:

Just tell yourself that you are not slipping backwards…

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This seems like more of an advice and opinion question than a factual one, so off to IMHO it goes (from GQ).

There are many ways to make progress weightlifting.

Your ego says progress is doing heavier weights on big exercises like bench press, squats and deadlifts.

Doing more total weight, taking less rest time, using explosive movements, doing more sets or reps, getting more range of motion or better form are all valid progressions independent of maximal weight.

Best advice is to switch exercises up after plateauing – pull-ups instead of bench as primary chest exercise; sumo squats; other routines emphasizing gaining size or strength. Might want to check out T-Nation or a good site with lots of advice for moving forward. Endurance, flexibility and speed are important to be well rounded, not just strength.

Check out “Advanced German Volume Training” for an excellent routine at T-nation.com

Thanks for replies everyone! I wasn’t clear on my motivations was I?

@Dr_Paprika, interesting thoughts! I think I’ll definitely try taking less rest time and perhaps do the exercises in a more explosive way. I have great form, ROM, doing total weight(want to maintain the same weight right?) and am playing around with the sets and reps. Even then though, my little psych problem will surface again down the road.

I thought about it for a little bit and I don’t think it’s just doing heavy weights, as I’m satisfied with increasing the rep amount, lowering the rest time, etc. It’s really just the act of working towards something is what motivates me, and if I’m staying still, I get uneasy.

I do pull ups, I used to do sumo squats(don’t do those squats anymore because I’m at a satisfied weight). I don’t want to drop primary exercises that I worked so hard for, just to do assistance exercises I’ve been doing half way through my program. I don’t want to move forward/higher, I want to maintain the weight I currently am pushing. I’m planning to incorporate cardio. endurance as well, but I’m focusing on developing strength first, upper body to be exact.

Also, my bad! Wasn’t sure what section this would fall under :slight_smile:

To increase weight, though, you do need to do more secondary exercises. You don’t need to get rid of your primaries but you plateau if you don’t vary them. This could be as simple as doing more incline or decline presses, JM presses, alternate grip widths, pull-ups with many hand positions, using Dumbbells instead of a bar, or best of all, dropping to 65% of the weight you use now and doing killer volume.

This is HUGE. I think there is a danger in trying to “be at peace” with a given weight (for a given exercise). The body is extremely good at “adapting” to repeated stresses. So being able to, say, deadlift the same amount week after week, is not so much “staying” as strong as you have become, but that your body is getting more “efficient” at doing that one particular exercise. This is what “plateau-ing” is all about, and is extremely common in the gym.
Unless you vary, and supplement your exercises with other exercises, your body starts to adapt to just those movements you do. Hence you plateau. It’s kind of a grey area of not so much getting “weaker”, but likewise not getting “stronger” either. And thereby, inhibiting you from lifting heavier.

Changing the pace is a good way to change things up. Along with “explosive” movements, the opposite, slowing down, is also good. For example, when doing bench press: do a slow 3 count on the way down, and likewise, a slow 3 count on the press up.

I never reached the point in lifting where it was not pretty obvious how I could make continued gains, so I can’t offer you much in that department. But at some point, won’t just about any athlete reach a point where they are at their max? World class athletes don’t keep improving their PRs - at least not consistently and by significant margins.

One thing you don’t mention - which I hope is true - is that you enjoy the activity of weightlifting. When I used to run a lot - well, again, I always had plenty of room to improve - but I just really enjoyed the activity of being outside and running, particularly with my usual partner. If you enjoy the act of lifting, the way you feel afterwards, the camaraderie at the gym, etc - focus on that, instead of the tonnage moved.

Another vantage point. I used to golf a lot. I can remember one morning a decade or 2 ago, when I heard some golfer on another hole cursing - at 7 a.m.! Struck me as ridiculous, that someone would wake up early on a weekend, drive somewhere that they could pay money - to be unhappy! What I decided is that many golfers focus on their score, think they are better than they are, and expect to hit their best shot/score every time out. If they don’t get a great score, they are dissatisfied. But you know that the majority of the time you aren’t going to shoot your best score. So instead, I focused on identifying multiple factors that could contribute to my deeming a round of golf enjoyable. I think I came up with 7 or so. Sure, a good total score was on there. But failing that, I’d have had a successful, enjoyable round if I had a couple of good holes. Or a couple of spectacular shots. Or if I found some nice golf balls. Or just appreciated a nice walk in the park with my friends.

I’m not trying to suggest you take up golf. But you might consider shifting your focus, to identify aspects of your workout regimen other than simply your max weights.

The trouble with golf is that the better you are, the lower your score. Therefore you will never be better than you were before you started.

I also don’t like the feeling that I am just maintaining. What I generally do is try to do something I haven’t done before - like higher reps in some lift I don’t usually do, or total tonnage, where you calculate pounds on the bar X reps X sets for each lift and then total it up for the workout.

Anything to keep motivated.

Regards,
Shodan

Switch up your exercise routine. I started doing Boot Camp about three weeks ago and I have muscle soreness in all sorts of new and exciting places. Before that, I thought I was fairly fit, doing cardio and strength training five hours a week.

Most lifters vary between different routines every 4-6 weeks. You do plateau if you don’t do other exercises. Lifting three times a week will often give better results than once a week but requires much more commitment. Depends on your goal, some is a lot better than none. There are lots of exercises one can do in place of the ones you are doing now and I listed some which will improve your bench if you want a bigger number, or volume of you want more size.

Although there are obvious maxima to lifts, most people have a lot more potential but do not work out wisely. A personal trainer might help, but I’d save money and buy The Book of Muscle by Ian King of you really want to improve. I listed one good website, there are others, you do not need the supplements they shill.

If you don’t want to change, I don’t understand why it is hard to accept your plateau. You can do better in any exercise, but you must accept you can’t improve everything at the same time. Building size will initially lower your maximal strength, which will improve later. Targeting one area means deemphasizing another. Switching routines with different foci allows overall improvement with time. Don’t let your ego equate maximum weight with maximum performance, or stop you from googling secondary exercises for the ones you are doing now.

Goodness! I wasn’t expecting so many posts, thanks for writing everyone! :slight_smile:

I keep hearing about doing more secondary exercises, so I’m just going to list what I do to avoid future confusion. I DO NOT do each one of them during the workout, but I do my primary exercise and 3 assistance and auxiliary/isolation exercises for each primary.

Workout 01

Conventional Squats - Primary
Barbell Sumo Squats
Barbell step ups

Overhead shoulder press - Primary
Bent over lateral raises
Dumbbell shoulder press
Front raises
Rear delt cable flies - 10 LBS each side

Deadlifts - Primary
Sumo Deadlift
Romanian deadlift

Workout 02

FRONT

Bench press - Primary
Dips - Arched forward
Dumbbell bench press
Incline bench press
Close grip bench press
Wide push ups
Cable Flies - do time under tension
Tricep Pushdown
Dumbbell front raises
Skullcrushers
BACK
Pendlay Row - Primary
Assisted wide-grip, overhand, pull-ups
One arm, bent over, dumbbell row
Straight arm pull downs
Wide grip barbell shrugs
Bat wing row

@Dinsdale
“If you enjoy the act of lifting, the way you feel afterwards, the camaraderie at the gym, etc - focus on that, instead of the tonnage moved.”

I definitely enjoy weight lifting/strength training! This is exactly what I was trying to get at. There are many parts that make going to the gym great. The social aspect(which not all people enjoy, but I do!), exercising itself, the feeling you get after you’re done, getting stronger, faster, powerful, etc, and the idea of working towards something. I’m sure there’s more, but currently, I have all of that right now, but like you said, even the most powerful athletes in the world have a max limit they can reach. Once they reach that level, they have to maintain their current level as long as possible.

That gives me an idea. How about approaching some of these athletes and asking them directly, how do they deal with the whole “psychological issue of maintaining your level” topic? I bet I can get some great insight from them.

Aside from that, for me, you and everyone who continues to exercise will also hit a level where they want to maintain. Whether it’s now or later, it will come. I dealt with it for only a week but got out of that funk once I switched it up a bit. Over time, there will come a point where I’ve exhausted every little thing I could have changed, and I’ll be back to square one. Also, I haven’t reached a satisfied weight for OVSP, but even then, I’ll reach a weight where I want to maintain too. **What I’m trying to do is, ** prepare for that moment where there isn’t anymore variation to be done. Almost like a state of nothing, because there’s nothing left!

In regards to the parts of what makes exercising great, the feeling you get after you’re done, getting stronger, faster, powerful, etc, and the idea of working towards something, will be gone. All that’s left is the social aspect and exercising itself. It’s almost like you’ve joined a book club and you’re just enjoying reading books itself.

Just thought of something. After I exhaust everything, I can increase the weight by 5 pounds and do it all over again. That way, I continue to have all of the parts that make going to the gym great. This might actually be a GREAT IDEA! I think I’m going to do this instead, thanks for making me think about this topic guys! Never would of came to it if it wasn’t for your posts! In addition to that, what are your thoughts on this new plan of mine? :slight_smile:

I’ve also noticed some talk about muscle confusion, where you should change your exercises routine either a little or completely. I disagree with this concept. Its true that our muscles adapt to a stimulus, but one of the biggest mistakes people make is changing a program to often. We need this adaptation to get benefits. Strength increases because the change in stimulus comes from the increase in weights and weight percentages. Again, I’m not changing my exercise routine for the purpose of “muscle confusion” when I’m already gaining strength as I’m gaining.

I will however change my exercise routine if, for some reason, I can no longer do a certain exercise well. For me, that’s lunges. I’ used to do lunges because they’re a great assistance exercise, but because I’ve dislocated my left knee 3 times and have poor flexibility when doing lunges, I can no longer do them. Therefore, I change my exercise routine. Everyone’s different and you got to do what works best for you.

Thanks again for your posts everyone! :slight_smile:

Practice being at peace all the time no matter what the situation. That can be your meditation.