In case you notice that you’re reaching a plateau, then it is likely you need to enhance your bodybuilding routine to keep on progressing. If you notice that you stopped gaining muscle, it can be extremely frustrating. But luckily, you’re now reading this and I’m quite sure you will find it extremely helpful.
The human body is an amazing “machinery” that can adapt to almost anything that you’re doing with it. The best part is that it adapts really fast. It is because of the adaptation that people tend to experience “plateaus” in their gains. Hitting a plateau ceiling means that you do not seem to gain any (or very little) strength or muscle, regardless of how hard you work for it.
However, we also tend to gain muscle due to the body adapting to the increase of loads and stress in the gym. Yet, it’s not all that simple. For example, lifting a certain amount of weight helps your body grow bigger to cope with that weight. Then by increasing the amount of weight, the body increases muscle to deal with the bigger amount of stress. While this is true, it’s only partially true, because it’s not all that simple (if it would, we’d all be huge). That’s why it is so important for you to find ways to enhance your bodybuilding routine. We’re here to share those ways.
How To Continue Growing Muscle?
Veteran lifters know that you won’t be able to get continuous muscle growth when you’re constantly following the same program. The same program means the same stress. Therefore, the body is going to adapt to that stress pretty quickly, which means that your current bodybuilding routine will cease bringing any results.
This is why it’s so important to regularly change your workout and bodybuilding routine. It is vital for long-term growth, meaning that you’ll continue getting benefits, growing bigger and stronger. Pro bodybuilders are switching up their workouts all the time. According to some pros, they’ve never had the exact same workout plan twice in their life! They tend to change the exercises they do, add in advanced training techniques, increase reps, sets, weights, decrease rest times, and so on. They know exactly what to do to burn fat and build muscle and the right way to do it thanks to experience and training. That’s what makes them significantly more muscular than regular people who are lifting weights without a correct bodybuilding routine.
So, there are lots of techniques that pro bodybuilders are using. Even if you do not plan to become a pro bodybuilder, why wouldn’t you use them too to stimulate muscle growth? They can help you break through muscle building plateaus and also help speed up strength and muscle growth. So, using them will significantly help enhance your bodybuilding routine. 
Ways to Enhance Your Bodybuilding Routine
Make it more intense
The reason why I put this first on the list is because it is the most important one. I see too many guys in the gym working out half-hearted, barely doing any exercises with barely any intensity. This way you’ll now grow! Having a gym membership will not help you grow, similar to barely working out will not. It is the intensity that builds muscle. Many of the tips I will share below involve increasing the intensity of your workout in one way or another. You can increase the intensity of your workouts in various ways. Slow reps, negatives, drop sets, superts, circuits, forced reps, shorter rest periods, heavier weights, and numerous others are ways you can increase intensity. People who are training for a while may lower their intensity level without even realizing it, so they only “think” they train hard.
Change up your exercises
All muscle groups have different exercises that you can (and should) use to train. Many weight lifters will end up stuck in the same routine of moves week by week. Moreover, many leave out the exercises that they do not like. In fact, I would recommend going for those that you do not like (unless you have some injuries that prohibit you from doing them). Exercises that you don’t like means that they are not easy to perform, meaning that they are effective for muscle growth! While you can have a few basic exercises such as deadlifts, bench presses, and squats (among others), especially if you try to improve your performance for a specific exercise, you still need to aim for your workouts to include a wide array of exercises. As said, pro bodybuilders claim they’ve never done the same workout twice!
Add drop sets
Even if you’ve reached a hard plateau, this is a shock training technique that can break through it if you do it correctly. Drop sets are popular in the gym among weightlifters as they work by getting more reps out of you by gradually dropping the weight off (until you can’t do it anymore even with the lightest weights). This breaks most muscle fibers and forces more blood into the target muscle group. This is what you need to see muscle tissue growth. Drop sets are theoretically simple, yet highly effective. Keep your set until you’re just about to fail, drop the weight, and immediately continue with your reps. Do it until your muscles completely fail. Have 3 to 6 sets in total. You’ll certainly feel the burn!
Work different muscles each day
Switching up the days you are working out can actually lead to a big impact on your results too! Generally, it is a good idea to try your weakest muscles at the beginning of the week when you have the most energy in your tank to work them hard. However, similar to anything else in your routine, it is worth changing every once in a while. Especially because after a while they may not be your weakest muscles anymore. So, instead of working the biceps on Monday, you could try focusing on bigger muscles such as your back. Especially pulling exercises for your biceps will work your back too. In short, you may try to switch your bodybuilding routine to train different muscle groups on different days.
Introduce the supersets
When it comes to growing those stubborn muscle groups, one of the absolute best ways to promote muscle growth is the combination of big compound exercises with an isolation movement. An example of that would be bench presses and flat bench flys. What you need to aim for is to complete your bench press as normal, but then immediately smash out a set of dumbbell flys (maximum rest time is to catch your breath). You do not need big weights for this. What you should aim for is muscle contraction. This means that you do it slowly and in a controlled manner, squeezing at the top of the movement. There are lots of combinations of compound and isolation supersets for you to try. Squats and leg extensions, wide grip pull up and straight arm pull down, close bench grips and skull crushers are just some examples.
Change your reps weekly
This is also known as weekly rep cycling. It means that you start with 12 reps per set for one week for all your exercises. The next week you go for 10 reps per set, then 8 reps per set, then 6 reps per set. Repeat. Choose proper weights to maintain a proper form but the exercises feel challenging. There’s still debate regarding how many reps are optimal for muscle growth. It seems that it varies from exercise to exercise, and person to person. However, it is still somewhere between 6 and 15 reps. So, if you cover all the bases by starting at around 12 and ending at 6, you just can’t go wrong. If you do it correctly (with the correct diet and training plan), in week 5 you’re going to find you can lift more than you did back in the first week.
Sometimes less is more
Of course, lifting more is often associated with higher gains. However, heavier weights are likely to lead to injuries and they don’t allow for the muscle contraction you need to grow muscle. Therefore, sometimes, less is more. Another mistake that a lot of new lifters make is to work out too often. You’re working in the gym to tear muscle fibers, so they can repair and heal, growing bigger and stronger. But if you work out too often, they do not have the time they need to induce growth. That’s why, again, sometimes less is more. Do not go for as heavy weights as possible, and do not aim to train as much as possible. This definitely doesn’t mean you’ll grow as big or as fast as possible!
Negatives
As long as building strength is one of your goals, then the negatives are going to be your saviors when it comes to breathing through plateaus. Negatives are focusing more on the negative part of the movement by using a very heavy weight and moving it very slowly. Yet, due to this, it is extremely important to have a spotter for almost all types of negatives. The heavyweight and slow movement could lead to failure to lift it yourself. It’s also extremely important to warm up well before attempting it. Usually, negatives are only great for experienced lifters. Avoid it if you’re a beginner or you’re someone who usually trains alone. Bench press, pull up, close grip bench, squats – you name it. You can use negatives with lots of exercises.
Slow reps
Slow reps are similar to negatives, but not the same. They are all about control and contraction. Moreover, you do not use heavy weights, you’re actually using a lighter weight. Move slower and do the same number of reps. A good idea for this is to use the 3-1-3 method. This means that you should count “one one thousand” 3 times on your way down, pause counting “one one thousand” once, and then count again “one one thousand” 3 times on your way up. You go for the same number of reps, but you use lighter weights because this movement is much slower. It can be a game changer when it comes to breaking muscle growth plateaus because your body is under tension for a longer period of time.
Partial reps
Similar to slow reps, partial reps work your muscles by keeping them working for longer. Muscles grow when they are under tension for a longer period of time. That’s why some people can grow muscle with only a 30-minute workout, whereas others barely grow any muscles with a 90-minute workout. It is the “time under tension” of muscles that play a role, not the amount of time you’re in the gym. So, for partial reps, you need to change the exercise by not finishing the entire rep. For example, dumbbell curls. Instead of allowing your arm to hang (rest) while your arm curls, keep your left arm slightly bent (at half the movement). Or you could use it at the end of your set, to do 10 more “half reps” with the same (or lighter) weights, when the muscles can’t lift the weight anymore.
Switch up your bodybuilding routine
We all do it – big compounds first, then isolations. Right? Everyone does it. Pros do it too. Why wouldn’t you? Well, yes, it works, but similar to anything else that you do in your bodybuilding routine, your body adapts to it pretty quickly. What you should aim for is to switch up exercises every once in a while. Do isolation movements first, and then go for compound movements. Such as bicep curls before chin ups, for example.
Pre-fatigue your muscles
Pre-fatiguing which is also known as pre-exhausting, your muscles will help break through the plateau ceiling! This technique has been around for years and as its name suggests, it basically pre-fatigues the muscles you want to hit with an isolation exercise. While it is similar to the above-mentioned point, it is different in terms that you go for lower isolation reps (to just pre-fatigue the muscle) and then you immediately go for a big compound move, without rest (only just to catch your breath, if necessary).
Forced reps
Forced reps are something that you’re likely to do without even realizing if you‘ve got used to training with your buddy. It is nice and simple. Forced reps mean that you’re doing as many strict reps as you can without any help. But then you’re getting the help of a spotter to force you through doing another two or more reps. While the last reps aren’t done without their help, they still help you push over the limits, which helps you reach the next level. So, with the forced reps technique you will be able to push 12-13 reps instead of 10, leading to greater muscle tear.
Pyramid sets
The pyramid sets start from a low weight and work their way up to a heavy weight (or vice versa) and then back again. If you’re going for heavier weights first, it is extremely important to have a proper warm-up first. But even if it’s the other way around, never underestimate the power (of injury reducing abilities) of a proper warm-up. You can start your first set in your pyramid with a weight that you can pump out 12 reps in good form. The next set aims for 8 to 10 reps, then 6 to 8, then 4. Also, you could push yourself in your workout to really get the burn and work your way back up to the 12 reps to finish off. Remember that your technique is what matters, so you shouldn’t cheat. Do it slowly in a controlled manner, otherwise it won’t work.
Have a week out
Now that’s something that you may find hard to believe in but to enhance your bodybuilding routine you may need to… have a week out. This is something that lots of fitness fanatics are feeling guilty about, but pros realize the importance of… resting for a whole week. No training whatsoever. Bodybuilding and weight training are not sprints, they are long marathons, and as you need some short pit stops during marathons, you’ll need this short pit stop to enhance your bodybuilding routine too. It’s not only because your body can adapt and the results may stop, but you’ll eventually likely burn out! Taking a week off is sometimes the best thing to break through plateaus.
Your body and mind may need this break from regular and intense training sessions. This way, the muscles will relax, your mind will relax, and that may be something that your nervous system is craving! Usually, your body tells you when you need to take that break. But the week out usually doesn’t need to be used anywhere sooner than 8 to 12 weeks of hard working time!
Enhance your Bodybuilding Routine with Cycle Gear
So, here is how you can make some changes that will help you start seeing results again. I recommend going for each and every one of them every once in a while, at least, as a form of experiment. That’s because you never know what works best for you.
It can be hard to keep on pushing when you do not see any results. However, Cycle Gear is here to help you out. Not only do we provide the best piece of information, but we also can provide the best quality products for your cutting or bulking cycle. With our 100% real and highest quality anabolic steroids, you’re sure to get HUGE gains and enhance your bodybuilding routine and results. There’s nothing better than these compounds on the planet for enhancing your physique and performance. Moreover, at Cycle-Gear.to you’ll also be able to save a lot of money too as we offer all of them for the best prices on the market.
