I have a couple of questions:

1. I have not been able to increase the amount of weight on my dumbbell chest press for 3 weeks! on any of the 3 sets. Same problem with my one arm rows. Why?

2. After only 2 sets of seated shoulder press my shoulders totally fail and i cannot do a 3rd set. Why?

Btw here is my routine:

All exercises 3 sets:
set 1: 12 reps
set 2: 10 reps with more weight
set 3: 8 reps with even more weight

Squat
Dumbbell Chest Press
Single Arm Back Row
Seated Shoulder Press
Pull-ups (3 sets to fail - i can only do 4-5 reps at the moment)

What is obviously missing to me is: 1. Information on your diet (amount of calories/macronutrients according to your particulars), and 2. Amount of rest you are giving between your routine (s).

Both of these can effect your progress in the gym.

Come back and post the information on your diet and rest periods or any other information on your fitness training you are currently doing or had been doing recently.


As always I wish you the very best in all that you do. Asking questions begets knowledge. If you are persistant in searching for an answer to a problem, IT WILL FIND YOU.


ROCK ON!

Best regards,



Chillen

Oh i forgot about that: i do this routine on tuesday, thursday and saturdays....

I get plenty of sleep so no problems there...

The diet isn't that good... 2 eggs + glass of milk for breakfast... eats lots of bagels, cheese, fruits.... i drink a protein shake after each workout with 30g protein.... i have plenty of meat, some pasta and rice etc.... I know that my diet isnt ideal for bulking because i don't get enough protein or food in general.. but i eat the right foods....

But could the diet really be to blame for not improving in lifts? providing that it isnt a shocking diet...

My lifts improved rapidly over my first 3-4 months when i was on a crappy split routine but have just plateaud since i went to FBW.... i'm not blaming the FBW but ye... i can't improve or understand why i fail totally after 2 sets of shoulders... etc

Thanks for the help!

Well I'd say diet is extremely important - you need to be taking in enough calories to help you repair the muscles during recovery to gain mass and gain strength. I'd try upping your cals and see if your gains increase.

Try changing your chest press and rows to a different workout. Maybe try an incline chest press or dumbbell flies. Do the same thing with the rows. If you're doing the same movements over and over, your muscles can become accustomed to the movements. Try doing movements that work different parts of the muscle.

When do you do squats and deadlifts? You can't have a FBW without them!

"I know that my diet isnt ideal for bulking because i don't get enough protein or food in general.. but i eat the right foods...."

Protien is the most important nutrient if you are trying to build strength and/or muscle mass.

I dont agree totally with this statement. For example, the playing field is equal with protien, carbs, and fats (say the persons is consuming appropriate amounts), but one flat doesnt drink enough water. Not only is weight training performance going to be "hindered" progress will be "hindered" as well.

The more important elements are the "total circumference of the diet", rather than just the over rated and over hyped protein.

Just one essential organ not getting what it needs, will hamper progress, and you can take all the protein you want until the sun goes down, its not going to help ya. The body works as a machine and together as one unit, and protein is just one important element among many other important elements the body needs.

Its a small peice in the larger pie.

Protein is NOT the muscle breaker nor muscle maker--in itself--when considering OVERALL circumference of what the body needs, its just a play enumerator.

IF it were, lets remove steroids, and we would have a different (what they call) professional body building competition set. Its difficult growing muscle naturally or to develop more muscle, and what's more important is the overall circumference of nutrients and calories.

Protein is one element in a composite GROUP that causes and/or can cause muscle growth---along with proper stimulant, rather than JUST protein.

For example, if one is deficient in a vitamin, or synthesis isn't occurring optimally because of lack of other nutrient ratios, protein ISNT going to help even if its present....if something in the equation is missing (and im not talking just amino acids).

The opposite is true. If there isnt enough protein, and the other nutrients as a whole are present, then the same can happen. See what I mean?

I was just saying the body needs a proper "balance" of everything, and protein is just one essential element.

Let me give one indirect example: I can consume high amounts of protein (or what is approximated I need for my wgt), eat right, and lets say ratios are good, BUT I am in deficit caloric diet......am I going to grow large muscles? Answer: NO.

One has to remember, too, that not all protein type foods have all the essential amino acids, therefore if the DIET itself is lacking in this area, this can effect muscle growth as well, even if protein is high.



Best regards,


Chillen

I cannot find this article at t-nation where I got this info from and I forgot to save it with the information I wrote down about sets/reps/rest... I wish I can find it so you can read it. Here is the information I collected from the article there. If anyone has the link or can find it, go ahead and post it.

anyways, here you go...

1-3 reps Max Strength with 5-10 min rest between sets
4-6 reps Strength, Speed or Power with 3-5 min rest between sets
7-8 Functional Hypertrophy with 2-3min rest between sets
9-12 Structural Hypertrophy with 30sec-2min rest between sets
13+ Endurance with 0-30 seconds rest between sets


BTW.... where is your quad dominant exercise and hip dominant exercise? Do you do lower body?

Thanks for the help guys...

A few of you have said i have no lower body exercises.... the first exercise in the routine is Squat... have a look at my first post?

So i do have a quad dominant exericse....

But no deadlift... hurts my back... too hard for a beginner with only dumbbells for now.

And ye i don't need help on my squat... it's improving at rapid rapid pace (due to me only adding it more recently relative to the other exercises)

Oops sorry I see that you mentioned squat.

For Hip Dominant, there are a lot of exercises to choose from other than just Deadlift. There is King Deadlift (one legged), RDL (done kind of like the deadlift, but the legs are just slightly bent and you go down until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings and then back up again), Pull Throughs, Good Morning, and there are more that I may have not mentioned in here. I am not sure if Leg Curls and Hamstring Plate Drags are considered hip dominant though because they are both single joint.


If you do not include hip dominant exercises, you will go into anterior tilt. I have anterior tilt and I am working on getting rid of it now. Too much quad dominant work will tighten up the hip flexors and put you into anterior pelvic tilt.

I recommend reading these 2 articles on Deadlift and RDL form. They can be done with barbells or dumbbells.

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1588392 Mastering the Deadlift by Eric Cressey

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1502753 Perfecting the Romanian Deadlift by Mike Robertson

I only have dumbbells... i have never deadlifted in my life.... i'm just going to hurt my back... especially since i'm also stabilizing the dumbbells...

Suggestions?