going up in strength = going up in size?

[clockworks]

ok, here's the deal, my chest isn't growing as much as i'd like. i've been working it out hard with a good routine for about 5.5 months now. been working it out with a crappy, every now and then routine for a while longer, but i don't think that matters. in the first few months of the intensive training, i went up in weight/strength ever week, but that quickly stopped. now i'm pretty much stuck at the same weight (not body weight) every week. i guess my question is will your muscles grow if you're just using the same weights to workout with every week? or do you >have< to be increasing your weights/strength in order to grow?

here is my chest workout that i do once a week:

bench 2x8 warmup, 2x8
incline bench 2x8
dumbell press 2x8
incline dumbell press 2x8
cable x-overs 2x8

i rotate it every week, so that next week, it would be:

incline bench 2x8 warmup, 2x8
dumbell press 2x8
incline dumbell press 2x8
cable x-overs 2x8
bench 2x8

its roughly 10 sets with as much weight as i can handle which i think should be enough to stimulate growth. i'm sore everytime without fail, so thats a good sign. but ugh, my chest is still small....=/ any help, advice, whatever will be greatly appreciated...(and yeah, i'm reading the other threads in here about chest workouts/growth)...

-- clocky baby

[Tapout]

why the muscles grow to explain simpliy is
you start training, the muscles freak, they say wow what was that we got to get bigger and stronger to be prepared for that again. if you keep doing the same thing and same weights the muscles get used to it and progress stops.
everytime you train you have to go heavier or more reps with that weight to stimulate muscle.. every time you train you want to leave the gym with your muscles saying what the hell was that---this will cause them to over compensate(grow) to prepare for that again.

can you get big without lifting heavy---you can get bigger but --no i dont believe you can get big without lifting heavy weights at some point and time or everyone would be big. look at power lifters most are big cause heavy lifting

[clockworks]

hmm. well my approach has been this...i keep using the same weight everytime till it starts to become easy. once its easy, then i raise the weight. the problem is, it never gets easy...=(

-- clocky baby

[Yung Wun]

have you tried shocking the muscle with supersets,pyrimiding, drop sets, etc...
if your using the same weights week in week out and no increase in weight or repetitions dont expect to grow
one or the other must progress if you want to add size
have you looked for answers through your diet???

[clockworks]

i'm definantly trying to eat more. its helping. i guess what i'm really asking is how long do you guys train at the same weight before you decided to up the weight?

i've been doing the same weight on dumbell bench press for a long ass time now and it still seems hard, but last workout i increased it by 5lbs on each arm and i suprised myself...

-- clocky baby

[KeyMastur]

it usually takes me about 3 workout sessions before i can up the weight, sometimes 2. sometimes you don't even know if you can handle the more weight until you try. it's weird, like sometimes just throwing the weight on sets of a trigger in your mind like "oh shit, this is gonna be heavier, i better put more effort" and BAM, you can do the same number of reps as you just did with the lighter weight.

are you recording your workouts ?? i have a log book and look back on the previous workout and see what i did, and then try to top it - even if it's with another 5 pounds.

[majorpecs]

Originally posted by KeyMastur
it usually takes me about 3 workout sessions before i can up the weight, sometimes 2. sometimes you don't even know if you can handle the more weight until you try. it's weird, like sometimes just throwing the weight on sets of a trigger in your mind like "oh shit, this is gonna be heavier, i better put more effort" and BAM, you can do the same number of reps as you just did with the lighter weight.

are you recording your workouts ?? i have a log book and look back on the previous workout and see what i did, and then try to top it - even if it's with another 5 pounds.

That is EXACTLY what I do....I believe a workout journal is vital to your workouts!

[sp9]

I really agree. I log every workout. It is such a motivator to look back 6 months or a year and see the improvement. Also if I get sick for a couple of weeks it is interesting to know how many days or weeks I have fallen back in strength. If you don't write it down it is hard to rememeber exactly how many sets or reps you did the prior workout from week to week.

[Umberto]

try backing off a little
Cut your exercises down to 3 for a week with good form and see if you come back stronger the next week, also keep calories high that week and dont exert yuor self
in other words plan in a "recovery week"

[Red Ketchup]

I like to run a modified version of pyramid sets...

For example inclined DB press:
5 sets of reps

- 12x 90% max weight
- 10x 95% max weight
- 8x 100% max weight
- 6x 110% max weight <-- this is where I increase. If I can do more than 6 reps, then it's not heavy enough and I do this set again with heavier weights until I reach a weight where I can barely do the 6 reps. If on the other hand I cannot push 6 reps then I lower weight back down to 100%)
- 12x 95% max weight (or to exaustion)

(100% max weight is my last workouts "110%" step)

May not be a perfect scheme, but it was worked very well for me.

Red

[Yung Wun]

Everytime i go into the gym i try to up the reps or weight i'm pushing
even if its 1lb, small increments add up later on. Just like red i max out on the sixth rep so if i'm using a weight that i can do more than six i reach for a heavier weight until i can put up six reps and that sixth rep i have to be struggling to get up

[clockworks]

cool, thanks for the advice everyone. and yes, i've kept a workout journal ever since i started training seriously. looking back through it, i see at the beginning i've gone up in weight very rapidly and now it is slowing down drastically.

i've tried to do recovery weeks before i start to feel guilty if i miss too many days at the gym...

i think i'm going to make a conscience effort to increase the weight every 5 weeks now. hmm, or maybe every 4 weeks just to make it an even month...

-- clocky baby

[Strut99GT]

Clock, I know more than anyone what you're saying, as you well know. But seeing as how everything but my bench seems to be going up, I'm just "riding the wave" and eventually it should come around, right??

[jurewix]

im sorry but can some one explain what suspersets, dropping and pyramiding are ?

[willpharmd]

Supersets are doing 2 different excercises together without rest for 1 set, then resting a few and repeating. example bench press and flyes

Drop sets are when you go to failure, quickly drop the weight, and do a few extra reps with the lower weight.

Pyramiding is gradually increasing your wt on the next set.