ExRx.net

ya but it does go for me as well, Im still skinny and the only thing that grows on me the fastest is my legs. I love it and I hate it. I can squat good but I cant bench. My shoulders are bad too. I dont think Ill ever press 135 .. I think its just my genetics. IM basically good with back and legs. My dead lift and squat are amazing for my weight (not showing off but its what people say) but when I get under the bench I feel embarassed. In fact Bench is pretty much all people care about it seems because right after someone sees me squat they go "dude how much you BENCH???" and I have to just shake my head and say not that much. SO ya I dont mind being called skinny for now. Ill call myself skinny as long as My upper body lags haha. No harm done

don't worry mate at the age you're at it's hard as hell to add mass. Once you hit your mid twenties if you keep training the way you are you'll be in awesome shape.

Basically, doing too much. Volume changes week to week, normally with the third week being really hard work. It's not anything drastic i.e 2 or 3 sets extra on a big lift and some assistance exercises.

For example, 4 weeks may look like this

Conventional DL,

Wk1: 5 x 3
wk2: 5 x 3
Wk3: 7 x 3
Wk4: 3x3

Now, "5x3" should very challenging, and the prospect of another 2 working sets should not be a nice one.

On assistance, i'll tend to add another set to the important stuff, so, if was normally 3 x 8, on week 3, it'll be 4 x 8.

Also, I love speed work, and I program in heavy singles after the speed work on the third week, too, for those that do speed work, anyway.

I think consistently improving on a big lift at a low rep range for 3 weeks will burn you out to some extent, anyway, eve if you don't add more to any of those 3 weeks. I'm sure Louie Simmons said you can't get stronger for more than 3 weeks in a row. I've actually found this to be very accurate (beginners aside, obv). There is "something" about 3 weeks of consistent strength progress that makes your body want to chill out for a while and recover. Add a few more sets into the mix on that third week and tip yourself over the edge just a little in terms of what you're normally capable of recovering from.

KPj

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Thanks TimD

Just thought i'd add this
http://www.ericcressey.com/five-reasons ... g-stronger

Go to reason 2,

"Good weight training programs implement strategic overreaching follows by periods of lower training stress to allow for adaptation to occur. You can’t just go in and hit personal bests in every single training session – and if you try, you’re going to wind up exhausted."

KPj

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Thanks TimD

Nice thing about older age is one doesn't have to worry about deload/reset. Injury takes care of it naturally.

Yeah, nice.

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan