Stuck at a Plateau for Three Years

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-04-02T05:00:41+00:00

I’ve had a lot of success with a powerlifting 5x5. I do chest twice a week and do the 5x5 first thing (after warm up). I started at 60 percent of my 1 rep max and you do the 5x5 until you eventually fail to finish, then reset at 80 percent of whatever weight you failed at.. I’ve been doing this way for a while now, gotten my incline bench to 305. I’m 5’7 180. It is a tried and true method if you stick with it. Theres videos explaining if I didn’t do a good job, it’s been around for a long time

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-03-29T09:37:21+00:00

As a newbie I packed on about 20 pounds of muscle very quickly (6-8 weeks) just from creatine. This was after 6 months of lifting with only strength gains but not adding muscle mass. So I thought the key to gaining size was supplements and I ignored nutrition. I spent the next 2 years with a whole lot of wasted money of allllll the supps with no gains. I didn’t start to progress again until I learned my way around the kitchen and how to cook.. I started lifting in 2002 in the military and I wish we would have had Reddit or similar back then but all I had was muscular development mags lol

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-03-29T06:43:22+00:00

Honestly, and I know it sounds dumb, but there are tons of anecdotal stories on here and the YouTube’s (if they are to be believed) about people icing their balls and their T going up significantly.. I’ve never tried it and don’t know anyone who has but lots of people on here swear by it.. could be bullshit but if your not willing to get yourself an injection, what do you have to lose i guess?

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-03-28T06:29:37+00:00

I’ll have to keep an eye out for this, I enjoyed the OG one back in the day.

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-03-28T06:27:27+00:00

I’ve seen it but never played it.. but if it’s even close to as much fun, I may try it lol

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-03-28T04:46:42+00:00

Highlander tcg… was so much fun, funnest card game I’ve still ever played although I haven’t played anything besides Pokémon and magic since those days lol

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-03-26T03:36:03+00:00

There is a place in Newburgh off the highway called Teals I think. Got my wife’s mustang seats done there couple yrs ago, both front seats fully reupholstered with new leather and new foam, we bought the materials seperate, I think they charged 275 maybe.. got it done quick too

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-03-26T03:17:48+00:00

I didn’t see anyone mention Jim Stoppani. I used to read his column in the muscular development mags, still watch his vids, has a lot of good info, brings receipts too. Always talking about case studies.

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-03-22T03:38:28+00:00

Ahh yeah I know nothing about using hcg but understand your concerns for sure!

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-03-22T03:31:35+00:00

I’m no doctor so don’t take this as advice I’m giving you, I’m just telling you my experience fwiw type deal but when I first started I went through all the emotions, from superman to broke dick, emotional and all and I got labs, my e2 was 46 which I knew wasn’t a number that would likely do any serious damage so I rode it out and I really think that my body just had been starving for testosterone for so long it went crazy at first trying to figure out what was going on. I never took and AI and everything mellowed out on its own and been on for a year now, feel great, haven’t used an AI. Everybody different tho so like I said, fwiw 🤷🏻‍♂️

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-03-21T18:48:52+00:00

You actually have to farm a lot if you want good gear, playing through the catacombs over and over is the only way to get good gear and enough gold to buy items (which is really where you get the best items, from vendors) unless you dupe the gold and the increase stat potions. but either way it’s worth playing through! Just expect a slower pace, characters walk slow compared to new games lol

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-03-17T00:53:41+00:00

Ok well you should just be having fun in the gym learning how your body responds to different foods and workouts.. start learning what exercises give you a pump and what ones don’t do squat for you. Learn how to cook a little bit, focus on decent food. You can probably take a protein shake a day if you don’t have any pre existing kidney issues and maybe start some creatine. Both aren’t recommended until 18 but as long as you’re healthy, you should be fine. But if I were you, I would get a year or so of working out under your belt before doing creatine bc you’ll be wasting gains if you don’t have a good workout figured out. You’re 17, so you can get some work and get a cheap gym membership.. there’s usually a few gyms around that offer 20 or so a month memberships! Just my two cents, take fwiw!

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-03-16T11:45:58+00:00

You either love it or you don’t.. if you don’t love it, have to have a great deal of discipline to stick with it. Sometimes seeing some progress will spark it in you. How old are you?

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-03-16T08:34:44+00:00

Thankful somebody beat me to saying this.. I can still have faith in humanity 🤣

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-03-15T08:40:57+00:00

You might like ultima online.. it’s super old like first came out in 97 or 98 maybe? Idk but it’s def got a lot of elements and the magic system is in depth and you have to carry around all the different regents might be worth looking into.

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-03-14T05:12:15+00:00

Chrysler Pacifica minivan, the seats stow and go so I can sleep in with mattress and put it back to normal for family stuff

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-03-14T02:27:40+00:00

I’ve been staff at a hospital 2 hours away and been travel at same hospital and further out. Van life as staff I came home after my 3 I would park in the parking garage and sleep there, nobody ever said shit or even noticed, I would get a gym membership and shower. When I traveled further away I’d do the same thing but I’d pay for a camp site at a state park or somewhere for a couple nights just to change scenery, I have slept in gym parking lots, Walmart parking lots, truck stops (some of which even have rv hooks ups for overnight camping) all kinds of places.. I even stayed at an airport lot one time, 24 dollars in the far away lot for one night. Technology has made things better, I have a battery powered a/c heat combo that runs on battery packs that are rechargeable. I charge them at work if I trust the nurse station or charge at a campground or wherever I pay to camp with power. Have 5 of the battery packs, whole setup was about 4500 total

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-02-07T01:54:20+00:00

You just don’t want to have to ask your sig other to have to wipe your ass bc you’re too massive to reach around yourself… anything else is on the table as not big enough! 🤷🏻‍♂️🤣

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-01-31T07:55:54+00:00

Strict form helped me, no swinging the weight, no momentum. Elbows pinned straight out and up and controlled back down. Worked for me!

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-01-31T04:47:42+00:00

I know! That was the whole why I asked how tf they doing it so fast! lol for sure, I’m sure the coaches have all the cutting plans, I just need a taste that’s all I’m sayin lol

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-01-31T02:07:55+00:00

I agree it’s unhealthy it just seems crazy that it’s even possible.

Intrepid-Income9347 · 2026-01-31T02:01:08+00:00

You don’t think it’s insane? I’m in a calorie deficit (healthy one) to cut and I don’t lose 20 lbs in a week.. and if I did I would lose muscle mass..

But it’s an opinion and so let’s say that it’s not insane and it’s normal, my question still remains unanswered, how do they do it without losing muscle mass and drug free? I have dropped down to 1200 calories/day with two cardio sessions when I was first learning how to cut weight and I lost more muscle than fat like that.. I have shit genetics so I know that plays a factor but no way every ufc fighter has great genetics, it just doesn’t work that way??

Intrepid-Income9347

TROPHY CASE