Poor Upper Body Strength. Help!

Hi,

Since starting about 6 months ago, I have been slowly but surely making steady progress through most of Foundation 1.  However,  as my upper body strength is poor, I have been stuck on the following progressions for 5 months now with no sign of being able to move on to the next step:

• HBP Pushup 5x9r PE2 STEP6
• RC Ground Rows 3x6r PE2 STEP3

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions for what I can try to do to overcome these roadblocks.

Thanks,

Scott

Hi Scott,

Thanks for reaching out. 

How does your current schedule look like? Have you been doing the same schedule for the past 6 months?

I always suggest to submit a form check as well to ensure that your technical execution is on point  

Pauline is spot on - understanding the schedule and form checks are necessary

Thanks for the replies.  See below for my schedule which I have been doing since the start more or less.  Since 1st January this year, I have only missed 5 days of training

Any observations would be greatly appreciated.  In the meantime, I'll record a couple of videos to submit for form checks.  Thanks again!

 

HI Scott, for both HBP and RC I suggest an additional set after your normal working set. Try next session and tell me if you can break the plateau.

To build on Alessandro's great response, I use the idea of Kaizen quite often. Be 1% better than last time.

This means I often add an additional bit of work, to try be just 1% better than last time. For example, if I'm on 4x48 hollow body rocks, I'll do an additional set of 12 reps, then the next workout an additional set of 13 reps... And so on (judging it as I go). I'll keep this up until I'm comfortable 'clicking the happy face' - and can sometimes even build to a complete additional set at the end of what's required before moving on.

A real time example? I just stepped up to 5x30s planche leans. Second workout I added a sixth set of just 12s. Very easy to do. Workout after that, it was an additional set of 14, then 16... When I hit 24s, I then stepped it up by just 1 second - so 25, then 26 and I just did 27 the other day.

I don't necessarily stick to the regimented iM as rest, and just do the additional work sometime after my final scheduled work set (maybe after a quick break for example) - keeping it loose and fun.

 

Food for thought

 

Callum

Thanks so much guys for the great feedback. I look forward to trying your suggestions out.

I'll quickly clarify my post - I of course stick to the iM for rest during the required sets, but not so much for the 'Kaizen' extra work.

I get stuck in the 5 to 8 rep range often. I respond better to intensity so I have established volume at an easy level and snuck up on more difficult ones as a way to overcome.

Set the ring height two inches lower than Incline Rows master that level.   Then for the next session lower by another two inches.  Master that level, and so on until you reach Ground Row height.   It's another form of Kaizen.  You go back to the mastery volume of Incline Rows (5x15) and gradually increase the intensity little be little.     

Another one is on your last set to do as many clean reps as you can, pause and take three breaths, do some more, pause take three breaths, do some more, repeat until you reach three pause/set or 15 total reps, do your mobility.  Your first day may only be 6+1+1+1 but you are adding volume.  When you can do 15 reps without taking any pauses on your last set click the happy face.  Just another way to add volume, similar to adding a set but just driving it up on the last set instead of adding a set.  

And I just thought of one more suggestion.  A few years ago a Personal Trainer told me he was working with Middle/High school kids and they were working on their Fitness Tests.  In this case the exercise of focus was Pull Ups.  A lot just couldn't increase their max number.  So he had them work on their max weight.  After a month or so they retested and the max reps had increased.   That's right he said they increased their strength endurance by increasing the max strength.  

So if you have a way (example: weight vest) to increase the difficulty of the level your stuck on but keep the reps and sets constant retesting mastery at the lower level (body weight only) you should see and increase in reps.   

I haven't even mentioned isometric holds at the top of the movement on the last rep or eccentric only 10 second reps as two ways of extending the set to condition the muscles for higher levels.  

Hi @Kevin Herring,

I didn't read every posts here, sorry if the idea has already been mentioned.

What I do when a strength element like push-ups and rows are too hard for me to keep going on a step, I use eccentric reps.  This way, I push or pull up and lower as slow as I can and I do that for every reps left.  It worked pretty well and still doing it!