Only making progress every other workout - need more sleep? move to weekly gains?

[xagent]

I am try to do linear progression, but just can't. This is what I've noticed consistently for the past nearly 2 months:

Biggest gains on Monday - 5-10 pounds for squat, 5 lbs for deadlift, 5 lbs for bench/press. Tuesdays, on my rest day, I feel like complete shit. Tired. Joints sore and bones achy. No difference whether I get 6 hours, or 9 hours of sleep.

Wednesday - Try to add 5 lbs but fail. Even the same weight from Monday, I'm able to do just 1 set, if at all. End up having to DROP 5-10 lbs to finish 3x5. The fatigue/soreness from Tuesday is usually gone , but mentally not "in the zone". Just don't feel motivated and confident.

Friday - I am able to add more weight. Not as much as I added on Monday, but a little more. For example only a 5 lbs increase on squats. Sometimes I can't add weight to the bench or press (because smallest plates I have are 2.5 lbs so 5lb minimum increase), but the weight just "feels" easier.

and pretty much cycle repeats... Add decent weight Monday, fail on Wednesday, add a little Friday.

I tried a de-load week in beginning on November, but week after I came back to this exact same pattern.

Is it time to move on to a weekly periodized program? AM I shooting myself in the foot by trying to add weight each workout? Or is it fine since I'm still making gains?

Here are my stats:

5'7" @ bodyweight of 155 lbs weighed in the evening
Squats: 250 3x5
Deadlift: 320 1x5
Bench: 155 3x5
Press: 110 3x5
Power clean: 130 5x3
pull-ups: 10 to failure, chinups: 14 to failure (post dead-lift)

As for diet... I can't eat anymore. I take shits 3x a day. My stomach is always full and bloated, I have trouble putting some meals down. I'm drinking 1/2 GOMAD, each time w/ Whey protein.

Typical Sunday:
- Brunch, 3 egg omlette w/ chorizo, potatoes
- large latte
- 16 oz. whole milk w/ 2 sccops Whey
- Thai basil chicken w/ side of brown rice
- 16 oz whole milk w/ 2 scoops whey
- can of Hormel chili

Today:
- 16 oz whole milk w/ 2 scoops Whey
- Indian chicken curry, naan, side side of daal (lentil and beans)
- 16 oz. whole milk w/ 2 scoops whey
- medium sized latte w/ whole milk
- Chipotle burrito bowl (no rice) - carnitas, double the beans, fajita veggies, extra cheese, salsa
- LIFT
- 16 oz. whole milk w/ 2 scoops whey
- 0.6 lb ribeye steak
- Can of some type of beans of lentils
- handful of almonds or Brazil nuts of walnuts before bed.

[MikeC1]

Time to make Wednesday a light day.

Oh, and you need to find a way to microload your press and bench. I bought 1.25 lb plates on Amazon for about $16, but you can probably do cheaper if you're creative, or get to a Fastenal store.

[skipbeat]

switch to advanced novice with a light day in the middle of the week. start microloading upper body lifts. your weight is quite low relative to your lifts, so good job with that too, but you can utilize that factor to gain strength quite in your favor

edit: mike beat me to it.

[spiderman]

You joined the forums in mid 2010. If have been lifting continuously or even almost continuously for 1.5 years then it is no surprise you cannot make gains every workout. Linear progression is usually mentioned with a max timeline of about 9 months which you are well past. Seems like you body is allowing you to make progress on the advanced novice so do that with microloading your pressing exercises.

[skipbeat]

You joined the forums in mid 2010. If have been lifting continuously or even almost continuously for 1.5 years then it is no surprise you cannot make gains every workout. Linear progression is usually mentioned with a max timeline of about 9 months which you are well past. Seems like you body is allowing you to make progress on the advanced novice so do that with microloading your pressing exercises.

-__- there is no magic spurt that you initiate the first day you touch a barbell, and then quickly goes on it's own timeline with no outside factors influencing it other than the amount of time passing. hey guess what, your times up buddy you might as well go kill yourself now or switch to TM...

[xagent]

How much lighter? Would this just be like the Texas Method outlined in PP?

My main concern is Monday/Friday. Keep adding the weight each workout there too and just stick to 3x5? Perhaps forcibly going lighter on Wednesday, might allow me to make as good gains on Friday as I did on Monday.

Or should I plan week by week now? 5x5 Monday, go light Wednesday, Friday do 2 or 3 sets but hit a PR... Monday repeat but don't add weight instead use Friday's weight with more volume again, and so forth... basically Texas Method.

[xagent]

You joined the forums in mid 2010. If have been lifting continuously or even almost continuously for 1.5 years then it is no surprise you cannot make gains every workout. Linear progression is usually mentioned with a max timeline of about 9 months which you are well past. Seems like you body is allowing you to make progress on the advanced novice so do that with microloading your pressing exercises.

I was out from March 2011 - August 2011 with torn meniscus + sprained MCL, subsequent 6 weeks on crutches(got my meniscus repaired), and 3 months of no lifting and running, along with a month long vacation abroad over the summer. I just started doing LP again mid-August, and this is where I am now.

Coincidentally, I'm pretty much back now at the same level where I was when I left off in Feb/March (but 10 pounds heavier, probably fat from sitting/limping around and drinking all summer). In fact I hit this same prob back then too... I did LP from Oct 2010 - Feb 2010, hit this exact same problem so decided to try out 5/3/1 for 2 weeks, then fucked up my knee snowboarding

[PressesPeople]

You need to eat shittier food, believe it or not. In my experience, one cannot eat as healthy as you are and still get enough calories. You need more saturated fat.

[spiderman]

How much lighter? Would this just be like the Texas Method outlined in PP?

My main concern is Monday/Friday. Keep adding the weight each workout there too and just stick to 3x5? Perhaps forcibly going lighter on Wednesday, might allow me to make as good gains on Friday as I did on Monday.

Or should I plan week by week now? 5x5 Monday, go light Wednesday, Friday do 2 or 3 sets but hit a PR... Monday repeat but don't add weight instead use Friday's weight with more volume again, and so forth... basically Texas Method.

You don't need TM yet because you are still making 10-15 lbs progress per week. You are essentially doing the advanced novice program because that is all your body is allowing you to do. So why not just do the advanced novice program. PP page 110-111.

I was out from March 2011 - August 2011 with torn meniscus + sprained MCL, subsequent 6 weeks on crutches(got my meniscus repaired), and 3 months of no lifting and running, along with a month long vacation abroad over the summer. I just started doing LP again mid-August, and this is where I am now.

Coincidentally, I'm pretty much back now at the same level where I was when I left off in Feb/March (but 10 pounds heavier, probably fat from sitting/limping around and drinking all summer). In fact I hit this same prob back then too... I did LP from Oct 2010 - Feb 2010, hit this exact same problem so decided to try out 5/3/1 for 2 weeks, then fucked up my knee snowboarding

Yuck. Glad you are squatting again at a decent level given all that knee trouble.

[skipbeat]

advanced novice, google it. it's SS but on wednesday you do light squats instead of setting a PR. something like:

M: 225
W: 160-180 (i think it's supposed to be 80%)
F: 230

i would also deadlift on W with 10lb jumps rather than 5lb jumps twice a week