Are you an intermediate bodybuilder who just can’t seem to break the 200-pound mark? You eat everything in sight and take an hour nap each day, but something just seems to be lacking? Chances are, your body has become accustomed to your training patterns. You might be using the ever-popular 5-day training split (Chest, back, Shoulder, Arm, and Leg days). Or you might be using another. Whatever system you’ve been choosing, your body may no longer be responding. Without that need for response, the muscles stay their current size. Here are five routines that you should try for stunning the muscles into growing.

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Periodization is a word that is commonly thrown around in powerlifting and bodybuilding circles to describe training that varies. More specifically, periodization can be defined as the frequent variation of techniques, weights, exercises, speed, and reps & sets in order to facilitate new muscle growth. The belief system behind periodization is that the human body adapts very quickly to a particular routine, and once the body adapts, it is no longer forced to grow in order to possess the muscle required to meet the workload. By continuously changing routines, bodybuilders and powerlifters hope to keep ‘shocking’ the muscle into growing. Periodization has three sequential stages the trainer will encounter when using this technique.

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Muscle groups in the body are comprised of two types of fibers: Slow-twitch and Fast-twitch. Understanding the difference between the two, as well as the training methodologies which lead to successful training of each area, will lead to the recruitment of the highest possible number of fibers, and should be very important to bodybuilders!

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If you asked any new trainer in the gym why he’s there, you’ll likely get one of three answers. First, “I’m here to get bigger”. This is to be expected. The second answer will probably be “I’m here to get stronger”. Again, this is a very reasonable goal. Finally, the most likely answer will combine the two and will sound something like, “I’m here to get bigger AND stronger”. (For the sake of this exercise, we’ll ignore those trainers seeking to lose body fat).

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Are you a bodybuilder who just can’t seem to make any meaningful gains in terms of size or strength? Are you tired of the same old routine and diet that you’ve used for the past few years? Have you reached a plateau which you just cannot break, no matter how much you try? Perhaps it’s time to mix things up. For the next month, you are no longer a bodybuilder. For the next two months, you are a powerlifter.

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Throughout the annals of powerlifting history and lore, one technique has stood out among all the others (and there are many) for helping men and women to squat more and more poundage: The box squat. Many powerlifters have attributed leaps from their previously plateaued weight limits, to some higher number (often by 100 to 200 additional pounds) after introducing box squats into their routine.

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