Actually, you are hitting on something I hoped someone would. It's because I hit sticking points that I've tried to increase the volume. I didn't think I should need so much volume, especially without being on gear and having accelerated recovery. For the first year and a half I almost always had no issue adding strength.

But for maybe six months I keep hitting sticking points on strength gains, so before I came here I've searched workouts with more volume and intensity. I was doing rest pause on last set of each exercise. I'd do that for two weeks, and then I'd switch to lower rep heavier weight, but I'd do drop sets. For a long time I'd easily break my personal highs, without really ever going over 80% of maximum.

I even read Dr. Jim Stoppani's entire Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength, and all it really said about busting plateau was to use rest pauses, etc.

A guy in my gym had been doing a Jay Culter workout from bodybuilding.com, it had more exercises, so I figured maybe it would help. I copied it and have stuck with it.

I think maybe by doing rest pause, drops, etc. after every last set in an exercises, it may have inhibited my ability to break sticking points as easily.

Then again, the pace I was breaking sticking points got me so frustrated, that is when I thought maybe it's time to try gear. And here I am.

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