Here are some ideas that might help:
1) first, sometimes I think weight plateaus can be as much psychological as physical. Tell yourself you can do it!
2) If you want to add strength, then doing MORE workouts could actually be counterproductive. You would then be working an even more tired muscle, and might even go DOWN in strength.
3) Platemates are small magnetized plates that you can attach to the ends of your dumbbells to go up more gradually in weight. I have 2 sets each of 1.25# (to go up 2.5# per db) and whatever 1/2 of 1.25# is (to go up 1.25# per db). Ideally, you should increase weights for smaller muscle groups (triceps, biceps, shoulders) about 5 percent, and larger muscle groups (legs, chest, back) by no more than 10 percent when you go up.
To do the same, more-gradual, increase for push-ups, find levels between 'on-the-toes" (which may be too hard) and "on-the-knees" (which may be too easy...you're looking for the "baby bear's" version here, LOL!). I start out doing as many push-ups as I can on my toes (harder with Cathe, because of the shorter recovery between sets...see below), then drop to one knee on a balance disc (leaving the other leg extended behind me), then to two knees on a balance disc. For some reason, I sometimes find doing stacked feet push-ups(regular "on-the-toes" push-ups, but with one foot stacked on the other so I'm actually doing "one-foot" push-ups) easier than the regular toe push-ups (though they logically shouldn't be!)
4) For biceps, you can use assisted reps. Do concentration curls using a heavier weight than you usually do, and when you reach failure (can't do another rep with good form), use your other hand to help get the weight up, then lower with your own strength (essentially doing a "negative rep" ). Don't do this for every bicep exercise or session (negatives are tough), but it can help break through the plateau.
5) change workouts, especially if you have been doing the same workout for a long time. P90X really helped me break through some weight plateaus: the rest periods, "go-at-your-own-pace" set-up, etc. and rotation that allowed for enough recovery helped me increse my weights almost every workout. I never had that kind of increase with Cathe's workouts (I suspect part of that is the lack of recovery between sets), BUT I think that Slow and Heavy could be used this way.
6) Put longer breaks between sets to allow the muscle to recover more fully. I do this with almost all of Cathe's workouts now (especially PLB and MM). That extra bit of recovery allows me to lift heavier that I could without the break. Just don't make it "too löng." Maybe twice the time Cathe allows in the workout done "as-is," with a longer break between body parts (3x) to do some dynamic strentches for the area just worked.
7) You can do drop sets: start the set with a heavier weight than you usually use, and when you can't do anymore reps, drop to your regular weight. (This would also work better, perhaps, with S&H, maybe doing it as a 3/3 count, so you have those extra 2 counts to change weights).
8) I have an instructional video for Kettleball training (which I don't do, but the weight training advice is good) done by a strength and conditioning coach, who refers to other strength coaches. One idea I took from him was to set your body during standing moves, planting your feet and feeling them firmly rooted, and tensing the lower body somewhat. Then, for back and shoulder moves (lat rows, delt raises, upright rows), INHALING on the pull (rather than the traditional exhalining). This helps stabilize the upper body, and I find it stabilizes my sometimes-not-stable shoulder and allows me to lift heavier (it also goes more with what my body WANTS to do on these moves).
9) Choose more productive exercises that you can lift heavier oon. For example, I see tricep kickbacks as "finishing moves" more than as strength moves, because they can't be done with as heavy a weight as some other tricep moves. I will sometimes (as in PUB) substitute lying tricep extentions with dumbbells for them. Because my body is more supported when doing lying extensions, I can lift heavier, and feel this is one of the most beneficial triceps moves for me.
For lat rows, I can sometimes lift heavier when I do a 1-arm row with my knee and hand supported on a high bench (I take my step up to 18"--I have a lot of risers!). I don't have to think about supporting my back in an isolation hold, so I can concentrate more fully on the lat that is working.
10) Concentrate on compound exercises for large muscle groups in oone workout per week. Instead of spending a lot of time on biceps and triceps, for example, do heavy chest presses, lat rows, squats.
11) Mix up barbell moves and dumbbell moves. Barbells will allow you to lift more weight, because fewer stabiliziing muscles are called into play. Dumbbells will help keep both sides equal in strength, and even though you won't be able to lift as much total weight, they are in many ways superior to barbells because they do call on the stabiliziing muscles, and work the tendons and ligaments better.
12) Do some functional fitness workouts for a week between bouts of heavy lifting. Even though workouts like "Core Secrets" (which I use) may seem lame and "too easy" compared to Cathe workouts, I find that they do help strengthen the supporting muscles and the core, and when I come back to heavy lifting after doing them, I can lift better and more. (P90X includes this type of "recovery week" workout in its program).
Good luck!
Think strong!
You can do it!
