[khazhoux]

> lifting is the most trivially simple activity there is

Lucky you. For me, I always hit plateaus after a couple of months, and then in the past have given up several times after no progress over many months.

This time, starting 13 months ago, I'm determined to stick with it, but still it's sloooooow, despite hours at the gym every other day (no exceptions!) putting in the work. So I'm definitely interested in seeing if there's some other approach that might be better -- more reps, higher weights, more/less variety, less rest period, more frequency, ....? Maybe the answer is I just need to be at the gym lifting hard 3 hours a day, 7 days a week.

[marknutter]

There's a lot of different strategies you can employ when you hit a plateau. Try de-loading (e.g. 10% less weight) and working back up to the weight you plateaued at. Try adding drop sets after your main sets. Try implementing a periodization program. It could be related to your diet; perhaps you're not eating enough. It could be related to your sleep; perhaps you're not sleeping enough. It could be a result of supporting muscles that are lagging behind the main muscle utilized for a given lift, so do some research into supplemental exercises that could shore up those supporting muscles. Good luck!

[dangom]

You may not see any progress, but that doesn't mean there isn't any. You are perfecting the moves you are making, and strengthening your bones, ligaments and tendons, which just don't develop nearly as fast as muscles.

Staying at a plateau for a while is sometimes great to avoid injury.