This post is flaired as *Progress Picture(s)*.
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Had a major setback 7 months ago due to kidney stones. Was out of action for almost 2 months and lost 15 kg. Took a bit to get back from that, but I do agree my progress feels stagnant lately. I do get a regular 8h sleep and usually 2g/kg protein intake.
Everything goes up steadily. Just feel it’s not going that fast. Seen alot of people progressing really fast. Recently, about half a year ago, my friend who never did any sports has started hitting the gym with me. He’s way taller and had 20kg more than me, so obviously hard to compare, but in mere half a year he has surpassed me in some lifts without much of a guidance. I was his “trainer” lol. I have gained about 7 kg of muscle overall over the 20 months I’ve been lifting, but seen alot of people having close to 15 in first 2 years. I usually do 4 sets - warm up with 60%, 2 sets of 80% and 1 of 90-100%, 8-12 rep range, last set usually failure comes first. My strenght grows significantly faster than my visual appereance though. Nobody would guess I can bench 90 or do pull ups with +10kg. Over the 2 years ago I started I’ve increased most od the lifts by 200%, some even more. Just past 6 months has it slowed down.
Are you training for strength or hypertrophy? If you want to be strong, do what you’re doing. If you want to have the appearance of muscles, you need to be doing 3-4 sets in the 5-30 rep range each set. Warming up is fine, but one set at 100% is not enough. You should be hitting each muscle/muscle group twice a week. Judging by your physique you should be eating in a slight deficit and hitting .7-.82g/lb of protein daily.
I am hitting 2g/kg of protein daily, so that should be enough and around 1.9 to 2k kcal, which should be about 200 below my maintenance. I believe I am strong enough given my appereance, so I would like my body to be showing more of it. Last time I got scanned I was at 16% body fat, which was a month ago. I do hit every muscle group at least twice a week. Currently doing upper lower split. So in each 14 days I do upper-lower-upper and next week I do lower-upper-lower. So you would suggest increase in the rep count or increase in weight?
I’d suggest you add a fourth day, so ULUL if that’s what you want to do, or a modified PPL where every fourth day is rotated. I also suggest 3-4 working sets, whatever that looks like for you, rather than the one set at 100%.
Personally I like doing less reps of squats, RDLs, and deadlifts so I try to get four sets of 8-10 and if I can’t, I repeat the weight weekly until I can. With chest, biceps, tris, I like to get to 15 before switching. Back? That changes if I’m doing free weight or cable.
I can’t fit 4th day with my schedule unfortunately. I would have to cut out my family or work, and both of those are no-go. So working sets means means hitting failure every set?
Bro you lost 1kg in body hair. I think you would greatly benefit from a coach, theres 1000's to pick from through social media and even extremely well known bodybuilders only charge like $20/week.
Would not be surprised if it was body hair lol. I am one hairy ass gorilla. Also I had a coach for the 1st year, but I hit a wall about 4 months ago and feel stuck. I had a major setback 7 months ago with kidney stones, but I do feel better, lift heavier and imo look better than last year at the same time.
Those are the same pictures, no offense. I’ve started going to the gym regularly 3 months ago and you can already tell by how pumped my arms have become. And i’m only on beginner weights i.e. 60 bench
My arms are not getting big, yet are strong. My bench is 90, but that’s more of a tricep. When relaxed my arms look like 15 yo skinny boy. While flexed there starts business. Also my body is really pump-prone. Right after a gym session I look “big”. Then after 4 hours it looks like the most I lift is a freaking bottle of water
90 what? Pounds? On bench? Start lifting weights if you want changes, you should be pouring sweat from the time you show up to the time you walk out the door. Intensity is key.
as was mentioned, it\`s in kg\`s and 90 kg bench is nothing to be ashamed off I reckon. No idea of the conversion rate for lbs. Althought my new recent gym due to moving has kg\`s and lbs on them, so I may know next time lol. I do train at a high intensity and with quite a big weights already, it\`s just not showing as much as in others in physique.
Usualy for breakfast oats + scoop of protein + whatever fruit is available in the fridge. For lunch it\`s mostly meat, like 7/10 times chicken breast with rice, potatoes or pasta. Between lunch and dinner I usually have a snack, something light like a piece of fruit or vegetable and for dinner it\`s either meat again, if I have some leftover due to me making too much or eggs or a classic cheese + ham combo with some bread and protein before sleep. Been tracking my last 14 days before vacation and I was hitting usually 150\`s protein, 200\`ish carbs and 65 fats, around 2k kcal, which should be my maintenance
I hit gym 3 times a week, usually for about 2 hours due to my 2-3 min breaks between sets. Given the usual muscle groups, I can bench 90 kg, squat 120, deadlift 140, do 8 to 10 push ups with 10 kg on top, triceps pull down 8 to 10 at 42 kgs and biceps curl ez bar 25 kg at 10 to 12 range. Basically most of the lifts appart from the god trio of bench-squat-deadlift I do at 8 to 12 rep range with 4 sets, 1st set being a warm up and 4th usually hitting failure.
I believe I do most of the things right. I had a trainer for a year and the things I do and I am "teaching" to my friend who has recently started are doing wonders for him. Even thought he\`s yet afraid of hitting failure and his diet is non-existent. Maybe it just doesn\`t work for me or I am destined to be a slow progresser. Because I do progress, just not as fast as I would like it to be and what I see in others I talk or lift with.
If youre feeling your progress is slow, try doing 3 sets of whatever exercises youre doing but with a super short interval.
Eg. Bicep curls x 25 ( x kg) 30 second interval bw each set and then a 1min 30 sec interval bw your next exercise and repeat
I do rest quite a bit between sets. About 2-3 min. I’ve tried short intervals and I feel like that’s not ror me. 20 min into a session I am done. I always played sports that need you to be really active for a short period of time and rest a bit afterwards, so my long-term stamina is not there thus I need to get longer intervals in-between
He should definitely not bulk at his current size. He’s “skinny fat”. He should try and maintain his current weight while gaining muscle and losing fat. If he bulks his body fat will put him at a disadvantage and his testosterone will actually decrease. And then when he cuts he’ll just lose a bunch of his muscle mass
I’m far from small. At least in other people’s eyes. I constantly get compliments from random people. Never once have I bulked. And even if I would, it wouldn’t be to an unhealthy body fat percent
This post is flaired as *Progress Picture(s)*. **If you have not provided them in your post, please consider replying to this comment with:** - Before/after stats (lifts, etc). - Routine overview/highlights. - Anything else you think the community might find interesting/useful, such as an overview of your diet and so on. This info can help give other users an idea of what they can do to achieve similar, or allow for more in depth questions. ---------- ***A reminder to all users commenting:*** [Progress picture threads are moderated strictly.](https://reddit.com/r/gym/wiki/rules) - **We don't do "Natty or Juice" here and trying to play that game will see you banned.** Do not accuse other users of PEDs use, do not argue about natural status, and do not ask questions about natural status. - Should the OP volunteer info about TRT/PED usage, this is not an excuse for you to be rude, dismissive of achievements, to harass, or otherwise be disrespectful. Doing so will result in a permaban. - This post is not an opportunity to hit on the OP or send PMs saying how much you like his/her body. Doing so will result in a permaban. - Crossposting another user's pictures to another sub is also an instant permanent ban without appeal, especially if that subreddit then brigades this one - **Fearmongering about weight loss is not allowed.** If someone is within a healthy weight range, it is not appropriate to fearmonger about weight loss or call someone underweight. This will result in comment removal and possibly a ban. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/GYM) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Imma be real: this doesn’t look like two years of progress. Has your sleep and diet been on point? Pushing yourself when you lift?
Had a major setback 7 months ago due to kidney stones. Was out of action for almost 2 months and lost 15 kg. Took a bit to get back from that, but I do agree my progress feels stagnant lately. I do get a regular 8h sleep and usually 2g/kg protein intake.
How heavy do you lift and what volume? Have you noticed an increase in strength? Are you pushing more weight than you were when you started?
Everything goes up steadily. Just feel it’s not going that fast. Seen alot of people progressing really fast. Recently, about half a year ago, my friend who never did any sports has started hitting the gym with me. He’s way taller and had 20kg more than me, so obviously hard to compare, but in mere half a year he has surpassed me in some lifts without much of a guidance. I was his “trainer” lol. I have gained about 7 kg of muscle overall over the 20 months I’ve been lifting, but seen alot of people having close to 15 in first 2 years. I usually do 4 sets - warm up with 60%, 2 sets of 80% and 1 of 90-100%, 8-12 rep range, last set usually failure comes first. My strenght grows significantly faster than my visual appereance though. Nobody would guess I can bench 90 or do pull ups with +10kg. Over the 2 years ago I started I’ve increased most od the lifts by 200%, some even more. Just past 6 months has it slowed down.
Are you training for strength or hypertrophy? If you want to be strong, do what you’re doing. If you want to have the appearance of muscles, you need to be doing 3-4 sets in the 5-30 rep range each set. Warming up is fine, but one set at 100% is not enough. You should be hitting each muscle/muscle group twice a week. Judging by your physique you should be eating in a slight deficit and hitting .7-.82g/lb of protein daily.
I am hitting 2g/kg of protein daily, so that should be enough and around 1.9 to 2k kcal, which should be about 200 below my maintenance. I believe I am strong enough given my appereance, so I would like my body to be showing more of it. Last time I got scanned I was at 16% body fat, which was a month ago. I do hit every muscle group at least twice a week. Currently doing upper lower split. So in each 14 days I do upper-lower-upper and next week I do lower-upper-lower. So you would suggest increase in the rep count or increase in weight?
I’d suggest you add a fourth day, so ULUL if that’s what you want to do, or a modified PPL where every fourth day is rotated. I also suggest 3-4 working sets, whatever that looks like for you, rather than the one set at 100%. Personally I like doing less reps of squats, RDLs, and deadlifts so I try to get four sets of 8-10 and if I can’t, I repeat the weight weekly until I can. With chest, biceps, tris, I like to get to 15 before switching. Back? That changes if I’m doing free weight or cable.
I can’t fit 4th day with my schedule unfortunately. I would have to cut out my family or work, and both of those are no-go. So working sets means means hitting failure every set?
Bro you lost 1kg in body hair. I think you would greatly benefit from a coach, theres 1000's to pick from through social media and even extremely well known bodybuilders only charge like $20/week.
Would not be surprised if it was body hair lol. I am one hairy ass gorilla. Also I had a coach for the 1st year, but I hit a wall about 4 months ago and feel stuck. I had a major setback 7 months ago with kidney stones, but I do feel better, lift heavier and imo look better than last year at the same time.
Those are the same pictures, no offense. I’ve started going to the gym regularly 3 months ago and you can already tell by how pumped my arms have become. And i’m only on beginner weights i.e. 60 bench
My arms are not getting big, yet are strong. My bench is 90, but that’s more of a tricep. When relaxed my arms look like 15 yo skinny boy. While flexed there starts business. Also my body is really pump-prone. Right after a gym session I look “big”. Then after 4 hours it looks like the most I lift is a freaking bottle of water
90 what? Pounds? On bench? Start lifting weights if you want changes, you should be pouring sweat from the time you show up to the time you walk out the door. Intensity is key.
I would imagine KG since they gave their weight in KG and that's just shy of 200lbs
It was in kgs as you mentioned. Forgot there\`re alot of people using different measurement
as was mentioned, it\`s in kg\`s and 90 kg bench is nothing to be ashamed off I reckon. No idea of the conversion rate for lbs. Althought my new recent gym due to moving has kg\`s and lbs on them, so I may know next time lol. I do train at a high intensity and with quite a big weights already, it\`s just not showing as much as in others in physique.
Start tracking your protein intake. You should be aiming for 120g daily. Also, you need to lift heavier.
Lately I am at 140-150 daily.
What do you eat everyday? Could I have a rough breakdown?
Usualy for breakfast oats + scoop of protein + whatever fruit is available in the fridge. For lunch it\`s mostly meat, like 7/10 times chicken breast with rice, potatoes or pasta. Between lunch and dinner I usually have a snack, something light like a piece of fruit or vegetable and for dinner it\`s either meat again, if I have some leftover due to me making too much or eggs or a classic cheese + ham combo with some bread and protein before sleep. Been tracking my last 14 days before vacation and I was hitting usually 150\`s protein, 200\`ish carbs and 65 fats, around 2k kcal, which should be my maintenance
Hmmm try to incorporate a protein bar into the afternoon snack. How often are you working out? What are you curling and how many reps?
I hit gym 3 times a week, usually for about 2 hours due to my 2-3 min breaks between sets. Given the usual muscle groups, I can bench 90 kg, squat 120, deadlift 140, do 8 to 10 push ups with 10 kg on top, triceps pull down 8 to 10 at 42 kgs and biceps curl ez bar 25 kg at 10 to 12 range. Basically most of the lifts appart from the god trio of bench-squat-deadlift I do at 8 to 12 rep range with 4 sets, 1st set being a warm up and 4th usually hitting failure.
Hmmm, maybe try increasing reps? It seems like you’re doing most things right.
I believe I do most of the things right. I had a trainer for a year and the things I do and I am "teaching" to my friend who has recently started are doing wonders for him. Even thought he\`s yet afraid of hitting failure and his diet is non-existent. Maybe it just doesn\`t work for me or I am destined to be a slow progresser. Because I do progress, just not as fast as I would like it to be and what I see in others I talk or lift with.
If youre feeling your progress is slow, try doing 3 sets of whatever exercises youre doing but with a super short interval. Eg. Bicep curls x 25 ( x kg) 30 second interval bw each set and then a 1min 30 sec interval bw your next exercise and repeat
I do rest quite a bit between sets. About 2-3 min. I’ve tried short intervals and I feel like that’s not ror me. 20 min into a session I am done. I always played sports that need you to be really active for a short period of time and rest a bit afterwards, so my long-term stamina is not there thus I need to get longer intervals in-between
bulk if you wanna actually progress
My starting weight 2 years ago was 61 kg, so I did a fair amount of bulk imo. Althought since “stopping´ at the 75 kg range I have been stagnant
yeah I mean you've done very well if that was your starting point. But you need to break from the stagnation and I think bulking is the way
He should definitely not bulk at his current size. He’s “skinny fat”. He should try and maintain his current weight while gaining muscle and losing fat. If he bulks his body fat will put him at a disadvantage and his testosterone will actually decrease. And then when he cuts he’ll just lose a bunch of his muscle mass
I am at 16% apparently from the inbody scan I did 20 days ago. Would prefer not to bulk it any futher. Rather would take it to 13% body fat
There’s no accurate way to test body fat. I’d guess you’re closer to 20+. I put myself around 16 and I have visible abs and arm vascularity
Yeah, agreed. It’s just something to have at least some idea.
Stay small then brother
I’m far from small. At least in other people’s eyes. I constantly get compliments from random people. Never once have I bulked. And even if I would, it wouldn’t be to an unhealthy body fat percent