Hello. This is my first time posting on here and I hope this post makes it to the right place. I have been working out since June 19th. When I started I weighed 167 and was at 25% body fat. I checked it again at 6 months on 12/19 and my weight was 154 and my body fat was at 19.9%. Other achievements made were as follows:
I started benching only 80 pounds max and I can now bench 155 at 4 sets of 6. I could only squat the bar and now I can squat 165. I started shoulder pressing 5 pound dumbbells and now I can do 30 pound dumbbells. Lat pull downs I started at 30 and now at 100. I still can’t do many pull-ups without assistance.
So my question is, is the slow progress in 6 months are on par?
Seems like great progress
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You lost like 12 pounds of pure body fat. That’s awesome.
You learned the lifts and doubled, tripled or quadrupled your poundages. Including the squat which gives lots of people trouble. That’s awesome.
Unfortunately you gained no muscle mass. From lifting more weight, to burning body fat and looking jacked, Muscle Tissue makes the whole thing go. That’s why your progress feels slow.
Something is missing if you’re not gaining muscle mass as a beginner.
Once you figure that out things will speed up.
What’s up with your diet, how much protein do you get?
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I try to stay within the range of 1700 calories a day. My goal has always been 160g protein a day but it’s more realistically been about 100g. Usually for breakfast I’ll have eggs, lunch is usually a tossup between a sandwich or chicken salad. Sometimes tuna. And dinner consists of even more chicken and rice
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OK, good info.
At a glance it looks like 100 grams of protein will maintain your muscle mass. Even while lifting in a deep caloric deficit.
So make that 160 gram goal a Reality and see what happens to your progress!
A protein shake after training could be an easy way to start getting more grams.
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Also, how has your progress been lately, like in the last 6 weeks or a month?
Have you been making steady losses of fat and lifting heavier weights the whole time you’ve been training?
Or was progress fast initially before slowing down?
Are you strong and energetic in the gym or do you feel tired and worn out?
For the last month my muscles have been around the same measurement. my fat loss has been a gradual thing, each month I get slimmer. This is my results from a body scan on 12/5 compared to 12/29. I know the machine isn’t totally accurate but it’s usually ballpark.
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Also I usually feel more energetic after the gym.
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Also the dips in the line graph are just the scans that didn’t work.
Great progress! One thing to keep in mind: When a person first starts lifting, he makes a lot of what we’ll call “nervous system gains.” Your nervous system is learning to fire, hold unsteady heavy things, connect the mind-muscle connection, etc. This even happens when an experienced lifter tries a brand new exercise.
Now, some coaches will say that once the nervous system learns its job, it’s then that the muscle gains start to appear. There’s probably a little of both happening, but it’s good to keep in mind. The muscle gains are coming, along with more “pure” strength gains. Keep at it. The best exercise is consistency.
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It’s definitely a lot easier for me to lift weights now than it was in the beginning. I’m still trying to work on my balance. I noticed that I tend to lean to one side without realizing it. Any advice on how I could fix my balance?
Usually things like that just fix themselves over time. You could’ve had some natural strength imbalances that throw you off, and most people have a stronger and weaker side, but it usually takes care of itself. If not, try some unilateral work: one arm or one-leg variations of common exercises.
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Alright! Sometimes dudes get tired and the body wants to burn less calories after months in a deficit. But that doesn’t
seem like an issue for you, so keep up what’s been working.
But be serious about the protein. Get those grams in! Don’t mess around.
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Thanks man! Appreciate the feedback!
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Thank you! Appreciate the feedback!
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