Body Composition Not Changing after Several Months?

martin92 · November 12, 2023, 3:05am

Hello everybody!

I’m 31y.o. male, 178cm (5’10’)', 87kg (192lbs). I’m training on and off for years, my previous diary I’m going to revive is here: Journey to Size .

Long story short, I’d like to obtain a bulky physique, literally as large and strong as possible, while staying healthy. I’m not really interested in getting ripped anytime soon.

During the last year, when I stopped writing my diary, plenty of things happened and I moved to another country, so had a long hiatus and started training again this August weighting 81kg (178.5lbs). After a month with personal coach, who didn’t really “click” with me I tried to get back to Stronglifts 5x5 program to do something I have some previous experience in and which is simple enough to follow.

My current trainings maxes are:
Squats: 105kg (231.5lbs)
Deadlift: 115kg (235.5lbs)
Benchpress: 73kg (161lbs)
Pendlay rows: 65kg (143lbs)
Overhead press: 43kg (95lbs)

My concern is, that while I try to eat at a caloric surplus, visually I look pretty much the same since the summer. When taking measurements for the last 2 months, they aren’t very positive either, having a very slight growth and putting on some mass on my waistline… Overall, I’d hope for somewhat larger visual changes over few months, especially, when my chest and arms look basically the same as in the beginning.

My measurements are here (units are cm/kg):

Date	Chest	Waist	Left arm	Right arm	Left leg	Right leg	Weight
27. 9. 2023	115.7	94.4	36.5	37.6	59.6	60.5	83
30. 9. 2023	116	98.5	37	38	61.2	62.5
3. 10. 2023	120	96.5	37.4	38.4	63	64.4
10. 10. 2023	118.5	98.5	37.6	38.5	61.5	62.5
14. 10. 2023	117	98	37.6	38.5	63.5	64.5	86
20. 10. 2023	115	98	37.5	38.5	62	64.5
21. 10. 2023	118.5	98.2	37.8	38.8	63	65	86.5
22. 10. 2023	113.5	97.5	37.3	38.9	63.2	64.9	86
23. 10. 2023	118	97.7	37.5	38	63.5	65	87
12.11.2023	118.6	98.4	37.8	38.6	64	65	87

Do you have any idea, what could be wrong? Are my expectations unrealistic? Or am I lifting too little weights to improve the muscle mass now? Or maybe the program won’t have an aesthetic effects, if it’s primary strength-based?

Thank you very much for any advice, my current photos are here:

TrainForPain · November 13, 2023, 9:49am

Hey, my friend, good on your for jumping back in! I’m going to drop some quick notes (as I’m about to get my lazy butt in the gym too), and I can come back and offer some specifics if helpful.

“Off and on” won’t cut it. You’ve really got to think in terms of not missing a session and doing everything exactly right for decades. If you make some progress after just 5 years, that’s a win.
I know you don’t want to get “ripped,” but your bodyfat is currently too high to see whether you’re building muscle.
Similarly, your bodyfat is likely impacting your insulin sensitivity… which will make it harder to build muscle. As an easy data point here, take a look at how your waist gains have “outperformed” your chest.
Starting strength is a great program to get you started, but not for much else. It’s time for you to move onto something a little more specific to your goals. At this point, you definitely need some more volume at least.
You’re not moving a ton of load on your main movements, yet, which is to be expected. I’d think more about your 8-10 rep maxes than 1RM for your goals, as you track those numbers up.
You don’t really mention your actual diet. Everyone finds what works for them, or should, but I tend to think a good starting point is:

12-15 calories per lbs.
.8-1g protein per lbs.
.4g fat per lbs.
The rest carbs

You also don’t mention any cardio, and I know Rippetoe somehow thinks it’s contraindicated, but I’m going to recommend you do that so we live long enough to get jacked. It also improves volume tolerance and recovery.

martin92 · November 13, 2023, 2:11pm

Hi @TrainForPain ,
thank you very much for your answer!

First of all, I should make a few explanations:

The hiatus was long, but something over half a year or so, fortunately not 5
I’m doing Stronglifts 5x5 by Mehdi, not Starting Strength by Rippetoe - not much of a difference, just to be precise
The listed maxes are the weights used in training (i.e. for 5 reps), not 1-rep maxes

That said, I wasn’t feeling “fat”, but I can lose some of it, if it helps - together with that I can include some LISS cardio into my training, definitely.
Concerning the program, I really like the fast pace in which I’m getting stronger - would it be viable to stay with the program for a while? I was thinking about getting to approx 100kg benchpress, 140kg squats and 180kg deadlift in sets and then switching to something else, so that I have enough strength-base… But yes, I feel, that I could do more volume in the program - maybe adding chin-ups and dips would do? Also I was trying lighter benchpress even on “non-bench” days, so I could keep that…

Concerning my food and training, I’ll put here more details later in a day…

So far, thank you once more!

cyclonengineer · November 13, 2023, 2:20pm

I’ll throw in my 2 cents as a large dude not specifically trying to get ripped or weight loss but with a focus on health.

Adding in some higher rep kettlebell, band, and carry stuff (a la Dan John) has done wonders for how strong I feel and for fat loss, this in turn has improved my insulin sensitivity tremendously and I respond better to each training session now. I have hit the weights harder this year than I have in a while (multiple years) and while the scale has moved much (down 10lbs or so from 295 to 285) my composition has changed a ton - check my log if you want pictures of my current status if you think those numbers are bit crazy.

Following what @TrainForPain I would definitely push volume to build a muscle size and strength base. KBs and carries are great for adding in volume in a short period of time and will generally improve overall strength.

TrainForPain · November 13, 2023, 6:22pm

Those movements are awesome - there’s no reason you necessarily ever have to move away from them. Likewise, getting stronger for reps sounds like a great plan. I just don’t think that program (and I don’t know the differences between the two, to be fair) has enough hard volume to deliver what you want. Chins and dips are great adds, and something you can do relatively frequently!

I, personally, don’t think that light bench press type work does a ton for hypertrophy directly. It will improve technique, and maybe recovery, which can help you get stronger and train harder more frequently… so it can be a great indirect method.

simo74 · November 13, 2023, 9:27pm

You don’t give a time frame for this, how long are you prepared to keep giving consistent effort and controlling your food ?

Getting a large muscular physique is not a 6 month journey, it is a years and years of hard work. In that time your training and focus will change many many times but as long as you are making progress to your overall goal then that is fine.

@TrainForPain has given some great suggestions around fat loss to give yourself the best environment to gain muscle and given some good advise regarding the training program.

I would say that if you are enjoying your current program and are getting stronger every week and hopefully adding a little size (not on the waist). Then keep doing what you are doing. In a few months when you are a little stronger and you are no longer progressing then switch it up and move to something with a little more volume.

@cyclonengineer is spot on regarding conditioning and carrying things. I would echo his comments and suggest you are doing at least 2 session of hard conditioning a week. Barbel complexes, kettle bells, sandbags, carrying, even burpees. All good things to really get the heart rate up and make you hate yourself for 20 mins.

Overall the only thing that really matters and will get you to your goal, are Effort, discipline and time. Keep working hard, be consistent and disciplines in both training and diet and see what happens for the next 10 years.

Start a training log here and interact with others and you will get all the advice and hopefully some motivation to help with the discipline.

QuadQueen · November 19, 2023, 1:32am

If ya give us some more diet details, I’d be happy to give you some pointed suggestions!

martin92 · November 19, 2023, 11:57pm

Thank you @cyclonengineer !

Your numbers are definitely impressive Could you describe, what kind of kettlebel routine would you recommend, so that it would be easy-to-learn and short? I’d like to put it as a “bonus” day of my training, which I like to change from time to time according to mu current needs (or feeling, better said )…

With carries, I’m afraid, that in my small gym I’m kinda limited by the equipment and space. That said, I’ll definitely try Dan John-like routine in the future, it looks great!

cyclonengineer · November 20, 2023, 12:06am

Either Enter the Kettlebell by Pavel or Hardstyle Kettlebell by Dan John.

martin92 · November 20, 2023, 12:17am

Dear @TrainForPain and @simo74 ,
I like to think in long-term, as I’d like to adopt working out as a kind of a lifestyle,
partially due to my office job and partially due to my high blood pressure (compensated by medication) and some problems with cholesterol during the last year (huge stress over long time, otherwise always OK).

I’m trying to do this routine now:

Day A:

5x5 Squats
5x5 Benchpress
5x5 Pendlay rows
3x10 Dips
2x8 Skullcrushers

Day B:

5x5 Squats
5x5 Overhead press
1x5 Deadlift
3x10 Chin-ups
2x8 Biceps curls

As you can see, I’ve added some arm exercises to increase my training volume. I’m doing this training on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Furthermore, I’m training on Saturday/Sunday, where I’m trying to do something according to my current feel, usually the upper chest incline pushes, as my upper chest is completely non-existent.

Considering my mobility, I’d like to to to Simple6 and Limber11, but as my trainings with higher weights take already quite a lot of time, I’m not sure, if it’s good to do both of them before trainings.

Considering cardio, I got a treadmill recently, so I could use that, or the kettlebels, if possible.

In short, my questions:

Is my current routine somewhat reasonable? It’s still according to Mehdi’s Stronglifts 5x5 program, but I’m not sure, if the accessory is OK and sufficient to have some effect.
Is Simple6 and Limber11 OK to do for mobility and to improve regeneration? And if it is, when to do it? Every evening / only on training days / right before trainings?
What kind of cardio would you prefer? HIIT / LISS on treadmill, kettlebells, burpees or something completely different? And when would you do it? On off days?
Is it reasonable to care about upper chest now? My upper chest is really non-developed in contrast with the lower part. If it is, I’d like to focus also on that during my “bonus day”.
When is it realistic to expect some measurable improvements considering weight/size? Even if minimal, I’d like to check, that my approach is working from time to time…

Also, since tomorrow I’m going to put my trainings and food into my old diary, so that it can be listed everything in one place…

Thank you for all the information!

martin92 · November 20, 2023, 12:21am

Dear @QuadQueen ,
I’m trying to focus on quite a lot of meat (about 800g per day), together with 150g of oatflakes together with 500ml of milk twice a day. My problem usually is, that it’s kinda hard for me to eat enough carbs. Any tips about food? I’m going to continue with my journal and write everything there since tomorrow.

QuadQueen · November 21, 2023, 4:13pm

If you’re looking to improve your body comp, adding more carbs won’t work unless you decrease the meat/protein to compensate for the additional caloric load. With the oats and the milk, you’re sitting at around 140 grams of carbs each day, if

is all you’re consuming.

A couple questions:

Are you eating lean cuts of meat or fatty/heavily marbled meats?
What type of milk are you drinking? Whole, 2%, 1%, or Skim?
Are you eating ANYTHING else? Vegetables, fruit, added fat - butter, peanut butter, nuts, etc.

Your answers to these questions will give us something to base recs on.

s.gentz · November 21, 2023, 5:02pm

As @QuadQueen said, you def need to paint a better picture of what you are consuming per meal. Not just a blanket statement for an entire day.

TrainForPain · November 21, 2023, 7:14pm

Sure. It’s still not something I’d enjoy, but you’re hitting big lifts 3x a week. It’s fine.

It’s twice as much (well, mathematically infinitely more) than I’d ever do. I think the simplest is to just alternate them every day. I’d definitely not be doing 30 minutes of mobility drills before I lift unless I had some real injury I was rehabbing.

Mix it up. You don’t have to recover from walking on a treadmill (in fact, it improves recovery), so do that whenever you want. Sprinting on a treadmill (or burpees or whatever else) do require some recovery. I think it’s schedule and personal preference whether you do it on weight days or not.

If you want, but your program is not really built to focus on anything in particular. You could just make all your benches inclines and take care of it right there. Alternatively, superset a dumbbell incline with feet-elevated pushups on your accessory day and you’ll feel it.

What do you mean? You could gain weight this week if you eat a cheeseburger; that might not be what you want, though. I would set behavior goals right now, trust the process, and look to the mirror every 4-6 weeks.

jskrabac · November 22, 2023, 4:25am

I may be in the minority here, but I’m really not a fan of your program for a beginner lifter. I know that’s sacrilege to say about stronglifts, but it’s not well rounded at all. It will work great IFF you’re in the 5% of the population that has no mobility, stability or balance issues…but for the 95% you’re gonna accumulate some dysfunction down the road by doing the exact same bilateral barbell movement patterns.

Ideally, a balanced workout should include some DB pressing, single-arm rowing, cable work, core work (anti-flexion, rotation, lateral flexion), high-rep hinge work that’s not gonna fry your CNS like deadlifts (DB RDLs, single-leg RDLs, hip thrusts, etc.), and lastly a power component first thing in your workout (broad jumps, vertical jumps, explosive KB swings, med ball throws, etc.)…and oh, almost forgot, an indefinite amount of band pullaparts and facepulls.

martin92 · November 29, 2023, 1:22am

Dear @QuadQueen and @s.gentz ,
originally I wanted to describe my common day with several foods, but during the last week and something it went out of the window due to a huge pressure in my job, so, I ate next to nothing, i.e. around 2 meals per day, usually with 150g of meat and around the same amount of carbs (rice, potatoes). Also, some meals were from McDonalds, when I was going home really late - not good at all…

To your questions:

Usually I preferred more fatty parts, but I’m definitely able to abstain from them.
Usually 1.5% fat.
Yes, I’m trying to eat vegetables at least once a day - I really love fresh salad with olive oil and balsamico. Otherwise, peanut butter and fruits occasionally, not so often.

To summarize it - my biggest problem is time, as even if I’m working in office, my days are often unpredictable and I’m usually working really late into night, so that I even don’t make it on time to buy something fresh or I’m too tired to cook… I’d love some tips on food, which can be really fast to make (no problem with cold meals) and nutritious enough to put on some mass.

Thank you very much!

martin92 · November 29, 2023, 1:23am

Thank you very much for all the advice! Behavior goals seem like a good way to start for now
Also, I guess, that some improvements in time-management would really help me…

martin92 · November 29, 2023, 1:25am

Thank you for the tips!
I’m definitely thinking about employing some kettlebell work into my accessory day and I’m trying DeFranco’s mobility routine, as mentioned above… Hopefully it’ll be enough for some time and later I’m going to switch to some more complex routine.

QuadQueen · November 29, 2023, 3:46pm

It would be much more helpful and easier to give you some tips if you would provide an example of exactly what you eat, including portion sizes, each day.

My first thoughts on what you did tell us:

If you are often getting off track, and heading to McDonalds, etc. because of work and life pressures - this will very much affect any results. You need a plan for when life gets tough. What are 3 easy meals that you always have ingredients for and take under 10 minutes to prep? Think about things like eggs and veggies (frozen veggies are great), canned tuna in water - not oil, etc.
If you are looking to lose weight/lean out - fatty meats are not your friend. Choose lean cuts. That will go a LONG way.
Try to incorporate at least 4-5 cups of non-starch veggies everyday. Again, frozen veggies are great - super convenient, easy to prep in the microwave.
Be mindful of how much oil you’re putting on your salads and using in cooking. Little things add up quickly.

Because time is your biggest issue - you need to plan ahead and prepare for the busy times. If you really want results - you need to make your nutrition and food a priority. Time can’t be an excuse. There are measures you can take to set yourself up for success. Batch cook your LEAN proteins, use frozen veggies, pre-washed and cut fresh veggies, canned in water fish and chicken breast, eggs, batch cook sweet potatoes and potatoes for your carbs, prepare large quantities of soups/stews, etc. and freeze them in individual portions to grab and go. You can do the same with egg muffin cups.

Map out your plan for the week. Write it down. Prepare for it. Stick to it. If you do that, results will follow.

LoRez · November 29, 2023, 5:30pm

You’ve gotten a lot of good advice.

The exercise selection is fine. Getting better at those exercises over a long term will do you good, in terms of your actual strength, how you feel, and, once you get much stronger at them, how you look.

It’s been awhile since I looked at Stronglifts itself, but 5x5 is fine. Adding weight every session or three is good.

In the long term, for most purposes, you’ll want to keep finding ways to progress: more weight, or more reps with the same weight.

Your rep ranges will change: 3s (triples), 8-12, 15+
Your number of sets will vary: 5 sets, 2 ramp up and 3 work sets, backoff sets
Your progression strategy will change: add weight every session, deload and work back up, waves, undulation.
But those core exercises are good ones to get good at.

The main concern I have with Stronglifts and Starting Strength is: at some point, you won’t be able to add weight when you’re “supposed to”, and it will feel uncomfortable and off the books, and this is where many people tend to make bad choices.

Sometimes they either completely abandon the exercises they’ve been doing because they “stalled” on all of them, and start doing junk, or they get caught up in ego and injure themselves, or they start program hopping (often with ego, and not willing to start that program with “lighter” weights).

The other topic though, and the other big problem with Stronglifts/Starting Strength is that people go into it with the goal of “I want to look better”. However neither program really is enough to get you there on its own, and they don’t do it quickly. “Bodybuilding” exercises, using intelligent programming, and proper management of fatigue, volume, and diet, are far more targeted toward that goal.

I wouldn’t spend too much time measuring yourself and expecting to see much progress over a few months. (Better to measure and focus on increasing the weights and reps.) Body measurements like that can get confusing: if you added an inch of muscle to your arm, and lost an inch of fat on your arm, the measurement is the same but you made some serious progress. Replace arm with chest or legs and the same story. Regular photos in the same poses and lighting do a better job.

Hopefully I didn’t muddle things up to much. You seem to have a really good start, and a lot of great advice in here to look back at.