New approach - no results?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Beginners
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Dumbbell
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Hi everybody!
As I’ve written in my diary Journey to Size, I’m trying to gain some muscle mass, not really succesfully so far :smiley:

Currently I weight 187lbs / 85kg and after moving to another country, changing my job, the situation seems somewhat settled, albeit not perfect of course. As soon as I could, I bought a gym membership and I started discussing things with my new coach, who’s an ex-Physique competitor, even at international level. Necessary to say, I’m quite unhappy with the current situation, as he seems to not be interested in a fact, that I’m unable to gain weight, while trying to abstain from fatty foods like McDonald’s, etc.

Thus, could you, please, try to pinpoint the problems in my current diet and program? So far it’s rather absurd, that my best results were with the primitive Stronglifts5x5 and it seems, that I’m badly responding to any bodybuilding splits, but I have no real idea, why…

My diet over the last few days (if necessary, I’ll go into detail, I have listed every food over the last few weeks):

  • Monday (June 17): 2168kcal, 199g protein, 222g carbs, 84.5g fats
  • Tuesday (June 18): 3568kcal, 247g protein, 394g carbs, 106g fats
  • Wednesday (June 19): 3068kcal, 210g protein, 339g carbs, 88.2g fats
  • Thursday (June 20): 2402kcal, 124g protein, 300g carbs, 62.9g fats
  • Friday (June 21): 3110kcal, 171g protein, 329g carbs, 102g fats

My current training program is 3 days in a row and then 1 day rest.

Day A

  • Benchpress
  • Dumbell presses
  • Dumbell butterfly
  • Standing overhead press
  • EZ biceps curl
  • Biceps cable curls

Day B

  • Cable lat pulldown
  • Seated cable row
  • Triceps dips
  • Seated dumbell french curl

Day C

  • Back squats
  • Quad extensions
  • Seated calf raises

All the exercises I do in 5 sets, aiming for 10-12 reps. Since the beginning of the program I have 3 problems:

  1. No amount of solid weight gained, still hovering around 85kg/187lbs
  2. Benchpress got literally stuck at 80kg for 5 reps and that’s it. I’m unable to do even one rep more even after weeks of trying. I’m expecting the same situation with the other lifts soon afterwards.
  3. Being completely dead after 10 reps of squats - I’m taking BP medication, which completely compensates for any problems and I don’t feel like that doing any other exercise including deadlift, but squats are a complete hell…

So, talking about all of this and reading through the other threads like https://t-nation.com/t/why-cant-i-gain-muscle/67282, https://t-nation.com/t/unable-to-gain-weight/242072 and https://t-nation.com/t/can-t-gain-weight/253281 I know, that I should “eat a lot” and “train hard”, but, could you, please, pinpoint anything more specific?

Like, is my intake chronically low? And if it is, what should be the ideal intake for some faster bulk? I don’t want to get back to eating McDonald’s frequently (but when I did, I was well over 200lbs like 2 years ago), but I need to see, that it’s working somehow. Also, my benchpress seems low no matter, what I do and I’d really like to break through that.

So far, my only result after the training since the last year after a long hiatus is a somewhat better muscle definition in the upper body and that’s all and I see I’m wasting my time. Only, I’m somehow unable to find the right way.

I’d appreciate any specific advice from anyone! I know, that I’ve put here similar questions in the past, but I must say, that with the systematic approach I’m attempting for quite some time now, I’m a little disappointed :smiley:

If you have anything to add @s.gentz , @T3hPwnisher , @QuadQueen , @TrainForPain ?

Thank you very much, everybody!

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Thanks for the tag!

Some quick questions, and I’m happy to come back with more:

  • Why are your daily calories so inconsistent? Is that on purpose? You’re averaging about 15 calories per lbs, which is very often maintenance.
  • Is weight gained your primary metric? It’s fine if it is, but want to be sure.
  • How long have you been doing this?
  • How long has your bench been stuck? How much do you care about that lift, specifically?
  • Why does it matter that your squat wipes you out? Is it improving? Are you not getting enough volume to grow? What’s the consequence, is my question?
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Thank you for the lightning-fast response!

  • Still adapting to a new environment and for my previous diet this is a lot… :smiley: So, basically, the lower days represent the room for improvement. Also, if it’s that, does it mean, that my intake should be somewhat over 3500kcal/day?
  • Yes, it is. That’s something I struggle with over years, if trying to eat healthy and I’d love to improve especially in this area first - even if only by pumping with 10lbs dumbells :smiley:
  • I’m doing this new program for something over a month. The plan was to get a few kgs per month initially (not pure muscle, ofc), which failed completely.
  • My bench has been stuck for months at this weight now, and for like several years around the weight, hovering around 75-80kgs/5 reps. I do care about it, because both my arms and my chest aren’t really well-developed and I’m also already kinda upset at my disability in this lift :smiley:
  • Well, at first, it doesn’t really seem well to be so exhausted even during one set, so that for 10 reps I’m able to lift 80kg now, at my best shape months ago I was able to do 1x10 with 100kg. While doing 5x5 I was able to work with 125kg, but yes, the training intensity is very low, as I need to take 5-10 mins in-between sets to rest and albeit I don’t usually mind longer sessions, it gets too limiting both time-wise and weight-wise.
4

What specifically did your coach prescribe for training and diet?

Have you followed this prescription?
If you have, for how long?
How frequently do you have check ins?

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Specifically this training split and to get to 120g+ protein, 200g+ carbs and 50g+ of fats per day. Also he recommended me to use magnesium and to switch my carb sources pretty often, not to be stuck only with pasta, which I usually tend to :smiley:
Also, he recommended to supplement with zinc and to take dextrose after training session to kick-up insuling before eating.

I tried, albeit it was pretty vague, as you can see. The program runs for over a month now. The check ins should be weekly, but I’ll probably end the collaboration, as he doesn’t seem to respond to e-mails and to really read my reports recently. And yes, he’s mostly coaching me online.

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At 187lbs, this is insufficient protein intake.

Are you tracking your weight daily and comparing weekly averages?

Your coach does not seem to be giving the attention or check-in frequency needed. I’m comparing to my own coach who asks me for this weekly

If i were to make the same generalizations i usually do, you should:

  1. Check your weight daily. Wake up, piss, weigh yourself. Use weekly averages to guide you; aim for 0.5lbs weight gain weekly.
  2. Protein = 1g/lb (2.2g/kg), fats stay at 50g daily, and use carbs as your primary surplus macro.
    *meaning if you are gaining 0lbs from one week to the next, you should add 250cals carbs daily.
  3. Stop overeating fats. Aim for cleaner carbs like rice, oats, potatoes, fruit, etc.
  4. Drop the less-than-ideal compounds from your training. Bench press is typically very fatiguing yet not very stimulating. Maybe give a program like TBJP a run for a few months; I’ve never known someone to get smaller from it. You really dont need some special custom program to gain size, most people respond very well to about the same training. The biggest difference is usually dependent on the level of experience a lifter has.
    Example: someone training for 20 years can get far more activation out of a single set of curls than someone who started last year. This requires different training strategies at different times.
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Fire your coach.

So, he just recommends a minimum of 1700 calories and for you to do the rest?

That depends, have you lost weight or just maintained? Over those 5 days you are avg. around 2900 calories.

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  1. I’m weighting myself every day in the morning, always getting 187-190lbs in the last few weeks. I can definitely start to write it down, too.
  2. Oh, that’s a really low fat income :smiley: Also, while I love eating meat and eggs, I’m not really fan of carbs aside from pasta. Any tricks to get more carbs easily? Like dried fruit for example? And I’ve eaten mostly around 200g of protein per day, as I mentioned in my OP - that should be enough for now?
  3. The same as before :smiley:
  4. As I’m mentioned above, I’d like to improve my benchpress, if not anything else, then just for the sake of improving in something I suck at completely. But anyway, what do you mean by program like TBJP? You mean something by Jordan Peters? And yes, I don’t think I suffer from some special problem and if possible, I’d prefer a very simple solution.

Altogether - thank you very much for your response now! The only thing is, I’d much prefer somewhat faster bulk, than 2lbs per month. What do you think about that?

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Probably I will :smiley:

Well, when eating like this and not training almost every day, I’m maintaining my weight - when training 6 days a week, I’m slowly losing weight.

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I’m in agreement with the other guys. They have you covered.
You def need more food and higher protein.
Personally think your fats are a bit high.
You should be eating high cals every day. Not sure why your calls are all over the place.
1.25-1.5g/lb if protein
.3-.35g/lb fats
Full the rest with carbs
Have a. If shake after training with 25-30g protein and 40-50g carbs and then your next meal high carb. Like 100g.
Look at my log for my eating style. I was gaining like crazy. I train right before meal 5 which is my highest carbs of the day. Protein and fats are pretty consistent across all meals.

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Can you post a pic of your current physique?

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I do agree… But, as you can see in my OP, I’m mostly eating well over 120g+ prescribed by my coach, averaging around 200g of protein / day. Is that also too low for now?

Also, OK, I can cut down the fats somewhat and find a way how to get those kcals down via carbs, as I’m not really a fan of rice or so :smiley:

Here are my one-week old photos taken after a training session:

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If you can swing it get the RP diet app. It will set up all your macros for you and auto adjust weekly based on your input.
It’s worked great for me so far.
Honestly their training app is great too. It will also set up your training based on your input and auto program your progressions though the exercises. They have a bunch of stock training plans or you can create your own. I programmed in the John meadows high evolutionary plan and it’s amazing. Sounds like your money might be better spent on these two items rather than your coach.

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The programs says 5 sets of 10-12 reps. Does that mean?

-do 5 sets of 10-12 reps starting pretty light, and gradually working up to a tough 5th set.

-do a few warm ups sets and then do 5 working sets of 10-12 all with the same weight.

And secondly, why are you benching 80kg x 5 reps? Shouldn’t you be doing something more like 67.5 or 70kg and getting to 10 or 12 reps, like the program says?

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OK, I’ll check these apps then, it sounds really cool!
Also, I’ll have a look at your log. And I agree, that my cals are somewhat inconsistent :smiley:

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Drink them. Fruit juice if you have to.

Right now, you completely suck at gaining mass. Do you really care about your Bench Press or is that your ego talking? (Don’t feel compelled to answer).
Make a choice and go with it, but Bench Press is a retarded lift that has more to do with lats, Triceps, technique, and ego than it does with actually looking good.

Yes. Trained by Jordan Peters. You’re going to start training to failure.

I think you’ll only gain 1-2lbs lean tissue per month, whether you’re eating in a 250cal surplus, or 1,000cal surplus.
I also think that 5 minutes ago you were struggling to eat enough carbs, and now you want to eat a whole lot more :slightly_smiling_face:

This isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. No one ever built an impressive physique overnight. For most, it’s 8+ years.

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It means 5 working sets.

Also, the coach said to me, that I can try 5x5 scheme just for benchpress to see, if it helps, but it seems completely stuck. Otherwise, I’m stuck at 70kg for 10 reps.

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Respectfully, you should consider cutting before bulking.

You already have 0 visible abs.

When you’re lean, you have better nutrient partitioning and a longer runway for your bulk. That and you know when to stop bulking (usually because Abs have disappeared).

You’ll look better year round and you never have to fight against the poor insulin sensitivity that comes hand-in-hand with being fat.

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How tall are you? Your pics look much bigger than 187lbs. Your pics have me thinking 220-225.

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OK, thank you!

Also, yes, but I was under impression, that it’s never the lean tissue, so that I’d cut it afterwards :smiley:
And yes, carbs are usually the problem, but I’d like to get to the estimate for my goals, even if having to force myself to eat it at first :smiley:

And yes, I’m pretty aware of not being able to get some super-athletic body fast, unfortunately :smiley:

Finally, cutting came to my mind and I shed like 5lbs recently, but I’d like to try to bulk to like 205lbs first, simply to feel bigger and to see, how it looks like in T-shirt. And yeah, I was planning to cut afterwards. If you think it’s impossible in my current shape, I’ll have to cut, then :smiley: