48M kind of disappointed in 2-years' gym progress. Maybe I need some help

[jonathanw]

@nowhereman Might still be worth checking. I was the exact same as you, found out I have low T. Got into treatment it has been literally life changing.

Whatever you do, with your good fitness and diet you are already doing great. Tip of the spear

 

[nowhereman]

@jonathanw I'll check into it. I just looked at my results from a blood test during my physical two years ago, but it appears they didn't include a testosterone test.

 

[neostarwcc]

@nowhereman Hormone panels are not part of the typical physical blood panel

 

[nowhereman]

@jonathanw It occurred to me, I take Sertraline, which is known to reduce testosterone levels, apparently.

 

[jonathanw]

@nowhereman I’ve not heard of that one.

If you do get a test, just note the medical industry “range” might explain where men are, but doesn’t represent where they should be. Many guys get a number in range and still feel like crap, I was mid range and feel completely different now above the upper end.

There is lots of info on the TRT sub.

I’m trying not to diagnose you haha but you are literally me 6 months ago. With the same diet and exercise as before I have added 8kg of muscle and I’m not even on a high dose TRT.

Wish I did it at 40 and not waited for 50. Wasted years struggling with no results.

 

[gloriouswonders]

@nowhereman Don’t buy snacks. Don’t have it in the house.

 

[olives]

@gloriouswonders This is almost impossible if you’ve got others in the house who want em though. My wife loves a good snack, I just gotta walk past em all the time and not think about it. I also keep protein bars over in that area so if I’m really tempted I’ll just grab one of those and call it a day lol

 

[nowhereman]

@olives Can confirm. I've got teen boys, so not having snacks in the house is not an option.

 

[rahul969]

@nowhereman What does your training routine look like? Like, what is Mondays workout, Wednesdays, etc.

And if you can, post your training from the last
Month. If not, the last few weeks, or as far back as you can lol.

Write it like this to make life easy..

Monday
Squat 3x10
Bench 3x10
Whatever 4x10

Just write out the workouts like that please.

Also… nutrition is a very big part of this too… if that’s not as dialed in as it needs to be it can be a hinderance for sure. And not perfect either, but within a range of acceptable for your goals. Can’t not say that lol.

But post that other info and maybe I can see something that can help.

I

 

[nowhereman]

@rahul969 Here's a recent week. The volume of each workout is typical, though some weeks it's three sessions instead of four.

Exertion level: Most sets within 1-2 reps of failure while keeping good form.

DAY 1

Treadmill - 5min warmup

Squat - 235x4, 205x3, 205x3, 205x6

Deficit Deadlift - 5 sets of 235x4

Chest-supported Row - 90x10, 100x8 ,100x7, 100x7

Tricep Pushdown - 47x14, 47x14, 47x14

Seated Row - 110x14, 110x11, 110x7

Hammer Curl - 40x14, 40x14, 40x11

DAY 2

Rest & mobility

DAY 3

Rowing Machine - 5min warmup

Bench - 170x4, 140x3, 140x3, 140x9

Close-grip Bench - 5 sets of 115x4

OHP - 80x8, 80x8, 80x7, 80x8

DB Shrug - 130x14, 130x14, 130x14

Reverse Fly - 84x14, 84x14, 84x12

DAY 4

Rest & mobility

DAY 5

Rowing Machine - 5min warmup

Deadlift - 275x4, 260x3, 260x3, 260x7

Front Squat - 5 sets of 145x4

Lat Pulldown - 125x8, 125x8, 125x7, 125x6

1-leg Extension - 55x14, 55x14, 55x12

1-arm ISO Lat Pulldown - 45x14, 45x14, 45x14

EZ-bar Curl - 50x14, 50x12, 50x9

Tricep Extension - 40x14, 40x14, 40x14

DAY 6

Rest & mobility

DAY 7

Rowing Machine - 5min warmup

OHP - 115x4, 95x3, 95x3, 95x9

Incline Press - 5 sets of 125x4

Push Press - 100x8, 100x7, 100x6, 100x6

Tricep Pushdown - 49x14, 49x14, 49x12

DB Shrug - 140x14, 140x14, 140x13

Seated Incline Curl - 50x14, 50x10, 50x10

1-arm Tricep Extension - 15x14, 15x14, 15x14

 

[rahul969]

@nowhereman I’ll look deeply at this and get back!

 

[rahul969]

@nowhereman How long have you been doing this routine?

 

[nowhereman]

@rahul969 A few months.

 

[rahul969]

@nowhereman If you’ve been hovering around the same weights for similar sets and roches for a few months your body has just accommodated to this training method for now.

I would change things, arguably in a drastic fashion. If the changes aren’t significant enough you might not see much progress either. Training has to force your body into a different level of performance and if the stimulus isn’t that much different, then it probably won’t change much.

Simple things you can do to vary training;

• Change the sets and reps of the exercises
• Drop volume, add intensity
• Add volume, drop intensity
• Switch out different exercises to variations you haven’t done in a while or ever
• Change your training frequency
• Change rest intervals
• Move faster through the entire workout

Maybe even taking a deload for a week or two to allow your body to recover a bit before jumping into something new.

There’s a lot of ways you can go about it…

But I think a drastic change will be helpful for you.

Hope this helps!

I have trainers and others who hang around r/personaltrainerhelp where we answer things like this too

 

[chryssa1791]

@nowhereman Goal setting. You are not setting specific goals you are just doing programs. How can you even know if your progress is too slow or too fast without setting a goal? Really cmon now. Too slow relative to what?

A specific goal is measurable, has time constraints, is realistic, and worthwhile. Umm I kinda want to umm I dunno lose some weight but not look too big ya know like one of those guys in the movies who takes his shirt off some times I dunno. That non specific wish washy horseshit will only waste your time.

 

[montexss]

@nowhereman Ditch refined carbs and sugar- I had the same type of build/stored fat all in my belly after a decade of focusing on work and neglecting diet and exercise. Went to unprocessed diet with zero grain products- I did keto at first but reintroduced sweet potato and squash for carbs as it seemed to help my running.

Big thing is all whole foods- meat, fish, eggs, nuts, veggies, good goats/sheepsmilk cheese (no ultra pasteurized cheese product nonsense), etc... just eat food you would find on an old fashioned family farm, not stuff that stops at a chemical plant for processing between the farm and the grocery store...

Posted my results from cutting out all processed foods here- best benefit was arthritis and backpain gone- when I cut out grain my arthritis went away in a week, and then the stubborn bodyfat melted off

https://www.reddit.com/r/Brogress/s/jTKO7Yv5T4

 

[imaff]

@nowhereman Bench 275, 300 or 315
Squat and deadlift 405 to 495 for reps

Building blocks first these are the exercises which will get you the most bang for your buck full body I wouldn't waste your time on much isolation until you can hit these numbers I've trained for 17 years and I have to go back to the building blocks because my deadlift dropped after 2 years of back injury when I should have been deadlifting that whole time

 

[ecce]

@nowhereman What is your diet like?

 

[worshipnico1]

@nowhereman Could be a few things here.

1) I’d recommend finding a program that works everything at least twice a week and utilize progressive overload and failure sets.

2) track your calories and macros for awhile. You’ll get an idea of how much you need to gain or lose.

3) get bloodwork done. Your test might be in the dumps.

4) if all else fails get a trainer.

 

[nowhereman]

@worshipnico1 Thanks. I'm doing everything in #1. Time to work harder on #2 and look into #3 and 4.