7 months into lifting, feeling like I'm not doing good enough.

[cleannie]

@joseph3561 In this upper/lower there is 7 exercises per session with 3 sets each and rep ranges vary from 5 to 15 depending on the lift. Bench could be 5, incline could be 8 reps, bicep curls could be 12, face pulls 15 etc.

 

[delta4u]

@cleannie If you're natty, 7 months isn't enough to expect for appearance progression.

Keep bulking until you feel you're too fat (20-25% BF for me) and cut after. It takes time but it will be worth it

 

[sebastian713]

@delta4u I got 15% fat but got man boobs so I am only focussing on cutting to be honest. So annoying that my body stores fat there. Got more chest fat than belly fat...

 

[cleannie]

@sebastian713 Hey man, don't worry we all have our genetic hates. I store a lot of fat on my hips which doesn't look good either. It always looks worse when that area is the last place to go as everywhere else looks leaner in comparison which exaggerates it. You'll get there though keep pushing track your calories in a deficit and keep moving bro!

 

[sebastian713]

@cleannie Thanks!! Yeah, my body is pretty perfect except the chest area. Wonder how long it's gonna take.

 

[cleannie]

@delta4u That's true, guess I just have to have patience. One thing I will say is that my interpretation of what I could achieve naturally within 7 months of hard work is unrealistic. I blame this on social media tbh.

 

[emily13]

@delta4u I definitely had noticable newbie gains in my first 7 months of natural lifting

 

[delta4u]

@emily13 Have you ever workout before that? If so, it could be coming from the gains you've had earlier. And also yes, there's newbie gain. But they're mostly visible when you're pumped or flex

 

[emily13]

@delta4u Not significantly before and it was like 8 years earlier. It wasn't like I blew up in 7 months, but there were definitely got more muscular appearance wise. I was getting compliments about my gains form friend and family after 3 months

 

[roseluck]

@emily13 Hey I might be a bit late, but what was your calorie intake like during the newbie gains

 

[emily13]

@roseluck Around 500 over maintenance. However, with newbie gains you can recomp (eat at maintenance, lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously). However, if you are already relatively
lean, I would eat 250-500 calories over maintenance and pack on serious muscle.

It's discipline that matters the most. Don't get too caught up in macros and routines everything. Eat good and lift and stay consistent and you'll grow.

 

[preciousleslee]

@cleannie Don't get discouraged. Progress can be slow, consistency is key. On that note, if you're having trouble making it to the gym 4 times a week and missing lower days because of that, I would recommend switching to the 3 days per week full body split in Jeff Nippard's Fundamentals program. A lot of your muscle and strength gains are going to come from your lower body, you don't want to skip out on that.

 

[cleannie]

@preciousleslee Hey thank you. That's what I was thinking of moving onto when the 8 weeks finish. I heard training legs consistently helps with boosting testosterone, metabolism and stimulates blood flow for muscle repair etc so I'm aware of the importance of training legs. I'd love big quads to eventually lol

 

[preciousleslee]

@cleannie Not just quads, but glutes, hamstrings, and calves too! Everyone likes a good pair of buns.

 

[apphia]

@cleannie It's all about consistency. You're doing just fine. Just remember to hit your macros and focus on the contraction for whatever muscle your trying to stimulate. The strength will come.

 

[cleannie]

@apphia That's true, consistency is key and all that. Thank you, I try not to sacrifice form and create the mind muscle connection but it's hard to balance going up in weight consistently whilst maintaining that connection as I find the heavier I go up the more momentum and other muscles are recruited into the lifts. I'm not swinging or using bad form but it just feels that way. For example when I go lighter with higher reps I definitely feel more of a burn and pump in the muscle in comparison to doing say 8 reps heavier.

 

[drummerboyjc]

@cleannie Keep doing your best and look back in 6 years.

Its a marathon, not a race.

 

[mygodisawesome]

@cleannie Your goal each time you lift should be to try to add more weight than the last time. You won’t be able to do it every time but you should be always trying to work toward heavier weight. That’s the only way to gain.

 

[kimdawnxo]

@cleannie That incline bench is staggeringly bad compared to your other lifts, usually people can do about ~80% of their normal bench in incline. Maybe look into your form for that one.

Also - Eat more

 

[elliep78]

@kimdawnxo His incline press is quite good, actually.

27.5 * 2 = 55 kg.

Your 80% is equivalent to 65*0.8 = 52 kg.

He's doing 55 / 65 * 100 = 84.6%

Don't really understand your comment? He's doing more than the number you gave.