Gym for 1.5 years, no results. What am I doing wrong?

[juliekl]

@harko Please explain why a beginner or a natural should train more frequently than a an advanced/juiced bodybuilder? I'm genuinely curious since this assumption gets thrown around a lot.

 

[harko]

@juliekl Please explain how 5 muscle groups are 1 muscle group?

 

[cjschaff]

@harko An option is also lower body day, upper body day and one full body day to hit everything twice.

 

[harko]

@cjschaff Yup personally I do upper lower 4x a week. The basic splits are;

Full body 3x a week

Upper-lower 4x a week

PPL 6x a week for best results but I've seen it done 3x

Bro split 5-6x a week

Bro split is the only one where you're not hitting everything 2x a week unless you're doing the half PPL.

 

[bravocharlie]

@truth76 I used Freeletics for a year and this happened to me as well haha I did not grow muscles as fast as I do now. The only thing Freeletics helped me was creating a habit of working out. I didn't notice at the time but I was just lazy and didnt want to do my homework on starting to workout so I opted to Freeletics.

It's time to branch out and do some homework if you want some real gains. Good luck

 

[jimmykiff]

@truth76 If you are benching 80 kilos, squatting 120 kilos, deadlifting 140 kilos and strict pressing 60 kilos (all with at least 8 solid reps) - there is no way you would not build decent physique. My point is - post your numbers, if they are too low that would explain why you are not building muscle

 

[truth76]

@jimmykiff Definitely not benching 80 kg yet, I think I topped at 55-60 kg, but doing only dumbbells lately... Gym is small and packed and so it can be a long before a bench press becomes available.

Definitely not squatting at 120 kg either, maybe 72 kg.

Strict pressing, hmmm 35 or 40 kg tops.

Biceps dummbells, tops 10 kg per arm if 4-6 sets of 20 reps.

Triceps lift behind head and over it, I struggle and stall with this one, around 13 kg with 4-6 sets of 15 reps.

I think you've got a point. I may have favored speed over weight, at least that's what my app has measured.

Still, I do reach muscular fatigue?

Also, the app insist on doing some bodyweight but I'd rather do more weights.

Also note that I've always been weaker than average to start with.

 

[jimmykiff]

also what is your height ? if you are 175cm or under you can be pretty jacked weighting 72 kg, so your body mass is not everything

 

[truth76]

@jimmykiff 5 feet 9 or 5 feet 10, not sure but one of those two.

 

[thebigbs]

@truth76 You might want to try fewer reps at a higher number. I had gone several weeks with no growth with the tricep lift and I switched to doing 3 reps at 20lbs heavier for 2 weeks. I went back to what I was trying to lift previously and it was easy easier.

 

[dawn16]

@truth76 Go get a Dexa body composition scan. See where you are really at. When's the last time you had a physical? Full blood work and urinalysis. Maybe there's some underlying health condition going on.

 

[truth76]

@dawn16 My doctor made me blood and urine test earlier this year, like for testosterone, never heard back, I assumed this meant I have nothing abnormal.

Dexa scans seemed to require a medical referral, at least in my province... There are tests in gym too but aren't Dexa but do give you BMI and fat etc?

 

[dawn16]

@truth76 A Dexa scan should never require a referral. It usually costs between $100-$150 bucks, so not cheap, but very informative. It does give BMI, but BMI is useless. It gives you your body fat percentage, bone density score, muscle density and amount, broken down by body part, left and right. Arms, legs, trunk. It measures both visceral and subcutaneous fat. If there are balance issues from one arm or leg to the other, it shows it. Regarding your lab work results, if you didn't get a call back, likely that meant it was normal. Here's the problem with that. Testosterone normal levels are between 300-1100 ng/DL, or nanograms per deciliter. It's a huge range. Some guys are fine at 350. Some guys are in rough shape at 800. So I would enquire with your doctor's office. Also, look up symptoms of low testosterone. Out of the top 10, I had about 8. It took about 2 years of convincing to put me on TRT, but finally did it. My levels were around 390. Now they're at 750ish. I've been on it for 3.5 years. I wish you the best.

 

[truth76]

@dawn16 Thanks for sharing!

 

[onlyone2012]

@truth76 Unless you're taking something you shouldn't be, it's pointless. Literally every person I know who is "big" is on something. Stick to it for the health benefits

 

[truth76]

@onlyone2012 I do find the health benefits important indeed, especially on the mood and just better general shape. Not taking anything.

 

[onlyone2012]

@truth76 Does wonders for how you feel. I've been following a routine for a couple of years now. Dumbells, barbell and body weight. Increasing weight each month, sticking to 3 days a week due to time. Started with 8kg dumbells for bicep curls, currently at 27.5kg. Imo I feel a lot stronger, but I dont believe I look any different at all. Taken a picture at the start of every month, and to me, they all look the same. Height and weight are the same as yourself, and I've been eating 100-120g protein every day. No change. I do wear a fitness watch that measures body composition. At the start, my skeletal muscle was 62lb. Now it's 74lb, I just don't know where the extra 12lb is . I feel healthier though, so I continue with it.

 

[medsec]

@truth76 U don’t lift heavy enough…

Try performed a progressive overload workout for your workout. You started with a moderate weight at 145lbs for 8 reps, increased the weight to 185lbs for 6 reps, and further increased it to 225lbs for 4 reps. This type of workout challenges your muscles by gradually increasing the weight and decreasing the number of reps, which can help with strength and muscle development.

Edited : those was my workout routine.

 

[sevenofnine31]

@truth76 Diet is underrated.

Always when exercising:
Higher protein intake (about 1g per weight lb)
Drink more water (a LOT more)
Get your 8 hours of sleep
Healthier natural foods are best

Gain muscle:
Daily calories = basal metabolic rate + calories burned in exercise + 200)

Lose fat:
Daily calories = basal metabolic rate + calories burned in exercise - 200)

Keep a tracker of what you do, and keep a tight watch on how your body reacts to it.

 

[rj71]

@truth76 What is your diet like? You can workout all you want but if your diet isn’t supporting your goal the workout is fairly useless. The saying ‘you can out work a bad diet’ not saying your diet is bad but it might just not be supporting your current goals.