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

[truth76]

@wilddaisy I still eat other animal proteins, mostly chicken and pork, just not everyday. Shakes may help again though. But otherwise I feel generally better since eating less animal products.

 

[jobenerogala]

@truth76 Dude, no worries. Plenty of protein in a vegan diet, but you need to know what to incorporate. Beans, lentils, tofu, etc. just take a google and stock your pantry. My favourite thing right now is “soy curls” it has the texture of chicken, and is great for stirfrys.

I am also not vegan, or even vegetarian, but when I can do so, I just default to non-meat items. Better for the environment, and why not! It’s not compromising my ability to gain.

Take a google of what vegan/veg proteins there are and have your way!

 

[truth76]

@jobenerogala Wow I never heard about soy curls, after googling it looks rather convenient thanks. As it happens, I do a lot of stir frys lol

 

[jobenerogala]

@truth76 If they’re like the ones I get, it’s like a 5 min soak in water (I like to throw in some “better than bouillon”)
And then you’re in business!

 

[wilddaisy]

@truth76 soy is the problem get rid off it you shouldnt be eating soy and no seed oils

 

[olenak]

@truth76 How are you tracking progression on your exercises? If your intensity doesn't go up the longer you train, you're not making progress and so you're wasting your time.

 

[truth76]

@olenak The app I use increase the weights and/or repetitions overtime, although not super fast, I regularly adjust by extra-increasing weights/reps, always aiming for muscular fatigue.

Gotta say when I was 20 yo working out, that time I was tracking with a pen and paper, but now I just thought I'd trust the app and its data. Maybe I could do try this manually.

 

[olenak]

@truth76 How would you compare your workout when you start again vs now? If you feel like you could have done close to what you're doing now, your intensity increase is way too low

 

[truth76]

@olenak Hmmmm certainly better but maybe not much. The thing is the app gives you series of like 22 reps, but I thought for muscular gain its better to decrease the reps and increase the weights? Like 8-12 reps max. I think progress was better with that.

 

[olenak]

@truth76 In theory, you can get similar hypertrophy results with set of 5 to 30 reps as long as you train close to muscle failure.
In reality, it's usually better to train in lower rep range because it's easier to hit muscle failure on 10 rep than 30 reps, because the more rep you do the more youll have other source of potential failure.

So yeah, you probably should train at lower rep

 

[mommajulesberry]

@truth76 how strong were you when you were 20 and how strong are you now

 

[truth76]

@mommajulesberry Outside workouts, never have been particularly strong physically, more generally. Definitely a little weakness in my genes (thin, no gym class hero). I do believe anyone can get stronger but some start much lower, like me.

I do feel better in shape generally now than when I was 20 (more fit, better cardio and agility), but stronger, not sure, maybe not.

 

[mommajulesberry]

@truth76 im talking about gym lifts, eg. are you squatting or rowing as much weight as you did when you were 20 and if not its probably a good goal to surpass those levels to gain more muscle mass

 

[iniaes]

@truth76 Easy. Either not lifting hard enough to stimulate growth. Not eating enough protein or not enough calories

 

[juliekl]

@truth76 Post your weightlifting routine. As someone mentioned, you're probably not training intensely enough. With a skinnier frame, you need to lift heavy to failure and eat a lot. You said your goal was to pack on muscle. Lift heavy and drink a weight gainer shake. Hit one muscle group a week and get sufficient rest. Use creatine and get your testosterone checked like someone else mentioned.

 

[harko]

@juliekl Hit one muscle group a week? Is that a typo? Everything you say makes sense. It's ideal to hit every muscle group 2x a week. If you're doing one muscle group a week that's hitting chest 1x a month.

 

[juliekl]

@harko No, its not a typo. You just suck at reading comprehension. One muscle group per week does not mean go to the gym once a week. For example:

Mon: Back

Tues: Legs

Wed. Rest

Thurs: Chest & shoulders

Fri: Rest

Sat: Arms

Sun: Rest

Or any variation of that and even a five day split. You see how that's one muscle group per week? This is what the majority of pro bodybuilders do. The only thing up for debate is how much volume to include during the workout.

 

[harko]

@juliekl See the thing is that's 5 muscle groups not 1. So it's your communication skills and English that suck. Yeah it's a regular bro split. Not necessarily bad but like I said 2x a week per muscle group is optimal. Many beginner programs are even full body 3x a week. So don't act like an ass.

 

[juliekl]

@harko You said it was ideal not optional. It's not ideal, especially for naturals/beginners. Even juiced up pros with insane recovery train one muscle per week. Just off the top of my head - Jay Cutler, Phil Heath, Dorian Yates, Lee Priest, Kai Greene - they all do bro splits but I guess you, tough guy Redditor, know best.

 

[harko]

@juliekl Yeah that was a typo it's OPTIMAL but whatever. Beginners are not juiced up pros which is exactly why they shouldn't train like them. Do whatever you want though.

The real problem is you don't seem to know the difference between one and multiple muscle groups.