So, i’ve been going to a gym for about two months and I can already tell I can lift heavier than when I first started. But the problem is, I look just about the same as when I started. I’m not getting any bigger or my belly has no signs of losing fat. I had 8.9% fat ratio on day 1 and I have 3.6% now (machine calculations). So what should I do to see more mass and tone? I’m 24M if that helps
I’m getting stronger but I “see” no difference
- Thread starter armando23
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- beginner fitness
@armando23 Keep going, be patient.
What is your diet? How many calories do you eat per day? Fat loss is mainly diet. Exercise helps and building muscle helps, but diet is going to move the needle on weight loss the fastest.
What is your diet? How many calories do you eat per day? Fat loss is mainly diet. Exercise helps and building muscle helps, but diet is going to move the needle on weight loss the fastest.
liberatedbyhim
New member
@armando23 Per research, muscles don't start to hypertrophy until about 3 months of consistent training. Before that, most of the strength gains you'll see are due to neural adaptations, wherein your body begins to use more motor units in order to work.
So basically, be patient
So basically, be patient
johnnywong
New member
@liberatedbyhim This.
Mind-Muscle-Connection starts to become a lot better and you get a feeling for what individual muscles and muscles groups do, leading to better coordination and application.
Mind-Muscle-Connection starts to become a lot better and you get a feeling for what individual muscles and muscles groups do, leading to better coordination and application.
johnnywong
New member
@armando23 >I'm not getting any bigger
That is perfectly normal, especially if you do strength training correctly. You'll be seeing gains eventually, but 99% of all people notice the increase in strength first. For me, it took about 4 months to have a visible increase in my physique. The rule of thumb is anywhere between 4-6 months until you start to see visible changes.
>I have a fat ratio of 3.6 but my belly has no sign of losing fat
Then you did the calculations wrong. Someone with 3.6% body fat has NO fat on his belly at all, and unless you're blessed with naturally godlike pecs, you should be able to almost see your ribs. If you stand perfectly strong and your belly does not retract inwards, you definitely have more than 3% body fat.
General advice: At this stage, you shouldn't stress about your body fat, at all. I'm going out on a whim here, but i'm just assuming you're thin, so you really do not need to stress about your body fat. Men store fat predominantly in the belly, followed by the chest, and then the legs. If you do have some fatty tissue on your belly, and eat regular and healthy, you either have bad posture (very common if you sit a lot, especially in front of PCs) or you're simply just having a little fat on your belly. It will go away by itself.
Building muscle mass requires an excess of calorie intake, which will almost inevitably lead to some sort of fatty tissue, because your body does not have a screen that tells you "i ned XXXX kcal today, feed me THAT exact amount" - even professional bodybuilders alternate between between having 15-30% of body fat off-season, and 3-7% during contest season. If you want the perfectly toned six pack, youÄre not gonna achieve by hungering yourself down to 3% body fat. You need to build that sixpack first, and THEN you can worry about losing excess body fat, which will not be happening anytime soon, so, again, don't stress yourself.
It's far healthier, and better, if you train without worrying about "gains" and "lean" and "bulk" - train to have fun first and foremost! Train to grow stronger! Train to learn to feel your body better! This alone takes time, discipline and practice, and each of these mentioned things have their own rewards. If you don't like your body, you're not gonna be able to change it.
Work with the body, not against it!
That is perfectly normal, especially if you do strength training correctly. You'll be seeing gains eventually, but 99% of all people notice the increase in strength first. For me, it took about 4 months to have a visible increase in my physique. The rule of thumb is anywhere between 4-6 months until you start to see visible changes.
>I have a fat ratio of 3.6 but my belly has no sign of losing fat
Then you did the calculations wrong. Someone with 3.6% body fat has NO fat on his belly at all, and unless you're blessed with naturally godlike pecs, you should be able to almost see your ribs. If you stand perfectly strong and your belly does not retract inwards, you definitely have more than 3% body fat.
General advice: At this stage, you shouldn't stress about your body fat, at all. I'm going out on a whim here, but i'm just assuming you're thin, so you really do not need to stress about your body fat. Men store fat predominantly in the belly, followed by the chest, and then the legs. If you do have some fatty tissue on your belly, and eat regular and healthy, you either have bad posture (very common if you sit a lot, especially in front of PCs) or you're simply just having a little fat on your belly. It will go away by itself.
Building muscle mass requires an excess of calorie intake, which will almost inevitably lead to some sort of fatty tissue, because your body does not have a screen that tells you "i ned XXXX kcal today, feed me THAT exact amount" - even professional bodybuilders alternate between between having 15-30% of body fat off-season, and 3-7% during contest season. If you want the perfectly toned six pack, youÄre not gonna achieve by hungering yourself down to 3% body fat. You need to build that sixpack first, and THEN you can worry about losing excess body fat, which will not be happening anytime soon, so, again, don't stress yourself.
It's far healthier, and better, if you train without worrying about "gains" and "lean" and "bulk" - train to have fun first and foremost! Train to grow stronger! Train to learn to feel your body better! This alone takes time, discipline and practice, and each of these mentioned things have their own rewards. If you don't like your body, you're not gonna be able to change it.
Work with the body, not against it!
solareclipse
New member
@armando23 Best advice I’ve gotten is “Be Patient”.
If you go to the gym to look better you will always have days that will disappoint you. But if you go for the gains, thus for whomstve, you shall achieve swole, brother
If you go to the gym to look better you will always have days that will disappoint you. But if you go for the gains, thus for whomstve, you shall achieve swole, brother
@armando23 Give it time and consistency
johnsonnick365
New member
@armando23 Growth takes time. As long as you're progressively lifting heavier and heavier weights, your muscles are growing.