M/24/6'2'' No problem gaining weight, but can't gain strength/muscle

[gwg]

I'm 6'2'', 24 y/o. Over the last 6 years my weight has fluctuated between 145 and 180lbs. Here's how it usually goes: I'll get really motivated to gain weight and meticulously track my calorie/protein intake (2800-3000cals and 120-150g protein), go up in weight 10-20lbs but see no noticeable strength or muscle gains. I'll then get frustrated and go back down another 10-20lbs.

I've been following either ICF 5x5 or the reddit PPL. I like the split of PPL but it definitely feels like I'm overtraining; I've modified it to include extra rest days so I end up working out 4 or 5 days a week instead of 6. When I bulk I'm pretty good about following my routine, but when I'm losing weight I'm admittedly lazier about going. I have gotten up to around 200 5x5 squat but my upper body lifts are embarrassing: I've never been able to bench more than 110lbs or OHP more than 50lbs (both 5x5). I chock it up to having long limbs, but it still sucks. I've been focusing more on upper body lifts the last year or 2: making sure I'm following good form, switching up the rep/sets sometimes, but to no avail.

In a typical day I'll eat a peanut butter sandwich, a quinoa/bean burrito bowl, and pasta with tempeh. I'm annoyed because my friends will say that being vegan is obviously why I can't gain muscle or strength. I get my B12 levels tested every few years and they always come back normal.

If I had to guess, my main roadblock could be stress/anxiety related. I've read that too much stress can impact gains. I sometimes have problems fall/staying asleep, but I'll average out to about 7.5 hours a night.

I just feel so weak! I'm tired of having no muscle or strength. I feel like I'm trying to reach an unattainable goal and I'm ready to give up. If anyone has been in a situation similar to mine and was able to get out of it, please chime in. Any advice is welcome.

 

[4tehlulz]

@gwg It's almost definitely sleep and stress.

I went through a similar phase where I was weak and tired due to anxiety - Despite being in "good" physical form. Seriously prioritise your sleep and wellbeing, and only then consider your strength and muscle. You can't race a bike if the frame's falling apart.

 

[videosbylindac]

@gwg Well what do you weigh now? Because that's kind of important information. 3k calories might not be enough, you probably should be eating more especially if you're training more than 3x a week. If you Cut back on your workout volume or raise your calorie intake.

 

[da6_b18c]

@gwg It's a food issue, eat more and witness

 

[chedwerks]

@gwg Not a vegan but the advice is the same for you as it is for me. Eat more. A lot more. You say you eat a lot but most people don’t understand what a lot is. Every 3 hours eat until you’re about to throw up you’re so full. Repeat that 5-6 times a day and you will get fucking strong and you will get fucking big. No offense but you’re numbers are pretty bad for someone who has been lifting for a while. You need a change. No more 5x5. You don’t need that volume. Look up starting strength. 3x5 three times a week. Do that for 3-6 months while eating like a fucking monster and you will be happy with your results.

I’m no expert but I do know what works. This shit will work. Over the last year and a half my bench has gone from a heavy single or 230 to 295. My press from 135 to 185. My squat from 295 to 425 and my deadlift from 385 to 510. Trust me on this.

After 3-6 months you can move on to a different program that’s not focused on linear gains. But for now, eat 4000+ calories a day, do starting strength, sleep 8 hours a night, don’t make excuses, and put in some fucking work and you will like the results. Best of luck man.

 

[phantomgaze]

@gwg You are sleeping enough. You are eating enough Protein and if you do gain weight then you are eating enough calories. What could be wrong? You said you are weak and tired and you ve been training 6d/week? ... You probably have high cortisol levels and low testosterone because you are overtraining? How long do you train? I trained almost everyday 1h and got little to no gains then i changed to 2-3 times a week and voila I made the almost the same amount of gains in 1 month lol. How often and how long you should train depends on you and your genes. If you take steroids you can train nonstop but for normal people thats not the way to go.

But still something something doesnt make sense. Your legs became stronger and probably bigger but your upperbody didnt? Weird... Maybe you trained your legs less so they had more time to recover or maybe you didnt train right? 5x5 is a good aproach for strenght but you can do it wrong. Are you doing the exercises with the right intensity? But ey if you do you shouldnt be training bodyparts twice a week or more... Maybe thats the problem? If not you may have a weird allergy or a deficiency....

 

[peter95faith]

@gwg Stop working out more than 4 days per week, I would even say 3 is good enough. The more you workout the more calories you have to eat and less recovery time you have. You won't gain muscle if you're breaking it down too much, you have to give it time to build back up.

As for OHP, its nearly always form thats stopping you

 

[revdrjkelly]

@gwg It's not about the length of sleep. 5h of deep sleep is better than 10h of very light sleep.