None of my bulks (lean or dirty) ever seem to result in any muscle gain, and I honestly really don't know what I'm doing wrong at this point

[melita8]

@juanmz28 It will not.

Seems like he feels that he is not seeing any physical change in his body composition, but by the fact that his lifts are going up, he is gaining muscle but also fat.

Lower surplus will lead to slower gains, of muscle and fat so maybe a slower approach in bulking and cutting could show OP that his body is changing albeit slowly.

Also, I have no answer to my questions so everything I said in this comment are just assumptions with no bases and could be completely off.

 

[saendy]

@daughteroftheonetrueking Doesn't look like a great diet to me tbh. Of the people I know who have a lot of muscle, they eat quite differently than this.

A lot of exercises seen quote low rep. Are you really getting good stimulus with these reps ? When I wanted to compete I needed a big kick up the hole about my training. I did not train well. Often I see people follow like an 8-10 rep range and they are stopping short of failure. When I tell people 10 reps for a top set, it's because there have been several higher rep warm up sets first. The muscle is already taxed and those final 10 reps is literally all it can do.

Your total calories aren't very high,sure they may be high for some people, but depending on your lifestyle this could be too little. I start my contest preps on more calories than this lol.

 

[greyowl]

@daughteroftheonetrueking Another thing I just realized OP, if your sample meal plan is accurate (which honestly I highly doubt) 46% of your protein is from non animal sources (and not good non animal sources like peas and soy). I think not only are you not eating enough protein, you're not eating enough high quality protein.

I also seriously doubt the protein numbers you listed here for the foods you listed.

 

[daughteroftheonetrueking]

@greyowl Alright, I'll make a note. I thought all protein sources were similar that's why I focused mostly on targeting just my daily protein requirements. As for the protein numbers I listed, they're actually from MyFitnessPal.

 

[pinetowntree]

@daughteroftheonetrueking The issue is most likely that your training isn't up to par.

Bulking doesn't inherently add any muscle. You have to have a solid program and execution in the gym to create the stimulus to grow muscle.

 

[ikkizuhna]

@daughteroftheonetrueking Your rep ranges are geared more towards strength training than hypertrophy. You'll want to hang out in the 10-20 rep range pushing 3 RIR -1 on a weekly progressive basis.

 

[pastorjeremylove]

@daughteroftheonetrueking Low rep ranges, long rests, exhausting 1st main lift - this feels like strength-focused, not size-focused program.

Also what's up with the meal plan, that's terribly low on protein.

Delts and arms need more attention, the routine you showed kind of neglects them and they are what contributes to looking big.