Questioning my progress

[d33smth]

Pics from top to bottom are from November 2019, March 2021, December 2022:

https://imgur.com/a/9WDeEqn

I’ve been doing everything right for about 2-3 years now. Did a long cut from 185 lbs to 145 lbs in 2019, maintained from 2020-2021, and have been bulking for a year now starting in January 2022 (the first two pics were during my cut (I was ~145-150 lbs), and the last pic is in the middle of my bulk at ~160 lbs). My strength has gone up over the past few years, but I feel I don’t look any different than I did 3 years ago. Muscle gain cannot be this slow, and I’m feeling frustrated. Any advice?

I'm 23 M, 160 lbs, 6'0", lift 5x per week (PPL, rest, @sandys, rest), eat ~160+ g of protein per day, 8+ hrs of sleep every night, and about 2600-2700 calories per day. I've been gaining 1-2 lbs per month since January 2022 (started at 145 lbs and am currently ~162 lbs in March 2023). I know I train hard in the gym, and push every set to failure.

Maybe I'm just blind to my own progress (a lil case of body dysmorphia...), even if it's not much?

- 2 years ago I could bench press 130 for 3 reps, and today I can bench 165 for 4 reps.

- 2 years ago, I could DB bench press 50 lb dumbbells for 10 reps, and today I can DB bench press 70 lb dumbbells for 10 reps.

- 2 years ago, I could overhead press 32.5 lb dumbbells for 10 reps, and today I can overhead press 50 lb dumbbells for ~11 reps.

- 2 years ago, I could only do assisted chin ups, and today I can do 10 chin ups with good form.

- 2 years ago, I could do the isolated back row machine with 1 plate, and today I can do the isolated back row machine with 4 plates.

- 2 years ago I could squat 175 lbs for 10 reps, and today I can squat 260 for 4 reps.

- 2 years ago, I could DB split squat 45 lb dumbbells for 10 reps. Today, I can Bulgarian split squat 110 lb dumbbells for 6-8 reps.

- 2 years ago, I could hip thrust 115 lbs. Today, I can hip thrust 4.5 plates.

 

[avalonforhim]

@d33smth You claim you have been bulking for a year yet only put on 5 pounds, thats either less than half a pound per month. Or you werent actually bulking the entire year. You need to have steady increases in bodyweight week to week, month to month

EDIT: also 5 pounds of muscle isnt going to look that ground breaking ona 6 foot frame

 

[d33smth]

@avalonforhim I'll correct the post but I started at 145 lbs in January 2022 actually, and gained about a pound a month since then, bringing me to 162 lbs today.

 

[avalonforhim]

@d33smth is it consistent? Its possible you are only bulking some months or weeks but have periods where you arent in a surplus.

You can only gain so much muscle in a given timeframe so say for 3 months on your bulk you gained the majority of your weight. its only gonna be as much muscle as the other 9 months. So what happens is, you get fat.

Also you can have a good 3-5 pounds of weight that isnt from fat gain or lean tissue gain. (water, digestive tract, etc).

my recommendation is to put on 1 pound per week. And ensure its never less than a pound.

 

[d33smth]

@avalonforhim it's definitely been consistent, I weigh myself every week. 1 pound a week sounds very fast, but increasing my calories a little at this point is something I'm strongly considering. Thanks for your response

 

[avalonforhim]

@d33smth 1 pound a week seems fast but you are 6 foot and you feel like you look no different its because 10 pounds even if it was all muscle isnt going to look radically different.

Its also far easier and quicker to lose fat, so best thing to do to ensure you are building muscle is to put on atleast 2 pounds a month. You are still pretty lean so had I bulked ida aimed for 4 pounds per month which is around 1 pound a week.

Your welcome to try and gain 3 pounds a month but its hard to measure anyhting less than a pound a week

 

[d33smth]

@avalonforhim I guess I will start by increasing my surplus to where I'm gaining 2-3 lbs per month. Does this definitely mean that some of that 2-3 lb gain will be muscle, if I'm training to failure and adding weight/reps over time?

 

[avalonforhim]

@d33smth Yes you should also bulk for atleast 3 months and if you are just trying to look good and build size then do a mini cut when you reach 15% or so body fat. After 15% is when we start to feel fat and after 20% is when your likely not gaining muscle at a decent rate anymore.

 

[d33smth]

@avalonforhim And if I stop at 15%, what bf% would you cut down to before bulking again?

 

[avalonforhim]

@d33smth Depends on your goals and genetics. Some people have abs at 12% some people can easily get to 14% and anything more is just way more effort.

You can safely cut for 5-6 weeks at around 1-2% body weight per week. So really its just a 6 week break from bulking, and if you do it right you should lose a good amount of fat and can continue on again

 

[d33smth]

@avalonforhim That actually sounds really promising, it sounds like I would be able to have longer bulk periods and only have to go through short cutting phases. My biggest fear with bulking too fast has been having to back into a long period of cutting, because my last cut of 40 lbs was a long time, and I'd like to avoid cutting for that long again.

Do you usually jump down about 1,000 calories when transitioning from a bulk to a cut? If so, is the first week brutal, and are you feeling pretty hungry all the time since your appetite has been expanded from your time on a bulk?

 

[imnotjokingwellnotmostly]

@d33smth I mean it’s really up to you but you could probably stand to increase your calories

 

[joy_m]

@d33smth You need to eat more

 

[johnc101]

@d33smth bulk to 200lbs, seriously. there's only so much progress you're going to be able to eek out at +/- 10lbs of 160lbs at 6'0. take 2 years or so, slowly get up to 200lbs (take some minicuts or small cuts on the way up if you need it for mental) and the difference will be night and day.

 

[d33smth]

@johnc101 is there anything wrong with lean bulking for 2-3 years? I've heard things about fat partitioning, but if you're relatively lean, is there anything wrong with going straight through without stopping for mini cuts? I've been lean bulking for about 1.5 years now, and I'm not sure if my body is less sensitive to the long-term calorie surplus or something, and may be more prone to put on body fat at this point. I'm good with continuing on my slow bulk, but wanted to hear others' thoughts.

 

[johnc101]

@d33smth how have you been lean bulking for 1.5 years and are only 160? 1% bodyweight gain per month is good rule of thumb for lean bulking and 1% bodyweight loss per week for cutting.

in terms of partitioning - not something to be concerned with. you just want your body to be in a good place physiologically to gain muscle. if too lean, you basically have to be in a surplus to get any muscle gains, and you're likely leaving gains on the table by being too small. if too fat, you might not be in best physical shape to perform at your best in the gym. somewhere inbetween is likely gonna be best for most (like 25-27 BMI) - you can be a little more flexible with diet and you won't ever be objectively fat. look at most athletes even in weightlifting or weight class sports, let alone bodybuilders - they always get quite significantly heavier when they want to put size on. then, if they need to drop fat, that's a relatively easy process they can do when necessary

 

[d33smth]

@johnc101 Bulking for 1.5 years from 145 to 162 is exactly 1% bodyweight gain...

Got it, I guess I will further commit to this building phase. I've been getting stronger, but am just not building a ton of muscle.

 

[johnc101]

@d33smth Lol yeah fair enough my bad. And yeah good luck dude seems like you know what to do

 

[d33smth]

@johnc101 Thanks I appreciate it. I guess I will just keep pushing ahead on this lean bulk. Do you have a weight or body fat percentage you would recommend aiming for, before I reassess whether I should keep going or cut a little?

 

[johnc101]

@d33smth Maybe at 10% bodyweight gain so like 185-190 take a check at that point and assess. Try not to worry about bodyfat percentage too much until a couple years of productive training at productive bodyweight. If you’ve bulked and cut maybe 2-3x through productive bodyweights (see next paragraph) you’ll have a much better idea where you’ll end up and can focus on bodyfat then without having to worry about leaving gains on the table.

More specifically, I usually tell people to check out the symmetricstrength.com ideal bodyweight calculator and bulk/cut between the 5% and then either 12 or 15% depending on what they’re comfortable with. Once you get to those bodyweights at or close (like 3-4%) to the bodyfats it suggests, you’ll very likely know what to do for yourself.