Stalling, please help

>eating 5,500 calories every single day
>cycling creatine
>In past 9 months of heavy, dedicated lifting, bench has gone from 265x5 to 275x5
>Squats and deadlifts following the same pattern, haven't squat more than 355x4 in 7 months, and in fact squats have gone down to 325x5 where I basically decided to maintain for now
>Been maintaining deadlifts at 50lbs over squats (375x5) since they started to stall a few months ago
>Majority of accessories haven't gone up more than 5 pounds in over a year
>Tried changing programs and switching routines, increasing volume and frequency (hard to increase when you were on a PPL), etc.
>Still stalled, lost some strength until I switched back to PPL for a month
>Tried taking rest weeks, can't stomach more calories even with weightgainer
>Have been dedicated lifting for 4 years

Have I hit my natty limit? I legitimately feel like I've hit such a wall in this past year, I have tried literally every possible equation of increasing weight, volume, frequency, rest, etc. I have yet to make gains past where I am now for over 6 months.

5,9 170lbs. I think about 13-14% bodyfat right now.

I legit don't know what to do. I'm thinking of just calling it quits on heavy lifting and just training for physique in the future. Maybe cut to 10% and enjoy aesthetics while maintaining my size as long as possible. I'm only 22 so I didn't think I'd hit my limit so early, but I've been so fatigued in this past few months without any gains that I've basically lost motivation to continue down this path.

>5,500 calories every single day
>170lbs


Who are you trying to fool?

You are eating so many calories that its probably increasing stress hormones and all weight gain is going to fat

t. Phd in broscience

forget how many calories you're eating (your estimate is fucked and very wrong unless you're a freak of nature or endurance athlete)

are you gaining at least half a pound a week?

I sometimes feel like I'm the only person on Veeky Forums who can actually track calories properly.


I'm 185lbs 9-10% bodyfat and maintain it on 3,000 calories, lifting 6 days a week, doing ~30min walking everyday.

Nobody, I gained weight, but not strength.
I cannot imagine cutting calories will be healthy for strength gaining.
I count almost religiously, and I lift 5-6 days in a 7 day period, as well as am on my feet 40 hours a week for work (aircraft maintenance tech). Not gaining at least half a pound a week, more like a pound a month, but it feels like all fat.

Post your food and exercise logs

Then someone can help

this op, you're counting is way fucked. I maintain 6' 245lbs on 2.5k calories daily at ~12% with 4x week lifting. If you're eating twice as much as I am and not gaining muscle, you're not eating twice as much as I am, end of story.

That's cool and all, but bulking =/= maintaining. At 5'8 140 every calculator I've tried tells me that with heavy lifting and a manual labor job I need to eat between 3,200 and 3,600 calories a week in order to gain 1lb/wk.


>6' 245lbs on 2.5k diet at 12%
Post body, you're full of shit and we all know it.

I'm 155lb 5'10 and i bulk with 2500-2700 kcal (i weight every single thing).

I look like shit tho, so maybe you shouldnt take my word.

>lifting heavy for 4 years
>can't deadlift 4 plates

He can deadlift around 430 lb x1 man.

It's literally 1/2/3/4x5 which most people hit within the first two years of lifting on SS, while OP has been on a "PPL" for 4 fucking years and still falls short of that basic strength standard. At least for deadlifts anyway.

a pound a month equates to roughly a 115 calorie surplus a day

with a surplus that tiny, you are likely at maintenance or even at a slight deficit most days due to slight variability in serving size and activity, so your 115 calorie average daily surplus is probably more like 0 calorie surplus some days, 100 calorie deficit some days, 200 calorie surplus another day, etc. which is not at all conducive to muscle growth

you need to eat more, but first you probably need to just back off training and maintain for a while, let your body resensitize to high volumes and being in a hypercaloric state, maybe even cut down to 10-12% after that before you really start pushing to gain weight and strength again

>that basic strength standard
Doesn't exist anywhere but on fit and reddit. Nowhere is this a standard of strength, and certainly not fitness.

Comes down to eating more desu. I know guys (well over your weight and on gear) and bulk at 8k calories. You need to bump your intake up or accept that you might plateau here and maintain for a few years if you can't dedicate more to the lifestyle.

You aren't weak at all, and sound like your doing amazing lifts at your weight. But cut back the powerlifting 5x5s and work on higher rep ranges for a while, and eat/rest more. I'd say 190 at 10% is a natty limit at 5 foot 9. You aren't there yet.

why is he lifting in work boots

>On PPL
>Not getting stronger
seems normal to me

That standard only works if you are a 200lbs fatass. I started from 120lbs so those numbers would be world class lifts with my bw.

>he doesn't lift in work boots
you're joking right?

Those standards work for 150lb twinks too. 225 is not a high bench, nor 315 a high squat or 405 a high dead.

After many years of lifting i noticed some trends with my body. Being observant and creative is key for gains. Anyway, i made a thread about it long time ago and some science user and i came to the conclusion that this may be something called punctuated equilibrium.

Our bodies maintain equilibrium, it resists change. You have to make something a norm for your body to give up and accept the fact it has to change.

This may take a while for your stubborn ass body to realize so progress can come in bursts after many weeks or months. For me personally, and i still dont know why, i cant make any gains feom may to august. It just doesnt happen no matter how on point ive been. But then towards the end of august to February im just suddenly a lot bigger, energetic, explosive. Im making gains left and right with half the work. This year for example i stalled on squat for 8 months and just out of nowhere the other day i added 60 lbs to my max. Instead of gaining like 5 pounds a month a just got it all now.

So if youre stalling but really pushing yourself and eating a lot, just be patient. The gains are accumulating.

>t. Dyel

Post pics OP.

>he lifts in work boots
Never gonna make it.

>225 is not a high bench, nor 315 a high squat or 405 a high dead.
And here I am, happy I finally hit a 250 deadlift.

People who think 1/2/3/4 is a legitimate metric for basic lifting strength are delusional. 1/2/3/4 is among the top lifters in practically any gym besides ones dedicated powerlifting/weightlifting ones. Even then, if it's a public gym that's still stronger than probably half its membership. 1/2/3/4 isn't that strong relative to the strongest men on earth, but by normie gym-goer standards it's at least top 20%