Shitty progress thread - What the fuck am I even doing edition

Please tell me you are trolling, Im growing nothing but my stomach

Monday chest and biceps

Chest:
2 of the following Incline, decline flat 3x10
then
flys 3x10
dips 3x10
Biceps:
Hammer curls, Ez bar curl, cables 3x10

Tuesday
Legs

squats 3x10
calf raise 3x10

Wednesday
lat raises
front raises
rear delt raises
(for 2 months) OHP 25 or 30kg 3x10

Thursday
Bent over rows 3x10
diddlys 3x10
lat pull downs.

first 3 months I did every muscle group twice a week since the last 2/3 I've done each muscle group once

I tend to go for weight I can manage for higher reps vs heavier weight for less.

My average day of eating is coffee and bagel with cream cheese for breakfast

Pulled pork wrap for lunch

a full dinner such as a stew, stir fry, veg/meat/potatoes

Last 1 and a half months or so I have been drinking protein shakes,

creatine from day 1

There was 2 weeks in November, December and 1 week in January where I couldnt lift or did very very light weights, push ups etc

Not eating enough / Not enough volume / Following a beginner routine with little to no isolation lifts.

yes T_T

shit I fucked up, left is most recent right is september (I fucking hate that too)

what fucking program is that
>legs:
>squat
>calf raises

>Training a muscle only once per week as a natural
Dude, up your frequency by at least twice per week. You're doing a brosplit, and that only works if you're an advanced lifter and/or juicing.

Train your muscle groups AT LEAST twice per week. Ride your linear gains with a beginner routine like Grayskull LP, then switch to PPL (if you're looking for aesthetics).

I do leg press too.

a bad one??

I fucked up folks, holy shit im retarded.

LEFT IS MARCH 5th

RIGHT IS SEPTEMBER 3rd

fuck

get on a ppl routine two times a week. and go hard on compounds, your progress is very slow. fix diet and sleep. as you can see, theres no success in half assing this shit.

You need way more volume. Start doing 4 sets of 5-12 for everything

>Tuesday Legs
>squats 3x10
>calf raise 3x10

So you spend like 20mins at the gym on tuesday? Step it up nigga

you've doubled your lifts what's seems to be the problem

you need to get a true 1RM on your main lifts and reperiodize your training. that progression is pretty pathetic for the time frame and I'm not saying you are weak I'm saying you aren't adding weight to the bar as often as you need to be.

fixed

Sounds like about 2200cal/day max

Eat more and lift harder you stupid faggot.

fuck I knew it, I finda pansies around for the first 3 months

0 improvement in aesthetics, I feel like there should be more progress especially for bench

I may have forgotten 1 or 2 excersises I hate leg day and rows :O

Any recommendations? Been following my brothers routine hes lifting for 6 years and is pretty ripped, I was thinking I need to improve strength then try go for volume?

Bro's routine, hes lifting 5/6 years and is ripped. so I need about x2 the volume?

All that wasted time fuck sake.

Welcome to bulking. You put on size, strength and fat and afterwards cut to reveal it. If you want to be lean all year round hop on roids or never get stronger/bigger, your choice.

If you want to maximize size/strength with minimal fat, train more efficiently (follow a tried and true program that fits your goals) eat cleaner, Do cardio and track macros/calories rigerously.

There are no half measures for full results. You get what you put in.

Really need to focus on building lat width and upper chest. I like behind the neck lat pulldowns for width. Slight incline bench for upper chest with banded pec stretches between sets.

How often have you been squatting? In the picture on the left there is no way you could only squat 30kg. I'm guessing it was closer to 75kg.
Did you mix up the pictures because you definitely look stronger on the left.

chest has basically not changed gunna do 3 days of chest a week starting this week, so sick of not growing.

I'm already kinda fat, I have a lot of fat on my stomach and a fair amount of muffen top when sitting, still bulk?

My progress is pathetic looking at this comparison end me now.

Just do Starting Strength man. Get big and strong as a novice. Once you finish your novice progression you've earned the right to concern yourself with aesthetics.

nothing wrong with your progress man, don't get discouraged.

plenty of people make """shitty""" progress by Veeky Forums's standards. get to know your body and make sure you don't get too fat gaining. everybody's different and getting to 2 plate bench after even a year isn't feasible for everyone.

Lmao I didn't even read the whole thread. So yeah you've had progress.

having said that i just looked at your routine and it's pants on head retarded so fix that, PPL or PP if you hate legs so much is a good chocie

Shoulda done ss faggit. Where did you get this retard routine from. A good place to start is with reading the sticky.
Also keep eating more as people have pointed out. You'll get there m8y you're on your way.

Fucking this.
Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe has gotten my squat max from 90kg last November to 143kg yesterday. And with literally no net change in body weight. I am 6'1 and weighed 210lbs when I started and 213 now. Just add 5lbs every week.

Relax bro, you didn't waste your time. You've upped your compounds and you're learning, don't sweat it. Now, let's help you out:

1 - THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP: Learn more about nutrition (calories, macronutrients, TDEE, etc). You'll have to do a lean bulk to achieve your goals. Read the sticky, it explains this subject much better than I could. IF YOU SKIP THIS STEP YOU'LL NEVER STOP BEING SKINNY-FAT.
2 - Have a healthy sleeping schedule, and drink tons of water. Your muscles grow during your sleep, so sleep well. Aim for 8-10 hours per day. Take naps if needed.
3 - Pick a beginner routine and stick with it until you're no longer able to progress linearly. My recommendation is Grayskull LP (most aesthetic-focused beginner routine). This step is usually ignored by hasty newbies, but it will really help you on your intermediate routine.
4 - Always do more than you did in your previous workout. If you're adding more weight and/or adding more reps, then you're doing things right.
5 - Once you're done with your beginner routine, pick an Intermediate routine. Since you're more focused on aesthetics, hop on a PPL (Push - Pull - Legs).

Just follow this simple guide and you'll get fukking shredded in 2-3 years. You're gonna make it, user.

Unironically read SS and do SS and try harder.

In that order.

Truth.
Quads for SS
SS for Quads

Greyskull LP for what 3 months or so?

some people say these routines are a waste of time, I assume you dont do the accessory lifts in these beginner programs to conserve energy for heavier lifts or?

This seems like solid advice thanks man,

> Try harder

Im trying mate just weak as fuck

thanks breh

haha thanks for the encouragement, Yeah the routine might be missing one or two excersises we usually do but its an advanced lifters routine someone whos squatting 130kg, benching like 140+ and who can Deadlift 200 for 1 rep max after being off for a long while (no hes not roided)

I will definitely increase my volume going forward, 2 days for chest,back, shoulders/biceps/triceps everything but legs and diddlys

Those are my exact numbers except my deadlift is 70kg and I started a month ago.
Eat more.

Holy shit OP are you me?
lifts are the exact same but i've been going since the start of Jan. I am however a fat fuck and cutting on a keto diet. So my progress feels slow as shit. Doing SS routine with some accessory thrown in.
Want to eat more, but want to lose BF%
Hardest choice of my life

Everyday a beginner to the gym will ask what program he should do. Veeky Forums will usually respond with either Starting Strength or Stronglifts and order them to eat a lot.

A few months will pass and the beginner have stalled and is confused with why he’s not gaining any muscle despite putting so much weight on the bar. They say he should stick with the program, read the book, read the fucking sticky, get a lot of sleep and eat even more food and not to switch programs unless he’s reached 1/2/3/4 “intermediate” lifts. The beginner sticks with it and runs it for 1 year, while making very little progress.

Here is where the problem actually lays: Starting Strength and Stronglifts do not build muscle.

Guys on the internet, such as those on SS forums have probably left untold amounts of guys disappointed with how they've looked after 3-12 months. Meanwhile, the "bro" who goes to the gym and does volume work such as curls, bench, shoulders press and a few chin-ups and leg presses totally blows the SS "student" out of the water, getting bigger arms, shoulders, pecs and upper back without that much weight gain. Thus trashing the SS mantra of people being unable to induce significant localised hypertrophy, which skinny fat guys benefit from aesthetically.

If you're a fat fuck you can still gain muscle and lose fat while cutting your calorie intake. Eventually you will have to eat more if you want to keep making progress though.

This is not my experience. As a beginner I did straight Stronglifts for a year (with a few small additions like cable lat pulldown, curls, abs) and I built tons of muscle. Went from 6'3" 155lbs to about 175 or so in that year.

Yea, i've gone from 15.3 stone (97kg or so)
down to 13.10 stone (83.1kg) meanwhile my lifts have gone up.
bench went from 30kg to 60kg
OHP is bad can only press 35-40kg
Squats 75KG
Deadlift is 100kg. 1RM 110kg previously
I mean what i'm doing is clearly working, I weighed today and used the machine (dont really know the better way to check BF) and it said i was roughly 20% now, down from 27 or so

>did straight Stronglifts for a year
>with a few small additions like cable lat pulldown, curls, abs

Compound lifts with accesory+isolation volume no wonder you got muscle.

SS is a crap program designed for gullible teens who are just starting out and have no idea about anything and above all lack the inquiring mind to approach weights and strength in a trial and error fashion.

Rippetoe’s absurd claim that you can reasonably expect to add 30 pounds of muscle in 12 weeks is pure fantasy and his ludicrous diet advice amounting to thousands of calories a day is mind-boggling when you consider that the actual workout volume is so pathetically low that even a thai ladyboy will spit at your feet in disgust.

But the worst thing for SS to have done is to install an almighty and crippling fear of incorrect form and overtraining in impressionable minds, robbing them of any impetus to enjoy and maximise their training and to just go out there and mess around with stuff to see what works.
yes, of course you will make strength gains on ss – but so you will on any programme, even if you’re training with a pair of rusty dumbells in your bedroom. what matters is consistency and sheer foot-to-the-pedal effort and a willingness to enjoy yourself.

Op here,

Theres just so much info floating around out there its over whelming.

I just want to make sure im using my time in the gym as effectively as possible and not wasting my time.

My bench being below 65 and squat being below 70 after 5 months bothers me.

I allowed myself to fall into the trap of the whole “eat big to get big” dogma, whilst doing a pathetically low volume of lifting such as that found in 3×5 or 5X5 programs, I do feel that others (especially very young guys who don’t know any lifters IRL) will continue to get suckered into GOMAD+SS whilst doing routines that last no longer than 20-25 minutes and just make them hate what they see in the mirror. I know I did. I was fat, injured, still had skinny arms and didn’t lift again for years until more recent times. That was once the last of my tendonosis had cleared up, haha.

Not to mention, those routines just aren’t fun. They’re billed as “simple” but most of them have some elaborate deload process built in once you plateau that you’d never remember unless you did nothing but read that program day and night.

I wouldn’t blame the likes of Mark Rippetoe for this trend (he has made numerous clarifications, and has never presented himself as other than a strength coach) but rather the army of dedicated SStards that present the program as the answer to all problems and denigrate anyone doing things differently with endless pejoratives and e-statting.

They say:

Wanna get jacked? Do SS. Wanna get aesthetic? Do SS. Wanna bodybuild? Do SS. Wanna become CEO of a Fortune 500 company? Do SS.

Only on the internet does this madness exist! Only on the internet do people think that squatting and eating a 2000 calorie surplus a day will cut bodyfat, build and sculpt your bicep peak and give you boulder shoulders.

I’ve never known or met anyone IRL who has looked well built and lean who built themselves up using a low volume, low rep, CNS wrecker of a routine. Plenty have done it with bench presses or inclines, pulldowns/pull-ups, curls, shoulder side raises, rope pushdowns and leg presses though (I would also add that diamond push-ups are awesome tricep builders, and high rep OHPs blow up your shoulders).

natty limit

Starting Strength, the key being starting, is the best teacher of form for the big lifts, and includes chin ups, pull ups, dips, barbell rows, back extensions, glute raises, curls and lying tricep extensions.

SS and SL are highly overrated. Guys clearly gain more muscle in Upper chest, arms and specially on shoulders after switching to high rep isolation work.
You will find a lot of imbalance if you strictly only do SS or SL. The founder of stronglifts Mehdi is a complete moron who believes his own bro science. At least Rippetoe knows something about training. But knows nothing about nutrition and bodybuilding.

It really troubles me when a bunch of guys such as *some* of those on the SS forums proud of being shockingly out of condition feel they are qualified to advise people on weight loss and body recomposition and “call out” anyone who does things a little differently and succeed, looking for evidence of their “failure”.

I don’t know if the SS partisans/internet ultras realise the implications of telling a light framed skinny-fat guy to go and get 15-20kg fatter in exchange for a < 5kg muscle gain. I'm talking blood sugar problems, further hormonal issues, etc. Most of those guys don't give a damn about bloodwork or health. Plenty of them will have ceased lifting by 40 years of age through injury.

Linear progressions take so many forms. The reason why ones like SS are so popular is that they've been created with a view to being inherently "programmable". To me, progression encompasses so many things:

– more reps
– more sets (don't go mad and jump from 2 to 10 sets per exercise next session, though!)
– better *quality* reps by feeling the muscles working more
– increased TUT per set
– same weight/reps/sets but shorter resting periods
– introducing mechanical disadvantage
– etc…

Weight on a bar is just one way to go about things and the easiest in the early weeks, even if in a caloric deficit. But it comes to an end and there's no reason to push yourself towards injury or obesity when your goal is to look better shirtless and optimise health + hormones + nutrient uptake/partitioning.

Really appreciate all the replys my dudes even if i dont give you a (you) phone posting is horrific

...

t. dyel

...

if legit, btfo

Why would you cut at 70kg
You have to eat more. Now bulk to 80kg and report back

Your progress is fine. What's the problem?

Youre on gear so your bullshit opinions dont count

And what do you propose instead?

One thing I don't understand about
>Eat more
For skinny fat guys is you'll actually get results by eating at a slight caloric deficit but staying in positive nitrogen balance. You'll still get stronger, build muscle but will actually see results to keep being motivated.

Why would someone who already has too much body fat add more body fat?

Someone that's skinny fat will not have the willpower to do a pure bulk.

Do full body workout MWF for 6 months. When I say full body I don't mean low volume shit such as Starting Fat 3x5.

The switch to an Upper/Lower split 4 days a week.

After 6 months on UL switch to PHAT or an Upper Lower Push Pull Leg for another 6 months.

And last do a PPLxPPL.

no other images of this size found

legit

absolutely destroyed

Am I making it out of soy mode? This is around 3 months into starting my training.

Actually try. Learn what intensity is and quit short changing yourself.

I just started lifting 5 months ago and I do PPLPPLx. Is this bad? I'm loving it btw.

Well if you're enjoying it keep at it. There's no point in training if you hate what you're doing, minimalist routines like SS or SL are too damn boring.

PPLPPL is awesome but should you feel like you're not recovering well just reduce it to 5 or 4 days, with time you'll know when to increase frequency or volume.

A good 4 day Push-Pull split.-

Monday- Push
Tuesday - Pull-Legs
Wednesday- Rest
Thursday- Push
Friday- Pull-Legs
Sat.Sun- Rest

Well you got rid of your love handles OP. Good work. Progress is progress.

Do you even have biceps

Literally exactly this

Height?

Is it possible to be stronger without gaining weight? How do I know for sure that i'm gaining muscle when my weight fluctuates so much? I've been eating at like 2800 cals (300 over maintinence) for 10 days and haven't seen much difference considering the shit fluctuates anyways within about 4lbs anywhere between 138-142. My lifts are going up doing SS, my bench is hard to put weight on and i'm scared to load too much because I don't have a spotter but my DL and squats are doing well, i've only been at it for 10 days like I said, and apparently i'm supposed to be gaining 0.5lb per week which is difficult to track because of the fluctuation. Should I just keep eating the same until I stall hard? I'm at like 12%ish BF and 5'9"

best advice i've seen on Veeky Forums in ages, especially the routine progression, screencap worthy for noobs, also fucking mirin (no homo)

Eat moar pussy

With noob gains and starting off fat

Eat less, and you'll still make progress if you're eating enough protein.

Once you plateau, start eating more.

just looks redder

Youre definitely getting stronger and bigger, but your bodyfat percentage is also going up. The program you run is kinda weird, I would suggest the following:

Program: StrongLifts
Accessories: Dips, Chin-ups, abwheel
Diet: Intermittent fasting 16/8, 2500 kcal a day, at least 150 grams of protein.

If you find it hard to get to that amount off calories, eat nuts (macadamia, walnuts, peanuts - as long as they’re not salted). Greek yoghurt or French Quark is a good lean source of protein to.

Do this for 12 weeks and post results.

Follow up program I would suggest Greyskull LP for 12 -24 weeks, than switch to a PPL.

Unless you're fucking Chinese it's still backwards God damn it

i dont see any eggs+ milk in your meal. thats your problem. im just on my 3rd month and bulging muscle mass already

Been lifting for 4 months

Starting Strength is the way Veeky Forums likes to troll newfags to lifting weights. It's their version of delete system32 to triforce.

I did SS and it worked pretty well for me m8

When you make a claim like that you post pics or never happened.

About 18 months following it

#notflexing

Looking good

6'5 93kg, started at 88kg a month ago

are you aaron curtis???

sucking gut in and flexing.

Holy fucking shit OP I'm in the same boat.
Started eating more two weeks ago, it feels like it's helping. Oh well

>been lifting
>eating much more too
>put on an extra 10kg
>still paranoid I'm not making any progress or that I'm lifting wrong or something and just getting fat

about a month ago
>190cm
>105kg originally
>5 months of lifting but 2 months of fucking around
>i am cutting heavily, doing intermitent fasting almost at GOMAD level
Stats
Squat 40->100kg
Bench30->55kg
OHP- 10->30kg
DIddy 60->120kg
All numbers without factoring in the bar

Two months liftan
135 lbs -> 145 lbs
5'10, 20 years old
going for The Golden One aesthetic, minus height and hips

Always post your lifts with the bar included for the rest of us please, the whole
>he actually counts the bar
is a Veeky Forums meme, also consider that different bars whey differently

well i just posted what i add to the standard barbell its easier for me to do the math

Can I cut now lads?
Thinking 75kg by June

Exactly, just do GZCLP if you cant program for shit.

lack of protein and complex carbs, not enough calories for your muscles to grow.

eat more you tit. you can't grow if your body is not in a caloric surplus

176cm
Four months lifting
>75kg ->79kg

All with 5+ reps
>pendlay 20kg -> 67kg
>ohp 20kg -> 40kg
>bench 40kg -> 60kg, incline bench 50kg
>back squat 40kg -> 82kg, front squat 72kg
>diddly 80kg -> 107kg

Pls kill me

>Is it possible to be stronger without gaining weight?
yes. your body becomes more efficient at activating muscle fibers with practice. programs like grease the grove (google it) focus on that. but as a beginner doing a normal routine that is not an issue.

generally, as long as you are progressing on your main lifts, all is well.

12% bf is also not high so to say. that is the point where most natties start to get weaker because of low bf. 8% is the point where you start getting massive health complications as a natty, including RIP.

either continue your very lean bulk and be ok with maybe progressing a bit slower or put the surplus up to 500.