Need help figuring out whats going on with me

[GloriouslyInsane]

Hello again djs,

I'm at loss at what im doing wrong about my fitness,ive been trying on and off for 9 years to get into shape but everytime i stop because of lack of results, here's a brief history

*At 13 yo i got into a gym and did light weights and cardio, lost about 20pounds but also lost some muscle.I stopped going after 6-7 months because i was not getting "big" (yeah i know i was naive)

*At 15yo i had another go at it doing (what i thought were) heavy lifting but actually it was pretty mid-range with machines, i could barely bench 60lb (i was 176lb myself..). At the same time i tried eating alot of protein, ended up gaining ~15 pounds of which 5 were muscle,so i quit once again

*At 16 (summer) i did cardio for ~50 mins a day (swimming ~40 min and ~10mins going up the stairs of my 12 story building).Lost 30pounds in 2 months, at this point i was could not be considered "overweight" (160 pounds @ 6 feet).

*After this i took a break for 3 years while i had school and stuff, at this time i researched the matter endlessly

*At 20yo i was 6'1 and 187pounds , i guess 15% bf, skinny arms,ok legs and a large waistline and chestline

*At 21yo(this year) i purchased 5kg of whey protein and started lifting seriously (replenishing when i ran out..),
Bench press: started at september with a 110lb one rep max and ended at june with 155lb X 2
Squat: started at 65lb (not max) and ended with 220lb one rep max
Deadlift: started at 120lb one rep max and ended at 265lb one rep max

I gained about 20lb during this time but i see no change whatsoever in the mirror, so my question is is there something going wrong? Im getting stronger but i can see no aparent changes in my bodytype (nor can anyone else) , one comment i got was that i got "fatter" (from my mom ).

As a student my diet was not anywhere near perfect but i took ZMA,B50,glutamine and VITC and tried to not go beneath 175gr of protein a day (at 187pounds).I didnt count calories.

Atm i am 6'1 195pounds with 15-17% bf (i lost 10 pounds the last 2 months but didnt cut as i would like to for summer).

Any input appreciated.

 

[Throttle]

sounds like you ate a little sloppy this last time around, gained size and strength but some fat along with it. we're very bad at "seeing" changes in size in the mirror--we notice changes in bodyfat much more readily (appearance or disappearance of veins, tendons, etc.)

you're in better "shape" than before you started. you are more "fit" for lifting heavy objects. but what is your objective or goal? If you just want a beach body (sounds like what you want) you've done a lot of the hard work, just need to clean up your diet, add some cardio and you'll lean out.

As a student my diet was not anywhere near perfect but i took

it doesn't matter what follows the word "took" -- it's all about diet, not supps. all they can do is make your lifting a little more effective.

 

[GloriouslyInsane]

Thanks for the reply, i don't have a specific goal i just want to see results from what im doing. I'm gonna start the lifting again when i go back abroad in september.

I don't really have a control in what i'm eating (i'm piss poor and eat at the campus cafeteria) but i try to give it all when lifting. My main issue is that almost all my fat is concetrated in my abdominal/chest area and my arms/calfs are really skinny, i guess i just want to get more proportionate. So either losing the fat or gaining muscle everywhere else will do.

Can i expect to see muscle gains with more than 50% of protein intake being from whey?

 

[The Muscle Guy]

Thanks for the reply, i don't have a specific goal i just want to see results from what im doing. I'm gonna start the lifting again when i go back abroad in september.

I don't really have a control in what i'm eating (i'm piss poor and eat at the campus cafeteria) but i try to give it all when lifting. My main issue is that almost all my fat is concetrated in my abdominal/chest area and my arms/calfs are really skinny, i guess i just want to get more proportionate. So either losing the fat or gaining muscle everywhere else will do.

Can i expect to see muscle gains with more than 50% of protein intake being from whey?

How are you lifting? Give details.

You can eat well even if you're poor. It's called tuna and vegetables.

Calves are genetic, you either have them or not. Arms are most definitely not, I had 10 inch arms before I lifted, now they are 18 inches.

Whey isn't some wonder drug that will make you buff. It's a convenient way to consume protein, ex. right after your workout. Consuming protein within 90 minutes will maximize protein synthesis.

4-6 meals/day with even protein distribution each meal will stimulate protein synthesis.

Protein synthesis unlocks the key to muscle growth.

 

[GloriouslyInsane]

Well that's the thing, tuna is actually out of my budget (about 2usd per 50gr which is like half a portion).The only good protein source within my budget is whey and peanuts (2.5usd / kg). As for the lifts i try to keep a proper form which i studied from videos on the net (bodybuilding.com) (dunno if im allowed to link), if i can't make the lift with proper form (last rep or so) i set it down and retry after 5-10 seconds. I go to the gym 3-4 times a week (when the class schedule allows me) and my workout is as follows

Day 1:Legs
bbell Squats 5x5
Barbell Calf raises: 3x8
Leg extension: 3x8
Barbell Squats 3x8 (lower weight, reverse pyramid weight-wise)

Day 2: Push
Bench press 5x5
Barbell Shoulder press 5x5
Dumbell flyes 3x8
Barbell Scull crusher 3x8
Dumbell lateral raises 3x8

Day 3ull
Deadlifts 6x4 (only max weight over/under , usually dual over grip)
Barbell rows 5x5
Barbell Shrugs 3x12
Barbell curls 3x8 (straight barbell)
Front lat pulldown 3x8

I do normal pyramid in weights except isolation exercises (skullcrashers and curls) where i do a reverse pyramid.Usually i can barely execute the last rep of the final sets (like 7 seconds for last bench press rep (positive)), the moment i can handle one more rep on the last set i add weight to all the sets. I start with compound movements and the rest i do in a semi-random order (whatever is available right away)

As for the meals i have no freedom whatsoever, the only way to put 5 meals in a day is like this:
05:00 : Protein / carbs (peanuts or whey )
08:00: Bfast @ campus (carbs mostly)
12:30: Lunch @ campus (miniscule protein..)
15:00 or 16:00: Whey (50gr)
19:00: Dinner @ campus (usually some protein)

 

[The Muscle Guy]

Man you need to get a second job.

You can train for strength or hypertrophy, it's very difficult to do both.

When I did a 5x5 program, I was strong as a bull, but my body looked mediocre. My routine is now geared for hypertrophy (more reps 8-12 reps) and everyone tells me, man you look so much bigger.

Doing heavy weight and low reps trains your CNS (central nervous system). However, it does not create a lot of muscle adaptation.

 

[GloriouslyInsane]

Well with 35-40 hours of classes per week i don't have even a first job . Strength traiining was the only thing that got me some results (handling bigger weights, not any aesthetic results) 10-12 rep sets got me absolutely NOWHERE and with 8 rep sets i would plateu very quickly (i was stuck at 140 one rep max BP for a month when training with 3x8). Are 4 months adequate time to see some change as far as muscle growth goes? Im planning on getting frequent objective measurements with calipers instead of mirror/weight and rare caliper measurement.

 

[The Muscle Guy]

Well with 35-40 hours of classes per week i don't have even a first job . Strength traiining was the only thing that got me some results (handling bigger weights, not any aesthetic results) 10-12 rep sets got me absolutely NOWHERE and with 8 rep sets i would plateu very quickly (i was stuck at 140 one rep max BP for a month when training with 3x8). Are 4 months adequate time to see some change as far as muscle growth goes? Im planning on getting frequent objective measurements with calipers instead of mirror/weight and rare caliper measurement.

I sometimes do a pyramid routine. Good mix of strength and hypertrophy.

5 sets

15 reps
10 reps
8 reps
6 reps
3 reps

Take out a student loan and buy some tuna!

You won't see change until you up your protein intake.