Not Gaining Mass

[Evolve]

Im really getting mad at looking at the scales and seeing im not gaining.

About A about 2 years ago I started to train at home with light free weights. Had massive newbie gains from 140 pound 168 in the first year. Then about a year ago I joined a gym, used compound exersises and got to 172.2 pound within a few months of training. Then I got depressed and lost focus never eat enough or trained enough. Went down too 161 pound.

Got over my problems at home stared eating more and training hard again.

I train HARD 3 times a week eat enough food and get plenty of rest. But I keep on loosing weight. Used various routines for bulking on this site and stuck with them 100% and carried them out to the end of the program. But no matter how hard I train and how much I eat my weight will not shift. The thing I find strangest of all even thought im loosing weight Im getting stronger and stronger ( I get strange looks when the weedy guy has perfect form and benchs more than the big guys!) Never been so strong in my life but my weight wont budge!


Could any of these be the factors?

1. Iv been smoking way too much
2. Im still stressed
3. Iv been lifting heavy weight way to long. Max reps 8, I fail on last rep of every set.



Only thing I have not tried is a program with really light weights 3 sets of 20. Full body workout. I think I did this when i was training at home and got more gains than im getting now.


Can anyone shed some light onto my problem?

 

[Warboss Alex]

I train HARD 3 times a week eat enough food and get plenty of rest. But I keep on loosing weight.

Well, it's obvious. 'Enough' food just isn't enough!

Try 4000 calories with 400g protein a day and see if you don't gain.

 

[Evolve]

To be honest I don't count calories but Im eating more than I have ever done before and I used to be a lot bigger. Thats what I find strange, Thank you for your reply "arboss, will have look into how much im eating a bit more!

 

[saber]

To be honest I don't count calories

Start counting calories and like previous poster said get more protien

even 150grams of protien and 4000 cals should build you up nicely

from what i understand lower reps focus more on the central nervous system's ability to control the muscle so you will get more strength gains

while higher reps increase size...not sure how but it seems to hold true in my experience...maybee try alternating between a high rep/low rep program as needed

400 grams protien omg i would passing gas like nobodies business

 

[Evolve]

http://www.ultimatehandbook.com/Webpages/Health/injstrength.html

"The number of repetitions performed to fatigue is an important consideration in designing a strength training programme. The greatest strength gains appear to result from working with 4-6RM. Increasing this to 12-20RM favours the increase in muscle endurance and mass."

I really don't think the amount im eating at the moment is an issue. After reading this looks like iv been focusing on strength training. It would explain when im getting very big gains in strength but not mass wise. Iv always been under the impression heavy weights with low reps built strength AND mass.

Thinking about lowering my weights and doing 3 sets of 15 on each exercise.

Has any one had big mass gains from doing high reps?

 

[Evolve]

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-High-Reps-Are-Better-For-Gaining-Weight-Fast&id=697601

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/henkin6cccc.htm

Um...................... Im gonna have to give this high rep thing a go.

 

[Warboss Alex]

my advice:

train as you were training.
increase you food and protein intake.
start a journal on here.

unless your routine is chronically overtraining you, it is NOT your training's fault that you're not gaining. it is diet pure and simple.

 

[EFFORT]

Yeah your not eating enough food plain in simple

 

[speakeasy]

Have you considered possibly any health problems? Does your overall health seem to be normal?

 

[mrRuckus]

How do you know you're eating enough if you're not gaining weight?

Where do these magic calories go? it has to go to muscle or fat. there's no other choice and either will make you gain weight.

 

[Drum&Bass]

You messed up when you decided to use a scale. Human beings don't need scales in their lives. You remind me alot of my over weight clients. I tell them to get rid of their scales because it does nothing but get in your way and mentally bring you down.

Your looking at this all wrong Evolve, you should be more concerned with muscle hypertrophy and strength gains. You should NOT be trying to make weight for the sake of being heavier. It is neither healthy or aesthetic to have excess body fat.


All that matters is lean muscular mass and possibly your strength gains if strength is part of your goals.

 

[Quiksilver]

Eat more.

 

[Evolve]

Yes I could eat more. But just find it strange I was about a stone heavier about 6 months ago (all lean muscle). I was eating less back then and but no where near as strong as I am now.

My goal is for size not strength

My plan is to eat even more carry on my heavy weight training sessions. Im going to finished me and my partners split routine phase in 3 weeks. If I see no progress im switching to light weight all body workouts 3 times a week. 3 Sets of 15 to 20 reps just to see how my body responds, i'll give that ago up to XMAS and review then.

 

[Evolve]

My plan is to eat even more carry on my heavy weight training sessions. Im going to finished me and my partners split routine phase in 3 weeks. If I see no progress im switching to light weight all body work outs 3 times a week. 3 Sets of 15 to 20 reps just to see how my body responds.

 

[Warboss Alex]

3 weeks isn't enough to see progress. keep with the heavy split until xmas, if you eat properly I GUARANTEE you'll gain size (and not fluff muscle either which comes from higher reps, actual contractile protein which'll stay with you when you take a week off ).

Post a journal on here and we'll monitor it.

edit: remember you can get as strong while losing weight or keeping the same weight. of course, your strength potential is limited this way but that's not to say you can't get impressively strong for a certain weight. that's why you gained plenty of strength but no size (you weren't eating enough)

even in a strict dieting phase you can gain strength fairly well. if people realised this there'd be a lot less catabolism during 'cuts'

 

[Smack]

When you're not gaining weight, it's nearly always your diet that is wrong. The simple answer is to eat more food.

 

[Awesome!]

Yeah, eat more. I wish I had your problem!