Why you're not gaining Muscle: 3 reasons

[Tricky]

Here's the three most common mistakes lifters tend to make. This specifically applies to Weightlifting, but has carryover for things like Calisthenics as well.

1. You're not eating a caloric surplus
Your body burns calories to survive. Every day, your body burns the calories you need to survive (Basal Metabolic Rate/BMR) + your energy expenditure related to activity. These two numbers added up are known as your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). To gain muscle (for non-novice or detrained lifers), you must give your body the fuel it needs to deal with the stress of lifting.

"How do I know if I'm eating enough food?"

There's only one way to actually know, and that's to watch your weight. Every morning, step on the scale. If you aren't gaining, or you've lost weight over the course of 2 weeks (remember that your weight fluctuates daily by +/- 5lbs) then you aren't eating enough food.

"I don't want to get fat"

Assuming your training is on point, and your diet isn't bat shit crazy, the majority of the weight you gain will be "good weight". IF YOU DO NOT GIVE YOUR BODY THE FUEL IT NEEDS TO GROW, IT WILL NOT GROW. I'm tired of people who say "I want to get as muscular as I can at x body-weight", and then complain about seeing no progress.

2. You're not sleeping enough
Irregular sleep, even for only a few nights a week, can really fuck up your recovery in between sessions. I know you've probably heard this 10000000 times, but having a regular sleep schedule is really important, especially to people trying to deal with the stress that lifting puts on your body. Get some earplugs, blackout curtains, find some way to get the sleep you need.

3. You're not doing enough Volume/your exercise selection isn't specific enough
I know it's a big bodybuilding meme to "attack" each muscle from 10 thousand different angles, but this can prevent progress from being measured and evaluated. Here's what I mean.

Volume is Weight (or intensity) x Reps x Sets. If you go from doing 135 for 5 reps, to 185 for 5 reps, you've gotten stronger/bigger. By using a wide variety of movements, it can be difficult to tell when you're ready to add weight (this idea is also known as Linear Progression). Compound movements give you the ability to add a little amount of weight at a time, and work a large amount of muscle mass, which is why they're so popular in the Fitness community. Focus on them for the majority of your Volume, and add weight when able.

Above all, just stick with it. The most autistic training and diet program will give you results if you just stick with it.

Good luck bros

 

[extreme-overthinker]

It's really, really hard to eat in a caloric surplus as a 17 yo ectomorph with a raging metabolism. Literally force-feeding

 

[Tricky]

It's really, really hard to eat in a caloric surplus as a 17 yo ectomorph with a raging metabolism. Literally force-feeding

It may be hard, but there's no getting around just how important it is.

 

[Deleted member 283]

im losing weight but I feel like weighing yourself just isn't that good for your morale

 

[extreme-overthinker]

It may be hard, but there's no getting around just how important it is.

What little mass I gained was 80% fat and 20% muscle. if that isn't genetics then I don't know what is.

 

[Tricky]

im losing weight but I feel like weighing yourself just isn't that good for your morale

I disagree. In studies done on Weight Loss, the participants who received the most positive feedback from others about their diet/exercise were most likely to not reach their goal. This is because they felt better about themselves, which is often times the goal of losing weight.

What little mass I gained was 80% fat and 20% muscle. if that isn't genetics then I don't know what is.

It's a possibility that you have poor genetics, but I can't give more relevant info unless you can give me a chart of your daily weight numbers. It's most likely you simply gained weight too fast, but again, until I see some numbers, there's nothing I can say for sure.

 

[Deleted member 283]

I disagree. In studies done on Weight Loss, the participants who received the most positive feedback from others about their diet/exercise were most likely to not reach their goal. This is because they felt better about themselves, which is often times the goal of losing weight.

I can see why that may be idk I just feel like if my weight fluctuated usually +5 my confidence would take a blow and then I would cheat on my diet then eventually quit it. I stopped weighing myself and I'm currently the farthest I've ever been on a diet

 

[jefferson]

What little mass I gained was 80% fat and 20% muscle. if that isn't genetics then I don't know what is.

Idk what you were eating but that could happen if you were getting enough overall calories but not enough protein.

 

[Tricky]

I can see why that may be idk I just feel like if my weight fluctuated usually +5 my confidence would take a blow and then I would cheat on my diet then eventually quit it. I stopped weighing myself and I'm currently the farthest I've ever been on a diet

Look bro, I'm not going to tell you that what you should stop doing what's working. If you're losing weight by not weighing yourself, then do that. When you reach your goal weight, assuming you choose to Gymmax, you may want to get into the habit of doing it, to make sure your diet is on track.

 

[Nibba]

MODS STICKY STICKY STICKY

 

[Tricky]

MODS STICKY STICKY STICKY

Nice of you to say, but if I'm going to make a post that's worthy of being stickied, it would need to be much more polished than this.

 

[Lorsss]

cardio training must not be underrated, the heart is the most important muscle in your body. cardio training will improve your endurance during reps.
Leg training is essential: squat will increase testosterone level, that means you could get a more masculine body and face

 

[Nibba]

Nice of you to say, but if I'm going to make a post that's worthy of being stickied, it would need to be much more polished than this.

You can always clean it, ask a mod to delete this one, and then sticky the new one

 

[Tricky]

You can always clean it, ask a mod to delete this one, and then sticky the new one

That's a possibility, but I'm kind of a perfectionist when it comes to stuff like this. I was once a part of the Semi-Professional scene in a video game, and wrote an Analysis to put in my Portfolio. Every time I'd complete one, I'd look at all the shit I fucked up on and would write a brand new one. This cycle continued until I got tired of writing, and submitted my newest Analysis. It was actually pretty good, but that's besides the point. The reason why is in the group chat.

 

[Nibba]

That's a possibility, but I'm kind of a perfectionist when it comes to stuff like this. I was once a part of the Semi-Professional scene in a video game, and wrote an Analysis to put in my Portfolio. Every time I'd complete one, I'd look at all the shit I fucked up on and would write a brand new one. This cycle continued until I got tired of writing, and submitted my newest Analysis. It was actually pretty good, but that's besides the point. The reason why is in the group chat.

right i gotcha. that makes sense

 

[extreme-overthinker]

Idk what you were eating but that could happen if you were getting enough overall calories but not enough protein.

2 grams per kilo of body weight.

 

[Langrisser]

It's really, really hard to eat in a caloric surplus as a 17 yo ectomorph with a raging metabolism. Literally force-feeding

Could give those mass-gainers from amazon a try. They're basically protein milkshakes with ~1000 calories per shake. The cheap ones are probably just stuffed with sugar and vegetable oil though.

 

[itsOVER]

Daily reminder women don't care about your muscles. No gym for your face, buddy boyos.

 

[extreme-overthinker]

Daily reminder women don't care about your muscles. No gym for your face, buddy boyos.

Your posts make me want to LDAR all day

 

[Tricky]

Daily reminder women don't care about your muscles. No gym for your face, buddy boyos.

Still waiting for you to source that claim.......

 

[x69]

It's really, really hard to eat in a caloric surplus as a 17 yo ectomorph with a raging metabolism. Literally force-feeding

For some reason pretty much all Black / MIddle eastern people have this problem. Never seen it in dutchies.. they're always good.
Asians are puffed and most of the time also have lots of fat

Your posts make me want to LDAR all day

Lmao I laugh at him whenever he posts something

 

[Deleted member 281]

Here's the three most common mistakes lifters tend to make. This specifically applies to Weightlifting, but has carryover for things like Calisthenics as well.

1. You're not eating a caloric surplus
Your body burns calories to survive. Every day, your body burns the calories you need to survive (Basal Metabolic Rate/BMR) + your energy expenditure related to activity. These two numbers added up are known as your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). To gain muscle (for non-novice or detrained lifers), you must give your body the fuel it needs to deal with the stress of lifting.

"How do I know if I'm eating enough food?"

There's only one way to actually know, and that's to watch your weight. Every morning, step on the scale. If you aren't gaining, or you've lost weight over the course of 2 weeks (remember that your weight fluctuates daily by +/- 5lbs) then you aren't eating enough food.

"I don't want to get fat"

Assuming your training is on point, and your diet isn't bat shit crazy, the majority of the weight you gain will be "good weight". IF YOU DO NOT GIVE YOUR BODY THE FUEL IT NEEDS TO GROW, IT WILL NOT GROW. I'm tired of people who say "I want to get as muscular as I can at x body-weight", and then complain about seeing no progress.

2. You're not sleeping enough
Irregular sleep, even for only a few nights a week, can really fuck up your recovery in between sessions. I know you've probably heard this 10000000 times, but having a regular sleep schedule is really important, especially to people trying to deal with the stress that lifting puts on your body. Get some earplugs, blackout curtains, find some way to get the sleep you need.

3. You're not doing enough Volume/your exercise selection isn't specific enough
I know it's a big bodybuilding meme to "attack" each muscle from 10 thousand different angles, but this can prevent progress from being measured and evaluated. Here's what I mean.

Volume is Weight (or intensity) x Reps x Sets. If you go from doing 135 for 5 reps, to 185 for 5 reps, you've gotten stronger/bigger. By using a wide variety of movements, it can be difficult to tell when you're ready to add weight (this idea is also known as Linear Progression). Compound movements give you the ability to add a little amount of weight at a time, and work a large amount of muscle mass, which is why they're so popular in the Fitness community. Focus on them for the majority of your Volume, and add weight when able.

Above all, just stick with it. The most autistic training and diet program will give you results if you just stick with it.

Good luck bros

You forgot to mention low test.

 

[extreme-overthinker]

For some reason pretty much all Black / MIddle eastern people have this problem. Never seen it in dutchies.. they're always good.

No, from I what see most arabs are endomorph fatasses and so it's easy for them to gain muscle but also hard for them to get rid of fat so they bulk up very quickly. But never seen a ripped Arab with low bf. Blacks either endomorph or ectomorph depending on where they're from (northern or Southern Africa)

 

[Tricky]

You forgot to mention low test.

I wrote about that a while back. The majority of people here are probably not dealing with low T, simply due to their age.

 

[Nibba]

The cheap ones are probably just stuffed with sugar and vegetable oil though

*Most of them are. I've heard rich pianas brand is good

Still waiting for you to source that claim.......

D-d-d-dude y-you j-j-just aren't b-b-blackpilled enough!!1!!!

Imagine being above the age of 15 saying this stuff jfl at him

 

[Tricky]

Could give those mass-gainers from amazon a try. They're basically protein milkshakes with ~1000 calories per shake. The cheap ones are probably just stuffed with sugar and vegetable oil though.

Backpacking on what @Nibba said, Rich Piana's product called "real food" is basically dried fruit and veggies in a powder, so it's a fuck ton better for you than the average weight gainer. For 90% of people, just eating more of the foods they already consume is good enough. The only exception would be for people who are on the go, and don't have time to eat/prepare food.

 

[Nibba]

Backpacking on what @Nibba said, Rich Piana's product called "real food" is basically dried fruit and veggies in a powder, so it's a fuck ton better for you than the average weight gainer. For 90% of people, just eating more of the foods they already consume is good enough. The only exception would be for people who are on the go, and don't have time to eat/prepare food.

Rich was a fucking beast. We miss me greatly in the bodybuilding community

 

[kantero]

Simple, but still useful. Good thread.

 

[averageblokecel]

Good threads you are doing recently, and this one without salt, noice

Also you forgot to say 1g of protein per lbs of bodyweigth

 

[Deleted member 209]

it's AlphaDesitny's fault

 

[Deleted member 281]

The majority of people here are probably not dealing with low T, simply due to their age.

True.

Rich was a fucking beast. We miss me greatly in the bodybuilding community

The most honest person in that shithole fitness community on youtube.

 

[WelcumToTheRealWorld]

My gut is getting pretty big at 18. Gaining weight ain't a problem lol, the rest of my subhumanity is. I've developed a chronic headache that appears about halfway into the day for the past two weeks.