Disappointed with 12 week program progress. Considering starting a with a new coach/program

echristensen010

I am finishing a 12 week body recomp program with a personal trainer (all virtual). I saw results initially, but the last 4-6 weeks progress seems to have stalled. My measurements and weight are the same and my photos look similar or worse.

Very candidly I have adhered to the program. I met my calories and protein daily with 6 days of exceptions over the 12 weeks due to the holidays. I did every workouts to the max every day except 6 (holidays, again).

I like my coach, but I am really bummer about not getting results. Should i stick with her or should i look into a different trainer for a new approach?

tomcustombuilder

Recomp can be difficult or sometimes not successful. At best it’s a very slow process and takes a lot of patience and at some point it’s best to change courses when progress stops after a month or so.

I’ll assume you want Fatloss and muscle gain simultaneously. What’s is your height and weight? It can be more beneficial to chase Fatloss or muscle gain independent of each other in many cases.

Generally a coach may not be necessary if you do your homework on what is needed to be successful with your goals. Sometimes a coach may be necessary for moral support and to keep you accountable.

Not all coaches are worth the money, there are some that aren’t all that knowledgeable.

neanderthin

What type of recomp were you expecting? losing weight/building-maintaining muscle or gaining weight/building muscle. Also progressive overload is not very easy and most never achieve it, so it's difficult to evaluate what doing a workout to the max really means and it's quite possible your on the wrong plan. Anyway, it can take a very very long time to achieve even the smallest landmark, so patience and commitment needs to be nurtured imo.

Retroguy2000

I'll just repost what I said in last weeks thread by you about this. Also if your weight hasn't changed, you aren't in a deficit, which makes it less likely you'll see any results.

Last week:

Recomp works best for noob lifters and those with high body fat. It's a sliding scale wrt how effective it is, with you at the other end of that scale if neither condition applies. You'll also want to be in just a slight deficit, to help preserve/build muscle, and be getting adequate protein (close to 1g per pound lean body mass), and be lifting with progressive overload.

It sounds like you've been making good progress, and that the issue isn't your progress, rather your too high expectations. Keep taking pics and measurements so you have more than just a log of scale readings.

echristensen010

Stats and background:
I'm 5'3 and 116.6lb and a "noob lifter" that used to have a somewhat high BF%. Now I think I'm about a conservative 22-23% using calipers and an online calculator.

As I said in the other thread, I hit 140g protein/day and eat 1600-1650 calories not adding any back from exercise (weights x5 days, 8-10k steps daily).

Looking back on the data from my smartwatch over the past 3 months, my average daily calories burned (not counting exercise) is about 1800. So 1650 should keep me in a deficit. I log everything by weight including sauces and small bites of food, I don't drink alcohol and I very rarely eat out. So I guess I am not in enough of a deficit to see results over 3 months or my watch is inaccurate.

echristensen010

neanderthin wrote: »

What type of recomp were you expecting? losing weight/building-maintaining muscle or gaining weight/building muscle. Also progressive overload is not very easy and most never achieve it, so it's difficult to evaluate what doing a workout to the max really means and it's quite possible your on the wrong plan. Anyway, it can take a very very long time to achieve even the smallest landmark, so patience and commitment needs to be nurtured imo.

@neanderthin My goal was to lose weight and build/maintain muscle.

My frustration is feeling like progress has stalled for weeks. is the best thing to do in this case keep going as I have been - hitting calories and protein goals, keep working out, and measure progress? Or do I need to change something to break through this plateau?

tomcustombuilder

echristensen010 wrote: »

Stats and background:
I'm 5'3 and 116.6lb and a "noob lifter" that used to have a somewhat high BF%. Now I think I'm about a conservative 22-23% using calipers and an online calculator.

As I said in the other thread, I hit 140g protein/day and eat 1600-1650 calories not adding any back from exercise (weights x5 days, 8-10k steps daily).

Looking back on the data from my smartwatch over the past 3 months, my average daily calories burned (not counting exercise) is about 1800. So 1650 should keep me in a deficit. I log everything by weight including sauces and small bites of food, I don't drink alcohol and I very rarely eat out. So I guess I am not in enough of a deficit to see results over 3 months or my watch is inaccurate.

5-3 and 116 there isn’t much, if any fat to lose. It may be beneficial to add a few calories and add muscle. Without a photo it’s hard to say however your stats aren’t very conducive to recomping.

If you do want to lose the fat then you need to go into a small calorie deficit, which sounds like you’re at maintenance regardless of what the calculator is telling you. Smart watches aren’t that accurate. You may not have the TDEE that you think, it’s most likely lower.

Retroguy2000

Despite being a noob lifter, not having much body fat will not be very conducive to recomp.

You'd be better off imo going in a slight surplus for a lean bulk, take advantage of that noob lifter status. About 150 calories per day over 12 weeks could add 3 pounds. See how you look and feel then, and either keep going, or go to maintenance or a slight deficit depending on progress.

I assume your smartwatch estimate is likely off for weights. I don't have one, so it's moot, but I use a MET multiplier estimate for weights.

middlehaitch

A couple of comments.

At your height and weight (plus looking at the photos on your profile) I would stop trying to lose any more weight and run a straight recomp and assess your goals in 6-9 months.
Why?
i) You are hitting a body fat level where you don't have enough fat to draw on to build muscle and that is what a recomp is all about.
ii) Muscle gain is slow, think perfect programme, nutrition, rest, etc, and you may gain 1 lbs a month. It is not a fast process and anybody that says it is fooling you.

I have no idea of your training routine but as a new lifter with 12 weeks training you are probably not building any new muscle yet (or very little) but are still recruiting your existing muscle (neuromuscular adaptation) especially being in a deficit.

How has your trainer been progressing your weights, sets, reps?
How are your rests between sets and deloads programmed?
What are your trainers plans for moving forward?

Are you using a barbell programme designed for you or something like a Caroline Girvan(just linked for example) type programme?
These are very different approaches with different results and time lines.

Having an idea of what your routine and progress (weights, reps, sets) over the 12 weeks has been will give everyone a better idea of what you could think of doing moving forward.

Cheers, h

ETA, I could go with @Retroguy2000's advice depending on the type of programme you are following or plan to follow.

neanderthin

echristensen010 wrote: »

neanderthin wrote: »

What type of recomp were you expecting? losing weight/building-maintaining muscle or gaining weight/building muscle. Also progressive overload is not very easy and most never achieve it, so it's difficult to evaluate what doing a workout to the max really means and it's quite possible your on the wrong plan. Anyway, it can take a very very long time to achieve even the smallest landmark, so patience and commitment needs to be nurtured imo.

@neanderthin My goal was to lose weight and build/maintain muscle.

My frustration is feeling like progress has stalled for weeks. is the best thing to do in this case keep going as I have been - hitting calories and protein goals, keep working out, and measure progress? Or do I need to change something to break through this plateau?

It difficult to evaluate your situation over the interwebs but for example how much extra weight have you added to your exercise routine over the last 6 weeks while working out, basically the weight you were push/pulling 6 weeks ago and now, how much of a difference or any?

My first instinct and mental visual is you either have a fairly normal body fat % for your stats or your skinny fat. If it's the former then I would push through this plateau (maintenance calories) by increasing your set volume per week per muscle group to 10 or 12 and in a rep range in the 8-12. If it's the later then I would suggest to reduce calories and focus on losing body fat first, then recomp to add muscle. It's like I said difficult to evaluate considering your stats, so I could very easily be in left field here. Also your diet is going to be key to achieving your goals and a good coach can dial that in fairly easily, so maybe talk with your coach to reevaluate your situation or get another coach.

AnnPT77

OP, I feel like @middlehaitch is giving you the best and most complete situation-appropriate advice, given the context of the photos on your profile and what you've said in other posts. She's been pretty successful with strength training in maintenance herself, is also female, slim.

Middlehaitch's and @Neanderthin's questions about progression are on point, too: Sometimes trainers throw softballs, maybe a bit more likely when the trainee is female, but that last bit is speculative.

From your photos, I don't think you're "skinny fat". Your BF% estimate of 22% may not be spot-on (it's hard to estimate), but it's not crazy far off, and mid/lower 20s is not overfat for a young woman. Your height/weight is BMI 20.5, so IMO you'd have to be under-muscled compared to average (or have an atypically delicate build) to be "skinny fat" at your weight, and IMO you're not.

kshama2001

echristensen010 wrote: »

I am finishing a 12 week body recomp program with a personal trainer (all virtual). I saw results initially, but the last 4-6 weeks progress seems to have stalled. My measurements and weight are the same and my photos look similar or worse.

Very candidly I have adhered to the program. I met my calories and protein daily with 6 days of exceptions over the 12 weeks due to the holidays. I did every workouts to the max every day except 6 (holidays, again).

I like my coach, but I am really bummer about not getting results. Should i stick with her or should i look into a different trainer for a new approach?

Huh, I looked at your pictures in your profile, clicked away, started to write a response, clicked on your profile again, and it is gone.

I was wondering about the timeframe for the pictures - are they Before and After for your 12 week program or of a longer duration? There is such a big difference that it doesn't seem possible that both things can be true: 1. They are B&A of your 12 week program and 2. You are dissatisfied with your results.

PAV8888

FINALLY I managed to find the ELUSIVE pictures.

First of all this is AWESOME work.

Second you are confirming, for me at least, that continuing to work out at your CURRENT weight level will give you the best overall results.

Assuming you have the goal of not only looking leaner but also being stronger, reducing weight will not help you achieve the goal.

And coming from a higher weight background I don't think that bulking would be a sensible move at this point.

But I would certainly consider eating at full maintenance while training.

You might be surprised and feel more energized and even lose a little bit of weight while doing so.... and you will certainly continue to improve both your strength and physique assuming your training program is on par.

echristensen010

Thanks @PAV8888! The photos are actually from about a year apart.

nossmf

Color me confused...in this thread, you are disappointed with your results. In a thread you started 2 minutes after this last post, you sound energized and hopeful to maintain where you're at. Here, you say photos are a year apart...the other thread says 12 weeks. (I tried clicking on your profile and am getting told "cannot find it".)

echristensen010

Hi! I was disappointed with my results before the end of the 12 week program. The photos in the black leggings were taken in March 2022 when i first started a diet (no official program). The photo in the blue next to it was taken part way through my 12 week program but not at the end. I did share my full 12 week before and after photos (both in blue) and I can see some progress, which I am happy about! I wish there had been more progress in those 12 weeks, but it sounds like, from this thread that modest progress in that timeframe is to be expected.

Hope that helps explain the jumping around in time!

neanderthin

Keep doing what your doing. Cheers.

Retroguy2000

@nossmf It's simple, really.



Seriously though, good progress OP.