Gains seem slow, am I expecting too much? Pics

HookGripDeadlifts
HookGripDeadlifts Posts: 30 Member
edited November 24 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
A year and a half ago I made the decision to put on some weight/muscle. I'm 6'2 and weighed about 170lbs at the time.

The top of the first pic and the left side of the second pic are after working out and eating in a surplus for about a month or two. Now, a year and a half in, I'm in the middle of a cut. Currently I'm about 185lbs

Lately I feel that I've really stalled. So a few questions...

1)Do the gains from the pics, which are about a year and a half apart, seem average or am I just doing it wrong?

2) When looking at my pics, are there any specific areas I need to train harder on?

3) I know it can be tough to tell from a picture but I'm guessing my body fat % is around 18. Does this seem somewhat accurate?

Thanks for any input.




Replies

  • J_Fairfax
    J_Fairfax Posts: 57 Member
    If you've managed to put on about 10-15lbs of muscle mass in a year and a half that's not actually too bad, you've definitely made progress.

    To figure out why you might be plateauing right now it would be useful to know what your current workout routine is.
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    I think you look incredible! Better to gain slow than accumulate a bunch of extra fluff. Agree with the above, need to know more about your lifting program.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited February 2018
    tlock24 wrote: »
    A year and a half ago I made the decision to put on some weight/muscle. I'm 6'2 and weighed about 170lbs at the time.

    The top of the first pic and the left side of the second pic are after working out and eating in a surplus for about a month or two. Now, a year and a half in, I'm in the middle of a cut. Currently I'm about 185lbs

    Lately I feel that I've really stalled. So a few questions...

    1)Do the gains from the pics, which are about a year and a half apart, seem average or am I just doing it wrong?

    2) When looking at my pics, are there any specific areas I need to train harder on?

    3) I know it can be tough to tell from a picture but I'm guessing my body fat % is around 18. Does this seem somewhat accurate?

    Thanks for any input.




    How long have you've been cutting?

    How often is your volume increasing?

    What lifts are stalling? Do ypu have vid?

    Dependant if you are doing a cookie cutter program or you have the careful eye of a coach to adjust your programming tailored for you, this is pretty typical for an intermediate lifter that is no longer in a surplus.

    *Edited to add:
    I can't see the pics very well, but your current weight does tell you are pretty light and might be relative to the stall.

    Q2: Looks like your pulls are lacking. More deads and rows would be a good idea.

    Q3: Might be reasonable from what I can see in pic.

  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
    edited February 2018
    How large is your surplus? I bulked by 100-200 calories...I'm a 5 foot 3 woman. It took me a year and a half to put on 10lbs.

    ETA: My husband is 6'3, started at 185; he's now around 215. So he's put on 30lbs in about 4 years of heavy lifting and "unintentional" bulking. I would estimate he eats around the same 100-200 calorie surplus. He's really not put on much fat. A slow bulk is better...
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    Your gains seem below average for 18 months as you suspect. @Chiefrgb has stated we need to know more about your diet and routine. I would say you are above 18% but it's always hard to tell, but 20-21% looks a bit more like where you would be, which is good for a bulk of that length. As @Davidsdottir says, you are showing good improvements so you aren't really doing it wrong, you are just slower than optimal by the looks of it. This isn't bad so don't worry too much.

    Training and diet are going to go hand in hand, but your diet will likely be the key element here. If I had to say, I would guess you have been eating too few calories and doing some mini cuts. How often have you cut or reduced calories?

    So overall, bulk looks successful but you have probably reduced your results through mini cuts etc during the bulk by the looks of it.
  • HookGripDeadlifts
    HookGripDeadlifts Posts: 30 Member
    edited February 2018
    I appreciate the replies. I'm kind of doing my own routine with the information I've picked up since I started this journey.

    I'm currently working out 3 times a week. Doing a push pull routine Monday, Wednesday, Friday for about 50 minutes while working my lower body for about 15/20 minutes each of those days.

    I'm a bit limited as I'm working out from home. Which consists of adjustable dumbells, pull up bar, and chairs to do dips.

    I'm beginning to realize I probably need to hit the gym if I want to progress further.

    So to clarify, this is actually my second major cut. Gaining weight hasn't been the issue as I was able to hit 200lbs from 170lbs then cut down to 180 during my first cut. This time around I got up to 195 and began my second cut about a month ago, which I'm currently doing and im at 185lbs.

    It's difficult for me to continue to cut because I've always been really skinny and hate the thought of losing what little muscle I've gained. So cutting while already feeling skinny is tough to overcome mentally.

    Again, I appreciate your insight.

    *edit*
    I failed to mention but I try to lift heavy and stay in the 6-12 rep range.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    tlock24 wrote: »
    I appreciate the replies. I'm kind of doing my own routine with the information I've picked up since I started this journey.

    I'm currently working out 3 times a week. Doing a push pull routine Monday, Wednesday, Friday for about 50 minutes while working my lower body for about 15/20 minutes each of those days.

    I'm a bit limited as I'm working out from home. Which consists of adjustable dumbells, pull up bar, and chairs to do dips.

    I'm beginning to realize I probably need to hit the gym if I want to progress further.

    So to clarify, this is actually my second major cut. Gaining weight hasn't been the issue as I was able to hit 200lbs from 170lbs then cut down to 180 during my first cut. This time around I got up to 195 and began my second cut about a month ago, which I'm currently doing and im at 185lbs.

    It's difficult for me to continue to cut because I've always been really skinny and hate the thought of losing what little muscle I've gained. So cutting while already feeling skinny is tough to overcome mentally.

    Again, I appreciate your insight.

    A gym will definitely help because you can access heavier weights that you will need as you go. Good luck to you.
  • Lean59man
    Lean59man Posts: 714 Member
    edited February 2018
    Yes, to progress further you need to do mass building exercises like heavy rows, presses of all kinds, and heavy leg work.

    Focus on gaining strength in all exercises and eat in a moderate surplus. What is a realistic expectation of gaining muscle and mass? You are still very light in bodyweight and at 6'2" can easily go over 200 lbs. That is not even heavy if you are muscular.

    A word of advice...don't think you can cut and gain muscle at the same time. Forget that.

    Can you obtain a barbell set, power rack and bench to train with at home? Craiglist?

    Even with just the barbell set alone you could do heavy overhead pressing, rows, curls and deadlifts. A used 300 lb. set can usually be found for not much money and you can add plates later.

    I recommend a rep range of 8-12 for mass building using a full-body routine 2-3 times per week.

    Example (3 sets each):

    Squats
    Standing calf raises (barbell or dumbbell)
    Bench press
    Barbell rows
    Overhead press
    Pullups
    Barbell curls
    Deadlifts (3 sets of 3-5 reps)

    Add weight to an exercise when you get 3 sets of 12 (or 5) reps.
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    If you started your last bulk at 180 and have already cut down to 185 and still feel the need to cut further, then I'd reexamine your lifting program (do an established one) and a gym will help for sure.
  • shagerty777
    shagerty777 Posts: 185 Member
    https://bodyrecomposition.com/ This should be required reading for bulking!! Good luck!
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