Lifting but little physical results

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cherriegh
cherriegh Posts: 196 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I started working out 3months ago doing glute/leg focused training 3x weekly consistently with 1day intense cardio 30mins but my glutes are just still flabby and saggy and not perking up.
I'm 5'2 at 66kgs - My goal is to strengthen my saggy butt not really lose weight.
My weight has remained the same and clothes still fit the same even though I haven't measured.

I have been training very hard with progressive overload but change to physical appearance of my glutes is still minimum.
Is there something I'm doing wrong or is it early? Is there such as a waste of training?

I got training by PT at gym and exercises include: Hip thrusts, glute bridges, Leg press, Squats, Sumo Deadlift, Hip abduction, Hyper-extensions or Cable pull through as finishers

I'm so discouraged because I don't see changes Help please!
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Replies

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    edited August 2019
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    Did you take 'before' pictures?
  • cherriegh
    cherriegh Posts: 196 Member
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    I'm loading 2.5kgs weekly so I'm adding weights but my concern is when to expect physical changes. Even though I weigh more I don't want to be skinny and I'm comfortable with my size I wear size 10 and small/Medium tops and if i lose more I start showing bones on my shoulders and back

    But maybe I should lose a bit of weight and see....thanks
    MikePTY wrote: »
    Are your weights increasing as you continue to train?

    Weight training will strengthen muscle, but it won't spot reduce fat in the areas your are training. At 5'2 and 66kg, you are a BMI of 26.5, which is classified as overweight. You may find that the issues you are seeing there are because you still have excess fat in those areas. A moderate calorie deficit help lose some weight may help reduce the fat in those areas, making them appear less "flabby" and reveal the muscle you are burning underneath.

  • cherriegh
    cherriegh Posts: 196 Member
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    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Did you take 'before' pictures?

    Not really I'm monitoring how my clothes fit but I think I should take and check after a month
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    cherriegh wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Did you take 'before' pictures?

    Not really I'm monitoring how my clothes fit but I think I should take and check after a month

    Agreed!
  • Pipsqueak1965
    Pipsqueak1965 Posts: 397 Member
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    You probably do have some muscles - but like the previous poster said - they are hiding under a little bit of fat. Its amazing how much you have to lose to get any definition. I'm 5 foot and 20 kilos lighter than you, and I still have some fat (specifically around my hips/thighs) that hides any definition I might have there.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    It's great that you're on the right track. Are you actively trying to lose weight, if so what is your deficit and how are you logging? If you're focusing mainly on lifting, are you following a structured program with progressions built in? Can you lift more than you did 3 months ago? If so, you are making progress. If not, you need someone to review your program.
    If you are not taking progress pictures or measurements, it will be very hard to see your progress. We DO NOT have accurate memories of what we used to look like and we DO NOT have accurate self-perceptions in the mirror. If you are basically doing recomp, i.e. no weight loss and mostly lifting, it is a slow (but effective) process and takes a while to see noticeable results in the mirror.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    cherriegh wrote: »
    I started working out 3months ago doing glute/leg focused training 3x weekly consistently with 1day intense cardio 30mins but my glutes are just still flabby and saggy and not perking up.
    I'm 5'2 at 66kgs - My goal is to strengthen my saggy butt not really lose weight.
    My weight has remained the same and clothes still fit the same even though I haven't measured.

    I have been training very hard with progressive overload but change to physical appearance of my glutes is still minimum.
    Is there something I'm doing wrong or is it early? Is there such as a waste of training?

    I got training by PT at gym and exercises include: Hip thrusts, glute bridges, Leg press, Squats, Sumo Deadlift, Hip abduction, Hyper-extensions or Cable pull through as finishers

    I'm so discouraged because I don't see changes Help please!

    At this weight for your height you have a BMI in the overweight range. Which is not muscle since you just started training. If you are trying to do a recomp, so that you convert the excess weight into visible muscle, you probably need a really good program, and have several years of effort ahead of you to see really visible results. This does not mean you will not become stronger, it is totally doable to be strong and overweight, rather common actually.
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 2,001 Member
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    Don't give up. I didn't see any real results until I was 50-60 lbs down in weight. 90% of it is DIET..get that under control and have a calorie deficit and you will see results eventually.
  • magnusthenerd
    magnusthenerd Posts: 1,207 Member
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    If your lifts in the isolation exercises are going up, you're almost certainly gaining muscle. Seeing change from gaining muscle takes a lot longer than changes from losing weight.
  • Justin_7272
    Justin_7272 Posts: 341 Member
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    Getting muscle definition and/or toning is difficult. If you're overweight it's really only possible if you have years of working out under your belt and are healthily overweight.

    I'd suggest continuing the strength training and trying to drop a few pounds. You'll probably be surprised and happy with the result, however if you're not it shouldn't be difficult to pack on the pounds until you reach what you're looking for.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 1,975 Member
    edited August 2019
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    I would agree with those who say to keep on working out, keep up the progressive overload, but perhaps consider losing some weight as well. I'm *technically* in a healthy weight range, but losing a few pounds while lifting has made noticeable differences that even others have commented on. Mind you, I was lifting regularly (mostly trying to recomp) most of last year, and didn't see very noticeable differences because my weight was still up.

    I'm now about 7 pounds lighter, and back to lifting after an ~6-8 month break, and the differences are far more noticeable with weight loss+ lifting (at least visually - obviously you're not going to gain muscle mass - outside of newbie gains - while losing weight).

    Ultimately, you can keep on lifting, build up the muscle and then lose some weight to reveal your beautiful new muscles, or keep the very slow recomp road (which is what it sounds like you're doing), or try shedding a few pounds and see if you like what ends up being uncovered - you might be surprised.
  • cherriegh
    cherriegh Posts: 196 Member
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    Thank you so much everyone very insightful.... I will try drop the 7kgs or so plus continue lifting and see how I look afterwards 🙂
  • cherriegh
    cherriegh Posts: 196 Member
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    HoneyBadger155 wrote: »
    I would agree with those who say to keep on working out, keep up the progressive overload, but perhaps consider losing some weight as well. I'm *technically* in a healthy weight range, but losing a few pounds while lifting has made noticeable differences that even others have commented on. Mind you, I was lifting regularly (mostly trying to recomp) most of last year, and didn't see very noticeable differences because my weight was still up.

    I'm now about 7 pounds lighter, and back to lifting after an ~6-8 month break, and the differences are far more noticeable with weight loss+ lifting (at least visually - obviously you're not going to gain muscle mass - outside of newbie gains - while losing weight).

    Ultimately, you can keep on lifting, build up the muscle and then lose some weight to reveal your beautiful new muscles, or keep the very slow recomp road (which is what it sounds like you're doing), or try shedding a few pounds and see if you like what ends up being uncovered - you might be surprised.

    Yea I really wanted a recomp but my start weight is off even though my body is firmer, I see it's gonna be a long lonely road so I'll drop a few while continuing lifting and see 🙂
  • MikeRobi81
    MikeRobi81 Posts: 15 Member
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    If you keep increasing the weight and doing your reps with proper form, you'll achieve your goal eventually.
  • cupcakesandproteinshakes
    cupcakesandproteinshakes Posts: 1,092 Member
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    As others have said recomp is slow. I am 5 ft 8 and around 140 pounds. I’ve been lifting consistently following a structured programme for just over 2 years. I’m only now seeing small changes to my body but I wouldn’t say I look in any way muscular. I still have fat on my thighs bum and stomach. 3 months is not a long time to build muscle. I agree with others that losing a few pounds in your case may reveal some of your gainzzzz.
    Also I think you need to find a programme you enjoy doing and can stick to long term. You didn’t say which programme you were following. Strong curves is a popular one for booty.
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
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    Recomping takes a long time to get results. I'm around the same height and weight as you and recomped for the first year of maintenance. Found it was great mentally but it was when I started doing bulk and cut that I really laid on the muscle (I was actually eating at a surplus to aid recovery from long runs in marathon training the laying on of muscle was just an added benefit)

    It's also harder to see the muscle at the higher weight. I'm looking to slowly drop another 5kg or so to hopefully reveal more definition.

  • elfin168
    elfin168 Posts: 202 Member
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    I am in a similar situation...where i am slim but have a higher body fat level then i would like. i have decided to slowly lose a couple of kilos while doing weight training (cos I love it) but slightly lighter loads. what body builders call cutting i think. i then intend to slowly build up my strength and muscles. have a look at body building.com. i think you need to consider a specific program to get the results you want. changing your body composition is quite a science involving diet, training loads, patients and time. not to say that working out with the weights isnt fun and satisfying no matter wat

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