Not much progress

Nicnac1521 · September 2021

I finally compared two photos, one year apart. I see improvement, but not as much as one would expect to see in a year. I lift weights, protein intake is 100g a day. Which I admit, it’s hard for me to get that much in. Do I need to be taking more? Is this why I am not having a dramatic change? I’m 137lbs, 5”2. Just 10lbs more than first pic. I was super thin before I started bulking, then it just kind of turned into a skinny fat. I don’t get what I’m doing wrong.

cupcakesandproteinshakes · September 2021

What programme are you doing? Have you been following it consistently?

Really hard to judge progress based on 2 shots of the side of your butt.
Which is a very nice shape IMO.

cupcakesandproteinshakes · September 2021

Ur protein intake is a bit low but I’m more interested in what exactly you have been doing in the weight room

Retroguy2000 · September 2021

You're getting plenty of protein. That's approx 1.05g per pound of lean body mass which the research says is plenty, especially if you aren't in a calorie deficit. About 0.8g-1g per pound of LBM is a good target.

You do look more toned, though it's a bit hard to tell for sure with the lighting differences and the pose. I wonder, are you working hard enough with the weights? If you're doing basically the same total weight per session as a year ago, then yeah that's not going to do much for you. Maybe you need to mix up your training a bit to hit the muscles harder.

Also, that 10 pounds you gained, probably isn't all muscle. Maybe you should lower to maintenance calories for a while, and recomp will help convert existing fat into muscle.

Chieflrg · September 2021

Useful info...
Are you carnivorous?
How are you dosing your stimulus?
Are you generally sensitive to training?
Are you using a wide variety of rep ranges/i intensities?
Why do you feel you are doing something wrong?
How much progress do you expect to see in a year after reviewing your training history?
Did you cut down from more than a 10lb gain for the 2nd pic or is this a total gain pic?

ecjim · September 2021

I would increase proteins intake - What program are you running? Are you consistent? Are you progressing - increasing weight / reps?
After a certain point progress comes slowly

Nicnac1521 · October 2021

Thank you all for taking the time to respond! Greatly appreciated.

So to answer everyone’s questions, Me and my partner began our workout journey at the same time. He’s had an incredible amount of gains. Like 4x the amount of me. No steroids or anything. I do increase my Weight/reps /sets every week or so. I switch up my workouts. So one day I do squats, bridges, adductors, leg extensions and leg press, next time I will do donkey kick back, lunges, hack squats, reverse leg extensions. Lately I been trying low weight high rep with these workouts to burn out. 3x a week is leg day. I space them out so I have time to rest. I get a great pump for a day and I’m usually sore the next day. I feel like I’m getting a good workout. The 10lbs is definitely some fat, with bulking my stomach has gotten the brunt of it. I have been very consistent for a year now. I do understand results take time. I’m just hoping someone can offer that advice that helps me progress a little better

or maybe I’m crazy and need to be more patient!

Nicnac1521 · October 2021

I do eat meat, I take one scoop of “Lit AF” pre workout.

GaryRuns · October 2021

Are you following a well designed program with progression built in? It's more complicated than most people think to formulate an effective program. I'd recommend you follow a program put together by a pro, especially this early in your resistance training. Here's a thread that will give you a lot of options:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

And although you don't say, I'm assuming you're focusing on glutes given the pic and the exercises you mention. That being the case, in addition to looking at the relevant programs in the thread above, you might consider buying a program from Bret Contreras, https://www.bretcontreras.store/collections/ebooks-books/products/grow-your-glutes-without-growing-your-legs-12-week-program-ebook, for example, or Jeff Nippard https://shop.jeffnippard.com/product/glute-hypertrophy-program/

As for nutrition, it sounds like you're doing things properly to maximize muscle growth, eating protein on the order of 0.7-1g/lb of lean body mass per day and being in a, hopefully slight, calorie surplus.

On the plus side I do see some progress and some people do respond to resistance training more slowly than others. And you definitely can't compare your progress to that of a male, especially a younger male. The hormones give us an advantage when it comes to building muscle.

claireychn074 · October 2021

Nicnac1521 wrote: »

Thank you all for taking the time to respond! Greatly appreciated.

So to answer everyone’s questions, Me and my partner began our workout journey at the same time. He’s had an incredible amount of gains. Like 4x the amount of me. No steroids or anything!

And there you have the issue with weight training! So firstly many women find it harder than men to build significant muscle (testosterone vs the effects of oestrogen and progesterone). We are genetically designed to carry more fat, which hides muscle (or at least it does in me lol) and then you have to factor in individuals’ susceptibility to training. Some people respond really well and build muscle comparatively quickly. The rest of us flog ourselves to death then celebrate when we we’ve managed to put on 1kg of muscle in a year.

Age also has an impact, it is generally accepted to be harder to build muscle as you get older (I need more recovery time than someone in their 20s for instance). So yes, you just need to be patient, and you will get there 😀

Not much progress

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