I started more than a year ago, i used to be a fat fuck, however i lost weight and now am at a pretty decent one, however i would still be classified as ‘skinny fat’, however when it comes to gaining muscle, i cant seem to fucking do it, i m just a teen I cant fully optimize my diet or sleep schedule, my parents dont like me even going to the gym, I cant ask them to make meals with the perfect macros or get me a personal trainer

My 2 friends are at a similar situation to me, however they seem to be progressing fine, both in musculature and strength progression, i for some reason seem to be stuck, in everything, i have tried everything, mixing, reddit ppl, coolcicada ppl, but i have not been progressing for months, as suboptimal my stuff around the gym is i should be atleast progressing somewhat, I even tried creatine but with no results, i also get asked what the fuck do i even do in the gym because i hv nothing to show for it, i used to love going to the gym thats why i was so regular from the day it started, but now it just seems like a chore

These are my current stats Bench Press 50kg (3x5) OHP 35kg (3x5) Deadlifts (95kg)(1x5) Barbell rows 50kg (3x5) Squats 50kg (2x5)(1x3) These are from last week, these has been similar since OCT

I m seriously considering quitting, I have no fucking clue, i still look skinny fat, however nothing seems to work anyway, Id rather quit and do other productive stuff such as my studies

I have around a month left in my membership, i guess i will just do random ass machines to at-least get my moneys worth and machines wont injure me and are easier

  • howrar
    6·
    6 months ago

    Plateaus will happen, and part of the journey is figuring out how to break through them. It usually comes down to one of two possibilities: pushing yourself too hard, or not hard enough.

    What does it mean to be pushing too hard? Your body needs to recover from the workouts and grow bigger/stronger. This means needing adequate food/sleep/rest and low stress. All of these variables affect each other. If you eat less, sleep less, or have a generally more stressful life, you’ll have to go easier on your workouts to compensate. I understand that you don’t have full control over your diet, and that’s fine. We make do with what we have, and you still have control over your workouts. Some options to consider:

    • Do a deload, where you go very easy (e.g. 50% of your max) for a week, then return to your usual workout. You can also accomplish something similar by dropping your training max and working your way back up by progressing the same way you normally do.
    • Switch to a program with a slower progression. If you usually up the weights once a week, consider a program that does it once every 2/3/4 weeks.

    What about not pushing hard enough? For that, you need to get a feel for what it’s like to push hard. Renaissance Periodization’s YouTube channel had a bunch of these “Training muscle X with person Y” videos, and they tend to be very good demonstrations of what it looks like to push hard. Keep in mind that workouts like these should be the minority of your overall workout plan if they’re even there at all, but it’s good to know what to aim for when you do have those days scheduled.

    I’m my opinion, focusing on strength training is a good idea when everything else is suboptimal. A lot of gains can be made on the powerlifting movements by just practicing and optimizing your technique.