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
Take it easy. Forget your friends and their progression. We each have different bodies with different metabolisms.
Especially at 16, your body hasn’t finished changing yet. But doing exercise consistently around 3x a week, will help you develop a better metabolism over time.
Working out is something that take time for some to get results. Just don’t give up. Keep at it. There are more benefits to working out than just big muscles and weight loss. It can really help your mental health as well.
I do PPL 6x, i used to love going to the gym thats why i do PPL the reddit one and currently the coolcicada one, however now it just seems like a chore, there should be atleast some progression, but when i get under the bar its as if i just dont have any strength, in fact, i m sure i m regressing a bit
Maybe you’re pushing yourself too hard and not resting well enough. Make sure you get enough sleep. Diet wise, just try to eat balanced meals with lots of protein and fiber. A little bit of carbs is okay, especially in the morning for breakfast or lunch. Especially from grains, beans, vegetables, maybe some fruits. They give you energy for your workout. Make sure you eat well during the day before a workout. But not directly before working out, or you’ll feel sluggish.
Don’t worry about the fat. If you’re doing heavy weights you’re gonna get gains, not lose weight. If your objective is to lose fat, then your gotta eat way less, cut sugars and carbs and do more cardio.
I have been balancing all that, idk what the issue is maybe test or genetics? Program seems tried and tested
I’ve been working out for 10 years pretty consistently. I eat what I want and don’t really diet but I’m careful with portions.
I’m 43 now. Even after over 10 years of going to the gym I still have a bit of a gut. Can’t help it. It is what it is. I just learned to accept it. However, my body shape changed. Wider shoulders and lats, thicker thighs and butt, more muscular arms and shoulders. But still a little on the thicc side. People have asked me if I was a wrestler lol. I just learned to accept my physique and appreciate it. It’s part of who I am and honestly, nobody complained but me. In fact I got a lot of positive remarks and it really boosted my confidence.
You’re still young at 16. Like I said, your body is going to go through changes in your 20s, 30’s and even 40’s. Give yourself some time. Maybe when you hit your 20’s your metabolism will change and because you’ve already been working out your physionomy will change.
If it’s becoming a chore and it’s not fun, do it less often and change your routine. Make it fun. Get a kinesiologist to help as well if you can. They know how the muscles work best and can give you an incredible program that’ll change how you work out and give you better results without hurting yourself.
It could seriously be your age. Your body could be preparing for a growth spurt, which would reduce the amount of strength training gains you get.
You’re a teenager. Slow down. Getting to a healthy weight is great. Being physically fit is great.
Focusing on the size, shape of your muscles is probably unhealthy. Talk to a doctor.
Body dimorphism is a real problem for young men your age. And, as others have said, everyone is different. Bodies are different, they respond to exercise and diet differently, they develop at different rates and have different limits. When you’re young it’s possible to do more harm than good if you push too far too fast.
You’ve accomplished a lot, already. Get on a program that focuses on health and be patient.
I dont think i m body dysmorphic, i just am super concerned about why am i not progressing on my lifts for so long
You listed your current stats, but what were your starting stats? I bet they were a lot different. You should be competing with yourself, not others.
I couldn’t bench an empty bar, its not about stats its the fact i haven’t been progressing for months
Hmmm, are you doing progressive overload and logging your workouts?
Yeah i hv been trying to add weight but always fail, i m thinking of doing a different program like the other guy suggested
They sell microplates that you can use as well if you are having trouble progressing with standard plates. Also, working out to failure on the last set and doing a drop set to failure with a lighter weight are ways to progress.
Hm i (hv been) trying to add 2.5kg only, ig changing the program might work tbh
I’ve had some success using microplates to do 2.5lbs increments instead of 5lbs increments to progress some stuff that plateaued for me, like dumbbell OHP.
Try changing things up. I watch Renaissance Periodization on YouTube for a lot of workout science, and doing the same exercise for a really long time can let it get stale, as your body just gets too used to it. Try more variations on the movements, or different isolation exercises. Whatever you do, try it for at least 3-6 months.
Thanks for ur info, i do change up isolation exercises regularly tho, i dont think there are any replacements but for the main lifts
High squats, low squats, front squats (probably only worth doing with a safety squat bar), deficit deadlift, sumo deadlift, incline/decline press, etc, off the top of my head.
Also, don’t be afraid to drop some of the main lifts for 3-6 months to let them fully refresh. No one says you need to do OHP to build shoulders, and sometimes taking some time off sets you up to OHP better than ever 6+ months from now.
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.
Thanks a lot for your info, i m currently considering changing the program, but i will keep what u said in mind :)
my parents dont like me even going to the gym
Curious why your parents don’t like you going to the gym?
Perfect is the enemy of gains!
It takes a long time to see visible progress for most people.
If you stop now you will still be skinny fat in ten years and wishing you had kept at it.
I’m actually curious about your nutrition/diet vs. what you’re lifts/program are.
At your age, almost anything from a weightlifting standpoint should help stimulate muscle growth.
How many calories are you eating each day? Is this something you’re able to track? How about grams of protein per day?
Skinny fat is a tricky place to be because if you cut down a lot of weight, there isn’t much muscle to make it look good/worthwhile.
Program is the coolcicada PPL I m definitely in a surplus tho i hv been gaining weight steadily, i m around 3 kgs up in the last 2 months Protein i m sure i get 100-120 gms on avg tho, i used to track my calories but i lost that habit because like i said i hv stopped enjoying the process much, but still i dont miss any opportunity to get some protien in hehe
Just popping back into this post.
How you doing with it bruh?
I hv started making good progress by changing up programs, ig my RPE was way too high (maybe volume as well) and i couldn’t leave enough gas to actually recover between sessions
Thanks to the above guy who recommended BFS, i was browsing and found ‘GZCLP’ which is a very similar program, but it gives u ur training max and percentages so that u dont push urself too hard and overtrain, i had to strip back a ton of weight though, but in 4 weeks i definitely hv been progressing, especially on squat on OHP, i had to strip a ton more weight on bench and dead though, i haven’t still reached back to the weight i was doing pre switch, but i definitely have been progressing as my reps on AMRAP have been staying pretty constant despite the weight going up, i hv gained some little size as well
So yeah too high of an rpe and volume (i m not doing many isolation movements either, just the vanilla program (3 exercises per session) + couple exercises to target some weak spots, or as a prehab (facepulls, upper chest flies etc)), ig i got too sucked on internets ‘high intensity, 1 RIR, 15sets a week’ bullshit
Thanks for asking, hv a beautiful day :)
Are your weights always static? Or do you mix it up?
What does your diet look like? I know you said your parents aren’t a fan, but you can still do some rough math and figure out what (if anything) you’re lacking. My guess would be, since you’re eating what you’re parents make, you could be lacking protein or something. In college, our strength trainers would feed guys in your position peanut butter and honey sandwiches with protein shakes.
There are also supplements you could take… but I don’t like suggesting those because your body could react differently than mine or anyone else’s. Do your due diligence on those… but when I was your age (maaaaany moons ago lol) I used to take one tablespoon of glutamine direct on my tongue and wash it down with water right after a work out. Don’t know if the direct approach was necessary, but it was the thing at the time.
All of that being said…don’t quit. I’ve been in your shoes, and it’s waaaaaaay to easy to go back to being a “fat fuck” and anything is better than nothing, even if your goals don’t manifest immediately. It might be time to try a different workout though, check out the “Bigger, Faster, Stronger” workout (assuming it’s still around). The places I’ve been that used it had a lot of success with it and produced some very strong individuals. If you’re interested, let me know and I’ll see if I can scrounge up a link or some material.
Protein I get around 100-120 gms, I looked up BFS, seems like a 2 days week program, i m running PPL 6x a week rn
It’s changed then… it used to be a 5 day a week deal.
Hm OK, thanks for ur help :)
Here is more what I was suggesting, take it for what it’s worth…it’s a fairly old system lol.
Hm this seems kind of an athlete type workout
It absolutely is… but it’s a start to building up your core muscle groups. Once you build that, then you can start fine tuning specific groups as you want.
Should I try this then? Seems very intimidating tbh, i haven’t done many of these exercises ever, it will also definitely turn heads haha
It absolutely is… but it’s a start to building up your core muscle groups. Once you build that, then you can start fine tuning specific groups as you want.
