Why am I not gaining muscle

[Sdogity]

Ive just gotten back to bulking after the shutdown. Before i was around mid 150s. Now i’ve gotten back up and am around the low 150s but I am much more lean. The first two days of my bulk my body puffed up like a balloon and looked the best it ever has. Then after that my body shriveled up. I’ve eaten the same exact things day after day and I’m hitting my caloric intake while gaining some weight. Not sure if anyone would be able to give me some advice.

[kauseemcee]

Ive just gotten back to bulking after the shutdown. Before i was around mid 150s. Now i’ve gotten back up and am around the low 150s but I am much more lean. The first two days of my bulk my body puffed up like a balloon and looked the best it ever has. Then after that my body shriveled up. I’ve eaten the same exact things day after day and I’m hitting my caloric intake while gaining some weight. Not sure if anyone would be able to give me some advice.

First question is are your lifts going up? Down? Maintaining?

[Sdogity]

First question is are your lifts going up? Down? Maintaining?

hmm, well the first time i benched after coming back i did 225x6 but felt like i could have definitely done it for 8. But my bench 1 rep max is still at 275 but it was a lot harder for me to get up.

[kauseemcee]

hmm, well the first time i benched after coming back i did 225x6 but felt like i could have definitely done it for 8. But my bench 1 rep max is still at 275 but it was a lot harder for me to get up.

So you've only been back to the gym for less than a week?

If you think you looked good after a workout, it was probably the blood in your muscles giving you a "pump". Doesn't last forever

[Sdogity]

So you've only been back to the gym for less than a week?

If you think you looked good after a workout, it was probably the blood in your muscles giving you a "pump". Doesn't last forever

I’ve been back for 2 weeks now actually. Okay so a little background. I’m 18 and I’ve been lifting for about 3.5 years now. During school all I do is research lifting but right now i’m really stumped. Last November 1st I started taking lifting seriously. I went from 128-156. I gained more muscle than i ever had before. But middle of February i got really sick (probably covid) then lost everything and it took me about a 2-3 weeks to build back. By that time i started to feel like i wasn’t really building anymore muscle, so i started eating a bit more carbs. I didn’t notice any changes. But by that time everything got shutdown. Back then i was lifting 2x a day. Once in strength class and then at the gym after. I don’t think my problem is over training since i had taken a couple days off. But at this point the only thing i can think of is maybe add another full meal and revaluate after a couple weeks. Unless, do you have any other suggestions or ideas.

[snailsrus]

You probably need to eat more and not lift two times a day

[kauseemcee]

I’ve been back for 2 weeks now actually. Okay so a little background. I’m 18 and I’ve been lifting for about 3.5 years now. During school all I do is research lifting but right now i’m really stumped. Last November 1st I started taking lifting seriously. I went from 128-156. I gained more muscle than i ever had before. But middle of February i got really sick (probably covid) then lost everything and it took me about a 2-3 weeks to build back. By that time i started to feel like i wasn’t really building anymore muscle, so i started eating a bit more carbs. I didn’t notice any changes. But by that time everything got shutdown. Back then i was lifting 2x a day. Once in strength class and then at the gym after. I don’t think my problem is over training since i had taken a couple days off. But at this point the only thing i can think of is maybe add another full meal and revaluate after a couple weeks. Unless, do you have any other suggestions or ideas.

If you're looking at your body as a reference it's hard to tell if you're at a body fat percentage where you can't actually see the muscles.

In saying that, are you lean? Do you know how much you're eating calorie wise? Also, 2 weeks isn't nearly enough time to judge anything gym related really. Give it a solid 3 months of consistency with training and diet and reassess then I'd say

[Sdogity]

You probably need to eat more and not lift two times a day

Lol well i’m not lifting two times per day anymore. Even then i’m pretty sure my body recovers a lot quicker compared to other peoples. But if it’s not food that’s my problem can you think of anything else?

[Sdogity]

If you're looking at your body as a reference it's hard to tell if you're at a body fat percentage where you can't actually see the muscles.

In saying that, are you lean? Do you know how much you're eating calorie wise? Also, 2 weeks isn't nearly enough time to judge anything gym related really. Give it a solid 3 months of consistency with training and diet and reassess then I'd say

Yessir I happen to be quite lean. I’ll figure out how to post pictures on my profile. I would say probably around 10%.

[Mrpb]

But if it’s not food that’s my problem can you think of anything else?

You're not following a well structured training program.

[Sdogity]

You're not following a well structured training program.

yea but that’s not exactly a huge deal. I know many people that just go into the gym and just pick 3 exercises per body part then go to work. That’s how i do it.

[Mrpb]

yea but that’s not exactly a huge deal. I know many people that just go into the gym and just pick 3 exercises per body part then go to work. That’s how i do it.

Some people are that lucky. Most people are not.

If you're gaining 1-2 pounds per month, eating enough protein and sleeping enough you should gain muscle. If not, your training program is the problem.

[Sdogity]

Some people are that lucky. Most people are not.

If you're gaining 1-2 pounds per month, eating enough protein and sleeping enough you should gain muscle. If not, your training program is the problem.

I gotcha. Will most definitely be keeping this in mind. I appreciate the feedback.

[snailsrus]

I gotcha. Will most definitely be keeping this in mind. I appreciate the feedback.

how tall are you and what are your daily calories and macros

[Sdogity]

how tall are you and what are your daily calories and macros

I’m 5’10 and i eat 3000 calories minimum. 150 protein, 365 carb, 97g fat.

[snailsrus]

I’m 5’10 and i eat 3000 calories minimum. 150 protein, 365 carb, 97g fat.

damn that's one of the more responsible macros I’ve seen on here. Good job srs, I’d go with mrpb advice then

[Mrpb]

I gotcha. Will most definitely be keeping this in mind. I appreciate the feedback.

If you don't want to follow a good program right now try to train the main muscle groups (chest, shoulders, back, quads, hamstrings) twice per week with 5 to 9 hard sets per session.

[Sdogity]

damn that's one of the more responsible macros I’ve seen on here. Good job srs, I’d go with mrpb advice then

Haha appreciate it. I like to think i’ve got a pretty good idea of what i’m doing, but there could be something i’m totally missing that i would totally want to learn.

[Sdogity]

If you don't want to follow a good program right now try to train the main muscle groups (chest, shoulders, back, quads, hamstrings) twice per week with 5 to 9 hard sets per session.

That is exactly what I do. I do chest and back, arms and shoulders, then legs. 3 exercises per muscle group with 8-10 sets per body part

[Mrpb]

That is exactly what I do. I do chest and back, arms and shoulders, then legs. 3 exercises per muscle group with 8-10 sets per body part

Try doing chest, medial delts and triceps on one day. Back, rear delts and biceps on the next day. Then a leg day. Do that twice per week.