Stinger, something we need to address is your attitude. I’m not talking about your attitude towards training or the routine/diet I’ve given you. You’ve attacked them with exactly the gusto I was hoping for, and your defending them against jasmincar’s criticisms reassures me that you have faith in the program and my coaching. This makes me happy and I really do appreciate you putting so much stock in my advice.
But we need to address the self-deprecation that is coming across in your posts. You are not giving yourself anywhere near enough credit for what you have accomplished so far. You have added 35lbs since you started training! I don’t care what the dicks here in internet land who say things like “durr I added 60lbs my first year of training” say, adding 35lbs of good quality mass through diet and exercise is DEFINITELY something you should be proud of. Your lifts are nothing to sneeze at either, particularly your lower body lifts. You are on the right track and there is really no need to view yourself as negatively as you seem to be doing. Sure you made some mistakes starting out, but show me a lifter who says he didn’t and I’ll show you a liar. It’s easy to look around the internet, particularly sites like this where we have some ridiculously strong guys and guys who clearly lucked out on the genetic lottery (I don’t mean to downplay anyone’s hard work when I say that) and think that you suck, but these aren’t the guys you should be comparing yourself to. You should just compare yourself to your past self. Are you bigger and stronger than you were this time last year? If the answer to that is “yes,” then you’re doing it right.
I understand why you are frustrated, as I have been through it myself. I started training at 130lbs, so I had to add 50lbs just to look normal sized. It sucks that someone who has better genetics and a higher starting bodyweight can look better than guys like you and I after training for 6 months, but that’s just the way it is. There’s a reason why I don’t ever really respond to your questions about how long it’ll take for you to look awesome, and it’s because I really have no idea. All I can tell you is that if you diet and train consistently then you will be in a constant state of improvement, which will eventually take you to a place where you are happy with how you look.
You’ll notice though that I said “happy” and not “satisfied,” this is because you will NEVER be satisfied with your physique. Even if you reach your goal of 200lbs, you’ll look at yourself and think that you could do with bringing up your rear delts or upper chest or whatever.
This is why you need to enjoy the journey. You’ll never get your physique to exactly where you want it, so the sooner you can bring yourself to accept yourself, complete with lagging bodyparts and imbalances, the happier you’ll be. Just be secure in the knowledge that through giving your diet and training your best, that you are the best version of you that you can be RIGHT NOW. The future is about improvement, the present is about accepting, believing in and loving yourself.
If you are not happy within yourself at 170lbs, you won’t be happy within yourself at 200lbs, I guarantee that. You need to be more forgiving for stalls in your progress and give yourself some credit! You have done MUCH better than you seem to think you have and there are people out there in a much worse place training-wise than you are.
So no more talk of being frustrated, and definitely no more steroids talk. Stop fixating on what’s gone wrong and the things you are dissatisfied with, and concentrate on being happy with yourself right now and looking forward to the future.
Now go eat some protein and veg! That’s an order.