I need some advice, and hopefully may find a few words of wisdom from the T-Nation.
I have always been a skinny guy, and currently just over 6’ tall, and at 166-167 lbs. I have consistently been trying to put on muscle weight for over a year now, and have been staying at about the same weight.
I have hopped from program to program after finishing them, with my last three programs having the big lifts instead of curls in the squat rack.
I always feel skinny fat, in that I look in the mirror and see sticks for arms, yet barely a hint of abs. I also always feel weak in the gym. I feel like I’m maxing out (meaning I cannot complete a 5x5 set) at the following weights:
squat: 190 lbs
bench: 125 lbs
dead (only do 1x5): 190 lbs
pullups: About 10 before my first failure
chinups: About 11 before my first failure
shoulder press: 80 lbs
My diet consists of the following:
4:45 am: protein shake (Grow! 2 scoops, peanut butter, fruit, skim milk)
5-6:15 am: workout
6:30 am: protein shake (same as above)
7:30 am: 2 eggs, 4 egg beaters, 3 pieces turkey bacon, bowl of shredded wheat OR bowl of oats
10:00 am: muscle milk lite protein shake
12:00 pm: usually leftovers from night before, or if a business lunch, some type of salad with protein on it. Blue cheese dressing (lowest sugar I can find at restaurants)
3:00 pm: snack usually consisting of nuts and cheese or meat
6:00 pm: dinner which is usually a piece of meat, 2 or 3 types of veggies, salad w/ cheese crumbles and oil/vinegar dressing
8:00 pm: another snack including protein
I want to put on some muscle, but I already feel fat enough to put on another 20 lbs in my gut with no results. I’m just at a complete loss of my next step. I never eat desserts, I try and keep my carbs as low as possible, eat protein at every snack, and keep the alcohol to a few drinks a week. Yet I look like every other joe schmoe on the street that has never seen the inside of a gym.
I realize the first response will preach eating more, but where in my day am I skimping? I don’t see how packing on pounds in my gut is going to turn any heads at the beach. I understand that you have to eat more to put on muscle, but when I do ramp up calories I just feel my pants get tighter. That’s not the result I want.
What am I doing wrong?
I don’t want to sound like I’m whining, I’m just extremely frustrated at this point, and just in a state of utter confusion about what I’ve been doing wrong. I want to be strong, I want to look good, and I’m tired of being the skinny fat twerp I see in the mirror all the time.