T Nation

Frustrated at Progress

Bodybuilding
#1

I have been hitting the weights for 6 months now. starting weight 6’0" 201lbs, now 184lb. Compound excercises and isolation moves. I have put on some noticeable size in my shoulders (some shirts wont fit), chest and back, lost a few inches from my waist (pants are too big now). So i know I am making progress.

My arms were 13-1/2 when I started lifting.

My arms are 13" this morning. HELP!

This is what I have been doing:

Total Body Training:

Bench Press - Seated Row (supersets)
Dips - Pullups (supersets)
Squats - Romanian deadlifts (supersets)
Calf Raises on leg press machine

following a rest day/failure last rep of only one excercise (cycled)

One routine was:
Bench - Over head extensions
Seated row - bicep curls
Incline Curls
Skull crushers
Shrugs
Upright rws

I’ve done isolation stuff as well.

reps have varied from as low as 3 to 10
sets have been as low 4 and as high as 8

Never really moved past 20 sets a workout

I shake when i get home after my workout, and I’ve lost 17 lb’s of fat

My Diet (usually around 250g protein):

6am wakeup: 30g whey protein/milk
6:30 gym till 7:15
7:30 Oatmeal/flaxseed + 2 eggs + 30g whey shake + omega 3,6,9’s
9:30 50g Isopure whey + oqange or apple
11:30 Yogurt cup with 1/2 cup oats
1:30 WG tortilla+peanut butter+spinach+peppers+carrots
3:00 Almonds+raisans
4:30 20g protein
6:30 turkey pizza
9:30 40g casien protein
bed ay 9:40-9:45

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!
I’m upset my arms got smaller, I want bigger arms, and I need help!

i have long forearms, short bicep/tricep muscles i guess… someone told me i had high muscle attachments on my biceps.

I was told i need more shoulder strength, more trap strength, the responded fast to training, but my arms are still pencil thin. I so frustrated I was gonna offer a local trainer $1000 to put 2 to 3 inches on arms. I need help.

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG HERE?

#2

Could it be that that 1/2 inch difference is fat loss?

…just a thought.

#3

[quote]JayOwen wrote:
I have been hitting the weights for 6 months now. starting weight 6’0" 201lbs, now 184lb. Compound excercises and isolation moves. I have put on some noticeable size in my shoulders (some shirts wont fit), chest and back, lost a few inches from my waist (pants are too big now). So i know I am making progress. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG HERE?

[/quote]

You are losing weight but expecting an increase in muscle size. That is what you are doing wrong. To gain muscle, you don’t want to eat to LOSE.

#4

Calm down…calm down…there’s only a half inch difference. That could easily be explained by measuring wrong, (either time) or at different times, (like right after a workout or not). That’s not enough to worry about. Hit the weights and food hard for a year and then see what the measurements are. Don’t ruin training by overthinking the little details.

#5

[quote]Professor X wrote:
JayOwen wrote:
I have been hitting the weights for 6 months now. starting weight 6’0" 201lbs, now 184lb. Compound excercises and isolation moves. I have put on some noticeable size in my shoulders (some shirts wont fit), chest and back, lost a few inches from my waist (pants are too big now). So i know I am making progress. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG HERE?

But I’m eating everything in sight! And still losing![/quote]

You are losing weight but expecting an increase in muscle size. That is what you are doing wrong. To gain muscle, you don’t want to eat to LOSE.

#6

[quote]JayOwen wrote:
But I’m eating everything in sight! And still losing!
[/quote]

Are you eating right now?

#7

[quote]JayOwen wrote:
Professor X wrote:
JayOwen wrote:
I have been hitting the weights for 6 months now. starting weight 6’0" 201lbs, now 184lb. Compound excercises and isolation moves. I have put on some noticeable size in my shoulders (some shirts wont fit), chest and back, lost a few inches from my waist (pants are too big now). So i know I am making progress. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG HERE?

But I’m eating everything in sight! And still losing!

You are losing weight but expecting an increase in muscle size. That is what you are doing wrong. To gain muscle, you don’t want to eat to LOSE.
[/quote]

What the hell are your goals? You can either lose fat or put on muscle. Whichever you choose to do, aim for it.

If you want to lose weight, stop expecting to get “bigger arms”. If you want muscle, then you are not eating enough.

And christ…stop with the big arms! They will come when you are making a cohesive effort to gain muslce mass and not riding the fence like this.

Of course, there’s always that synthol stuff…

#8

[quote]JayOwen wrote:
But I’m eating everything in sight! And still losing!
[/quote]

Well, I suggest you get a pair of binoculars. This will allow you to see more food to eat.

Honestly, take what you are eating now, and add 300 - 500 a day to your daily cals . At the end of the week, if you still lost, then add another 3-500. Rinse and repeat.

You might want to optimize your post workout shake as well. There is plenty of info here on that subject.

#9

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
Of course, there’s always that synthol stuff…[/quote]

Synthol for the win!

#10

I second (third?) everything said. One thing I have noticed in common among all frustrated gainers is the fact that their diets are inadequate for gaining size. Your diet is a great one for losing weight at a decent pace, which is what you are doing. You have even added a litte mass.

You need to decide if your body fat is at levels where you want to lose more of it. Solution: continue as is or get more scientific in your approach.

If you are satisfied with your body fat, then start eating to add mass. Each of your meals, with the possible exception of breakfast should be doubled. Just do it one at a time. Also, you need to eat more solid food. You are relying way too much on supplements and protien shakes. Shakes are good, but only when they are balanced by actual solid food.

This is my (very unexpert) opinion.

-Fireplug

#11

[quote]fireplug52 wrote:
I second (third?) everything said. One thing I have noticed in common among all frustrated gainers is the fact that their diets are inadequate for gaining size. Your diet is a great one for losing weight at a decent pace, which is what you are doing. You have even added a litte mass.

You need to decide if your body fat is at levels where you want to lose more of it. Solution: continue as is or get more scientific in your approach.

If you are satisfied with your body fat, then start eating to add mass. Each of your meals, with the possible exception of breakfast should be doubled. Just do it one at a time. Also, you need to eat more solid food. You are relying way too much on supplements and protien shakes. Shakes are good, but only when they are balanced by actual solid food.

This is my (very unexpert) opinion.

-Fireplug[/quote]

Thank you, I didn’t intend on losing weight but that was just all i could stuff in face per day. I like your advice. I still want the 6 pack, but I guess I have to strip body fat first, then gain muscle after? I thought I could do both at the same time!?