Haven't Seen Any Gains. What Am I Doing Wrong

i have been lifting since decemeber and i have barely seen my improvements in my lifts. the only results i have seen is me being able to do 5 reps of 115lbs on bench. i don’t know the reason why i haven’t seen gains at all. when i first started i thought i would alteast be able to bench press 140lbs by now.

My goal is to bulk but it is so hard for me to eat 3000 calories. i get full after 2,000. i have been trying to have a clean bulk but its so difficult. How can people eat so much. feels like my stomach is going to explode around 2,300 calories.

here are my stats and workout routine
BP:125 is my max. routine is 5x5
squat: max is150lb. routine is 5x5
deadlift:idk 5x5 with 135
power clean: max is 95. 3x5
Lat pull down: max is 100. routine 5x5
bicep curl:25 on both arms.

Oh and one more question. i have been using the assisted pull up machine/dip machine. if i bulk up would that affect me being able to get strong enough to do a pull up or a dip. would the weight i gain make it harder for me.

i am not how i was a couple years ago when i use to spam. Now I’m am actually serious and have realistic goals. i want to bulk up for a couple months. i want my bench press to be in the 200s and my squat to be close too or in the 300s when i decided to cut.

I’m 6ft 1 in 173lb. just a talk lanky dude. not ripped have a little fat. the picture in my profile is a pic from when i was the little 16 year old piece of shit who would spam this forum. i’ll change it.

Nutrition

  • What are you eating (food, not numbers)
  • How consistently are you sticking to your plan?

Training

  • What are you doing?
  • How closely are you following the plan?
  • How consistent are you in your training? (Attendence and effort)

Recovery

  • What work are you doing outside the planned training? (Mobility, rolling, light training)
  • Sleep
  • other stuff.

Start by following the advice already given to you, countless times, over and over again.

If I remember, CT even chimed in.

Do you think the advice is going to change because suddenly you are serious?

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Yeah, the answers are very simple and basic. The difficulty lies in the habitual process of doing everything right every single day for a very long time. While results can be seen in months, very noticeable results come in the order of years.

If you break everything you have to do down to just one day, it is very easy. You know, going to the gym, training hard, eating 4000 calories a day, getting quality rest, etcetera? Easy, if you’re looking at it from just a day or even a week-- but every day for years? That is why everyone isn’t walking around squatting 2.5 times their bodyweight. Because of the daily discipline that is required to force a change in your body over long periods of time.

guy i work with is 6 foot 155lbs 1 rep max on bench 255
deadlift 315 for 2
he looks like an athlete
he is lean
his numbers used to suck
he started going to the gym with someone who knew what he was doing, his numbers took off
saying you bench 5x5 does not mean you are employing proper EFFORT
if you bench 115 for 4 sets of 5 try 120 on set 5 if you only get 4 rack wait minute do couple more
eating right is a learned skill
learn how to eat
dont think in terms of meals
think i need to eat this today start eating when full wait eat again wait eat repeat till done if it takes all day who cares as long as you finish

Let’s clarify this. Have you been lifting 3 or 4 days a week for the last 5 or 6 weeks with no interruptions or missed sessions? What have those workouts looked like?

Like JFG said, all the advice we’ve been giving you for the last 2 and a half years still applies. Any program you were ever recommended and any simple nutrition tip you got is still 100% valid.

Since September 2013, you’ve gained less than 10 pounds. That’s, like, almost intentional. If you’ve changed your outlook on training, that’s awesome. But it still comes down to: Follow a basic, well-designed program for several months without interruption and eat 3 big meals every day of the week.

Young underweight guys almost have an advantage over other folks because their body is so ready to grow if it’s told to (by training) and allowed to (by eating).

You don’t need to “clean bulk” You need food. Plenty and plenty of food. A cheeseburger and an order of fries will not kill you.

For the record, I never thought you were a young piece of shit. I thought you were a young, easily distracted dude with training A.D.D. who always seemed to change focus. Pretty common behavior among that crowd. No worries.

But if you do start falling back into the same habits this time… :rageguy:

Since school started I have been working out atleast 4 days a week. this week i lifted on Monday, than Tuesday, Thursday, and I’m lifting tomorrow. My diet is really different every day. some days i am just stop caring about what i eat and just eat anything i can find. today after i finished class at 1 i just went to little cesars and bought a $6 cheese pizza. finished it in 30 minutes. the days where i try to eat more healthier i usually have more protein in my diet. i also eat a lot of oat meal.

Also have any of you guys heard about olive oil. a couple days ago i searched up bulk tips and one of the tips i saw was that 3 shots of olive oil throughout the day is 1000 calories. i bought some oil and a couple shot glasses and drank it 3x a day for like 2 days. but stopped because i just think its un healthy. do yall know anything about that

Eat 4 meals of 700 calories each, consistently (or whatever your calorie goal is). Or 3 meals. Whatever. It matters less than people think. Just hit your calorie target.

Get something like 130-150g of protein a day, total (~.8g/lb of bodyweight). Each meal should ideally have an equal portion of protein. Have some carbs with each meal. Have fats with each meal.

Some shitty meal examples:

  • 93% lean ground beef hamburger and fries.
  • 2 slices of pizza & a 30g protein shake.
  • 5 eggs and 2 pieces of toast.
  • Chipotle; get that extra meat.

You don’t need “tips”, you just need to eat and train consistently.

I don’t know if that olive oil consumption is necessarily “unhealthy”, but it’s certainly lazy. Don’t be lazy.

Frankly, this saddens me.
It’s sad because you’re thinking about drinking olive oil for calories. Can’t imagine what comes after that. Most western countries are plagued with being overweight, and here is this young kid desperate to become a part of the statistic, consciously or unconsciously.

Become healthy. When you focus on being healthy, you’ll look healthy. Period.
Building muscle should be secondary, not the pre-requisite. Eat real food and train properly and your body will automatically add the muscles. Ingesting a pre-determined amount of calories won’t do that for you. After you get to a good spot, then you can look to incorporate more advanced methods.

Truth is, you have the capability to grow just as any one of us. I believe the problem really lies in your attitude and actual work. Fix your brain and your thoughts first.