Not Sure about Progress & Where to Go from Here (M, 20Y/O, 5'10'', 159lb)

I’ve been lifting on and off for some time but never really commited to anything. I have been lifting properly and having good diet for about a year now, but even though I still see a lack of progress.

Over the past year I’ve gained about 15 kg, 6 kg so far in 2017.

Right now I am:
179 cm (5’10’’)
72 kg (~159 lbs)

My plan for about the past 5 months was 5/3/1 LP program which is very famous on reddit. Lifting 5 days a week. It is basically a program focusing on 2 main lifts everyday, following Jim Wendlers 531 protocol but it is condensed into 1 week to allow faster progress for noobs. After that I always do assistance exercises, rep ranges depend on the exercise but I do anything in the 6 to 20 rep range (20 for lat raises for example).

My diet is 3000 kcal daily
160 g protein
83 g fat
404 g carbs

but usually I overeat on protein and eat about 180-190 g daily.

Diet consists of: any meat, rice, potatoes, oats, eggs, quark, yogurt, fruits, vegetables, milk, nuts and seeds, peanut butter, and also some sweets like chocolate bars almost daily (I have very big sweet tooth)…

My current lifting numbers are:

SQUAT: 107,5 kg x 5 (~237 lbs)
DEADLIFT: 137,5 kg x 5 (~303 lbs)
BENCH PRESS: 95 kg x 2 (~210 lbs)
OHP: 55 kg x 3 (~121 lbs)

My problem is, that I really feel like I haven’t gained much muscle at all and that I still look very DYEL even though I’ve gained a good amount of weight and got stronger. I am starting too feel soft but cutting is something I don’t really want to do because I am already very small compared to even people who don’t lift and cutting would make me even smaller. I am not really going for ‘’aesthetics’’ per se, I just want to get big overall.

I’d like to hear any opinion and advice you can give me.

Thanks!

Let me make sure I’m understanding you here.

You’ve been lifting seriously/consistently for only a year. During that time you’ve gained over 30#. And while not ripped, you’re not at all fat, so the majority of your weight gain was clearly LBM. Further, you report that you have gotten stronger. Finally, you state that your goals are not aesthetics-related so much as ‘getting big.’

So in sum:

  1. Your goal is to get bigger; and
  2. your current program has resulted in a gain of ~30 pounds of LBM in a year. THIRTY POUNDS. IN A YEAR.

Now, what was your question again?

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Thanks for answer.

I am just not sure whether I am on the right track.

I am not really sure what my question is, the past few days I am just feeling like I am doing it all wrong.

I have gotten strong, but I am also regressing too much. I have to take deloads often, I get stronger for example on squat, I do 5 reps of 100 kg for example, raise my TM by 2.5 kg next week and can’t do those 102.5 kg for even 2 reps. (that’s just example weight, 100 kg is no problem.)

I am not ripped and I am not fat but still can pinch a lot of fat and it “jiggles” on me :smiley: :confused:

Again, I just wanted some reassurance that I have not f*cked it up too much.

You’re doing great. Keep lifting hard and eating right, and I guarantee in 4-5 years you’ll be a monster.

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thank you very much for encouragement!