Struggling To Gain Muscle

[AdamYK]

So I'm 22 years old and i've been easing my way into the bodybuilding scene. About 3 years ago i weighted 250 Lbs and was a tub of lard. Through diet and exercise i dropped to 150 Lbs and have been working on strength and endurance ever since. I am currently 167 Lbs and have been pushing fairly hard for about 2 months straight but can't seem to make any serious gains. My diet is solid (6-7 meals a day and very clean healthy foods, well balanced) and my workouts are fairly intense. I am currently working a 4 day split.

Monday: Chest & Bis
Tuesday: Shoulders, Calves and Abs
Wednesday OFF
Thursday: Legs (Hams and Quads)
Friday: Back and Tris
Saturday & Sunday: OFF

Within my workouts, i am including all of the essential exercises, ie. Bar bench, squats, deadlifts. I've been using a 4 set 12-15 rep method. Is this right? or no?

Please give me some advice as to what i should change to see some results because im getting rather frustrated spending a tonne of money a week on food but not getting any bigger

[Talo]

The cleaner your diet the more you will have to eat.

When you say your eating 6-7 meals a day , do you know how many calories your taking in ? How many calories you using up in a day ? Are you in a surplus ?

[AdamYK]

Each meal is consisting of 35-40 grams of protein and about 80-100 grams of carbs. If the meal doesnt have an lipids then i'm supplementing a fish oil capsule.
I try to save my liquid meals for post work out only and when i dont have time to prep something solid.

[JifeLacket]

Add a couple table spoons of olive oil each meal, fats are essential. I don't think you have to eat dirty per say but you need to eat quite a bit, the olive oil will give you needed fat and calories. You can use other oils/healthy fat sources too. Just dont get into the habit of eating for instance 3 HUGE meals per day, your metabolism most likely cannot handle that (6-8 meals per day is meant to get the cals in while keeping metabolism humming along).

Stop the 12-15 reps and drop down to some high intensity low rep work like 5x5. Make sure you read up on some program outlines there is some good info around the board.

[AdamYK]

I also consume a decent amount of almonds and peanut butter. As well when i cook up brown rice into a stir fry, i usually sautee the chicken or beef in a little olive oil so i dont think thats an issue.

As far as changing to 5x5, im assuming i must increase the weight per rep. Right now, my bench press is looking like
Set 1: 11 reps @ 215
Set 2: 10 reps @ 215
Set 3: 9 reps @ 215
Set 4: 10 reps @ 205

How would i go about adapting that into a 5x5
As well should i be doing the 1 1/2 rep concept or maybe pause sets?

[Aaron_37]

As far as changing to 5x5, im assuming i must increase the weight per rep. Right now, my bench press is looking like
Set 1: 11 reps @ 215
Set 2: 10 reps @ 215
Set 3: 9 reps @ 215
Set 4: 10 reps @ 205

Start at either 215 or 225x5x5. Should be more than enough to make you happy at the start. Up it by 5 pounds every workout... it may not be challenging, but wait a week or so and it sure will be. By the end of the first month, you'd be up to 245/255x5.

[tiramisu]

If olive oil doesn't help, McDoubles work pretty good :)

After losing 100 pounds it may be hard to have perspective on gaining weight.

Assuming you are working out naturally and using the big compound movements (squats/deads/bench) and you are eating adequately and not doing too much cardio then if you put on 2 pounds of muscle in the last 2 months that would be very good.
Any more than 2 pounds of muscle would be excellent. 4 would be amazing.

You will almost certainly have to add some fat with that muscle. So again a good gain in 2 months would be about 4 pounds and if you were gaining much faster you probably are putting on more fat than muscle.

12-15 pounds of muscle a year on a normal sized frame is a pretty dramatic visual change and quite a bit more than most steroid using bodybuilders can put on.

Patience and persistence is the trick to putting on muscle. On average for most people in 5 years or so you can put on 50-60 pounds of lean muscle. There are genetically gifted people who can do more or faster and less genetically gifted people who can't. The first couple of years the gains are much faster than the last couple of years but all in all the trick is to just keep grinding away.

... and again perspective... go to your fridge and take a look at a pound of lean meat. now multiply that by 50 and spread it out on your body. 10 pounds is some serious meat. 50 is insane.

[evoke]

try training 5days/week.
reduce reps to about 6-10rep range.

[AdamYK]

Today i did a chest workout. Here's the log, let me know if this looks ok.

Incline BB Bench Press (Olympic Bar)
Warm-Up Set – 10 Reps @ 185
Set 1 – 8 Reps @ 205
Set 2 – 8 Reps @ 215
Set 3 – 7 Reps @ 220
Set 4 – 5 Reps @ 220
Set 5 – 5 Reps @ 215

Incline Dumbell Press
Warm Up Set – 8 Reps @ 60s
Set 1 – 6 Reps @ 85s
Set 2 – 6 Reps @ 85s
Set 3 – 5 Reps @ 85s

Pec Dec
Set 1 – 8 Reps @ 150
Set 2 – 10 Reps @ 135
Set 3 – 11 Reps @ 120
Set 4 – 10 Reps @ 120

Flat BB Bench Press (Olympic Bar)
Warm Up Set – 8 Reps @ 125
Set 1 – 5 Reps @ 185
Set 2 - 5 Reps @ 185
Set 3 - 5 Reps @ 185

Pullovers Flatbench
Set 1 – 10 Reps @ 70
Set 2 – 8 Reps @ 80
Set 3 – 10 Reps @ 70

Cable Cross Over
Set 1 – 12 Reps @ 25s (Heavy)
Set 2 – 10 Reps @ 35s (Heavy)
Set 3 – 9 Reps @ 35s (Heavy


Anything i should change?

[Big D]

try eating over 1000 cals each meal. always works for me

[Ritch]

That is a shit tonne of volume, 23 sets for chest, lol! I`d wouldn`t train triceps with back either.

[O-Train]

Today i did a chest workout. Here's the log, let me know if this looks ok.

Incline BB Bench Press (Olympic Bar)
Warm-Up Set – 10 Reps @ 185
Set 1 – 8 Reps @ 205
Set 2 – 8 Reps @ 215
Set 3 – 7 Reps @ 220
Set 4 – 5 Reps @ 220
Set 5 – 5 Reps @ 215

Incline Dumbell Press
Warm Up Set – 8 Reps @ 60s
Set 1 – 6 Reps @ 85s
Set 2 – 6 Reps @ 85s
Set 3 – 5 Reps @ 85s

Pec Dec
Set 1 – 8 Reps @ 150
Set 2 – 10 Reps @ 135
Set 3 – 11 Reps @ 120
Set 4 – 10 Reps @ 120

Flat BB Bench Press (Olympic Bar)
Warm Up Set – 8 Reps @ 125
Set 1 – 5 Reps @ 185
Set 2 - 5 Reps @ 185
Set 3 - 5 Reps @ 185

Pullovers Flatbench
Set 1 – 10 Reps @ 70
Set 2 – 8 Reps @ 80
Set 3 – 10 Reps @ 70

Cable Cross Over
Set 1 – 12 Reps @ 25s (Heavy)
Set 2 – 10 Reps @ 35s (Heavy)
Set 3 – 9 Reps @ 35s (Heavy


Anything i should change?

Decrease volume, use a full range of motion. That's way too many exercises/sets for chest.

[cog]

The only movement OP talks about is bench...my bet is he hasn't learned to love the squat yet...