Hi everyone,

I have been lifting weights for around half a year now. I am able to progressively lift heavier weights but I do not seem to be bulking too much. Furthermore, the parts that have have grown bigger are soft when unflexed and unlike the hard muscles I am striving to obtain. Anyone can help out with what I should do about it? I have been eating cleanly.

What training are you doing? Rep ranges, frequency etc. This will have a massive impact on your gains. For max gains it should be hit it hard, hit it fast, leave it alone.
Eating cleanly is good but growth requires calorie surplus so you may just need to increase what you are eating by a small amount across the board.

A lot of the problem when guys are lifting and not putting on size is that they aren’t eating enough. Early on in training, guys think they can put on all this muscle and be cut the whole time. It doesn’t work like that. You have to eat in a surplus and put on a little fat to gain size. Your muscles need food to grow. I have had this problem myself and it’s very common for newbies.

What kind of training you do can also create a problem. I used to religiously lift in a 5×5 routine, and while I was making good weight gains, I wasn’t seeing the size I wanted. Lately I have been lifting in an 8×8 range, and I have put on size quicker doing this than I ever did with the 5×5. Now, strength gains aren’t as easy to come by this way(because you’re only lifting about 75% of your max), but that’s why you rotate your workout.

thanks guys for the replies. im normally doing 3 or 4 sets of 6-8. Im eating quite a bit for my weight, but ive never been able to put on much weight even before exercising

I know that scenario with food. I had to find interesting ways to force feed growth, I have gone for the one meal a day approach with breaks for training and sleep.
I basically eat constantly throughout the day and my desk job makes that easier.

What kind of % of weight are you working with? You know, if your 1 rep max on bench is 200 pounds, what percentage of that are you lifting in your current rep range?

Originally Posted by CrazyOldMan

I know that scenario with food. I had to find interesting ways to force feed growth, I have gone for the one meal a day approach with breaks for training and sleep.
I basically eat constantly throughout the day and my desk job makes that easier.

one meal a day approach? can explain what that is?

Originally Posted by JustinRVA

What kind of % of weight are you working with? You know, if your 1 rep max on bench is 200 pounds, what percentage of that are you lifting in your current rep range?

lifting 70-80% most of the time

btw, I take protein shakes after work outs at night. should I be having them at other points of the day?

Originally Posted by roadrunner12

one meal a day approach? can explain what that is?

Tony (CrazyOldMan)’s 1 meal begins at about 6am and finishes at about 10pm. He takes breaks to train and sleep.

Originally Posted by roadrunner12

btw, I take protein shakes after work outs at night. should I be having them at other points of the day?

To be honest, just ditch the protein shakes and whey. Eat real food. I used to take whey like I was getting paid for it and never noticed a difference. Once I got sick of it and just started shoveling real food in my mouth all the time, it made a world of difference. Protein isn’t this wonder drug people think it is, and lot of the concentrated proteins in shakes and whey are even hard for your body to break down, and a lot of the time just pass through you. Instead of a protein shake after a workout, have a turkey sandwich on wheat bread and a big glass of milk. I’m a bit old school from time to time, so I will swear by drinking milk. It has everything you need to put on size and recover well.

Originally Posted by roadrunner12

lifting 70-80% most of the time

That’s a good % to lift in a 6-8 rep range. I try for 8×8 with my lifts in the routine I’m in now, but I’ll 4×8 some stuff toward the end of the workout. Smaller muscle groups that have already been hit in the session.

Goldfish explained my one meal a day brilliantly. Still waiting for sensible suggestion on how to eat in my sleep.

Come to that, scrap sensible, any suggestions will do.