Why can't I put on any more weight? Am I just limited by my genetics?

[Vegeta]

I've been working out for a few months now and have made decent gains, to any normal by stander I look shapely but more impressively I look fairly ripped with my top off I see my abs and get striations in my chest/shoulders.

My diet has always been quite healthy with a decent amount hitting about 3,000 calories. I recently decided however I want to bulk properly as i'm not happy with my size so I've raised my calories to 4,200 a day minimum (more often than not 4,500) - and this isn't easy i'm literally eating on a full stomach most of the time and I feel horrible and bloated, going to the toilets twice a day sometimes blocking the thing (sorry for being so graphic).

I'm 5'8 Asian and weighed just under 11 stone before the new diet, within the first month and a half I jumped up to 11 stone 8 pounds and most of it was fat but I was happy because I was assuming I would be building some muscle slowly. Nearly 3 months down the line now and having changed my workout to be more intense I now weighted myself and i'm creeping back down to 11 stone... I do no cardio (although I should really do some to stay fit) I've cut out drink I do all the right types of workouts such as squats, deadlifts, dips, pullsups etc etc and I do lift heavyweights for my size.

Am I just basically screwed with my skinny Asian genetics? My dad is really skinny. I have mates who eat hardly anywhere near as much and have a lot more mass than me although they're not stronger. Seriously considering some roids lol.

 

[Vegeta]

I have put on muscle mass don't get me wrong. When I first started I was skinny/fat 10stone and before this diet I was 11stone and fairly ripped. I have been training for about 4 years guys that's why i'm starting to think whether I've hit my limit.

My diet is typically this - I weight it all with my electric scales from eBay lol.

Breakfast 6am: 200Grams Muesli with milk and a scoop of whey protein (915ish calories)

Brunch Snack 9:45am: 4 Flapjacks, Apple, Milk with whey protein and creatine (660ish calories)

Lunch 12:45pm: 200grams brown pasta twists, cant of tuna, some tiny bits of cut up veg, Yoghurt, Banana (1095ish calories)

Pre gym snack 4pm: 1 slice of toast with as much peanut butter I can put on (450ish calories)

Post gym dinner 7pm: 5 eggs scrambled with milk and butter added, 2 bits of brown bread toasted with butter, 5 flapjacks (950ish calories). This meal can sometimes be literally just pasta and chicken with similar calories hit

Pre sleep snack: 300grams of low fat cottage cheese (300ish calories).

Now this is my typical diet although it will differ slightly sometimes. I also snack in between that sometimes I might buy a flapjack from work and eat it inbetween some meals. The diet above totals up to 4370 calories. Only reason I've decided to hit such a high calorie total is to MAKE SURE I am not under eating i'm sure even 3,500 should suffice to bulk for someone of my size. I really just think it's due to my Asian rice farmer genetics ha.

 

[Vegeta]

Thing is, you can only gain so much muscle per week/month/etc. Eating more and training more doesn't increase the amount of lean mass over what you can naturally gain. In other words, stick to a diet that sees you slowly gaining lean mass and minimal fat, and stick to this over the years to see the best results. You can't rush this.

Should I stick with the above diet and continue to workout as I am?

 

[Vegeta]

No I genuinely eat that amount I feel sick after most meals and my breakfast literally takes me half a hour to eat but it has become a lot easier. I had no idea my diet was that bad? I assumed flapjacks were a easy way to get high carbs/calories I didn't think one yoghurt is that bad? Milk seriously? I thought muesli was a good breakfast lol. I use a electric scale that goes up to 1kg I weighted it all a few times dry then I know where to fill the muesli up in my bowl etc by now.

I'll happily takes photos of my meals for the day if people want to see.#

Never really thought of macros just thought of a decent amount of protein with every meal and just a lot of high carb foods as i'm trying to add weight.

 

[Vegeta]

Training varies. It used to be a 5 day split of:

Monday: Shoulders
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Off (I used to cycle to work on this day 22 mile round trip but don't due to the cold).
Thursday: Chest
Friday: Legs (To rest them over the weekend as I struggle to walk after most sessions).
Saturday: Arms/abs and light sets on a bit of everything
Sunday: Off

After watching some online videos I've decided upon this routine:

3 days on 1 day off, I don't do ALL the exercises below on one day but these are the mains ones I mix it up and spend about 1 - 1h 15 mins in the gym.

Day 1: Shoulders and Back

Middle length wide arm pulls ups as I can literally do only 6 wide arm pulls up and i'm zapped energy wise so I pull my grip in a bit more - do about 3-4 sets of 6-8.

Bent over dumbell rows
Bent over barbell rows
Lat pull downs
Lying T bar rows
Chin ups
Seated cables rows

Variation of these but I make my main big movements as bent over barbell or one arm dumbbell rows.

For Shoulders I do a variation of:
Military press
Military press on the smith
Lateral raises
Front raises? (Dont know what they're called)
Sort of clean jerk type movement but start from waist not floor
Reverse flyes
Upright barbell rows
And other stuff cba to write it all.

Day 2: Chest and arms

Incline/Decline/Flat barbell bench press just mix it up each time.
Incline/Flat dumbell press mix it up
Dips (normally weighted if it's after one exercise but if its towards the end just my own bodyweight).
Flys
Flys on a machine
Some machines with different grips/ways of doing it.

Bicep curls
chin ups
Hammer curls
Preacher curls
Close grip bench press
Diamond push ups
Skull crushers (main movement for triceps)
Dips with body aligned straight
Dip machine

Day 3: Legs and Abs

Legs my main movement is either barbell squat on one day or deadlift on the other my lower back can't take both on one workout.

Leg press 45 degree plate loaded machine
Seated calf raises on a plate loaded machine
Machine for thigh extensions
Machine for hamstring extensions?
Weighted lunges
Calf raises holding dumbells

I hardly hit abs as I just lack the energy after legs but do the usual stuff you all probably do. I have a decent set of abs when my bodyfat is low anyways.

I'm positive my intensity of the workout is enough as I've gone too far at times in the past injuring myself/getting tendinitis etc and have to rest up and I know where the limit is now when I first started I was overdoing it.

 

[Vegeta]

I think as a bodybuilder you might want a few more finishing movements to target different bits, but to not have deadlifts on your back day would be strange. To only squat every other week as well...

OP, less scatter gun training, more actual routine.

Oh, and it's borderline lolsy to say that you're working hard enough because you've gotten injured. All that means is that your technique isn't perfect and you haven't been doing the mobility work that you need to do.

I squat and deadlift weekly. I have a 3 day routine and 1 day off.

And I don't do all them movements on one day I do maybe 4-5 of them but I mix up what I do each workout bar the main compound movements.

 

[Vegeta]

Yes, but I think it would be better at this stage to have something consistent that uses a few very good exercises.

Even just putting deadlifts on your back day would help, if you can handle the frequency with your split. If you can't, I suggest not doing the split rather than not deadlifting.

I find if I put deadlifts on my back day it'll ruin one of my lifts. If I do deadlifts first it'll kill my grip therefore bent over dumbell rows or pull ups suffer. If I do it last same problem again after the other exercises. It's why I prefer to isolate it with a leg workout as apart from lunges it's the only other movement i'll do using my grip and lunges doesn't tax my grip as much as deadlifts so I can do both.

 

[Vegeta]

There's still capacity for the amount of exercises he's doing to be a bad thing.



Vegeta, I've given you my advice, as have others, take it or leave it

I'll leave that one piece of advice not everyone's the same I can't physically do them exercises all on one day my grips not strong enough for that maybe in the future if it becomes stronger but it's just a weak point of mine as are my biceps and calves. I would appreciate diet advice the way people are going on it's as if i'm eating kebab meat, pizza and chocolate! What alternatives would you guys suggest instead of the flapjacks, muesli and the apple that'll give me all these devastating insulin spikes.

 

[Vegeta]

Do dead lifts and all your rowing. You may struggle at first with the rows but your grip will get stronger. Not doing dead lift is a big mistake, it will teach you a lot and make you grow.

I do them just on leg days. I'll follow his advice though and cycle them in on back days it'll mean I get to do squats more than once a week so it's not all bad

What are you guys eating then? I find it hard to eat well and reach a calorie goal. I'm surprised you all think muesli, apple and milk is terrible?

 

[Vegeta]

Why isn't your diet the best example? Looks pretty good to me. Seems like a lot of effort for the food you're preparing though I might have to dedicate a day to cooking :/

 

[Vegeta]

I have added weight - nearly a stone but it's came to a stop and I've lost a bit since the intensity of my workouts have increased from 5 days to 6 a week.
I genuinely do eat that amount as I prepare my food for work so it's consistent. I am a manual labourer i'm on my feet all day on a car manufacturing line. I'm 27.

I'll take a picture of every meal I have tomorrow and upload them here, you guys can decide if i'm hitting 4,000+ calories a day or not. My diet even when I was lighter was always more than most people I've just added a bigger amount of the meals I already eat.

 

[Vegeta]

I never thought it would make that much of a difference i'm not rushing about but i'm on my feet all day pretty much walking.

 

[Vegeta]

Rather than just say you should know can you explain why muesli, apple and milk are bad? Because if I googled all of them things I know for sure no one would be saying it's bad to have muesli, apple or milk.

What does your diet consist of? You're a big guy no doubt most of it just the way you're built but still.

 

[Vegeta]

If I need to eat more than what i'm eating now then i give up I can't. I feel full/bloated all day long and have done since December.

 

[Vegeta]

You don't need to eat more, you just need to improve the quality of your foods. Just eat good basic fresh foods, believe me if you ditch all of those junk ridden flapjacks etc and stick to fresh meats/eggs/vegetables/fruits etc you won't feel bloated or uncomfortable. The weight/muscle will gradually increase, stop trying to rush things.

I'd have to eat mammoth amounts of veg/fruit to get the calories I need more than i'm eating now.

 

[Vegeta]

I can see why Insulin is bad but surely it's beneficial to have insulin spikes when trying to bulk? I don't know the in's and out's of these things but why do guys who take steroids, human growth etc also take insulin?

 

[Vegeta]

Christ I don't even realise i'm doing it! It was 4 years ago though. Guess I haven't learnt much! Thing is advice is so contradicting and you learn new things every time. I wouldn't have even thought people look badly on brown pasta until this thread or apples and milk.

 

[Vegeta]

I thought i'd reply in this thread rather than start something again. I took all your advice seriously guys and have come up with this diet. It's a low calorie diet but I want to lose some weight for now as I've accumalated some fat maybe the calorie intake is too low but i'll follow the diet strictly for a month or so to see the results. I am planning on mixing up these meals but just following this simple diet will be a lot more helathy than what I have been eating anyways.

Are there any big problems you guys can see with this diet? I am a bit concerned how some meals are high in fats, some in protein and some in carbs its hard to maintain a 40/20/40 split equally in each meal will that make any difference?

 

[Vegeta]

My goals are ultimately the same as the OP but having had such a dodgy uneducated diet I put on a bit of fat therefore i'm aiming for a calorie deficit just to lose that again. The figure 2275 is just totally random i've got no idea how my body will react with those calories but i'll chop and change if i'm losing weight too quickly or slowly. I'll add some more veg and try and think of more meals I can alternate with the current ones thanks.

 

[Vegeta]

Did you do all your calculations of BMR etc? Will you be in a calorie deficit or surplus with 2275?

In all honesty I don't know for sure what my calorie requirements are. I'm just going on the basis of knowing what junk I've ate in the past and what calories are in that. I think it's going to take some time to learn about my body and change my diet accordingly. I'm fairly certain my body will burn more than 2,500 calories a day purely based on the type of job I have and the amount I eat I feel this diet is lower than my usual calorie intake but I can't say by how much.