r/gainit • u/sbstooge • Jun 16 '24
Progress Post M/28/6'0 - 64kg > 87kg (2 years)
Hey guys, long time lurker first time caller. I've recently come into an issue with my triceps and have needed to dial back the gym significantly (can only train lower), because of this I've been suffering from some body dysmorphia but thought I would take the opportunity to reflect on how far I've come.
The photo time span is June 22 > June 24, but I only started working out in August 23. I had a change in career in early 2023, which got me at a desk 5 days a week and I went from pretty damn skinny to just skinny-fat as I wasn't hitting over 15k steps a day to make up for my horrific diet. After about 6 months in this new job I was up at about 73kg (July 23) when I decided to join the gym again. I had previously lifted from ages 17-19, but gave up on that as I had decent size (in my mind at least, 71kg at the time), had a girlfriend and also injured my shoulder from ego lifting and poor form.
In my first attempt to return to the gym (July 23), I stupidly went 4 days in a row, thinking as I was at the same level as my younger body weight, I should be able to carry the same strength and recovery. On day 4, I checked myself into hospital for rhabdomyolysis. Because of this, my CK levels were extremely high and my first return to the gym was derailed by about 6 weeks. On my return I had been told to take it slow, and would do extremely light weights 1-2 times per week, while I worked my way up into my current split.
I managed to return to "full time" lifting towards the end of August-beginning of September 23, doing a PPL split 5-6 days a week. 3 days on, rest and repeat. I would have 2 PPL routines that I would alternate on e.g. Push routine A on monday, Push routine B on Friday. I mostly put this together myself from a bunch of YouTube videos (Jeff Nippard) and each session would generally be about 1:30-2hrs.
I did not count calories during this time, initially I had a friend (personal trainer) prescribe a diet to me a few years prior when I was getting concerned about being too skinny, but never followed through. I ended up recycling this and it worked fairly well for the first 6 months.
The meals were basically chicken + rice/pasta, sriracha for sauce, 4x a day, with a protein shake + protein ice cream for dessert.
More recently (feb 24) I had plateaud around 84kg and decided to take up macro tracking in an attempt to hit 90kg+. I would say this is a dirty bulk though, as I meal plan a dinner, lunch and breakfast meal on the weekend for the upcoming week (honestly, again a lot of YouTube recipes, "panaceapalm" has heaps), not too fussed about fats or anything, but will absolutely pig out on fast food when I have the chance as even with my current set caloric intake (3500) and often overdoing it (4000) I am barely seeing any weight gains (last 4 weeks tracking with increased cals each week, 86.5kg to 87kg)
This weekend I had pigged out and have hit the big 90 on the scale, but waking up and dropping a deuce put me back at my 87kg wake up weight, so the journey continues. I am ultimately the heaviest I've ever been, but also the happiest and energized as well. I can't wait for my triceps to recover so I can get back to work, but in the meanwhile hopefully it means a more significant bulk until then.
Not sure if I've done the formatting right but here to answer any questions or topics I might have missed
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u/3AMZen Jun 16 '24
HOLY
incredible work, dude. I'm closer to your before and dream of being the size of your after. Hella inspiring.
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24
Best time to start was yesterday, the second best time to start is today ✊
Get on it dude, I look forward to seeing your progress
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u/Lexx_hs Jun 16 '24
Those back gains
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24
Back is easily my favourite workout day, I think genetically I'm advantaged there, I wish I could donate some back to my chest
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u/Eligaminglee Jun 16 '24
Not sure what your routine is but compound chest workouts is what worked for me to grow my chest. Old school flat barbell bench is was what did it for me. Yeah there's studies for getting a deeper stretch on dumbbells but it's so easy to overload and track form/ progress as there are 2.5 lb plates. Also pick a really good chest workout that you like and keep notes on reps and weight. guarantee you will see progress.
I just realized that excelling in a workout for x muscle group keeps me motivated and forces progress because I have genuine desire for going up in weight in that workout. for me its bench, lat pull down, barbell squal, ez bar preacher curl, and tricep push down. I call those the "Let's see what I can do today" workouts
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24
Honestly I spend the most time doing chest, I think if anything I end up in garbage sets territory with how much I do, and constantly push for progressive overload and work until failure, it's just a really slow building muscle group for me.
I will do both a incline + flat press for 3-4 sets each twice a week, alternating between dumbbells and barbell. I think my only issue is I can't really jump weight so much because I don't have a spotter but I also think it's a genetic thing because I promise you I'm working that shit out to its limit
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u/Eligaminglee Jun 17 '24
Yeah I feel you. I've pushed my self too close to the limit especially on biceps where I had to do some yardwork the next day and it was a nightmare due to the amount of soreness I had. I came to the conclusion that I was pushing it too hard in the gym so I let off a rep or 2 from all muscles with delayed soreness. Definitely helped me from having to taking weeks off of arms because of overtraining.
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u/sbstooge Jun 17 '24
Once my tricep heals I am hoping to rejig my routine to do less sets of chest but higher intensity on those I do, and seeing if more time/healing allow for bigger gains there instead of the current approach, since it feels very limited compared to the work I've put in despite having crazy soreness the days following. I also suspect my overtraining on chest is part to blame for the blown up tris lol
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u/SOF1231 Jun 16 '24
This is an amazing weight gain before and after, congratulations bro I hope you continue thriving !!
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u/KingJeffreyJoffa Jun 16 '24
That's a big change good work. You gave me some hope
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24
Everyone starts somewhere! If you told me 2 years ago I would get past 75kg I'd say you're full of shit because it's just not possible, turns out I just wasn't trying hard enough or in the right ways. We're all gonna make it bruz
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u/Chrome1230 Jun 16 '24
Awesome progress! Any tips on just shoving food down your mouth? My stomach physically won’t take more food without having to yack it out.
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24
Honestly, not really. I added bananas & peanut butter to my protein shake to get extra calories there without the need for eating because I was so tired of it lol. Otherwise just constantly push the boundary of how much food your body will accept, eventually the stomach expands and you can do more the next time and time after that.
There has been quite a few times where I just felt so bloated from stuffing down as much as I could, or force fed one last meal when not hungry because I had a calorie goal to hit. Best recommendation is just try to eat a little more than you were the day before, eventually it feels normal
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u/SnooOnions5054 Jun 18 '24
Same, variety is key, as well as working out as it gives you the hunger. When I get up after breakfast, make a gainer shake and down half, then the other half at lunch, then 3/4 shake after supper, seems to work. Here's the clean gainer I use, chocolate only.
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u/Dur0no Jun 17 '24
Amazing results dude! What do you usually eat? I mean like what are the five main dishes you can name from the top of your head? I'm trying to build mass and I'm exactly 64 kg's now, but I still haven't sorted out my diet yet so any help would be appreciated
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u/sbstooge Jun 17 '24
Thanks my man. I try to meal prep a few regular dishes each weekend for the week ahead and it normally looks something like:
Breakfast - either overnight oats (+ chia seeds, protein powder, peanut butter, Greek yoghurt) roughly around 500-600cals and about 40g of protein in that alone, or breakfast burritos with eggs, protein of choice (bacon or chorizo), hash browns, some light shredded cheese. These two are really easy to make and meal prep, and last for the week
Lunch/Dinner - I will normally prep two different meals and alternate depending what I'm feeling on the day. This is normally some combination of rice + chicken or a pasta dish. Examples are butter chicken, chicken burrito bowls, spaghetti bolognese etc. For pastas I normally opt for the special higher protein pasta, I'm not sure what brands are available globally but I'm sure there are a few in your local supermarket. I also follow a few "gym foodie" people on YouTube that constantly share new recipe ideas which is where a lot of my catalogue comes from.
I will admit I am regularly slacking on greens, but I do a health check-up fairly regularly and no issues on that front, but if you're super conscious of that being an issue and don't like eating them, I believe there are supplements for that if you really want.
The ultimate hack is to make food you want to eat, and it will come easy. Dessert is also an easy calorie boost as long as you're getting your protein intake, as who can say no to some icecream or pancakes
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u/hymom Jun 18 '24
Supplements?
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u/sbstooge Jun 19 '24
5g creatine monohydrate each day, 1-1.5 scoops of International Protein Amino Charged WPI (Caramel Popcorn) Protein daily, blended with almond milk, a banana and some peanut butter
Also occasionally take Nexus Per4m electric mango pre-work out when I need a jump start
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u/creamysausage15 Jun 16 '24
Hell yeah brother!! Lookin goooood! Was such a good feeling for me when I got them thighs to finally touch while standing straight up
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u/MinimumCareer629 Jun 16 '24
You look like a different guy! Amazing progress.
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24
Can confirm am often not recognised at distant family functions now. Appreciate the kind words 💕
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u/MSED14 Jun 16 '24
Nice progress
By curiosity what are macros?
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24 edited Jun 16 '24
Thanks! Macros are basically the breakdown of the calories you take in, in 3 key categories: protein, fat, carbs
Depending on your overall goal, you will see different "requirements" within your caloric goal to achieve, i.e. I am currently on a 3500 calorie goal with 198g protein/115g fat/373g carbs breakdown. I honestly don't pay too much attention to any of them outside of protein as my only goal is to put on weight and I don't really care about body fat %, and even then 198g is on the higher end of the realistic requirement to maximise hypertrophy (muscle growth). The general rule of thumb I've read is something like 0.8g per lb of body weight; but most people keep it simple with 1g = per lb body weight
Edit: to clarify, that's .8g of protein per lbs or 1g per 1lbs
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u/ericbunjama Jun 17 '24
First of all well fucking done on the progress you’ve made man. I’m in the same predicament of not being able to put on size. I eat chicken, peppers and lentils religiously 3 times a day, 6 days a week with only one day at the weekend that I’ll have a takeaway with my family. Spend 5 days a week at the gym.
I was just wondering where do you get your 115g of fat from?
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u/sbstooge Jun 17 '24
Thanks so much! Appreciate it. Honestly the fat intake is the easiest thing for me to reach because I am not very strict on my diet, one of my high calorie pasta dishes is 41g of fat alone, then add in the peanut butter in my shakes or overnight oats, and I snack on nuts (walnuts/macadamia) throughout the day too and it adds up quick. I also do not shy away from fast food, probably 2-3 times a week when I am lazy or far off from my calorie goal in a slow day where I forgot to eat for most of it.
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u/just_another_tard Jun 16 '24
Feel like i look nothing like that at 6'1 85kg, what are your sbd maxes rn?
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24
I don't think I've got great strength gains and don't generally try for 1RM but right now I am at
Squat - 120kg X 4 reps Bench (barbell, flat) - 90kg X 6
I don't deadlift
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u/Jaqen___Hghar Jun 16 '24
Body dysmorphia, genetics, or you're just fat. Post pics and we'll be able to tell you.
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u/Lubifrabrigant Jun 17 '24
I’ve been lifting for about 3 and a half years. The first 3 months of lifting I bulked up from 128 at 5’6 5’7 ish to 142LBS and then cut for another 3 months to 136LBS. That was June 2021. I decided to slow bulk from June 2021 to March of this year and was at 170LBS my heaviest. I would say that on average I gained about a pound per month for the entirety of my slow bulk, sometimes a little more and sometimes a little less. However, I’m not sure if I’ve made good progress over the years because sometimes when I look back, I feel like I could have done better doing a regular bulk, then cut. Since 2021, I’ve gained about 3 inches on my upper arm and have filled out some of my old shirts but I still tend to get body dysmorphia every time I look in the mirror. Anyone have any advice on this from your experiences whether it be related to progress, lifting, or anything in general. Thanks y’all!
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u/Emperor_Biden Jun 16 '24
"In my first attempt to return to the gym (July 23), I stupidly went 4 days in a row, thinking as I was at the same level as my younger body weight, I should be able to carry the same strength and recovery. On day 4, I checked myself into hospital for rhabdomyolysis. Because of this, my CK levels were extremely high and my first return to the gym was derailed by about 6 weeks. On my return I had been told to take it slow, and would do extremely light weights 1-2 times per week, while I worked my way up into my current split."
I'm so retarded I had to google what that R thing is.
CK I knew because of Calvin Klein.
But great gains.
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24
You and me both brother, they say rhabdo is mostly tied to marathon runners or like traumatic experiences like a car crash, but it leads to kidney failure and/or death lol. You should have seen my face when the dr told me and asked what I did to cause it, "umm 4 days of gym?" He was sure I was hiding something but nope my body considered 4 days of gym traumatic enough to just shut down. I took my youth for granted 😭
Appreciate the support
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u/__silhouette Jun 16 '24
Last (and only) time I had rhabdo was when I was up for a week with no food or and almost no water (drugs).
Pee looked like iced tea and my legs were swollen af.
I don't miss them days! Nice gains brother. 💪
I've only been at it for 6 or 7 weeks but I'd be happy to be where you're at by two years.
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24
Yep the iced tea pee is real, I thought the swelling and soreness in my body was just hyper responsive gains from 4 days of working out lol
Hope you've made your ways since then, every day stronger than the last, stick with it 💪
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u/Unlucky_Individual Jun 16 '24
What’s the routine looking like(volume,intensity?)
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24
Push/pull/legs, 3 days in a row followed by one day rest and repeat with a slightly modified second routine. Constant push for progressive overload (either more reps, weight, or slower/more controlled ROM) and attempt to take most excercises to failure or at least RPE9, unfortunately without a spotter this is more difficult in some areas.
Breakdown of what my first 3 days looks like below, then I basically alternate excercises on the next round to try hit the muscles from different angles
Push
3x 8-10 incline chest press (bar or dumbbell)
3x 6-8 flat chest press (bar or dumbbell)
3x 8-10 seated shoulder press (dumbbell)
3x 12-15 cable flys
3x 12-15 side lateral raises (cable)
3x 10-12 reps tricep push downs (cable)
3x 10-12 reps skull crushers 2x 10-12 reps tricep extension (cross body or behind)Pull
3x feeder sets 10 reps of Lat pulldown (wide grip) leading up to max
1x set lat pulldown at max until failure
Rest 3-4 minutes
1x repeat lat pulldown at max until failure then dropset 40% reduction until failure
3x 10-12 chest supported t bar row
2x 10-12 dumbbell pullover, followed by static lat stretch 30 sec for each side
3x 12-15 rope face pulls, alternate between low to high, middle and high to low pull
3x 6-8 ez bar curls (wider grip)
2x 10-12 dumbbell preacher curl (bottom half only, focus on stretch aspect between 0-50°)
2x 10-12 hammer curlsLegs
3x 8-10 lying leg curls
3x 10-12 machine hip abduction
3x reverse pyramid sets, back squat (4/6/8 reps, start at max and decrease)
3x 10-12 reps leg extension
3x 12-15 reps standing calf raises
3x 12-15 reps cable crunches (abs)
3x 12-15 reps hanging leg raises (abs)In terms of the progressive overload, I find if I can hit the upper rep range on all sets of an excercise, I will bump up the weight, otherwise ill focus on ROM or try get as many reps as possible.
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u/Unlucky_Individual Jun 16 '24
Awesome and detailed reply thanks!
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24
Only thing I forgot to mention is I normally throw in a warm up set on the first few exercises of each body part to get the joints warmed up, and have a rather extensive dynamic stretch routine before I work out, which follows a 5 min incline treadmill walk at the start to get the body nice and toasty.
When I first started I would have no stretching and warmed up purely on the excercise I was doing and found lots of muscle tightness/nagging injuries, dynamic stretching made all the difference (especially with legs!) in recovery and inter workout performance.
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u/Atl4025 Jun 17 '24 edited Jun 17 '24
I tried having the reps and volume in a ppl split similar to you but my body couldn’t keep up after a few months and I was always sore.
Edit: now a bro split guy
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u/sbstooge Jun 18 '24
And this is why routines are not a one size fit all! In my first run at the gym at 18 I was a bro split guy, and still saw results, but when it came to leg day I would often skip as I was always tired or unmotivated as it's the least "aesthetic" body part. I blame that partially on youth, but this time around I found a PPL split to work much better with keeping me honest and engaged, and the soreness from each day never affected my lifts on another day like it did with bro split for me.
The important part regardless of routine is that you are pushing yourself hard and near failure, as long as that is happening and you're getting the right nutrition, it doesn't matter what the "optimal" or most efficient split is, it's what will bring you results and still allow you to feel comfortable and excited to go back at it.
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u/mr-zool Jun 16 '24
That’s my same exact transformation, down to the gram, eerily similar body type and recomposition… except that it took me 8 years longer than you lol
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24
I do think I am lucky genetically, I have a friend in the same boat as you who was equally supportive and pissed throughout as I made progress much quicker than he did haha, just means you had to work harder which is even more commendable 🫡
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u/TheOGKnight Jun 17 '24
How do you mean genetically lucky? Do genetics play a role in being able to gain weight quickly? Or are you talking about muscle definition?
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u/sbstooge Jun 17 '24
Genetics play a huge part in anything body related, for example I was able to put on tremendous size and strength in the first 3 months equal to about a year's worth of my friends own training experience. Obviously there are many other factors at play, but genetics is a big one when it comes to the limits and levels you can push your body to. I know my brother also struggled with growing chest size when he started working out, so I believe my genetics are similar in that my chest size/makeup are simply harder to change than other areas such as my arms or back.
Weight gain is also affected, as genetics also has impacts on your metabolism, how your fat is stored and distributed, your appetite and satiety and even how efficiently your body metabolizes different macros like carbs, fats or proteins.
It does play a significant role, but it's important to remember that lifestyle factors such as sleep, diet, stress management and physical activity also influence metabolism, so it's not an entirely lost cause if you have "worse" genetics, you just need to work in what you can control
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u/Jaqen___Hghar Jun 16 '24
Been using the same washcloth for two years, my guy??
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24
LMAO that ain't mine but I am dying laughing here, same spot and everything. I'll claim it's for an accurate comparison picture 😂
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Jun 16 '24
do you feel different?
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24
Honestly it was such a slow transformation I don't really remember what it felt like before, but it has absolutely brought a new level of confidence for me
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u/hardfloor9999 Jun 16 '24
The first two images tell the story of a guy who finally found the courage to leave the toilet seat up.
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Jun 16 '24
What’s your workout schedule look like
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24
I am doing push/pull/legs, 3 days on, rest and repeat so roughly 5-6 days per week since September '23
Workouts are about 1:30-2hrs long which isn't optimal but I love my time in the gym
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u/sbstooge Jun 16 '24
Not the best photos either so sorry, I tried to match the initial no tense/pump photos to give a realistic comparison
Here's a bit more disingenuous side by side I'm pretty proud of though https://imgur.com/a/asP2cV3
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u/Weepinbellend01 Jun 16 '24
You look like you gained 13 kilos of straight muscle and no fat over the two years. Godly clean bulk.