Is there a Peaty explanation for why I can't gain muscle and strength?

[DrivesOldTruck]

I know this isn't a bodybuilding forum, but there are a lot of fit folks here with far better RP knowledge than me that might be able to help. I was inspired to post this after reading an insane body transformation post by a forum user.

I'm a late 20's male, a bit over 6ft tall, around 185lbs who has been lifting for 9 years. My best deadlift is 315lbs for 1 rep in 2018. My best bench press is 160lbs for 2 reps in 2017. Best squat is 235 lbs for 5 reps in 2021. Best overhead press is 105lbs for 5 reps in 2020. I'm really embarrassed by my performance.

I've spent thousands of hours over the past decade consuming fitness and nutrition content via YouTube, various blogs in the internet, and numerous books. Yet during this period, I've made no progress in the gym. I can't get strong. I don't gain any muscle. It's like my body just won't adapt to any stimulus I give it.

I've run several "bulks" in the past where I'll gain significant weight (I've done +20lbs in 2 months on several occasions) but I don't gain any muscle or strength; my lifts stall at these pathetically low levels and all the bodyweight gain goes to my love handles. I've spent most of these years tracking everything religiously in a spreadsheet - workouts (Starting Strength, 5/3/1, nSuns, Super Squats, U/L, PPL, and more), food intake (I own 3 food scales), etc.

Yet I've trained with so many guys over the years that don't track at all, just show up at the gym, progressively overload the barbell compound lifts, eat McDonalds, and show very visible muscle gains within 3-6 months. Hell, I know an average height/weight girl that deadlifts more than me after only 3 years of training.

I've always wanted to look like I lift, so my failure in this regard really messes with my psyche. I have no health conditions that I am aware of and wonder if there isn't something Peaty-related I could be missing. Any help/advice appreciated.

 

[looking2grow96]

Highly recommend a DUTCH test, but tbqh I know a few guys who found out they had low T but had better lifts than you. Are you sure you're eating enough? What's your current routine?

 

[UphillEndeavors]

Sounds like you are overanalyzing things. Tons of volume, tons of protein, tons of sleep. Tried and true.

 

[Demyze]

Pm me your spreadsheets and info

 

[DrivesOldTruck]

Highly recommend a DUTCH test, but tbqh I know a few guys who found out they had low T but had better lifts than you. Are you sure you're eating enough? What's your current routine?

The DUTCH test looks very fascinating, as soon as circumstances allow I'll order it and report results here.

Through various forums on the web, I've read anecdotal stories of guys with low T still able to put up strong numbers. I read through one thread on Reddit where a kid was struggling to gain muscle like me and asked if he may have low T. A girl responded and said her lifts were better than his, and being a girl she's going to have low T by male standards, so the T isn't the problem.

I ran Super Squats last year for the prescribed 6 weeks. Hardest I've ever trained in my life. I gained literally 20lbs (182 - 202lbs) in those 6 weeks, so I know I'm eating enough.

I'm currently cutting down to ~175lbs, so I'm running a 6-day PPL.

 

[ReSTART]

Bloodwork, test, vit d and sleep?

 

[DrivesOldTruck]

Sounds like you are overanalyzing things. Tons of volume, tons of protein, tons of sleep. Tried and true.

Trust me, I spent my first two years of training just keeping it simple like this. It doesn't work (for me).

 

[Demyze]

Fuckarounditis - Leangains

Your results make zero since, you're just not progressive loading. I really doubt you've been consistently tracking your workouts and sticking to an actual strength program. Either that or you have a severe health issue and you should go get blood work ASAP. As you've noted a teenage girl would get better results than you have

 

[DrivesOldTruck]

Bloodwork, test, vit d and sleep?

My doctor won't test my Testosterone levels because I have regular morning/waking erections which indicates healthy T levels to him. Maybe I need to go find some company that does blood tests and get it tested myself.

Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy: 60 ng/mL (tested last September). I take 5000iu of Vit D every morning, and get regular sun exposure every day.

When I was lifting in college, my sleep was incredible. Very deep, always felt rested upon waking. Strength gains were abysmal, my best squat while in college was 190lbs for 3 sets of 5 reps. So I can't say sleep is the issue, though my sleep these days kind of sucks.

 

[DrivesOldTruck]

Fuckarounditis - Leangains

Your results make zero since, you're just not progressive loading. I really doubt you've been consistently tracking your workouts and sticking to an actual strength program. Either that or you have a severe health issue and you should go get blood work ASAP. As you've noted a teenage girl would get better results than you have

I am well acquainted with Martin's work, I discovered him back in 2015. I have read that blog post many times over the years, along with every other blog post he's ever posted. I've read his book as well.

I am here precisely because my results don't make sense. Progressive overloading is the hallmark of all of the programs I noted in the OP, but at some point, you add 5 more pounds to your bench press and you fail the set and get stuck under the bar. You try the same weight again next week; fail the set and get stuck under the bar again. The following week, take 10% of the weight off the bar, and work back up to that weight in the subsequent weeks. Finally get back up to that target weight, fail the set and get stuck under the bar. Except at this point a few weeks has gone by since the first failed set, my body weight is up 10lbs because everyone says "eat more", my love handles are hanging out over the sides of my pants, and I still haven't gained any strength. Cycle repeats over, and over, and over...

What are the markers I need to get checked if I get a blood work done? The standard labs I have done every year as part of my annual physical always come back perfect (according to my doctor), but they're missing key items I'd like to see such as Testosterone levels.

 

[Tomaz26]

Bodybuilfing is all about steroids.. I gained strength like crazy, but not much muscle mass. They are not so correlated as most would have you believe. If anything look st olympic weightlifters.. A tiny guy comes on stage and lifts 120kg..
Nattyornot.com has a few great books on that topic. I can do weighted pullups with 30kg added, dips with 30kg added, yet I have 63 at 178 cm and look tiny, typicall ectomorph.. I have tiny girl like wrists and knees so hard to put much muscle mass on that. Its all connected. And how much weight you lift has a lot to do with efficiency, muscle activation, efficient movement etc.
Or one thing that does somehow work are typical BB cycles. Eat to gain 30kg, of which most will be fat, but some muscle too. Then lift heavy and cut. Again bulk, cut. Hopefully each time you keep some more muscle during cut. But it messes your hormones..

 

[Demyze]

You don't need to eat that much more food, these guys haven't looked at the actual mathematics involved. That's why all these people on reddit end up fat.

I kind of prefer this program for beginners- Two Easy Ways to Make Your Novice Strength Training Program More Effective • Stronger by Science

I think the RPT program actually is better for more experienced lifters who are cutting.

Anyway if you want to post your current lifts I can set you something up and you can check back in.

I really doubt your testosterone levels are that low, girls can squat more and they have low testosterone.
--
What are your resting temperature and pulse rate? What does your diet generally look like?

 

[Tomaz26]

Yeah, GOMAD guys (gallon of milk a day), but that actually would get RP approval ?. Starting strength is good. Just main lifts, enough caloric surplus, 500kcal a day. 200 surplus is clean bulk, but really hard to get right. 500 is more anabolic. Go from 10% body fat to 20%, then your testosterone plateous and you get negative effect from too much fat, so start cutting. And go back down to 12 % and hopefully you are left with more muscle, in reality you will most likely just end where you started haha. Being to lean is also bad. You look unhealthy and if visible abs you look underweight in clothes. I look great naked as I have very tiny bones, great V tapper, very slim waist (29 jeans), but in clothes most people just want to buy me a sandwich...?
Also do not underestimate hormonal fluctuations when bulking and cutting. Affects libido, energy etc. And in the long run I doubt it is healthy to jojo up and down.. Just accept your genetics and lift for fun and health. I like ligting heavy, doing dips, squats, pullups, but not Berkhan weights which can f..your joints in the long run.

 

[Demyze]

Bodybuilfing is all about steroids.. I gained strength like crazy, but not much muscle mass. They are not so correlated as most would have you believe. If anything look st olympic weightlifters.. A tiny guy comes on stage and lifts 120kg..
Nattyornot.com has a few great books on that topic. I can do weighted pullups with 30kg added, dips with 30kg added, yet I have 63 at 178 cm and look tiny, typicall ectomorph.. I have tiny girl like wrists and knees so hard to put much muscle mass on that. Its all connected. And how much weight you lift has a lot to do with efficiency, muscle activation, efficient movement etc.
Or one thing that does somehow work are typical BB cycles. Eat to gain 30kg, of which most will be fat, but some muscle too. Then lift heavy and cut. Again bulk, cut. Hopefully each time you keep some more muscle during cut. But it messes your hormones..

That's bull. I did pretty standard strength training and some high volume, intelligent accessories and had a very musclular physique and I'm not delusional because I got plenty of comments on my physique. It really isn't that hard, people just don't want to admit they didn't know what they were doing and didn't get results

 

[AgingHippie]

What do you eat in an average day?

How many calories.

What are your macros?

Fats, carbohydrates, protein?

 

[looking2grow96]

That's bull. I did pretty standard strength training and some high volume, intelligent accessories and had a very musclular physique and I'm not delusional because I got plenty of comments on my physique. It really isn't that hard, people just don't want to admit they didn't know what they were doing and didn't get results

Agreed. Getting muscular isn't very difficult in my experience,it just takes time and is pretty annoying.

 

[DrivesOldTruck]

You don't need to eat that much more food, these guys haven't looked at the actual mathematics involved. That's why all these people on reddit end up fat.

I kind of prefer this program for beginners- Two Easy Ways to Make Your Novice Strength Training Program More Effective • Stronger by Science

I think the RPT program actually is better for more experienced lifters who are cutting.

Anyway if you want to post your current lifts I can set you something up and you can check back in.

I really doubt your testosterone levels are that low, girls can squat more and they have low testosterone.
--
What are your resting temperature and pulse rate? What does your diet generally look like?

Right now I'm at: DL - 250lbs, S - 195lbs, BP - 135lbs, OHP - 95lbs. All for 3x5.

I used a thermometer under the tongue for a resting temp of 97.5 degrees F. Resting pulse rate on the wrist is 62 bpm.

You can imagine I've experimented with many diets over the years. Currently I'm eating to lean out and eat 4 scheduled meals:
-Pre-workout: 2% fat cottage cheese, with a small glass of orange juice or a couple table spoons of honey.
-Breakfast/post-workout: 6 eggs scrambled in ghee, two small potatoes air fried in coconut oil, and a glass of 2% milk or orange juice
-Lunch: 0.5 to 1lbs of 93/7 ground beef with some salsa mixed in, and fruit (usually blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, pineapple, or orange juice)
-Dinner: 0.5 to 1lbs of lean chicken breast, broccoli sautéed in coconut oil, potatoes air fried in coconut oil, and a whole raw carrot

I'll throw in two cans of oysters during the week as well. When I am trying to gain or just maintain, I'll also consume popcorn (cooked in coconut oil), dark chocolate, Haagen-Dazs ice-cream, whole milk, and some quality cheeses.

I try to buy as much organic/grass-fed/pasture-raised, etc. as I can find at my local Whole Foods.

 

[thisoldtown1978]

This is an interesting dilemma, OP. I don't want to just repeat what's been said here, and I'll assume you're correct about having tried enough protein etc. But I've felt in a similar situation for a long time. I can't say confidently I've tried absolutely everything but I've had a very very hard time putting on muscle mass over the years. It's taken me a tremendous amount of effort to put on only a small amount of muscle underneath my skinny fat. I also tested very high for cortisol at one point years ago, which makes me wonder whether any of my gains get wasted the second I stop hitting it so hard. not digesting protein properly? The thing is, I don't want to live a life of constantly overeating to make arms a tiny bit bigger. Anyway, I'm rambling. Just wanted to say that you're not alone in your situation!

 

[looking2grow96]

This is an interesting dilemma, OP. I don't want to just repeat what's been said here, and I'll assume you're correct about having tried enough protein etc. But I've felt in a similar situation for a long time. I can't say confidently I've tried absolutely everything but I've had a very very hard time putting on muscle mass over the years. It's taken me a tremendous amount of effort to put on only a small amount of muscle underneath my skinny fat. I also tested very high for cortisol at one point years ago, which makes me wonder whether any of my gains get wasted the second I stop hitting it so hard. not digesting protein properly? The thing is, I don't want to live a life of constantly overeating to make arms a tiny bit bigger. Anyway, I'm rambling. Just wanted to say that you're not alone in your situation!

I hadnt considered this. I guess it is possible that you and OP arent underdosed in your endogenous steroids, but maybe you are very high in catabolic hormones @DrivesOldTruck . Maybe time for a saliva cortisol test or whatever is the best way to measure cortisol.

 

[youngsinatra]

I finally gained size when I ate a LOT more calories, while minimizing fat gains by eating very clean, low fat, moderate protein and high carbohydrate diet.