Weight gain plateau

Mikey851

Active member
I have done two cycles; The One and Pmag. On both of them I had good strength and weight gains. The only problem is that most people say that these compounds "kick in" around week 2 or 3 for weight gain. I have not experienced this. I gained weight very quickly in the first 2 weeks but then the weight gain plateaued however strength gains then went through the roof. I am mostly concerned with strength gains at this point because I know size follows strength with the proper diet. My question is; does anyone have an idea what I might be doing wrong to have weight gain plateau at the point where most say they start gaining?

I know the obvious reason would be that I'm not upping my calories to match my weight gain but I am doing that and I know I'm in a calorie surplus because I start gaining fat if I'm not careful.
 
Your body has become accumstomed to whatever it is your doing. Switch up your workout routine and maybe your diet. How are you excercising/eating and what is your height, weigth, bf%? Also, how long have you been working out continuously, no breaks?

-Young
 
Mikey851 said:
I have done two cycles; The One and Pmag. On both of them I had good strength and weight gains. The only problem is that most people say that these compounds "kick in" around week 2 or 3 for weight gain. I have not experienced this. I gained weight very quickly in the first 2 weeks but then the weight gain plateaued however strength gains then went through the roof. I am mostly concerned with strength gains at this point because I know size follows strength with the proper diet. My question is; does anyone have an idea what I might be doing wrong to have weight gain plateau at the point where most say they start gaining?

I know the obvious reason would be that I'm not upping my calories to match my weight gain but I am doing that and I know I'm in a calorie surplus because I start gaining fat if I'm not careful.
Click to expand...

this is how my cycles work... i think i figured it out this time. I frontloaded carbs at the beginning of the cycle, then pumped my protein through the roof and went moderate carbs. Then when i hit my weight gain plateau i'll keep pushing the carbs up. Right now i've gained 10 lbs from the protein high section. I haven't stopped gaining and i'm heading into week 3. Once i do the extra carbs should help
 
depends on your goals. you cant gain weight without gaining weight...meaning you WILL gain fat and lean if you're in caloric surplus. if you want to bulk, eat over maintenance. you will gain fat but that is what cuts are for.
 
Thanks for the responses.

I am 6' 4" 190 lbs and about 12% bf. The workout routine i've been doing is a 5x5 routine on compound lifts and then a push pull split with sets of 8-12. I have been working out continuously for about 1 year with a 2 month interuption midway through the year when I moved from Alabama to Texas. My diet is not as clean as it should be but I eat alot of oatmeal, eggs, turkey sandwiches, chicken and rice. I do not constantly log my caloric intake but will log it for a few days here and there to make sure I'm hitting my target. I have been supplementing with about 100 grams of protein a day.

Also just to make a note of it, I was diagnosed with hypogonadism when I was 17 and was put on TRT. As a senior in high school I weighed about 185 at 6% bodyfat so I was in much better shape.

I think I may just need to dial in my diet a little better. I may not be eating enough or lacking protein.

Edit: Before this year I did not workout for about 2 years. Also, my goal is 200 lbs. at ~8-10% bf; I would like to get to that point and try to maintain it.
 
Thats a good routine for you and the extra sets probably help. Of course, if you've been doing that for 6 months straight then you should switch it up. Personally, I like to switch between compound and isolation routines. I do like to take a break approx. every 6 months or so but you might not need that. Sometimes working out less helps if you’re stuck - each muscle once a week is fine
Turkey and chicken are good but you don't need to worry about being entirely clean at this point. Eat beef and don't be afraid of calories. Just keep the salt and sat. fat down, I know that can be hard sometimes. And if you meant you take 100g of protein by drinking protein shakes then you need to eat more to get that protein naturally. I will use a shake after a workout for quick absorption but generally I try to get it all through meals. If you are eating 6 substantial meals per day it shouldn't be hard to get 1 and a half grams of protein per lb of bodyweight at least. Btw I think you should be getting at least 4000 cals/day to maintain.
I'm not familiar with hypogonadism but you should make sure your test. levels are average enough to be gaining a normal amount of muscle.
Everyone is different so you have to know your body. I think you do need to dial in your diet and change up your routine - frequency, intensity, or maybe isolate more. That is ultimately for you to decide because you know your body best.
Hope this helped

-Young
 
younganabolic said:
Thats a good routine for you and the extra sets probably help. Of course, if you've been doing that for 6 months straight then you should switch it up. Personally, I like to switch between compound and isolation routines. I do like to take a break approx. every 6 months or so but you might not need that. Sometimes working out less helps if you’re stuck - each muscle once a week is fine
Turkey and chicken are good but you don't need to worry about being entirely clean at this point. Eat beef and don't be afraid of calories. Just keep the salt and sat. fat down, I know that can be hard sometimes. And if you meant you take 100g of protein by drinking protein shakes then you need to eat more to get that protein naturally. I will use a shake after a workout for quick absorption but generally I try to get it all through meals. If you are eating 6 substantial meals per day it shouldn't be hard to get 1 and a half grams of protein per lb of bodyweight at least. Btw I think you should be getting at least 4000 cals/day to maintain.
I'm not familiar with hypogonadism but you should make sure your test. levels are average enough to be gaining a normal amount of muscle.
Everyone is different so you have to know your body. I think you do need to dial in your diet and change up your routine - frequency, intensity, or maybe isolate more. That is ultimately for you to decide because you know your body best.
Hope this helped

-Young
Click to expand...

I am taking in 100 grams of protein with shakes and the rest through food. I'm pretty sure you're right that it's my diet and I'm just undereating. Sometimes I'm hungry all day and it's easy to take in all of the food and others I feel like I can't eat another bite. I think really need to come up with a solid plan.

I will try changing up my routine a little to see if that helps. I'm still gaining strength but I may need to do something different. Hypogonadism usually means you will have to be on TRT indefinately but the last few times I've gotten my levels checked they were in mid range.

Thanks for the help.
 
No problem. I think you will find getting up past 200 will be fairly easy and come quickly. Track your calories at first to help you get in the habit of eating more. Your appetite will grow naturally as your metabolism speeds up. You might even find your bf% will lower. For me, 1g of protein/lb of body is maintainance and 1&1/2 - 2g of protein/lb of body is building.
I pmed you some sample meal plans.

-Young
 
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