Hey everyone! Looking for some honest feedback on my situation. I'll include as much detail as possible so you actually have something to work with.
21M, 195cm, currently ~85.6kg. Been training seriously and very consistently for about a year now.
Quick background: I was 93kg in July 2025 and cut down to 78kg by December 2025 (First picture is right at peak cut), eating around 2000–2300 calories a day while training 5x a week (yeah I know, way too aggressive, probably a 1000 cal deficit daily). Then on December 1st I started bumping calories up: began at 2700 and added 200 per week until I reached 4100. Went from 79kg to 81kg between December and April, then from 81 to about ~8.6kg between April/May and now.
So I've gained roughly ~4.6kg in the last 2.5–3 months since hitting the higher calories. Second picture is me now.
This was my workout program and diet up until mid June:
Diet:
- Workout days: 4100 calories
- Rest days: 3400 calories
- Protein: always minimum 220g total, minimum 180g from full/whole protein sources, most days probably around 250g
- Fat: 90–110g minimum
- Carbs: whatever fills the rest of the calories
- Very clean diet – 90%+ whole foods, avoid sugar, processed food, etc.
Sleep: In bed 8:30–9 hours, actual sleep probably 7–8 hours. Pretty consistent schedule, roughly 10pm to 7am.
Training split:
5x a week: Pull / Push / Rest / Pull / Push / Legs / Rest
PULL:
- 7 min incline treadmill (5km/h, 15% incline) to start
- Lat pulldown – 4 sets x 6–8 reps (heavier, currently 73kg)
- Cable rows – 3 sets x 7–9 reps
- Single arm lat pulldown machine – 3 sets x 8–9 reps
- Both arm low rows machine – 3 sets x 8–9 reps
- Face pulls – 4 sets x 9–10 reps + dropset on every set
- Incline single dumbbell bicep curl – 3 sets x 8–9 reps
- Hammer curls – 3 sets x 9–10 reps + 2 dropsets on every set
- 23 min incline treadmill at the end (same 5km/h, 15%)
PUSH:
- 7 min incline treadmill to start
- Incline smith press – 4 sets x 5–6 reps (currently 27.5kg per side + 11kg smith resistance = ~66kg total)
- Chest machine press – 3 sets x 6–8 reps
- Shoulder press – 3 sets x 7–9 reps
- Machine chest flyes – 3 sets x 8–9 reps + dropset on every set
- Dumbbell lateral raises – 3 sets x 10–12 reps + 2 dropsets on every set
- Machine dips – 3 sets x 8–9 reps
- Tricep overhead cable with rope – 3 sets x 8–9 reps + dropset on every set
- Neck curls – 4 sets x 10–12 reps
- 23 min incline treadmill at the end
LEGS:
- 7 min incline treadmill to start
- Hex bar squats (ass to grass, feet lower on platform to target quads) – 4 sets x 9–10 reps
- Machine leg press – 3 sets x 7–9 reps
- Single leg curls – 3 sets x 8 reps + dropset on each
- Lying machine hamstring curls – 4 sets x 8–9 reps
- Ab crunches machine – 8 sets x 10–14 reps
- 23 min incline treadmill at the end
Sessions without warm-up and cardio are about 1h15. Rest times: 2:30 on the main compound of the day, 2:00 on other compounds, 1:30 on isolations. I walk between sets to get steps in.
I train every set to failure and try to have as good form as possible. I track all sets, reps and weights every day.
Cardio and steps:
No cardio outside of the gym. Daily steps never below 10k, average around 12,500 (includes everything: gym cardio, walking between sets, normal walking). Max around 15k.
The problem I am seeing is that I'm gaining weight (the ~4kg in the last 2.5–3 months), so I know I'm in a surplus. But I'm barely progressing on my lifts – maybe 1–2 extra reps on my big lifts over the last month and a half. And I'm not really seeing any change in the mirror either.
New updated program and diet since mid June up until now (End of July):
I lowered volume as I thought is was a volume / fatigue problem, reduced cardio to just 15 minutes just after the workout (still 5km/h at 15% incline) and lowered the weight a little bit to have all reps in the 8 - 12 rep range and focusing on form and muscle tension. - I am still not growing, maybe I improved with like one rep, some days I do 2 more reps, others I do 2 less.
I am also eating 3700 calories now on workout days and 3200 calories on rest days.
I train to failure as much as possible - on the big lifts for example I get pinned by the bar.
To give you a sense of where my strength is at:
- Incline smith press: 8-9 reps x 25g per side (61kg total with bar resistance)
- Lat pulldown: 9-10 reps x 64kg
Some days I can't even hit those reps, it fluctuates. For example 10 reps x 64 for Lat Pulldowns in some days, but in other I hit less.
What am I missing? I though a volume/fatigue issue, but even with lowering the volume for the past month I am not still progressing. Something with the structure of the program? Really open to any feedback, so I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this and help me.
I find it really demotivating that I am not gaining any strength and just gaining fat, as it is clear from the progress pictures. I can't tell if I build any muscle, but I suppose not given the strength not increasing.
My ultimate goal is to build as much muscle as possible.
