Lean mass not changed after a year of bodybuilding 5 days a week

[Kevin.archer]

Hi, I am new to the forum and had some questions about body fat and lean mass.
I was 49, 245/35% bf a year ago...have added good nutrition and supps and have been going to gym 5 days a week for a year.
I am now 50, 220/27% bf...looking and feeling better...no more high blood pressure meds, not diabetic and lowered cholesterol now, but am I missing something about lean body mass?

245/35% bf is 159 lbs lean body mass
220/27% bf is 160 lbs lean body mass

Roughly the same lean body mass even though I am much stronger and (feel) better proportioned. Am I missing something about lean body mass....different types etc?

Additional info: went to physical 1 month ago and found my T was 186. Am now taking 50mg T Gel every day, have been doing it for a month now..low T = no lean gains?

 

[Oregongearhead]

Hi @Kevin.archer Your height ?
27% bf is not lean , whens the last time you were under 12%bf ? Or even 15% ?
You"ll look and feel better if you slowly lose some more weight (BF). Its the only way to get the muscled look and your hormones and other functions will operate better . BP will lower too .

 

[Genghis K.]

Kevin, I don't know what your expectations were, but I think you have done well for a guy 49.

 

[D-max]

Too much fat is mostly diet. Do you keep track of what you eat with an app like my fitness pal? Eating what you think is good and the reality can be very different. I had the same issue when I wanted to start losing weight. What I thought was good was way off base.

I had been working hard for several months without much progress and was always sore for days. Got my T checked and it was 270. Started trt little over a month ago. Not long enough to make a big difference, but one thing for sure, when I bust my ass in the gym now, I'm not sore like I used to be. I'm ready to go again. Before I'd even skip days because it got so bad.

I think if you dial in your nutrition a bit more, get on trt, and browse around and find a dedicated program to follow at the gym you'll start to really see what you're looking for.

 

[Kevin.archer]

I am 5' 8", my question was about the fact that the non-fat part of my body is the same weight 1 year ago as it is now...roughly 160 lbs. I have done OK dropping fat and still have a ways to go but I guess I expected muscle weight gains over the year that I have worked out. Am I wrong to have these expectations?, thanks

 

[Kevin.archer]

D-Max,

I have been on TRT (t Gel 50mg once a day) for about three weeks now, could the low T (186) account for no muscle gains over the year?, and if so will this level of added T make any difference at the gym/muscle gains?

 

[D-max]

I am 5' 8", my question was about the fact that the non-fat part of my body is the same weight 1 year ago as it is now...roughly 160 lbs. I have done OK dropping fat and still have a ways to go but I guess I expected muscle weight gains over the year that I have worked out. Am I wrong to have these expectations?, thanks

I quit watching the scale and started to look in the mirror. I still have more fat than I should, but my weight moves around and I don't think the body fat part is accurate. I also quit trying to cut weight so fast, and focus on building muscle. I still eat in a small deficit, but feel the more muscle I have, the higher my metabolism will get and help me burn the rest off slowly.

D-Max,

I have been on TRT (t Gel 50mg once a day) for about three weeks now, could the low T (186) account for no muscle gains over the year?, and if so will this level of added T make any difference at the gym/muscle gains?

I think so. It sure seems to have in my case. Some people disagree, but I feel way more energetic and motivated. Especially the last couple weeks(I've only been on trt for about 6 weeks).

I'm no expert, this is what I've found for me anyway.

 

[Kgkle]

from what ive learned so far is. unless you are on gear you can really only do one of the 2 options cut or bulk. over time you will gain some mucle if you are a newbie and the cut isnt to much of a cut. but very little.

 

[technik]

I was thinking the same a Kgkle. I would have expected you to gain some LBM by now but if you maintained LBM through a year of cutting, that's still pretty good.

What does your diet and training look like? Also, what method are you using to check BF?

 

[savage lifter]

Get test levels checked. It is also very difficult to gain muscle while losing fat (unless on tren )

 

[Oregongearhead]

Come over to my foodie thread Kevin , and we will whip you into top shape .
I Promise
What R U Eating ? ~OGH wants to know.....

 

[Kevin.archer]

technik, kgkle,

thanks, I think this is what I needed to hear....bulk or cut makes sense to me. I was expecting to do both, that's why I was bummed that my non fat body weight has not changed. So I will just keep doing what I am doing and over the next year get my bf down, worry about bulking when I hit my bf goal, thanks again...going over to foodie thread now to fine tune.

 

[D-max]

If you don't keep an accurate count of your calories and macros(with a food scale), bulk or cut, you'll never get the results you're after.

Working out 5 days a week for a year and only losing 25lbs tells me your diet is the problem more than anything.

 

[technik]

If you don't keep an accurate count of your calories and macros(with a food scale), bulk or cut, you'll never get the results you're after.

Working out 5 days a week for a year and only losing 25lbs tells me your diet is the problem more than anything.

Agreed. I'd like to see calories, macro split, and hear how accurately food is measured. I think that weight should be flying off easily at such a high BF. The last time I cut it took about 6 months to lose a little over 20 pounds, going from ~25% BF to ~12%


Edit:

Not trying to sound like a douche, OP. You've been cutting for a over a year and that's commendable and requires dedication. I just think you could be progressing much faster than you have been

 

[Kevin.archer]

I have a scale but have only used it to measure supps. I do realize now that this needs to be my next plan of attack to accelerate bf loss. I do love food and am not as dedicated as I need to be. I have waffled between trying to bulk and trying to lose, but this has probably caused me to progress slower than needed as I thought I could bulk and cut at the same time. So my focus now is to cut to 15% bf for now, period. Having said this, and never having used a scale before for weighing food, are there some quick threads or pointers to get me going on this path?

 

[RandallNowan]

It's cutting for me, starting Tuesday. I fucking hate cutting.

 

[Docd187123]

You're in a calorie deficit to try and cut fat. Why would you expect a difference in muscle mass which requires a calorie surplus?

Also, what are you using to calculate your BF%? A handheld caliper, a scale, DEXA scan or bodpod?

 

[Kevin.archer]

Cause I am a dope...and need a proper edu-mo-cation.

The gym I go to has a handheld digital fatloss meter: Omron BF-306C not sure how accurate these are.

 

[D-max]

I have a scale but have only used it to measure supps. I do realize now that this needs to be my next plan of attack to accelerate bf loss. I do love food and am not as dedicated as I need to be. I have waffled between trying to bulk and trying to lose, but this has probably caused me to progress slower than needed as I thought I could bulk and cut at the same time. So my focus now is to cut to 15% bf for now, period. Having said this, and never having used a scale before for weighing food, are there some quick threads or pointers to get me going on this path?

First step: download my fitness pal. Almost every food you'll ever eat is already in their database and you can scan the upc code from the package.

Next, when you eat cottage cheese, zero out your scale and weigh the amount. Plug this into the my fitness pal app. Everything you put in you needs to be weighed. It'll calculate your macros, carbs, protein, and fats.

Grabbing a handful of nuts a couple times a day will shoot your fats way up, the same with berries and carbs.

For example: 1 cup of blueberries has 21g of carbs. You eat those and a couple slices of bread and your at close to 60g of carbs right there.[emoji4]

I was shocked when I started using it and found my "pretty clean" diet was horrible.

 

[technik]

Yeah, nuts are not joke. A small handful of almonds and you're close to 200 calories. Same with peanut butter. If I'm making a PB&J and not measuring, it's probably going to have close to 400 calories just from peanut butter.
My fitness pal makes life easy.

Also, if you're using one of those handheld BF things you have to be consistent. It might not be extremely accurate but I think they do a good job showing change over time.

I have a scale that has the handheld things as well as the foot pads and I use it once a week as soon as I wake up. So: same time, empty stomach, roughly the same hydration, etc... Hydration can cause a lot of variance. For what it's worth, it usually shows pretty close to my plastic BF caliper lol