163lbs to 211lbs (74kg to 96kg) 6'3" (190cm) 2.5 year progress 6'3" (190cm) 20 yr old Male (x-posted from /r/gainit)

163lbs to 211lbs (74kg to 96kg) 6'3" (190cm) 2.5 year progress 6'3" (190cm) 20 yr old Male (x-posted from /r/gainit)First off, I "primarily" posted this to /r/gainit which is a subreddit specifically for people looking to gain weight and put on more muscle. So this post is aimed at people who struggle with gaining weight. if you are overweight or someone who can easily put on weight because you have a huge appetite please do not follow the advice in this post. Posting my 2.5 year progress from rail-thin 17 year old that thought he was huge to slightly bigger 20 year old plagued by body dysmorphia! Start: 163lbs/75kg 6'2/187cm Finish: 211lbs/96kg 6'3/190cm I put on 46lbs/21kg and grew an inch/3cm. A lot of this weight will food in my stomach from pretty much always being full, water weight from drinking more and working out, glycogen storage, and most importantly fat, so this was by no means 21kg of LEAN MUSCLE MASS. The inch I "grew" all happened in the first 4 weeks of doing deadlifts and shrugs because of how much my posture improved, I don't think I actually grew at all. I've been gyming for about 5 years now, so the before pictures below are about half way through my gym "career" and as you can see, the first 2.5 years did absolutely fuck all because I wasn't eating anywhere near enough (1800calories or so) and I wasn't training consistently enough. I made more progress in 1 month of eating lifting and sleeping properly than I did in 2.5 years of not taking it seriously enough Shit tonne of pictures because everyone likes pictures, so will start off with these, I've tried putting them in groups so it isn't just a big random album. Side-by-side Comparisons Current pics with bad lighting Random vascularity pics Random pictures from random times, mostly over the last 4 months I tried to make the lighting similar/worse in the side-by-side comparisons so as not to give any illusions, both times and the "current" pictures were without a pump, the best/random pics are mainly taking advantage of pumps/lighting. Yeah I know I have backne, it was there in the before shots too, just a puberty thing that's left me with post inflammatory hyperpigmentation that refuses to go away. Second last pic on the "randoms" is to show just how bad it actually is, in case anyone is into that kinda shit. Last pic on the "randoms" is showing stretch marks. Routine was a PPL split for the entire time, 25 sets on each day, 10 reps in every set for each exercise, I did not incorporate any rest days into my routine, I have probably taken around 35 rest days in the last two and a half years, so definitely not a routine thing, just whenever I have other stuff to do like exams, or if I'm really tired. I wouldn't recommend not taking rest days unless you're in a position where you can sleep 10+ hours a night like I was/am in (student fun times!) If you want exact exercises let me know or google "6 day PPL" and there ya go! Lifts I don't know what my lifts were before because I can't remember that far back, so I only know current ones. Deadlift: 440lbs/200kg (favourite exercise by far) Squat: 265lbs/120kg (least favourite exercise by far, skipped way too many leg days, no regrets) Bench: 265lbs/120kg Diet My goal calorie intake is 5500 a day. This seems like a lot but I'm 6'3 210lbs, I go to the gym for 90mins a day, and do a lot of cycling each day so it isn't more than 500 over my TDEE. I'm not going to post a list of the shit I eat because nobody reads that, if you are actually interested in that then let me know in the comments and I'll do my best. I aim for 120g protein a day (SHOCK! HORROR!) and don't count my carbs or fats. I have a very very small appetite that has not increased at all since I started bulking so I have a very high fat diet because it means I have to eat less! I eat a lot of fried eggs, a lot of home fried fries/chips, a lot of bread, chicken thighs, I stick mayo on every food that won't taste horrible with it. Supplements None. No, seriously, nothing. No creatine, no BCAA's, no whey, nothing. I'm lactose intolerant which rules out most whey, and by the time I found out about non-milk protein powders I'd already got my diet sorted and had no need to SUPPLEMENT my diet with more protein. I "dabbled" in creatine for about two weeks but I couldn't get into the habit of taking it every day and got irrationally pissed off at myself on days I forgot, so I figured it wasn't worth the guilt when I forgot. Backstory I've been gyming for 5 or so years, I put on about 500g of muscle in the first two year and a half. I wasn't eating anywhere near enough, I wasn't training anywhere near as hard enough, I wasn't training anywhere near consistently enough, and I wasn't sleeping enough. The summer before uni I got a little more serious, I started PPL and started tracking my calories and aiming for 3500, saw some progress. At uni (September 2014) I went crazy with the gyming and eating, swapped out my gaming obsession for gym obsession and never looked back. I'm now the biggest I've ever been but probably also the least happy I've ever been with my body. Hundreds of hours in the gym, researching gym stuff and following bodybuilding has given me a completely fucked perspective on what is "big" on average and what isn't. I know according to BMI I'm a fair bit (15 or so lbs) into the "overweight" category so there's no way I am skinny anymore, but I don't see it in pictures or in the mirror. I "know" i am bigger but I don't feel like I am. Woo body dysmorphia woo! I told myself I'll be happy at 85kg, then I got there and said 90kg, then I got there and said 95kg! Now I've been 95kg+ quite consistently for a few months and I'm shooting for 100kg even though I know I won't be happy if I get to 100kg either. Main thing I've learned from all of this is that very few people get serious about gyming and then actually get to a stage where they're genuinely happy with their body. I'd say I'm much more confident now than I was before going to the gym, but I was definitely "happier" body-wise before than I am now. I'm not sure if this is because I was deluded then or because I'm deluded now, or both but.. feelsbadman. Tips/things I learned You gotta eat a lot, gym a lot, gym hard and sleep a lot over a long period of time, it's as simple as that. What you eat, your macros, how much protein you're having, what exercises you do in the gym, what routine you do, what time you go, whether you do cardio or not, whether you do high bar or low bar squat, whether you do sumo or conventional deadlift etc etc etc are all things that contribute about 1% to the total of getting bigger, so it's not worth wasting time and effort on small things like this. Eat a lot. Gym a lot and gym hard. Sleep a lot. Do this consistently for a few months and you will see a difference. KISS - Keep it simple stupid. Most people overcomplicate gaining, and then get scared, overwhelmed and put off. It really is as simple as the 4 things I said above + time. Suboptimal diet (while over TDEE), routine and sleeping, while being consistent with it is infinitely better than having the perfect diet and routine, and sleeping loads, but only keeping it up for 2 weeks before giving up. Adding to ^ find what works for you, eat what you like as long as you're eating enough, do what routine you enjoy, the consistency is the most important thing, you're more likely to stay consistent if you find it enjoyable Don't be scared and shun fat from your diet Don't overestimate how much protein you need Don't be scared of getting fat, you can burn it off later when you've put on the muscle. I got fat as fuck at one point, but I got bigger too and had no regrets, it was much better than the lifetime of being rail thin I had up to that point. Getting fat and putting on muscle is better than staying skinny as fuck Take supplements if you can afford them and if they don't distract you from the important things Shit is hard, my appetite has not increased at all, I've just got better at stuffing my face and not being a little bitch about it. Don't expect your appetite to increase, just learn how to be consistent with it and eat even though you're not hungry. Start now, don't put it off, you'll regret not starting now Don't worry about how many calories you've had each day, worry about how many calories you've had in a 3 day window. You can eat less one day and more the next day and it ends up the same as eating the right amount both days. Some days you're more hungry than others, on the days where you're hungry, go crazy, eat more, eat way more than your goal, so then the next day if you're less hungry, you won't feel guilty for not eating enough. Take before pictures! EVEN BETTER... Take a before video. Prop your phone up somewhere so it's facing you, start recording, do a truck load of poses, everything you can imagine. Then play the video slowly and take screenshots of the different poses, much easier than self timing pictures. Any questions please ask, I'm very happy to help. submitted by /u/ThrowLMD [link] [comments]

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