What am I doing wrong? (warning: minor rant)

[testosteroni]

I must be doing something wrong. In the "Amazing Change" thread (in the Images forum) somebody said this guy could realistically go from being a morbidly obese slob to a ripped bodybuilder in six months. I've been working out since January, hitting my upper and lower body at least once a week, and I've gained a whopping ten pounds. I'm constantly hearing how progress is supposed to be slow, and how important it is to be patient, so I figured my progress was fine. What's going on?

Here's my routine. On my upper body days (once every three days) I benchpress and I go through most of the exercise machines, targeting my shoulders, pecs, arms, and back, hitting every muscle group at least twice. Three sets of 8-10 reps for everything. I exercise my abs on the captain's chair and do some crunches at home. On my lower body days, I do all the machines for my legs, and work out my lower back and obliques.

For my diet, I've been conscientiously drinking at least two glasses of whey protein, totalling 80 grams of protein, on top of having three square meals a day, and just to be sure I'm getting enough protein I make sure to drink milk at every meal. For a few months, I was drinking four or more glasses of whey every day--trying to hit at least 160 grams of protein from the whey alone (I weigh 150 lbs).

When I started, I had never exercised a day in my life, never played any sports not even for fun, and I suspect I'm just naturally weaker than the average guy. Even after working out conscientiously for six months, I'm still weaker and smaller than all my friends who never worked out a day in their lives. My doctor went as far as to tell me flat-out I had the muscular profile of a woman, and warned that my arms were so small it could predispose me to injury (I'm a pianist, and was dealing with chronic tendinitis). Could the reason why my progress has been so slow be because I started out much further behind naturally than the typical slob, so the past six months I've just been playing catch-up? Laying a foundation for further growth that for most guys is already there since birth?

Another thing I noticed, I'm still only benchpressing with just the pole--no weights attached--and yet I frequently see guys even smaller than me benchpressing with the biggest weights attached and doing it for more reps. Are my muscles just ridiculously inefficient? Maybe the extra pounds I have on them aren't muscle, but flab. I notice some weights being easier, but I'm still mostly lifting exactly the same amounts as I was in January--and not because I'm not straining myself, I often can't finish my last set.

Sorry, just needed to vent a bit. But I really do need to know what I'm doing wrong--there's something very basic that I'm just not getting about this whole bodybuilding thing. How the heck does everybody else know what to do? Bodybuilders must all be geniuses.

[Buffling]

Originally Posted by testosteroni

I've been working out since January, hitting my upper and lower body at least once a week, and I've gained a whopping ten pounds.

10 pounds since January is whopping. If it's lean muscle mass, it's fantastic and you should be exceptionally happy! Most natural BBers would be glad to put on that much lean mass in one year (or even two), so be proud. You should be making great gains if you're just getting started.

Originally Posted by testosteroni

Here's my routine. On my upper body days (once every three days) I benchpress and I go through most of the exercise machines, targeting my shoulders, pecs, arms, and back, hitting every muscle group at least twice. Three sets of 8-10 reps for everything. I exercise my abs on the captain's chair and do some crunches at home. On my lower body days, I do all the machines for my legs, and work out my lower back and obliques.

Looks like it's time for you to get some free weights into the mix. Machines will only take you so far because of the way isolate muscles through linear movement, and you probably need some variation at this point anyway. I heartily recommend free-weight squats, at the very least.

Your description of your routine is also too simple to comment on: do you lift to failure on those 8-10 reps? Are you working hard EVERY time or are you periodizing (cycling through different loading modes to keep your body from adapting)? Are you varying your exercises? Do you keep notes on every workout that you can look back on, and use to plan ahead? What are you coing for cardio?

Do you rest enough?

Originally Posted by testosteroni

For my diet, I've been conscientiously drinking at least two glasses of whey protein, totalling 80 grams of protein, on top of having three square meals a day, and just to be sure I'm getting enough protein I make sure to drink milk at every meal. For a few months, I was drinking four or more glasses of whey every day--trying to hit at least 160 grams of protein from the whey alone (I weigh 150 lbs).

Whey protein is a great SUPPLEMENT, but it's not really the best source of protein. That being said, I generally have two shakes a day as well. Four glasses of whey is far too much -- you should really be getting as much protein as possible from lean meats, eggs, legumes, seafood, and other sources. Just be careful of the fat that can come along with that protein. Also -- do you buy cheap whey protein? You really do get what you pay for.

How big are your meals, and what is your definition of "square"? If you currently eat five meals per day, try for six. Go no more than three hours without eating, but keep your meals small. Eat your larger meals earlier in the day. Build each meal around a lean protein, and don't ignore your veggies. I'm a big fan of wraps: they're easy to make, portable, and you can stuff a flax tortilla full of grilled chicken and veggies in no time!

80% of the puzzle is nutrition. Actually, no -- 80% is positive thinking, planning, and goal-setting. Of the remaining 20%, 80% is nutrition.

Originally Posted by testosteroni

My doctor went as far as to tell me flat-out I had the muscular profile of a woman, and warned that my arms were so small it could predispose me to injury (I'm a pianist, and was dealing with chronic tendinitis). Could the reason why my progress has been so slow be because I started out much further behind naturally than the typical slob, so the past six months I've just been playing catch-up? Laying a foundation for further growth that for most guys is already there since birth?

I think you just answered your own question. Remember that the big boys in the gym are almost always the ones who've been training for at least a decade. The young big boys are the ones who played football or other sports in school and who were training with weight at an early age. It takes far longer to put on muscle than you think, and we are all victims of a supplement industry that wants us to believe that we can do it overnight without the help of chemicals (or with specific chemicals supplied by Brand X). Unless you are a freak of nature (and I doubt you are), you ARE one of the "most guys" club. You're just starting late. No more excuses!

Don't let the things you can do stop you from trying the things you can't.

Originally Posted by testosteroni

Another thing I noticed, I'm still only benchpressing with just the pole--no weights attached--and yet I frequently see guys even smaller than me benchpressing with the biggest weights attached and doing it for more reps. Are my muscles just ridiculously inefficient? Maybe the extra pounds I have on them aren't muscle, but flab. I notice some weights being easier, but I'm still mostly lifting exactly the same amounts as I was in January--and not because I'm not straining myself, I often can't finish my last set.

First, never go to the gym to compare yourself to someone else. There will ALWAYS be someone who is bigger than you, stronger than you, and more fit than you. You set yourself up for failure if your attitude in the gym is to look at other guys and lament the fact that you can't do what they can. You're not there to impress them, and they certainly aren't there just to impress you. Focus on your own training.

The question you need to ask yourself is "did I work harder and do more TODAY than I did two days ago?" If you're lifting the same weight that you did in January, your training program simply isn't working for you. I'm no expert, but if you've never really exercised before and you're making no progress now, part of the issue may be that you're overtraining your nervous system.

Based on your rant, I think it would be really great if you could find a trainer at your gym who can work with you to change your program. Actually, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that I doubt you're really following ANY program right now. When you learned to play piano, you didn't get better just by sitting in front of the keyboard and hitting notes at random. You need structure; you need a plan; you need guidance that you can't get on a web forum.

Originally Posted by testosteroni

But I really do need to know what I'm doing wrong--there's something very basic that I'm just not getting about this whole bodybuilding thing. How the heck does everybody else know what to do? Bodybuilders must all be geniuses.

There are some basic questions that you haven't addressed. For example, what is your goal? Where are you now, and where do you want to be? In what timeframe? How will you work to achieve that goal? How do you measure success (hint: you can't measure it by how much you bench press)? Are you recording your work in detail? Do you review your progress on a weekly basis? It's all about PLANNING, setting GOALS, and then FOLLOWING THROUGH.

Here's a small change you can implement right now. From now on, EVERY time you leave the gym I want you to list three things that you did really well. And be honest with yourself. Stop sabotaging yourself by thinking about how little progress you're making. You need to focus more on what you CAN do; once you nail that, what you WILL do is limited only by your imagination, your ability to plan ahead, and your patience... with heavy emphasis on the patience.

I think you're an excellent candidate for Tom Venuto's book -- Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle -- at http://www.burnthefat.com/ It's worth every penny, it explains everything from ground zero, and it pulls no punches regarding the fact that getting fit is HARD WORK -- just like learning to be a professional musician.