So I want to hear from people who aren't naturally able to make quick gains and get into great shape easily.

I have been working out for 5 years with couple month breaks every 12 months or so. I have a slow metabolism and have been a tad chubby since age 10. I'm 25 now. I eat decent, high protien, low carb but tend to over eat due to my love for tasty foods few times a week (pizza, wings).

My workout consists of
-1 hour wieghtlifting
-30 min cardio (treadmill, stair master)
-2-3 times a week

I do whole body workouts not isolation because right now I'm trying to trim down not bulk up. Normally do muscle specific gym sessions but not currently. Other important facts
-I am not active
-Office job
-6'1" 207lbs
-Drive everywhere (where I live it's impossible not to)
-Multi-vitamins, fish oil, protien shakes

My actually question is, are people limited by there body types to become jacked or shredded? I lift as much wieght as guys double my size. Seems like my strength has increased but not muscle mass. I have googled the ends of the world trying to find ways to pass this limitation and everything says "hard work". I have put in hard work and I make little or no progress.

Anyone on here have a similiar problem? I'm looking for tips that are not commonly found via google.

BTW-I'm not chubby, just unable to show real definition. Seem to have a layer of fat cover everthing!! Tried straight weight loss and burned muscle, tried bulking up and pushed fat out making me look bigger. It seems I am stuck at a common wieght of 205lbs when bulking and 190lbs when stripping.

Thank guys

PS-I assume if I were to devote 2 hours per day to cardio I would lose all my muscle and become a skinny fat guy.

Post your workout and average daily nutrition. And yes everyone has a metabolism that plays a role in how easily you can gain or lose weight but nobody has a metabolism where it is impossible to do one or the other. I also recommend you switch to a training split, isolating particular bodyparts on particular days.

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Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever

Hey mate i will keep this quick ....Basically im a PT so i now what im talking about well to a certain degree lol....


Basically to gain muscle mass weight has very little to do with it !!!!
OK what you need to be doing is fatiguing the muscle with built upon sets until failure....
So , i dont know what you lift so just tweak this to suit....

First you want to be working grouped sets , so push, pull & kick

Push muscles - Chest , Shoulders, and triceps

First bench press Say your maximum is 40kg ( adjust to suit ) 20kg each side

I want you to start on 25-27kg and life at a quick but not trowing pace and do 12 reps ....NOW VERY IMPORTANT .... You need a very small rest period to gain maximum burn so the muscle cant recharge so 30seconds MAX rest i would prefer you only have 15secs tho....

Now take it up to 30-32kg - 10 reps
15secs rest
35 - 37kg 8 reps
15secs rest

NO REST drop the weight back to 30kg and keep doing these until you cant lift it anymore.....

These are the types of sets you want to be doing, its all about fatiguing OK....

3 exercises per body part

Chest -

Bench press
Incline dumbell press
flys

You get me... I'm sure you can work out the exercises

Work push muscles on Monday say
Tuesday - Kick ( legs)& abs
Wednesday off or HITT
Thursday - Pull , Back and biceps

REMEMBER TO ADD WEIGHT AS LITTLE REST AS POSSIBLE AND ALWAYS ALWAYS GO TO FAILURE...

Note mate this work out if for mass building only ok ....Make sure you have plenty protein ofr your size , water , and creatine if you want extra mass.


Free free to ask any questions pal

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Stylelife Academy Intern

First off, there are many things you can do to speed up your metabolism. Most of them are diet related.

Second, you are not cut/jacked because like you said, your diet is inconsistent and you're not very active.

Overeating is a huge problem. Control your portions or else you'll never get shredded. Working out 2-3 times a week probably isn't gonna cut it either. Read other threads to get more detailed tips.

Ps. If you just follow that PTs advice, you're going to drive yourself crazy. I don't think your biggest problem is in your exercise routine. It's a result of your general lifestyle habits.

Good luck bud

Thanks for the responses guys!

I agree that full body workouts are shit. I isolate regularly I just stopped this last couple months for some reason. Guess I got lazy.

My work makes it really difficult to live a physical lifestyles because I'm mentally drained after work and have to fight to even make it to the gym. I think I need to join a sports team or some shit.

So how do u guys recommend portion control besides just mentally. Maybe I can pre make meals an stick them in the fridge? Seems like it should do the trick.
What else besides meal frequency and working out?

BTW - right now I am focusing on trimming down for summer time not bulking up

@ PUA Vision I will take your advice on my next bulking period, thanks.

Measure your meals out and pre make them, store them in tupperware and eat them at regular intervals throughout the day.

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Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever