For individuals diligently hitting the gym yet struggling to witness tangible progress, the frustration can be disheartening. One gym-goer, who has maintained a consistent workout routine for two years, expressed his concerns: “I’ve been going to the gym regularly for about two years, but sadly still look like someone who has never touched a dumbbell in his life.” He initially focused predominantly on bicep exercises, later incorporating triceps and eventually a extensive upper body regimen.

Initially, he admits to not meticulously tracking calorie or protein intake, adopting a more intuitive approach to eating. Despite this, he gained approximately 8 kg within the first year, though he remains uncertain whether the gains where primarily muscle mass. More recently,he has been diligently counting calories and monitoring his protein consumption. He also supplements his diet with creatine, Omega 3, a multivitamin, and vitamin D. His training remains centered on the upper body, with a particular emphasis on increasing arm size. He currently omits leg exercises,reasoning,”If there are no visible progress on the poor,I don’t see any sense in starting with my legs.”

Current Training Regimen

His current workout split is structured as follows:

• biceps/back day (twice per week):
  • Rowing 3 sets, 3 sentences Latzug
  • 2 sets of hammer curls, 3 sets of Preacher Curls
  • 1 set of normal curls, 1-2 sets forearms
• Triceps/chest/shoulder day (twice per week):
  • 3 sets of butterfly, 3 sentences bench press
  • 3 sets of front shoulder, 3 sets of medium shoulder
  • 4 sets of triceps overhead cables, 2 sets triceps pushdowns

He aims for muscle failure in each exercise, except for the initial warm-up set. His weekly schedule typically includes biceps/back workouts on Mondays and Fridays, triceps/chest workouts on Wednesdays and Sundays, with rest days in between.

“I slowly lose motivation because after two years in the gym I still look like a beginner.”

Seeking Expert Advice

His primary question is: “What can I optimize about my training or nutrition so that I can finally make visible progress? I slowly lose motivation because after two years in the gym I still look like a beginner.”

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