what am i doing wrong?

[Mvthai]

Sup everyone... I’m new to this so please, any advice is much appreciated. before i go on, i have searched and read almost every thread out there about bulking and gaining weights, cleaned or not. As you guys might of guess reading this far, I’m not having much success with gaining weight for bulking.

I’m 38years old, 5'7", 160lbs, about 19% body fat and have been lifting weights on and off all my life to get in shape but never did i stay long on any program or on a diet. This time around, I’ve been on a strict diet and weight lifting program but I’m having a hard time gaining.

Here’s a brief list of what I’m doing.
6-7 meals a day at around 3000-3200 calories.
Meals consist of:
8am - morning - bagels with a 16oz of protein shake
10am - mid morning - 1 cup brown rice with small portion of broiled chicken
12pm - lunch - 2 cups brown rice with about 12oz of grilled chicken
3pm - midafternoon - brown rice with about 10 oz seafood mixes
5pm - pre-workout meal - brown rice with 8oz steak
8pm - post-workout meal - brown rice with 2 filet fish
Most of the time, i take a syntha6 protein shake around 9 or 10 before i settle in.

Supplements I’m taking

bcaa
syntha6 protein shake
on whey protein shake
glutamine
creatine
multi-vitamins

workout - typical bulking workout with mostly compound exercise
4 times a week with 3 sets each at 80-90%
Monday - chest
Tuesday - legs & abs
Wednesday - back, traps & shoulders
Thursday - break - no cardio
Friday - arms
Saturday & Sunday - break - no cardio

i have stuck to this routine for the past 3 months and have yet to gain one lb. of muscle, i do see that my muscles are a bit more defined or getting shaped.
before this, i have done a 6 week bb.com bulking program, with no success, stop for a week and here we are 3 months later, still at 160lbs.

[tjwood]

I'd say you need to give it more time.

Also, you are actually only working each muscle once per week. How long do you spend at the gym? How many sets do you do for each muscle?

For a beginner I'd have thought you should be exercising each muscle two or three times a week (at least 48 hours between repeating exercises for a particular muscle) doing only one or two different exercises per muscle, for two or three sets. If you can manage too many more sets per muscle then you're using too light a weight to have much of an effect.

(Disclaimer: I've only been training about 6 months, and it took about 3 months for me to really start seeing results, training a full body workout 3 times a week. Incidentally I have never taken any supplements at all).

http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Instructions.html

[Deviation]

Your weight may not change, but your fat should be. I take it you're using this one: http://www.jefit.com/routines/workou...se.php?id=2909 (like a lot of people incl. me).

Only thing I can offer (aside from time) is to add some veggies & fruit in that diet. Nothing but carbs and protein from what I see. Colorful veggies (like broccoli, peppers, cabbage, etc) and fruits (heck pick one!).

[dTor]

I agree with Dev. Add fruits and veggies.

Other than that, I'm in the same boat with you man. I've been working out steadily for over a year now. I am stronger, a little bulkier, and leaner, but I am the EXACT same weight now that I was when I started working out - 177 lbs, 6' tall. I've come to the realization that my body was simply not built to be bulky, but I keep working out anyway since it makes me look and feel great.

[Mvthai]

Thanks for the replies guys.
Just to clear some stuff up.. I am seeing results. Just like dTor saids, my muscles are getting more solid and defined. The problem is, I'm trying to bulk up, not cut at this moment. I have a fairly bulky frame so, I don't think that's the problems. Sorry I wasn't clear on my meals but I am eating veggies just with all my lunch and dinner.

[Mvthai]

Thanks for the replies guys.
Just to clear some stuff up.. I am seeing results. Just like dTor saids, my muscles are getting more solid and defined. The problem is, I'm trying to bulk up, not cut at this moment. So, I'm trying to pack on weight. I have a fairly bulky frame so, I don't think that's the problems. Sorry I wasn't clear on my meals but I am eating veggies just with all my lunch and dinner. I do not eat veggies with the in between meals.
As for my workout, I usually spend an hour or less at my home gym. I used to do cardio 2 times a week but now drop all cardio just to see if it helps me pack on the weight.
Maybe Deviation is right, I might be packing on muscle mass but loosing fat that offsets it.

[tjwood]

I'm not an expert but from what I've read (quite a lot!) I understand gaining muscle is as much about diet as it is about exercise. If you're not gaining weight then you're not eating enough (or not eating right, but your diet sounds quite balanced). If you go the other way and eat too much you'll gain fat as well as muscle, but you'll still gain weight...the key is to get the balance right so you gain muscle without gaining (much) fat.

[Mvthai]

I'm not an expert but from what I've read (quite a lot!) I understand gaining muscle is as much about diet as it is about exercise. If you're not gaining weight then you're not eating enough (or not eating right, but your diet sounds quite balanced). If you go the other way and eat too much you'll gain fat as well as muscle, but you'll still gain weight...the key is to get the balance right so you gain muscle without gaining (much) fat.

well, my objective right now really is to gain weight, for bulking. I did some calculations on my body size and weight online and found that with my life style, work and workouts would burn up around 3200 calories a day. If that's true, my daily intake of 3000-3200 calories a day isn't going to work. But I really don't know if the online calculation is correct, because I have been working and living this life style for over 10 years and have never eat this much food in a day in my life and I am still the same weight.. something just doesn't add up. This is not normal, because I am stuffing myself like a pig and still no gaining weight.

[mrwright]

well, my objective right now really is to gain weight, for bulking. I did some calculations on my body size and weight online and found that with my life style, work and workouts would burn up around 3200 calories a day. If that's true, my daily intake of 3000-3200 calories a day isn't going to work. But I really don't know if the online calculation is correct, because I have been working and living this life style for over 10 years and have never eat this much food in a day in my life and I am still the same weight.. something just doesn't add up. This is not normal, because I am stuffing myself like a pig and still no gaining weight.

I have a similar problem, Need about 3500 calories, but then after exercise etc its closer to about 5000, An even with a weight gainer supplement i struggle to get close to that

But if you really need extra calories etc try a weight gainer, can get anywhere up to an extra 2500 calories a day from 2 drinks if not more which will certainly help!

[Deviation]

Can you share your routine and give us a link to look it over? Not that I'm an expert, but perhaps someone here can give you some insight.