I was consistent in eating around 2500kcal daily and gymming 3x a week ("fuck around and do what I like" split), then started eating 3000kcal, bumping to 3500kcal for a month, but this was too difficult for me financially and time-wise. It was a challenge learning how to eat. I grew up being a picky eater and mainly getting my calories off of sugar and bread and butter.

I can't thank cows enough for getting me through my calorie goals. Milk 5x day, basically instead of water. A lot of Skyr (high protein) yoghurts. Some nuts (but rarely, cuz they're expensive). Peanut butter shakes (100g PB, 30g protein powder, some cocoa, 250ml milk), 3 eggs every breakfast. Before I could only eat 80g of rice (less than one bag) for dinner. Now I usually cook two bags and leave a tiny bit on the plate. It's a crazy difference now that I think about it.

I know my abdominal area is lacking. I hoped to develop it passively with deadlifts and it worked only a little bit.

Sorry for the greasy hair on the pics lol.

I started working out 2 years ago because I was getting too weak for my liking (my trigger was that I couldnt do a pullup anymore which is something I was able to do all my life because I was always very light). The first year I didn't adjust my diet at all except for adding protein shakes and creatine. I stayed mostly consistent until I took a break for about 2 months because of sickness, military and holidays at the end of 2023. As a new years resolution 2024 I decided that I would track my calories and while I didn't stick with it I did it for about 2 weeks which gave me a rough idea about how much calories I was consuming. After that I just started eating more, aiming for roughly 3000 calories. I still eat whatever floats my boat so I can't list a diet plan but I try to eat protein rich food like chicken, eggs, cheese more often. The main thing I changed is eating breakfast everyday (either a banana shake with a weight gainer powder, yogurt with oats or soaked oats) aswell as increasing portion size so I eat more than my body tells me to eat. Needless to say in 2024 I gained about 10kg while in 2023 I was mostly stagnant. My workout routine started off with mostly calisthenics with a focus on pullups because I set a muscle up as my goal (I am still not there yet because I don't have a suitable bar to practice the technique because the ones I have access to are too low for my height) After a couple of months I also started going to the gym and since then I am doing a push/pull/legs split so I go to the gym 3 times a week. The exercises aren't anything special I just try to train safe and do proper ROM. Pictures taken on March 2023, August 2023, May 2024, December 2024

What's holding you back from making the biggest gains? What could you be doing better? Where could you be trying harder? What new habits could you enact to make things easier for you? Be honest with yourself, what would make a difference?

Started at 54kgs at 6 feet, which is underweight. Started watching routines, opted for the push pull legs routine, but diet wasn't optimal, sleep too (academic course being to taxing). Added eggs 3 to 4 per day. But protein is useless without adequate surplus of calories. Optimised it by adding shakes to the plan. Calorie dense and quick consumption.

Current diet : Breakfast, lunch and dinner until I can't anymore. 2 to 3 eggs in the morning. 2 eggs at night. Milkshake in the evening.

Current workout routine :

Chest Arms Rest Back Shoulders and abs Rest Arms and legs. Rest.

Added rest days cuz it works for me and can use the time for other things. Still have a looking way to go.

Support and critique is appreciated.

Ask food related questions here. Discuss recipes. Share eating hacks. DON'T DRINK OLIVE OIL!!!

Welcome to the basic questions and discussions thread! This is a place to ask any questions that you may have -- moronic or otherwise and talk about how your going. Please keep these questions and discussions reasonably on-topic: things noted in the 'what not to post' section of the sidebar will be removed, and the moderation team may issue temporary user bans.Anyone may post a question, and the community as a whole is invited and encouraged to provide an answer. If your question is more specific to you, we recommend providing details. The more we know about your situation, the better answer we will be able to provide. Sometimes questions get submitted late enough in the day that they don't get much traction, so if your question didn't get answered in a previous thread, feel free to post it again.As always, please check the FAQ before posting. The FAQ is considered a comprehensive guide on how to gain lean mass and has more than enough information to get any beginner started today. Ask away!

Progress is around 2.5 years.

I was extremely underweight for my height and weight. I was sick and in and out of the hospital. About 2.5 years ago, I started going to the gym, and I really locked in about 2 years ago. I aim for 3,000 calories a day, and my meals consist of eggs, rice, chicken, steak, etc., and I drink about 3 liters of water a day.

I run 5km every 3 days and hit the gym 5 days a week, with a dedicated leg, chest, arms and back day. The gains have been very slow but I’m happy with my progressions. Let me know if there is anything else I can do or if you need any help:)

Goals: I would like to reach 75kg and overall put on more mass. I struggle with eating soo much food and Honestly I also struggle with meal preparation somtimes so would love to get on top of that!

Went through the classic break up and decided to start taking the gym seriously, about 7 months ago and started eating more food, most days aimed for 3000 calories but did find it hard to be consistent as was constantly worried about being "fat"

Had 2 months where I was very constant and saw the best gains, was hesitant to post as some people have a crazy transformation in the same amount of time compared to me where there is not a huge difference for 7kg gained. But I feel like I am starting to look bigger.

Goal is to keep gaining untill 95kg.

Not sure if I need to try and eat even more to see more results as gains have been slow ?

Have a question that is training or programming related? Ask it here! Want someone to help you revising or customising a program? Ask here! Want to show off a program you designed? Why are you designing your own programs? Read the bloody FAQ!.

Welcome to the basic questions and discussions thread! This is a place to ask any questions that you may have -- moronic or otherwise and talk about how your going. Please keep these questions and discussions reasonably on-topic: things noted in the 'what not to post' section of the sidebar will be removed, and the moderation team may issue temporary user bans.Anyone may post a question, and the community as a whole is invited and encouraged to provide an answer. If your question is more specific to you, we recommend providing details. The more we know about your situation, the better answer we will be able to provide. Sometimes questions get submitted late enough in the day that they don't get much traction, so if your question didn't get answered in a previous thread, feel free to post it again.As always, please check the FAQ before posting. The FAQ is considered a comprehensive guide on how to gain lean mass and has more than enough information to get any beginner started today. Ask away!

Started at 45kg and now at 54kg

Diet: I try to eat around 2.400 calories a day but I find eating still slightly hard, my body needs to adapt. I also try to stay consistent to 80g of protein everyday and at least 2L of water. Training: I train 2-4 times a week, 2h sessions and I mainly focus on overload and going till failure. Sometimes I train only once a week because of school but in general I manage to keep schedule. It’s not a huge transformation but I am happy with the results 😛

What have been your victories this week? Have you made good progress? Set a new lift PR? Enacted a new habit that is helping you greatly? Post it here!

Welcome to the basic questions and discussions thread! This is a place to ask any questions that you may have -- moronic or otherwise and talk about how your going. Please keep these questions and discussions reasonably on-topic: things noted in the 'what not to post' section of the sidebar will be removed, and the moderation team may issue temporary user bans.Anyone may post a question, and the community as a whole is invited and encouraged to provide an answer. If your question is more specific to you, we recommend providing details. The more we know about your situation, the better answer we will be able to provide. Sometimes questions get submitted late enough in the day that they don't get much traction, so if your question didn't get answered in a previous thread, feel free to post it again.As always, please check the FAQ before posting. The FAQ is considered a comprehensive guide on how to gain lean mass and has more than enough information to get any beginner started today. Ask away!

It’s now been just about 6 months since i last posted here on r/gainit so i figured it was time for a bulk update. I didn’t gain quite as much as i had hoped for (145lbs) but i’m sure i’ll reach it soon enough. It’s also now officially been 1 year since i started working out. Im pretty happy with my progress so far, especially my chest as it’s finally starting to get a little definition:)

When i first started working out i was doing a 4 split consisting of a chest & tricep day, a back and bicep day, a leg day and a shoulder and arms day. After getting comfortable going to the gym, i decided to switch over to a 6 day PPL split which i ran up until recently. Now i’ve hopped on the Upper/Lower hype, and i’m now doing a 5 day split (U/L/R - Repeat) so far i’m really enjoying it.

My diet mainly consists of beef, chicken, fatty fish, skyr, cottage cheese, eggs, potatoes, nuts, vegetables, etc.

I’ve gradually had to increase my calories from 2800 to 3200 to keep gaining weight.

Only cardio i do is 10k steps per day

If you have any other questions feel free to comment or message me privately:)

Struggled with eating my whole life basically, I’ve tried bulking before most notably right when covid hit. I managed to reach around 150lbs (68kg), but my training was limited to body weight excersises seeing as all gyms were closed at the time. After that I fell into a depression and lost all the weight again my first pic was pretty much the worst I was at in recent years. I don’t know what drove me specially to get serious about gymming to be honest, but I started going to a gym in early 2023 and decided to start bulking pretty aggressively, I still struggle to this day to get all my food down, but the progress I’ve made so far motivates my daily.

Diet: dirty bulk I’ll eat whatever cheap nonsense I can get my hands on but I try and keep my macros in check using my fitness pal, I average about 3200 calories a day, protein at 180g min, 400g of carbs and 110 grams of fat.

Workout is PPL 6 days a week with added rest days as needed if I feel particularly exhausted I do chest and Tris first day Back and biceps second day Legs and shoulders third day 2 exercises per muscle group, 3 sets of 8-12 reps Repeat twice a week I’ve done quite a few variations of this split but this is what’s worked best so far, and I do basically any exercise I feel like for the given muscle group

28 years old, weigh 195lbs now. First pic Jan 2022, 170lbs.

History/goals: Trained like a powerlifter for the longest time and just wanted to get strong but stay lean. Then a few months ago I hurt my shoulder and couldn’t bench anymore, so I decided I just wanted to get absolutely massive (and stay lean if possible of course).

Training: Still squatting big, currently doing the Russian Squat Program and it’s going fantastic. Trying to learn how to train upper body like a bodybuilder since this is new to me (watching a lot of Jeff Nippard he’s my fav). Still figuring out a split but putting extra emphasis on side delts and biceps since I feel they’ve been neglected. Almost never train abs. Sometimes do cardio (rower) but I’m fairly active and it’s ski season so it’s really hard to fit that in right now.

Diet: relatively clean but a little inconsistent. I try to mostly align with whole30 (mostly meat and veggies) but I also allow myself the carbs (bread/pasta). Rarely drink alcohol. Coffee before workouts. Casein shake before bed.

This is really my first ever round of progress pics (intentionally at least), would love some suggestions on what I may need to work on the most. Thanks!

Welcome to the basic questions and discussions thread! This is a place to ask any questions that you may have -- moronic or otherwise and talk about how your going. Please keep these questions and discussions reasonably on-topic: things noted in the 'what not to post' section of the sidebar will be removed, and the moderation team may issue temporary user bans.Anyone may post a question, and the community as a whole is invited and encouraged to provide an answer. If your question is more specific to you, we recommend providing details. The more we know about your situation, the better answer we will be able to provide. Sometimes questions get submitted late enough in the day that they don't get much traction, so if your question didn't get answered in a previous thread, feel free to post it again.As always, please check the FAQ before posting. The FAQ is considered a comprehensive guide on how to gain lean mass and has more than enough information to get any beginner started today. Ask away!

I thought putting on 20lbs would result in more visible changes, but I feel generally okay with where I am since I feel stronger, healthier, and more knowledgeable. I struggled a bit with eating enough at different seasons in the year because of various life factors. For example, I was sick for maybe a total of 6 weeks during the year, and struggled with digestion issues at many different points due to some medication I took. Despite this I'm proud of myself for being consistent in the gym in the past year. For this next year I hope to get better with my diet. My next goal is to put on 10lbs in the next 6 months.

Diet: Calories averaging around 2800 calories. At least 160g protein per day (60 calories from protein powder). Currently taking creatine as well.

The most consistent I got was 3000 calories every day for three months, and it’s obviously when I had the most results. I then maintained for about 3 months after since I was regularly performing in shows on stage.

Exercise: I dance about 4-8 hours per week, and average 7000 steps per day (I work a desk job so any more is hard). I go to the gym 2-4 days a week, depending on what my work and dance schedule allows and I’m following a Push/Pull/Legs program.

M18, 5’8. Current weight trend 173.8 pounds. 1 year transformation from the 29th of december 2023 (~154lbs) to the 16th of december 2024 (175.3 lbs morning weight). I have been working out consistently for about 2 years, very seriously in the past 6 months with diet tracking and doing everything in my power to grow. Have been following 2 splits, first year bro split (chest, back, arms, legs and rest when i felt like it), PPL second year (push, pull, legs, rest). I started bulking at 3200 calories around a year and a half ago, and I am now at 3986 calories, 208p 132f 489c. Back then i felt big but now i realize how much more i have to grow. Every bodyparts have grown, especially legs and back, but side chest always felt like a weak pose and now i feel good about it. My push day rn is 2 sets of bench followed by 2 sets of inclined dumbbell press, with 2 sets of flies, 2 sets of lateral raises and 2 sets of standing overhead tricep cable extensions (with a 15-20reps warmup before first working set). Every sets to failure. Have experimented with more volume but i feel like this is just enough for me to recover and feel good. I’ve been taking creatine and protein powder and multivitamins for a while and i really like them, but recently started to add more supplements like fishoils, electrolytes. If people are starting, i’d recommend to not underestimate pushing sets hard, progressive overloard, nutrition, sleep, rest and cardio.

What's holding you back from making the biggest gains? What could you be doing better? Where could you be trying harder? What new habits could you enact to make things easier for you? Be honest with yourself, what would make a difference?

Managed to get over gym fear and finally get real end of last October. Hardest part for me is diet and I still struggle to hit my protein goals consistently. Gained my first 15 super quick, and eventually got up to 160 at my peak in May. Slacked super hard in june and july and lost like 10lbs of gains. Got back into it in August and I've managed to put 5 back on, but I've been slacking in terms of eating so I've stayed pretty lean. Obviously still super scrawny but the goal is 170 by the end of next semester.

Diet: pretty much just try to hit a 1:1 grams of protein to bodyweight ratio and cram in as many cals as possible

Split: been hitting variations of kinda a bro split. I change it up a little every couple weeks but I'm aiming to hit every major group twice a week with one rest day. Right now I'm doing chest and tri, back and bi, and legs and shoulders twice a week. In terms of lifts I've found that it motivates me more when I'm varying lifts every couple of weeks.

Been going to the gym on and off for about 2 years now.

My routine has been the same so far PPL + Shoulders and Arms so i go 4 times a week. Its fun because its beginner friendly and at the end of th week a i get a day just for sarms which are my fav muscle groups to train.

My diet has not been good enough as bulking is a bit hard where im at, i eat all home cooked meals and i've tried to just sneak in some bananas, oatmeal and dates, at night i drink a milkshake with 2 bananas, half a cup of oatmeal, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp olive oil, and 2tbsp of peanut butter.

I didn't track my macros i just tried to eat more than the usual before bed, any tips to help me out are greatly appreciated.

Ask food related questions here. Discuss recipes. Share eating hacks. DON'T DRINK OLIVE OIL!!!

Welcome to the basic questions and discussions thread! This is a place to ask any questions that you may have -- moronic or otherwise and talk about how your going. Please keep these questions and discussions reasonably on-topic: things noted in the 'what not to post' section of the sidebar will be removed, and the moderation team may issue temporary user bans.Anyone may post a question, and the community as a whole is invited and encouraged to provide an answer. If your question is more specific to you, we recommend providing details. The more we know about your situation, the better answer we will be able to provide. Sometimes questions get submitted late enough in the day that they don't get much traction, so if your question didn't get answered in a previous thread, feel free to post it again.As always, please check the FAQ before posting. The FAQ is considered a comprehensive guide on how to gain lean mass and has more than enough information to get any beginner started today. Ask away!

Have a question that is training or programming related? Ask it here! Want someone to help you revising or customising a program? Ask here! Want to show off a program you designed? Why are you designing your own programs? Read the bloody FAQ!.