I lift heavier weights than most people, yet I'm still DYEL. I'm not saying I'm a top performer (I'm intermediate/advanced depending on the exercise, according to the StrengthLevel website), but many people at my gym perform even less well than me and yet are in good shape. How do they do it?

I imagine they built their physiques outside the gym, and that starting at the gym doesn't necessarily mean you have no athletic background, but still... I was told, “Don't worry, the level at the gym is poor, you'll quickly surpass the other members,” but after three 3 of training, I'm still below average physically!

My guess is you are not foing enough volume

>>76451005 (OP)
are you doing 5x5? if you're focusing on strength it's normal you're not seeing massive volume gains.

This is why bro tier reps beat powershitter reps

>>76451012
How many sets per muscle would you recommend?

>>76451018
Nope, only sets between 8 and 15 (depends on the exercise and whether it is a compound or an isolation of course)

>>76451005 (OP)
>but after three 3 of training
years?

>>76451054
Yes, sorry for the typo

>>76451055
Might be body dysmorphia. Post fizeek.

>all the dyels rush in to get their shitty opinions heard

>>76451005 (OP)
indian i assume?

>>76451005 (OP)
Post body big man

>>76451064
>>76451105
This is my before and after pictures (September 2022 -> April 2025), now I'm on a cut and I'll wait until the end of the cut to show the progress. I'm 176cm and I started being 65kg, I was 74kg in April 2025.

>>76451079
Nope, Portuguese from both my parents!

>>76451131
I'll be honest with you completely
You've made pretty good progress for 3 years, nice muscle gains with minimal fat gain
You've probably fallen into the same trap many people fall into, comparing themselves to fake natties on social media that look 10 times better than you despite working the same or shorter amount of time
Keep doing what you're doing and just focus on yourself, you pretty much mog 80% of the normies

>>76451153
I've definitely made solid progress, visually you can see the change, and I won’t even get into the increases in workload (when I started I couldn’t do a single pull‑up and I couldn’t lift the empty bar on bench press; I began weight‑training at 23 with no athletic background). I’m proud of that.

I just feel that after three years the pace is still slow: if you saw me in the gym you wouldn’t guess I actually train, and it seems like most people practically start out with a better physique than the one I have today, which I don’t really understand. I don’t know whether they begin with a good physique, or if they look like me when they start but only need to pick up a dumbbell to pack on size, I feel as though I’ve added very little muscle.

Right now I’m on a cut and I’ve dropped back to 67kg; I managed that without losing much performance in the gym. I’m not sure whether that’s a positive sign, but in the end doesn’t it mean I’ve gained very little muscle? It looks like all my improvements are neural, even though I’m not following a pure strength‑training program.

>>76451131
what does your program look like?

>>76451131
Good progress, you look like a man at least
Yes there are often people at the gym who have been doing sports since they were children, and you clearly haven't
Not much you can do about it

>>76451205
Yes, so I think the argument “don't worry, the average level at the gym is mediocre and you'll quickly surpass it” is true for most people, but not for me.

>>76451187
so you had no athletic background at 23 and you don't understand why people have a better body than you? so you think this is just random chance or what?

>>76451187
Not everyone is the same anon
I've seen 16 year old kids that weight 70 kilos bench 100kg after a month in the gym
As I said you're making good progress, keep at it
Just compare your old body to your new one, it's like two different people

>>76451203
I did four months of full‑body training when I started, three sessions a week. Then I switched to something like a split routine, and later to a push–pull–legs-upper-lower routine. I’ve tried just about every format, and I still don’t really know which one suits me best. I’m not sure whether, given my genetics or body type, one approach would work better for me.

What I can say is that my legs have always been a strong point compared with my upper body. I’ve always trained legs twice a week, and beyond that I have a long torso and short legs, which probably helps. I struggle a lot to build my upper‑body muscles, and I don’t know which program format would be the most effective for fixing that.

>>76451227
Most people in american gyms are fatties, cardiobunnies and weaklings so its generally true

>>76451239
how much volume per bodypart per week?

>>76451240
I'm not living in the US but in France. However, I've heard that gyms in the US are full of high-level gym-goers compared to European countries?

>>76451244
As someone who moved from germany to the US I would say its the opposite lol, but it depends on location

>>76451230
Does that mean I’m the only one starting out at the gym with a crappy base? Online you can find people whose starting points are worse than mine, yet they make much more explosive progress.

>>76451244
Ohh noo its that portuguese fag again
holy shit

>>76451241
Now 10-15 sets per bodypart per week, websites recommendations do not align with each other so it is difficult to know the optimal number. Same for whether you should hit each bodypart once or twice per week.

>>76451131
You're good. I've made similar progress after 2 years of lifting, so that checks out. Keep going

>>76451131
post flexed.

>>76451310
I have no picture of me where I flex as I don't want to cheat

>>76451320
cheat? wtf
guys you heard it flexing for a photo is cheating lmao
are you stupid do you think your favourite influencer isn't flexing on his photos?
God that's gotta be the dumbest thing ive read today

Welcome OP you finally realised that big numbers and heavy weights is a meme sure you're strong but not muscular time to start actually body building and not weight lifting strength maxing no one cares about your numbers most peole have no concept of the weight becuase they dont lift everyone including you recognises larger muscles though , report your progress in one year once you switch.

Post body fellow anons

>>76451343
Yes, for me flexing is cheating, and I know influencers are flexing, I haven't mentioned them in my entire thread

>>76451354
So everyone is cheating got it

>>76451370
Anyway my body with or without flexing doesn't change much

>>76451375
Yeah you're right, kill yourself dirty fucking shitskin

>>76451131
if i were you id just cut, not many people look good being above 15% bf, you gotta reveal ur muscles by being leaner

>>76451398
I'm already doing that, I'm 67kg now and it looks better, but it seems like I put on very little muscle mass, I do not look as massive as you in the right-hand side

>>76451403
im not massive, being lean just gives the impression that you are bigger, you wont really build muscle while on a cut

>>76451403
"massive" lul
calm down bro

>>76451421

He's still more massive than me, his muscles are well defined etc, I don't have that

>>76451425
thats because you are still above 15% bf, you have bigger biceps than me and probably will look bigger than me once ur in 10-12% territory

>>76451425
bro hes 130 thats victim weight, youll find plenty of girls heavier than this

>>76451432
Do you have Discord? I could show you my current body in private

>>76451435
I look lighter than what my bodyweight would indicate, I don't really know why, maybe because of my legs?

>>76451438
>Do you have Discord? I could show you my current body in private
nigga just post it here who cares lmao

>>76451435
the average american woman is 5’4”, weighs 170 lbs, and is bordering on obese
that’s picrel. no joke, those are her stats.

so what’s your point?

>>76451490
some more examples

>>76451490
bro wtf eww
secondly where the fuck do you live that an average female is 170 pounds

>>76451499
keep in mind, ~50% of american women are fatter than this

>>76451320
Flexing is to see where you actually have muscles vs just fat accumulation that could pass as muscles.

>>76451131
You actually look good. Especially considering you started as skinnyfat. If you have a lean build naturally it can be hard to look as swole as guys who are shorter but broader. I think what the other anon said is true, if you cut to <15% you'd probably feel like you look godlike.

>>76451508
what do you not get about this?
those stats are the average height and weight of a woman in the US
one more picrel

>>76451527
o shiett im from europe dawg

>>76451398
>>76451417
>>76451403
when I was fatter, this pic is 18-20% bf I only looked good in tanktops or small shirts for biceps but I was literally ashamed of taking my shirt off because I had a big belly

>>76451527
Average is gay.

Average is also what??? The same age as your photo? I'd love to see the average of women ages 20-27.

Ofc post wall moms are going to be fat.

>>76451529
european women are, on average, 2” taller and 14lbs lighter but it depends heavily on the country

>>76451131
strength standards are relative to weight. If you are an elite lifter at 240lbs you will be yoked

>>76451537
this woman is younger than 25:
>>76451490

>>76451005 (OP)
Guy in pic is on roids, you're never getting like him nattu

>>76451264
Tpd

>>76451511
What do you mean by "lead build"? Are you talking about bodyframe or bodyfat?