Bodybuilding attempt 3, help me out guys

Also, why on earth do I not see any change in progress photos, but people and the weight scale says otherwise?!

Photos are static. People in real life are judging based on seeing all around you, basically, while you are judging from a picture which naturally looks flat. You get a much better idea of the shape of an object by being able to examine it all around in real time - that's something people can do of you, but you can't really do of yourself. (Especially because you see your body basically every waking moment, so any changes are much more gradual for you than they are for other people. Other people have a more limited stock of memory from which to compare.)

ah makes sense, I always assumed people were just trying to be nice.

On another note, how much progress can I expect in 3 months time? If I stick to it? I mean would I look visibly different or is that to small a time frame for any differences?

My first attempt was in 2014, only lasted 3 months.

Second attempt began in October 2014, and stopped in March 2015 (due to nan's death, exams etc etc). I went from 135 pounds to 143 pounds. I felt stronger, I "felt" bigger, but didn't see it personally in progress photos, but had people comment that I had gotten bigger. Right now, I haven't lifted since March, I feel my belly might have gotten a wee bigger (I was already skinny fat!). Also defo some muscle loss, but for sure not down to 135 pounds.

I will workout first tomorrow, and workout twice a week, until I finish exams in two weeks time. At which point I will do ICF 5x5. I started this in Feb, and had crazy gains! Gonna try again and complete it.

But I don't think I can do hyper-extensions (weak as hell) and why do I struggle with standing shoulder presses so much dammit?!

I struggle with getting enough proteins and calories in, any tips on this?
Also, why on earth do I not see any change in progress photos, but people and the weight scale says otherwise?!

What supplements would you recommend? I take whey, instant oats for calories and milk protein before bed. Is creatine worth it? any natural substitute to steroids? (food or pills?)

You may not see progress in photos if your body fat is too high. People will notice you're bigger, and you will too. However in photos where you're looking for muscle definition, you will fail to see it if you have too much fat.

Standing OHP is a tough compound movement, it's all about form and what works for you. Try different stances, feet wide, close, one in front of the other etc. You need to build the stabilizer muscles up for it, so practice your form with just the weight of the bar.

IMO you don't need creatine, or any other supplements. I don't take any and never have. Whey protein is good if you struggle to hit your protein day to day, but should never be relied upon. NEVER buy ANY supplements unless you're already eating strictly. If you allow yourself to eat junk, you're wasting your time and money with supplements.

Experiment with macros, try to go 500 above your maintenance. I get around 3000 calories per day, with macros 250/300/100 (PCF).

Buy a decent blender - nutribullet - Once a day have a shake - through in a scoop of protein, fruit, oats etc......
For extra cals throw in some olive oil or coconut oil, maybe peanut butter or nutella if you don't like the taste.

Easy to make, easy to consume and not too expensive - easy way to get in extra calories without feeling too full as well

How many fruits are we talking? And what kind?
How many calories would that give me? I always wanted to try it but I feel like it'll taste terrible. Doesn't help I hate peanut butter :/

Makes sense. I'm hoping my form will get better soon, guess it's just a learning process. How much progress can I expect in one year/one+half year? Just considering I cut out a lot of junk food from my diet, but still have oven chips and not necessarily get all my five a day (maybe 3/4 at best)?

I only take whey and some milk protein powder, as I know I don't get all my protein needs in a day (but I do try).

I'm aiming for 250 above my maintenance, would that be cool? I've not got a good appetite. Calculating the amount of protein carbs and fats is till confusing for me, I may look into being more accurate with that after exams.

Progress wise, if you stick to your plan you can see good results. My avatar is me after just over 2 years of training (first year wasn't very strict either) so make of that what you will.

Macro breakdowns are pretty important. Try to get ratios off around 2.5/3/1 (P/C/F) which is what I do, but may be different to you. This will be better than just aiming for calories. You could focus on that after exams, but it isn't hard and doesn't take too long. 250 above maintainance will be good for lean muscle gains, which is what I focus on.

I'd maybe recommend checking out a routine by YouTuber Scott Herman which is being released any day now. I followed it the first time it was released and it got me the best results throughout all my years of lifting. He advises me personally on training and nutrition and I have a full meal plan set out. I'd recommend producing one yourself after exams when you have the time.

Good luck with your training, happy to answer any other questions you may have!

Frozen berries, bananas, apples, spinach, pineapple and kiwis all favourites of mine, usually throw in 2-3 per shake.
In terms of taste, its really what you like, try experimenting with different combos - one of my favourites is Spinach apple and pineapple - one scoop of unflavoured whey and a tablespoon of coconut oil and almond milk.

You don't have to add pb, its just very high in calories, try nutella maybe.

You can load it full of cals, considering 1 banana = 100, 1tbsp coconut oil = 100, 1 tbsp nutella/pb = 100 easily get 450+ into 1 shake

Thanks mate! You look good, I'm not even aiming for anything that great, just a more decent body (hopefully it can finally boost my self esteem).

My only issue is, at home I eat one meal a day made by mum (dinner), which is mostly Indian type food. I have no idea how to count macros for that. Luckily we use little salt, and when it's mostly minced meat, lentils and chicken I know I'm getting some decent protein surely. I can attempt to make meals for other times, but I'm still such a crappy cook

I heard of Scott Herman, I'll check him out. I mostly just watch the Hodgetwins because they're funny. As well as PMG and Sean Thompson.

Read the FAQ http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3014757

Food wise - apart from whey protein and maybe some fish oil and D3 - the rest is pretty much worthless to you. If you can't get your calories - look to low satiation foods that contain lots of calories - think carbs. Creatine is of some use - however I would advise against it strongly if you plan on doing any cardio for it will give you cramps like nothing else.

I disagree with the user regarding protein - at your weight 100g would be enough a day. There's no evidence of more than 1-1.5g/kg is of any use to your body other than making your urine expensive

For how tos - the "so you think you can" series and to guys like Omar Isuf for beginner stuff. Scott Herman is an enigma - some stuff is good, other stuff is not.

There is no substitute to steroids either.

In terms of food. Is oven chips okay? I mean one meal I make is chicken breast and oven chips. I just find them so easy to make. Also would fish fingers say twice a week be fine, especially with omega 3?

So as I weigh 64/5kg, 70g of protein should be fine then? Some say 1g per pound of weight, 140+g of protein seems so much to me!

I watch Omar Isaf, tbf I watch quite a few YouTube bodybuilding channels, it keeps me motivated and in the bodybuilding zone to keep me going.

In terms of food. Is oven chips okay? I mean one meal I make is chicken breast and oven chips. I just find them so easy to make. Also would fish fingers say twice a week be fine, especially with omega 3?

So as I weigh 64/5kg, 70g of protein should be fine then? Some say 1g per pound of weight, 140+g of protein seems so much to me!

I watch Omar Isaf, tbf I watch quite a few YouTube bodybuilding channels, it keeps me motivated and in the bodybuilding zone to keep me going.

Different people have different opinions when it comes to the amount of protein you should consume.

I'd say 70g is far too low. That's less than what the average person who doesn't do weight training eats (I believe it's around 85g). The RDA for an average person is 45-50g, so you're eating just above that, which IMO won't benefit you.

The reason I personally aim for 250g is because I'm focusing on building lean muscle with minimal fat loss. I also follow the 16:8 intermittent fasting protocol which I've found to help with fat loss, and preventing fat accumulation. The thing is, I've found for me i get the best results when I eat in a bigger surplus, getting around 3000 calories a day. But to prevent gaining too much fat, you must ensure the macros are correct. I've found these macros work for me, they might not work for you. I find it easy to consume 3000 calories in an 8 hour window, typical foods I would eat include: chicken breast, wholemeal wraps, avocado, peanut butter, milk, oats, Greek yogurt, brown rice, spinach, kale, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, banana, tuna, wholewheat pasta, lean beef mince etc.

This works for me, in the last 2 years I've gone from ~60kg (130lbs) to ~80kg (175lbs), granted I have grown a lot in height over those two years, so not all of that will be from muscle gains, but the results are obvious - I was just a typical skinny guy before hand.

It's about finding what works best for you. Maybe you won't benefit from eating as much protein as I do, but you certainly shouldn't eat less than 100g per day.

Yes its fine, make sure you're eating veg and fruit still, but there is nothing intrinsically wrong with it. Same with fish fingers. It's maybe not perfect, but it's fine. Just get the calories in.

I'd say 70 should be an absolute minimum. Somewhere around 100g would be better (i.e. neck a pair of protein shakes on top of your 70g) but you could still make gains off it. I eat ~100-120g at 80kg and I'm still making gains as someone who's gone past the beginner phases.

1g per lb of body weight is a bastardisation of a few papers that found that it is 1lb of lean body weight - i.e. if you take off whatever % body fat you are off your total weight. However the same study was done with professional atheletes training up to twice/ three times daily. Everyday. So for the every day guy; you can take a bit of protein off that figure. Hence the 1-1.5g per kg of protein