How is my progress? What should I do better? Noticing no change after like 6 months of hard work and decent diet
I've been working out on and off for 10-15 years, but every year (gone 3 years in a row at the most) I start fresh. Something or the other always happens. Hopefully this year I break the cycle.
I've been working out since the start of the year, January was trial and error since I had lost practice and was doing terrible in gym, I'd count February as the start when I got my form good.
I do PPLPPL then rest for the week. Some weeks I miss the second PPL cycle entirely due to fatigue or life commitments, other weeks I merge the second Push and Pull into an upper day due to the same reasons. I've rarely missed entire weeks, but it has happened maybe 3-4 times with one vacation causing me to miss multiple.
(all the equipment are the standard leading American gym equipment brands, a mix of matrix and hammer strength etc)
Day 1 Pull:
- I'll do supported pull ups, so bodyweight minus 5-10kg (10-20lbs) 3 sets x 6-8 reps. I can do unsupported bodyweight if I'm energetic that day but I've started avoiding because risk of injury and excess fatigue affects the next day.
- Cable curls, 36kg (80lbs~) 3x8-10. I've gone up to 43kg but felt to fatiguing and unsustainable, and couldn't be consistent at the higher weight. Note the machine is probably at some ratio like 1:2 so half, because I can't lift the equivalent bar or dumbbell.
- Lat pulldowns, 43kg (90lbs?) 3x8
- Rope curls (like a hammer curl, but with the rope attached to cable), same everything as cable curls, same reasoning
- Cable row (sometimes chest supported row when my lower back hurts/injured) 36kg (80lb) 3x8-12, can go higher but same experience as other excercises
Day 2 Push:
- Incline Chest Press machine seated, with 30kg (66lbs) plates on each side - 2-3 sets x 6-9 reps. Can use higher weights but recovery doesn't support it and feels borderline injurious with form getting worse, same reason to limit as Pull day excercises.
- Shoulder press, seated at a slight incline with 15-17.5kg (40lbs?) dumbells each hand 3x8-12. I've gone as high as 22.5kg (50+lb) but causes fatigue and affects other exercises the same day and weakness the next day.
- Pectoral Fly/pec deck, I go 5-6 weight holes down 3x10-12, they're unmarked
- lateral raises with the lateral raise machine 40-50kg (100lbs) selected, occasionally replaced with 5-10kg (11-22 lbs) cable raises. Machine is probably at a 1:2 or 1:4 ratio. 3x10-12
Leg day I'll discuss in a future post but I have naturally thick legs so not too concerned, still refining my leg day to optimize for strength and joint health.
Repeat exactly the same for Day 4 Pull and Day 5 Push, might slightly vary the weights around so for example if I did heavier chest on the first day I'll do heavier shoulders on the second day or vice versa within the ranges I mentioned. Or if I'm too tired or feeling my recovery was incomplete or combining into upper day, I'll reduce sets or eliminate an exercise.
I'm about 5'8 and weigh 75 kilos. In the mirror or pictures I'd say I look like a regular skinny fat guy who has never worked out a day in his life.
Posted Jun 6, 2026, 9:29 PM UTC