- Dumbell and smith machine squats
  - 10-30 degree incline bench
  - Dumbell lunges
  - Overhead press with dumbells
  - Planks
  - Situps: Straight, bent, and normal legs
  - Dead hangs
  - Pullups with 3 grips
  - Leg lifts while hanging
  - Lat raises, forward and bent over
  - Behind-the-back cable extensions
  - Tricip cable pulldowns
  - SKull crushers
  - Dumbell curls, one hand at a time

It's not guaranteed. People are abnormal. I'm abnormal and don't gain muscle like others and I am constantly training to failure.

Gaining muscle becomes really complicated for some people since not everyone has the same hormones, androgen receptor density, myostatin levels, etc. Some people grow like freaks and others never do. I can sympathize but I am skeptical of 99% of people since most I've seen also don't do every thing right and it's clear that's usually the issue.

Valid - no, and I should probably do that. You're right that it's worth trying, and I haven't done it. The short-term skinny fat / gut+love handles is obviously a non-factor if part of a bulk where I could remove it later.

That is a fantastic insight, and a wild natural T level, especially with the low muscle gain! (As you inferred I measured at 650ng/dL with sample size 1; not sure how it flows with time; didn't get a free-test measurement, but should do that; kind of curious how that plays into your situation too) I was expecting to measure low based on the muscle thing + generally low-superficial-T features like minimal facial hair, and low body hair/thin eyebrows, then would have gone straight to it, but... I paused to reconsider after the measurement.

Doctors don't take stuff like this seriously (Varies wildly, but I have a number of family/friends who are doctors, and was in a military field under flight doc supervision/physicals for most of my career). I imagine it's not on their list of medically significant conditions as it's a superficial one. They deal with things that cause immediate or future health problems (or med disqualification for the job), or effect quality-of-life directly. Being extremely skinny (High or normal test for us respectively!) doesn't register as it's superficial/aesthetic. I wonder if your hormone-related identification would be more actionable as you have that number? While 6'2 / 130lbs (Not sure your example) is extremely rare, without any direct consequences on health, it doesn't register. Nothing to fail me on a physical for, no treatment plans that fit, and doesn't pattern match with people checking into hospital.

I think re growing the stomach - I meant more that responds very quickly to changes in diet in either direction; I can go from pudgy/belly to flat abs in a few weeks. I'm hoping the ab work will help a bit with overall look in well-fitting clothes or shirtless, and help with rib flare, but it's probably skippable compared to the bigger lifts.

For the macros, you're right: I have not being doing any tracking. I have been (For the past 6 months when I did a big shift) eating slowly, and paying attention to hunger/satiation signals. No longer finishing a meal just because it tastes good, if I'm no longer hungry. I have cut out all carbs-sans-fiber. No sugary foods (other than fruit, dark chocolate etc), no refined grains unless eating out. Lots of veggies, meat, eggs, and fruit + whey shakes. So, high protein, high fiber, normalish carbs and fat. As you say, probably need to load on the protein more. (More meat/whey/eggs/peanut butter?) How has the tracking worked out for you; any insights? I'm curious about the effort involved, and accuracy of any numbers put in.

I should do the dex! I'm curious; just looked up; $130 near me; will do it! The 12% estimate was based on visual cues like bicep vein, muscle definition, appearance of facial bones/masceters etc. If I eat lazily, it goes up to probably 18-20%; then I look like I have never seen a gym. Would love to see the actual number.

What is stopping you from doing the steroids now? Test or a mix? Worried about the hairline / body hair or negative face shape changes? I am giving this one final push, then will probably hop in in 1-2 years if this still isn't working. My lifts have stayed the same or gone slightly up while I've been getting lean. The lean thing for is a realization that I am accepting the build, and don't want to hide the muscles I have. I love the way I look without a shirt or in tight-fitting clothes now, but still have an extreme BMI.

Btw, that last point seems to be also one of those counter-intuitive things: For the ultra-skinny (Or maybe more acurrately for anyone who's lean, but has some muscles), looking good without a shirt or in form-fitting clothes is a completely different beast from not. Can go from "Looks fit" to "Doesn't know what a gym" is from a change of clothes alone!

Interesting. I can never gain proper mass and lately i feel like i might have IBS too...

That might be true but outside of the west it's a lot harder to financially ruin you with a divorce not to mention it is less socially accepted.