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I just started bodybuilding about two to three weeks ago and I feel like I was gaining some muscle. Now it seems I'm back to square one. It's not like I gained a lot, but what I did gain, I've lost. Why is this happening when I am keeping up with my routine?

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    Bodybuilding is a sport of patience. That being said, we can't give proper advice without knowing how you train, how much you eat and if you rest enough.
    – MJB
    Oct 11, 2017 at 13:00
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    I don't feel this is a bad question and should be downvoted. This is a valid question for those entering the sport.
    – Just_Alex
    Oct 12, 2017 at 14:42
  • Eat more, sleep more, lift more. If none of that works, go back in time and have better parents
    – user33409
    Feb 23, 2022 at 16:09

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Bodybuilding is a long term endeavor, two to three weeks is nothing in the world of bodybuilding. If you'd said two to three years, then it would be a different matter.

Whatever you're doing, carry on doing it for at least 6 months, then see where you are with it.

That being said, if you want to gain muscle (which I assume is what you mean by bodybuilding) check your diet and recovery, if either of those aren't up to par, then it'll stifle your gains.

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    This. Well said.
    – JohnP ♦
    Oct 11, 2017 at 16:53
  • Yep. I don't think it's realistic to look for results you can see in a mirror for about six months of effective training and a good diet. Somewhere around two years and you can really look like a different person. An old coach likened it to filling up a bathtub, one teaspoon at a time. It just takes time.
    – Eric
    Oct 19, 2017 at 15:59
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    @EricKaufman Fair point. I say 6 months because in my experience it takes something like that for someone who's new to weightlifting / bodybuilding to get comfortable with the movements and start to increase the weight. Also, I did kind of assume the the OP was new to training completely, and newbie gains tend to show pretty quickly, then slow to a crawl.
    – Dark Hippo
    Oct 20, 2017 at 8:28
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Its a long journey. For natural lifter, being very strong and muscular takes a good couple of years.

Since you are a new lifter progressive overload works fine for a few months, say 6 months. Then you can change program and still continue adding weights.

The last but not least, if you are eating too much it may cause belly fat that changes your appearence.

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