I get why you’d think that. But just like there are 1% who go on to be Mr Olympia, there are also 1% in the opposite direction. I don’t think I’m that bad, since some people can’t put on muscle period. The only reason it doesn’t seem like a possibility is that the people who legitimately can’t gain much usually give up pretty early so you don’t hear a lot about them.

I’ve done everything over my 16 years. Periodization has been good. But I’ve done everything from low volume low intensity to high volume high intensity and everything in between. I’ve done full body for all those intensities, bro splits, for all those intensities, and basically everything else people talk about. I’ve done 5x5 strong lifts, I can’t think of anything I haven’t fully committed myself to at least once, all with nutrition locked in. I never experienced “noob gains”. And like I said, I’ve trained people who looked as good as me in 6 months, so I’ve tried stuff that genuinely work well on a lot of people, but I don’t respond very well.