My muscles only look good immediately after lifting

[Demystify]

Then after my workout they go back to looking like I barely workout

And yes, I eat healthy and do cardio, so what's the problem?

 

[MrS]

You train too much volume, I'd say.
So you get the pump afterwards, but you do too much.
What's your routine like now?
Try training with lower reps.
Take a week off.

 

[shaunuk]

Basically you don't have much muscle...how much do you weigh (height as well). After your workout you have a pump, that's why your muscles look better. What's your routine?

 

[Demystify]

I'm about 6'2"-6'3" and 170 lbs.

I usually do chest/triceps one day, legs/shoulders the next, and then back/biceps another day, and I do abs/core, swimming (10 laps), about ten minutes of basketball, and five minutes post-workout treadmill cardio all three days

I also do outdoor running about two or three times a week (2 or 3 miles)

I do 6-8 reps of chest/shoulder workouts, about 8 reps of arms and back, and 10-12 of legs

I sometimes do my shoulders alone because I want them to be the biggest (not sure if this is the best idea)

 

[Warboss Alex]

as MrS and Shaun have said, you have a pump after your workout which makes them look good, but they're just full of fluid which goes away a few hours later.

your workout split is fine, but choose a couple of exercises for each muscle group and go as heavy as possible in a moderate rep range for the compounds (deadlifts, squats, rows, overhead press etc) and higher for stuff like curls and laterals.

cut back on the running, feed your gains (and not with chicken breast and brown rice either) and check in six months, I bet your muscles will look good all the time.

 

[Demystify]

What do you mean by feed your gains (and not w/ chicken)?? Feed my gains with eggs/protein shakes then?

And I have a little bit of a belly left, so I'm not sure if cutting back on the running is a great idea.

 

[shaunuk]

Alex just means eat lots of food, including lots of protein, but don't just stick to clean food like chicken. So go for beef, eggs etc..

Well you can cut a bit of fat whilst gaining muscle+strength...See The Vault

 

[immrtlwun]

Until you are up to around 200 pounds at 6' 3" you probably won't look that muscular. I'm 6' 5" 190 and I can lift as much as some of the bigger guys in my gym, but you can't tell because I don't have the mass. I read somewhere that you have to put on 20-30 pounds of muscle to see 1 inch gains on your biceps. So it will just take some time and persistence to see the results of your work.

 

[Royce]

^what he said

*Also consider taking supps if not already to maximize potential (creatine for one) and get your sleep in.

 

[Warboss Alex]

I doubt you have any sort of belly at 170lbs at 6'3". I'd concentrate on muscling up for now.

You won't get fat if you do it right.

Shaun - eggs and beef are not 'unclean'. What they should be called, if anything, is 'anabolic' .. chicken breast is anything but anabolic.

 

[Demystify]

haha, I do have a belly, no lies, but that's pretty much where the majority of noticeable fat on my body is, I guess you can't really notice when I'm clothed but you can see some fat when I'm shirtless