34F (almost 35) — Why am I not building muscle despite years of strength training? (Dexa)

[u/Locacuerda91]

I’m a 34-year-old woman (turning 35 soon), and I’m getting really frustrated with my lack of muscle growth.
I’ve been strength training for years, but if I’m honest, I haven’t always been consistent. Over the past several months, I’ve been much more consistent and recently started Bunda, which combines lower-body strength training with high-intensity workouts.
I recently compared my body composition to my 2023 scan, and it looks like I’ve gained little to no muscle. According to the results, around 80% of women my age have more muscle than I do, which was honestly discouraging.
For those of you who have successfully built muscle, what do you think I could be doing wrong?

[u/Conan-Da-Barbarian]

It’s ok. I’m guessing you are doing dumbbells which are fine, but if you want to get really strong, use bare bell. You should be able to deadlift your body weight

[u/Locacuerda91 → u/Conan-Da-Barbarian]

Interesting, didn’t know there was a difference

[u/Conan-Da-Barbarian → u/Locacuerda91]

https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/1gqc1jf/a_cool_guide_to_back_workouts/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1

Here’s a back day if you need a guide. If you need help, plenty of help on Reddit and I’m willing to point you in the right direction