Doesn't matter whether I lift heavy or light, cardio or even yoga. I frequently run into an issue where my muscles just won't contract any more. I still have plenty in the tank, but my body just says "no". This leads me feeling like I'm not making progress because I'm rarely sore and I'm progressing achingly slowly.

Over 3 weeks of regular exercise I've managed to go from 6 lb bicep curls to 10 lb bicep curls, with similar results in squats, push ups, pulls ups, and shoulder press.

At first I thought it was my diet, so I started eating more and rebalanced my diet. I'm now eating 2200 kcal, 25% (140g) protein, 55% carbs, and 20% fat. I feel better and have more energy overall, but I still can't lift.

My current solution is to do a bunch of small workouts during the day, with hours of rest and entire meals in between, and that works, but that has serious limitations.

I have protein powder (isopure), but I don't like drinking it because it's gross, and I haven't noticed any improvement between weeks when I do supplement with protein powder vs when I get my protein from dietary sources (mostly eggs, tuna, and yogurt). I'm looking at workout supplements specifically, but I'm actually kind of at a loss and am just stabbing in the dark.

Anyone have any advice, or experience with something like this?

About Me: I'm 26, 135 lbs, trans femme, 1 month on E. I am generally healthy and recent (unrelated) blood work didn't show any vitamin deficiencies or other medical issues.

Edit: Apparently I'm setting the bar for myself too high and my progress is reasonable. Thanks for the help everyone 😊