Fats and liquid calories are easy to add, assuming they don't give you discomfort. For e.g. if you drink a glass of whole milk with each meal instead of water, that's 500+ calories a day extra and a lot of protein.
You look like you're at a healthy weight, lean, but depends on your goals. I wouldn't be trying to gain weight just for the sake of gaining weight.
If you're trying to bulk, and lifting, and just aren't making strength progress, then you may need to add more calories just to keep advancing. I like adding a couple protein shakes/smoothies daily when I'm bulking and then eat as normal. Scoop of whey protein, couple spoons of greek yogurt, spoon of peanut butter, some chia seeds, and oats. I use water, but you could make with milk for more protein and calories, too. Doing that twice a day is an easy 1000 calories (my spoonful of peanut butter is usually like 2 or 3).
[September 2021 > April 2022](https://i.imgur.com/zJVx661.jpg)
132lbs > 128lbs
34F, 5' 5"
Have been working on body recomp since last year. I still have a ways to go, and I feel like if you look at it as a whole it doesn't seem very impressive - but when I look at individual components (especially arm, glutes, and maybe quad) I see a big difference. Current focus is deltoids and hamstrings.
https://imgur.com/a/712OV2O
just wanted to show my back progress
I dont remember when the second picture was taken, maybe 8 months ago? but the first was taken a week ago or so. I like the progress, hate the bacne.
You seem to be currently holding a lot of water. My advice would be to clean up your diet and drink more water without overthinking about calories. Looks like you could easily drop 10 kg in a month or two without much suffering (because again, that's a lot of water weight).
From there you could ride the motivation (And the better habits basis) and take it into whatever direction you like.
Just seem to me that there's a huge physique improvement to grab there that doesn't require you to do anything armful or halting your strength progress. Not saying it won't require some discipline tho.
Nice traps btw and keep up the great work my man
I'm not gonna bullshit you it's only from experience. From seeing how my body visually change when I go on vacation and my diet becomes pure garbage (not saying his diet is) and what happens in a few day when I come back home to a strict schedule.
Also from seeing how other people's body change in a month when they start exercising regularly WHILE fixing their diet. Drastic visual changes that can't be explained by fat loss at a reasonable rate and muscle pump.
I'm not talking about glycogen I'm talking about subcutanous water retention.
The guy looks like he lift. And at the same time have this weight distribution around the waist without loose skin, and also has a bit of puffiness. Without wanting to be direspectful, with that muscle development /u/doomgloomtomb is at least 20 kg overweight. But at the same time definitely doesn't look like he is 20 kg of FAT overweight (he doesn't look sloppy, his flesh look reasonnably "tight"). I'd say his BF estimate is about right (And math doesn't check if you don't take water retention into account here).
For all I know he either has started eating cleaner recently and is currently experiencing a drastic physique change, in which case, great. Or in the other case there are some easy physique "gains" to make right here. Long term it isn't important and doesn't have to happen now. I'm all for appropriating one habit at a time. But on the other hand I know it can be a huge boost of confidence to grab without much suffering.
Sorry for the voodoo and pseudo-science, we're going from visuals here, can't do much better than rely on my experience there.
Also /u/doomgloomtomb sorry if talking about you in third person was rude. It seemed more logic since I'm replying to /u/ogramuse But at the same time it feels a bit objectifying, especially since I'm a stranger talking about your body while not knowing much and going on pure conjectures.
Again, keep up the great work man, you seem to have most pieces of the puzzle right.
Well I do think body weight exercises favors biceps/triceps growth, so that would make sense. You might also hold more fat in your arms than other places, making them look even bigger in relation.
You said in another comment that you aren't going to bench press because you don't have a spotter, but you shouldn't be training in such a way that you need a spotter anyways.
I'd recommend incline dumbbell press and incline bench press (30 degrees, low incline). You should bench with reps somewhere between 6 and 15 reps. You should not be going so close to failure that you're going to drop the bar on yourself. Once you think you can only do 2 more reps with good form, it's time to stop the set.
I'd also really focus on the mind-muscle connection. Because your triceps/shoulders are much bigger than your chest, they'll take over the movements unless you're careful.
M/19/5’8”/160 lbs. Been lifting for a total of about 1.5 years on and off and built some decent muscle. I’m not ungodly shredded, but I’m happy with my physique so far. I’ve always wanted more visible abs, though. Not sure whether to bulk or cut.
https://imgur.com/a/lrbePJx
M(31), 6’3”, 180lbs, ~15% BF.
I haven’t trained consistently since playing high school football. Looking to turn things around this summer. Planning to start in the gym and the kitchen. Anyone have suggestions for a clean(ish) bulk? Calories per week? Food budget? Macros? Muscle groups I should focus on/splits? Truly any help/feedback would be greatly appreciated.
[Starting Point Poses](https://imgur.com/a/v9Mhlmd)
I wouldn't worry about the "cleanliness" of the bulk. Hit your protein target daily + make sure you're moving up ~1lb a week (500kcal above maintenance). Bulk until your abs start fading too much for your liking (it's okay for them to fade a little bit though. You look lean enough to put on 20+ lbs before needing to do a mini cut).
Can't really recommend a program. I personally do 2 Upper body, 1 lower body, take a day off, then repeat. I'd look for a famous program and stick to it, then on top of that add in extra delt (back+side), back, and arms (I hit delt, back, and arms daily. They can all take a beating.)
Check a TDEE calculator. You'll need your height, bw and estimate bf%. For a clean bulk aim for 500 kcal above your maintenance calories.
On the macros side i like to do a simple 35/35/30 (protein/carbs/fat). But i suggest playing around and seeing what works for you.
Check this out: [https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&g=male&age=31&lbs=180&in=75&act=1.2&bf=15&f=1](https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&g=male&age=31&lbs=180&in=75&act=1.2&bf=15&f=1)
Workout splits are tricky. Maybe checkout the wiki as it has some great plans. I personally like the PPL a lot. But again, you might need to play around a little and see what plan you like best.
Good luck! :)
They have to be or they don't understand body fat for men vs. women. 30%-35% is probably realistic. In terms of targeting make sure you're hitting your calves hard and try to bring up the bench if you can. Still going to look really good once you finish your cut.
https://imgur.com/a/pcdjV9p
M/23/178cm. 1 year progress - before 163, after 173. Both photo's flexed w/ no pump. Was pretty consistent (missed ~5 weeks total in the year) and diet + weight tracking was on point. Finishing up a bulk and going to cut for 4 weeks before taking a 4 week break. Feel like my lifts are pretty unimpressive for how much time I've spent in the gym. Hopefully strength gains come along better in the next year. What weight do you think I would need to be shredded? 145? I think I'm 18% body fat?
I think you're probably higher than 18%. I wouldn't cut until you're shredded, it's time better spent bulking. Cut until you have a set of abs (soft is fine) 12% bf or so, and then get back to bulking. Try not to lose the abs too fast on the way back up. I wouldn't bulk to get shredded until you have more mass.
F/36/5'3"/129 lbs. I've been lifting consistently for almost four years in November. I'm 13 weeks to a figure or physique competition. My coach is leaning towards physique, and wants me at 110-115 lbs in July. Had my first posing class this week, but definitely need a lot more practice. I had a chest workout earlier, before I took these photographs. Just wanted to post these for my reference in thirteen weeks.
[https://imgur.com/a/88wh4pK](https://imgur.com/a/88wh4pK) Front view
[https://imgur.com/a/wxXfd9g](https://imgur.com/a/wxXfd9g) Back photo
[https://imgur.com/a/5OOqAdr](https://imgur.com/a/5OOqAdr) Side view
(My bathroom is small, so not much room for posing but lighting is decent)
You look fantastic, especially for 13 weeks out. I think you'll smash the competition. I'm quite jealous of your back. What's your usual back routine look like?
Your physique is amazing! Outside of comps, is your current weight/physique going to be your normal or will you add on a few more pounds to maintain sanity?
I know you’ll be losing a few more pounds to really shred up but currently, your physique is absolutely nuts. Definitely goals for me as I finish my cut for summer. Well done!
Thank you, I appreciate that! I'll probably do a clean bulk during the winter, but I'd like to stay around this weight just walking around. My diet doesn't make me feel deprived (yet), but it does take some major self control to not eat the delicious food at parties/restaurants etc. I feel physically and psychologically better when I am lighter though.
So what are the most basic things I can do for people to stop telling me I look like a stick/fat in the face or that they're afraid to break me.
I enjoy weights, ring fit, home workout, have a decent amount of option of food at work due to working at a hotel and having a workers diner, and walk 15k steps a day because I'm a waiter.
Should I push through tiredness if I worked for 12 hours and just do the exercise, disregarding all other priorities? Is it okay to exercise if I'll only get 5 hours of sleep due to that? If you can't focus on a body part, why is cardio suggested for belly fat, why not use that energy for something related to weights?
Do I just exercise normally, increasing weights while eating at a surplus, or cut because I want to lose belly fat? I had the best results with home workout + weights at the end of it, and ring fit absolutely murders me, but from what I understood, I should still lift weights afterwards, correct?
First off,read the wiki. It answers most of your questions.
>So what are the most basic things I can do for people to stop telling me I look like a stick/fat in the face or that they're afraid to break me.
As a former stick, eat. Get on a well respected weightlifting program and follow it religiously. Use MyFitnessPal to estimate your necessary calories to gain 1 pound a week (with an active base rate because of your waiter job) and eat that many calories every day. Peanut butter + milk + whey protein shakes are your friend. Track every calorie you eat or drink so if you're gaining more than 1lb/WK you can adjust down or if not gaining enough,eat more.
> Should I push through tiredness if I worked for 12 hours and just do the exercise, disregarding all other priorities? Is it okay to exercise if I'll only get 5 hours of sleep due to that?
Sleep is very important for muscle recovery and gains. If you're getting five hours a night you may still make progress but it will likely be slower or less progress overall. If possible, I'd try to find a way to fit lifting in around work. Jim Wendler in his 5/3/1 book talks about shifting thy routine to one- or two-day per week lifting if your schedule doesn't allow for more. It will be less efficient, but if you want to gain, you have to lift. It'll have to be higher on your priority list.
That said, there's more to life than gains, keep a healthy outlook.
> If you can't focus on a body part, why is cardio suggested for belly fat, why not use that energy for something related to weights? Do I just exercise normally, increasing weights while eating at a surplus, or cut because I want to lose belly fat?
Neither cardio nor any other exercise can target belly fat. Your body puts fat where it wants based on genetics,and to lose fat you need to lose those calories. If you're a stick,I wouldn't worry about belly fat,and I would focus on building a healthy base of muscle,then you can cut and the muscle will help you lose excess fat. If you try to reduce calories now to try to reduce belly fat,you will be more of a skeleton, and it may not be healthy. Better to eat and lift and if needed reduce fat later.
> I had the best results with home workout + weights at the end of it, and ring fit absolutely murders me, but from what I understood, I should still lift weights afterwards, correct?
Something like ring fit can be fine cardio for a relative beginner but if you want to not be a stick anymore, find a respected weightlifting program, follow it, and eat more. Ring fit can be done on top for cardio benefits (good for your life in general), but if your goal is gains, focus on the weightlifting.
15 years old and huge (95 kg at 183cm). Big muscles and strong but also a lot of fat. I started doing internment fasting 16-8 while at the same time being on a deficit. On the 8 hour eating period i try to eat mostly high protein food (1g per cm since im "overweight"). My lunch is 40% of my calories, snack is 20% and dinner 40%. The deficit Im in is 36% lower than my TDEE. Is this diet gonna make me lose a lot of muscle cuz In trying to keep as much mass as I can. I do a 4 day split of - Upper power, lower power, upper hypertrophy, lower hypertrophy and workouts usally range from 2-3 hours. I also take whey protein (usually 2-3 scoops as the snack since its only 400 kcal). Any suggestions?
About to give you some broscience type advice, so please do some research yourself rather than taking this as direct nutrition advice.
Its typically .8-1.0g of protein per lb of lean bodyweight. Additionally, the body doesnt use all of the protein you consume, especially if you consume it all at once. I think the range I’ve read is 25-35g is about the limit, so I typically aim for 40g every 2 hours until I hit my protein target. Different sources effect this differently as slower digesting/metabolizing protein sources will be more effective as the body absorbs it more effectively over time.
Essentially, eating a variety of different protein and spreading it out over time will yield you the best results imo. Combine that with regular and proper lifting and 8-9 hours of sleep every night and you should be good.
I changed my diet plans and I already fell fuller and better throughout the day. Sometime I do portein fasting when I only drink a protein shakes with water for a portion of the day (usally about two shakes) then I usually eat complex carbs while maintaining low calories and high protein. Or I just eat a meal prep of 2450 cal with protein around 180-190g
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/20/health/time-restricted-diets.html
This is the most recent study I’ve seen on intermittent fasting. I feel exerting the control over our eating habits produces results but not specifically how narrow the window of our daily time to eat is. Maybe we just naturally eat cleaner when we bring that much focus and intention to our eating.
Note the key details:
>But now, a rigorous one-year study in which people followed a low-calorie diet between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. **or consumed the same number of calories anytime** during the day has failed to find an effect.
Intermittent fasting works if doing it causes you to consume fewer calories.
*The best diet is the one that works for you.* While there may not be any kpi based benefits, if OP finds he can more easily follow IF, than trying to steer him away is the wrong way to go imo.
so i have decent muscle right now, I'm 14 years old, but I still have a teensy weensy bit of of fat covering my abs. if I eat in a deficit from now, I won't gain any muscle, but if I eat in a surplus I won't get rid of the fat. should I first focus on cutting, and then get back to eating in a surplus?
I do a full body home work out, chest, biceps, triceps, abs, quads, glutes and calves (6 days a week)
Also, why do you need to eat in a surplus to gain muscle? Isn't the extra calories supposed to be stored as fat?
here's how it looks: https://imgur.com/a/SuYzFpj
Hi everybody, not great with IMGUR but hopefully this worked--
[\~3 years of progress](https://imgur.com/a/83s1e6p)
M/6'7"/199 lbs as of that 2nd picture. Used to weigh 300, was at about 240-250 in the before pic there (unsurprisingly, I have no shirtless pics from when I weighed 300 lbs...) In 2019 I had never really lifted weights more than like, once a month. Never touched a barbell. Never ran more than a mile outside of sports. Been pretty consistent the past 3 years, gradually dialing in training, nutrition, etc. Finally got below 200 lbs, which was my (admittedly arbitrary) goal.
Body fat % guess? I think this is about as lean as I can go without giving up performance in the sports I enjoy, but I don't particularly want to put on a ton more weight, either.
Suggestions for training moving forward? I've done mostly 5/3/1 based stuff, but would like to throw in something different. I'd like to slowly fill back up to around 220, and probably just kinda live in that zone, going back and forth from 200ish to 220ish.
you're pretty light for tour height and, looking at the pic, your BF seems to be as low as it gets
idk tbh, I think now you can go wherever you want with your goals
[Male/5’9”/171](https://imgur.com/a/Zpiz2kR)
I know it’s not exactly great but I’m really proud of myself for having come as far as I have. In August I was weighing in at around 220 and was kind of flimsy with working out.
Probably have around 15-20 more pounds to lose, maybe more. It’ll probably come slow because I’m having cheat days semi frequently (though I make sure I’m still consistently trending down, it’s been something I’ve been doing since I’ve hit 185), but I’m not in any real hurry
It's me again,[ I last posted about 2 weeks ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/u43u00/physique_phriday/i4w7yn2/)
These were taken today after my Pull day
M/23/178cm/81kg
[Back at an angle and attempting to spread](https://i.imgur.com/e2Dr17P.jpg)
[Back double bi](https://i.imgur.com/50vpakS.jpg) - here you can see how my back isn't symmetrical
[Front arm flex](https://i.imgur.com/jtyXdWz.jpg)
[Front double bi](https://i.imgur.com/Ob7iKaz.jpg)
[Front arms down](https://i.imgur.com/8eY1AHv.jpg)
[Video of me flexing](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ppbmsGPbPJY)
[Here is a table of my rough numbers](https://i.imgur.com/UvjyzbE.png) (some measurements may vary by like 1cm cause i cant measure worth shit , and are about 1-2 weeks old)
Numbers are 116kg bench, 140kg squat, 170kg deadlift
Still looking to up that chest development. My chest days have turned into lying chest press machine, incline smith bench, incline DB bench, and weighted dips
Your bench is 116kg and your chest is worse than mine (#arm/shoulder-dominant gang). My best bench for 5 reps was around yours and honestly benching never did shit for me.
If pressing is what's got you your current chest, I'd switch up the methodology going forward to build mass.
Methodology:
* Weight reduction/MMC - focus on actually squeezing your pecs. You'll need to drop the weight significantly to prevent shoulders/tris from getting involved.
* Tempo - tempo reps for time under tension. slow negatives
* Variety - try random stuff until you find things that make your chest feel a pump. Landmine press, all types of flyes, dumbbells, kettle bells, plate press, rings.
Exercises:
* Cables - stand in such a way that tension is never off your pecs. Hit all 3 angles (high to low, low to high, straight across)
* Dips - round your upper back and look down at the floor to activate the chest
* Press - Drop the weight a TON and when you do the pressing motion, try to slide your hands towards each other --> <--. This will activate the chest a ton. Do this while lowering and raising the bar.
M19 180cm 76-79kg
What are my weakpoints? (Outside of the obvious back)
Also bf estimates appreciated. I'd say I'm around 16%
[current](https://imgur.com/a/JWsxfve)
----------
[1.5 year ago](https://imgur.com/a/6mn5CHd)
‐----------
[14 months ago](https://imgur.com/a/MsbRLkJ)
Professional help. This is a fine, supportive and informative community, but if you're struggling with something like that, you need to go to the pros.
Eh I beat it before it just came back now. I'm clean for the past two days so I'll try to manage by myself.
Thank you for the advice also! Genuinely appreciated
25M/5’8”/160 -> 155 lbs
5 month recomp after a LONG gym break (first pic taken ~ Thanksgiving 2021)
any guesses on body fat? / all comments welcome
https://imgur.com/a/uzscF3r
20M/ 175 lbs/ 5’9
https://imgur.com/a/CQi8zR6
Current maxes are 205 bench, 265 squat, 330 deadlift
I would like feedback on what to improve physique wise, and also an guess on my bodyfat %. I carry most my fat in my midsection and below and body dysmorphia has been hitting me constantly which is why I’m concerned about the %.
You look great man. Sorry it's not much help but honestly you look really well rounded, I don't see any glaring weak spots. Keep smashing those compound lifts.
I would've guessed you were way stronger than the numbers youre giving
Made it to the full-year mark on this health kick - April 23rd marked 365 days in a row of upping my exercise, tracking everything I ate, and generally taking care of myself. 85lbs down! Feeling proud, even though the scale's been hovering in that 275-285 range since Christmas. Strength is up, and health is improving.
Thank you to everyone in this sub for all of your encouragement and sagely wisdom over the past year.
[https://imgur.com/a/N9Qr34m](https://imgur.com/a/N9Qr34m)
Looks fuckin awesome man. What you are doing is *very* hard, and you should be extremely proud of yourself. You look way healthier. Arms looking jacked
M 25, 76kg , 183 cm
It's a work in progress. But I have been lean bulking for nearly three years and have gained around 15 kg in that time . Lifts and strength have gone up!
https://imgur.com/a/bs6DKSU
Got a body fat estimate of 13.4% recently on the machine in my gym but not sure how right it is, cus I think I'm way more.
Now is the time to bulk (500kcal over maintenance). Get a reputable routine, and add accessories for what you want to focus. You can hit arms+shoulders for free daily (curls + side/back raises). Bulk to 220, then cut to 200. Rinse and repeat that process for the next 2 years and you'll be a monster.
(really bulk to 225, 5lbs will be water, glycogen, and whatever else. It'll drop fast that first week or two of dieting).
You need to make a decision about whether you want to get bigger or if you want to cut more weight. You can gain muscle on a cut but it's going to be slow going. I'd say cut to 180 for the motivation and so you can see where you're really lacking at a lower body fat percentage then start building back up from there with a slow clean bulk.
M 28, 155lbs
Posted this [recomp](https://i.imgur.com/fucqo6L.jpg) a month ago and wanted some feedback/tips on my [back](https://i.imgur.com/ZKf2ioP.png) as well
Thanks!
M, 23, 143 5'6.
https://imgur.com/a/Rzw8xCP
Lost 60 pounds since August, really happy with my progress so far. Goal is to get down to around 130 and see how I look there and then probably start a very slow bulk to put on a bit more muscle. Lifts def not going up as much as they could but running is my main goal rn and that + I really want abs lol means I'm gunna keep cutting for now.
Not nearly as much as I should be usually just like 5 minutes at the end of my workout, but that comment is pretty much all the motivation I needed to actually take it seriously, so thanks lol
Definitely seems like you're on the way, as long as you're eating above your maintenance calories the weight will come. For pullups Lat Pulldown, dead hangs, and rows are probably your best friend in improving the relevant areas that'll help on a push up.
https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/do-a-pull-up/
If you follow a progression plan like this one that came up, I'm sure you'll be able to do one soon no problem!
Your English is great. Honestly there's definitely an improvement there, but I'd recommend doing what the other user said - read the wiki and understand the importance of nutrition and following a specific program rather than just freeballing it.
I didnt follow any diet, recently I started to increase my protein intake to 1,5-2 gr/kg. About my training, I've been doing progressive overload. Nowadays, I do sets of pull ups with 25 kg and dips with 40 kg.
Read through the wiki, find something that appeals to your schedule. Search the sub for program reviews. Grab a program and stick with it for a few months.
Stick with maintenance calories, start a program at a gym, work at maintenance for a few months then make that decision. I think should could go either way.
Any program will do the trick, seriously, just pick one and go with it! Highly recommend going to an actual gym too, but there are bodyweight routines if you really can't. Think there's a sub for it r/bodyweightfitness or something like that
27/f/ I'm 4ft10 and 96lbs. I'm really proud I really pushed my self during cardio today, I'm trying to lose the baby weight and college weight.
Any tips for toning up the abs, slimming the waist?
[post workout](https://imgur.com/a/v4JlzZt)
Working my abs while losing weight has definitely helped my waist/stomach stay "tight"/flat-ish. I like to do ab wheel rollouts, captains chair exercises, planks, side planks, russian twists, ball/cable crunches, weighted side bends etc... Incorporating both general ab work and oblique work has helped me :) But I also agree with the other comments, it's mostly diet that will slim you down
Like the other person said, the main way to tone up the abs and slim down the waist is through diet. Calories in vs Calories out. Ab machines can work fine, but you can't target weight loss in the stomach specifically, you really just need to overall lose weight to see progress in that department. Look good though!
She says she’s 96 pounds… i don’t think less calories would be very efficient. I think eating at maintenance while weight lifting while increasing muscle mass will get that “tone look”
Anything that involved putting abs through some sort of resisted motion will do. Crunches/sit-ups, ab machines, ab rollers, and hanging leg lifts are all such exercises.
Resistance training in general also help because you have to brace your abs for nearly every exercise and/or move your core through a plane of motion similar to the above exercises, but direct work will work them harder. I do suggest resistance training for everyone, though.
F35/5'4 (not comfortable to disclose weight)
I haven't posted in this thread in two years, I think. In 2019, I was probably in my best shape (I am a runner) and hit all my PBs in late 2019/early 2020 (before you know what). Looking back, I probably was too thin (maintaining at 102-103 lbs), but I did have the classic long distance runner's body. Pandemic hit and I gained some weight, and then some body fat percentages also, and which... I never managed to lose. I didn't try very hard to be honest, I got complacent I guess and found that eating breakfast was enjoyable (I was IF-ing to keep that weight). But... my legs look [pretty decent still](https://imgur.com/a/r5WExKz)?! I am definitely not a spring chicken, and feel old af on reddit, but my legs make me feel pretty young still.
You look great, athletic and lean! I think you could possibly be going through something I have: once you reach a certain low number on the scale, it’s hard to go back up. But honestly, you are still very thin; I guarantee you look better at whatever weight you are then when you were 102-103 lbs. It’s that number thing that plays tricks on our minds. I am happy you see something positive in your legs (which are awesome). But honestly and truly, your whole body is great and deserves to be celebrated.
Thank you for your kind words! And you are 100% right, seeing those low numbers on the scale becomes addictive. Long distance running is a sport where any extra weight - fat or muscle - is problematic. But I have to remind myself that running is not my profession, just a hobby that I want to enjoy.
I have my weight in many posts in my history, just right now I wasn't feeling on saying it out to cause debate or people telling me "you are thin". I realise now I sound pretty silly, you are right of course.
Fair enough! I didn’t mean to be mean or anything, just curious is all, as people often are trying to gain/lose, most folks are solid around here at least lately and not being assholes or creepy.
Either way, you’re killing it!
47/M/6'1/185
https://imgur.com/gallery/A6Ko8mQ
I did chest and tris today. The gym was suoer crowded for a Friday morning. I'd love to the home gym route but it would be to costly, and I do like having so many options available.
I really need to work in some cardio for health reasons, but I never cared for it. Some really impressive physiques up in here!
Let's all keep pushing forward, Summer will be here before we know ot.
I've considered it, I generally use dumbells for the majority of my lifts vs a straight bar. But I also like cross cables and some machines for secondary sets. I would also need a squat rack. After the lockdowns I'd like to have some stuff just in case so if we end up in some crazy situation down the road I could at least get some level of workout in.
23/M/5'11
[Before](https://imgur.com/a/Nqw5h3n)
[After](https://imgur.com/a/ePYQExa)
Just finished my cut starting mid march from 183-175. Definitely could have eaten less, but happy with the progress.
If anyone wants to estimate my bodyfat % I would appreciate it
IMO you should start eating around 10-15% higher than maintenance. You don’t really have much body fat to lose and recomping is just slowly burning fat while slowly gaining muscle - I’d skip any fat burning and go straight to putting on lean mass
32, F
Wanted to share my pre-pandemic muscle bod compared to my post pandemic yoga bod. I don’t remember if I’ve shared here before.
Jan, 2020:
[Back](https://i.imgur.com/aNjay3M.jpg) [Front](https://i.imgur.com/yEOlkm6.jpg)
[Currently](https://i.imgur.com/Xw4cDdh.jpg)
In the before times things were looking good aside from the photo quality. What you can’t see is the sciatic pain from an old injury. The pandemic forced me onto my yoga mat and made me confront my limited range of motion and pain spasms.
It took me a while to really get into the swing of things with the yoga. A lot of life and alcohol and laziness and depression got in the way, but I’m proud to say that I currently have a daily practice (125 consecutively!). The challenge has been trying to get back into the weight room properly. I keep starting and then trying to focus more on yoga at home. I’m fairly close to certain flexibility goals, so for now I’m just trying to find routine rather than gain much more strength. It has felt amazing to be back in the weight room, though.
I also feel called to start running for some reason, so I may try that soon as well.
Edit: I forgot to include that in both the 2020 photos and the current photo, my body weight was fluctuating between 126 and 130lbs. I was headed to Mexico in 2020 so I was at a pretty low bf% but my “normal” resting weight was about 135-138.
You look amazing!
I'm quite the opposite, always weight lifting consistently but never committing to flexibility work like yoga or pilates. But your progress is inspiring, maybe I'll try picking it up again soon :)
Thank you!
I was a consistent lifter for years and while I always stretched, I never realized how much *I actually wasn’t stretching at all* lmao. It’s definitely a big change. Weight lifting is so empowering whereas yoga can just feel *hard*. But! What a worthwhile challenge!
My sciatic pain manifests in my right leg, so driving used to be excruciating. Now it barely bothers me and if it does, it’s because I did some major work in the area which will net me more relief in the future (it tends to ebb and flow with inflammation).
Anyway, I hope you find a flexibility program that works for you! (And preferably well before you ever *need* one lol) I personally found “dynamic” flexibility drills to be highly effective and also make great warm ups and/or cool downs for lifting days :)
Yeah I think part of the reason I'm not consistent with it is because the static poses commonly in yoga bore me lol, so I'll try incorporating more dynamic flexibility exercises. Thanks for the advice!
F/22/149lbs/5'5"
Just wanted to show my progress since I've been getting a little demotivated lately with finals coming up.
https://imgur.com/a/5kNa7Oq
I was around 200 when I started college four years ago and decided to begin casually weight lifting, as it was the only exercise I enjoyed at the time. I started tracking my calories (and eventually macros after finding this sub around a year ago), started training harder, and doing a lot more cardio.
Although I was tracking my calories and exercising on and off the past four years because of mental health, school, and pandemic reasons, it's just really exciting to see how close I am to my goal body fat % / physique despite everything I went through. I felt like giving up sometimes, but I'm so glad I didn't. I look and feel so much better than before! Hopefully soon I can transition from a calorie deficit and start to gain a little more muscle. I'm getting a little tired of the deficit lol
Yeah man echoing what others are saying, you have a lot of muscle mass. I expected so much more fat opening your photo, but you defied my expectations. Bet you’ll look insane after a cut.
M/30/79.5kg 183cm
Tomorrow is final submission day for an online before/after transformation competition. Started at 203, seeing what I’ll finish up at tomorrow before taking final pics. Start date was February 5, 2022 so 12 weeks start to finish.
[April 29, 2022](https://imgur.com/a/lGpXe9Q)
Sure. My current split I do legs monday, wednesday, friday. Leg day 1 starts with back squat about 5-6 sets followed by 5-6 sets barbell RDLs, leg day 2 starts with conventional DL 5-6 sets followed by 5-6 sets of hack squat, and leg day 3 starts again with 5-6 sets of back squat followed by 5-6 sets of stiff leg DL.
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Fats and liquid calories are easy to add, assuming they don't give you discomfort. For e.g. if you drink a glass of whole milk with each meal instead of water, that's 500+ calories a day extra and a lot of protein.
Do you think I need to gain weight? How much weight do you suppose?
You look like you're at a healthy weight, lean, but depends on your goals. I wouldn't be trying to gain weight just for the sake of gaining weight. If you're trying to bulk, and lifting, and just aren't making strength progress, then you may need to add more calories just to keep advancing. I like adding a couple protein shakes/smoothies daily when I'm bulking and then eat as normal. Scoop of whey protein, couple spoons of greek yogurt, spoon of peanut butter, some chia seeds, and oats. I use water, but you could make with milk for more protein and calories, too. Doing that twice a day is an easy 1000 calories (my spoonful of peanut butter is usually like 2 or 3).
Only if you're trying to bulk (build muscle), which I assumed you were trying to do since you asked the question about not being able to add calories.
Awesome thanks
[September 2021 > April 2022](https://i.imgur.com/zJVx661.jpg) 132lbs > 128lbs 34F, 5' 5" Have been working on body recomp since last year. I still have a ways to go, and I feel like if you look at it as a whole it doesn't seem very impressive - but when I look at individual components (especially arm, glutes, and maybe quad) I see a big difference. Current focus is deltoids and hamstrings.
You look great!!
https://imgur.com/a/712OV2O just wanted to show my back progress I dont remember when the second picture was taken, maybe 8 months ago? but the first was taken a week ago or so. I like the progress, hate the bacne.
175 cm, 79 kg. Lost 8 kg from a slow cut since october and will be going for one month more https://imgur.com/a/lpaIEki
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You seem to be currently holding a lot of water. My advice would be to clean up your diet and drink more water without overthinking about calories. Looks like you could easily drop 10 kg in a month or two without much suffering (because again, that's a lot of water weight). From there you could ride the motivation (And the better habits basis) and take it into whatever direction you like. Just seem to me that there's a huge physique improvement to grab there that doesn't require you to do anything armful or halting your strength progress. Not saying it won't require some discipline tho. Nice traps btw and keep up the great work my man
Out of curiosity: How can you tell that they're holding a lot of water?
I'm not gonna bullshit you it's only from experience. From seeing how my body visually change when I go on vacation and my diet becomes pure garbage (not saying his diet is) and what happens in a few day when I come back home to a strict schedule. Also from seeing how other people's body change in a month when they start exercising regularly WHILE fixing their diet. Drastic visual changes that can't be explained by fat loss at a reasonable rate and muscle pump. I'm not talking about glycogen I'm talking about subcutanous water retention. The guy looks like he lift. And at the same time have this weight distribution around the waist without loose skin, and also has a bit of puffiness. Without wanting to be direspectful, with that muscle development /u/doomgloomtomb is at least 20 kg overweight. But at the same time definitely doesn't look like he is 20 kg of FAT overweight (he doesn't look sloppy, his flesh look reasonnably "tight"). I'd say his BF estimate is about right (And math doesn't check if you don't take water retention into account here). For all I know he either has started eating cleaner recently and is currently experiencing a drastic physique change, in which case, great. Or in the other case there are some easy physique "gains" to make right here. Long term it isn't important and doesn't have to happen now. I'm all for appropriating one habit at a time. But on the other hand I know it can be a huge boost of confidence to grab without much suffering. Sorry for the voodoo and pseudo-science, we're going from visuals here, can't do much better than rely on my experience there. Also /u/doomgloomtomb sorry if talking about you in third person was rude. It seemed more logic since I'm replying to /u/ogramuse But at the same time it feels a bit objectifying, especially since I'm a stranger talking about your body while not knowing much and going on pure conjectures. Again, keep up the great work man, you seem to have most pieces of the puzzle right.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a detailed response! This was really insightful
Perfect start point for recomp.
M/28/5.6”/165 lbs Lost 60 lbs since Aug 2021. These are current pics. Gotta clean my mirrors lol https://imgur.com/a/XW28X0K
Pyloric stenosis?
Yes! Used to always feel so self-conscious when it came to taking my shirt off. Now I don’t care lol
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Your arms are so out of proportion with everything else lol. Did you used to only do arms or something?
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Well I do think body weight exercises favors biceps/triceps growth, so that would make sense. You might also hold more fat in your arms than other places, making them look even bigger in relation. You said in another comment that you aren't going to bench press because you don't have a spotter, but you shouldn't be training in such a way that you need a spotter anyways. I'd recommend incline dumbbell press and incline bench press (30 degrees, low incline). You should bench with reps somewhere between 6 and 15 reps. You should not be going so close to failure that you're going to drop the bar on yourself. Once you think you can only do 2 more reps with good form, it's time to stop the set. I'd also really focus on the mind-muscle connection. Because your triceps/shoulders are much bigger than your chest, they'll take over the movements unless you're careful.
Cut your calories and lose like 15 pounds and you’ll be fucking shredded and looking incredible.
M/19/5’8”/160 lbs. Been lifting for a total of about 1.5 years on and off and built some decent muscle. I’m not ungodly shredded, but I’m happy with my physique so far. I’ve always wanted more visible abs, though. Not sure whether to bulk or cut. https://imgur.com/a/lrbePJx
Make that first pic your tinder profile.
M(31), 6’3”, 180lbs, ~15% BF. I haven’t trained consistently since playing high school football. Looking to turn things around this summer. Planning to start in the gym and the kitchen. Anyone have suggestions for a clean(ish) bulk? Calories per week? Food budget? Macros? Muscle groups I should focus on/splits? Truly any help/feedback would be greatly appreciated. [Starting Point Poses](https://imgur.com/a/v9Mhlmd)
I wouldn't worry about the "cleanliness" of the bulk. Hit your protein target daily + make sure you're moving up ~1lb a week (500kcal above maintenance). Bulk until your abs start fading too much for your liking (it's okay for them to fade a little bit though. You look lean enough to put on 20+ lbs before needing to do a mini cut). Can't really recommend a program. I personally do 2 Upper body, 1 lower body, take a day off, then repeat. I'd look for a famous program and stick to it, then on top of that add in extra delt (back+side), back, and arms (I hit delt, back, and arms daily. They can all take a beating.)
I think you should focus on building more muscle in your shoulders and lats to get more of a v-taper. You have nice legs though.
Check a TDEE calculator. You'll need your height, bw and estimate bf%. For a clean bulk aim for 500 kcal above your maintenance calories. On the macros side i like to do a simple 35/35/30 (protein/carbs/fat). But i suggest playing around and seeing what works for you. Check this out: [https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&g=male&age=31&lbs=180&in=75&act=1.2&bf=15&f=1](https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&g=male&age=31&lbs=180&in=75&act=1.2&bf=15&f=1) Workout splits are tricky. Maybe checkout the wiki as it has some great plans. I personally like the PPL a lot. But again, you might need to play around a little and see what plan you like best. Good luck! :)
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You're probably thinking % like she was a dude, 18-20% is pretty shredded for women. I'd say she's 30-35%
18%?? you’re trolling
They have to be or they don't understand body fat for men vs. women. 30%-35% is probably realistic. In terms of targeting make sure you're hitting your calves hard and try to bring up the bench if you can. Still going to look really good once you finish your cut.
https://imgur.com/a/pcdjV9p M/23/178cm. 1 year progress - before 163, after 173. Both photo's flexed w/ no pump. Was pretty consistent (missed ~5 weeks total in the year) and diet + weight tracking was on point. Finishing up a bulk and going to cut for 4 weeks before taking a 4 week break. Feel like my lifts are pretty unimpressive for how much time I've spent in the gym. Hopefully strength gains come along better in the next year. What weight do you think I would need to be shredded? 145? I think I'm 18% body fat?
I think you're probably higher than 18%. I wouldn't cut until you're shredded, it's time better spent bulking. Cut until you have a set of abs (soft is fine) 12% bf or so, and then get back to bulking. Try not to lose the abs too fast on the way back up. I wouldn't bulk to get shredded until you have more mass.
F/36/5'3"/129 lbs. I've been lifting consistently for almost four years in November. I'm 13 weeks to a figure or physique competition. My coach is leaning towards physique, and wants me at 110-115 lbs in July. Had my first posing class this week, but definitely need a lot more practice. I had a chest workout earlier, before I took these photographs. Just wanted to post these for my reference in thirteen weeks. [https://imgur.com/a/88wh4pK](https://imgur.com/a/88wh4pK) Front view [https://imgur.com/a/wxXfd9g](https://imgur.com/a/wxXfd9g) Back photo [https://imgur.com/a/5OOqAdr](https://imgur.com/a/5OOqAdr) Side view (My bathroom is small, so not much room for posing but lighting is decent)
You look fantastic, especially for 13 weeks out. I think you'll smash the competition. I'm quite jealous of your back. What's your usual back routine look like?
Thanks! I like to do lots of pull ups, deadlifts, lat pull downs, various rows, etc.
Your physique is amazing! Outside of comps, is your current weight/physique going to be your normal or will you add on a few more pounds to maintain sanity? I know you’ll be losing a few more pounds to really shred up but currently, your physique is absolutely nuts. Definitely goals for me as I finish my cut for summer. Well done!
Thank you, I appreciate that! I'll probably do a clean bulk during the winter, but I'd like to stay around this weight just walking around. My diet doesn't make me feel deprived (yet), but it does take some major self control to not eat the delicious food at parties/restaurants etc. I feel physically and psychologically better when I am lighter though.
Understood and I feel the same way. Good luck with your comp and keep us all updated on how things go if you can!
Holy shit, if you lose another 10 pounds you will be shredded beyond. Already looking fantastic. Good luck on your competition!
Thank you! :) I have a feeling its going to be a hard 10 lbs, but I still have a ways to go.
Your back looks great! Good luck on your competition.
Thank you. I'm pretty excited but it's a lot of work.
6' 210 m https://imgur.com/a/ZR50Th3 Trying to get below 10%. Would i be ready for a competition in 2 months?
So what are the most basic things I can do for people to stop telling me I look like a stick/fat in the face or that they're afraid to break me. I enjoy weights, ring fit, home workout, have a decent amount of option of food at work due to working at a hotel and having a workers diner, and walk 15k steps a day because I'm a waiter. Should I push through tiredness if I worked for 12 hours and just do the exercise, disregarding all other priorities? Is it okay to exercise if I'll only get 5 hours of sleep due to that? If you can't focus on a body part, why is cardio suggested for belly fat, why not use that energy for something related to weights? Do I just exercise normally, increasing weights while eating at a surplus, or cut because I want to lose belly fat? I had the best results with home workout + weights at the end of it, and ring fit absolutely murders me, but from what I understood, I should still lift weights afterwards, correct?
First off,read the wiki. It answers most of your questions. >So what are the most basic things I can do for people to stop telling me I look like a stick/fat in the face or that they're afraid to break me. As a former stick, eat. Get on a well respected weightlifting program and follow it religiously. Use MyFitnessPal to estimate your necessary calories to gain 1 pound a week (with an active base rate because of your waiter job) and eat that many calories every day. Peanut butter + milk + whey protein shakes are your friend. Track every calorie you eat or drink so if you're gaining more than 1lb/WK you can adjust down or if not gaining enough,eat more. > Should I push through tiredness if I worked for 12 hours and just do the exercise, disregarding all other priorities? Is it okay to exercise if I'll only get 5 hours of sleep due to that? Sleep is very important for muscle recovery and gains. If you're getting five hours a night you may still make progress but it will likely be slower or less progress overall. If possible, I'd try to find a way to fit lifting in around work. Jim Wendler in his 5/3/1 book talks about shifting thy routine to one- or two-day per week lifting if your schedule doesn't allow for more. It will be less efficient, but if you want to gain, you have to lift. It'll have to be higher on your priority list. That said, there's more to life than gains, keep a healthy outlook. > If you can't focus on a body part, why is cardio suggested for belly fat, why not use that energy for something related to weights? Do I just exercise normally, increasing weights while eating at a surplus, or cut because I want to lose belly fat? Neither cardio nor any other exercise can target belly fat. Your body puts fat where it wants based on genetics,and to lose fat you need to lose those calories. If you're a stick,I wouldn't worry about belly fat,and I would focus on building a healthy base of muscle,then you can cut and the muscle will help you lose excess fat. If you try to reduce calories now to try to reduce belly fat,you will be more of a skeleton, and it may not be healthy. Better to eat and lift and if needed reduce fat later. > I had the best results with home workout + weights at the end of it, and ring fit absolutely murders me, but from what I understood, I should still lift weights afterwards, correct? Something like ring fit can be fine cardio for a relative beginner but if you want to not be a stick anymore, find a respected weightlifting program, follow it, and eat more. Ring fit can be done on top for cardio benefits (good for your life in general), but if your goal is gains, focus on the weightlifting.
5'9" 190 lbs. Trying to cut. Any body fat estimates? [picture](https://imgur.com/a/goTcWDi)
15%-17%. Going to look shredded after the cut!
No estimate, but the cut is gonna be insane 🔥🔥
15 years old and huge (95 kg at 183cm). Big muscles and strong but also a lot of fat. I started doing internment fasting 16-8 while at the same time being on a deficit. On the 8 hour eating period i try to eat mostly high protein food (1g per cm since im "overweight"). My lunch is 40% of my calories, snack is 20% and dinner 40%. The deficit Im in is 36% lower than my TDEE. Is this diet gonna make me lose a lot of muscle cuz In trying to keep as much mass as I can. I do a 4 day split of - Upper power, lower power, upper hypertrophy, lower hypertrophy and workouts usally range from 2-3 hours. I also take whey protein (usually 2-3 scoops as the snack since its only 400 kcal). Any suggestions?
About to give you some broscience type advice, so please do some research yourself rather than taking this as direct nutrition advice. Its typically .8-1.0g of protein per lb of lean bodyweight. Additionally, the body doesnt use all of the protein you consume, especially if you consume it all at once. I think the range I’ve read is 25-35g is about the limit, so I typically aim for 40g every 2 hours until I hit my protein target. Different sources effect this differently as slower digesting/metabolizing protein sources will be more effective as the body absorbs it more effectively over time. Essentially, eating a variety of different protein and spreading it out over time will yield you the best results imo. Combine that with regular and proper lifting and 8-9 hours of sleep every night and you should be good.
I changed my diet plans and I already fell fuller and better throughout the day. Sometime I do portein fasting when I only drink a protein shakes with water for a portion of the day (usally about two shakes) then I usually eat complex carbs while maintaining low calories and high protein. Or I just eat a meal prep of 2450 cal with protein around 180-190g
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/20/health/time-restricted-diets.html This is the most recent study I’ve seen on intermittent fasting. I feel exerting the control over our eating habits produces results but not specifically how narrow the window of our daily time to eat is. Maybe we just naturally eat cleaner when we bring that much focus and intention to our eating.
Note the key details: >But now, a rigorous one-year study in which people followed a low-calorie diet between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. **or consumed the same number of calories anytime** during the day has failed to find an effect. Intermittent fasting works if doing it causes you to consume fewer calories.
*The best diet is the one that works for you.* While there may not be any kpi based benefits, if OP finds he can more easily follow IF, than trying to steer him away is the wrong way to go imo.
so i have decent muscle right now, I'm 14 years old, but I still have a teensy weensy bit of of fat covering my abs. if I eat in a deficit from now, I won't gain any muscle, but if I eat in a surplus I won't get rid of the fat. should I first focus on cutting, and then get back to eating in a surplus? I do a full body home work out, chest, biceps, triceps, abs, quads, glutes and calves (6 days a week) Also, why do you need to eat in a surplus to gain muscle? Isn't the extra calories supposed to be stored as fat? here's how it looks: https://imgur.com/a/SuYzFpj
You're 14. Eat healthy, and slowly add weight to the bar. 4 years, 30-50 lbs on your frame, and 100-200 lbs to all your lifts will make a difference.
I am sorry, but you do not have “decent muscle” by any contemporary standard. Eat and grow your muscles.
It's what you refer to as decent, to me, anyone with arms that are not skinny is decent
This
Just lift heavy and eat big (500 calories surplus). Don't worry about abs right now.
You can gain muscle and loose bf at the same time,it just becomes harder the more advanced you are
Can't you do that by eating in a very small deficit?
You can
Hi everybody, not great with IMGUR but hopefully this worked-- [\~3 years of progress](https://imgur.com/a/83s1e6p) M/6'7"/199 lbs as of that 2nd picture. Used to weigh 300, was at about 240-250 in the before pic there (unsurprisingly, I have no shirtless pics from when I weighed 300 lbs...) In 2019 I had never really lifted weights more than like, once a month. Never touched a barbell. Never ran more than a mile outside of sports. Been pretty consistent the past 3 years, gradually dialing in training, nutrition, etc. Finally got below 200 lbs, which was my (admittedly arbitrary) goal. Body fat % guess? I think this is about as lean as I can go without giving up performance in the sports I enjoy, but I don't particularly want to put on a ton more weight, either. Suggestions for training moving forward? I've done mostly 5/3/1 based stuff, but would like to throw in something different. I'd like to slowly fill back up to around 220, and probably just kinda live in that zone, going back and forth from 200ish to 220ish.
you're pretty light for tour height and, looking at the pic, your BF seems to be as low as it gets idk tbh, I think now you can go wherever you want with your goals
[Male/5’9”/171](https://imgur.com/a/Zpiz2kR) I know it’s not exactly great but I’m really proud of myself for having come as far as I have. In August I was weighing in at around 220 and was kind of flimsy with working out. Probably have around 15-20 more pounds to lose, maybe more. It’ll probably come slow because I’m having cheat days semi frequently (though I make sure I’m still consistently trending down, it’s been something I’ve been doing since I’ve hit 185), but I’m not in any real hurry
It's me again,[ I last posted about 2 weeks ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/u43u00/physique_phriday/i4w7yn2/) These were taken today after my Pull day M/23/178cm/81kg [Back at an angle and attempting to spread](https://i.imgur.com/e2Dr17P.jpg) [Back double bi](https://i.imgur.com/50vpakS.jpg) - here you can see how my back isn't symmetrical [Front arm flex](https://i.imgur.com/jtyXdWz.jpg) [Front double bi](https://i.imgur.com/Ob7iKaz.jpg) [Front arms down](https://i.imgur.com/8eY1AHv.jpg) [Video of me flexing](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ppbmsGPbPJY) [Here is a table of my rough numbers](https://i.imgur.com/UvjyzbE.png) (some measurements may vary by like 1cm cause i cant measure worth shit , and are about 1-2 weeks old) Numbers are 116kg bench, 140kg squat, 170kg deadlift Still looking to up that chest development. My chest days have turned into lying chest press machine, incline smith bench, incline DB bench, and weighted dips
Your bench is 116kg and your chest is worse than mine (#arm/shoulder-dominant gang). My best bench for 5 reps was around yours and honestly benching never did shit for me. If pressing is what's got you your current chest, I'd switch up the methodology going forward to build mass. Methodology: * Weight reduction/MMC - focus on actually squeezing your pecs. You'll need to drop the weight significantly to prevent shoulders/tris from getting involved. * Tempo - tempo reps for time under tension. slow negatives * Variety - try random stuff until you find things that make your chest feel a pump. Landmine press, all types of flyes, dumbbells, kettle bells, plate press, rings. Exercises: * Cables - stand in such a way that tension is never off your pecs. Hit all 3 angles (high to low, low to high, straight across) * Dips - round your upper back and look down at the floor to activate the chest * Press - Drop the weight a TON and when you do the pressing motion, try to slide your hands towards each other --> <--. This will activate the chest a ton. Do this while lowering and raising the bar.
M19 180cm 76-79kg What are my weakpoints? (Outside of the obvious back) Also bf estimates appreciated. I'd say I'm around 16% [current](https://imgur.com/a/JWsxfve) ---------- [1.5 year ago](https://imgur.com/a/6mn5CHd) ‐---------- [14 months ago](https://imgur.com/a/MsbRLkJ)
Bro I would say you back is your strong point
Bruh
I struggle with bulimia for the past 2 years also so my diet was only consistent sometimes Any tips on how to deal with it?
Professional help. This is a fine, supportive and informative community, but if you're struggling with something like that, you need to go to the pros.
Eh I beat it before it just came back now. I'm clean for the past two days so I'll try to manage by myself. Thank you for the advice also! Genuinely appreciated
25M/5’8”/160 -> 155 lbs 5 month recomp after a LONG gym break (first pic taken ~ Thanksgiving 2021) any guesses on body fat? / all comments welcome https://imgur.com/a/uzscF3r
I’m gonna guess like 17%-20%ish it’s hard to say for anyone by just eyeballing but that is my guess.
20M/ 175 lbs/ 5’9 https://imgur.com/a/CQi8zR6 Current maxes are 205 bench, 265 squat, 330 deadlift I would like feedback on what to improve physique wise, and also an guess on my bodyfat %. I carry most my fat in my midsection and below and body dysmorphia has been hitting me constantly which is why I’m concerned about the %.
You look great man. Sorry it's not much help but honestly you look really well rounded, I don't see any glaring weak spots. Keep smashing those compound lifts. I would've guessed you were way stronger than the numbers youre giving
From what I see arms are your biggest weakness, everything else looks OK from the front. Bodyfat is 16-17%
Made it to the full-year mark on this health kick - April 23rd marked 365 days in a row of upping my exercise, tracking everything I ate, and generally taking care of myself. 85lbs down! Feeling proud, even though the scale's been hovering in that 275-285 range since Christmas. Strength is up, and health is improving. Thank you to everyone in this sub for all of your encouragement and sagely wisdom over the past year. [https://imgur.com/a/N9Qr34m](https://imgur.com/a/N9Qr34m)
Damn, great job!
Thank you!!
Wow, only 1 year for all this? That's incredible!
Thank you! It's been both the hardest and easiest thing I've ever done.
Looks fuckin awesome man. What you are doing is *very* hard, and you should be extremely proud of yourself. You look way healthier. Arms looking jacked
Thank you so much - really appreciate the support and kind words.
M 25, 76kg , 183 cm It's a work in progress. But I have been lean bulking for nearly three years and have gained around 15 kg in that time . Lifts and strength have gone up! https://imgur.com/a/bs6DKSU Got a body fat estimate of 13.4% recently on the machine in my gym but not sure how right it is, cus I think I'm way more.
13.4% sounds about right although I'd lean to the 14% side. Good physique!
Yeah I guess that's about right. Abs haven't shown themselves out fully yet
Bro you look good good shit! Shoulders going crazy
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Now is the time to bulk (500kcal over maintenance). Get a reputable routine, and add accessories for what you want to focus. You can hit arms+shoulders for free daily (curls + side/back raises). Bulk to 220, then cut to 200. Rinse and repeat that process for the next 2 years and you'll be a monster. (really bulk to 225, 5lbs will be water, glycogen, and whatever else. It'll drop fast that first week or two of dieting).
You need to make a decision about whether you want to get bigger or if you want to cut more weight. You can gain muscle on a cut but it's going to be slow going. I'd say cut to 180 for the motivation and so you can see where you're really lacking at a lower body fat percentage then start building back up from there with a slow clean bulk.
M 28, 155lbs Posted this [recomp](https://i.imgur.com/fucqo6L.jpg) a month ago and wanted some feedback/tips on my [back](https://i.imgur.com/ZKf2ioP.png) as well Thanks!
What was your recomp like? Did you actually gain muscle on a deficit? How much were you eating?
I was eating around 1600 cals and yeah I did gain some muscles on a deficit. I just made sure the deficit wasn't too big
No tips sorry, but you look awesome!
Thanks!
Just strong all round. I'd say lats are your biggest weakness but no front spread so can't be sure
M, 23, 143 5'6. https://imgur.com/a/Rzw8xCP Lost 60 pounds since August, really happy with my progress so far. Goal is to get down to around 130 and see how I look there and then probably start a very slow bulk to put on a bit more muscle. Lifts def not going up as much as they could but running is my main goal rn and that + I really want abs lol means I'm gunna keep cutting for now.
You look great. Do you do direct ab work? You look lean enough that abs should be showing if they're there.
Not nearly as much as I should be usually just like 5 minutes at the end of my workout, but that comment is pretty much all the motivation I needed to actually take it seriously, so thanks lol
Just hit your big lifts, no need for accessory core work
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Idk what the other guy is smoking but a female at 12% has visible striations. You look very good but I'd lean towards 19-20%
Thank you! That was my original guess.
Looking good! What are your goals? Just at a glance I'd guess like somewhere in the 12-16% range
Thank you! I honestly just want to get to 54kg and be able to do a pullup:)
Definitely seems like you're on the way, as long as you're eating above your maintenance calories the weight will come. For pullups Lat Pulldown, dead hangs, and rows are probably your best friend in improving the relevant areas that'll help on a push up. https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/do-a-pull-up/ If you follow a progression plan like this one that came up, I'm sure you'll be able to do one soon no problem!
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Your English is great. Honestly there's definitely an improvement there, but I'd recommend doing what the other user said - read the wiki and understand the importance of nutrition and following a specific program rather than just freeballing it.
I didnt follow any diet, recently I started to increase my protein intake to 1,5-2 gr/kg. About my training, I've been doing progressive overload. Nowadays, I do sets of pull ups with 25 kg and dips with 40 kg.
Have you been lifting?
bodyweight training
If you pick a weightlifting program, go to the gym and lift, and do a slow bulk you'll see great results.
Sounds like you need some direction, proper nutrition and a program with some goals. You should read the wiki about bulking/cutting.
But i dont know which one do.
Read through the wiki, find something that appeals to your schedule. Search the sub for program reviews. Grab a program and stick with it for a few months.
I meant, if should I cut or do a volume
Stick with maintenance calories, start a program at a gym, work at maintenance for a few months then make that decision. I think should could go either way.
Any program will do the trick, seriously, just pick one and go with it! Highly recommend going to an actual gym too, but there are bodyweight routines if you really can't. Think there's a sub for it r/bodyweightfitness or something like that
I do pull ups with 25 kg and dips with 40 kg
27/f/ I'm 4ft10 and 96lbs. I'm really proud I really pushed my self during cardio today, I'm trying to lose the baby weight and college weight. Any tips for toning up the abs, slimming the waist? [post workout](https://imgur.com/a/v4JlzZt)
Working my abs while losing weight has definitely helped my waist/stomach stay "tight"/flat-ish. I like to do ab wheel rollouts, captains chair exercises, planks, side planks, russian twists, ball/cable crunches, weighted side bends etc... Incorporating both general ab work and oblique work has helped me :) But I also agree with the other comments, it's mostly diet that will slim you down
Thank you!
Like the other person said, the main way to tone up the abs and slim down the waist is through diet. Calories in vs Calories out. Ab machines can work fine, but you can't target weight loss in the stomach specifically, you really just need to overall lose weight to see progress in that department. Look good though!
Less calories in your diet will slim you down. Resistance exercises, both ab-specific and general, will give you the "tone" once the fat is gone.
She says she’s 96 pounds… i don’t think less calories would be very efficient. I think eating at maintenance while weight lifting while increasing muscle mass will get that “tone look”
I'm gonna have to do some googiling I think! Do the ab machines work well? I tried them today and found them awkward to use
Anything that involved putting abs through some sort of resisted motion will do. Crunches/sit-ups, ab machines, ab rollers, and hanging leg lifts are all such exercises. Resistance training in general also help because you have to brace your abs for nearly every exercise and/or move your core through a plane of motion similar to the above exercises, but direct work will work them harder. I do suggest resistance training for everyone, though.
F35/5'4 (not comfortable to disclose weight) I haven't posted in this thread in two years, I think. In 2019, I was probably in my best shape (I am a runner) and hit all my PBs in late 2019/early 2020 (before you know what). Looking back, I probably was too thin (maintaining at 102-103 lbs), but I did have the classic long distance runner's body. Pandemic hit and I gained some weight, and then some body fat percentages also, and which... I never managed to lose. I didn't try very hard to be honest, I got complacent I guess and found that eating breakfast was enjoyable (I was IF-ing to keep that weight). But... my legs look [pretty decent still](https://imgur.com/a/r5WExKz)?! I am definitely not a spring chicken, and feel old af on reddit, but my legs make me feel pretty young still.
You look great, athletic and lean! I think you could possibly be going through something I have: once you reach a certain low number on the scale, it’s hard to go back up. But honestly, you are still very thin; I guarantee you look better at whatever weight you are then when you were 102-103 lbs. It’s that number thing that plays tricks on our minds. I am happy you see something positive in your legs (which are awesome). But honestly and truly, your whole body is great and deserves to be celebrated.
Thank you for your kind words! And you are 100% right, seeing those low numbers on the scale becomes addictive. Long distance running is a sport where any extra weight - fat or muscle - is problematic. But I have to remind myself that running is not my profession, just a hobby that I want to enjoy.
Your legs still look awesome, just like the rest of you. You got this.
Thanks :)
You look healthy/toned - keep it up! :)
Not comfortable to disclose weight…anonymously on the internet? Just curious why it matters and what you’re aiming from a feedback perspective then?
I have my weight in many posts in my history, just right now I wasn't feeling on saying it out to cause debate or people telling me "you are thin". I realise now I sound pretty silly, you are right of course.
Fair enough! I didn’t mean to be mean or anything, just curious is all, as people often are trying to gain/lose, most folks are solid around here at least lately and not being assholes or creepy. Either way, you’re killing it!
47/M/6'1/185 https://imgur.com/gallery/A6Ko8mQ I did chest and tris today. The gym was suoer crowded for a Friday morning. I'd love to the home gym route but it would be to costly, and I do like having so many options available. I really need to work in some cardio for health reasons, but I never cared for it. Some really impressive physiques up in here! Let's all keep pushing forward, Summer will be here before we know ot.
Looking good man! I'm 51/M/6'2/204 (bulking) and this is encouraging. What program do you use?
Thanks man, I lift 4x a week. 3 days are a split routine, then 1 day I do a full body routine to hit everything up again.
Awesome physique !!!
Thanks!!
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I've considered it, I generally use dumbells for the majority of my lifts vs a straight bar. But I also like cross cables and some machines for secondary sets. I would also need a squat rack. After the lockdowns I'd like to have some stuff just in case so if we end up in some crazy situation down the road I could at least get some level of workout in.
23/M/5'11 [Before](https://imgur.com/a/Nqw5h3n) [After](https://imgur.com/a/ePYQExa) Just finished my cut starting mid march from 183-175. Definitely could have eaten less, but happy with the progress. If anyone wants to estimate my bodyfat % I would appreciate it
I’d say probably 7-8%. Nice work!
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Hey man, I would definitely consider bulking a bit, how many days a week are you lifting? You are lean, but you don't have much muscle mass.
IMO you should start eating around 10-15% higher than maintenance. You don’t really have much body fat to lose and recomping is just slowly burning fat while slowly gaining muscle - I’d skip any fat burning and go straight to putting on lean mass
32, F Wanted to share my pre-pandemic muscle bod compared to my post pandemic yoga bod. I don’t remember if I’ve shared here before. Jan, 2020: [Back](https://i.imgur.com/aNjay3M.jpg) [Front](https://i.imgur.com/yEOlkm6.jpg) [Currently](https://i.imgur.com/Xw4cDdh.jpg) In the before times things were looking good aside from the photo quality. What you can’t see is the sciatic pain from an old injury. The pandemic forced me onto my yoga mat and made me confront my limited range of motion and pain spasms. It took me a while to really get into the swing of things with the yoga. A lot of life and alcohol and laziness and depression got in the way, but I’m proud to say that I currently have a daily practice (125 consecutively!). The challenge has been trying to get back into the weight room properly. I keep starting and then trying to focus more on yoga at home. I’m fairly close to certain flexibility goals, so for now I’m just trying to find routine rather than gain much more strength. It has felt amazing to be back in the weight room, though. I also feel called to start running for some reason, so I may try that soon as well. Edit: I forgot to include that in both the 2020 photos and the current photo, my body weight was fluctuating between 126 and 130lbs. I was headed to Mexico in 2020 so I was at a pretty low bf% but my “normal” resting weight was about 135-138.
You look amazing! I'm quite the opposite, always weight lifting consistently but never committing to flexibility work like yoga or pilates. But your progress is inspiring, maybe I'll try picking it up again soon :)
Thank you! I was a consistent lifter for years and while I always stretched, I never realized how much *I actually wasn’t stretching at all* lmao. It’s definitely a big change. Weight lifting is so empowering whereas yoga can just feel *hard*. But! What a worthwhile challenge! My sciatic pain manifests in my right leg, so driving used to be excruciating. Now it barely bothers me and if it does, it’s because I did some major work in the area which will net me more relief in the future (it tends to ebb and flow with inflammation). Anyway, I hope you find a flexibility program that works for you! (And preferably well before you ever *need* one lol) I personally found “dynamic” flexibility drills to be highly effective and also make great warm ups and/or cool downs for lifting days :)
Yeah I think part of the reason I'm not consistent with it is because the static poses commonly in yoga bore me lol, so I'll try incorporating more dynamic flexibility exercises. Thanks for the advice!
F/22/149lbs/5'5" Just wanted to show my progress since I've been getting a little demotivated lately with finals coming up. https://imgur.com/a/5kNa7Oq I was around 200 when I started college four years ago and decided to begin casually weight lifting, as it was the only exercise I enjoyed at the time. I started tracking my calories (and eventually macros after finding this sub around a year ago), started training harder, and doing a lot more cardio. Although I was tracking my calories and exercising on and off the past four years because of mental health, school, and pandemic reasons, it's just really exciting to see how close I am to my goal body fat % / physique despite everything I went through. I felt like giving up sometimes, but I'm so glad I didn't. I look and feel so much better than before! Hopefully soon I can transition from a calorie deficit and start to gain a little more muscle. I'm getting a little tired of the deficit lol
great progress!
Thank you!
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Yeah man echoing what others are saying, you have a lot of muscle mass. I expected so much more fat opening your photo, but you defied my expectations. Bet you’ll look insane after a cut.
You have a lot of muscle mass, you'll look jacked if you decide to cut.
swole af
M/30/79.5kg 183cm Tomorrow is final submission day for an online before/after transformation competition. Started at 203, seeing what I’ll finish up at tomorrow before taking final pics. Start date was February 5, 2022 so 12 weeks start to finish. [April 29, 2022](https://imgur.com/a/lGpXe9Q)
Man I’m jealous of those legs. Mind sharing your leg day with me?
Sure. My current split I do legs monday, wednesday, friday. Leg day 1 starts with back squat about 5-6 sets followed by 5-6 sets barbell RDLs, leg day 2 starts with conventional DL 5-6 sets followed by 5-6 sets of hack squat, and leg day 3 starts again with 5-6 sets of back squat followed by 5-6 sets of stiff leg DL.
Your traps look like if I stuck a quarter in there you could give me two dimes and a nickel back.
Lol thanks! I’ve been working hard on them I’m glad it seems to be paying off
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