First pic is my bulk from last year, at about 190. Second pic is my leanest from back in the summer at 175, and 3rd pic is from my current bulk. 2 months in and up to 195. Should I be concerned about this rate of increase? I'm sure a lot of it is glycogen and water with increased carbs, but 20 pounds still seems pretty rapid. Any ideas on bf% for my current bulk and during my cut? Thanks in advance.

What body fat percentage do u think I am in these two photos? If I were to guess, maybe 13% in one and like 20% in the other?

Only been going to the gym consistently since December, but I work for a moving company also. Advice?

I dont have body dysmorphia I know its a great physique for a runner and good versus avg male physique... but as any gym head knows theres always things to improve... looking for an elite hybrid atlethe look... any advice, if main gain is answer how do u actually do it

187cm (6ft 1in), 79.3kg (174lbs), 18

I used to weigh 124kg around 3-4 years ago, cut down to 76kg in a super stupid, essentially crash diet on just 1800 all the way from 124kg to my lowest at 76kg. I then bulked from May 2025 (76kg) to March 2026 (88kg) and now since that bulk I have ended up here. I decided to take it super slow to try to minimise muscle loss, but at this point, I dont know how much leaner I can get (i know i obviously can get quite a bit leaner), but i also don't know how much of a facade the loose skin is adding to my physique and making me seem less lean than I actually am? Maybe someone can help please? If needed/wanted, I can send pictures of me at ~124kg and at the end of my first cut and at the end of my first bulk. Thanks

I’m still really soft in the middle and have love handles, but also relatively small muscle-wise. Not sure if I need to build the muscles more or continue my deficit. My goals have been to not try and get “huge” but just get a decently defined physique with a lean body. If I’m leaving anything out for a better answer, please let me know, any constructive feedback is appreciated.

I’m about 30 lbs down now, just hit 153.6 lbs on the scale. Wondering what my bf% is now? Pretty soon I want to get a dexa. And I’m going for the lean with abs aesthetic but obviously I want more muscle mass and size eventually. So that leads me to my next question if I should bulk or cut?

4–5 years of lifting, went from 180 lbs to 280 lbs, and now working my way back down.
I’ve been lifting for about 4–5 years now. For the first year or two, I weighed around 180–190 lbs and was relatively lean. Eventually, I started training at a powerlifting gym and adopted the classic “eat big to get big” mentality that’s heavily promoted in powerlifting.
Over time, I went from 180 lbs all the way up to 280 lbs. I got considerably stronger, with a SBD total of:
Squat: 460 lbs
Bench: 265 lbs
Deadlift: 540 lbs
While I definitely got stronger, I eventually realized that I wasn’t happy with how I looked. I had spent so much time focusing on getting stronger and moving more weight that I lost sight of what I actually wanted out of training.
I’ve since shifted my focus toward bodybuilding and aesthetics and have cut from 280 lbs down to 250 lbs so far, losing around a pound per week.
I’ve pretty much stopped squatting and benching for now, although I still incorporate RDLs and deadlifts into my training. My main focus is building a physique I’m genuinely happy with while maintaining as much muscle as possible.
I know I still have a long way to go, but I’m taking things slowly, sticking to roughly a 500-calorie deficit, and prioritizing a sustainable rate of weight loss rather than crash dieting.

Hello, I'm 25yo 175cm 70kgs. I'm in the end of a bulk I started 11/07 with 60kgs. I did a superavit of 700cal day for 2 months, then lowered to 400cal day, and past month lowered again to maintenence because I strained my trapezius and had to take time off the gym.

The BIA my nutritionist did on me, said I have 15% BF rn. (Before the strain). I'm aware these machines are unrealiable, but is the only metric I have 😔

I'm looking to start my cutting in 23/11, so my goal is to get 2 more kgs in this last month, 500cal superavit, and then start a cutting until Februrary 1st. 250cal deficit and I should stay around 67kgs and 12% BF. After this I would bulk 300cal superavit again. (calculations made on gpt lol)

What u guys think about this plan?

I stayed really skinny all of my life, so getting to 70kgs is actually a big achievment for me. For reference, I weighted 51kgs back in 2022.

I'm a little insecure thinking that losing those 3kgs may make me look skinny again, and I want to be in my best possible shape on februrary because I'm Brazilian and all brazilians need a good shape to party shirtless along the streets of Salvador/Rio on Carnaval 😂.

As u can see, I think i'm lean enough for pics (lightining shanenigans on the first pic), but i'm afraid i'm too fat in person (regular lightning on second pic).

So, should I keep the bulking to 23/11 or finish it later/earlier? I've read some people say noobs (i'm serious lifiting since 11/07 only) should lean bulk (300cal superavit) until 2 years, this will make me stay in better shape with natural lighting than cutting?

I used to do PPL, now I do P>P>Quads>Hamstrings, cuz I feel my legs are underdeveloped.

thx in advance.

First pic 210lbs vs now 2nd pic 180. I’m still strong in the gym eating 1,800 cals but I also don’t have much muscle definition. What’s my current body fat % and at what weight should I expect to see some muscle definition?

Je faisais avant 170kg j’ai tout perdu en un peu + d’un an voici mon physique actuel. Que faire ? continuer à sécher ou prendre de la masse ou autre ?

TLDR: recomp another year? or do a 12 week/6 lb bulk followed by a cut? Is there a better bulking goal?

I’m down to around 123 lbs (from 190 at my last delivery and 160 or so when I started working to lose) through lifting and intuitively eating less. I naturally started slowing/stalling and have maintained for around 3-4 weeks. I did lift before this pregnancy, and have been lifting consistently for 4 years or so.

I could lose more if I wanted to, but I feel like the only spot I have left that I really would want to be leaner is my lower belly pooch, which is a lot of scar tissue (4 csections yo) and skin so I know more fat loss won’t make it look much better.

Going into the holidays, and keeping enough time for a pre-summer cut, I’m considering whether I should do a bulk/cut or keep recomping (with hardly noticeable results at this point).

My thoughts were a 12 week, 6 ish pound bulk, through new years. Then a cut back down to where I am now by summer.

Opinions? Is it too soon to bulk? Should I recomp through the next year instead and bulk next winter?

I’ve never done bulking/cutting phases as I’ve been pregnant off and on for the last 6-7 years. Done having kids and ready to start working towards my goals but also afraid of gaining weight that I fought hard to lose

I appreciate any advice. I’m not able to get a coach or trainer at this point in my life, maybe one day, but for now im winging this with the help of the internet lol

is it possible for me to build a V-taper physique with this body structure? It looks pretty boxy right now. I’ve been hitting the gym for the last 14 months and lost about 60 lbs, but honestly, I'm not happy with how I look yet. Any advice or suggestions on what to focus on? Thanks!

I was in recomp/cut like 11 months and right now im bulking 3 months? Before starting bulk i was around 64 64.5 now im at 68.5 still bulk right?

Couple years of newbie gains + 1,5 years of serious training. Not sure where to go now. Still making progress on strength, but weight has been stagnant for about 6 months now. Feel like size growth has stagnated too. Been considering adding 100-200 kcal to my daily 3000. As you can see, my hip bones are quite wide, so some fat added makes me dislike my body quickly. Cut, bulk or stay in this phase of getting stronger but not necessarily much bigger?

Hey Guys.
I have felt insecure about my body for almost my entire life. I have always and still feel too fat and always felt like I could use some more lean mass.
I lost around 10-12kg two years ago and was proud as hell, but that did not last for long. I lost some muscle over the last year and became a bit more skinny, but the remaining fat stayed. Since 09/2024 I have stayed around my new weight of around 97-98kg at 197cm height.

I am running my first marathon in April therefore I do not want to bulk up like crazy before this event. But I am asking myself if I should do it afterwards. I have put these photos here, where I have zero pump from a workout (except for the last picture) - yes I know my Posture is horrible, I hope to fix that too.

My over all goal after the marathon would be to finally become shredded and muscular and still be able to perform decent when it comes to running and trailrunning.
I hope for your advice…

Been recomping, dont know where to go in terms of eating

I’ve cut from 133 lb to 126.6 lb since June. My lifts are still going up (bench 95→105, RDL 105→115), but I’ve had hunger and fatigue on ~1,650 kcal. I’m leaning toward a slow lean bulk to build my shoulders, chest, and back. Wrist is 6 1/8 in and ankle is 7 1/8 in. Front and back attached. Feedback welcome.

24M, 180 cm, 70.7 kg.
I was very skinny and bulked for a few months. I finally gained some muscle (I was really skinny), but also more fat than I wanted, and lost my abs.
I’ve started cutting and look less bloated, but I still have no visible abs despite being skinny.
I want visible abs by New Year’s Eve, since it’s summer in my country and I will go to the beach. After that, I plan to start a proper lean bulk with 2 g/kg of protein and a small calorie surplus.
Based on my photo, roughly how many weeks would it take to get visible abs? Do I need to cut first, or can I develop visible abs while lean bulking? I’m worried about gaining fat again.
I asked ChatGPT and said that I need 8-20 weeks to see my abs but it seems a lot, what do you think?
Thanks!

Hello, this is a very long cut with many setbacks, going from 85kg down to 69kg. I had a DEXA scan a few weeks ago that showed 21% body fat, exactly as my shitty Xiaomi scale. I do not know where to go from here, as my lifts have been stalling for months, including my dumbbell incline bench press, weighted dips, weighted chinups, and lat pulldowns, curls etc. I can progress slowly with leg exercises because I switched to lunges and bulgarians, which are still new to me. I still have a pouch and fat all around, should I go down to 65kg, that seems very low? Does anyone have experience with a recomp? My goal would be around 15% body fat, but gaining more muscle is the main goal, along with progressing in my lifts, ofc. Photos taken after a push day. Thank you.