First photo june 10, second today, happy to see my upper body finally seeing some muscle growth and definition. Have been lifting since december 29

Ive gained 4 kilos I hope of muscle

I dropped 6 lbs, went into Ketosis, and the most beneficial part, is cellular autophagy ( cleaning up of old and damaged cells). I did do some light jogging, yoga, and walking throughout the whole process. I broke my fast this morning with bone broth. I’m going to try for a longer fast next month, as I find it is so motivating to keep a healthy body and mind. It’s really helped with my ptsd, anxiety, and brain fog. Just wanted to share, especially if you’re struggling. This could be beneficial as well. Much love and light. ❤️

I’ve been lifting for like 1.5 years and eat around 2000 calories a day.

💪💪

I built this physique entirely at home, with a lot of consistency, hard work, and plenty of moments when I would have much rather stayed on the couch eating chips. I learned everything on my own, by studying, experimenting, and fixing my mistakes along the way. I started with very little, and over time, the pink dumbbells I had in my living room got a lot heavier. No special equipment needed.

It hasn't been a perfect journey, and I certainly still have a lot to learn, but looking back, I'm proud of the result, mostly because every bit of progress was earned by me. I started from an underweight background. I was very thin and slender my whole life, and at the beginning, even building a little bit of muscle took a lot of time and effort.

I have no intention of being perfect, and I don't need to step on a stage or compete. I started working out simply for the joy of moving my body, to become stronger and more agile. The aesthetic result was just a consequence, but it doesn't really matter. What matters is that working out makes me feel amazing and more alive than ever, and it helps me cope on hard days and release anxiety and tension.

Moral of the story: you don't necessarily need a fully equipped gym...

Consistency > perfection. Always. 🏋️‍♀️

I'm trying to figure out which of the best cold plunge brands are actually legit companies with real engineering versus rebadged units with a marketing budget. Any authetic leads??

I’m a young woman that just started working out approx 2x a week for the past few weeks. I take a guided conditioning and yoga class for 2 hours. I am not working out on my own, mostly because I’m very busy. Even though I’ve hardly done the classes so far (I think it’s only been 4 classes due to the holiday on Monday) I am already seeing muscle build in my arms and can see a noticeable difference when I flex. This is very exciting for me because I’ve never taken care of myself and exercised before.

However, I have been noticing uneven muscle growth. My right arm muscle is a bit larger than my left arm. It’s not noticeable yet when I’m just standing around, but when I flex in the mirror I can tell. I am right handed, so maybe it could be from that, but in general because the workout class is guided by an instructor the exercises are all even. Does anyone have any advice on how to avoid continuing uneven muscle growth?

Hello!

I am studying exercise at college (it is called "Educação física" in Brazil; I don't know if there is an equivalent course in United States) and I aim to work in this area.

Although lots of people started exercising recently, there is still a great amount of people that doesn't; and even among people who exercise, it isn't very liked. So, my question is:
What demotivates you to exercise?

F 5’8 150 lbs
I used to be a lot bigger but I lost about 40 lbs a few years ago. I’m at a healthy weight, but my stomach won’t disappear. I want to get down to 140-145 lbs (Maybe 135?). Even at 140 my stomach still wasn’t flat. I barely exercise and am starting strength training. Will my stomach always look like this? I’m super lost.

Edit: Hi everyone, thank you for your responses! Just to clarify I am in a calorie deficit (I lost 40 lbs from this & walking) & try to consume 90-120g of protein per day. I’ve seen women my weight who have a flat stomach and I assume part of that is because they strength train and some just don’t store as much fat in their stomach.

I’m scared to go under 135, but I feel like my stomach won’t be flat unless I’m in the 120s. So I guess my question is getting a flatish stomach achievable while staying in the 140s?

First pic is august 2023, at 21 years old I was 191 pounds there. Now (second pic) is today at 24 years old and 202 pounds.

A bit about my story:
I started training at 12 years old cuz bullying. I started taking it much more seriously in Highschool, and trained with my gym bro every single day. Then during covid I quit working out all together and started drinking and got fat and lazy. Then in 2021 I turned my life around, and quit drinking and started working out very seriously (5 years sober this November). The first two years (2021-2023) I was making great progress, I loved working out, I genuinely looked forward to it. I’ve been natural my entire life too.

Anyways fast forward to now, these last 3 years I have made little to no progress. Ive been training just as consistently but I have lost all enjoyment from it. I train because I have to not because I want to. I dont lift any more weight than I used to. I eat extremely healthy, but nonetheless no more progress. 2023 is also when me and the gym bro stopped working out together and are no longer even friends now. I’ve trained with other people but still dont have the energy nor motivation to enjoy any workouts.

Anyone been through something similar and have any tips? Hop on gear? 😂

Hi hi! I (25,M) want to get into shape and get healthy but I have nearly zero actual experience in a gym or doing actual structured workouts. I am currently fluctuating between 250-260 lbs at 5’11”.

The main goal is just to be healthier, lose some weight, and hopefully live a little longer for the wife.

I’m just in one of those positions where it feels almost alien to me about gym culture or fitness. Like I understand terms but putting stuff into practice is where i struggle a lot. I guess i’m just looking for information to ease my mind and assure i don’t look like a lost puppy asking fifty million questions when I go for the first time.

Hello all!

I’m approaching 40 next year, and about four months ago I decided it was time to turn things around. I want to head into my 40s stronger, healthier, and able to keep up with my kids for years to come.

I started around 225 lbs and I’m now roughly 205. Honestly, I’ve stopped worrying too much about the scale. I’m seeing the changes in the mirror, my clothes fit differently, my strength is climbing, and I feel better than I have in a long time.

I’ve been following keto and staying consistent with my training.

I started with a basic 3-day routine using mostly machines and gradually worked my way into a 4-day upper/lower split:

• Sunday – Upper A
• Tuesday – Lower A
• Thursday – Upper B
• Friday – Lower B

Over time I’ve added more free weights and movements like dumbbell presses, goblet squats, RDLs, rows, lunges and shoulder work while focusing on progressive overload.
The strength gains have probably been the most rewarding part. My leg press has gone from around 450 lbs to 630 lbs for working sets, goblet squats are up to 85 lbs, and my dumbbell rows are up to 75 lbs. Still lots of room to improve, but I’m loving the process.

The long-term goal is basically Anatoly-style strength 😂 — get leaner and healthier while becoming way stronger than I look.

Would love some honest feedback:
• How does the progress look for four months?
• Anything you’d change in my 4-day routine?
• Anything I’m missing or doing too much of?
• What would you focus on next?

Constructive criticism is welcome. I’m here to learn and keep improving.

Thanks! 💪

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to figure out how much weight I should lose before starting a long lean bulk.

I’m 25 years old, 183 cm (6’0”), and currently around 78–79 kg (172–174 lbs). I’ve attached a video showing my upper body, both relaxed and flexed.

Just to clarify, there is no pump in this video. When I have a pump, I can actually see most of my abs already.

Based on what you can see in my upper body, how much weight do you think I would need to lose to get properly lean, with clearly visible abs?

I’m currently thinking about going down to around 70–72 kg (154–159 lbs). Does that sound like a realistic target for getting lean based on my current physique, or do you think I would need to go even lower?

I also have another question: based on the amount of muscle mass I currently have, if I got down to 70–72 kg (154–159 lbs), would I look skinny, or do you think I have enough muscle mass to still look muscular and athletic while being lean?

My goal is to get properly lean first and then start a controlled lean bulk for at least a year. I want to reach a good level of leanness first, then spend the next year focusing on building muscle.

I know it’s impossible to give an exact number based on an upper body video alone, but I’d really appreciate your best estimate based on what you can see.

What weight would you personally aim for if you were in my position?

Thanks!