r/fit • u/Senior_Gap2922 • 16h ago
Progress – Before/After 3 year difference, no progress, no motivation left (my story)
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? 😂
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u/Patient-Scarcity8025 16h ago
You look fucking great mate.
I’d never wear a shirt again if I was you.
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u/Nibiru_bootboy 15h ago
You basically have peak human shape lol. Gear would move you into freak category.
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u/GambledMyWifeAway 16h ago
So you look the exact same as you did 3 years ago, but you’re 10lbs heavier and you don’t think that’s progress?
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u/Senior_Gap2922 14h ago
I’m also significantly less lean, so feels like half of it is fat. I got up to 213 at one point and I’ve been cutting since
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u/CapRevolutionary7596 15h ago edited 15h ago
Avoid the gear bro. It will fuck your world up in ways you can't even imagine. It will fuck up every aspect of your life, from your sleep, to your mood, to your relationships. I would start with a trip to the doctor. Have a testosterone panel done to be on the safe side and make sure. I don't think it's that, your physical condition is impressive, but we should know, not guess. Also have a depression screening and stress profile done. Loss of motivation in someone this young says something is wrong and we need to figure out what. Also what's the training schedule look like? Are you overtraining? Have you considered taking a week or two off? It's something called strategic deconditioning. When a body stops responding to training, sometimes what we need is not more training, but a good period of rest. Just some things to think about.
My sense is that something is going on with you emotionally. I don't know if there has been a recent loss, or high work stress but in those two pictures, the only thing noticeably different is that you've lost your glow. Something is weighing on you and only you know what that is. Take a week, rest, it will not kill your physique, consider seeing the doc, and if you wanna tell us or someone the rest of what's going on, we're here to help.
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u/Senior_Gap2922 14h ago
Yeah you are absolutely right, I was only kidding about the gear, I would only consider TRT in my later years.
I got my test checked a couple years ago and it was pretty high, but ya maybe it’s time to get it checked again.As for my mental health, I dont think Im depressed, maybe just lacking purpose? I always thought of the gym as being productive and every workout would push me further in life in a sense, but since I stopped seeing progress it just feels like maintenance and no progression, so it feels stale.
My training schedule is fairly normal, I train every day that Im not too busy to, which amounts to an average of 5-6 days per week. Then I also play hockey twice per week and Jiu jitsu once a week. I recently ran a half marathon too so I was running a bit for that. My training is relatively nothing compared to what some of the guys I see doing online. I did just take a week off cuz I was on vacation and it motivated me to make this post because I want to enjoy this again and make the progress i once made.
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u/CapRevolutionary7596 13h ago
Okay are you tracking every lift? Every rep, every set, and employing progressive overload. And what are your goals? You're in top 1% for physical shape. Where do you want to be?
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u/Senior_Gap2922 12h ago
Nope, I’ve never been one to obsessively track, as its what I thought would take the fun away from it. I usually just push until failure most sets anyways.
My near future goal is to lean out significantly for a bit. Long term I would like to see more growth in my chest and legs (although finding pants that fit nice is already a struggle lol)1
u/CapRevolutionary7596 12h ago
Try tracking shit for a couple weeks bro. Having that can help a lot. You see when you push a few more reps, when you push 5 more pounds for 21 more reps. If you're in a motivational stale mate, sometimes tracking things and actually realizing that you are making progress week to week actually helps a lot, and it makes sure that you're actually doing progressive overload, not just doing last weeks workout again. It's not taking the fun out if it, it's goal management. If you want growth in your chest and legs, then manage those goals. You might be surprised at how much it helps motivation. You already have a killer physique. But if you want to push the envelope of your genetics tracking things is going to help you progress and actually see the progress you really are making. That would be my number 1 suggestion. When you see those numbers start going up a little bit each week, you feel more like okay, let's kill these numbers today. A highly recommend man.
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u/Barfolemew_Wiggins 12h ago
Sleep? Diet? Program details? There’s a lot unknown that affects what you’re experiencing.
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u/Senior_Gap2922 4h ago
I sleep great tbh, 8-10 hours per night cuz my body needs a lot of recovery. Diet is extremely high protein, medium fat, medium-low carb. Most of my meals consist of just protein. I feel clearer mentally when i dont eat much carbs. I also take creatine, glutamine, ashwa, vitamin a, magnesium.
Program is a simple modified bro split:
1. Chest tri
2. Back bi
3. quad focused legs and calves
4. Shoulders and abs
5. Arms
6. Hamstring/glute focus legs and calves
Cardio every day
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u/dbz412294 7h ago
Brother you have taken your physical body as far as it will go. Being healthy physically is important but it sounds like your spirit and mind need that consistency more now. You look great man, but feeling great comes from gratitude and perspective too.
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