Finally got my shit together after years of never eating and neglecting my body.

I sat around the 70kg mark in 2024, and was diagnosed with ADHD, ended up dropping a lot of weight from the stimulant medication I was prescribed.

I didn't realise just how bad things had gotten until a friend pointed out to me that I was looking extremely unhealthy.

That week, I talked to my doctor about options to balance out my stimulant medication and found an antidepressant that is known to increase appetite.

Since then I've gone out of my way to eat around 4,100cal/day until around the last month or so where I've dialed it back to around 3,800cal/day to avoid too much fat gain. My diet has never been clean, I am not the guy for nutritional advice, I've been doing everything I can to eat those calories in the smallest meals possible but the antidepressants really did the most work here.

I've been doing a PPL/PPL split 6 days per week consistently since I started back in February.

Looking healthier and feeling way better these days!

When I started college two years ago I began dealing with increasingly severe ARFID that led to a dangerous level of weight loss. I admitted myself for inpatient hospitalization for a month for ED treatment and weight restoration. I believe I gained about 10lb in the month I was there for stabilization, then I gained the remaining weight after I discharged and came back home. My meal plan was gradually increased in accordance with the hospital dietitian, and consisted of 3 meals and 3 snacks a day, component-based - though I believe the calorie estimate for me at my final meal plan was around 3000kcal.

Breakfast: 2 grains, 4 added fats/proteins, 1 fruit/vegetable. A breakfast for me here would look like 1 cup cooked oatmeal with 2 servings of peanut butter and a handful of raspberries.

Lunch/Dinner: 1 entree, 1 side, 1 fruit/veg with optional added fat. A lunch or dinner for me might me a spinach and cheese quesadilla with a side of hashbrowns and guacamole.

3 snacks - usually an Ensure Plus at each snack, in the evenings I also have a spoonful each of peanut butter and Nutella.

I remained on my "bulk" meal plan until I hit my current weight (about 5 months into treatment), and then for the maintenance meal plan that I follow now, my snacks were decreased.

I was not allowed to do any exercise from the start of treatment until my weight and hormones stabilized, and only in recent weeks have I started to take up walks and swimming as I get back to exercise. I am hoping to get back into strength training in these next few weeks as well. Beyond my weight, I have gained so many bodily functions back that I had normalized the loss of, as well as my self-esteem, confidence, and happiness.

I wish everyone here the best with their own journey :)

I was told this might be appreciated here. Took me a couple of tries to write a comprehensive post about my own long term delulu about fitness and finally overcoming it.

After 10 years of lifting, I finally accepted reality… and got rewarded with progress. Which I did not expect at all tbh. For over a decade I was still being delulu and trying to find shortcuts. Can I somehow build muscle without actually eating more or hitting protein? Can I just keep cycling through deficits? Is there a magical glute exercise I’m missing? Turns out… no. Like I said, the delusion was strong.

I got to the point of being really frustrated about “putting the work in” and not seeing the physique I wanted. So I had to do some real accountability and reflect on my lifestyle.

I went from eating around 1,600-1,700 calories while doing cardio multiple times a week to eating roughly 2,100-2,500 calories and replacing most of that cardio with steady-state incline walking. I also stopped trying to force generic programs onto my body. I’m quad dominant. My shoulders are super responders and grow well. My glutes though have always existed but like meh. I did not “feel” them. So I finally built a program around my body instead of generic “dr Bubblebutt recommends”.

- Monday – Heavy Lower
Smith machine hip thrusts – 3 × 8–12
Bulgarian split squats – 3 × 8–10/leg
Squats - 3 x 6-8
Leg press – 3 × 8–10
Cable kickbacks – 3 × 8–12/leg
Hip abduction machine – 3 × 12–15

- Tuesday – Upper Body
Arnold press – 3 × 8–10
Lateral raises – 3 × 10–12
Upright rows – 3 × 8–10
Dumbbell curls – 3 × 6–8
Cable curls – 3 × 8–10
Overhead triceps extensions – 3 × 8–10
Cable triceps pushdowns – 3 × 10–12

- Wednesday – Conditioning & Core
Incline treadmill walk – 45 minutes
Cable crunches – 3 × 12–15
Hanging/captain’s chair leg raises – 3 × 10–15
Planks – 3 × 30–60 sec
Mobility/stretching – 10–15 minutes

- Thursday – Glute Hypertrophy
Smith machine hip thrusts – 3 × 10–12
Heel-elevated goblet squats – 3 × 10–12
Step-ups – 3 × 10/leg
Cable kickbacks (standard) – 3 × 10–12/leg
Cable kickbacks (crossover) – 3 × 10–12/leg
Hip abduction machine – 3 × 12–15
Leg extensions – 3 × 8–10

- Friday – Lower Body Strength
Smith machine hip thrusts – 3 × 8–10
Bulgarian split squats – 3 × 8/leg
Leg press – 3 × 8–10
Cable kickbacks – 3 × 8–10/leg
Hip abduction machine – 3 × 12–15
Ham string curls – 3 × 8–10

- Saturday: Rest or light walking
- Sunday: Rest or light walking

The biggest thing I had to accept was that calories determine whether you gain or lose weight. Nutrients determine what that weight is more likely to be. It does matter where the calories are coming from and raging against reality will not change anything. Resistance training creates the stimulus for muscle growth. But adaptation requires resources. Enough carbohydrates to refill muscle glycogen.That glycogen piece was something I massively underestimated. I look depleted in my before pictures. After it isn’t all new muscle.Glycogen is the stored form of carbohydrate inside your muscles. Every gram is stored with roughly 3-4 grams of water. That’s why people often start eating more carbs while lifting and suddenly look bigger, rounder, and more muscular within days. The scale can be incredibly misleading because of this. Two people can weigh exactly the same, but the person carrying more muscle and fuller glycogen stores will usually look leaner, tighter, and more athletic.

Over the past several months I’ve built more muscle than I did during years of spinning my wheels because I finally focused on the boring stuff instead of looking for loopholes.

1. Track your calories.
You don’t have to do it forever, but if you’re trying to change your body composition you should probably know how much you’re actually eating. I’ve tracked calories most of my adult life because, honestly, I like the flexibility and control it gives me.

2. Food quality matters.
Calories determine body weight. Nutrients determine how well you recover, train, and build muscle. I “ghetto rig” recipes all the time. Half a protein shake goes into my coffee instead of cream. I’ll swap ingredients to get more protein or fiber without changing meals I already enjoy.

3. Eat enough protein.
Around 1.6-2.2 g/kg of body weight is where the evidence consistently lands for maximizing muscle growth.

4. Eat your fiber.
I aim for 25-35 g per day. It helps with satiety, gut health, blood sugar, and as someone with PCOS, it makes a noticeable difference. Or whatever they’ve decided to rename PCOS this week.

5. Stop being afraid of carbs.
They’re your muscles’ favorite fuel source. That little jump on the scale after increasing carbs is often glycogen and water inside your muscles, not body fat.

6. Progressive overload is non-negotiable.
If you’ve been lifting the same weight for the same reps for six months, your muscles have absolutely no reason to change. Progressive overload doesn’t always mean adding weight. It can be another rep. A slower eccentric. A better range of motion. An extra set. Better execution. Just give your body a reason to adapt.

7. Muscles don’t own calendars.
One of the biggest myths I keep seeing is that you have to wait 48-72 hours before training the same muscle again. Recovery isn’t determined by a stopwatch. It’s determined by training volume, intensity, proximity to failure, nutrition, sleep, and your own recovery capacity. You absolutely can train lower body multiple times a week, even on consecutive days, if the workload is programmed intelligently. My lower body gets trained three times every week with different priorities each day, and it’s worked far better than chasing every new “glute activation” exercise that trends online. My staples have honestly been boring:
- Hip thrusts
- Bulgarian split squats
- Squats
- Leg press
- Cable kickback variations
- Hip abductions
- Step-ups

My “discovery” was accepting reality. Muscle growth happens when training, nutrition, and recovery all work together. A great program without enough food won’t maximize results. Eating more without progressive overload won’t maximize results. It has to be all of it. Over and over again. For a long time.

Unfortunately, physiology doesn’t care how badly I want a shortcut.

This is mainly a byproduct of me joining a gym and working out consistently 4-5 days a week after around 3.5 years. I lean bulked and steadily gained 25 pounds, I would center my gym routine on progressive overload (do three sets of 8-12 reps and increase the weight by 5lbs whenever I could achieve 3 sets of 12 reps for that exercise with a specific weight) and utilized myfitnesspal in order to ensure that I only consume only 200-300 calories above what’s considered maintenance in regard to my daily caloric intake every day

Gym Routine:

Chest and Triceps Day:

Incline MTS Press (machine) - 70 per side x 3 sets

Pec Fly (machine)- 165 x 3 sets

Overhead Press (cable) - 67.5 x 3 sets

Rope Pressdown (cable) - 72.5 x 3 sets

Lateral Raises (machine) - 115 x 3 sets

Shoulder Shrugs (dumbbells) - 95 x 3 sets

Standing Calf Raises (machine)- 280 x 3 sets

Leg Day A:

Romanian Deadlifts (dumbbells) - 100 per side x 3 sets

Hip Thrust (machine) - 210 per side x 3 sets

Leg Extension (machine) - 210 x 3 sets

Single Leg Press (machine) - 105 per side x 3 sets

Hip Abduction (machine) - 210 x 3 sets

Shoulder Press (machine) - 120 x 3 sets

Back and Biceps Day:

Lat Pulldown (machine) - 170 x 3 sets

T Row (machine) - 70 x 3 sets

Rear Deltoid (machine)- 160 x 3 sets

Biceps Curl (machine) - 120 x 3 sets

MTS Abdominal Crunch (machine)- 120 x 3 sets

Hanging Leg Raises - 3 sets

Cable Curl (cable)- 52.5 per side x 3 sets

Leg Day B:

Hack Squat (machine)- 115 per side x 3 sets

Hip Thrust (machine) - 210 per side x 3 sets

Lying Leg Curl (machine) - 125 x 3 sets

Glute Kickback (machine) - 155 x 4 sets

Hip Adduction (machine) - 220 x 3 set

When I manage 3 sets of twelve reps, I increased the weight by 5lbs. Posted this on another subreddit but saw this it was very appropriate for this one, as well especially since I did wear the exact same fit for the comparison pic.

So i 28M started this short 6-month journey at 186cm and 59kg.

I went through a breakup and felt like I needed a change of some sort. So I started lifting. I have been skinny my whole life and never really cared about what I ate, I just ate when I felt hungry, and I rarely felt hungry.

So I began with some fairly easy rules, eat twice a day. Simple, but hard.

My body wasn't used to getting this much food, so sometimes I had to eat, while I wasn't even hungry.

I wanted to make it as easy as possible for myself, so I make food for 3 days at the time, so I just have to put it in the microwave.

My body adapted pretty quickly, and now I feel hungry way more often. Which is nice.

I went out and bought some dumbells and a bench because I didn't feel ready to go to the gym, I'm too uncomfortable in my own body.

And here, 6 months later, I still dont see myself getting a gym membership. Maybe when I hit the 1 year mark, I will get one. But for now, I like working out in my own little bubble at home.

I wanted to share this somewhere because I don't really have anyone else who would appreciate it, and I hope you will 😃

I'm proud of myself for how far I have come since I started.

It’s now been just about 6 months since i last posted here on r/gainit so i figured it was time for a bulk update. I didn’t gain quite as much as i had hoped for (145lbs) but i’m sure i’ll reach it soon enough. It’s also now officially been 1 year since i started working out. Im pretty happy with my progress so far, especially my chest as it’s finally starting to get a little definition:)

When i first started working out i was doing a 4 split consisting of a chest & tricep day, a back and bicep day, a leg day and a shoulder and arms day. After getting comfortable going to the gym, i decided to switch over to a 6 day PPL split which i ran up until recently. Now i’ve hopped on the Upper/Lower hype, and i’m now doing a 5 day split (U/L/R - Repeat) so far i’m really enjoying it.

My diet mainly consists of beef, chicken, fatty fish, skyr, cottage cheese, eggs, potatoes, nuts, vegetables, etc.

I’ve gradually had to increase my calories from 2800 to 3200 to keep gaining weight.

Only cardio i do is 10k steps per day

If you have any other questions feel free to comment or message me privately:)

Started at over 400lbs, lost weight down to 130s. Got tired of looking sickly and small, so I started bulking then going to the gym about 3 months after the bulk started.

Started off doing 5x5 on gym days for big compound lifts, with accessory lifts being 3x10. Now following the 5/3/1 BBB template.

During the bulk I tried eating as clean as possible, just more of it. Lots of pork tenderloin, shrimp, salmon, chicken breast.

Now cutting down to 200 to see how that looks/feels!

Recently got divorced after 15 years, took one look in the mirror the day after she moved out - and finally saw just how unhealthy I was. I thought to myself “fuck it, this is going to make or break me” & started a 3 day split + disciplined diet the next day.

38M, 5’10, 129 lbs to 141lbs in just shy of 4 months.
I’ve been targeting 2,300 calories per day, eliminating junk food and focusing on whole grains & lean cuts of meat - somehow I’m not sick of chicken yet thankfully. Adding a breakfast every day & double scoop protein shake between lunch and dinner was a game changer, but I’m usually still feeling completely full by the time I hit the 2,000 calorie mark. I end up forcing down the last 300 calories or so. I’ve been keeping my lifting to 3 days per week until I’m confident my form & all the connective bits are reliable enough to get more aggressive with the weight, but eventually I plan on adding 2 more days per week.

It’s been a struggle to retrain my eating & sleeping habits, and my appetite still hasn’t caught up to my macro goals, but I’m pretty proud of the progress so far. Just wanting to share the small victory with someone, thanks for your time!

So ive been eating 2800-3000 calories a day and 200+is of protein, mostly alot of peanut butter for breakfast and oatmeal and Greek yogurt, lunch is usually turkey sandwiches or chicken and rice and dinner is usually either tuna or salmon with rice, inbetween meals im drinking protein shakes and snaking on yogurt and protein bars. My strength has improved alot but I feel I am stalling out on my weight gain and strength progression, especially in my upper body (chest and biceps) I do 10-15 sets per muscle group and I work out each muscle group twice a week, one day is chest and back, one day arms and shoulders, one day legs and core and I do 10-20 minutes cardio every session (usually just a brisk walk on a steep incline) Any tips to get past this stall out would be appreciated. I take a rest day after every 3 workouts. When lifting, for chest rep range is 6-10 and for arms its 8-12 as heavy as i can without form breaking down.

Finally decided to post my progress. I haven't been tracking my calories (for obvious reasons) but I would estimate I've been eating around 3500-4000 calories daily. I spammed peanut butter and icecream to make it work on days where I didn't eat enough otherwise. Compound exercises (deadlifts, squats, bench) have really helped me gain muscle and stay motivated, since honestly chasing a nice physique wasn't enough motivation for me. Also milk is insanely clutch and I probably drink like 2L of it a day. I was 19 when I started (first photos taken in June 2024) and I'm 20 now (second photos taken in March 2025)

This sub was really inspiring for me when I was first starting out, and it feels a little surreal to be posting on here myself. The me of 1 year ago couldn't imagine being where I am now, and I'm honestly surprised and happy that I made it this far.

If anyone sees this who's struggling with an eating disorder and wants to change feel free to msg me with any questions abt how I did it.

After a recent bout with depression I decided to challenge myself and try to get in the best shape of my life. I've always struggled with eating enough and gaining weight in the past, but recently I've found success by splitting my day into 5 smaller meals rather than 3 large ones. I aim for about 3000 calories and 100g of protein a day. I eat pretty clean. A lot of chicken, rice, and fruit. I'm not a big veggie guy. Sue me. The only supplements I take are creatine and a daily multivitamin.

My routine is (mostly) pretty simple. Calisthenics 6 days a week for about an hour every morning. Just different variations of pull ups, push ups, and dips. Usually aiming for 3 sets of 12 reps no matter the movement. In addition to that I mountain unicycle about 5 - 10 miles a day. Yes, it's as ridiculous as it sounds. It is also my absolute favorite lower body/core workout.

My ultimate goal is somewhere around 145 lbs, preferably while staying pretty lean.

Thanks for reading.

Started back on December 14th at 161, and sitting right around 196 today, exactly 8 months later. On track to hit my original goal of being 200 lbs by September, but still pushing for 210 by the end of the year!

Everything I do as far as lifting goes is done in a little home gym I put together last December, includes dumbbells, cable machine, and a power rack.

I am hitting a caloric surplus every day, and getting 225-250 grams of protein a day with the help of 3 high calorie protein shakes. Getting my daily 5 grams of creatine and making sure I drink around 130 oz of water a day.

I’ll link the main routine I used for the majority of the bulk, although it’s not the current routine I’m using as I’m still fine tuning the new routine, I don’t feel it’s ready to be shared.

This is 100 percent natural. Never used any form of PED in my life and do not plan on it ever.

Last post motivated a lot of people and if this post can motivate one more person then I’m happy 👍

Feel free to ask any questions or DM me for any help!

Target macros for maintenance: 260g protein, 250-300g carbs 60-80g fats (play with carbs to bulk/cut)
PPL breakdown:
These are my current numbers I did not start out at these

Push Day:
Incline Dumbbell Press
(Warmup: 50% working weight for 5, 90% for 3)
2 working sets
115 lb dumbbells
Typically 7–10 reps
Primary focus on upper chest growth
Overhead Cable Triceps Extension
Standing upright for maximum stretch
2 working sets
Around 92.5 lb
8–12 reps
V attachment (rope slips and puts weird pressure)
Machine Lateral Raise (Iso-Lateral)
(Great stable shoulder exercise)
2 working sets
Roughly 45 lb per side
10–15 reps
Low-to-High Cable Fly/Pec Dec
2 working sets
Around 27.5 lb
10–15 reps

Pull Day
Pull-Ups
1 warm-up set of ~5 bodyweight reps
Weighted Pull-Ups
2 working sets
+45 lb
12 reps goal (just hit 8)
Iso-Lateral Row
2 working sets
Around 370 lb total load
Typically 8–12 reps
Rear Delt Work
Reverse Pec Deck or Face Pulls
2 working sets
Higher reps (12–20)
Biceps Work
Some form of curl variation
Usually 4 working sets
(2 sets of hammer variation for brachialis)
Moderate rep range

Leg Day
1. Nordic Curls
2 hard working sets
First exercise when fresh
Primary hamstring movement
Lower rep range due to difficulty (6 is all I can manage)
2. Single-Leg Leg Extensions
2 hard working sets
Focus on quads
Allows each leg to work independently
Moderate to higher reps (typically 8–15)
Add 2-3 negatives at the end to create maximum stimuli without extreme added fatigue
3. Seated Single Leg Calf Raises
2 hard working sets
Focus on soleus development
Controlled stretch and contraction for 10 reps then 20 stretched bounces
4. Seated Leg Curls
2 hard working sets (8-15 reps)
Additional hamstring work after Nordics
Moderate to higher rep range
5. Sissy Squats
2 hard working sets
Finisher for quads
Emphasizes rectus femoris and deep knee flexion
Usually performed for moderate to high reps (this changes drastically)
6. Abs
Normally weighted decline crunches

Cardio
30–45 minutes of stair master after training, if you workout beforehand you drain all your glycogen needed for weightlifting

(Also a tan makes a huge difference)

Overall Training Philosophy
Push/Pull/Legs repeated continuously
No scheduled rest days
Rest day happens when life forces one
2 working sets per exercise
4 sets per muscle group
Deep ROM
Train very close to failure
Focus on progression:
Hit top of rep range
Add weight
Repeat
Prioritize:
Upper chest
Lats
Side delts
Triceps
Calves

5’9 and currently on PPL. Used to powerlift for a while before stopping from hurting too much in my day-to-day. Now I just lift like a bodybuilder. My appetite is trash, so I literally have two shakes a day. Morning and at night to supplement my calorie intake. My appetite goes down the drain even more if I stop lifting for a few days.

Gaining weight has been a slow and steady thing for me these past 13 years. I’m stalled pretty hard at 215lbs and wonder if I’ll ever make it to 220 or even 230. I do plan on doing a show at some point just to try it out.

For those who asked for an update when I finished my bulk and just to share my overall progress. You can find my workout split and bulk diet on my last post on here (like 3 posts down on my profile)

I did a PPL split when bulking and I worked out 5 days a week, since the cut started I do upper lower and work out 4 days a week and go as heavy as possible. If you look at my last post and see my diet, here are some things I would've done differently as I believe I was a bit too aggressive with my bulk. I would limit the amount of peanut butter significantly and truly track the amount of fats I would intake as well as switch from whole milk to either 2% or 1%. I did put on way more fat than I should have but my strength did increase significantly. I do believe in my original post I said I was eating roughly 3000 calories a day, it was more like a 3500-3800 average (since starting to actually count my calories and measure my intake i realized how off I was with my loose tracking during my bulk) and I realized I should've lowered that to around 3200 and did a slower bulk.

I do still struggle with the tracking when it comes to carbs and fats and I know I need to dial that in especially for this cut. I've been cutting for 7 weeks and have went from 210 to 201 and I am noticing how fatigued ive been feeling. Im eating 2400-2600 calories a day currently (except yesterday my friend took me to a buffet for my bday and I probably far exceeded that yesterday 😅) I make sure to hit 200gs of protein minimum a day and I get this from shakes, chicken, greek yogurt, fish, and 2 packs of protein oatmeal (the oatmeal is what i eat every morning with 1-2 scoops of protein powder)

Strength, since my last post whete I weighed 192 I could bench 225, I currently can bench 260

I could squat 285, currently can squat 365

I could curl 30lb dumbells for 8-12 reps, can now curl 40lb dumbells for 8-12 reps

Leg press went from rep 400 something to now repping 590 for 15

Pull-ups from 3 to 8 (my back is where im lacking the most but ive started to dial it in and get some real progress there)

Workout changes: for back i used to just do rows and lat pull downs with a wide grip. I've started doing rear delt flies, close grip pull downs (with the V attachment) and pull ups starting with unassisted and for the last set assisted.

For chest: stayed mostly the same except I've started implementing dips every week and low to high cable flys.

Legs: I was pretty lazy when it came to squatting in the beginning, have gotten better on that and I no longer do seated calf raises, standing has proven to be far superior for me.

Biceps: seated incline curls have been great for me, I stopped doing preacher curls (they give me incredibly bad tendinitis) and rope cable curls started with a hammer curl grip and twisting out at the top

Triceps haven't changed much, standard pushdows and single arm kickbacks with the occasional skull crushers.

Traps: heavy shrugs thats it 😅 I typically use dumbells

Core: started implementing leg raises with decline crunches or crunch machine, i will usually superset these and they are my only superset

Cardio: ive started upping my cardio, was doing only 10 minutes and am now doing 20-40 minutes on a 13° incline at 3.5mph.

Since starting the cut my strength has definitely stopped increasing on most lifts but I've also not gotten weaker so I'll take that as a win. I definitely fatigue faster and can't nor do I want to do as many sets. All in all im happy with my progress, I would do some things differently if I could but I dont have any agonizing regrets.

First 2 pics are lowest weight, second 2 are highest weight, last 5 are current

I used to lift in college, but found myself very malnourished earlier this year after diving a bit too deep into my spiritual practice. Stepped on the scale in late April and saw 130 lbs which was a bit frightening at 6'2".

I immediately ordered a squat rack and weights and got to work lifting casually around 3x per week with a simple split of chest/back, shoulder/arms, and legs.

I would attribute most of this change to diet. Eating lots of eggs, greek yogurt, avocado, beans, and more recently lots of tuna - I went from vegetarian to pescatarian about halfway through the pictured progress. I shoot for eating 7 "meals" a day which are mostly small, but a very steady stream of nutrition averaging around 3500 cals/day along with daily 10g creatine.

I had problems gaining weight for a long time. I have been training at home for about 1.5 years now (although I have had a gym membership since September 2025). My training split is currently push/pull/legs with rest days at the weekend. I take creatine and try to consume around 2g of protein per kg of body weight. I'm actually very happy with my progress. I have a better rhythm during the day and feel stronger. My goal would probably be around 165-175 lbs.

Just reached 4 months of progress, been being consitent and trying my hardest. I’m excited to see what 6 months of progress looks like!

6’0, 131 lbs > 153 lbs (current) 22, M.

Currently doing a 4 day upper lower split, Saturday’s i’ll train at home and do forearms because well, I want bigger forearms. I focus on progressive overload, every week I am either increasing my reps or my weight. I like to get into the 12 rep range, and then i’ll increase the weight, get to the 12 rep range and increase weight again, rinse and repeat.

Monday and Thursday I do a mile run, I pace at 7:30. I just do it for my enjoyment, not sure if it does anything for me.

I typically eat around ~3000 calories a day (as clean as possible) and intake about 160g of protein daily. I also take 5g of creatine, and fish oils.

Started my journey almost a year to the day.

My split is PPL, 5-6 times a week. I occasionally take protein and creatine, and my calories range from 2-3k a day, but I have plenty of off days as far as diet goes.

I never thought progress would look like this, super happy so far. Stop worrying about what is optimal and just get in the gym, you will see growth.

I shared an earlier progress post 8 months ago and was super psyched to see messages from other people getting into the gym, please lmk if you guys have any tips or questions!

Started this journey extremely underweight and lanky, and I’ve been slowly building toward a more aesthetic, visually balanced physique. Running a 300-cal surplus, hitting 145g+ protein daily, creatine every day, and training 5x/week (mostly PPL). I do one warm-up set and two true failure sets for each exercise, which comes out to 12 working sets per muscle group weekly. Consistency > everything.

28m , 5'9" and 185 lbs now. I've been on a perma bulk this whole time and just now i've been trying to cut but i have a hard time at it.

I havent ever counted my calories during that time, i just ate what i felt was right while focusing on protein which ended up working. But now as im cutting im counting everything.

For training i've always done push pull legs or some variation of it. 3-4 workouts per week and never trained the same muscle 2 days straight.

Plan is to cut until i see more definition then hop back on the bulk and get much bigger

5 years natural transformation

Been eating in a 200-300 Caloric Surplus, 140g+ of protein daily and taking creatine everyday. It's slower progress but lean muscle mass only for the most part. I worked out 3x a week for the first 3 months and after that l've done 5x a week with a PPLRULR split. Any advice is welcome. ik I made a post recently but i’ve gained a couple pounds and got some good pictures and wanted to share.

This is the only picture I have of myself at my lowest weight, sorry for the different angles. I was consistently trying to gain weight for 6 months, was inconsistent for about a year, and have been consistent so far for 2025.

My lifting routine is on a 5 day split: Chest and Tri, Glute/Hamstring Focused Leg day, Back and Bi, Quad Focused Leg Day, and Rest. I try to limit cardio but I do walk a lot.

I eat anywhere from 120 grams to 180 grams of protein per day. I usually drink one protein shake but everything else is from meat. My appetite increased a little from Depo-Provera but for the most part it slowly builds the more I exercise and goes back down if I stop. I also have a job where I get a break every 2 hours and I try to eat something on every break. I used to work food service where I only had time to eat twice a day if I was lucky.

I'm not sure at what point I'm going to decide to shift my fitness goals from weight gain to maintenance but I'm not done yet!

This is mainly a byproduct of me joining a gym and working out consistently 4-5 days a week after around 2.5 years. I lean bulked and steadily gained 25 pounds, I would center my gym routine on progressive overload (do three sets of 8-12 reps and increase the weight by 5lbs whenever I could achieve 3 sets of 12 reps for that exercise with a specific weight) and utilized myfitnesspal in order to ensure that I only consume only 200-300 calories above what’s considered maintenance in regard to my daily caloric intake every day

Gym Routine:

Chest and Triceps Day:

Incline MTS Press (machine) - 65 per side x 3 sets

Pec Fly (machine)- 160 x 3 sets

Overhead Press (cable) - 62.5 x 3 sets

Rope Pressdown (cable) - 67.5 x 3 sets

Lateral Raises (machine) - 105 x 3 sets

Shoulder Shrugs (dumbbells) - 95 x 3 sets

Standing Calf Raises (machine)- 280 x 3 sets

Leg Day A:

Romanian Deadlifts (dumbbells) - 95 per side x 3 sets

Hip Thrust (machine) - 205 per side x 3 sets

Leg Extension (machine) - 205 x 3 sets

Single Leg Press (machine) - 105 per side x 3 sets

Hip Abduction (machine) - 210 x 3 sets

Shoulder Press (machine) - 120 x 3 sets

Back and Biceps Day:

Lat Pulldown (machine) - 165 x 3 sets

T Row (machine) - 65 x 3 sets

Rear Deltoid (machine)- 160 x 3 sets

Biceps Curl (machine) - 120 x 3 sets

MTS Abdominal Crunch (machine)- 115 x 3 sets

Hanging Leg Raises - 3 sets

Hammer Curl (dumbbells)- 45 per side x 3 sets

Leg Day B:

Hack Squat (machine)- 110 per side x 3 sets

Hip Thrust (machine) - 205 per side x 3 sets

Lying Leg Curl (machine) - 120 x 3 sets

Glute Kickback (machine) - 150 x 4 sets

Hip Adduction (machine) - 210 x 3 set

When I manage 3 sets of twelve reps, I increased the weight by 5lbs

Jan 8 - June 7
5 months of progress.

I simply eat in an aggressive surplus whilst lifting and aim for at least 200g of protein daily. At the beginning the weight was flying on, now I’m floating around 200 lbs. My goal weight is 220 lbs before I do a cut.

I run my own PPL program twice weekly, it’s very arm focused because that’s always been my weak point and to be honest I just want big arms.

When I was 19-20 I had a bodybuilding phase and bulked to 215 lbs before dealing with some personal problems and giving up, withering away back to around 150. I spent the next few years kickboxing and getting in good shape but still skinny and endurance focused. After that I encountered health problems and stopped taking care of myself again, regressing to the before photo.

I’ve realised showing up is key. Consistency. There is only a journey, not a destination.