Physique update almost 2 years later.

[stockriderman]

So, Here's a link to my first post where I shared my 7 month progress pics.
2017: https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=175118011

Attaching the new photo I took just before going to the gym. I am at this point 37 y.o.

So what's new: I joined a real gym with real weights and squat racks. I am still doing full body workouts and those are amazing and I go to the gym only twice a week.
I am realizing I am very close to my natural potential. I also tried various training methods over the last 2 years to see what works for me. I've been 206lb in December of 2018 as I decided to bulk and get stronger. I was doing 315lb squats for reps. Then everyone kept saying how fat I am( I wasn't but I was extra 6% bodyfat and everyone was noticing it, not to mention more muscle size too according the scale) lol so I cut down do 188lb and kept it +- that. I kind of like it being a bit lighter as I had troubles hiking when I was 200lb+. I also started to snore... My family doctor told me it's due to my weight to I was happy to cut.
My squat suffered though. I learned I can either be 15% bodyfat and do 225lb for reps( as in 10+) or I can be ~21% bodyfat and do 315lb and naturally you cannot be both strong and lean. Been reading a lot of studies, talking to doctors, physicians and trying to educate myself for the long run. In the long run overly heavy doesn't seem like a great idea.

After doing deadlifts for nearly 6 months I stopped doing deadlifts completely... I found other exercises,but found it is THE exercise where most injure themselves and not just newbies,but long time bodybuilders too. It's easy to keep your form in check doing light weight,but it only takes one mistake at 400++ and you can tear you back,biceps,etc. Seen those in the gym many times over the last 2 years so no deadlifts.
I have naturally big shoulders so those grew even more @ ~52".
I grew everywhere from my legs to biceps. Biceps/triceps would be my weakest part I say,but due to past injuries I have issues with biceps and triceps tendons and I just can't curl more than 35lb. I tried curling 50s when I was 206 and strong( by biceps were 16.5"),but that really messed me up and required nearly 2 months of rehab exercises. One of the doctors told me due to previous tendon tears when I was young there's a permanent damage and those don't really repair to 100%. So I am back to 15" biceps,flexed.
I understood that due to my genetics my legs will never be 25". I am happy I went from around 18" to about 22.5" I have now( I measure them around the middle). I took a lot of research to understand how e-penises on the net + fake naturals can claim otherwise. I am not saying it's not possible for someone to have 25" lean legs, just at 6' of someone who was 18" before!! I have some shorter friends who had ~23" legs before they started the gym. Plus it depends on how the fat is stored. I store a lot of fat in my mid section! My legs are pretty lean so I can see all the lines and muscles there.


I was looking at the tread I posted wit some examples of the exercises back then I am happy to see my strength doubled since then.
Here's what I did today:
Dumbell bench 65lb x 6,10,8 reps; Squat: 135x12, 275x5, 295x4; Barbell row: 160x14,9; overhead press: 115x5,4; Chin up: 7,7,7,6,6; Leg Curl: 150x 15,12,11. Plus some calf, biceps and triceps without tracking.

In any case, the goal overall at this point to just keep what I have, continue eating well and avoid any injuries.

[grubman]

Why make us work so hard?

Lots of improvement...but your face is still, um, non-existent.

[bodyhard]

Awesome progress

[Mark1T]

Nice transformation.

[OldFartTom]

Fantastic!

Many people give up at around 3 months, the clear majority have given up before 12 months, very very few are still consistently going 2 years later.

The quitters are going to be jealous and ask your "magic secret" and you'll be perfectly entitled to tell them to look at your results and then <verb> <expletive verb> <pronoun>, <pronoun> <collective noun> <adjective><expletive adjective>. But only in a polite way of course

[dazlittle]

Obvious progress, congrats OP.

[stockriderman]

Thanks all. I certainly didn't expect to still be at the gym. It was first 3 months then signed up for 1 year then I kind of used to it... doing it only twice a week helps not to mention the overall feeling of being strong. Oh and my wife loooves it too lol. so if not for me, I do it for her.

I'd love to be still in the gym when I am in my 50s. Lots of respect for oldish folks who are still kicking it at that age. There's one guy in my gym who is 67 and he is doing 185lb squats - way more than 90% of the young crowd who mostly stay by the mirror and do biceps

[newbutserious]

Thanks all. I certainly didn't expect to still be at the gym. It was first 3 months then signed up for 1 year then I kind of used to it... doing it only twice a week helps not to mention the overall feeling of being strong. Oh and my wife loooves it too lol. so if not for me, I do it for her.

I'd love to be still in the gym when I am in my 50s. Lots of respect for oldish folks who are still kicking it at that age. There's one guy in my gym who is 67 and he is doing 185lb squats - way more than 90% of the young crowd who mostly stay by the mirror and do biceps

I'm 43 and started December last year and so I'm just coming up on completing my first year. Same story. I told myself "Commit to 4 months" and worked out with some real intensity for 4 months without looking past them, navigated various injuries and when the 4 months was up decided to continue, but to moderate my expectations for myself. The new routine involved getting through my whole body once a week with whatever I was working on getting worked twice a week. I've kept that up since. It does seems like your brain starts to adjust around things such that by a year or so it starts to feel like you could just sort of do it forever.

[Kylehero]

Great job OP. Keep up your consistency.

But I will say, I don’t think you’re anywhere near your natural potential. Out of curiosity, what makes you think you are?

[Cantplankwell]

Good work!

[Oleg1975K]

Very fast transformation in the first few months. In his youth, he had sports experience and restored his form in 2017 or ... life-giving propionate?

[bayrider]

Very nice transformation. Congrats and thanks for sharing. Good luck with the continued progress.

[drudixon]

Great job, but after 2 years, you're no where near potential, just the gains are just slow now.

[stockriderman]

Great job OP. Keep up your consistency.

But I will say, I don’t think you’re anywhere near your natural potential. Out of curiosity, what makes you think you are?

I disagree.
I've tried bulking and eating properly and my muscle gains were minimal and after a cut it would go back. No doubt I can gain a bit more, but it won't be much at all, this is why I said, close,but not AT. I am definitely not at my limit!
Especially going forward as I get older putting on strength and muscle will only get harder. Plus some bodyparts were naturally lagging(eg 18" legs at the start) and they are 22.5 or so right now, which is a massive difference. I follow a bunch of naturals(hopefully real ones) on youtube( some compete in natural shows so they bulk/cut and others don't compete and just do it for themselves) and year after year they have the same physique with very minimal differences and they aren't that much different from me. We are all made differently. Naturally and with lean bulking, I can't get far, that's what I realized after watching my progress. The only way for me to gain muscle is to increase bodyfat %. Plus according to what is out there in studies, with proper training, you hit 65-75% of your natural potential in the first year, which I did.

[stockriderman]

Very fast transformation in the first few months. In his youth, he had sports experience and restored his form in 2017 or ... life-giving propionate?

I was doing martial arts,but was always skinny and eventually became skinny fat.Pictures of before don't do justice as they were taken 3 weeks after I started training and before that I was away on a month long trip which resulted in some fat loss too.

As we start losing muscle in late 20s I lost the little I had and felt weak for years. Hated hiking, could not bike with my wife as I was getting tired quickly. I did some training when I was 21 for 3 months and gained some fat and muscle but then stopped. When I started the training this time, I decided to go full on, with proper training based on science and then transitioned into proper nutrition, leaned to count calories. I've spent 100s of hours since then reading and studying scientific studies on nutrition and bodybuilding, talking to doctors and physio therapists to learn movements.
I learned which supplements and nootropics work for me and I am taking a number of them as I feel the effect and there are many that has 0 effect on me.

PS. my test levels are on the low scale of normal so I am surprised I gained as much as I did, which proves you don't need to shoot testosterone or be on TRT to gain muscle( I am sure it would only help though so I think at some point I may consider it as if it's barely normal now, it will be low in a few years.

But I still hate the gym... lol. It's more of a habit right now,which is amazing,but I wouldn't say I get any pleasure from it like most of my buddies.