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Jane Doe is currently in progress, focusing most of my energy on building up my shoulders and widening my back... It’ll definitely take years to reach my ultimate goal, but I think I can pull together something decent enough for the beach by summer.

Here’s my morning update after hitting some bodyweight exercises:







My arms are honestly feeling like absolute trash right now. I feel like I spend more time working them than anything else during my sessions, but then maybe thirty minutes later, they just completely deflate and look totally pathetic... Does anyone have any advice?
Plus, I really need to get some work in on my back too.

The start of my cutting phase 🙂
Current stats: 227 lbs, 6'5", 19 years old
I’m planning to strip everything back to the bone—to see what’s actually left of me once the fat is gone😉

To give you some context on the nutrition side—I'm aiming for roughly 350 grams of protein daily, about 80 grams of fat, and I strictly limit carbs to my post-workout window. On days when I'm hitting larger muscle groups, I'll supplement breakfast with about 60 grams of oats.
As for the gym—my current volume is intense, somewhere between 9 to 12 sessions a week; essentially, I'm training almost every single day, sometimes even doubling up with two-a-days three times a week.
Sunday is my designated rest day.

Jessica Reed57 said:She’s asking for some advice from the veterans here. She wants to tone up and actually shape her body. Six months ago she was 123 lbs, now she's down to 110. She’s about 5'4". Started working out 4-5 times a week—about 30 minutes on the stepper plus some light arm and back work using YouTube videos. Eating decent, but not on any strict diet. She hit 110 lbs and toned up a bit—hopefully you can tell from the photo. Her issue is that she feels disproportionate; her lower body is stronger and harder to shape, while she just loses weight everywhere else. She wants recommendations for exercises to firm up, get back to maybe 115 lbs, lift her glutes, and balance everything out. Should she join a gym, or maybe try one of those women's group fitness classes with a trainer? Please be nice, she's 40 with two kids.

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The photos are before (colorful swimsuit) and after (black)

Here I am after 3 months. Now I'm at 113.5 lbs. The latest pics are in the solid pink swimsuit.

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I'm not really happy with it. I stuck to the same home workout routine, so I didn't exactly kill myself. The biggest issue is that my nutrition wasn't great. It feels like working out alone isn't getting me anywhere, so I'm going to dive into the gym and spend a few hours with a trainer to get started.

Here’s how my upper front looks right now—don't judge the photo quality too hard, but you can definitely see what's going on here.

http://s32.postimg.org/l8vbnfukl/201...0421_HDR_1.jpg

The big plan moving forward is to lean out and shave off maybe another 2% body fat while really hammering away at my chest to bring it all together.

Took home first place in the Mr. Olympia category at the US Open in Chicago.
Just a tune-up show for this season—now begins the grueling six-week grind leading up to the World Championship.
I really appreciate everyone here for the motivation, the support, and even those bits of advice along the way 🙂👍🙂

Stepped on stage at 218 lbs

Check out some of this back progress I've been making lately! Sadly, I don't have a decent "before" shot to compare it to, so it's kind of hard to tell just how much has actually changed... :/
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It’s finally happening! I think my arms are actually starting to grow!

Here’s a quick shot taken in some pretty dim lighting. Just snapped this 🙂
I hit shoulders and traps earlier today, though it’s probably been about five hours since I finished my session

So, I think I might have run into a bit of a dilemma lately. I started upping my calories, and while my arms are definitely filling out, I’ve also managed to pick up a bit of a damn belly. My abs are still technically there, but they aren't popping nearly as much as they used to
And honestly, all of this happened in just about ten days. I guess I'm wondering, is there actually a way to keep the gains without losing the definition???

I’ve still got a ton of work to do and no strict deadline, but I’m aiming to be dialed in by summer 🕺 183 lbs at roughly 15% body fat



And here are the legs 🤔



First photo after a two-week break from the gym because I was staying at my grandma's and basically lived on bacon, steak, pork, beef, and biscuits... (if you don't know what those are, just Google it 😁 )

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Some sort of, I guess, muscle mass or an attempt at it. 🤔

And there isn't much of a visual difference. There are 5 months between these photos. Since I am not great with tracking time and I work 6 days a week, I just train whenever I can. Chin-ups, push-ups, dumbbells, planks.

Quick status update before my next session... Honestly, my glutes are living proof that sitting at a desk all day isn't something you can just "fix" overnight—it takes real work—but looking at the progress, I'd say things are definitely moving in the right direction. For some context: I'm 42, standing 6'1", weighing about 175 lbs, and a father of two (ages 10 and 5). My training setup is pretty minimal—I stick strictly to kettlebells.

Almost there, feeling flat 🎉🍿👏
So, after nearly two weeks living strictly on protein—we're talking roughly 350-400 grams a day with zero carbs and zero fats—tomorrow is finally time to start the carb load 😁
The plan is to try and hammer down about 1,200 grams of carbs by noon tomorrow, which should kickstart a steady fill-up leading up to Saturday, when I head into my first major competition
.
During this depletion phase over the last fortnight, I’ve dropped about 11-13 pounds—hopefully, I can pull some of that weight back on during the loading phase 🤔
.


In this photo, I look completely depleted, especially considering I've been hitting full-body workouts twice a day
. 19 years old, 6'5", and 214 lbs 😉

I recognize that my dietary indiscretions could be more disciplined, yet I accept them as they are.😁

Two years on this fitness journey—and honestly, since I finally hit the gym consistently at the start of this year, it’s been a total game changer. 🙂
Sorry if these shots feel a little bit "edgy"

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Here is a little "beach" shot from today. I guess I might have overindulged just a tiny bit during my seven-day vacation down at the coast 😢

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Just a little bit of table tennis 😁

6'0", 178 lbs. Body fat is roughly 12-13% (that RippeBody site uses the US Navy calculator and says I'm at 11%)

Honestly, cutting any further this summer feels pointless. My goal for next year is to hit the same body fat but bump up to at least 187 lbs.🕺

36 years old, 2 kids, 5'6", 123 lbs, 33-26-37.
I mostly work out at home. This year I'm really focusing on doubling down on my routine—currently on my third run through the 21 Day Fix Extreme program. Lately, I've been biking to work and doing some foam rolling here and there. I used to go running quite a bit too.

Honestly, looking at all your photos... I don't even know what I'm doing here😁.
But man, I really feel like I finally beat my own damn self🙏.

I'm 37 years old
. Been hitting the gym hard for about 11 months now
.
Standing at 6'1"
.
Back when I started 11 months ago—before I ever stepped foot in a gym—I was sitting at 250 lbs
. Now I'm hovering somewhere between 220 and 227 lbs (probably just water weight... or whatever those supplements 😁 do to you)
. Dropped a ton of fat and definitely packed on some muscle mass
.
I wasn't even following a strict bulk or cut or anything specific like that. I've just been obsessively reading up on bodybuilding and nutrition for a long time now
. The plan is to go full beast mode on a planned bulk next year, then maybe shred down later, and we'll just see where life takes me
.
So yeah, hit me with your recommendations, comments... whatever you got, I'm all ears
.
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