Obvi I’m a new user to the forum, so if I posted this in the wrong spot or are using wrong etiquette, please lmk and I’ll change my ways!
I am 24 years old, and Ive been working out for about 3 years now. I am 5’11, and started at around 145 lbs, and am now weighing in at 202lbs! For full transparency, I have been on try for the past two years, as I was diagnosed with very low T (156 at peak) and have been taking about 150mg a week. I have been considering starting a cycle, of around 400/500mg a week, but that’s very much on the backburner for now.
I am currently looking for some advice - weighing the heaviest I ever have, I am heavily considering a cut of some kind to get my abs back, but truly I wish to continue growing but fear overdoing it. Due to an insane BMR due to very active lifestyle (active job, theater practice, constant figeting), I have to eat around 4000cal to bump the scale up, but I am very meticulous with my macros and weighing my food to get accurate values.
For those who have been in my shoes before, or have years of experience beyond my own, how would you move forward with gaining muscle at this rage? also, advice on starting a 500mg test cycle at this stage is more than welcome.
Haha thank you. I’ll have to comb through my gallery and find a leg pic, it’s been a hot minute.
As for gaining that weight, I’m pretty sure I was habitually malnourished growing up and right before I started lifting, so when I started tracking my food and eating as much as I could within a healthy surplus range, I exploded to 170 pretty quick (eta 8 or so months), and the rest has been a slow crawl.
I’ve gone on two cuts in the meantime to lower my BF - one when I first started T, then once more about 8 months ago where I cut from 190 to 175ish to get my ab and facial definition back for a role which I had to be shirtless and without facial hair.
I’ve got work coming up rn, but In a bit I’ll post my macro goals at this stage, and find a few decent leg pics.
Thank you! I’ll have to fix the link later when I get a moment. I’ll try to include some good before photos as well!
There was - when I was very young I suffered a pretty agressive injury to my pelvic region. Everything is fine and functional, but my T production may have been impacted. That, and very rough childhood/adolescene with trauma and malnourishment def played a role.
My/our advice depend on what you’ve been doing so far? But, it seems to be working, at least up until now. Like any of us, you probably need to do something differently to resist adaptation. Also, to know your goal or general idea with strength training would be helpful.
Right now, I am about to start a Upper/Lower/Arms/Lower/Upper routine. Aiming for 2/3 all out sets per exercise. I am doing this after doing a individual body part split for the past six months.
I am doing this rotation mostly to get back to getting the two stimulus sessions per week, versus the one, ensuring I am actually hitting things hard enough to keep the growing going.
A big goal of mine is to finally get big arms. Dont get me wrong, they have absolutely grown, but comparatively they are lagging behind. My chest also needs some work, but thats always been difficult to grow. (230lbs bench press with strict form and a flat back for 3x8 reps? Good work, your chest still looks like two pancakes.)
Static holds and pause reps have always helped my arms grow, especially biceps. I have a hard time fatiguing them. I’ve found that pausing chin-ups where I feel biceps activated, neutral grip lat pulls and barbell curls give needed stimulus and Itypically program them as “finishers”.
If I ate 4000 calories a day I would look like my avatar. Oh, wait…
At 21 you weighed 145 lbs. At 24 you now weigh 202 lbs. In three years you have put on almost 60 lbs. what is described as muscle. You went went from the build of a college cross country runner to that of a college football linebacker in three years. Excellent.
There are a lot more folks here who can guide you to your newer goals.
But, I would like to type hello and welcome you. This is an exceptional forum. You will get good advice!
