It’s definitely a tangent drifting pretty far from the original topic, but a great one worth digging into. A new thread would allow replies/pics to get much more focused on your physique and training. I’d suggest either a very welcomed late entry to the August Photo Check-In or a new “Best of the Nomad”-type thread.
Getting back to the original poster’s questions, and the topic of longer vs shorter cycles, would be better here.