I have to add a note here - the mirror is filthy… It’s my kids room. The only full-length mirror I could find. This explains everything else in the background too, haha.
The other note is - what are my goals physically for 2025? I’ve been chasing olympic lifts, getting better but not necessarily hitting PRs.
Have been eating largely like an adult but in the past couple months I’ve noticed the spare tire is huge when I sit down and relax. Fucking gross, tbh. I call myself the goblin king around my family, to draw attention and shame to the problem, to create motivation for me to improve it.
To me it doesn’t look that gross in the pics but it feels like it, and it looks gross to me when I look down.
But as we know the man who chases two rabbits catches none.
So do I work on lean-ness? do I work on adding weight to snatch and C&J?
Can I do both?
Do I focus on something else?
Do I acknowledge that I’m a non-responder to physical training of any sort except maybe endurance running and calisthenics, and just play to my strengths instead of chasing things that I suck at?
Hell, throw it all away, eat M&Ms, and just focus on work and family and look like a sack of shit? I have a lot of pressure on me so that’s actually appealing… And worthy of a book-length post sometime.
I feel like a very moderate deficit over the full t-ransformation period (whilst keeping protein higher, not that it really needs saying here), would see you keep progressing at the O lifts and tightening up the midsection.
I want to see you succeed because anyone who thinks the O-lifts are cool is cool in my book. These are absolutely both achievable goals. Olympic weightlifting is a weight class sport and plenty of people are peeled in it. You need to be 100% committed to the goals though; you should be chasing them with reckless abandon. The self deprecation stuff is not helpful, in my opinion. Act like the guy you wanna be. I think @alex_uk was pretty much right; clean the diet up and keep Snatching/Clean & Jerking/Squatting/Pressing hard and eventually you will get there.
If I can say one more thing- I think you need to eventually decide whether or not it’s worth it to chase the full catch versions or if you’re just gonna be a “power or die” kinda guy. There’s no shame in a hobbyist powering the lifts - I have a friend around your age who also started late, has mobility issues that make the full lifts less than ideal, and she power clean & jerks around 200lb. NFL dudes power clean 400lb. I’ve seen plenty of people do the power versions in local competitions. I could be way off base here, but I have a sneaking suspicion that your frustration with learning the full catch version of the lifts (you have posts from over a year ago on the very same topic) is what is holding you back. A big power clean is cool, jerking it overhead even more so!
This is accurate.
And in a year if I haven’t figured that out, maybe you’re right and I should commit to powers, and just try to PR my powers.
Thanks man.
Alright, I’m working with a coach and finishing up week 2 with him. SUPER psyched to transform myself. I’m on TRT+ with no other enhancements.
Stats: 54yo, 223 pounds. Looking to weigh in at 200lbs. Working on a total recomposition, so I don’t know if 200 is realistice in 5 months or not. I’ll post update photos every month.
DYING to get rid of my “love handles”, which I do not love Need to continue to increase strength. Coach has me eating more carbs than I’ve ever eaten (wasn’t eating nearly enough for the longest time since I started lifting and working on weight loss in October of 2023). We will keep dialing thing from week to week. Looking to make a dramatic transofrmation in time for my 55th birthday.
Realistically, though, I’d like to put together more than 4-5 weeks of consistent work consistently—the latter half of 2023 and all of 2024 were just abysmal in that regard.
Goal, embarrassingly I have a sister in her mid 50’s that is more muscular than I am so that has to change. This will include reducing my waist and getting generally leaner.
Age: 28
Height: 6’0
Weight: 196.7lbs
Goal Weight: 175-180lbs. Not really sure of a goal BW but I think that is the level where abs would really come out.
Really trying to get the abs out here and get leaner than I’ve ever been. I’ve been very focused on macros lately and think I will do a few weeks where I improve food quality first. Then dive back into the macros once those changes have been made.
I guess the question is this: do I hate myself enough to do something about it?
Not happy with myself. The back pic made me feel worse than the front. Goal is to suck it up and finally start living better. Been drinking too much and eating less than great (Arby’s curly fries and chicken nuggets, anyone?). I’m currently 237-238, but I’d like to walk around at 225. If I get some momentum, I might push to 220 to give myself a buffer.
Snatched a few pics earlier because I was sure I would forget about it again. Went out for the night yesterday and ate a lot and drank so I’m extra bloated and watery hehehehe
Been quite the silly season . In just two weeks, I’ve added 2.5kg, and it feels like it’s all water/fat . So watery…and chubby. Look fatter than I did at 109kg a few months ago. Weird. But I’ve enjoy this holiday period, with far too many social events, the last one being last night.
Time to get back to work.
These are probably not accurate photos, but I’m happy to cheat a little here.
105.7kg (104.0kg yesterday). I didn’t drink that much last night, nor eat a tonne. Weird.
I’m going to do a weekly overview/upload in my log as we trot along.
Back to the forum, and count me in for the challenge.
My plan is to gain/maingain for 3 months then cut for the summer.
At the same time, I am starting a nutrition coach training in few days. So in addition to my current job, the days promise to be busy that a why if I manage to maintain or even improve my physique it will be a big personal victory.
(I will also need people ready to be my testers during the training, so if someone feels motivated I can help, for free of course…)
Age : 36
Height : 181cm / 5ft11 (I think)
Weight : 81kg / 178lbs
Ok, game for this again. I’m typically at 255lb atm (6’4”, 41 y.o). My goal for 2025 is get reliably to 260lb while reducing waist size and continuing to develop out back and chest, strengthening abs/core is part of that too. Pics were taken shortly after a back workout (so some residual pump there)… have a little bit of a Christmas tree going there on my back but looking to build that, as well As general thickness in center of back too. I need to wean off using a belt a lot when lifting which has just become a habit my
Core is suffering from so much compensation with the belt
I’m in! My main goal is to just continue a slow bulk with apex predator being the basis of my nutrition. My other goal is to actually do my sled work on lower body days
I’m pretty much back to the sad shape of last year after losing about 26 pounds by June. At least I can say I learned what works for me and what doesn’t in that process. I have a few injuries I’m dealing with right now so a lot of heavy weights is out currently. The goals is leanness while maintaining the muscle I have.
Need to continue to increase strength. Coach has me eating more carbs than I’ve ever eaten (wasn’t eating nearly enough for the longest time since I started lifting and working on weight loss in October of 2023). We will keep dialing thing from week to week. Looking to make a dramatic transofrmation in time for my 55th birthday.
. In just two weeks, I’ve added 2.5kg, and it feels like it’s all water/fat 
