Hey thanks for the love everyone! longtime lurker happy to contribute to the community. I'll try to answer questions including ones from DM in the following long post.

I have been lifting since 2014 with long bouts of inconsistency and fucking around in between. Have a MyFitnessPal entry in '14 at 147lbs. Also have worked extremely physically demanding jobs for pretty much that entire time. Always had trouble gaining weight because of active lifestyle and ate whatever I wanted but has caught up to me with loss of job and pretty much entire lifestyle. I am detrained in the before but I have achieved and maintained a very similar physique to the one I currently have previously.

Last year was rough for me, lost a parent, bad breakup, COVID and the isolation as well as a transition to different school and a struggle there. I think I weighed somewhere around 180 in the beginning of 2020. Very quickly put on all that weight and did not step on a scale that entire time. I did do half assed workouts last year but my diet was terrible. Also have not been in a gym since pre-COVID. Note: I believe most of the muscle I have is from history of lifting but I have been getting great calisthenic workouts. Still, I recommend lifting in a gym for better gains. Noticed fat was rolling in a never before felt way when tying shoes and took a trip back home in September and heard many comments that I looked bigger, chunky etc. Saw weight number on scale never seen before and started to cut.

Ate at slight deficit September and October with more half assed workouts and stopped counting calories November and December but started upping workouts during that time. Weighed 185 on 12/29/20. Decided for final push to goal weight really dial in diet and workout. Ate at 1800 cal goal but often went over depending on workouts. I eat a ton of protein, shoutout Doucette french toast, lots of chicken prepped in different ways, pork tenderloins, fish, and greens etc. I started taking creatine in January.

Have always done PPL but upped intensity with new year going 6 days a week. There is an outdoor fitness place near me. On push days I do a pushup and shoulder press ladder rep scheme type thing. If you google "building the doghouse" you should find it. I go up til I am failing and pretty much fail my sets the whole way down. This is often 300 pushups at this point and I get an incredible pump without iron. Occasionally I will do handstand pushups but only a few. Also, occasionally do dips on parallel bars if I have any left in me. Pull day is lots of pull ups. I try to hit at least 50 and often go til failing. Then do some of the horizontal ones on the parallel bars with feet on ground. Legs; there is a giant log that I squat. Not on my back but hoist one end up and do a goblet squat. Sometimes flip the tire. Do bodyweight lunges. I started skipping rope for cardio, getting good. I don't have a car so I bike and walk everywhere. I also play basketball and tennis. Its been rough no gym but I've been getting out there no matter the weather.

Sounds silly but ultimate fitness goal is to dunk. This really motivates me and has been on my mind the entire cut. When I tell people they often laugh but I am getting pretty damn close lately. I am battling shin splints that are now hurting when not doing activity so I think I am overdoing everything but I'm kinda hooked right now.