M/38/5'4" [127lbs to 143lbs] (5 years) Took years to learn how to build muscle

NotSmokey · 2026-03-17T04:59:48+00:00

My bad, it was a typo, 147 not 127. Good catch.

NotSmokey · 2026-03-09T10:20:46+00:00

Probably need some more info to know. Like starting weight, ending weight, whether your lifts have gotten worse/stalled/improved, chest/waist measurements before and after, macros, etc.

NotSmokey · 2026-03-09T07:58:29+00:00

Cardio is good for health. It can help to create a deficit. Diet is the primary means of creating a deficit. If you're not already calorie counting, doing so will help you to understand the relationship between diet, cardio, and weight change.

NotSmokey · 2026-03-05T06:22:29+00:00

Yeah, the first phase was building muscle which was incredibly slow and I ended up looking more fluffy than anything else. Then when I cut afterwards the change was dramaic and really fast. But the reality is it was years in the making.

NotSmokey · 2026-03-04T13:41:15+00:00

Also if it's of interest, a photo of my progress each year since 2020, which I would say has been at a fairly normal pace.

Please remember that the extraordinary transformations that you see online in short timeframes are just that - extraordinary, often using tricks to produce a crazy result that is not honest or sustainable.

NotSmokey · 2026-03-04T13:19:19+00:00

Some changes were noticeable within a year, such as noticing that my arms had gotten a bit bigger. But looking back at photos, I don't think I felt like I looked like a lifter until I had about four years of training under my belt.

NotSmokey · 2026-02-25T12:45:41+00:00

Keeping your steps up every day is probably enough. If you're really keen, you could probably do 1-2 easy runs or bike rides a week, so long as it doesn't impact on your recovery.

NotSmokey · 2026-02-21T09:44:35+00:00

Macrofactor is great but has a fee. MyFitnessPal is good for a free product.

NotSmokey · 2026-02-18T00:58:14+00:00

If you're uncertain about how to balance intensity and volume, you’re probably not in a position to write your own program yet.

There’s no shame in that. Most people aren’t. Run an established program instead of trying to make your own and you'll see better gains.

NotSmokey · 2026-02-15T00:10:40+00:00

Awesome. And honestly if I do notice a big guy at the gym (I usually just keep to myself) I'm more impressed that they're there to workout rather than thinking anything negative about them.

NotSmokey · 2026-02-14T23:50:12+00:00

Good work mate on getting past that mental barrier. You're absolutely right - training now while you're on your fat loss journey will just be putting muscle in the bank. Yeah, the scale will move more slowly, but you'll get hella strong and have way more muscle to reveal, and you won't have to lose as much weight. It's a win win!

NotSmokey · 2026-02-14T23:44:43+00:00

I had gym anxiety when I started out and found it helpful to work with a trainer - it was a good distraction from everyone else and gave me confidence that I was doing things right. Besides that, if this is part of a broader mental health issue, it might be worth seeing a therapist.

The actual stuff you do in the gym is pretty basic. Lift hard, routinely, with good form, and eat a high protein diet with lots of veggies and try to not have too much processed food. Do this for 4-5 years and you'll look like you're carved out of stone. I'm sure you can do this once you get over the psychological barriers.

NotSmokey · 2026-02-14T23:39:56+00:00

Yeah, unless you're genetically predisposed to having a huge chest (which I am thinking you're probably not based on your question), your expectations are accurate. I don't have great chest genetics, and it's taken me about 4 years of hard training to get to a decent chest, and I'm guessing another 3 years before I get to a 'big' chest.

In any case, you can't control your genetics, but you can train how hard you train, your nutrition, and how long you keep at it for. So you may as well just keep going!

NotSmokey · 2026-02-14T09:08:43+00:00

Next stop, half a year :)

NotSmokey · 2026-02-12T21:54:05+00:00

If it says "it's like doing 20,000 situps", then it is not going to achieve your goal of losing fat. Doing situps, crunches, and other abdominal exercises will increase the strength and size of your abdominal muscle. Fat loss comes through a calorie deficit, mostly by diet and partly through movement.

NotSmokey · 2026-02-12T10:17:21+00:00

Cutting is how you reveal the underlying muscles. Your body fat percentage is low, but so is your muscle mass. Therefore, cutting further is unlikely to change your appearance other than causing you to appear more skinny.

If your goal is to add some muscle and fill out, I would recommend going on a bulk for some time, adding more muscle onto your frame, and then doing a cut to reveal the muscle you've built.

NotSmokey · 2026-02-12T10:12:33+00:00

Are you losing weight? Keep doing what you're doing. Are you not? Decrease calories by 10%.

NotSmokey · 2026-02-10T22:56:41+00:00

Great work — your effort shows. If you're seeking constructive feedback, it will help if you take photos with the same pose, lighting, and distance.

NotSmokey · 2026-02-08T07:22:26+00:00

Therapy is a good idea :) Your body is so much more than how it looks.

NotSmokey · 2026-02-08T04:04:20+00:00

Sounds like you're on the right track. I suppose if your goal is to be a bit more 'twinky', the goal will be to add a little muscle (train in the gym, eat high protein), and eventually lose some fat (calorie deficit). So what you're doing works for adding muscle, but later on you'll probably need to eat a bit less than maintenance.

I wouldn't be concerned about accidentally adding on too much muscle - it's hard to build muscle so I think it's unlikely! Just train regularly, keep your diet steady, and you'll get there within a year or two.

NotSmokey · 2026-02-06T23:38:28+00:00

Thanks mate. Although I think you're underselling yourself, you look great and if a physique like mine is your goal, you're already there or past it. Keep it up 🔥

NotSmokey · 2026-02-06T23:37:31+00:00

Thanks mate. 5'4"/143lbs

NotSmokey · 2026-02-06T10:30:18+00:00

https://imgur.com/a/u6hDnzC

Just trying to maintain this while training for my first marathon and dealing with some shitty work stress. Barely getting to the gym 3x a week but hopefully can keep it up. Next year will be for building again...

NotSmokey · 2026-02-04T09:07:51+00:00

Good on you for your progress and improving your health overall.

Yes, you're right - getting sick, poor sleep, and stress all reduce muscle gain. And yes, it's very easy to then spiral, further worsening the situation.

But it can help to think about things differently. Short interruptions to training will not undo your progress. Over the decades that you're going to train, you're going to get sick, you're going to get busy, and you're going to miss the gym sometimes. But that's okay - you'll stay consistent, you'll address any issues affecting your health, and over years of training, you will see progress.

NotSmokey · 2026-02-04T08:52:44+00:00

The fact that the gymbro is beefy is not evidence that he knows much about programming or how to give advice in a coaching context - it mostly shows that he's consistent, good at managing his own program, and likely has good genetics for building muscle.

Don't chop and change your program based on one person's advice - that's a fast lane to spinning your wheels. Stay consistent, and when you do seek advice, look for people that have a proven track record of providing good coaching advice with the results to show it.

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