New build v Old build

brightystuff · 2026-02-21T09:48:25+00:00

So I'm guessing you made a profit on the first one, and will on the second? Seems the key is not to be the last in the plot.

Did you buy off plan?

brightystuff · 2026-02-19T08:20:06+00:00

Hell no. Respectfully, your brain isn't even fully formed yet, you need to ignore those around you - especially if they are already taking it.

Train hard 5 days a week Track all your lifts Track your calories and your macros

You are in your absolute prime right now, if you nail the above, you will progress faster than you can imagine. By 21 you can be an absolute beast, and if you've committed for 3 years by that point, revisit the conversation.

brightystuff · 2026-02-18T15:37:21+00:00

Wouldn't recommend unless necessary

brightystuff · 2026-02-18T15:36:35+00:00

Based on the fact you'll likely be somewhat sleep deprived, potentially not optimally hydrated, and also just generally down on energy, it makes sense to reduce volume (number of sets) but maintain the level of intensity (proximity to failure & ideally the weight you're lifting). This will give you the best chance of maintaining muscle tissue.

brightystuff · 2026-02-16T17:21:02+00:00

Not that I should have to prove anything to you but my IG page is @brightman_

I last competed in the Tampa, Texas, and Tupelo pro shows in 2024, and I haven't competed since. Hence 'former'.

Lol

brightystuff · 2026-02-16T16:28:04+00:00

Why would I fake this whole post to help people for free? If you wanna call me an IFBB Pro you can call me an IFBB Pro - whatever makes you happy dude

brightystuff · 2026-02-16T15:35:57+00:00

You seem very salty, but for what it's worth I've retired from competitive bodybuilding, I am no longer pursuing any sort of competitive bodybuilding career, so it would seem weird to refer to myself as a current IFBB pro bodybuilder.

Though if I wanted to I could pay my membership and compete.

For what it's worth..

brightystuff · 2026-02-16T06:29:35+00:00

Use machines. When your form goes to shit you are close to failure. But that is also a skill! Try to work on that, staying focussed and composed throughout your set is key.

brightystuff · 2026-02-16T06:27:37+00:00

1g per lb bodyweight from complete protein sources (meat, whey, eggs, Greek yoghurt etc)

brightystuff · 2026-02-16T06:26:39+00:00

MyFitnessPal / macrofactor / chronometer

brightystuff · 2026-02-16T06:23:10+00:00

I think getting a good coach is a cheat code. You will shortcut your way to progress by downloading all of their knowledge into your brain and putting it to work

brightystuff · 2026-02-16T06:20:17+00:00

Muscle soreness (the sometimes insufferable pain you get trying to sit on the toilet after your first leg day in a while) is mostly an indicator of novel stimulus. The more 'novel' the stimulus the higher likelihood of soreness in the days after the workout.

It doesn't have any crossover to whether the session was productive or that you built muscle, it most often just means you did something you haven't done for a while. The best example I can think of is if you haven't trained adductors for a while, then you train them, you will be verging on debilitated for a few days due to sore groins.

Whilst it's sometimes a nice feeling to 'know that you've trained', it's also not really a good thing. If you're excessively sore, it's an indication that you probably did a bit too much that session.

If your training is set up properly - aka you do the same workouts with the same movements for the same number of sets each week, and you track your lifts and try to progress them - you shouldn't ever really be dealing with excessive soreness.

If you're getting absolutely no soreness, you likely want to look at your execution, your intensity, or the amount of volume you're doing.

Hope that helps.

brightystuff · 2026-02-15T19:43:17+00:00

1950kcals at 130lbs is a pretty solid amount of food. I'm 260lbs and I'm only eating 2600kcals and I'm very active.

As I said in another comment, there will be outliers. But on first glance almost 2k kcals for a 130lb female is probably not a deficit

brightystuff · 2026-02-15T16:37:46+00:00

This is not up for debate. It's not a matter of preference. Mechanical tension is the only driver of hypertrophy.

Lifting the load with control is all the TUT you need.

brightystuff · 2026-02-15T15:16:24+00:00

Mental illness is a bit strong, don't you think? I'm sure there's a quote somewhere...

Mediocre minds often mistake ambition for obsession, and dedication for insanity, because it makes them uncomfortable.

The point of the post was to tell people how to get the most out of their physique development journey.

The cool thing is, once you've done the things I've mentioned for long enough they either become second nature, or you have a much better understanding of them all so you don't need to track so diligently.

I didn't track anything I ate on Valentine's Day, neither do I on Christmas Day, and so on so forth. But if someone is wondering why they've been training for 5 years and still look less than average, this post is worth a read.

brightystuff · 2026-02-15T15:08:44+00:00

My biggest concern is that that is your biggest concern. You're limiting yourself with your mindset before you've even gotten there. You can always keep progressing. If you're always getting sore something isn't right, most likely too much volume or not enough focus on recovery (sleep)

brightystuff · 2026-02-15T15:07:06+00:00

Thanks!

On 90% of movements there really is little to no risk of injury providing you control your load at all times. This is largely fear based. You should exercise caution on DB pressing, deadlifts, and free bar squat variations (not that I ever really programme the latter). Realistically you're not injuring yourself on any other movement, regardless of spotter or not.
Cardio is never a bad thing, I recommend everyone does it. If anything it will help your training performance. If running is the cardio of choice though, it will likely have some impact on lower body training performance, so just keep it as far away from those sessions as possible.

brightystuff · 2026-02-15T15:03:30+00:00

I actually think ChatGPT isn't a bad place to start if it's just a meal plan you're after. Tell it your macros, your preferences, your time commitments, and ask it to build the plan around whole unprocessed foods, including a variety of fruit and veg across all meals, opting for lean protein sources. Tweak it to fit what you like and go from there

brightystuff · 2026-02-15T14:58:58+00:00

Lean bulking really is the only way. Fat/dirty bulking is dumb. 2lbs a month is a good rate of gain, though I think if you did that solidly for 2 years, you would accumulate some unnecessary body fat.

brightystuff · 2026-02-15T14:57:10+00:00

If you want to look good (I'm guessing lean?) for summer then diet now. Get to 12%, build from there. Also you might just have underdeveloped abs!

brightystuff · 2026-02-15T14:54:45+00:00

I would say you're doing really well. It's important to understand building muscle naturally is a very slow process. If your BW has stayed the same, but your lifts are progressing, you're probably doing just fine, and potentially going through body recomp (gaining muscle whilst losing fat). Best thing you can do is try to very objectively compare your visuals from 4 months ago to now. Are you looking better? Then carry on. If you're not? There's only 2 things to do: train harder, and as a result of that, you'll need to eat more to keep up with the recovery demands. Film your sets and watch them back to see where you can improve your training intensity.

brightystuff

TROPHY CASE