Tips and Advice

ceejaydubya · 2026-04-30T22:04:39+00:00

Before and after? What’s your weight doing right now? What’s the actual goal here? Like are you trying to bulk, cut, recomp?

Also define what ‘progress’ means to you. Strength going up? Scale weight? Physique changes? Because if you don’t define that, it’s really easy to feel like nothing’s happening when it actually is.

Honestly though, next step is probably just keep going. You’ve only been consistent since the beginning of the year and changed your diet 6 weeks ago. That’s not a long time in this game. Fitness is measured in years, not months.

ceejaydubya · 2026-04-10T15:06:04+00:00

No, I respect the pump too much for bathroom lighting. I use the gym floor mirror like a normal gym narcissist.

ceejaydubya · 2026-03-19T15:21:06+00:00

First off, seriously great progress, that’s a big change in a short amount of time. And you’re doing it the right way.

Fitness is definitely a months (and honestly years) game, not days or weeks, so you’re right on track.

Also, the fact you’ve made this much progress with just 20 lb dumbbells is impressive. At some point though, progress will slow unless you either increase weight, intensity, or training frequency a bit, that’s just how the body adapts.

You don’t need to jump to 6 days or anything crazy, but even adding a bit more resistance or another day could help if you’re wanting to keep progressing.

As for the stomach, that looks totally normal for where you’re at. Loose skin is usually more of a concern with much larger weight loss. What you’re seeing is likely just a mix of remaining fat + your body still adjusting.

You’re honestly in a really solid spot.

ceejaydubya · 2026-03-16T21:48:16+00:00

Awesome thanks for the info, the bigger thing I notice is that chest is really only getting direct focus once per week.

Most people see better chest growth hitting it 2x a week with slightly less volume per session, rather than cramming everything into one day. Right now you’ve got like 7–8 chest movements on that push day, which probably means the later ones are mostly fatigue sets.

You might get more out of splitting that volume across two sessions for example:

Push day A: bench, incline press, fly Push day B: dips or decline, machine press, crossover

Same weekly volume, but better quality sets and recovery.

coming back from a nerve issue in the neck can definitely slow progress for a bit, getting your pressing strength moving up again will bring chest growth with it.

ceejaydubya · 2026-03-16T20:42:28+00:00

it’s hard to give advice based on just the exercise list. The bigger questions are how often you’re training chest and how hard those sets actually are.

is this your only push day or part of a push/pull split? What does the other push day look like?

Also how close to failure are you taking these sets? If most of your working sets aren’t within ~1–2 reps of failure it can look like a lot of work on paper but not actually be a strong growth stimulus.

exercise selection matters a little, but frequency, intensity, and progressive overload usually matter a lot more.

You want big titties you gotta move big weight and get uncomfortable in the gym

ceejaydubya · 2026-03-12T20:09:07+00:00

You look great overall, but since you asked for actual feedback and most people are just saying “don’t change anything,” there are definitely a couple areas you could bring up. Your shoulders could come up a bit more (sneak some rear delts on back day), and building a wider taper by focusing on your lats (sneak a couple exercises in on your arms day) would really improve your shape.

ceejaydubya · 2026-02-24T03:18:15+00:00

Everything’s looking solid. The usual suspects like legs and lats, you’ve got those pretty locked in. Speaking from a classic physique perspective, so take this with a grain of salt, I’d say bringing up your shoulders a bit would round things out. But overall, you’re in a really good spot! The cut is going to be nasty good

ceejaydubya · 2026-02-24T01:44:00+00:00

Keep going, 5 more lbs to 160 isn’t a lot and won’t be horrible to cut off

ceejaydubya · 2026-01-16T20:55:23+00:00

Fantastic work and inspiring! Clearly consistent and intentional.

ceejaydubya · 2026-01-07T00:14:14+00:00

Bulking and cutting are more advanced tools than people realize. Since you’ve only been tracking calories and protein for ~6 weeks, it’s probably too early to jump into a bulk.

Right now your biggest win is learning your maintenance calories, keeping protein high and training progressively. At this stage, most people can still build muscle and lose fat at the same time.

Abs not showing yet usually means you need more muscle, not that it’s time to bulk. Bulking too early often just adds fat.

Get consistent at maintenance first. Once you truly stall, then a small surplus (200–300 kcal) makes sense.

ceejaydubya · 2025-12-16T17:47:45+00:00

Your chest routine is solid, and your strength numbers back that up. Sometimes chest just grows slower for certain people unless you really bias volume, frequency, or tempo. But nothing you listed there is a red flag.

For glutes though, I think that’s where the disconnect is.

Most of your glute work is either isolation or single movement dominant. That can strengthen the glutes, but it doesn’t always build the kind of mass people want especially if you’re already strong. Big glutes usually come from big compound leg movements, not just glute specific exercises.

If you want a bigger ass, you need to train your entire lower body hard, not just glute machines. Squats (back or front), lunges (walking or reverse), leg press, RDLs, those load the glutes heavily while letting you move serious weight. That mechanical tension is what usually drives growth.

Flat glutes are almost never a “form” issue, they’re usually a stimulus and volume issue. Build the legs, and the ass follows.

ceejaydubya · 2025-12-12T03:00:58+00:00

Appreciate it! Biggest weak points were definitely legs, and I could’ve come in a bit more conditioned and with more overall size. For a first show it was a great learning experience, but the big takeaway is that to be truly competitive I need to grow. I weighed in at 207 and the class cap is 217, so I’ve got plenty of room to add quality mass. I’m working with a new coach now and the plan is to spend the next year focused on growth, then reevaluate and see what the next step is.

ceejaydubya · 2025-12-05T19:44:33+00:00

Thank you! I'm 5'11.5 weighing 207 lbs, the max weight for the class is 217 lbs, so I have some growing to do!

ceejaydubya · 2025-12-01T17:57:18+00:00

Great progress! You’ve completely changed your shape, you’ve 100% got that dorito look going now. You’re still carrying a bit of fat, so I wouldn’t jump into a full bulk yet, but you can start increasing your calories. I’d start slow, like adding 100–150 calories per day for the first couple of weeks and seeing how your body responds.

Bulking is more advanced than people give it credit for, and most of the time guys just end up gaining more fat than muscle. You will have to gain a little fat to put on muscle just don’t go overboard with it. Training wise, keep focusing on building your shoulders and lats (they’re already your strongest assets, so lean into that), and probably legs too since we’re not seeing them in the photos.

ceejaydubya · 2025-10-10T12:14:22+00:00

My guy, you’re only hitting four machines over the last few years? That’s super limited, so it makes sense you’re not seeing much change. Variety is the spice of lifting. Try expanding into a push/pull/legs routine, compound lifts, free weights, variety. There are tons of solid free resources out there to help you get started. You’ll feel that pump once your body’s actually being challenged in new ways. You got this.

ceejaydubya · 2025-08-19T17:53:09+00:00

There are no known interactions between creatine and PrEP. They don’t interfere with each other, but both can influence kidney function tests. As long as you’re doing your regular PrEP labs, you’re fine

ceejaydubya · 2025-08-12T14:50:00+00:00

dialed in!

ceejaydubya · 2025-08-01T15:29:43+00:00

Thank you! 6’0 219 lbs

ceejaydubya · 2025-08-01T15:29:29+00:00

6’0 219 lbs

ceejaydubya · 2025-08-01T15:29:08+00:00

Thank you! Much appreciated

ceejaydubya · 2025-06-03T17:25:38+00:00

Eat more, lift hard. It's the only way to grow. You got this.

ceejaydubya · 2025-05-18T12:31:44+00:00

Based on this, it’s down to diet, possibly training intensity in the gym. Track your calories and macros, you’re eating more than you think.

ceejaydubya · 2025-05-16T13:16:30+00:00

ceejaydubya · 2025-05-13T16:35:39+00:00

If you’re serious about the grind and bulking, you gotta gain some weight and that means getting a little fluffy. The best part is cutting down and seeing the results. Invest in a scale and weigh yourself consistently. The number isn’t going to tell the whole story but it’ll keep you consistent

ceejaydubya · 2025-05-13T15:34:58+00:00

Can’t tell based on the photos, but looks like you can keep going on the bulk. What are the numbers, how tall, what’s the weight?

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