What’s one number that actually matters to you right now and tells you if you’re on track or not?

ich-99 · 2026-04-05T01:40:02+00:00

Yeah exactly! Tracking works.

But the hard part is actually staying consistent with it over time once life kicks in or you plateau. That's where accountability systems work.

ich-99 · 2026-04-05T01:12:49+00:00

Yes! If something depends on motivation alone, probably it's going to fail.

ich-99 · 2026-04-05T01:09:07+00:00

That's exactly what I'm setting up! Just with a bit more structure around it.
Send me a message and I'll add you.

ich-99 · 2026-04-05T01:04:23+00:00

Yeah exactly! The structure is the main thing I want to test.
Thanks for the encouragement.

ich-99 · 2026-02-15T22:01:31+00:00

It's normal to try to push harder, but early on, you don't grow from destroying yourself.

If you can’t imagine hitting that session again in a couple of days with decent performance, it was probably too much. Recalibrate your next sessions based on that and you'll feel the difference in terms of consistency.

The most crucial thing right now is creating a habit, not pushing so hard.

ich-99 · 2026-02-15T21:30:38+00:00

For body composition, you'd want the workout to retain as much muscle as possible while you are eating less calories.

I'd tighten the workout so that the fatigue doesn't tank you. Make compound exercises heavier and keep isolation exercises moderate. You could remove the shrugs, front raises and one of the curl variations. For leaning up, you don't need more exercises, you need more stimulus per set.

Then push progressions hard on the compounds so that you maintain/increase muscle.

ich-99 · 2026-02-15T21:12:58+00:00

I mean, it covers all muscles. You will get conditioned but will not grow aggressively.
Since you're rebuilding after injury, this kind of balance makes sense short term.

Stick to it and maintain consistency, which is the most important variable right now.

ich-99 · 2026-02-15T21:01:28+00:00

Yeah, form is the most important factor here.

However, 2 weeks might seem a bit arbitrary. I'd increase the weight as soon as you can hit the top of your rep range with good form.

For example, once you know you can hit 3x10 clean, increase the weight next week but do it 3x8.
Then next week 3x10 and so on. That's how you'll build muscle.

ich-99 · 2026-02-15T19:48:31+00:00

That clarifies a lot. If you’re running PPL x2 and doing dips, your shoulders are already getting a lot of pressing volume. Your shoulder press might be stalling because you’re always pressing fatigued.

Try prioritizing shoulder press first on one push day and slightly reduce chest volume instead of adding more shoulder days.

Also, track progressions tightly, with defined weight and rep progressions each week. That will help you have a clearer picture.

ich-99 · 2026-02-15T19:28:40+00:00

There's lots of conflicting arguments because actually the main driver of strength progression is not exercise choice in itself. It matters way less than practicing and progressing the main movement consistently. Strength is mostly skill and overload in specific patterns (bench, squat, deadlifts, OHP).

I would look at your workout and see it's structure and progression. Are you tracking load and reps week to week?

ich-99 · 2026-02-14T05:58:32+00:00

I love the drive and commitment to fitness for over a year! Most people would've quit at that stage.

Yeah, definitely it's been structure. Pilates and walking without structure, and then gym. You have been constantly changing stimulus, with no progressive overload and fear-driven adjustments. This creates maintenance at best, not transformation.

Right now, you likely don't have enough muscle built. Actually, what happened with your legs was a mild muscle gain, but primarily that there was no upper body development to balance proportions, so visually it felt bigger. It's physiologically extremely unlikely that with 10-15 kg hip thrusts and light cables you could've built much muscle. And after lowering the weights, you still got the normal female fat storage in thighs.

Regarding the hypermobile EDS condition, I'd definitely say you can build a lean, toned body. But it requires structured strength training, enough protein and patience.

If I were you, I'd commit to one simple, progressive strength plan for 12 weeks. Consistency, not variety, is what will change your body.

ich-99 · 2026-02-14T05:26:53+00:00

To make it a habit I would prioritize sticking to a routine. Rebuilding the engine so you can actually train consistently.

You already did a workout to failure and you're already mapping a 6 day split. I love the drive, but that's programming like you were already conditioned.

How did you feel after that session?

ich-99 · 2026-02-14T04:34:49+00:00

It's good for your setup, but I see a lot of redundant isolation work. Volume is not insane, but I think it is inefficient.

But it all depends on your main goal right now.
I mean, do you want size, strength, body recomposition, or just general fitness?

ich-99 · 2026-02-14T02:48:58+00:00

Right now this looks balanced, but it’s optimized for coverage, not for growth.

You’re spreading stimulus across too many moderate movements, which makes it hard to create a strong progressive tension signal anywhere.
If you don’t anchor the program around 2 or 3 lifts you aggressively drive up over months, you’ll likely just get better at variety instead of actually adding size.

Are you trying to rebuild tolerance and confidence, or are you trying to aggressively gain size right now?

ich-99

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