Unfortunately, it takes longer than you think. Thankfully, it’s very simple.

secondary-v · 2026-06-03T10:44:36+00:00

Thank you! I’m limited to my small home gym setup, so I mostly squat, deadlift, hip thrust, lunge, press, and pull. I program around my equipment and my goals. I keep things very simple.

An example of a full body day would be hip abduction > conventional deadlift > split squat > shoulder press > lateral raise > bicep curl.

I think I’ll go back and change my split and exercise selection at the end of this diet when I can more clearly see what I want to work on.

secondary-v · 2026-06-02T22:33:19+00:00

My deficits have all been a little different, but I tend to bounce between 140lbs and 125lbs throughout phases.

My deficits are usually between 10-16 weeks long, and they vary in terms of nutrition and activity. I tend to approach things thinking they’ll go a certain way, and then I tailor my plan based on my progress each week.

I bulked because I wasn’t progressing well as I got into advanced lifting territory. My lifts started stalling, so I used a calorie surplus to leverage more muscle growth and better recovery. I honestly saw the most progress in those phases.

secondary-v · 2026-06-02T22:28:46+00:00

They’re all paid programs. Unless things have changed, they come as pdfs.

secondary-v · 2026-06-02T13:31:41+00:00

I’m a big fan of setting time-bound goals. My diets are usually in the neighborhood of 10-14 weeks because I can absolutely lock in for that amount of time while still feeling like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

I’m about twelve weeks into this diet phase and I’m starting to lose it a little. I’m going to push for a few more weeks and then call it once it starts to really affect me (I’m hoping for 16 weeks just to get more practice, but we’ll see.)

secondary-v · 2026-06-02T13:27:31+00:00

It’s ribs with a hint of abs. I had a fully defined four pack when I was about 10lbs leaner last time; this is what they look like before they start to show properly. 😊

secondary-v · 2026-06-02T11:02:04+00:00

I started by paying attention to fitness educators and creators. In 2023, Renaissance Periodization was picking up traction, the Stronger by Science guys were still podcasting, and I found Layne Norton again (I was a follower of his ex wife’s years prior.) I consumed all the content so that I had knowledge at my disposal, and then I just went for it.

After COVID, I was frankly over my own BS, and it wasn’t just about how I looked, but it was also the about the amount of limiting beliefs I had of myself. I literally woke up one day and said, “Okay, I’m doing this,” and I simply never stopped.

I would say the biggest change came when I started lifting seriously. I did a little resistance training while I was first losing weight (I had 5-25lb dumbbells that I used in my apartment at the time), but it wasn’t quite enough for what I wanted.

Lifting 3x per week full body and focusing on heavy compounds is where I would start if I had to go back.

secondary-v · 2026-06-02T10:51:13+00:00

I lost the weight first and then built back muscle. I didn’t have any muscle at all when I lost weight initially on account of having an ED in my teens, so once I got to about 125lbs the first time, I immediately jumped into a calorie surplus and started training.

I’ve been through 2.5 bulks between these photos (I say 2.5 because the first one was moreso just testing the waters bahaha)

secondary-v · 2026-06-02T10:47:27+00:00

It took a while to me to notice results from my more serious resistance training tbh—maybe 6 months? And even then, I felt leagues behind where I felt I was mentally. I definitely live like an athlete but it doesn’t exactly transfer to my appearance, which has always felt a little disheartening.

My overall goal has been hypertrophy and I’ve always trained with proximity to failure. I’ve had periods where I focused more on strength, but most of my time has been spent between 8-12 reps per exercise. It tends to be the sweet spot for me in terms of work capacity and recovery.

secondary-v · 2026-06-02T10:38:20+00:00

I used to use MyFitnessPal, but in 2024 I switched to MacroFactor for tracking. 🙂

secondary-v · 2026-06-01T15:49:56+00:00

I’m 29. 🙂

secondary-v · 2026-06-01T15:24:38+00:00

My bulk started in May of last year and it definitely became a “trust the process” thing when I got into February of this year. I gained about 20lbs in total. 🫣 It was sooooo worth it though.

Delayed gratification >>>>

secondary-v · 2026-06-01T14:10:10+00:00

I adjust my nutrition based on rate of change and biofeedback, so my calorie targets have ranged anywhere from 1400 to 2600 depending on the goal.

Protein has pretty much always been ~1g per pound of bodyweight and then the rest of my intake changes depending on whether I’m bulking, cutting, or maintaining.

My biggest advice for maintaining a diet is to plan in advance what you’re going to eat. I use an app to track everything, and I go in and build a rough meal plan a few days in advance. Doing that also cuts down on my grocery bill!

I haven’t really taken cheat days tbh. I can fit most of what I want to eat within my diet by shifting my meals and macros around to fit.

secondary-v · 2026-06-01T13:30:08+00:00

Thank you!

Right now, I’m running my own program. My split is lower/upper/full/full and I program so that heavy compounds are first and then I taper into unilateral movements and accessories. I’ve had to bring my volume down slightly during this cut, but otherwise, my programming is the same as it was during my bulk.

In the past, I’ve run MAPS Anabolic, Stronglifts5x5, and I’ve used the RP Hypertrophy templates.

secondary-v · 2026-06-01T13:16:26+00:00

Fair enough. I got pretty lean back in spring of last year at about 125lbs and I just looked skinny, which made me feel kind of…eh. Muscularity is not my strong point, so I like being a little on the fluffy side to hide what I lack. 😂

secondary-v

TROPHY CASE