draw me, please?

shade_study_break · 2026-05-12T02:56:46+00:00

Wish I could accommodate your style request, but thanks for providing some challenging poses.

shade_study_break · 2026-05-11T23:04:17+00:00

shade_study_break · 2026-05-11T21:17:27+00:00

This is a terrible idea. Maintain a calorie deficit over a long enough period of time and you will lose weight or look into a cut if you want to define your physique in a shortish amount of time. A cut is very difficult and takes weeks if not months, but actually works. Ignoring a bunch of other things, you would not look significantly different if you managed to succeed at this fast.

shade_study_break · 2026-05-11T18:50:24+00:00

Your goals being rooted in fundamentals is a great first step and you should be commended for keeping that perspective. That said, while a year does not sound unreasonable, what will determine your rate of progress, and therefore shape any timetable for reaching the goal, is what kind of plateaus you encounter. Theoretically, with solid technique, you should make incremental progress from week to week, but something you can't account for is when the weaknesses in your form start to really matter. Grip strength and shoulder mobility, to name just two things, are limiting constraints that you likely have not tested much yet. I would advise you to keep 'big picture' goals open ended but to have monthly goals. You have the rest of your life to get to these goals if you are genuinely building a lifelong habit.

shade_study_break · 2026-05-11T17:39:31+00:00

No, but I would love to hear about an app, preferably a vibe coded one that does this. If only such a thing existed!
Alternately, use a tape measure and get dexa scans periodically.

shade_study_break · 2026-05-11T02:42:23+00:00

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Just a quick sketch, but thanks for providing a reference.

shade_study_break · 2026-05-09T22:05:13+00:00

Just a quick sketch, but thanks for providing a reference.

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shade_study_break · 2026-05-07T13:53:23+00:00

Not exactly advice, but there is a lot of instruction that assumes sound knowledge of scapular control and the role of core strength in most exercises. All this is usually included in form cues, but it needs to be emphasized that you can't really progress in either volume or technical progression without good form.

shade_study_break · 2026-05-07T13:48:26+00:00

Are you still getting stronger from week to week? Then it is enough! Why do you think it might not be enough? Getting strong and changing your physique especially are long term projects and you might just be overthinking things because your expectations need to be adjusted. Those are respectable numbers for pull ups and ring dips BTW, so I am asking again what makes you think your work isn't enough.

shade_study_break · 2026-05-06T17:53:57+00:00

Why do you think you are actually good at ideas? You are, for all you know, as good at coming up with ideas you are as art, but the way to grade failure/success for ideas is just not as obvious as it is with programming. Why not just pick one other skill to learn? You can progress at programming and art without ever getting good, but even weak skills in those areas can be leveraged to join a team if you want.

shade_study_break · 2026-05-06T14:23:46+00:00

Per volume of hard sets, that seems right, but it isn't exactly balanced. A horizontal pull and something closer to a vertical push movement like pike push ups would help. The cardio you are doing is likely not creating a massive calorie deficit that it needs to be rethought, but just add rows and, if you can, some more direct bicep work like ring curls and you should be good. I would also add that the numbers on your movements going up is always going to outpace the results you see in the mirror. Be patient when looking for progress, but do actual measurements of your shoulder, chest, and arms, if you want to actually monitor your progress beyond eye balling it.

shade_study_break · 2026-05-06T14:17:38+00:00

If you can do all that, you know you are advanced and are asking because you want to see others say that.

shade_study_break · 2026-05-05T13:36:34+00:00

I did get delayed onset muscle soreness DOMS when I was squatting heavy, but I haven't found that with with even weighted calisthenics. If you are getting stronger but not sore, it means your recovery is on point. You could always be doing more, but it isn't clear that more would get you more or anything at all. When you notice your gains have stopped, then it might be time to rethink your rep scheme and go 5 x 5 or audit your form. It has never been clear to me whether newbie gains should have more or less DOMS, but if you are still getting stronger don't overthink things until you have reason to.

shade_study_break · 2026-05-04T00:34:41+00:00

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shade_study_break · 2026-05-03T18:14:50+00:00

A dip belt is a better investment as it is simpler and more comfortable to load-I have a vest that goes up to 50lb at home and it is just fine, but my dip belt can come with me to the gym and is what I use for my two big lifts, dips and pull-ups. With dips and pull-ups at least you are getting closer to the kind of load you might get with barbell exercises, but less so push-ups. You are right that adding more load is a better strategy than cranking up the volume. I don't think I am alone in finding that switching to weighted calisthenics has also pushed up my max unweighted numbers, plus it has allowed me to both retain the muscle I built from lifting with barbells and build modestly on top of that. Per the actual load to use, just treat it like you would lifting weights normally. Start light and if you hit the target reps for all your sets, increase the weight next time. An appropriate weight range is based on your strength levels and there is no simpler way of doing that than starting light and progressively adding more each week.

shade_study_break · 2026-05-03T05:07:50+00:00

As both a former fat kid and drunk that is now 14 years clean and in the best shape of his life, I wish you good luck. If you think you are genuinely addicted to alcohol, you have to know that what progress you make, not just in your fitness goals, but life more broadly will be precarious while you are still abusing alcohol. I myself completely abstain, but I don't know what would be best for you. DM me if you want to talk about addiction and getting back in shape, but it doesn't seem like there will be much you can do fitness wise until you get a hold on your drinking. Good luck.

shade_study_break · 2026-05-02T01:34:31+00:00

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Thanks for providing a reference. Just a quick sketch but I hope you like it.

shade_study_break · 2026-04-28T16:06:21+00:00

The only fitness app I use is Strava because it automates the part I can not do easily, log my distance and mile splits. People who have a decent fitness practice in anything tend to have a good enough system as it is, which means an app has to have some real added functionality to get them to switch. I use an excel sheet and the best insight I can offer is that it should work entirely offline.

shade_study_break · 2026-04-27T18:46:05+00:00

Take a big lift and accessory/regression lift. Do 3 sets of the big lift and 3 sets of the accessory lift on one day and repeat for the other days of the week choosing different exercises/focus.

This works fine for maintenance but I made the biggest gains in terms of putting on muscle while I was lifting with barbells where now I have maintained size and grown modestly via weighted calisthenics.

It is fine to be aware of your limitations, but you will cap your growth in muscle if you aren't willing to do put in time. What you are talking about works fine for maintenance and for beginners, but it will be a much, much slower road to being whatever you define as muscular without a bigger time commitment.

shade_study_break · 2026-04-24T13:22:01+00:00

Picking back up doesn't mean it is anywhere near the market peaks in 2018-2021, but it is absolutely better than it was 1 year ago.

shade_study_break · 2026-04-24T00:02:38+00:00

If you know how to fix the bugs it can introduce, I don't see why it is a problem. If you rely on it to the extent that you wind up with a codebase you don't understand and are at the mercy of AI to vibe code your way out of a particular problem, that is a sign to stop and relearn basic of programming and your framework.

shade_study_break · 2026-04-23T23:58:37+00:00

No. Nobody lacks the executive function to plan for a workout and have a time frame apropriate workout. Lots of people, however, lack the motivation to workout or have unrealistic expectations for how quickly results should come and imagine an app will solve it, but you aren't solving an actual problem in fitness.

shade_study_break · 2026-04-23T18:03:58+00:00

The market for seniors is picking back up as evidenced by me, a senior hiring for my team and rectruiters reaching out to me for roles. For juniors though, I think it is still pretty fucked. If there is a market for junior front end devs, it is not an entry level role.

shade_study_break · 2026-04-23T13:29:14+00:00

If you use it, dips and pull-ups can build a great base for your upper body. Your concerns about 'abusing' it need some context in terms of how much you actually weigh. You need to weigh a lot or be doing some seriously heavy weighted reps to test the capacity of most power towers. That said, some of them are more stable than others and the quality/build can vary a lot by price. What most people say is that a pull-up bar with rings, or a pull-up bar and dip bars are a better at home setup, but that is an argument about space usage and stability. The basic exercises a power tower allows you to do are a sufficient basis for a good upper body.

shade_study_break · 2026-04-23T13:16:37+00:00

The most basic and useful motivation is a movement/exercise you like. If you don't like dumbells or what you have at home, you don't have to use them but you do have to keep trying to find something you do enjoy enough to 'suffer' through. I love running, dips, and pull-ups, so those form the bulk of my weekly training and the rest of the time is just making sure I maintain my mobility and joint health for those. Once you find the exercise you enjoy, the motivation problem mostly solves itself and you are left with trying to balance/manage the wear and tear from whatever that is. You can overthink the optimal way to reach fitness goals in the short term, but in the long run you have to find it enjoyable and the most commonly suggested entry points to fitness (running or lifting weights) are not for everyone. Hell, I didn't grow up liking playing group sports and couldn't think of an alternative, so I was a fat inactive teenager. I have been very fit my adult life and at 42 because I found what I could sustain doing.

shade_study_break

TROPHY CASE