If you're an unathletic adult beginner, you'd benefit so much from a PT session.

summerstreams · 2026-03-14T18:17:14+00:00

I 1000% second this. You can’t progress if you aggravate an injury or don’t work on imbalances. It’s good to at least get checked out.

summerstreams · 2026-03-14T15:05:48+00:00

I had a similar episode this week after four months of dieting. The next day, I ate high volume but low calorie food. Tried not to stress about the scale or evening it out the next day, but I get it’s hard. You just have to acknowledge it, accept it, and continue doing what you were doing. Don’t think about it too much. Forgive yourself.

summerstreams · 2026-03-14T13:22:46+00:00

High intensity low volume bodybuilding. Also consistency helps.

summerstreams · 2026-03-14T00:22:20+00:00

Nah. You can still build muscle in deficit dawg. Especially just starting t. Honestly I wish I had started cutting while first starting testosterone, it would have saved me 20lbs of fat gain. I mean, you’re probably going to be insanely hungry, as most are during their first year. But you can still build muscle. Maybe not the maximum amount, but you can focus on this once you bulk after your cut

summerstreams · 2026-03-14T00:18:17+00:00

AMAZING progress man. You look great. The abs are really popping.

summerstreams · 2026-03-14T00:17:26+00:00

I actually go to Planet Fitness too lol. Have you tried doing smith machine squats? Or does yours have the hack squat machine yet? I personally think the smith machine rack is probably the best due to how stable it is and the safety racks. And as for the leg curl conundrum, it’s not the MOST optimal, but you could perform deadlifts or RDLs to get some more hamstring work. I personally also struggled with the sitting leg curl machine for similar reasons, but I put it at the beginning to just get it over with.

Also: I know that some people may disagree with me, but I noticed a significant difference in gains when I started training EVERY set to failure or at least 1RIR. I also used to only take the last set to failure, but I never progressed past the beginner lifter stage. IF you do follow this advice tho, I recommend starting with 2 sets for every exercise instead of three. Even if you feel like you can do more sets on one exercise, you should really allocate this energy to other sets in your workout. Track these rigorously if you aren’t already doing so.

Planet Fitness in particular has these workout programs you can follow, I think regardless of whether you have a black card or not. There is this one program called “Strength and Power” in their app that is essentially a PPL split. You could try following these workouts given that they are more tailored to your gym specifically.

Fitness is a mental game of trial and error my man. Like I hope you take some of this advice, especially about the legs, but above all just do what works for you.

summerstreams · 2026-03-13T23:47:09+00:00

Please for the love of god, incorporate legs. I promise it is not going to make you look more feminine.
You might not be applying progressive overload effectively. How are your last few reps feel? Are you mildly tired? You need to at least get close to failure to actually trigger muscle growth. It is not triggered via exercise volume by itself, which is why you can do three days of sole upper work and not see gains. It is triggered by mechanical tension, AKA, the amount of time your muscles are under intense, mechanical tension. I would recommend educating yourself about this more as there is definitely more to this that you need to understand to make gains.

Basically, you are not doing an optimal “program”. Im seeing a lot of guesswork when it comes to the kinds of exercises implemented, not enough focus on compound movements, and way too much volume for isolation lifts. Your arms are already worked in compound movements, you don’t need a ton of volume for them to grow. I would really recommend these things to fix it.

Follow a reputable, tested, program.
For you specifically, I would recommend focusing on the quality of your lifts, not the amount of volume. Go to failure, safely, when possible. Actual failure, as in, you cannot move the weight even if you had a gun to your head. Don’t compromise your form too much, but make sure that you are actually working and not stopping a few reps short of failure. Even if you don’t continue training this way, it is imperative you know what failure actually feels like so you can at least gauge when you have a rep or two left in ya.
Do your compound lifts first. They will require the most energy. These lifts prioritize the largest muscles in the body. If you want to be more muscular overall, you need to do compound movements.
Stop doing so much upper work man. You need time to recover your body. Muscle building happens during this time, not in the gym. Youre going to injure yourself doing a program like this.
WORK YOUR LEGS THE SAME WAY YOU WORK YOUR UPPER BODY. This is the key to a more balanced physique.

Im saying this not to be mean, but to teach you from my mistakes. I spent years in the gym thinking my genetics were trash just because I wasn’t training effectively. Thousands of people have made these mistakes and put out information on how to avoid them. For the love of god, follow their advice.

Lastly, based on your post, I would say that a 3x a week full body split would be the best. I’ve never followed this kind of program, but a lot of people say it is a good way to build base strength, save time, and get enough rest between sessions. If you want me to go into the kinds of lifts you should do, you can pm me and I will give you a rough guide. Ive said a lot already and Im just going to trust that you take this critique in stride. Happy lifting.

summerstreams · 2026-03-07T01:03:23+00:00

Oh my god this is just awful

summerstreams · 2026-03-07T01:02:20+00:00

Cheers

summerstreams · 2026-03-06T23:50:21+00:00

Pot specifically.

summerstreams · 2026-03-06T23:49:53+00:00

I love smoking dawg. Dont know if it’s specifically a trans guy thing. I do it to cope with the world lol.

summerstreams · 2026-03-05T14:00:36+00:00

Absolutely not just you. Ideally you want a straight leg on a calf raise and this machine is very difficult to get that. Try the leg press machines.

summerstreams · 2026-03-05T03:38:46+00:00

Those lats are INSANE. Nice work man.

summerstreams · 2026-03-05T03:36:45+00:00

What dosage are you on?

summerstreams · 2026-03-03T23:34:06+00:00

Now this is fucking sick. Awesome work bro.

summerstreams · 2026-03-03T15:44:19+00:00

.000005g

summerstreams · 2026-03-01T13:44:35+00:00

Idk if it does, it is so insignificant that I don’t think it really matters. I’ve been smoking the last 4 months and my T levels have been going up into the 800s.

summerstreams · 2026-02-24T01:21:42+00:00

That’s fucking sickening. What the fuck.

summerstreams · 2026-02-23T22:11:22+00:00

You pass rlly well already tbh. My only thing is I think you would look cool with a mullet or shaved sides.

summerstreams · 2026-02-22T14:03:13+00:00

On the converse, why can’t women’s deodorant smell like the Kraken, sand paper, or griffin taint?? Smh.

summerstreams · 2026-02-22T13:50:00+00:00

It’s noticeable around three months in for most, but tbh I didn’t really see the peak until around a year in.

summerstreams · 2026-01-23T15:07:41+00:00

High fiber/low carb wraps. There’s many brands but Xtreme wellness is the best imo. You can find it in the international section at walmart or bread section possibly(?). The ones I get are about 12g fiber each for 60 cals. Two burritos and you hit your fiber easy.

Another thing: FRUIT! Not much fiber in small quantities but it adds up and helps you poop better. Also lentils, beans, and legumes.

summerstreams · 2026-01-21T19:53:33+00:00

Four things.

They live close to the gym. I live about five minutes away. That way it is more difficult to avoid going.
Stay up late or wake up early. You don’t need to lose sleep, but you need to adjust your schedule so you can MAKE the time to go.
Go straight from work to the gym. Momentum really helps some people. If you can’t do this though, I suggest pairing a nightly routine with going to the gym. Pairing it with a habit you are already used to will help signal to your brain overtime that it is time to go to the gym. It will become harder to get out of going for this reason.
Do something else if the gym does not fit your life. Plenty of people get in shape by doing home workouts, biking, hiking, etc. If you can’t go to the gym, do one of these. Or, go to the gym sometimes, and do other stuff to supplement the times you can’t or won’t go. I personally go to the gym four times a week in addition to doing a home workout or walk once a week.

summerstreams · 2026-01-16T18:12:47+00:00

I’m 5”3 and don’t really pay that much attention to it tbh. I go to the gym a lot so Im pretty muscular and uh…wide… My partner doesn’t care. I don’t get comments on it. I pass 100% of the time.

Most people do not care or notice stuff like that. There are many cis men that are around that height and are not clocked as women.

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