I just want to start off by thanking many of you who have made posts similar to this over the years. You have been a regular source of motivation for me, and I hope that I can help motivate others in one way or another.
Growing up I was the quintessential skinny and lanky kid that was nothing but bone and micro-muscles, as seen below. However, during my Junior year of college, I took a weightlifting class and then got slightly more serious about it at the beginning of my Senior year - 2014.
Over the next 5 years, I fluctuated between lifting programs, schedules, and intensity with mixed results across the board. During that time, the only real mindset I had was to no longer be the skinniest kid in the room and to build some real confidence in myself. Eventually, I set a quantifiable goal of getting into the 1k lb club and reached it in January of 2019 at an even 1000lb total.
Since this time last year, after hitting my biggest goal, my self-motivation has struggled and I've taken far more rest days and de-load weeks than any previous years. Recently though I seem to have found the spark again and have reached what I believe are new highs for me across all my lifts.
Images: https://imgur.com/a/s4u1TopI took 0 progress pictures between 2014 through today. And while the change is certainly noticeable, I would think it is extremely reasonable (if not mundane) for a 5-year difference.
Lifts:
| Lift | 1R PR (01/2019) | Est. 1RM (01/2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift | 420 lbs | 335 x12: 470 lbs |
| Squat | 340 lbs | 260x12: 365 lbs |
| Bench | 240 lbs | 205x10: 275 lbs |
| OHP | 135 lbs | 125x8: 155 lbs |
Body:
2010/11 - 6'0" - 145 lbs
2014 - 6'0" - 165 lbs
2019/20 - 6'0" - 185 lbs (varies wildly day-to-day)
Programs:
I've used many:
- Bodybuilding.com programs
- Johnny Candito's 6-week program
- NSuns 531
- 531 Building the Monolith
- Calgary Barbell's 16-week program
- NSuns 531 PPL <-- Current program
Nsuns 531 PPL and Calgary Barbell's 16-week program have been my favorite.
Diet:
My diet has also varied quite a bit over the last 5 years. I do try to eat clean, wholesome, foods, but I have a bit of a sweet tooth and try to make sure I'm enjoying almost everything I eat. I LOVE ice cream and I make a mean homemade pizza. I would not think of my diet as something to emulate as I consider my uber-high metabolism as the sole reason my weight has stayed reasonable. I'm currently the heaviest I've ever been, but I'm also putting up my best numbers yet.
The Future:
I plan on running NSuns 531 PPL until I hit a new plateau. That doesn't really feel close yet, but we'll see how that shakes out. We're also expecting our first child this spring, so my schedule will certainly change.
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This has been a true journey for me, filled with ups and downs, and I just wanted to put a post together for anyone who might need to see what I would consider a very achievable goal for almost everyone.
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* This article was originally published here
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