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Beginnings

I had always been skinny as a kid and this was compounded by having a chronic stomach condition starting at age 9. By the time I was 16, I was only 125lbs and wanted to change how I looked and felt. I looked younger than I was and my appetite was low from my stomach condition; and starting to strength train was the perfect solution to both of those problems.

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COVID Workouts

I started working out consistently in my bedroom near the beginning of COVID (May/June 2020). I didn’t have much to do except lift weights and eat, which was the perfect opportunity for me to develop consistent habits. By mid 2021, I had gained 50lbs of bodyweight and had more than doubled in strength.

Early Progress

By mid-to-late-2022, towards the end of high school/beginning of college, I had begun taking the gym much more seriously and was up to around 185lbs bodyweight. I had squatted 425lbs, deadlifted 515lbs, and benched 300lbs. I was very happy with my progress, and I was extremely driven to keep improving.

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Long Bulk

Starting from being so skinny, my main objective for a long time had just been to gain weight no matter what. Because of this, I confused weight gain with progress and got up to 215lbs by the end of 2024. I had gotten a lot stronger and bigger at this point, having learned a lot about proper strength training principles, but my diet was terrible, I was unhealthy, and I was unhappy with the way I looked.

First Cut

After realizing the errors in my training and diet methodology, I decided to start to intentionally lose weight for the first time since I started working out. By mid-2025, I had gotten back down to 185lbs, but this time with a lot more muscle. More importantly, I learned that I could still make progress on my lifts and gain muscle while losing fat, which had been something that had prevented me from losing weight earlier.

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Current

Since my first cut, I have continued to progress and gain understanding of proper diet and strength training principles. I’m once again at around 185lbs, but I’m leaner, stronger, and healthier than I ever have been at this bodyweight. Additionally, I’ve managed to put my chronic stomach condition into remission because of my added muscle and better diet, which has changed the way I’m able to live my life compared to 6 years ago. I have realized that gaining muscle and losing fat is far simpler than many make it out to be, and have applied it to my own lifestyle.