u/Runner1404

Started in November of 2025. Here’s to another year! Want to really dial in on my macros and maybe higher a trainer to see where I can take it.

Hey y’all!

It’s been almost 11 months of lifting now and what a journey it has been. I was a long-distance runner for years and super skinny. I’m 6’ 1’’ and frequently weighed in the 130s.

Now I’m ~170 and feel better and feel like I look better!

For most of this time, I lifted 4-6 days per week. A little less recently because life has been busy, but committed to never stopping. It’s a marathon, not a sprint!

Thanks for all your posts here and encouragement. Let’s get after it!

My biceps normally don’t look this defined and that shadows are doing a lot of work, but I’ve done a lot of work in 9 months too! First time I feel like I’ve experienced the good lighting.

Made doing arms days with classic arm workouts anyone could throw together. Eating, too! All the stuff people say works works.

I started working out in November 2025. I feel like 9 months is a long time to bulk and had previously planned to start cutting in April. I didn’t end up doing that because I felt like I was still so small. Obviously I started very thin, borderline malnourished. I’m 6’1’’ and was frequently weighing in the 130s. I had a lot of weight to gain.

With that said, I’m very interested in cutting. I guess I’m just concerned that it will make me very small again. I did a Dexa scan in late July and was still ~17% body fat. Not sure if this is relevant but I have a mild physical deformity called pectus excavatum. It gives me a small indent in my chest, flared ribs, and weird abdominal muscle placements. Many people with pectus struggle to get visible abs, even at very low body fat percentages, so that’s not necessarily my goal right now. I would like to look more ripped and cut everywhere.

Should I keep going with the bulk? Have I put on enough muscle to cut?

Lifting + eating in a caloric surplus. Usually workout 5-6 days a week repeating these lifts.

Surgery is an amazing option (almost had it in 2020 but chickened out), but it’s not the only option! Obviously I’m toward the mild side and didn’t experience symptoms from my pectus. If it’s not giving you medial issues, working out is a great option to increase confidence!

So many people told me to skip arm days when I started lifting in November of 2025. Instead, I did at least 2 per week because arms were a major insecurity of mine.

I feel like that extra work has paid off. Built using classic bicep and tricep exercises. Progressive overload and eating enough calories/protein was a major aspect too.

Really want to keep growing them!

Done by eating in a caloric surplus and using the following workouts 5-6 days per week. Just go A->D then repeat.

Almost had surgery in 2020 and chickened out. Finally decided to see if I could help improve my confidence by lifting.

So many times in the last nine months I’ve convinced myself I wasn’t progressing. So glad that I didn’t call it quits.

Eating more, lifting 5/6 times a week, tracking protein, and simple exercises. If you keep going, the changes have no choice.

Proud of my results but want to go further.

I’m on the taller side (6’ 1’’) and always felt I had noodle arms. Finally feeling stronger these days!

Hello!

My haller index is 3.3. I very nearly had nuss in 2020, but ultimately chickened out. Love seeing people's incredible surgical results on here, but I was not brave enough!

After that, I decided I'd just live with it. I was always afraid of going to the gym because I felt my body would never look the way I wanted. Last November, I finally got over that. Even though I'll always have pectus, I can still try to improve the way I look.

8.5 months on, I'm fairly pleased with my chest growth. Obviously you can still tell, but I feel more confident taking my shirt off. As for routine, I basically just did classic chest workouts 2X a week. Things like bench press (and incline bench), dumbbell pullovers, push-ups, pec flys, etc. Progressive overload and I hit it hard. Tried to eat considerably more and tracked protein.

Still a long road ahead, but pleased to finally, at 30, stop feeling sorry for myself about something I can't control. Maybe I won't look exactly the way I want, but it doesn't mean I can't look like my best self.

Always had the scrawniest arms in the room. Decided to do something about it last November. Been lifting very hard with high volume since then. Multiple dedicated arm days per week. Does this progress seem solid to you? What should I work on?

Rib flair has always been my least favorite part of pectus. I hate the way it makes my shape look from the side. Almost had surgery in 2020 (just met the qualifications for insurance), but chickened out. Now trying to improve my chest/torso in the gym. I do core 3 times per week. Not sure visible abs are possible because of pectus, but pleased by my shape change.