r/fitness30plus

So I weighed almost 100kg two years ago. I decided that was it.

I got to around 90kg initially, but then gained back to 97kg.

Last year, I truly started to work on my fitness again.

For the first few months, I mostly did 10k steps daily and intermittent fasting. I was eating less, but not optimally, so I was losing fat as well as muscle.

Eight months ago, I started hitting the gym. I followed a push-pull-leg split four times per week. I had never been to the gym regularly in my life, except for a few times, and those were only for a few weeks. But I knew I had to dial in this time around.

I have stuck to PPL until today, but I have increased my lifts.

One and a half months ago, I was 82 kg when I started tracking my calories with MyFitnessPal. My eyes were opened lol, the deficit I thought I was in was actually almost maintenance, and some days, a surplus.

So, with proper tracking, I have averaged around a 600-calorie daily deficit and 150g of protein daily.

This has greatly helped me in cutting another 6 kg in just 1.5 months.

I am truly satisfied with my journey over two years, but I know I have to cut a little bit more, probably to 70-72 kg, while preserving my muscle, then lean bulk from there and settle somewhere between 75-80kg.

I am looking for advice and suggestions on what I should improve from here on.

Was chronically underweight most of my life and have been on my fitness journey for little more than 2 years now.

Went from 3 to 4 days a week. Currently on a UL split.

Caloric surplus at 300 to 400 over maintenance. 5g of creatine a day. Feels like I'll always be on a permabulk.

Still feel like I have a long way to go, but slowly but surely getting there!

I ate whatever on my first year of lifting. I've been consistent and doing mostly PPL x PPL pretty much the whole year, my weight was 187lbs. That time. Then this feb I tried to weigh all my food intake. Also shifted working out 5x a week, plus zone 2 cardio every after workout sessions. 1900 is my deficit up until now. NGL, I do not eat super clean still. Sometimes I eat whatever but im trying always not to go Overboard on binging. Im not a competitive body builder, I still try to enjoy food and life.

37M here. 2-3 months ago I got sick of my situation and decided I'm going to get into the best shape of my life. I want to be healthy, live long, and be shredded. I set my wedding as the deadline.

Before (2 months ago)
- Weight: 88kg/194lb
- Body fat: 34% (DEXA)
- HbA1C: 5.7% (pre-diabetic)
- LDL: 138
- Sleeping 5 hours a day

Now (today)
- Weight: 82kg/180lb
- Body fat: 27%
- HbA1C: 5.4%
- Sleeping 7.1 hours a day

What I changed?

- Nutrition: 1500 calories a day / 700 deficit with 110 grams protein. Non-strict keto.
- Sleep: target of 8 hours in bed, to ideally reach 7.5 hours net sleep
- Strength training: 2 times a week
- Cardio/HIIT: 1 time a week
- Sleep routine: no screens 1 hour before, red-light glasses, Magnesium 400mg

Tracking all metrics religiously (view live metrics). Will do another progress report in 3 months when I get married!

In my 20s to early 40s, lat pull downs were a staple for me and I occasionally did bodyweight pull-ups. A few years back, lat pulldowns started to feel weird with shoulder discomfort but it ultimately led me to love the weighted pull-up motion. I've hit it every 4 to 7 days in the last 8 months doing: ~5 bodyweight for warm up, and then 3 sets each to failure, maxing out somewhere between 3 and 10 reps in each set, progressively increasing the weight to stay in that rep range. I also got proper deadhang form down (I think) as I never used to go all the way down.

Keeping pull-ups in the routine is also extra motivation to keep the body weight in check. 15.3% body fat according to my most recent DEXA.

Thought I was done hitting strength PRs in my mid-40s so I had to share this one.

Got up to 350 pounds at my heaviest (check my profile for pics). Got on a GLP-1 and have followed a ULPPL split for the past 2 years. I’ve been frustrated because my strength has been going down lately with the weight loss, but seeing this comparison really hyped me up. I’ve completely changed my physique, even from the last time I weighed this much.

Only thing I eat is grilled chicken breast [ seasoned with salt and pepper ] , Brokkoli, yogurt, boiled eggs and the occasional cucumber, tomato , onion , cheese salad without any oil or salt . Drinking only water and black coffee . Down to 103.9 kg from 111 kg . In one month . Been outside of the gym for 10 years and I reached the breaking point .

Started with weights , plan is every other day full body for the next 1 month . I am probably 40% body fat and every time I look in the mirror I just motivate myself even more

Just turned 41, and I think my midlife crisis is just trying to get healthier.

I've just been doing kettlebell workouts at home. Started in December. Black shirt was February, gray shirt was just the other day.

I've definitely gotten bigger, but I know I've still got a long way to go.

Summer of 2024 I was freshly post partum and trying to get back to working out, honestly it took me a long time before I saw any progress since I was breastfeeding I held on to most of the baby weight, after I was done which was a year ago I concentrated on eating more protein and increasing the intensity of my workouts. I follow the playbook app I use Sam Sweeneys workout program I have for the last 2 years.

Last 3,5 yrs I’ve been doing home workouts
With basic equipment and I’m pretty satisfied with my progress . I do short ( up to 35mins ) but very intense workouts . Most of the time I’m in calorie deficit due to my work thats very physically intense . My fist proper meal on a week day would be around 3-4 pm . And I try to avoid sweets and bad food . What do you guys think where do I go from here ?

57 years old. Started this journey in 2019. Lost 50 pounds in roughly a year and a half. Then began working on strength, training and gaining muscle. I’m natural. Lost my leg to a drunk driver in 2009. I hate lean proteins, fruit, vegetables, and a moderate amount of healthy carbs and fats. I use an arc trainer, and elliptical machine, swim laps, and do strength training. I alternate push and pull days. Favorite exercise exercises include chin ups, dips, push ups, overhead press, flys, curls, seated row. It is my goal to show what is possible in one’s 50s with obstacles. Happy to answer any questions.

22.5lbs killed me.

Four years ago, I weighed around 205 pounds.

Today, I'm sitting at 240 pounds.

Most people assume putting on 35 pounds is easy. For me, it was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

Being 6'8" with a fast metabolism meant I couldn't just "eat more." There were days I wasn't hungry. Days I was busy. Days I wanted to skip the gym. But I learned that progress doesn't come from what you do when it's convenient—it comes from what you do when you're consistent.

Over the last four years, I've trained week after week, month after month. I've focused on progressive overload, prioritized recovery, eaten when I didn't feel like eating, and stayed committed even when the mirror didn't seem to reflect the work I was putting in.

The funny thing is, I still catch myself feeling like the skinny kid I used to be.

Growth isn't just physical. Your mind often takes longer to catch up than your body.

This journey has reminded me that almost everything worthwhile takes longer than we expect. Whether it's building muscle, building a business, or building the person you want to become, the formula is usually the same: show up, stay patient, and keep stacking small wins.

I'm not done yet.

The goal isn't just to be heavier—it's to be stronger, healthier, more athletic, and more capable every year.

If you're frustrated because your progress feels slow, keep going. Four years will pass whether you stay committed or not.

One day you'll look back and realize the daily habits you almost quit on completely changed your life.

Trust the process. Stay consistent. The results will come.

I’ve been training for the past three years and yesterday I stepped onto the platform for my first powerlifting meet at the USAPL “City of Angels” Open at Barbell Brigade in Los Angeles. I competed as a 110kg Masters 1B (45M).

My ultimate goal was to hit a 1200 lb total. I ended up totaling 542.7 kg (1196.4 lbs), falling just short of the milestone, but I went 8/9 and hit two all-time PRs on the platform.

Lifts

Squat:

Attempt 1: 170kg / 374.8 lbs ⚪⚪⚪
Attempt 2: 180kg / 396.0 lbs ⚪⚪⚪
Attempt 3: 187.7kg / 413.4 lbs ⚪⚪⚪ (All-Time PR)

Bench:

Attempt 1: 114kg / 253.5 lbs ⚪⚪⚪
Attempt 2: 122.5kg / 270.1 lbs ⚪⚪⚪
Attempt 3: 127.5kg / 281.1 lbs 🔴🔴🔴 (Missed the lift)

Deadlift:

Attempt 1: 210kg / 463.0 lbs ⚪⚪⚪
Attempt 2: 222.5kg / 490.5 lbs ⚪⚪⚪
Attempt 3: 232.5kg / 512.6 lbs ⚪⚪⚪ (All-Time PR)

Competing was a fun, yet highly overstimulating experience. It was hot (no AC but big open doors) the noise levels were intense (announcers, overlapping speakers, huge crowd), and I was lifting in the afternoon/evening which is outside my normal training window. Because of the timing, I had to lean on more caffeine than usual, leaving me wired and jittery.

The warm-up room was the biggest learning curve. It was harder to time my warmups than I anticipated. I felt rushed getting ready for squats and bench, but I learned my lesson and adjusted to start earlier for deadlifts.

I was the only male Masters lifter, so I automatically took Gold in my division (hey, I'll take it!), and my total would have been good enough to earn Bronze in the 110kg Open division. All in all, it was amazing to realize the results of three years of effort in front of an audience. I feel accomplished and definitely caught the competing bug.