weigh 102 kg at around 16% body fat and I’m 187 cm tall. I’ve been eating roughly 4,000 kcal/day, but my weight has been completely stable for about a month.

My activity level doesn’t seem particularly crazy either:

• ~8,000 steps per day
• Upper/lower split 4x per week, mostly heavy compounds
• The only cardio I do is HIIT on the rowing ergometer: 5 × 5 min at around 300 watts

So, could my maintenance really be around 4,000 kcal, or is there something I’m overlooking?

Would you increase calories to 4,300–4,500 to continue gaining weight? It just feels like an insane amount of food for someone who isn’t doing a ton of cardio — almost like marathon-runner levels of calories 😂

Has anyone had a similar experience with unexpectedly high maintenance calories?

My current strategy when I’m at the gym is that I pick a weight where 8 reps is max and once i hit 12 in all sets I up the weight. But my question is as a beginner should I be taking all those sets to failure where I can’t do another rep with good form

Hello! I am a 16 y/o male, who is around 64kgs in weight and around 173-175cm tall. I am kinda fat with a belly, love handles, a small double chin, etc and looks like am at around 20-25% bodyfat and after being tired of looking the way I look, I have finally decided to change myself for the better. So far all physical activities I do are just a bunch of hanging and attempts at pullups using a bar I set up in my doorframe at home, but am starting gym next week. I aim to be lean within the next 4-5 months but I have no clue on where to start, what to do etc. Any advice and tips can help me a lot, TY!

Hello I am an 18 year old girl who is on a reverse diet, I was really underweight (42kg as a 165cm female) and started to do a lean bulk since last year. I gained about 5kg (mostly muscle bc I still have visible abs) but the more I eat the hungrier I get!! My coach gradually increased calories from 1800-2100-2200-2400-2500-2700-2900 (current intake). My lifts are going up and I can definitely see more muscle on my body but I still get really hungry within an hour of eating. Any advice too be less hungry? I am also a student so it is kinda affecting my studies…

So I (20M 6’2, SW:110.8kg) started doing GZCLP full body 3x a week and cardio on off days since last week and tracking my calories with a food scale. I started off at 110.8kg and a week later I checked in excited but I was at 113.8kg. I’m slightly discouraged since I thought I would at least lose a kilogram or something but I gained weight. I track my calories pretty accurately too since im in a 700 calorie deficit right now. Is this normal? I feel so bloated and puffy since I started as well.

When I was doing bicep exercises for the first time in the gym today I picked up the 6kg dumbbell and I did about 4 reps on both arms and my left will had about 4 reps left and right arm literally couldn’t do any more at all . How do I fix this or will it go away naturally as i feel embarrassed when I was doing them cus my right was shaking while my left was fine . How do i fix this ?

Im 5’8 155 lbs. i was 138 lbs and went on vacation for 2 months so I went up to 168, and now i came down to 155 lbs. my goal is to keep dropping and lose belly fat to get lean. Im scared that because I’m losing weight, I might also be losing strength or muscle with it. I want to know how you can only lose body fat/ belly fat when cutting to get lean.

I am 5’9 155lbs. I like the way I look because I look lean with some muscle definition from working out in the past, but I didn’t lose this weight purposely. I kind of lost it just but not eating as much as I used too. However I like being this lean, but I’d also like to add some more muscle to my frame. Nutritionally how would I go about this? Calorie deficit, maintenance calories, or slight calorie surplus? Also, progressive overload on compound lifts, or more hypertrophy focused workouts? Any advice is much appreciated!

Hi, for context I’m a 22 year old female 167cm at 75KG. I started my weight loss journey last May at 142KG and barring the odd holidays or couple days I’ve been on a calorie deficit ever since. Went from 1800 cals to 1700 and now I’m up to 1900 as I avg around 18-20K steps daily along with strength training and Zumba so I’m usually in the gym 5 days a week minimum dropping from 6 days.

How’d you know when to take a break and for how long? I know I have more weight to lose but unsure whether to just keep going or to reset and stay at maintenance for 2-4 weeks. I haven’t taken a long diet break since I started as the voice in the back of my head tells me I’ll gain the weight back.
I’m thinking 2 weeks at 14K steps and 2300 calories whilst keeping my gym activity the same but I’m unsure on whether to take the step. I just want to be less fatigued all the time. Even when planning a maintenance plan I just thought ugh 😕. All I do is track calories and adjust my calories to the point where my screen time on MyFitnessPal is over an hour per day though I preplan meals.

People tell me to slow down and just take some time off but they aren’t in the position of understanding how weight loss can impact the mindset.

I’ve been on a calorie deficit now for roughly 6 months and at the start I could see changes within my face and neck. I have a high protein diet I walk roughly 10,000 steps a day and I left heavy in the gym. I reduced quite a lot but now I’m not really seeing any changes within my body. I haven’t seen any significant changes I would say I saw my shoulder caps fairly recently roughly 2 months ago but now I am not seen anything and I weigh myself occasionally my weight has not changed whatsoever so I decided to go back on maintenance so it can change my plateu or whatever. But I’m just in this mindset of what do I actually need to do?

I’m focusing on body recomp and have had a lot of success. I heavy weightlift and do Olympic weightlifting and combo it with CrossFit. Can someone explain why my back fat looks worse in progress pictures as I get smaller and build more muscle?

8 weeks ago I started on my first “lean bulk”. Mid 20’s, haven’t lifted weights in the past, never tracked calories etc… Have always been pretty thin with not much muscle mass.

I’m 5 9, started out at 144lbs, and 8 weeks later I’m sitting at 152lbs. Lifts have been gradually increasing.

Just wanted to see from those with more experience if I’m on the right track or my average gain of 1lb a week is a little too excessive?

Current routine:

- Lifting 4 days a week.
- Consuming 2300 calories, 170g protein.

I am neglecting cardio quite a bit in all honesty, averaging less than 5k steps a day. Would increasing this to 10k steps a day help to reduce fat gain while preserving muscle?

I’m trying to build a lean, muscular physique—visible muscle and low body fat, but not overly big or bulky.

I currently train Push/Pull/Legs for about an hour every morning, usually doing 2 exercises per muscle group. I have a busy work schedule and a long commute, so I don’t have much time outside the gym. I also usually skip breakfast, and my work canteen mostly serves vegetarian food.

Should I be trying to bulk first, or would another approach be better for my goal? or would you recommend a different routine?

Would appreciate advice from anyone who’s achieved a similar physique.

EDIT: Thank you guys for giving me this info it's my mistake for not telling my situation properly

Guys I'm 17 y.o Male I'm 180cm and around 75 kgs. I've been training for a month 3 times full body in a week and I want to try pre-workout but i am not sure if it's healthy at this age or not

The PW i was going to buy has these in it

Beta Alanine: 3500 mg

Arginine: 1000 mg

Citrulline: 1000 mg

Betaine: 1000 mg

Taurine: 800 mg

Citrus Aurantium Extract: 340 mg

***Caffeine**: 210 mg

L-Tyrosine: 200 mg

L-Theanine: 100 mg

Huperzia Serrata Extract: 10 mg

Black Pepper Extract: 5 mg

Vitamin B12 (%DV: 8000%): 200 µg

19 years old here, bulking up. The issue i’m having is struggling to actually finish or even begin meals. In the mornings, i’m not hungry for a good few hours after i wake up. I often struggle to finish meals that are over 6/700 cals. I find myself realising i need to get more calories in but my appetite is just not there at all. I’m aware training your stomach is a real thing and my body will adapt to the amount of food. Just a real struggle to get the calories in and i’m wondering if there’s any tips to make this slightly easier?

I'm currently 74kg looking to cut down to 65kg and get a lean physique.

I'm curious about starting creatine as I would like to build my muscles but my main goal is losing body fat.

I heard creatine can bloat you up and others say its water weight in your muscles.

All I'm wondering is if I want to lower my body fat percentage and look like I have a lower body fat percentage is creatine a good choice?

Sleep, Stretching, and Protein Timing: What Actually Speeds Up Muscle Recovery — Full Publishing Walkthrough

Most people chase muscle growth by focusing on the workout itself. But the actual rebuilding happens afterward, while you're resting, stretching, and asleep. Here's what the research says about what actually helps.

Sleep Is Where the Real Work Happens

Muscle protein synthesis, the process that repairs and builds muscle tissue, doesn't stop when you finish a workout. It continues for hours, and a growing body of research shows overnight sleep is a critical window for it. Studies on pre-sleep protein intake have found that muscle protein synthesis rates during sleep are limited by how much amino acid is actually available in the bloodstream at that time. When protein is consumed shortly before bed, it gets digested and absorbed effectively enough to keep stimulating muscle repair through the night.

Researchers have generally found that around 20 to 40 grams of a slow-digesting protein, casein being the most studied, taken about 30 minutes before sleep improves the body's protein-building response overnight in young, healthy adults. Over 10 to 12 weeks of consistent resistance training, this pre-sleep habit has been linked to measurable gains in muscle size and strength beyond training alone.

That said, timing isn't magic on its own. Some research on athletes under real-world conditions found that pre-sleep protein didn't clearly speed up next-day recovery in a way that mattered practically, and several reviewers have pointed out that total daily protein intake seems to matter more than exactly when it's eaten. The likely truth sits in between: pre-sleep protein is a reasonable and low-effort habit, but it's a multiplier on total intake, not a replacement for it.

Stretching and Mobility Work

Stretching won't build muscle by itself, but it plays a supporting role in recovery by maintaining range of motion, reducing stiffness, and keeping joints capable of handling training load without compensating in ways that lead to injury. A short, full-body mobility routine done three to four times a week, hitting hips, shoulders, thoracic spine, and ankles, tends to be enough to maintain flexibility without cutting into recovery time needed for the muscles themselves.

The distinction that matters here is timing: dynamic stretching (movement-based, like leg swings or arm circles) works well before training to prep the joints, while static stretching (holding a position) is better saved for after training or on rest days, when it won't temporarily reduce strength output.

Putting It Together

None of these three pieces work in isolation. Total daily protein intake is still the foundation, generally in the range of 1.4 to 2.0 grams per kilogram of bodyweight for people who train regularly. Pre-sleep protein is a reasonable way to make sure that intake doesn't go to waste overnight. And a consistent, modest stretching routine keeps the body capable of training hard enough, and often enough, for any of this to matter in the first place.

The takeaway isn't "do more." It's that recovery is a system, not a single trick, and the biggest wins usually come from getting the basics right consistently rather than optimizing any one of them aggressively.

Sources: Peer-reviewed research on pre-sleep protein ingestion and muscle protein synthesis; sports science literature on protein timing and total intake; general mobility and stretching guidance from sports medicine sources.

172cm 26 M. Not quite sure what to make of bulk.

I think the answer may just be im not eating enough but figured id check.

Started bulk 1.5 months ago at 70.5kg, started at 2800 calories and then moved up to 3000/3100 as calories went down slightly. Im now 73kg but all of the increase weight happened when I got back from holiday a week ago where I ate excessively and drank a fair bit, I've been eating 3100 a day since and weight is roughly the same - it dropped down to 72.4kg for a coiple of days but back up to 73.2kg and everyday ive been so hungry by end of it.

I dont know whether 3000/3100 is enough, but because of extra holiday weight im nervous to increase it as I don't want to add even more unnecessary weight on. I get a lot of it will be glycogen but I figured my body would've sorted that out by now.

For context I do about 10k steps average a day (some days more like 15k, others less like 5k) and workout out 4-5 times a week (depends if i squeeze a second leg day in). I dont know what to do calorie or nutrition wise because the holiday has kinda messed up my position and I dont know where to start tracking weight from.

For context weight was this

22nd to 29th July

70.1kg

69.9kg

70.3kg

70.5kg

70.3kg

69.8kg

70.2kg

Then had holiday and my weight when I came back

(First day back 9th august)

73.7kg

73.3kg

72.8kg

72.4kg

72.4kg

73.3kg

73.0kg

Sorry for rant, first bulk and very confused

Hello all,

I'm a 5'10" 240 lb man with a moderately active lifestyle (work in the trades). Im trying to cut down to around 180 lbs and I am not great at dieting so Ive been using myfitnesspal. They recommended 2700 calories a day which seems high to me but at the same time I'm incredibly hungry around 2400 and 180g of protein. Any advice on how I can sustain a defect would be much appreciated.

I am 30, 5’11ft, male. 4 months ago I was very skinny-fat. I weighted 170 at ~25% body-fat. I felt really uncomfortable in my body, especially with my face, which seemed to hold all my fat. It didn’t help that I am bald.

I started cutting, counting calories, lots of cardio, etc… and now I’m weighing 155 at 16.5% body fat. I look much more athletic, like my face a lot more, but I also look skinny.

My plan was to cut to 12% and then start lean-bulking, rinse and repeat.

I am afraid that if I cut to 12%, i’ll be looking super skinny instead, at around 145-150. Should I keep my original plan, or should I stop cutting at ~15% and then start lean-bulking?

I really don’t want to go back to anything higher than ~18% body fat because I hate the way my face looks at that amount.