I've been working out for half of my life, and I just turned 30. Which is still quite young, even if I don't always feel that way (I know it is).

Over the last few years I haven't been working out very much. Mostly just with clients, and even then that is only 1-2 times a week. Not enough to even really maintain what I had.

From 2020-2023

Around 2019 and early 2020 I was doing pretty well, and then the pandemic happened. Now I'm not going to blame the quarantine on my physique, as it is all on me. However it hasn't been the same since quarantine.

I had, like all people my age, drank a bit too much, and ate too many sweets from stress. Etc.

Thus the years after I had accumulated too much fat. I wasn't fat by any means, but I had too much for sure. Still had some muscle, but even that wasn't too much.

Over time I started lifting heavier, which is great for burning more calories if I could do it explosively. Although I still wasn't working out enough, let alone watching my nutrition or calories.

From 2023-2025

I found myself even in less shape, and after the first half of 2023 I wasn't really working out at all. As I said before only really with clients. I left the pool work in 2021, and then I left the ARC completely in June 2023. From Jan to June I was supervising at the ARC, underpaid and overworked, so by the time I wasn't working I didn't want to go back to that place to workout.

Even after I left I felt very much a disdain for that place, and I didn't like even working out there. Now I'm neutral, and don't care. However I moved to the other side of town.

I highly considered going to Crunch down the street from me at the time, but I chose against it. I recently went there, and I am really glad I didn't go. It costs too much, and it was pretty gross of an environment.

Summer 2025

In June I was experiencing a lot of distress with some people, and in life. I felt really cooped up in my home. Not to mention having the fat on me for this long also killed a lot of my physical confidence. I realized enough is enough, and that I need to get a gym. While there is a nice one near me, it is about $70 a month, which I just can't afford. Same with a rockclimbing gym on this side of town. However Planet Fitness of all places seemed to be a good bet, which was surprising to me as I often over look commercial gyms given my background.

I was pleasantly surprised at how good it has been, and the manager does a great job at keeping the place tidy with their staff.

I started going regularly, oftentimes every day, and sometimes even twice a day. Eventually, I started going twice a day every weekday, as I would do a light workout in the morning. Heavy workout in the evening.

A friend of mine had started working there shortly before I started going, and we also made a mutual friend that worked there too.

That helped a lot in my ability to start going more consistently. Truly for any person, at any level, it is about building up the habit. If you don't have that level of discipline then you just need to force your way through it. Which I didn't have it at the time, so having friends (and my other motivating factors) helped me to do that.

I was feeling pretty spiteful after being screwed over by a couple of people, and I thought this would be good motivation to channel into working out.

Since June 12th, I have gone to workout 95+ times, and while some were minor workouts. It still counts nonetheless!

My changes in my body

I did not measure myself at the beginning, as I didn't quite think about it. However I would estimate I was around 25-25% body fat. Perhaps more, but probably not.

After 3.5 weeks of intense training, and starting to cut my caloric intake by essentially half. I finally had measured myself on the InBody, and I was at 22%! A pretty big jump for the amount of time it was.

Around my birthday, or shortly after, I had measured myself again (a few weeks had gone by), and I was at 19.9% body fat. Meaning I got under that 20% threshold!!

Super exciting, and I really do want to keep going towards a healthier body fat level. Keeping my body energetic, and not as fatigued as I felt when I had more fat. I measured not too long ago (about early last week), and I was at 18.8%.

The progress is continuing, and I'll probably stop around 15%. Just keeping my diet a bit strict, but increase my intake. Perhaps at some point I'll bulk up more, but I would rather just increase muscle mass over time. Rather than bulk then cut.

It took a lot of effort just to Recomp, and I wouldn't want to go through the stress of cutting. Which is even more strict.

I have definitely gained muscle as well. I think the first month, maybe month and half, of progress was simply me just regaining what I had lost. Rather than new muscle.

I had lifted for high reps and endurance when I was younger, and then around quarantine years I had lifted heavy for more bulky muscle. I think I regained both relatively well, as I approached it from a medium training level.

My Routine

Prior to quarantine I had created a new workout, and it was too much. I couldn't possibly get every exercise done in a timely manner if at all. After a few years I remade it, and it was more logical. However it still had too much per day, and I couldn't make it work.

I had used AI to shift things around, but it followed my instructions. Which weren't coming from the right perspective when it came to what my workout split should be.

I had focused too much on a push/pull/leg split, and not so much the muscles I was working. If that makes any sense in words.

Thus I moved things for example from the pull day to correspond with the muscle group I was focusing on. After shifting everything around it got a lot better.

I went from a 60-65% completion rate of the exercises on my list per day. To about 85% completion rate. Meaning I was able to get a lot more done per workout before getting gassed out.

This is something I encourage you to think about when it comes to your workouts!

Not to mention you should be changing it up often anyways.

I personally don't plan out my workouts ahead too much, as I take a systematic approach when I walk into the gym. I think what I have been doing the last week, and what are the variables I haven't changed recently. From there I take my same workout and modify to keep my muscles stimulated. I could sit down and write it all out ahead, and maybe I will if I hit a plateau. For now this has been fine.

In fact when I first joined PF, I had taken that free for all approach. I needed to regain my strength in a variety of exercises. Meaning I focused on those more. Mostly the Trifecta exercises I talk about a lot, and a bunch of dumbbell work.

Now I am considering reconfiguring my split, as all prior versions I mentioned were basically 6 day a week routines. This is what it currently looks like:

A very intensive strategy, and it worked wonders for me. Even if I failed to do it all, and I did often skip Day 5 if I'm being honest. I did do abs in the mornings with hanging crunches. However I didn't do that day very much.

I particularly wanted to work chest, legs, and shoulders twice a week. Which this routine did really well towards doing. I will probably put the full routine in my Generalist Guide to Exercise book I am writing. If you are interested in it sooner, I could probably turn it into a PolyPRO exclusive too in the meantime! LMK!!

What I want to do going forward

I'm writing this post during my deload week. I have taken a couple deload days here and there (like a weekend off). However this week before I had barely any motivation, lack of energy, fatigued during my workout, and so many other issues. That I thought it is certainly time to take a week off. I should go for some walks at least though.

They say you should take a week off after 6-8 weeks of intense training. Regardless of skill level. Simply to let your body fully heal if it needs too. I might even do a 3 day fast finally at the end of the week (when I have little to no commitments). Which would allow my body to get into an autophagic state. Clean house.

My workout regimen is changing, and I keep anchoring towards this idea of a 3 day a week workout split. Going from 6 to just 3 though would be a big jump, and maybe too much. I'm not sure, as I would have to fit many more exercises into one session.

Not to mention I'd be missing out on the 2x a week muscle focus from before. Although the chest and legs, which are most important right now anyways, will still be getting pushed twice.

The problem is that this 3x a week, and the former 6x a week, really didn't count the mornings. I wanted to do more calisthenics and cardio in the mornings, and I still can. However I am not sure if that would impede my main workouts at this point. I would need all my strength for them I would presume.

We'll see!