One year's gym progress
I have always been skinny, and I came to accept that. I would rationalise the situation by labelling muscular guys as 'dumb jocks' and myself as the 'smart geek' who didn't need muscles.
According to my BMI, I was borderline underweight. I thought this was healthy because it meant I had a low risk of heart disease. I was also eating little, probably 1,500 kcal per day. I was happy with this too. I found eating boring and a hassle, and I knew that low-calorie diets extend your life span.
But people kept telling me how skinny I looked. My brother and sister visited me in Canada and they were shocked at how thin I was. Here's a photo from around that time:
The Revelation
My brother has always been skinny too. His spine protruded from his back like the spines of a stegosaurus. His chest looked like the remains of a cow ribcage from a Western film.
But last year, I visited home. I hadn't seen my skinny brother for over a year, and this time, it was my turn to be shocked: he was now muscular. He was a swole gym bro. He had an extra 20 kg of pure muscle over me. Here's a picture of us:
My brother asked if I wanted to go to the gym and lift weights with him. I said, "Why not". So off we went. He showed me how to do a barbell bench press and a dumbbell bench press, and possibly many more types of bench press too.
I thought to myself, "If my brother can do it, then so can I!" After all, he's practically a clone of me.
Today's situation
I've been to the gym 78 times since that gym session a year ago. Here's before and after photos:
And here are some statistics from since I started on 2 May 2016 to today:
- I've been to the gym 1.5 times per week.
- My BMI has increased from 19.1 to 22.2. I'm no longer borderline underweight.
- I've spent £297 on gym memberships. I know I could have spent this money on drugs and rent boys instead, but personally, I think the gym has been worth it.
- For the dumbbell chest press, the most I could lift when I started was 14 kg. Now I can lift 40 kg. I'm practically Superman.
- Same deal with the bicep curl. The most I could lift when I started was 10 kg. Now I can lift 20 kg.
To keep making progress, I know need to do more barbell exercises, like barbell squats and deadlifts. I just hope I don't do my back in and end up as a cripple.
Update five years later
Some recent photos, five years after I started going to the gym:
Comments
2024-01-27 m
you look great in the 5 year update keep going
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2023-03-16 Your Skinny
Bro why waste that much money on the gym if you only go 2 times every three weeks. Hitting the gym 3 times every month is nothing. Did you wait outside or something? If anything you just got fatter
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2021-10-24 Mike
Man, a whole year of going to the gym looks like it has been wasted. I’d like a current update. Three months ago I was 6ft 150lbs, after going to the gym 5 days a week and eating 3000+ calories I’m now 165 and increasing, and have made 3 times your progress. You should have done your research before wasting your time.
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2021-08-29
I'm way skinny than u bro.. im 22old 5.7 foot nd my weight is 43...
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2021-01-26 Poor Bastard
You look a bit fatter if anything
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2020-11-25 Your mom
You look fucking skinnier in the most recent photo douchebag soyboy
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2020-11-07 Dmtzp
Bro this has to be a joke. I've barely started working out and have gained a lot more than that in 3 weeks
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2020-10-17 GD
Hey bro, I won't be an ass like everyone else but listen, progress is progress and you are heavier now. That being said, i don't see a lot of muscle there. But you were able to increase your mass and lifts, so now is time to build a diet. You are an ectomorph, you burn more calories than you eat, so you need to eat. That means lots of carbs and protein to perform muscle synthesis. Also, increase your gym sessions for at least 3 times per week- but i would consider 4-5.
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2020-11-07 Vx
True. Can't see any progress actually. 1) the weight per se isn't a good measure. Those 10 kg can be bone density + glycogen storage + water retention on the muscle without size. 2) the numbers may be CNS adaptation to the lift increasing muscle eficiency. 3) can't see any hipertrophy, nor sarcoplasmatic nor myofibrillar. 1 x /week gym is poor. Don't fool you. 40 kg on bench is pussyer by definition. My gal usa that to warm up. Hit harder man.
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2017-07-05 Brah
Dude you look the same, eat up. 4000-5000 cals/day. You still look like a friggin skeleton, keep it up with the hardwork! Cheers
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2017-07-05 Paul Chris Jones
But if I ate 4,000 calories every day then I'd end up fat, not muscular, no?
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2017-09-29 T.S.
No you will not end up fat. Eat healthy and get a lot of protein in your body, drink whey protein shakes like no tomorrow. Only eat healthy fats like oatmeal and nuts.. many vegetables and fruit, and chicken is good protein too. That diet will naturally burn fat and add muscle as long as you start going to the gym 4 times per week, not a little 1.5 day workout....
2017-09-26 Chase Diz
No you will not end up fat. You have a extreme case of skinny. You need to up those calories like no tomorrow and shock your muscles into hypertrophy. I have no doubt you gained strength , but I almost feel like your trolling because your picture shows no literal definition in your body at all in terms of muscle. My advice eat more tons more it doesn't matter if it's McDonald or chocolate get the calories in.
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2017-09-29 T.S.
It absolutely matters what he eats, McDonald's will make his gut bigger, but not his muscles lmao... terrible advice
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2017-10-08 Bry
Look up the gomad diet Do it to get to a more standard weight if thats what youre looking for. I gained 20lbs in a month Gaining weight with fast metabolisms and small stomachs is extremely difficult. You get in what you put out Dont be afraid to get a little fat. Its easy to lose it right away with out type of genetics Lastly, gym once a week is nothing, you may as well not go and ride a bicycle. 3 or 4 times a week, lift medium weight 15 reps so you dont hurt yourself and lift past the burn Youll gain and get bigger if you do it Some people really need to eat 3000 calories a day just to gain 1lb a week. In the long run, I do believe being skinnier is healthier and will make you live longer, but at the same time its probably a worthy trade off to be stronger, and to look and feel better
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2017-12-04 Marcel
Hi have been thin all my life, and been always embarrassed about it. I have nice muscles when I go to gym and workout , however I got always told, yes u have muscle, but no fat. I decided to take a break from everything and just concentrate on eating as much as I can. I was 63kg, and three weeks later I am 73kg.
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2018-04-24 Trash
Lmfao "1.5 times per week" No wonder you wasted a whole year lieing to yourself about going to gym. I hate to break it to you but your before and after pick are exactly the fucking same. The fact that you made a blog post on this shows that you have convinced yourself that you lift now. There's literally no indication that your muscles got a single workout and I highly doubt you can press even 40 kg!! You abs are flat, you shoulders are literally the same size, no pec outline, no back indication, zero forearm/biceps/tricep improvement and legs are not even shown. Wtf were you doing in your 3 biweekly sessions, God only knows. Bro get your shit together. Read a book on working out (I recommend Michael Mathews from muscle for life) since your a self proclaimed "geek"
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2019-01-31 none of yo beezwax
holy shit you're a dick
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2019-05-04 90210
He may be a dick, but he’s telling the complete truth.
2018-11-22 d
You are a living joke.
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2019-06-12 Myra
It was close every time you have been at the gym
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2019-06-18 Paul Chris Jones
You bastard, that's actually quite funny
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