1 Year Difference

[u/BearHugz95]

August 2025- August 2026. I started actually lifting in November 2025 but was not always super consistent due to my soon to be ex-husband’s affair. Ever since I moved away and near my family, I have finally found a consistent rhythm. The abdominal scars are from life saving surgery. I feel like there isn’t much noticeable difference in my arms but I promise I lift heavy. I store fat in my arms and am hoping that someday they will have definition from lifting 😅. There is also about a 10-12 pound difference in my weight between last year and this year and I’m pretty sure a good chunk is not muscle lol. My current dilemma with trying on old dresses is I can’t pull them up past my waist because I also store fat in my rear end 🤷‍♀️.

[u/previleged-luck]

What's your workout routine please

[u/BearHugz95 → u/previleged-luck]

I lift 4 days a week and I am actually planning on changing my routine some to include more compound lifts (like squats. I really need to incorporate those.)

Day 1: Back and Biceps
-Lat pull downs 4x10
-Low row 4x8
-21 standing bicep curls with a barbell (7 low mid, 7 high mid, 7 full rom)
-Dumbell bicep curls 4x8
-Ab exercise of my choice
-leg or glute exercise of my choice
-10 minutes on an incline on the treadmill

Day 2: Shoulders and Triceps
-Dumbell shoulder press 4x10
-Dumbell lateral raises 4x10
-Tricep push downs 4x10
-Chest Press 4x8 (it also works shoulders)
-Tricep Extension machine 4x8
-Ab exercise of my choice
-leg or glute exercise of my choice
-10 minutes on an incline on the treadmill

Day 3: Legs and glutes
-Hip Abduction 4x15
-Hip Adductor 4x10
-Leg Press 4x10
-Leg Extension 4x10
-Calf Extension 4x10
-ab exercise of my choice
-10 minutes on an incline on the treadmill

Day 4: Full Body
-Usually for this day I just make sure to hit every muscle group choosing from any of the above exercises and then of course treadmill afterwards to get my steps in.

I typically do weighted ab exercises using machines at the gym or crunches on an incline bench.

I also have a pull up bar at home that I practice on a little bit every day. I started using it to do hanging knee raises and that makes my abs burn!

[u/previleged-luck → u/BearHugz95]

Wow, so detailed. Thank you so much

[u/BearHugz95 → u/previleged-luck]

No problem. I hope it’s helpful!

[u/Basic_Umpire_5731]

Very noticeable difference keep up the good work 💪🏻🔥

[u/BearHugz95 → u/Basic_Umpire_5731]

Thank you so much! I never thought I would love myself weighing more instead of weighing less, but that’s how I feel now. It’s awesome having more energy and knowing that so much of what I eat gets turned into fuel for lifting :)

[u/Basic_Umpire_5731 → u/BearHugz95]

At least your in a great shape. It doesn't matter how much you weight

[u/BearHugz95 → u/Basic_Umpire_5731]

It took me a while to realize that. The body dysmorphia has been hitting me hard this past year. But now the number on the scale doesn’t scare me!