I'm 21 and haven't actually competed yet, but I'm officially starting the journey.
I've been working with a great coach for about 7 months now, and we're currently deep in an offseason mass phase. I'm going to drop some transformation photos below to show the progress. Being 5'5, I've always been inspired by guys like Shaun Clarida and Lee Priest - they really set the standard for shorter lifters.
Right now, it's all about high-volume training and basically eating everything in sight to grow. My goal is to keep updating this log all the way through until I finally hit the stage, hopefully sometime next year.
In the photos, I've gone from 168 lbs to 196 lbs. The picture on the right is my current physique.
almost 30lbs up in 7 months is absolute madness haha. you must be literally living in the kitchen right now. being 5'5 is honestly a cheat code for looking thick once you fill out the frame- cant wait to see the stage look.
Lee Priest is the absolute goat for shorter dudes. if you can get even half those arms you'll be set lol. looking forward to following the journey man keep it up.
21 is such a good age to get started you got so much time to grow. just dont let the "eat everything in sight" part turn into a total dirty bulk or the cut is gonna be miserable next year lol trust me on that one.
damn 196 at 5'5 is heavy as hell. you must look like a house. definitely post those pics i wanna see how the mass is sitting.
high volume is the way to go for the offseason push. i've been following a similar style and the pumps are just different. glad you got a solid coach behind you it makes all the difference when things get tough.
the transition from 168 to nearly 200 is huge. do your clothes even fit anymore? i remember when i did my first big push i had to buy all new jeans because my quads grew too fast haha.
shaun clarida is a beast- total giant killer. if you keep that mindset you're gonna do great. the short kings are taking over bodybuilding lol.
good luck with the rest of the offseason man. sticking to a log is a great idea to stay accountable. i'll be checking in to see the progress.
man i wish i started with a coach at 21. i wasted so many years doing dumb stuff in the gym before i actually figured out how to eat and train properly. you're way ahead of the game.
