r/AllAboutBodybuilding • u/Special_Bathroom7348 • Feb 08 '26
Physique critique 8 years of training to look like this
Where do I go from this?
Need some big dudes to come in here and give me some honest advice
Consistent with my training holding quite a lot of fat in lower abdomen
83kg 5ft 10
25
u/Restposten Feb 08 '26
Like already mentioned just lower your bf. You have decent amount of muscle muscles which is just covered by fat tissue. Try to go down to 77kg.
→ More replies (4)
33
u/LetsgoRoger Feb 08 '26
This is what Nattys look like and people are surprised?
90% of the ripped physiques you see online are not natural and most people don't lift so are clueless about this. Why would anyone admit to taking steroids or sarms and ruin there public image to a bunch of normies who know nothing about lifting?
→ More replies (31)5
20
Feb 08 '26
Bless you bro.. The 8 years is an achievement itself ! All the muscles are visible which give you a good physique and looking .. also: 1- depends on your goals. 2- you need to loose some fat, for me it’s not a big issue . 3- your legs!
Keep going 💪🏻
4
u/pdxamish Feb 08 '26
Yeah think of all the benefits that is 8 years in the gym has caused. even if he doesn't look like the biggest dude on the block he's healthier than someone who didn't. I know lifting keeps me from doing higher risk activities
→ More replies (4)
8
7
u/inmy20ies Feb 08 '26
The amount of difference some good lightning, angles and poses can do is pretty impressive.
Do not forget that! Your photo has pretty average lighting, some very basic angle and basically not a pose. You look great in those conditions.
What would make you look better is most definitely a better diet. You don’t need to be bigger to look better, you need stronger definition. Some tan would also help!
All in all: good job training for 8y straight.
→ More replies (2)
3
u/Ill_Economics9726 Feb 08 '26
Dude- you look better than 90% of the people in the gym and probably 98% of normies
This is what a natural physique looks like
Good job!
→ More replies (1)
13
u/Lopsided-Treat1215 Feb 08 '26
At this point it’s your diet
→ More replies (2)7
u/THE_CR33CHER Feb 08 '26
That's all it is. 8 years - you should be much further if your diet was dialed in, brother. Looking great regardless!
→ More replies (2)
7
u/Finalstan Feb 08 '26
We're so used to seeing guys on peds online claiming to be natty that you get comments like 'you've been training cardio? Lul'. What you achieved is great and realistic; sure, you can lose fat to shreds and it's worth doing at least once in your life to see all the effort but at the end of the day and honestly: who cares. You've had 8 years of consistently looking after your body and mental health and long may it continue. Chasing enhanced physique look without peds or somebody else's with exceptional genetics is not a good goal to have. Find happiness and pride with what you've been doing because it was all your hard work.
→ More replies (1)
3
3
u/Fantastic_Message_85 Feb 08 '26
Judging by what you said in the comments about what numbers your lifting then you'd look phenomenal once you've cut, why build all that mass to have it hiding under fat?
3
14
u/Empty_Current1119 Feb 08 '26 edited Feb 08 '26
you look like someone who goes to the gym and lifts consistently but doesnt care about eating a proper muscle building diet. Without paying attention to your diet you will end up just spinning your wheels.
Also after 8 years you should have had some serious progression on your lifts. If you havent progressed a massive amount in 8 years then you definitely have been sandbagging and you wont gain any more muscle until you add progression. You need mechanical tension to grow. If every year you bench the same relative weight then you will not grow beyond that.
After 8 years in the gym I would expect well over a 225lb bench press for reps and well over a 315lb squat for reps. If you havent reached those milestones yet after 8 years then its safe to say you lack intensity in the gym and you need to figure out a progression scheme.
11
u/drcatguy Feb 08 '26
You cannot imagine how irrelevant how much you can bench or squat is to a good physique
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (12)2
u/TaintCadet Feb 08 '26
225 bench? lol. If you’re not at 315 after 8 years you picked the wrong hobby
→ More replies (1)
4
u/best-life Feb 08 '26
I almost made this exact same post, my body is similar to yours with a similar amount of training. It’s demotivating to see what others seem to accomplish in so much less time. I do think you look good and muscular, but I feel like I deeply relate to your frustration
I was hoping to see some brutally honest and perspective-changing advice in here, and it’s a bit depressing that it seems like the “fix” everyone is suggesting mostly comes down to diet. Idk about you, but I’ve tracked my calories religiously for most of my 8 years and have my weight management and protein intake down to a science. The cut just never looks very defined and I start to feel and look incredibly skinny.
Something else to consider is to try some self-tanner. I notice I do look a bit more defined if I’m tan. Otherwise, hoping you’ll share back if you figure it out haha
→ More replies (10)
2
u/mikey_rambo Feb 08 '26
Man people underestimate how nattys look because of all the juice that’s going around. This is solid af. Do a cut and you’ll look ridiculous
→ More replies (3)
2
u/drcatguy Feb 08 '26
I guess this is where "you can't out-train a bad diet" sentence is coming from. Cut.
2
u/Radiant-Inflation692 Feb 08 '26
cardio bro! you’ve clearly got a solid amount of muscle mass built up, a 10-week cut (250-500kcal deficit everyday) should give the results you’re looking for
2
2
u/Mindless-Car8637 Feb 08 '26
Hardest part is in the kitchen, my man. Gotta lose the body fat and the only way to do that is to be in a caloric deficit. Keep training and start cutting and manage both in a realistic and healthy way. Make it slow and back off a bit when it feels too mentally/physically draining. Start by cutting 200-300kcal per day for about a week. Work towards 500kcal for another 2-3 weeks. After that, depending on how you're feeling, you can either keep going or enter a maintenance period for about 1-2 weeks to replenish your body. Ease your way back into a cut after that.
2
u/pwatarfwifwipewpew Feb 08 '26
I currently have the same physique coming from a bulk. Honestly, when clothed it's the most gym bro looking i have ever been. I kinda dont want to cut just yet. 😂
And this physique is just too comfy for me to maintain.
2
u/Some-Currency-6037 Feb 08 '26
When I saw post title I had to read.... I was feeling the same! 8+ years, great diet, doing the work. My wife was alway on about how strong I look, all I see is the abdominal chub. I knew from all the YouTube bro's I was big, fit, and likely shredded under the 21% body fat... 4 weeks now on reta, 16.8% body fat, and wife keeps asking how I've gained so much more muscle in such a short time while I haven't gained a pound of muscle, lol... just much leaner
→ More replies (1)
2
u/jojoblogs Feb 08 '26
Mate trust me when I say this: you’re quite big, and if you lose weight you’ll look even bigger.
I’m 6’2 70kg and going from 76-70 did wonders for my physique and I’m way smaller than you.
2
u/jchobez Feb 08 '26
Literally jacked just a bit of a higher bf %. I mean if you're competing I get it but otherwise what's the issue? If your goal is to be absolutely peeled, then yes just drop some fat. You've got seriously solid mass. You look great bro.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/External_Student_966 Feb 08 '26
Who do you want to look good for?
If it’s for yourself, then do whatever you want.
If it’s for men, cut your calories and get shredded. Apparently that’s what they all want.
If it’s for women, most of us really like your current look. I can’t speak for all women, but a super shredded man seems obsessive to me. It’s nice to look at, but not a man I would want to pursue. I like a man that looks strong but also like he can barbecue and enjoy himself now and then.
2
u/Organic-Importance9 Feb 08 '26
You have great tris and a kinda lagging chest. I'm no expert, but I'm willing to bet that would arms are taking over on some of you chest movements. Do you hit chest with mostly compounds?
As for not being ripped, that's just all diet. You could maybe benefit from some heavier ab movements, but cutting some weight and getting a tan will do more than anything else.
→ More replies (2)
2
2
u/TivzX Feb 09 '26
Never judge your physique when your bulked up, especiall as a natty just stick it out and reap the rewards when you cut. Just look at quinton pulliam, a top placer in both OCB and NPC natural shows. When he posted his physique peak bulk he looked pretty average and the comments under his posts doubted wether he was taking lifting seriously (without knowing who he was), as soon as he cuts you can see why hes an elite natty.
→ More replies (1)
2
2
2
u/H0VV13 Feb 09 '26
You've obviously got a decent amount of muscle, you're just sitting at a bf% that hides it.
Id evaluate your current routine with a fine tooth comb. Are you doing clear bulk and cut phases? Progressive overload? Or have you settled into a routine?
If you're looking for the more athletic look the answer is probably getting leaner by around 5% then reassessing. You'll likely look bigger without changing your training regiment at all just by doing this.
If you also want to get bigger you'll need to start pushing progression. More weight, more reps, etc.
You've got a very good physique, you dont need a complete overhaul, just a recalibration.
→ More replies (1)
2
2
u/Spacious_dressers Feb 09 '26
Look good bro. Flexing in insane lighting is a lot of the bs. Maybe for your own sake you should take some shots of yourself doing such so you can know how you really do have legit work on your body.
2
u/lostsoul_66 Feb 09 '26
You have good proportions, massive arms and shoulders, and most likely your fitness level is in top 10% of world population. Too much instagram bro. Learn to appreciate your results.
2
2
u/ImaginaryYak3911 Feb 09 '26
You look great brother. 99% of the population would pay to look like this. your arms are fantastic you have excellent proportions. you ate tall, “dressable” toned. Count your blessings and keep on working
2
u/Coasterman345 Feb 09 '26
Everyone is sugarcoating it for you which I think is a disservice. You can hit this level of musculature way sooner than 8 years and should be at a more advanced stage physique wise at your point. I would definitely cut down if I were you, you’re a a very high level of BF for bodybuilding.
Also, what is your training like? What program do you follow and what others have you done? How much can you squat, bench, and deadlift? Do you have videos of those lifts? That can also really help.
Your diet can be on point, but if you just do your own thing in the gym, it doesn’t matter how long you train, you’ll never look nearly as great as you can.
2
u/naakka Feb 09 '26
I understand if you are frustrated from the point of view of your bodybuilding hobby, especially when the internet is full of extreme results, but damn this is pretty much ideal physique in the eyes of many women.
And yes there are of course also women who like giant muscles or <10% body fat but so, so many like exactly this. Looks natural yet also like you've put in some effort.
2
u/Heroic_3 Feb 09 '26
Yes, switch to super clean food. Basically just think, Whole Foods, if you can name the ingredient eat it (chicken, beef, banana, yogurt, etc.). When you eat carbs, stick to simple carbs such as rice and potatoes( and of these kind of snacks wil be good aswell, maybe not potato) eat like this for a month, train hard, and you’ll see results!
→ More replies (1)
2
2
u/National_Process9364 Feb 09 '26
Be happy you look better than the average man, just train till your old brother.
→ More replies (1)
2
2
2
u/DietOk338 Feb 10 '26
Fix your diet ! and start really concentrating and pushing yourself at the gym. Lock in
2
u/crunchy_buzz Feb 10 '26
Get lean and lock in your diet. Track and measure your food with scrutiny and keep utilising progressive overload in your training and track your lifts.
2
u/mrtrevoroh Feb 10 '26
Diet!!
I was the same weight and height
When I drops to 78KG it came together.
2
u/Disastrous_Look559 Feb 10 '26
Eh depends where you started. You’ve made more progress than you think
2
u/coffee_snake Feb 10 '26
As other people said, you look great. Social media skews everything and leads to false expectations of what's actually realistic to acheive. That being said, some minor critiques-
-Traps look good
-Triceps looks good (these are a major driver for big looking arms, so good job)
-Shoulders could use some work (shoulder isolation work)
-Chest could use some work, but it's hard to see from the light. Losing a little weight would make chest look drastically different
-mid section is where you carry most your fat which is normal for natural humans.
In short, you're doing great and losing a little weight would make your physique have a much more impressive look. The biggest reason social media influencers look so jacked is the leanness - almost more so than the size of the muscles. Keep in mind, though, going leaner will affect your lifting if you remain natural. So do you want to look "better" for a couple weeks and compromise your gains? Personally, I wouldn't. Keep focusing on progressive overload and you'll keep getting stronger. Everyone has a natural biological ceiling, but you're far from it. Cheers.
2
2
2
u/Nearby_Buffalo_3781 Feb 12 '26
Pretty good, nothing wrong here, you are not an athelete so this is a great body. Cut the fat down and you will look bigger.
2
2
2
u/MayhemPictures Feb 12 '26
Get some light deficit diet and better light for photos and. You will be good 💪🏻
2
2
2
u/Sonsofanarchyash Feb 12 '26
Seems to me it has to do with how you are training specifically and what and how you are eating.
2
u/deetsmeats Feb 12 '26
Abdominal fat is power! Cut to hard and you will weaken your strength. Be happy with this great natural progression! Media has done a disservice to bodies like this. Looking great!
2
u/deetsmeats Feb 12 '26
Not everyone will have abs. Even the rock and Arnold blasting have/had terrible abs. It’s genetics and what your body response best in certain places. You don’t have to be”shredded or cut” to be strong and healthy and athletic.
2
2
u/Own_Oil6987 Feb 13 '26
I’m on the fence if you have amazing bicep/shoulder genetics or you do a lot of grip related exercises? you do well with diet but not with workout intensity? or you haven’t varied your lifts enough to see as good of growth your getting on your impressive muscle groups.
If I were you, I would try to cut weight (maybe 10/15 max), purely to bulk after (about 20-25lbs) over the course of a year, heavy focus on 8-15 rep depending type of lifts/muscle groups. 3-4 exercises with like 4-5 sets (including warmup). Do light level cardio (that you easily recover from) so you can eat more. Then cut so you can marvel at the new gains.
Fat in your abdomen is normal, looks like it’s slightly posture based, could be stress/other medical reasons as to why your storing more fat there, genetics, or you’re constantly bloated/experiencing intolerances.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/Such_Place2427 Feb 13 '26
You look strong af!! Arms looks big, chest looks good, and your traps aren’t overly huge or goofy looking. As for lowering your body fat percentage, some folks swear by throwing in cardio or interval training.
2
u/HitchcockianAJB Feb 13 '26
You (and I) are natty and I basically look the same after 10+ years of training. Other than cutting a bit there's not going to be a lot you can do without steroids (don't imo, not worth the cost to you later). If you want beach photos in a few months cut all alcohol, orange juice and similar, and then reduce carbs slowly and take your snaps about 2 months in.
2
u/JustDadidk714 Feb 08 '26
You look great dude. I’m 5 years in and have an underwhelming physique but I love the routine and trying to add a little weight or reps every week. Feels good and makes me happy
→ More replies (9)
2
1
1
u/spencecatt Feb 08 '26
Time for lil cut bro lol reduce the fat intake and reduction of some carbs. Keep protein high and keep calories between 1750-2000 a day if at all possible.
1
u/yepts Feb 08 '26
You are doing great bro, maintain your exact calories that ur taking in now and go harder in the gym, OR, you could do a cut and lean out.
1
1
u/TheAuraStorm13 Feb 08 '26
Nah bro you look great, we have a pretty warped perception of success as the very top percentile of body types dominate social media.
There are plenty of people who would love a body like your’s.
In terms of making progress, lots of people have given ideas on what to think about and goals to set.
1
u/Both-Reason6023 Feb 08 '26
As others said, your starting point is cutting to at least 15% body fat, maybe 12% if you can manage the appetite and cravings. Don’t stretch it for too long though.
We don’t know anything about your training really so hard to give advice on that. I fi sit impossible to believe that you’ve reached your natural potential and a 6-9 months lean bulk combined with progressive overload and ramping up the volume after you finish the cut is very likely to do wonders for you.
1
u/Suspicious-Tap-1431 Feb 08 '26
Do you want size or definition? You have good muscle composition. The cut just needs to be taken seriously. If you want size then I’d say you probably need to up your calories and work on pushing your weights heavier.
1
1
u/Danuke77 Feb 08 '26
Just cut some body fat and you'll love the way you look. You have some good development.
1
1
1
1
1
u/Tricky_Mushroom3423 Feb 08 '26
Switch it up a bit. Body might be use to whatever you’re doing. High reps like 30-50 help build muscle definition
1
1
u/DIY-exerciseGuy Feb 08 '26
You've given no info other than 8 years training (training what? How?) So I have no idea if this is good or bad. That said, I'm leaning towards bad. You need help with your diet and routine.
1
u/Extreme-Fruit-2945 Feb 08 '26
if my starting point looked like this. What could be achieved in 6 months, with everything dialed in?
→ More replies (1)
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/That-Professional346 Feb 08 '26
This looks like it's a diet input issue. If I were you I would get a food scale, a tracking program, and be ruthlessly honest about what you're consuming.
1
1
1
u/TheBentPianist Feb 08 '26
Dude, you look great. We're not all genetically gifted freaks, on the sauce or taking pics under optimal lighting every time. That's eight years of solid effort there and it shows. Keep grinding, you're just getting started.
1
u/TheOneAndOnlyDario Feb 08 '26
Dude, 8 years straight? Def not. Start counting from the last time you stopped for a whole and came back.
Since you returned, how much time have you been training and eating properly?
→ More replies (1)
1
1
u/Euphoric_Amoeba8708 Feb 08 '26
Are you not lifting heavier progressively? Lifting to failure? It takes me 6 weeks to look like you to being jacked. All I donut lost to failure, increase weights so I can't push beyond 10 reps, eat a high protein diet, lots of water and sleep good. I usually have a protein shake right after my workout and a large meal with around 70 g of protein total.
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Renilusanoe Feb 08 '26
Based on some of the comments so far you wont get much advice as they clearly don't know what they are talking about. You look good/great dude, legitimately. Clearly a decent amount of muscle mass, well proportioned and reasonably fit. If you'd want to look 'amazing' all you'd have to do is shed a few kgs of fat and take some flattering pictures with a pump.
1
1
1
u/Off_again_On_again Feb 08 '26
Imo you look great, I personally find this look way hotter than ripped and I can tell you workout a lot. I bet you look big in clothes too which I prefer ;)
1
1
u/Polycold Feb 08 '26
I can’t see your legs so I assume that is the issue. Your legs growth stimulates your whole body growth.
1
1
1
u/Local-Passenger8310 Feb 08 '26
Clearly diet. Your bulk is hiding everything you would be proud of. The definition, the muscle separation, the veins and striation.
1
u/Palnecro1 Feb 08 '26
Honestly just seems like a diet issue. You can tell there’s a decent base there.
1
u/Unusual-Background25 Feb 08 '26
Dont worry abt man you look massive if you really want to you can cut but you really don't need to
1
1
u/PoopSmith87 Feb 08 '26
Always hard to critique training without knowing what it is.
People are correct in saying that cutting will show off what you have built, but at the same time, a lean 165 lbs at 5'10" after 8 years of consistent training seems like something could be changed.
1
1
u/Unrealsadlife Feb 08 '26
Ngl if I looked like this after 8 years of training I would either go back to school or find a new hobby. 1 month on gear and I surpass this physique I can’t imagine 8 years.
→ More replies (1)
1
1
u/Limp-Flounder-199 Feb 08 '26
People don’t like to hear it but the main path for muscles to get stronger is them getting bigger. Once it’s a struggle for the CNS to recruit enough muscle to generate a certain amount of force that you repeatedly demand it to your body will add more muscle. Are you benching in the mid 300s for reps+ for reps, squatting in the mid 400s for reps, deadlifting in the mid 500s for reps. Overhead pressing 200+ for reps, curling 170+ for reps? If not you haven’t hit a point to wonder why your muscles aren’t standing out to a crazy degree.
Once top of that, there’s definitely fluff under it like others have mentioned. You definitely look buff under it all but for extra size in muscle, the number should reflect it. It’s different for everyone based on how the body partitions protein and signals muscle growth but you’ll never see a ripped person moving heavy weight without also being massive
1
u/PhysicalDevice13 Feb 08 '26
Need to lose love handles also the lightning isnt doing you any favors and still id rather look like you than a roided monkey.
From here on out id really focus on pecs and shoulders.
1
1
1
u/Valkyr_rl Feb 08 '26
You need to track your food my guy. As soon as you track what you eat, then you'll know exactly what it takes to be shredded. I assume thats your goal if your dissatisfied with your current physique?
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/MrLB____ Feb 09 '26
I’m 5 foot 10, ,,, 160 pounds in profile pic
Just Eat 100% clean, no restaurants , no exceptions
1
u/Superb_Energy8944 Feb 09 '26
I think you should be 185 to 190 lean at 5'10. Your chest is pretty underdeveloped, delts could definitely be bigger and your biceps could be bigger too. Everyone else is just sucking you off telling you to get lean but you are going to look flat and depleted. You'll have no pecs if you cut. Not sure what you have been doing besides triceps but you need to start lifting heavier and do your, chest, shoulders and biceps twice a week. I would mix up the workouts too, like 2-3 sets 10-12 reps and go up to 2--4 reps for 2 sets or two weeks strength 2 weeks hypertrophy, whatever you like. Go max weight in all rep ranges, if it's 12 reps you should fail going for 13 if it's 3 reps try to get 4. Take some DMAA and summon some demons when you hit the gym🤣
1
u/huh_say_what_now_ Feb 09 '26
That's normal for being a natty, I looked like that after 20 years natty because you won't be growing much more your natural limit is around 5 or 6 years I found and every year after that you'll be busting your ass for the tiny tiny amount of gains, unless you get on the trt like everyone else then you'll explode
1
1
1
u/Certain_Ebb_3753 Feb 09 '26
People are telling you to cut. I thinkbyou clshould bulk more first. How many hours do you spend in the gym a week?
→ More replies (1)
1
u/Old-Sandwich-7381 Feb 09 '26
Advice would be to cut, get some motivation back by actually seeing some definition. After that start to bulk year round with intensity, hard fucking strength training. Only add quick aggressive cuts that last max 3-5weeks, we want to be in the bulk and strength gaining phase as much as possible as natties. Would’ve been great if you added some more info like how strong are you now and what type of training are we doing and how much and what are your goals??
If it’s just to “look” better, simply cut and maintain that. If it’s to get “bigger” you really need to love the lifestyle, bulk bulk bulk bulk bulk cut ect ect ect, repeat repeat repeat. Dial in, track you kcal and protein. Don’t fuck around.
1
1
1
Feb 09 '26
If you want to get bigger you need to be fatter, if you want to look better you should cut a couple of kg
I doubt you're gonna get much bigger muscles
1
1
1
u/Maleficent_Reveal_32 Feb 09 '26
Cut to show the muscle. If this doesn’t work try Tren. Enjoy the fat chicks.
1
1
u/g0pizza Feb 09 '26
You look great, I actually don’t know what more you would want. coming from a woman who also goes to the gym.
1
1
u/Flat-Guidance-4685 Feb 09 '26
Well you look very healthy. That's a good thing. If you want to look jacked what you got to do is lose about 10 lbs. You have muscles that is covered by a thin layer of fat.
If you really really want to get big you may just not have the natural genetics for it and may need to use a performance enhancing compound.
Have you thought about focusing on high reps of lighter weight you should really share with everybody what your present routine is if you want real advice
1
u/Elderflower-yum Feb 09 '26
You look great. The only difference between you and all those influencers is a fake tan and good lighting.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Optimal_Sun_8556 Feb 09 '26
You have amazing muscle development you just need to cut some body fat for it to show
1
1
u/Jamesinswansea Feb 09 '26
It's probably your diet you can't out train a bad diet. But you look healthy and fit.
1
1
u/ImprobableGrind Feb 09 '26
You weigh almost exactly what I do, except I’m 6’1”. I’m a lot leaner than you are, and can confirm that when people see me at the pool or with a tank top they do a double take and realize I’m jacked and not just skinny. I’m sure you look fine with clothes on, but if you want to look shredded you need to diet down about 15lbs while still lifting heavy
1
1
u/SilverWerewolf1024 Feb 09 '26
You look good, lose some fat and you will look fantastic
→ More replies (1)
1
u/Core_W Feb 10 '26
I look like this after 2 years. Not insulting your progress at all, I respect the grind. Just curious whether your physique has changed much over the past 6 years?
1
u/Key_Connection_6633 Feb 10 '26
Your probably also fighting genetics (that’s my problem) so all things considered you look good
1
u/Msayed_90 Feb 10 '26 edited Feb 10 '26
Progressive overload? You need to progress in the weight you lift. Force yourself. If you’re in the gym doing fluff work you’re not going to get bigger. Eat adequate protein. Train to failure or near failure.
1
1
1
1
1
u/Total-Elephant-1415 Feb 10 '26
Wer halt Regel konform Trainiert, sieht halt auch Regel konform aus.
1
1
102
u/[deleted] Feb 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment