Showing up isn't enough to make an impressive physique. The real challenge is the filler. Counting calories when you really want McDonald's, doing the cardio when you want to just relax, resting and recovering, and getting in the gym when you have every reason not to. This is why some gym arcs not only deserve praise for all the effort you put in, but chisel your physique to the best version of yourself inside and outside the gym, making all this time and effort worth it.
#10 — December 2024: The Bulky Prologue
Where to Lift
At 210 lb, I met the first antagonist: my past self. At my heaviest body weight recorded, I committed to a beginner-friendly upper-lower split, logged every session, and promised myself I’d treat each workout like the first episode of a long-running Shonen—rough, honest, and full of potential.
With many reasons to stay complacent, I challenged myself to one goal: get to 180 pounds and be proud of my physique (6-pack). The goal was a long road, it was ambitious; but I knew I had the resolve, and from that point, I couldn't stop.#9 — January 2025: The Calorie Counter’s Dawn
Where to Lift
I learned the hero’s secret weapon: a kitchen scale. I tracked calories, hit protein, and watched cravings lose their grip. The enemy was junk food; my counter was consistency and 0-cal drinks. With the power of Lose it! app in my side holster, I traversed the path of greed (The food plaza) with ease.
As described, this arc was had plenty of filler, but it is important to the lore. It pays off when the bloating went away and the high-feeling of eating whole food meals changes the my outlook on what it means to be healthy.
#8 — February 2025: Form Forging
Where to Lift
Numbers paused while form leveled up. I filmed sets, slowed reps, and fixed bar path. Pride took a back seat; mastery got the wheel. It not only fortified my understanding of the holy conventional deadlift, but was a phycological battle as well. Of leaving my ego at the doorstep, and learning the secret technique: Valsalva Maneuver.
With this arc, it became the blueprint what lifts should look like. No more cheat reps, full ROM (range of motion) where key to this arc being as significant as it was for setting the hero up for success.
#7 — March 2025: Pushing Through the Pain
Where to Lift
As things where going great, and spirits where high, my master left for good. It was heart tugging, and a mental struggle of what the point was; until I remembered the strength in every anime protagonist: resolve. The will to keep fighting for what you believe in, no matter what happens.
This arc means so much, because I discovered family, and what it means to be a warrior. Life doesn't stop because you decide you want to be better; in fact, it may get worse.
#6 — April 2025: PR Destruction
Where to Lift
With all I've learned, this month was meant for PR's - and it shook the whole gym. Through grunting, screaming, and blasting Slipknot, I put on almost 80 lbs for some lifts. Clean and Jerk on my 21st birthday - 225 lb, 335 lb squat, 365 lb deadlift, 225 lb bench.
The clean and jerk was a surprising plot twist - with a trainer I learned better form, and putting up two plates cemented my place in the fitness community.
#5 — May 2025: Water 7
Where to Lift
Learning to swim was hard, but I enjoyed it. It doesn't need to be elegant, and it wasn't. What matters is the friends we make along the way. The pool was like my new therapy - but it didn't come without inhaling massive amounts of water doing backstroke.
This arc included many new challenges, the fact running was effecting my joints negatively - so I had to adapt. This way, I found something that worked for me; even though I was still a beginner it was a lot of fun.
#4 — June 2025: Mindset Armor
Where to Lift
With all this effort left me hurting too much, I upgraded my elixir to a two-scoop 50g protein shake. I focused on getting better sleep. The most powerful store: Walmart, equipped me with the greatest concoction of all: Creatine. This let me upgrade to a new full-body split with one less day of lifting, making it easier to keep a physique while still being challenged.
A deload cooled the joints; journaling cooled the mind. Recovery is a skill—one that turns plateaus into ramps. This marks a more chill out kind of arc, but sometimes it's nice to give yourself space every once in a while, and enjoy the body you worked hard for.
#3 — July 2025: No More Fun Time
Where to Lift
This section identifies a new boogeyman: rent. This meant I needed to change my ways of not working and finally considering school. So I pulled up my bootstraps and signed the forbidden text: A Job Application. Also signing up for summer class, it proved to be very difficult; with my new nemeses: the teacher and boss.
For this arc, new lifts where discovered that didn't involve any weight: running out food, and homework. This mental work and sacrifice meant less time for the gym, but it is one of the best comeuppance tales in gym history, giving place to the groundwork for what being a real hero means.
#2 — August 2025: Identity Shift
Where to Lift
After a talk with The Wise One (Uncle John), I was convinced to drop my vices. With weed came muscle recovery and good sleep; but with it also came complacency. Sobriety brought new challenges, ones I wasn't used to. It knocked me down, but I picked myself up and faced the music. Standing my ground against the storm of anxiety and insomnia. Persevering through the Fatal First Days.
Afterwards, I find myself being able to catch up with school, and proof that with a will; there's a way. Nothing can stop me if I can drop my biggest vice. It will be harder but the skills that will replace the weed will be the greatest powers a hero can ask for during tough times.
#1 — September 2025: The Shredded Finale
Where to Lift
The ultimate arc starts when the protagonist is the strongest, but the challenges are the greatest. This month, I can lift the most in my life, feel the best in my life, and look the best in my life; however, the challenges faced don't stop. With school now full-time, work being stressful, and the days becoming longer with the newfound power of sobriety, things only get harder.
The best arcs, that define people the most, that set history happen in the moments when we want to drop all of these responsibilities. But there is a reason we persevere; it's about all the things we learned during the times we wanted to quit. I not only maintain my strength in this arc, but maintain my schoolwork, sobriety, job, and family life, and became the person that sets the bar higher for the rest of history.
GymBro99 · Sep 17, 2025
“Bro this is the most anime thing I’ve ever seen, I love it 😂🔥.”