Thank you all so much. Honestly this corner of the forum is part of why I stuck with it. Onto the next six months - going for a double bodyweight deadlift by the end of the year.

Really good, because I kept the form strict and added weight slowly. I filmed my lifts the whole way, which kept my ego in check and my back happy. Slow was the right call.

Deadlift, easily. I started barely pulling the bar with plates and this week I hit bodyweight for reps. Watching that number climb has done more for my confidence than anything else.

The bulky myth cost me years too. The reality is I'm leaner and more toned than any amount of cardio ever made me, and I eat more now.

Full body three times a week to start, now an upper/lower four days. Compounds first every session - squat, hinge, press, row - then a bit of accessory work. Nothing fancy, just consistent and progressive.

Six months ago I finally ditched the endless cardio and tiny pink dumbbells and started training strength properly. Quick morning progress post because I'm genuinely buzzing about where I'm at. The biggest change isn't even physical - it's that I feel capable in a way I never did before.

That exhaustion is the point - posing is a workout. By show day holding your routine should feel like second nature so you can actually present, not just survive it.

Good point. Elevate the back foot slowly over weeks.

Yeah, that's a classic mistake. Glad you stopped doing that.

Bodyweight for reps sounds like the perfect target actually. I'm close-ish. Thanks everyone, this thread is exactly the encouragement I came here for.