Since I've begun strength training, I've noticed that the bar for what is perceived as "fit" or "shredded" just keeps creeping upward. Much of this is driven by enhanced online influencers who are presenting a version of themselves that isn't achievable for most men. Today the average guy like you and me is trying to chase down physiques that are either genetically elite or else medically enhanced far beyond what any training program could replicate. While on screen the physique may appear to be real, the content behind it is fake. My friend, please stop using social media physiques as your frame of reference. Measure progress by your own baseline. If you're stronger than you were last year, that's a win. Are your lifts improving? That's a win. Are you leaner and healthier than you were a year or two ago? That's yet another win. These are the metrics that matter. What you see on this blog is what I am.
And despite the temptation to do otherwise, I try very hard not to let the fitness industry warp my perception of what realistic progress looks like for me.
Please take care to do the same.