Props to Alan. He's one of the main reasons I'm in better shape at 53 than ever in my life. Hope he knows how many lives he has touched.

"Sometimes the journey of getting stronger is even more exciting than being on the finish line" - Words of wisdom

Dropping from 285lbs to 235lbs I lost strength. However on a pound per pound basis I'm stronger at 235 than at 285 and I am significantly healthier. And as I have gotten deeper into martial arts being really heavy was detrimental. At this point I can still walk in the gym and total between 475 and 500kg at 105kg bodyweight and at 42 years old. So I'm pretty happy with it.

The most strength lost was when the beard came off.

Alan, this is is so encouraging to me. It’s nice to know that there’s flexibility with goals and lifestyles. Especially when real things happen like having a baby (which no one ever really talks about how that impacts lifting). You look great Alan. Keep up the good work brother

I just love the message and mindsets both you and Omarisuf put out - this idea of finding strength and progress in more ways than have been commonly defined in the fitness industry

This is super informative! Question for you... have you ever tried a meal plan from Next Level Diet? I got one and I love it!

Alan you have accomplished some unreal strength feats. Very motivational. Thanks for keeping it real and telling people the truth instead of what they want to hear

After our second daughter being born, I needed to hear this. Thank you for your transparency and motivation!!

Very wise words, Alan. This video has given me some new drive for my cut, too. Thank you.

Thanks Alan. Recently became a dad, and I needed to hear this. I already knew most of the things you talked about, but seeing it be done alongside it really helped. Thanks for being you and helping us out.

you never fail to inspire me. props for always forging ahead

Interesting, honest and nuanced report, Mr. Thrall.... many thanks for this. I had very similar (mixed) results dropping from 120 kilos/265lbs to around 95 kilos/ 210 lbs. It is as you say - there is a kind of ''eco-system'' of function, strength/power, and endurance.... and heart health as I get older! I could barely do three pull-ups in good form at 120 kilos and a five mile run would have ruined me. I saw both limitations as challenges to be pursued while re-constituting, so it can be a great motivator to lose a few ''superpowers'' here and there to develop other ones. More power to you Sir!

Good for you Alan. I admire people who are able to change their perspective and evolve. Keep up the great work.

Always an inspiration. Thank you very much, Alan! And you actually look great and healthier now!

100 percent !!! I'm 57 years old and been watching you for 5 years. To me you have the best training wisdom and im trying to put it to practice in all my workouts.

Great video, this topic needs context and nuance. In my own experience, losing over 10% of total bodyweight will cause all compound barbell lifts to go down substantially - minus deadlifts. However, isolation/machine exercises tend to stay constant. My favorite part about a lighter frame is leveraging body weight movements and improving on weighted or unweighted pull ups, dips, push ups, step ups, pistol squats, handstand push ups, nordics, reverse nordics etc, etc. Which build an amazing base when it’s time to focus on the big lifts and gaining weight again.

That last photo dude. Shows all the hard work you put in. Outstanding work.

Love this Alan. Thanks for sharing mate.

Best health and fitness content on KZfaq. Thanks, Alan!

Love the logic driven advice Alan! Think you nailed it-Determine what you are working out to achieve. Next- Do the metrics you are applying to determine progress reflect movement towards your goals? If not may need to look at the metrics we use to measure our progress!

Thank you Alan Thrall.. you just changed my mind about lifts and always trying to hit PRs... its the journey, about actually getting off your ass. Not just about adding weight. Thank you!!

Alan, your video on leg drive for bench press changed everything, Thanks bro!

Awesome video, I've gone through something similar recently. I just changed focus from the powerlifts to calisthenics and I'm making all kinds of P.R' s there. I'm healthier, look better, and cardiovascular gains are through the roof.

Wow atlaspowershrugged shoutout! I love that guy, and I love you Alan! Your progress is awesome! I’m glad that you have such a clear and confident perspective on your weight and strength now. Speaking of APSH, he recently made a great post about “functional strength”. I think you are probably functionally stronger than you were before, what with the diversification of training types and weight to lift ratio. Train untamed!

This is exactly where I’m at in my life of lifting now (age 32). Never put up some of the ridiculous numbers you have but all the mentality switches are the same. I was highly athletic until my 20s, very powerful, then got obsessed with the weight scales and the big 3, cue the ball ache of trying to reverse all of that matured fluffiness and get the scales back down again. Now I feel ‘strong’ in the sense that everything about my physique feels more powerful, and I think that’s the key word / feeling. Push ups and pull ups I feel like I’m lifting a feather, my (albeit reduced) max lifts are far quicker. My energy levels feel awesome (less fat, naturally higher test). And above all else, looking aesthetic is a lovely bonus. Every time I watch you it’s like ripping off the lid of limitations and I excel. To this day I still have your voice in my head telling me ‘DO NOT MOVE THE BARBELL’ On my deadlifts 😂👏🏽

In the top 5 best videos you’ve put out. Thank you!

love your mindset, alan. maybe its finally time to say goodbye to my gut too.

This is a good video. I've decided to use the Wilks coefficient as my standard for strength and have stopped chasing pounds on the scale.

"I front squatted 405 lbs." HOLY SHIT. As someone just getting into front squats that is INSANE.

An honest reflection. Great video with solid advice!

Thanks so much for this! I'm on the same boat. Had been force feeding myself to put on more weights to move more weights...peaked at 250lbs this July. Started to feel like shit even I lift 6/7 days in a week...now down to 230, and plan to lose another 20 to 30 lbs. Just like you said, definitely lost some "static" power in the big three, but also making gains in others (log, circus dumbbell, etc)

Thank you! I so needed the last motivating sentences ❤

HI Alan, great video, as a second time father, this rings very true, the first kid i had i was going through a bulk phase with my work out. after eating 3500 calories a day and looking after a newborn i couldnt motivate myself to work out. this time around i shed 40lbs during my wifes pregnancy with a strict diet, and am now enjoying my fitness levels and the compliments i am getting, whilst still being able to bench my bodyweight. plenty of time to gain 20lbs over the next few years.

Comes at a perfect time for me. Cheers man

Alan you are just the best! :) No matter what.

Damn Alan, your wisdom knows no boundaries. I've followed you since 2016, and since then you have been a great source of inspiration for me, and I can not believe how far you have come. I did my PhD for the last three years, and I completely let go of myself, got depressed and anxious, and most importantly I was unable to workout. Some recent bouts of proper sleep put me almost right back to my former self, and this video was just what I needed for where I am today, so I am glad I happened to stumble upon it. You remindme of how important it is to take care of oneself and do what you love, and I am sure thousands of your viewers feel just as motivated by you as I do. Kudos and lots of love man!!! 🙏 and big congrats on your fatherhood!

Great video. Been wondering, thanks Alan!

The hair man... did you finally get that Sacramento real estate license? I still love your videos and inspirational attitude with great humor.

THIS video. Sometimes in life you come to a point where you just can't exert that level of focus and energy into lifting numbers and analytics. Since becoming a dad, my entire gym approach has changed. I do more high rep training, not worrying a lot about the weight on the bar, but I do get close to RPE8, and I feel awesome.

Damn! You are a MACHINE sir! Those are a helluva lot of incredibly heavy lifts! I'm just an English 48 year old bodybuilder that only returned to proper training 3 years ago (I returned to training for my mental health being the main reason but a very close second is for my kids. I want to be fit to run around after my kids and its certainly worked as I can now run after my crazy, youngest 7 year old daughter, my 11 year old son and 13 year old eldest daughter) But I understand exactly what you mean by priorities, especially when you have children. As a parent your entire focus, energy, your entire LIFE should be nothing but those kids! @#£% all that other crap in life, as soon as you chose to be a parent then it is the CHILDREN that matter in life. Nothing else. Congrats mate!

Amazing video as always.

appreciate the perspective Alan

Great video, Alan. And yeah I just dirty bulked to ~25% and I don't think I'll do that again. Lean mini bulks at max. Not thrilled about the loss in definition but moreover I just feel more sluggish carrying the extra weight. I felt way better when I was maybe 12-14%. The slightly faster strength gains weren't worth it to me. Happy to be cutting back down.

“Or am I stronger now relative to my bodyweight” strength is an absolute, calculable physical attribute. The 300 pound guy benching bodyweight would be stronger than the 200 pound guy even if he were benching 290 pounds.

As a new father myself, your videos have been very helpful!

You're better off now by far! Thanks for the video

thanks Alan. needed to hear this

Alan Thrall attaining final form!!! Power up!!!!!! Great work champ.

I did not know you were in the military. Thank you for your service

I love this video. Thank you.

Alan , thank you for answering this question, i was a skinny dude back in the days until one day i saw this documentary about Brock Lesnar saying that he sweats like there is no tomorrow and that he had to maintain weight , so he ate lots of calories , and i thought that it could work for me cause i sweat like hell whenever i used to run and stuff, so i started eating and i gained weight, i started to work out too cause my job requires it and everything went right for me because i was strong enough to lift heavy stuff but i felt like you said " like trash" i was chubby even though i hit the gym ...now i feel like it is ok to lose some weight and try to look great thanks to you Alan.

As an athlete, typically you lose some of the peak strength, but if you're lean you're probably going to perform better, more endurance, agile etc

Loved this personal story. Crazy-I’m also going through a similar phase. I personally used the “if it fits your macros” as an excuse to eating garbage.

I lost weight lifting strength when I lost 20 kilos. I’ve never looked beter or more fit at 44 but I could definitely lift more before.

I went from 25% to 13% body fat and I lost strength in the upper body big time. My deadlift stayed the same but my bench dropped so much.

killing it lad. inspired

Thanks Alan. This video, alongside a few others, has finally allowed me to come to a decision regarding the 10 Kilo weight drop that I have been contemplating for a while.

Love you Alan!❤️

Great video as always 👍

very inspirational, one of the main reasons I kind of stop trying to get lean was the decrease in strength and working out seemed a lot harder too.

What a journey man!!👍

You look stronger, you are a lot fitter and healthy now too.

Good stuff bro 🤘

Very motivative indeed. Thanks for sharing.

Great video Alan

Great video Alan, can you speak about programs or splits in your cutting phase?

Dude, thank you so much for this video. I haven't watched you for a while after taking a KZfaq break... then I watched and saw you WAY leaner. I was like "WTF?!?!"

I always listen to Alan and always "Train on Time"!

Props to you for not chopping down the main

Meh, I can't get leaner for I've lost around 35kg (77lbs in freedom units) since started working out and eating right. Now my belly skin is so loose it looks more and more disguisting and ridiculous the leaner I get, then when I was obese. 😒 Such is the price for wasting my life for some 25 years. It's my own fault and I fully accept it. Great video as always Alan. 👍

As someone who is currently losing weight cause of being overweight for too long, and have a new goal of building muscle to look good and trying to do powerlifting I've always had this question really gained a new insight thanks.

Lower bodyweight is correlated with a longer lifespan and more importantly HEALTHspan. That's why my priority is losing weight right now, as I'm overweight - just enjoying liftin and the pleasant discomfort of doing cardio and sweating out frustrations. I enjoy a little bit of everything kettlebell, jump rope, prowler push, hill climbs, biking, dancing like a nutter to drum n bass. Alan did a video for Omar CARDIO ISN'T FOR "FAT PEOPLE": CONDITIONING 101 that's a good one worth checkin out

I was a complete beginner at 6"4 250lb and watched the strongman. my first idea after seeing wsm, was gaining weight must be the goal, so i bulked to 300 pounds. I wasn´t feeling healthy at this point and saw one of your videos that mentioned something similar and i started do diet. now i´m back at 240lbs and managed to get stronger in the diet, thats possible because I´m a complete beginner. feeling better than ever! Thanks for your inspiration and great content. my goal is to reach 220lbs :)

Alan is the coolest and realest guy on the internet when it comes to lifting. He provides advice like a big brother. He is an amazing father that's for sure. What a role model.

What did you just say. "Oh trim down and I've since done these PR's one, two, three four, 10. nice work. i was obease, Two kids weight gain. ;) OMAD, hflc lost 50. lost some strength but then again i wasn't that strong. Now it's coming back more than ever. Thanks for sharing. I was afraid i would have to gain weight to get stronger. Pre weight loss i could barely do 1 pull up. Now I'm up to 4. 6 months of casual training. 20 min a day of body weight and some bands. Can run easily and have great mental clarity and energy. I was starting to fuss about the calories and feeding times. Feeling like I wasn't going to make any gains. I'm taking a breath now based on your results. Your BF percentage video was very helpful too. Thanks

Great vid!

Great video!

I think it's also worth considering your mental strength. Seeing some of the stuff you accomplished since the weight loss, I'd say you're in stronger mental shape than you were when you were heavy.

Awesome transformation Alan . For a big meathead you have a surprisingly light and fluid running form; it shows you ran track in HS. More importantly, let’s get Madame Thrall’s thoughts - both aesthetic and practical - recorded for posterity 😊

Me and Roman used to train at same gym, great guy!

I think this is one of those things that's pretty context dependant too. If you want to have the highest absolute strength, being heavier helps. But often, gaining weight as explicit, recommended advice is especially directed at people with "beanpole" physiques (ie. 6ft 150lb style stuff) - that kind of person who can easily add 50lb without looking fat and probably double their strength along the way. Those people will benefit tremendously from making the effort to gain weight. There's a lot of people out there who stay much thinner than they really need to be, because being thin gives you visible abs (though you won't really be that strong) You don't need to take it to the extreme - simply making sure you aren't *under*weight (relative to your height) is probably one of the most important things for people who want to weight train. As you get heavier you will naturally get diminishing returns, and that's something most people will have to work out for themselves as to where they should draw the line.

Your an inspiration brother Was in doubt 🧐 as i ma 235 pounds deadlifted 420 pounds 2 reps wen i added another 4 pounds and from 220 to 270 front squat. Incline bench 250 for 3 reps and barbell shoulder press for 5 reps wich came after a lot of effort of 3 months. Now baby on the way and purchasing a home and change of job has led to me to drop in drive and though I am not that into powerlifting but just wanted to see my strength now that priorities have popped up i was in two minds on loosing strength but your video helped to get great amount of clarity.

This is an awesome video 👏

You da realest Alan!

awesome video brother

Your crazy shredded at 197lbs. I’m 42, 5’4” and started my strength and weight loss journey 3 years ago. When I started I was around 230lbs at about 38% body fat. I worked out hard and did 1.5 hours of cardio 3 times per week. I got down to 205lbs, but gained it all back during lockdown in mid 2020. Started back with my trainer in May 2020 at around 225lbs. I lifted heavy and stuck with the cardio. Zero weight loss for 18 months, but got pretty strong, for me. My max bench was around 235lbs. When I was 18 I screwed up my shoulder and that holds my bench max back. Anyways I discovered that my diet was horrible and made some major changes. Today I’m 167lbs, at 19% body fat. My body has had a complete composition change over the last 10 months. Unfortunately my bench max is down to about 205lb and I really don’t like to push that too much. Most of all my lifts have reduced by about 10-15% of weight. So I to have experienced strength reduction, but my recovery is much quicker, and my static strength has increased. Holding a muscle under tension is far better for longer. I guess everything is a give and a take, but I will definitely take the way I look without a shirt on now, than being 10-15% stronger in the gym… I also was able to get off my blood pressure medication that I had been on for a few years.

You're strong AF with the weight loss, and I'm confident that your lipid panel improved as well as your blood pressure lowered. No need to carry the excess bodyfat. It doesn't do us any good (physiologically, cardiovascular, and aesthetics).

Dropped 50 kilos since I got back into the gym and every lift has PR'd by huge amounts and each weight cut can set new PRs as well now

That is for sharing Alan.

Great point of view of being a father and lifting.

Really like your videos and how u view things!

good stuff mate

Honestly, I think most average lifters use the weight gain excuse to "boost their strength" or they say they don't want to lose weight cause it'll make them weak. But you can't flex fat....

This was encouraging.

First thing that goes for me when I cut is bench press strength. But I usually can gain most of it back when I finish cutting and maintain. I totally agree. Being fat is worse and health matters the most!

Congratulations, you are now Batman! I needed to hear this.

Wholesome, had to get a like.

alan, for someone so focused on strength training you have one of the most aesthetic physiques ive seen

Thanks this helps me at my weight lose mind set