If you have taken up resistance training in middle age, DO NOT compare yourself to your favourite social media personalities.

A thread

If I had to hazard a guess, I would say I'm in the upper half of the bell curve for "strength genetics" potential. I took up lifting in the second half of my 30s and have pursued it with good discipline a bit over 5 years.

This is roughly how I rate on strength standards

Some lifts are lower because I rarely perform them and skill/practice plays a significant role. Example: front squats.

Still, this paints a decent picture. Note the highlighted text in the second pic.

It makes zero sense to compare yourself with under 6-7 years of training, starting in middle age and natural to the most gifted naturals that trained "the majority of adult life" and those using performance enhancing drugs!

If "comparison is the Thief of Joy", looking to PED-using elite lifters is the Assassin of Confidence.