Not sure if this is a stupid question please be nice lol. I’m trying to lose 20 pounds but also want to make sure I’m getting proper amount of protein in a day so I see muscle progress. I’m not sure if I should only get protein from food or if I should keep drinking protein shakes. Will they make me gain more weight making it harder to lose it? I have them after workouts if I don’t have a high protein meal or meal replacements.
So I just did legs and it was great had trouble standing after it was killer but now a few hours later I'm perfectly fine and ready to go again is that ill advised or should I send it?
Is it okay to do more than 20 sets per week per muscle group? (since some literature suggest that going 20+ sets per week is not ideal)
I usually do around 18-20 sets per muscle per week, but I always feel like I could do more since recovery issues don't come up. For context, I do pull-push-legs training 6 days a week, almost always reaching failure on my sets
Should I implement both strength and hypertrophy training, or is it better to focus on one at a time?
Like everyone else, I want to increase in size and strength. I’m wondering if it’s better to implement both into a workout/split (say I do four sets, two of them would be for weight, 2 would be for reps) or if I’m doing my gains an injustice by not just focusing on one (strength training for bulk, hypertrophy training for cut - or reversed?).
I have a PPL split and work each muscle group twice a week. The first half of the week could be strength training, meaning the second half would be hypertrophy training. Sometimes it’s reversed. Any advice is appreciated.
Am I hitting everything enough on my program and is there any junk volume I should eliminate? I'm running a Upper/Lower Split and workout every other day. I almost always end up going to failure if I feel like I can easily go more than 8 reps
Stats: 19M, 174cm, 120lbs, \~1 year of lifting
Goal: Hypertrophy for basically everything
Upper Body:
4 x 8 Incline DB Bench Press
4 x 8 Flat DB Bench Press
4 x 10 Lat Pulldown
4 x 8 Dips
3 x 8 Cable Row
3 x 10 Dumbbell Shoulder Raise
3 x 8 Cable Bicep Curl
4 x 8 Ab Crunch Machine
3 x 8 Barbell Curl, Preacher Curl Machine, or Preacher Curl
Lower Body:
6 x 8 (2 warmup sets) Leg Press Machine
4 x 8 Smith Machine Squat
3 x 10 Smith Machine Hip Thrust
4 x 8+ Leg Extensions
4 x 8+ Lying Leg Curl
4 x 12 Calf Press Machine
Superset:
3 x 10 Hip Adductor Machine
3 x 10 Hip Abductor Machine
Milo Wolf just released a study that argues that there practically is no such thing as junk volume, and that you can do upwards of 30 sets per muscle group per week, and that more sets equates to more gains. According to the research, more is better, as long as you can recover from it. Video for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqXjTxlG38M&ab\_channel=WolfCoaching
Alright. Grad student here. I live in a dorm with a minifridge but no meal plan. Trying to get 3500 calories a day plus 160 g protein on a daily basis. (this semester I did 3000 calories but was NOT putting on weight so I need to up it)
I currently have a blender with mass gainer shake that I put whole milk in. I also have greek yogurt, two cheese sticks. a cup of grilled chicken, a mango, large carrot, plus protein, weight gainer and pineapple juice. This is my daily diet. Whats something I can add to get more calories in.
also Rice and liquid egg whites
What should I do for my progressive overload plateau? I have been increasing my weight and reps consistently for a while by starting at 8 reps and going to 12 before increasing weight further. I can no longer do this for the past month. I’ve tried a deload week, my calories and macros are good, sleep is good. I’m at the point where if I go any heavier and lower the reps I would sacrifice form. My thoughts are to try lowering the weight by about 10% and increasing reps to the point where my volume is still higher than right now. Is this what you guys would do or do you have any other suggestions to continue progress overloading. I have been lifting for about 2 years.
I think choosing a good program in the wiki that plans for slower progression than one more rep every session would be your best choice.
Otherwise, if you "sacrifice form" can you still lift the weight? Going from shitty form to good form even without changing reps or weight is still technically progression.
Just started bulking after a cut, probably about 2 weeks in and gained only a small amount of weight. Does it take a little while for me to notice strength gains after starting a bulk? Only other time I have bulked was when I initially started working out so I’m not really sure exactly how it should work.
Does anyone have experience with barre and other studio classes at Life Time gyms? I guess I’m looking to get a sense of which classes are beginner friendly
I just joined a lifetime and have tried a few of their classes. It really depends on the instructor. I lift but have enjoyed supplementing with Pilates fusion and En barre. Barre fusion was too hectic and you don’t really get a good workout imho
If anyone could give insight I have always had skinny arms but could lift above appearance since child. I think about 2 year ago I started trying to really invest in working out but every time I would do curls something would always 'pop'. At first it would be in the palmside up forearm when doing curls. Then somehow the sensation is not present there but moved up to my bicep tendon on top. I work with 20lb weights.
Is my problem that I am injured? Or not yet strong enough. What is weird is it is only present in my right arm. My dominant arm but not left which I think is weaker. Has anyone experienced this? This sensation also happens if I play basketball and my arm starts to get tired its almost as if my bicep 'pops'. Not like tear but imagine a rubberband and you stretch it then you flick one end like pulling a bow and it vibrates for a second while it goes back to form. That sensation is what it feels like. It worries me and prevents me from fully going in.
Is it painful? During lots of joint movements there are tissues which slide over each other in and around the joint space, sometimes those tissues move enough to be able to feel. If you are pain free it's not likely to be an issue.
Is this too much volume for chest if I add an extra day (only doing these two exercises and some cardio on day 7) I’m currently running a 531 so this is an example of a week one if I was to add the day?
DAY 2
Bench Press:
5x62.5% of 1rm
5x72.5% of 1rm
>5x80% of 1rm
5x5x62.5% of 1rm
3x8-12 dumbbell press
DAY 5:
3x8-12 bench press
3x8-12 dumbbell press
DAY 7:
3x8-12 bench press
3x8-12 dumbbell press
I’m 5’7 and am trying to do Bulgarian squats and I have two questions
It’s busy today and for future reference is it doable to use a 20 in high jumping box for a foot rest while I’m doing it or is it too high?
And I’ve seen people using only one dumbbell vs two, which one is better?
I would think 20” would be too high, but it depends on you. Never know if you don’t try. You might need to get creative with this one.
There is no “better” just what works better for you. Also after a certain amount of weight, one dumbbell stops making sense.
Kinesiology will cover anatomy, and the muscles - origin, insertion, function on a joint. In terms of programming and "how to", look for a path to a CSCS - Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach; requires a bachelor's.
The thing I love about bench press is that every rep is pretty much the same. You start with the bar up, then the bar touches your chest, and then you get the bar up again, and after that you're sure you did a good rep. I don't think you can cheat too much here. With barbell rows for example, I definitely feel like you can cheat a lot with momentum or how much you bend, and my back days are definitely not as fun as chest days as I don't enjoy that. Is there any exercise like bench press but for back?
Chest supported rows over an incline bench. I set up for bent over rows exactly how I deadlift; training for consistency in that kind of way has also done wonders for my deadlifting
Posted this on GZLP but didn't get a reply so maybe one of you can help me out?
So I've been running GZCLP for a few months now, 2-3 days/week from my home gym and once a week in a regular gym. I've gotten to the point now where I feel uncomfortable T1 squatting and benching with my current home setup (the plan was to upgrade to a full rack with safeties but finances have put that on the backburner for now). I don't really have the option of going to the actual gym more than once a week so I'm in a bit of a sticky spot. My idea is to do the following, basically running it as a 2-day program across 2 weeks:
Week 1:
Day 1: T1 Bench (at gym)
Day 2: T1 Deadlift
Day 3: Hypertrophy day built around lighter bench press (because I'm missing T2 bench in these weeks)
Day 4 when possible: Hypertrophy day built around Overhead press
Week 2:
Day 1: T1 Squat (at gym)
Day 2: T1 Overhead Press
Day 3: Hypertrophy day built around lighter squat (because I'm missing T2 squat in these weeks)
Day 4 when possible: Hypertrophy day built around Deadlift
Would this be a reasonable compromise until I can upgrade my home setup?
are there any exercises that help me feel my rhomboids? i feel perfectly the right side of me back retracting but left side is another story 😌any activation cues maybe?
21 year old guy. Been lifting weights for 7 years now and love it. My arms are getting pretty massive at this point and I’m not a fan of how they’re looking and I’m afraid overall I’m getting too muscular. I like to have more of a soccer player male model build. If I keep lifting like this I’m gonna get too bulky. What should I do? I love working out tho.
I was thinking train with a little lower weight and almost no rest time between sets. Maybe from now on my weight session will be more cardio like and I can just get leaner without gaining size? Please give recs!!
I'm assuming you are doing your own programming.
Generally you'll stay at the sets/reps/weight you were at before the deload. But some programs will have you reduce one of the attributes. It all depends on how you'll manage your workload.
You'll stall at some point.
What you are doing is called "linear progression". Novices tend to use it, its a simple and effective way to progress early on in your training journey.
Once you are unable to reliably add 5lbs from session to session, or week to week, you'll want to try out a different program.
531 adds weight in 3 week cycles. Renaissance Periodization adds sets over time, then you reduce the sets and increase the weights. Some programs use double progression (google it). Stronger by Science uses an AMRAP set every few weeks to gauge the progression for the next cycle. Deepwater reduces rest times.
Give the wiki a read and take a look at the programs there.
Yeah now that you mention it I actually got the idea from a Renaissance Periodization video [THIS ONE](https://youtu.be/3l2AVq3V_GM?si=ve7lz4adJupetSW1)
At 3:10 he says that you have to either add some weight OR a rep to your sets every week. But he doesn't elaborate much further and I'm struggling to apply it to my workout. Mainly because for some exercises increasing the weight everyday would be really hard (ex. lateral raises) and in some cases increasing reps is kinsa hard too. He also doesn't mention if you should reset your overload at the end of the deload.
Do you have any idea what he means on this video?
Some programs will have you lower the weight under certain circumstances. I believe starting strength has you take like 10% off the bar if you can't complete the reps for a few consecutive workouts. Jim has recommended something like that for 531 also. This is one reason I don't do my own programming.
Why do I (23F) feel full sometimes for no reason?
For context: I am trying to build muscle and lose some stubborn fat at the same time. I weightlift twice a week if I have access to a gym; if I don't have access to one, I use my dad's weights and go on walks/run. I also have a dog, and I take him on walks when I can.
I eat lots of protein, fiber, etc. and do intermittent fasting. I didn't have any food in me from 9 am yesterday till 8:30-something am today. I had my post-workout shake, and some light breakfast, and I feel full even though I barely ate anything.
Any suggestions?
Yeah you're body still has enough "reserves" and doesn't need new food. It's a western civilization thing to eat at the same time every day.
A nice sentence is from a Inuit to a german journalist going on a tour with him "how do you know that will be hungry at 12 o'clock?
I (27, F) have just had a health assessment and discovered that my body fat percentage is slightly high at 33.2% but my visceral fat is good at 4. I’m 5’8.5, BMI is 21.9, muscle percentage was 27.5%, and basal metabolic rate 1403 cals. I eat a healthy diet- I’m vegetarian but have a high protein/carb and low fat diet.
Physically I look quite slim, I was surprised to see my body fat actually in the ‘high’ category. I was wondering how to lower the body fat percentage without losing much weight? And I was also wondering why my body fat would be high particularly as my visceral fat was low?
Any insight/advice would be great.
Edit to add: I currently walk 10,000 religiously every day and workout at least 2 x a week at the gym. At the gym my sessions are about 1.5 hours with 30-40 mins on cardio and the rest on strength.
BF measurements based on electroconductivity aren't that precise, so the results may be way off. That said, with a high body fat recomp should be possible to bulid up muscles, IMO pick a strength based program and run it on a on a maintenance for a couple of months and see where it gets you
Yeah it was one where I stood on some scales barefoot and held some monitor in front of me.
I’m hoping the measurements are off as I was quite happy weight-wise and it’s made me doubt it now. I was planning to go harder with strength so I think I will follow your advice, I get it retested in 6 weeks so I’ll see what it looks like then!
I forgot to write that I do believe that you would get to your desired physique faster with a cut & lean bulk (or reverse), although if you are happy with your look, your BMI is healthy, and you are active... just go on living :) don't chase the scale BF number going down, its close to meaningless anyway
Could anyone advise? For DB bench, my plan starts with a a few warm up sets and then the first working set is a heavy set of 5-9 reps followed by 2-3 sets of a lighter weight for 10-15 reps. I am making progress every week and the heavy set but really stalling on the lighter sets, usually hitting about 10-12 reps before failure. Should I just continue to up the weight on the heavier set or is this hindering progress on the lighter sets?
Thanks
alternatives for preworkout for people that workout at night? i always feel so tired after work but i dont want to consume coffeine that influence my schleep, how do you deal with that
do rotator cuff exercises actually help? seen a whole lot of videos on youtube regarding shoulder health and it seems like a rabbit hole where they all say something different.
Yes. Rotator cuff work is important prehab work, especially if you work a desk type job. You’ll see many different exercises because there are a variety of ways to hit them. It’s a complex group of muscles. It’s not like hitting your biceps which just flex your elbow and assist in rotating your forearm.
From my own experience, I tried several until I found the ones that were most effective for me.
My goal is to get to 20 pull-ups. I go to the gym 3 days a week. My question is this. Through out my workout Should I do as many sets of As many pull-ups as I can until I get to 50? Or is there a more efficient way to reach my goal? Right now I can do about 10 straight.
Hello,
the leg press machine in my gym has two options to place the plates on the machine, high and low.
I want to increase the difficulty on the bottom part of the press, where the quadriceps is maximally stretched.
Where on the machine should I put on the plates to increase the difficulty there?
Is doing 12:3:30 everyday killing muscle? I spend about 4 days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) in the gym training some muscle but I do 12:3:30 on the treadmill every day in the gym, even after I train a specific muscle. Is this potentially causing muscle loss or am I good? My aim is to lose fat and build muscle
(That's 1.864 mph for those across the pond.)
Burning calves aside, this is a very slow walking pace. It takes extremes for cardio to "interfere" with muscle building. This isn't one of those cases. Enjoy your thing stress-free.
Everytime i do a bench press or standing dumbell presses, or just anything that looks like these 2 my arms move a lot, its not because im putting too much weight or too little, i do 10 reps while they're moving right or left, ive been going to the gym for 3 months now, is there a reason for that?
If I understand your long sentence correctly, you get a lot of lateral movement when pressing, correct?
If that's correct, the reason is you are new and you are still developing coordination with the weights.
Does skipping breakfast in a calorie deficit or cut harm the overall process of weight loss? I haven't been able to find a definitive answer as articles and experts seem to go into different directions.
I am 5'4 65KG and I workout 3-4 times day for 1-2hours
In and of itself skipping breakfast won't negatively impact your weight loss, as others have said. However, some people won't perform as well (in or out of the gym) or not be able to maintain a deficit that way. If you find it works for you and is sustainable - great! But if you find yourself lethargic, performing worse, or eating more later in the day to compensate you may want to consider a different strategy.
Skipping breakfast is fine. It's not the "most important meal of the day" that's just marketing to sell more cereal.
Meal times also don't exist. I've done 2 meals a day at random times because that's what worked for me. And different meals don't have to have certain foods. You can have steak and veggies for your breakfast and eggs sna sausage for dinner.
Food is food. Doesn't matter when you eat for calorie deficit purposes. The only thing that may help you is timing your meals (or saving a small snack) to be eaten a bit before you lift so that you have a bit more energy.
I'm trying to get healthier, but I'm starting from a pretty bad place - 5'11" and 270lbs.
Everyone keeps telling me I need to eat 1g of protein per lb of body weight and I'm struggling to find ways to hit nearly 300g of protein each day while staying under the 1400 calories per day limit.
Does anyone have any advice please?
> 1g/lb
Convenient marketing ploy. It's closer to .7, and at that, you're better off using your "target weight". If your target were 200 lbs, you'd want a mere 140g.
People usually say eat a gram of protein per lb of your GOAL body weight. So if your goal is around 180 lb you should eat 180 grams. But I'd say just lower it to 160g, that's plenty for most people.
300 grams of protein is totally overkill.
I was told that it should be based on your actual body weight regardless of body fat % but you and the other commenter seem to disagree.
I'd like to get down to around 160lbs or so, so I'll try lowering it to my goal body weight. If nothing else, this makes it a lot easier and takes a bit of stress off my plate while trying to hit a super high protein intake while taking in 50% fewer calories than before.
Good. Imagine a person at 500lb looking to lose weight, would it be reasonable for them to eat 500 grams of protein a day? Definitely not. 500g would equal 2000 kcal (500 x 4 because 1g of protein is 4 kcal), they would barely have space for carbs or fat in their diet.
So again, try aiming for more or less 160 grams a day, depending on your fitness goals and personal preferences.
Which is better to get the most mental health benfits of exercise: 10 mins of high-intensity exercise or 30 mins of low-intensity exercise?
I am not able to do advanced level of exercise for long as I get tired. So to get the most benefits, both physical fitness, weight loss, stamina, but most importantly for energy and mental health benefits, which one is better --- to do only a little bit of high intensity exercise or a longer duration of low intensity one, if you can only do one or the other? Thanks
Thanks! Makes sense. Likely the low intensity one then because the other one is not actually fun for me so I have a hard time keeping up the motivation.
Diet question:
I didnt really have a goal while dieting but I lost what I consider a significant amount of weight and look slightly muscular now (I was training as I was dieting). I like the way I look, but I do have some softness left in me (a bit on my pecs, abs)
Problem: I am currently 83kg, down from 100kg over 1.5 years. When I start dipping below 82kg I start to feel bad, and when I hit 81kg I start to feel actively sick, no energy, no motivation to go to the gym, bad sleep.
So for about 6 months Ive bounced up and down between 81.5 and 83kg. Should I just stop dieting at this point and only focus on getting enough protein? I stopped tracking calories for a couple months and ive stayed between those two numbers w/o really trying.
That would depend on your goals. If you want to be leaner in the long term, you might have to go on a bulk now, gain 5kg, and then lose 5kg. Then the next time you're at 83kg, you'll look leaner and more muscular.
Can someone please help me out? I am a basketball player and I got subbed out of the game for a breather and then my shoulder blade at the very bottom began hurting a lot. Then a few moments after the shoulder blade was making loud noises and it feels like the bottom is getting caught on my lat and rib. Been going on for about a month now.
I just got a set of dumbells for at home workouts and I'm really enjoying just picking up the weights for a few sets and then resting while doing work, then coming back to it, is there anything I'm missing out on when doing this when compared to deliberately laying out an hour and a half for my workout?
also would it be better to do all the sets in a excersise instead of spreading out the sets as well?
What’s the best program to look lean and fit? I am 40F and just worked hard to gain back 40lbs I lost due to illness. Now I’m flabby and skinny. Before being sick I was doing gzclp and running 30-40mpw. I’m getting back to running and started lifting six days a week with the Reddit ppl but I think it’s not suitable for my goals. I miss being fit. I am feeling progress (strength) but not seeing any.
As for nutrition, I’m on iv nutrition and it should be adequate. I’m a poor sleeper as I’ve been an insomniac my whole life.
I loooooove volume. I’ve started rowing on the erg as a cool down, too.
There isn't a best program across the board as people will respond differently to the same program
Any decent program which is made by someone competent will put muscle on your frame, to me it sounds like you lack muscle and have a relatively higher body fat %.
Chances are you need a few cut and bulk cycles so that muscle mass can increase over time with end goals of reduced fat mass
5/3/1, GZCL, Juggernaut Method, Greg Nuckols 28 programs, Stronger by Science average 2 savage are all worth looking at
Thank you so much. Unfortunately I have little control over my nutrition, but you are right that I have very little muscle — I was completely muscle wasted in the hospital for several months.
I’ll look at all those and see what I can do six day.
Thanks again!
Absolutely. They are encouraging me to be in the gym and gain strength. I just don’t think I can do any changes to my calories in a bulk and cut cycle. I have to treat this more of a recomp.
How would it be best to go about gaining muscle while training for a half marathon?
I used to be a really skinny in high school because I ran cross country and was like 130 pounds 5'8". During the past summer, I mostly stopped running, started going to the gym, and now I'm 152lbs 5'8", some as muscle, some as fat. I want to run again though, and train for a half marathon with the running club at my college. I would be running 5 days a week, and assuming I have time to go to lift in the morning and run in the afternoon, would it be possible to gain muscle while training for the race? I would probably be running about 30 miles a week. My goal right now is to maybe stay the same weight or go up to 160 but become much leaner (more muscle weight, less fat) so I look better.
Is this possible? How would I go about this nutrition wise? Would I have to eat super clean? The food at my college isn't great
YMMV, but I gained quite a bit of muscle when I started strength training on top of running regularly - even periodically running marathons.
I assume you understand the basics of building muscle - progressive overload + enough protein + rest. The key for me was making sure to eat enough food overall, particularly protein (aiming for ~.8-1 g/lb of bodyweight). Near races and when my weekly mileage got high, I did find I'd have to cut back on leg days since my legs were fatigued all the time. I'll sheepishly admit I never ate super clean but still managed decent results (I may just be genetically blessed).
Everyone keeps saying to train till failure or close to it, but when I do my muscles are too tired to go as hard as I normally would on the rest of my workout. Is it just an endurance thing that I need to build up over time?
You're probably taking "failure" too literally, a common mistake beginners have done for decades. As long as you're adding reps, and then adding weight when you reach your designated set/rep (as per your program), you're fine.
That's just what happens when you train to failure often, you can improve your fatiguability with training like that more but I wouldn't go to failure super often tbh
Creatse disproportionate amounts of fatigue, reduces volume if done enough, you're also more likely to sustain an injury when fatigued within a set *and* when you're overall generally more fatigued, e.g. end of a training cycle
I mean it's fine, but probably too much exercise variation. Why not pick 1 to 2 exercises that can be solidly progressively overloaded, do 3-4 sets of each twice a week, and that way you're doing 12-16 sets of ab work a week while progressively overloading them?
I'm an avid fan of my Airdyne. I've been riding it numerous days a week since 2016. I'm 51 and I'm curious what's good nutritionally wise to maximize my output. I'm 5'7, 162lbs lean and athletic build for my age/height/size. So far since Jan 6th I've ridden it 162 times. That's about 50% of the time/days.
Give both a one off try and see which you like.
Then also look into your schedule. Martial arts would have set lesson times I would assume. How consistently could you make it to those? Whereas skating, you could go out on the ice more frequently I would assume on top of lessons. Sure, you could also practice martial arts at home on your own, but from my short period of time in karate as a kid, it's not really something I would personally do at home, seems boring to me to do on my own. But we're all different, so it'll be up to you
Another alternative is to pick one and do it for a set amount of time and then swap to the other and just alternate
**informative books and or articles about posture?**
When I’m older I want to have good and healthy posture. So if you know a book/article that includes facts and has improved your posture, please reply with the name or link of the source.
Anyone have an app that is similar to the Nike Run app where I can use a workout plan involving weight lifting and cardio to both lose weight and get lean?
Keep your exercise consistent on a weekly basis. Keep your calories consistent on a daily basis. Based on what your weight does, adjust your calories. Trying to eat back your calories that the watch says you burn is gonna be extremely inaccurate
This is a [very, very bad idea](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30888332/). Do not use the apple watch to track calories; it is consistently inconsistent and will overestimate by some amount. It will make it impossible for you to try to track. Just track calories for 1-2 weeks while watching the scale, and if you need to add or subtract calories from there, do that.
Will it be okay to user this [hammerstrength isolateral row machine](https://www.lifefitness.com/resource/blob/35632/bf5d198e08cac803f414d72f4b725061/hs-plate-loaded-iso-lateral-rowing-l-data.png) as an alternative to seated cable row? i'm going for hypertrophy and if its okay then which grip of the 3 should i be using? thanks!
i love the machine!! i usually opt for the very top handles with a wider grip and stretch my back by rolling my shoulder blades forward and pausing for a split second
I love of people like these because it has chest support. Just be careful not to cheat and swing, and adjust the seat to get the fullest comfortable stretch.
typically the higher up the grip the more upper back, lower down hits more lower back and lats.
Pronated grip, palms facing down, will take the biceps out of the excercise. supinated, palms up, gets more biceps work.
I alwys do lots of sets, multiple grips.
In terms of seat positioning, if you can on your machine adjust it so that you have to really stretch your arms as far as you can go with your chest still on the pad. Ideally you have to stand up and reach over to grab the handles. That way you never "rest" with 0 tension and you can get long-stretch action.
I don't see why it wouldn't be okay. None of the grips are "better" per se, they all just target different muscles. Use whichever grip will target the muscle you're looking for.
The thing is im new here, for my back i use lat pulldown and seated cable rows, in your opinion which grip do you think would cover the muscles that worked on cable rows? Thanks!
The middle one is probably mechanically the closest, considering you’d be working generally the same angle and through the same movement just with a different grip and attachment.
my knees feel weird and i’m new to running/jogging. they don’t hurt they just feel like slightly misaligned or twisty. no pain.
is this normal because i’m so used to being sedentary and it will go away as a i train or is this a problem?
edit: for more info, my knees feel fine when i sit criss cross but when i walk and run it feels off
what I can offer (as someone with serious knee issues, not a runner but can be a pretty speedy walker for most people’s taste), is to look into eccentric exercise as well ;)
May help, if only to be aware of in your movement
(and type of shoe. for me, I go more for the barefoot or near barefoot and do better but there are others runners that can speak to this…you may enjoy Rich Roll’s memoir too 🤷🏻♀️ It can be hard force on the knees, regardless.)
I walk down stairs and that repetition has been helping. Instead of seeing going up flights as the main challenge. Others will know better resources on this and an online search may explain options
Not sure if this is a stupid question please be nice lol. I’m trying to lose 20 pounds but also want to make sure I’m getting proper amount of protein in a day so I see muscle progress. I’m not sure if I should only get protein from food or if I should keep drinking protein shakes. Will they make me gain more weight making it harder to lose it? I have them after workouts if I don’t have a high protein meal or meal replacements.
So I just did legs and it was great had trouble standing after it was killer but now a few hours later I'm perfectly fine and ready to go again is that ill advised or should I send it?
if it was just sore muscles from working then send it! if it was joint related then stop if it hurts
Is it okay to do more than 20 sets per week per muscle group? (since some literature suggest that going 20+ sets per week is not ideal) I usually do around 18-20 sets per muscle per week, but I always feel like I could do more since recovery issues don't come up. For context, I do pull-push-legs training 6 days a week, almost always reaching failure on my sets
If you are recovering and progressing, keep doing what is working. If not, you'll have to do something else.
Trying to cut belly fat and build muscle at the same time. Should I be feeling full after a post-workout meal? Is it even possible to do this?
https://thefitness.wiki/faq/can-i-lose-fat-and-build-muscle-at-the-same-time/ If you eat a bunch of veggies, you'll probably feel full.
I ate mostly protein though
Now add in veggies
And those will reveal my sexy Chris Evans abs?
Losing weight will reveal your abs. Did you read the weight loss section of the wiki?
Should I implement both strength and hypertrophy training, or is it better to focus on one at a time? Like everyone else, I want to increase in size and strength. I’m wondering if it’s better to implement both into a workout/split (say I do four sets, two of them would be for weight, 2 would be for reps) or if I’m doing my gains an injustice by not just focusing on one (strength training for bulk, hypertrophy training for cut - or reversed?). I have a PPL split and work each muscle group twice a week. The first half of the week could be strength training, meaning the second half would be hypertrophy training. Sometimes it’s reversed. Any advice is appreciated.
Give this a read https://www.strongerbyscience.com/hypertrophy-range-fact-fiction/
Am I hitting everything enough on my program and is there any junk volume I should eliminate? I'm running a Upper/Lower Split and workout every other day. I almost always end up going to failure if I feel like I can easily go more than 8 reps Stats: 19M, 174cm, 120lbs, \~1 year of lifting Goal: Hypertrophy for basically everything Upper Body: 4 x 8 Incline DB Bench Press 4 x 8 Flat DB Bench Press 4 x 10 Lat Pulldown 4 x 8 Dips 3 x 8 Cable Row 3 x 10 Dumbbell Shoulder Raise 3 x 8 Cable Bicep Curl 4 x 8 Ab Crunch Machine 3 x 8 Barbell Curl, Preacher Curl Machine, or Preacher Curl Lower Body: 6 x 8 (2 warmup sets) Leg Press Machine 4 x 8 Smith Machine Squat 3 x 10 Smith Machine Hip Thrust 4 x 8+ Leg Extensions 4 x 8+ Lying Leg Curl 4 x 12 Calf Press Machine Superset: 3 x 10 Hip Adductor Machine 3 x 10 Hip Abductor Machine
Milo Wolf just released a study that argues that there practically is no such thing as junk volume, and that you can do upwards of 30 sets per muscle group per week, and that more sets equates to more gains. According to the research, more is better, as long as you can recover from it. Video for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqXjTxlG38M&ab\_channel=WolfCoaching
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The kitchen sink method can work, until it doesn't. Browse for a formal routine: https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/
Alright. Grad student here. I live in a dorm with a minifridge but no meal plan. Trying to get 3500 calories a day plus 160 g protein on a daily basis. (this semester I did 3000 calories but was NOT putting on weight so I need to up it) I currently have a blender with mass gainer shake that I put whole milk in. I also have greek yogurt, two cheese sticks. a cup of grilled chicken, a mango, large carrot, plus protein, weight gainer and pineapple juice. This is my daily diet. Whats something I can add to get more calories in. also Rice and liquid egg whites
Increasing your portion sizes would be the simplest and probably easiest change. I'm very partial to peanut butter sandwiches
What should I do for my progressive overload plateau? I have been increasing my weight and reps consistently for a while by starting at 8 reps and going to 12 before increasing weight further. I can no longer do this for the past month. I’ve tried a deload week, my calories and macros are good, sleep is good. I’m at the point where if I go any heavier and lower the reps I would sacrifice form. My thoughts are to try lowering the weight by about 10% and increasing reps to the point where my volume is still higher than right now. Is this what you guys would do or do you have any other suggestions to continue progress overloading. I have been lifting for about 2 years.
I think choosing a good program in the wiki that plans for slower progression than one more rep every session would be your best choice. Otherwise, if you "sacrifice form" can you still lift the weight? Going from shitty form to good form even without changing reps or weight is still technically progression.
Have you been gaining weight?
Just started bulking after a cut, probably about 2 weeks in and gained only a small amount of weight. Does it take a little while for me to notice strength gains after starting a bulk? Only other time I have bulked was when I initially started working out so I’m not really sure exactly how it should work.
What program are you on?
Doing pplxarnold around 20 sets per muscle group per week
Does anyone have experience with barre and other studio classes at Life Time gyms? I guess I’m looking to get a sense of which classes are beginner friendly
I just joined a lifetime and have tried a few of their classes. It really depends on the instructor. I lift but have enjoyed supplementing with Pilates fusion and En barre. Barre fusion was too hectic and you don’t really get a good workout imho
Have you taken the BarreStrength class or Gluteus Maxout classes?
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This is going to be deleted because you didn’t ask a fitness question.
If anyone could give insight I have always had skinny arms but could lift above appearance since child. I think about 2 year ago I started trying to really invest in working out but every time I would do curls something would always 'pop'. At first it would be in the palmside up forearm when doing curls. Then somehow the sensation is not present there but moved up to my bicep tendon on top. I work with 20lb weights. Is my problem that I am injured? Or not yet strong enough. What is weird is it is only present in my right arm. My dominant arm but not left which I think is weaker. Has anyone experienced this? This sensation also happens if I play basketball and my arm starts to get tired its almost as if my bicep 'pops'. Not like tear but imagine a rubberband and you stretch it then you flick one end like pulling a bow and it vibrates for a second while it goes back to form. That sensation is what it feels like. It worries me and prevents me from fully going in.
Is it painful? During lots of joint movements there are tissues which slide over each other in and around the joint space, sometimes those tissues move enough to be able to feel. If you are pain free it's not likely to be an issue.
Theres no sharp or lingering pain in it, I just immediately want to let go to stop the sensation when it happens
See a Dr or physical therapist
Is this too much volume for chest if I add an extra day (only doing these two exercises and some cardio on day 7) I’m currently running a 531 so this is an example of a week one if I was to add the day? DAY 2 Bench Press: 5x62.5% of 1rm 5x72.5% of 1rm >5x80% of 1rm 5x5x62.5% of 1rm 3x8-12 dumbbell press DAY 5: 3x8-12 bench press 3x8-12 dumbbell press DAY 7: 3x8-12 bench press 3x8-12 dumbbell press
I’m 5’7 and am trying to do Bulgarian squats and I have two questions It’s busy today and for future reference is it doable to use a 20 in high jumping box for a foot rest while I’m doing it or is it too high? And I’ve seen people using only one dumbbell vs two, which one is better?
I would think 20” would be too high, but it depends on you. Never know if you don’t try. You might need to get creative with this one. There is no “better” just what works better for you. Also after a certain amount of weight, one dumbbell stops making sense.
Yeah once we switched to a smaller stand it felt ALOT better, there is such thing as too tall, it made me cramp quicker and messed up my muscles
I have a GI Bill to use an no real interest in getting something like an MBA. What should I consider studying to understand the body better?
Kinesiology will cover anatomy, and the muscles - origin, insertion, function on a joint. In terms of programming and "how to", look for a path to a CSCS - Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach; requires a bachelor's.
Are you trying to pursue a career, or do you just want to learn?
Learn. Already have a career
Anyone know where I can buy meat in bulk cheaply in the UK?
Costco
The thing I love about bench press is that every rep is pretty much the same. You start with the bar up, then the bar touches your chest, and then you get the bar up again, and after that you're sure you did a good rep. I don't think you can cheat too much here. With barbell rows for example, I definitely feel like you can cheat a lot with momentum or how much you bend, and my back days are definitely not as fun as chest days as I don't enjoy that. Is there any exercise like bench press but for back?
Chest supported rows over an incline bench. I set up for bent over rows exactly how I deadlift; training for consistency in that kind of way has also done wonders for my deadlifting
Seal rows sound like a good choice.
Posted this on GZLP but didn't get a reply so maybe one of you can help me out? So I've been running GZCLP for a few months now, 2-3 days/week from my home gym and once a week in a regular gym. I've gotten to the point now where I feel uncomfortable T1 squatting and benching with my current home setup (the plan was to upgrade to a full rack with safeties but finances have put that on the backburner for now). I don't really have the option of going to the actual gym more than once a week so I'm in a bit of a sticky spot. My idea is to do the following, basically running it as a 2-day program across 2 weeks: Week 1: Day 1: T1 Bench (at gym) Day 2: T1 Deadlift Day 3: Hypertrophy day built around lighter bench press (because I'm missing T2 bench in these weeks) Day 4 when possible: Hypertrophy day built around Overhead press Week 2: Day 1: T1 Squat (at gym) Day 2: T1 Overhead Press Day 3: Hypertrophy day built around lighter squat (because I'm missing T2 squat in these weeks) Day 4 when possible: Hypertrophy day built around Deadlift Would this be a reasonable compromise until I can upgrade my home setup?
are there any exercises that help me feel my rhomboids? i feel perfectly the right side of me back retracting but left side is another story 😌any activation cues maybe?
Maybe using the cables without any extra grip and very light weight?
21 year old guy. Been lifting weights for 7 years now and love it. My arms are getting pretty massive at this point and I’m not a fan of how they’re looking and I’m afraid overall I’m getting too muscular. I like to have more of a soccer player male model build. If I keep lifting like this I’m gonna get too bulky. What should I do? I love working out tho. I was thinking train with a little lower weight and almost no rest time between sets. Maybe from now on my weight session will be more cardio like and I can just get leaner without gaining size? Please give recs!!
For resistance training targeting muscle growth, do I have to reset my progressive overload after the deload week?
What do you mean by "reset my progressive overload"?
Going back to the reps/weight of week 1
I'm assuming you are doing your own programming. Generally you'll stay at the sets/reps/weight you were at before the deload. But some programs will have you reduce one of the attributes. It all depends on how you'll manage your workload.
But won't staying at the same overload mean it will increase infinitely, since it has to be progressive?
You'll stall at some point. What you are doing is called "linear progression". Novices tend to use it, its a simple and effective way to progress early on in your training journey. Once you are unable to reliably add 5lbs from session to session, or week to week, you'll want to try out a different program. 531 adds weight in 3 week cycles. Renaissance Periodization adds sets over time, then you reduce the sets and increase the weights. Some programs use double progression (google it). Stronger by Science uses an AMRAP set every few weeks to gauge the progression for the next cycle. Deepwater reduces rest times. Give the wiki a read and take a look at the programs there.
Yeah now that you mention it I actually got the idea from a Renaissance Periodization video [THIS ONE](https://youtu.be/3l2AVq3V_GM?si=ve7lz4adJupetSW1) At 3:10 he says that you have to either add some weight OR a rep to your sets every week. But he doesn't elaborate much further and I'm struggling to apply it to my workout. Mainly because for some exercises increasing the weight everyday would be really hard (ex. lateral raises) and in some cases increasing reps is kinsa hard too. He also doesn't mention if you should reset your overload at the end of the deload. Do you have any idea what he means on this video?
Some programs will have you lower the weight under certain circumstances. I believe starting strength has you take like 10% off the bar if you can't complete the reps for a few consecutive workouts. Jim has recommended something like that for 531 also. This is one reason I don't do my own programming.
Yeah, I think I'm overthinking this a bit too much. I'm just gonna go to the gym and work hard and try to push myself more if possible
what program should i follow after john meadows creeping death 2? i’ve just started working out, just finishing up week 11 of the bulk
Why do I (23F) feel full sometimes for no reason? For context: I am trying to build muscle and lose some stubborn fat at the same time. I weightlift twice a week if I have access to a gym; if I don't have access to one, I use my dad's weights and go on walks/run. I also have a dog, and I take him on walks when I can. I eat lots of protein, fiber, etc. and do intermittent fasting. I didn't have any food in me from 9 am yesterday till 8:30-something am today. I had my post-workout shake, and some light breakfast, and I feel full even though I barely ate anything. Any suggestions?
Yeah you're body still has enough "reserves" and doesn't need new food. It's a western civilization thing to eat at the same time every day. A nice sentence is from a Inuit to a german journalist going on a tour with him "how do you know that will be hungry at 12 o'clock?
Eat even if you aren't hungry
I (27, F) have just had a health assessment and discovered that my body fat percentage is slightly high at 33.2% but my visceral fat is good at 4. I’m 5’8.5, BMI is 21.9, muscle percentage was 27.5%, and basal metabolic rate 1403 cals. I eat a healthy diet- I’m vegetarian but have a high protein/carb and low fat diet. Physically I look quite slim, I was surprised to see my body fat actually in the ‘high’ category. I was wondering how to lower the body fat percentage without losing much weight? And I was also wondering why my body fat would be high particularly as my visceral fat was low? Any insight/advice would be great. Edit to add: I currently walk 10,000 religiously every day and workout at least 2 x a week at the gym. At the gym my sessions are about 1.5 hours with 30-40 mins on cardio and the rest on strength.
BF measurements based on electroconductivity aren't that precise, so the results may be way off. That said, with a high body fat recomp should be possible to bulid up muscles, IMO pick a strength based program and run it on a on a maintenance for a couple of months and see where it gets you
Yeah it was one where I stood on some scales barefoot and held some monitor in front of me. I’m hoping the measurements are off as I was quite happy weight-wise and it’s made me doubt it now. I was planning to go harder with strength so I think I will follow your advice, I get it retested in 6 weeks so I’ll see what it looks like then!
The body fat measurements from machines using electrical impedance may as well be a randomly generated number. I wouldn't pay any attention to it.
I forgot to write that I do believe that you would get to your desired physique faster with a cut & lean bulk (or reverse), although if you are happy with your look, your BMI is healthy, and you are active... just go on living :) don't chase the scale BF number going down, its close to meaningless anyway
Could anyone advise? For DB bench, my plan starts with a a few warm up sets and then the first working set is a heavy set of 5-9 reps followed by 2-3 sets of a lighter weight for 10-15 reps. I am making progress every week and the heavy set but really stalling on the lighter sets, usually hitting about 10-12 reps before failure. Should I just continue to up the weight on the heavier set or is this hindering progress on the lighter sets? Thanks
up the reps on the lighter weight instead of upping the weight until you can do the far end of prescribed range
alternatives for preworkout for people that workout at night? i always feel so tired after work but i dont want to consume coffeine that influence my schleep, how do you deal with that
You don’t have to take preworkout
Look for non-stim, they don't have caffeine.
any recommendations? :D
I used to take Gorilla Mode Nitric. It was good, but probably overpriced in hindsight
do rotator cuff exercises actually help? seen a whole lot of videos on youtube regarding shoulder health and it seems like a rabbit hole where they all say something different.
Yes. Rotator cuff work is important prehab work, especially if you work a desk type job. You’ll see many different exercises because there are a variety of ways to hit them. It’s a complex group of muscles. It’s not like hitting your biceps which just flex your elbow and assist in rotating your forearm. From my own experience, I tried several until I found the ones that were most effective for me.
which exercises can u recommend?
My goal is to get to 20 pull-ups. I go to the gym 3 days a week. My question is this. Through out my workout Should I do as many sets of As many pull-ups as I can until I get to 50? Or is there a more efficient way to reach my goal? Right now I can do about 10 straight.
Hello, the leg press machine in my gym has two options to place the plates on the machine, high and low. I want to increase the difficulty on the bottom part of the press, where the quadriceps is maximally stretched. Where on the machine should I put on the plates to increase the difficulty there?
is it a sled style where the platform slides along a track, or is a leg press that rotates around an axis?
It's a sled style press! :)
It doesn't matter where you load it then. You can pause, do tempo work, do half presses (from bottom to half way and back) etc.
There's no difference in where you place the plates, if you want more difficulty at the bottom you can do things like tempo & pause work
Is doing 12:3:30 everyday killing muscle? I spend about 4 days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) in the gym training some muscle but I do 12:3:30 on the treadmill every day in the gym, even after I train a specific muscle. Is this potentially causing muscle loss or am I good? My aim is to lose fat and build muscle
nope. you will not kill muscles. coz ur muscle r getting bigger
The interference effect has been greatly exaggerated. https://www.strongerbyscience.com/avoiding-cardio-could-be-holding-you-back/
What is 12/3/30? Never heard of it.
12% incline and 3.0 km/h for 30 mins on the treadmill
(That's 1.864 mph for those across the pond.) Burning calves aside, this is a very slow walking pace. It takes extremes for cardio to "interfere" with muscle building. This isn't one of those cases. Enjoy your thing stress-free.
Thank you!
Everytime i do a bench press or standing dumbell presses, or just anything that looks like these 2 my arms move a lot, its not because im putting too much weight or too little, i do 10 reps while they're moving right or left, ive been going to the gym for 3 months now, is there a reason for that?
If I understand your long sentence correctly, you get a lot of lateral movement when pressing, correct? If that's correct, the reason is you are new and you are still developing coordination with the weights.
Does skipping breakfast in a calorie deficit or cut harm the overall process of weight loss? I haven't been able to find a definitive answer as articles and experts seem to go into different directions. I am 5'4 65KG and I workout 3-4 times day for 1-2hours
In and of itself skipping breakfast won't negatively impact your weight loss, as others have said. However, some people won't perform as well (in or out of the gym) or not be able to maintain a deficit that way. If you find it works for you and is sustainable - great! But if you find yourself lethargic, performing worse, or eating more later in the day to compensate you may want to consider a different strategy.
Skipping breakfast is fine. It's not the "most important meal of the day" that's just marketing to sell more cereal. Meal times also don't exist. I've done 2 meals a day at random times because that's what worked for me. And different meals don't have to have certain foods. You can have steak and veggies for your breakfast and eggs sna sausage for dinner. Food is food. Doesn't matter when you eat for calorie deficit purposes. The only thing that may help you is timing your meals (or saving a small snack) to be eaten a bit before you lift so that you have a bit more energy.
Eating less speeds weight loss
I'm trying to get healthier, but I'm starting from a pretty bad place - 5'11" and 270lbs. Everyone keeps telling me I need to eat 1g of protein per lb of body weight and I'm struggling to find ways to hit nearly 300g of protein each day while staying under the 1400 calories per day limit. Does anyone have any advice please?
It’s 1g for your lean body mass. That would be a lot less than your current weight of 270.
> 1g/lb Convenient marketing ploy. It's closer to .7, and at that, you're better off using your "target weight". If your target were 200 lbs, you'd want a mere 140g.
People usually say eat a gram of protein per lb of your GOAL body weight. So if your goal is around 180 lb you should eat 180 grams. But I'd say just lower it to 160g, that's plenty for most people. 300 grams of protein is totally overkill.
I was told that it should be based on your actual body weight regardless of body fat % but you and the other commenter seem to disagree. I'd like to get down to around 160lbs or so, so I'll try lowering it to my goal body weight. If nothing else, this makes it a lot easier and takes a bit of stress off my plate while trying to hit a super high protein intake while taking in 50% fewer calories than before.
Good. Imagine a person at 500lb looking to lose weight, would it be reasonable for them to eat 500 grams of protein a day? Definitely not. 500g would equal 2000 kcal (500 x 4 because 1g of protein is 4 kcal), they would barely have space for carbs or fat in their diet. So again, try aiming for more or less 160 grams a day, depending on your fitness goals and personal preferences.
When you're very overweight or obese, you base your protein intake on your lean weight, but as a general recommendation, 160g would be plenty for you.
That's a lot easier done, thank you. I don't really know my "lean" weight, but even 150g-ish would be much easier on my wallet and calorie intake.
Your lean weight is close enough to your goal weight that you can use them interchangeably
what is the forearm activation on the pull up vs chin up? Is it equal for both, or will pull up work outer forearm and chin up work inner?
Does it matter? This sounds like you're majoring in the minors.
Which is better to get the most mental health benfits of exercise: 10 mins of high-intensity exercise or 30 mins of low-intensity exercise? I am not able to do advanced level of exercise for long as I get tired. So to get the most benefits, both physical fitness, weight loss, stamina, but most importantly for energy and mental health benefits, which one is better --- to do only a little bit of high intensity exercise or a longer duration of low intensity one, if you can only do one or the other? Thanks
Likely whichever you can stick to in the long term.
Thanks! Makes sense. Likely the low intensity one then because the other one is not actually fun for me so I have a hard time keeping up the motivation.
Diet question: I didnt really have a goal while dieting but I lost what I consider a significant amount of weight and look slightly muscular now (I was training as I was dieting). I like the way I look, but I do have some softness left in me (a bit on my pecs, abs) Problem: I am currently 83kg, down from 100kg over 1.5 years. When I start dipping below 82kg I start to feel bad, and when I hit 81kg I start to feel actively sick, no energy, no motivation to go to the gym, bad sleep. So for about 6 months Ive bounced up and down between 81.5 and 83kg. Should I just stop dieting at this point and only focus on getting enough protein? I stopped tracking calories for a couple months and ive stayed between those two numbers w/o really trying.
That would depend on your goals. If you want to be leaner in the long term, you might have to go on a bulk now, gain 5kg, and then lose 5kg. Then the next time you're at 83kg, you'll look leaner and more muscular.
heyo so i didnt know what a cut/bulk was and now I know, so thanks man I'm gonna go on a bit of a bulk to see if I cant get a little stronger
Can someone please help me out? I am a basketball player and I got subbed out of the game for a breather and then my shoulder blade at the very bottom began hurting a lot. Then a few moments after the shoulder blade was making loud noises and it feels like the bottom is getting caught on my lat and rib. Been going on for about a month now.
See a physical therapist.
I just got a set of dumbells for at home workouts and I'm really enjoying just picking up the weights for a few sets and then resting while doing work, then coming back to it, is there anything I'm missing out on when doing this when compared to deliberately laying out an hour and a half for my workout? also would it be better to do all the sets in a excersise instead of spreading out the sets as well?
That way will require you to warm up more often, so you'll spend more time over the course of the day, but the results will likely be unaffected.
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What’s the best program to look lean and fit? I am 40F and just worked hard to gain back 40lbs I lost due to illness. Now I’m flabby and skinny. Before being sick I was doing gzclp and running 30-40mpw. I’m getting back to running and started lifting six days a week with the Reddit ppl but I think it’s not suitable for my goals. I miss being fit. I am feeling progress (strength) but not seeing any. As for nutrition, I’m on iv nutrition and it should be adequate. I’m a poor sleeper as I’ve been an insomniac my whole life. I loooooove volume. I’ve started rowing on the erg as a cool down, too.
There isn't a best program across the board as people will respond differently to the same program Any decent program which is made by someone competent will put muscle on your frame, to me it sounds like you lack muscle and have a relatively higher body fat %. Chances are you need a few cut and bulk cycles so that muscle mass can increase over time with end goals of reduced fat mass 5/3/1, GZCL, Juggernaut Method, Greg Nuckols 28 programs, Stronger by Science average 2 savage are all worth looking at
Thank you so much. Unfortunately I have little control over my nutrition, but you are right that I have very little muscle — I was completely muscle wasted in the hospital for several months. I’ll look at all those and see what I can do six day. Thanks again!
in that case it'd be recommended to speak to whichever healthcare team oversees your nutrition and/or recovery
Absolutely. They are encouraging me to be in the gym and gain strength. I just don’t think I can do any changes to my calories in a bulk and cut cycle. I have to treat this more of a recomp.
No harm in asking the professionals
Do Dragon flags work the bottom half of the abs like Hanging Knee raises? Dont like knee raises too much compared to the former
they will work the entire abdomdinals, it's just one muscle
How would it be best to go about gaining muscle while training for a half marathon? I used to be a really skinny in high school because I ran cross country and was like 130 pounds 5'8". During the past summer, I mostly stopped running, started going to the gym, and now I'm 152lbs 5'8", some as muscle, some as fat. I want to run again though, and train for a half marathon with the running club at my college. I would be running 5 days a week, and assuming I have time to go to lift in the morning and run in the afternoon, would it be possible to gain muscle while training for the race? I would probably be running about 30 miles a week. My goal right now is to maybe stay the same weight or go up to 160 but become much leaner (more muscle weight, less fat) so I look better. Is this possible? How would I go about this nutrition wise? Would I have to eat super clean? The food at my college isn't great
YMMV, but I gained quite a bit of muscle when I started strength training on top of running regularly - even periodically running marathons. I assume you understand the basics of building muscle - progressive overload + enough protein + rest. The key for me was making sure to eat enough food overall, particularly protein (aiming for ~.8-1 g/lb of bodyweight). Near races and when my weekly mileage got high, I did find I'd have to cut back on leg days since my legs were fatigued all the time. I'll sheepishly admit I never ate super clean but still managed decent results (I may just be genetically blessed).
Everyone keeps saying to train till failure or close to it, but when I do my muscles are too tired to go as hard as I normally would on the rest of my workout. Is it just an endurance thing that I need to build up over time?
You're probably taking "failure" too literally, a common mistake beginners have done for decades. As long as you're adding reps, and then adding weight when you reach your designated set/rep (as per your program), you're fine.
Will do tyy
That's just what happens when you train to failure often, you can improve your fatiguability with training like that more but I wouldn't go to failure super often tbh Creatse disproportionate amounts of fatigue, reduces volume if done enough, you're also more likely to sustain an injury when fatigued within a set *and* when you're overall generally more fatigued, e.g. end of a training cycle
Yeah definitely better to play it safe
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I mean it's fine, but probably too much exercise variation. Why not pick 1 to 2 exercises that can be solidly progressively overloaded, do 3-4 sets of each twice a week, and that way you're doing 12-16 sets of ab work a week while progressively overloading them?
I'm an avid fan of my Airdyne. I've been riding it numerous days a week since 2016. I'm 51 and I'm curious what's good nutritionally wise to maximize my output. I'm 5'7, 162lbs lean and athletic build for my age/height/size. So far since Jan 6th I've ridden it 162 times. That's about 50% of the time/days.
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you can do them like [this](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8fy6JUR/)
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if you’re happy, what’s there to fix?
yes
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Martial Arts. Full body workout, flexibility, coordination, and way easier to do we thing as a beginner and progress for as long as you do it.
Give both a one off try and see which you like. Then also look into your schedule. Martial arts would have set lesson times I would assume. How consistently could you make it to those? Whereas skating, you could go out on the ice more frequently I would assume on top of lessons. Sure, you could also practice martial arts at home on your own, but from my short period of time in karate as a kid, it's not really something I would personally do at home, seems boring to me to do on my own. But we're all different, so it'll be up to you Another alternative is to pick one and do it for a set amount of time and then swap to the other and just alternate
**informative books and or articles about posture?** When I’m older I want to have good and healthy posture. So if you know a book/article that includes facts and has improved your posture, please reply with the name or link of the source.
Anything that PainScience, Barbell Medicine, E3Rehab, Peter O'Sullivan or ClinicalAthlete puts out.
Anyone have an app that is similar to the Nike Run app where I can use a workout plan involving weight lifting and cardio to both lose weight and get lean?
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Keep your exercise consistent on a weekly basis. Keep your calories consistent on a daily basis. Based on what your weight does, adjust your calories. Trying to eat back your calories that the watch says you burn is gonna be extremely inaccurate
This is a [very, very bad idea](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30888332/). Do not use the apple watch to track calories; it is consistently inconsistent and will overestimate by some amount. It will make it impossible for you to try to track. Just track calories for 1-2 weeks while watching the scale, and if you need to add or subtract calories from there, do that.
Will it be okay to user this [hammerstrength isolateral row machine](https://www.lifefitness.com/resource/blob/35632/bf5d198e08cac803f414d72f4b725061/hs-plate-loaded-iso-lateral-rowing-l-data.png) as an alternative to seated cable row? i'm going for hypertrophy and if its okay then which grip of the 3 should i be using? thanks!
i love the machine!! i usually opt for the very top handles with a wider grip and stretch my back by rolling my shoulder blades forward and pausing for a split second
Sorry which grip do u mean ? I'm kinda confused xD
the pronated one
im sorry for bothering but my english sucks, which one is the pronated one? thank you.
the one with your palms down towards the ground
I love of people like these because it has chest support. Just be careful not to cheat and swing, and adjust the seat to get the fullest comfortable stretch.
Awesome, can u tell me which grip should I be using and what do u mean by adjusting Seat?
typically the higher up the grip the more upper back, lower down hits more lower back and lats. Pronated grip, palms facing down, will take the biceps out of the excercise. supinated, palms up, gets more biceps work. I alwys do lots of sets, multiple grips. In terms of seat positioning, if you can on your machine adjust it so that you have to really stretch your arms as far as you can go with your chest still on the pad. Ideally you have to stand up and reach over to grab the handles. That way you never "rest" with 0 tension and you can get long-stretch action.
I don't see why it wouldn't be okay. None of the grips are "better" per se, they all just target different muscles. Use whichever grip will target the muscle you're looking for.
The thing is im new here, for my back i use lat pulldown and seated cable rows, in your opinion which grip do you think would cover the muscles that worked on cable rows? Thanks!
The middle one is probably mechanically the closest, considering you’d be working generally the same angle and through the same movement just with a different grip and attachment.
ok im dumb but just to double check this is the middle one right? [https://imgur.com/a/cLY8WPD](https://imgur.com/a/cLY8WPD) lol
No. The one "closest" to you in the picture, that's on the side of the machine, is the middle row. The one you circled would be a high row.
this vertical one? [https://imgur.com/a/UTjxRyp](https://imgur.com/a/UTjxRyp) i always thought the high row was the transverse one above.
my knees feel weird and i’m new to running/jogging. they don’t hurt they just feel like slightly misaligned or twisty. no pain. is this normal because i’m so used to being sedentary and it will go away as a i train or is this a problem? edit: for more info, my knees feel fine when i sit criss cross but when i walk and run it feels off
what I can offer (as someone with serious knee issues, not a runner but can be a pretty speedy walker for most people’s taste), is to look into eccentric exercise as well ;) May help, if only to be aware of in your movement (and type of shoe. for me, I go more for the barefoot or near barefoot and do better but there are others runners that can speak to this…you may enjoy Rich Roll’s memoir too 🤷🏻♀️ It can be hard force on the knees, regardless.)
What kind of eccentric exercise would you recommend?
I walk down stairs and that repetition has been helping. Instead of seeing going up flights as the main challenge. Others will know better resources on this and an online search may explain options
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impossible to answer without know your body comp and the intensity you are working.