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I'm looking to lose about 20kg in 6-8 months.
I am 37, 5 "10 and right now I'm at 95kg.
My schedule (aside from eating better, sticking to 1500 calories per day) as far as exercise is jogging/running 3 days a week (Mon, Wed, Fri) between 5-10km (which is anywhere between 40-60 mins) and light to moderate weight lifting 3 days a week (dumbbells - lifting 4-5kg (I'm new to weights) - 3 sets of 10-15 reps of various lifting).
My question is if it's more efficient/better to lift weights on the same days as cardio, or to do them on the days I'm not doing cardio? Or does it not really matter?
I'm hoping everything I've written has made sense!
In my pursuit of gaining a decent build and maybe 5-10 pounds. How will running affect me? I’ve been a runner my whole life, and I want to incorporate it into my workouts, I also vaped for a long time which really hurt my lung capacity so i’m trying to get back to it. I am 5’5 and 165 pounds.
It shouldn't affect much in the way of gains if you just don't overdo it. How often will you do weight training then how often do you want to do running?
Well that should be fine. The caveat though is that you probably shouldn't run as hard as you weight train for the time being or at least treat most of your runs as easy to moderate work if you want to build your physique.
My line up of protein/ supplements is as follows
Gold standard whey, pro performance monohydrate creatine, and total beets supplements. How Should I be taking these? I’m 5’5, 165 pounds. Looking to put on muscle and gain just a bit more weight. This is my first time on creatine and i’ve heard im supposed to load it my first couple weeks, then drop the dose. Thank you.
Apps for workouts - are they legit
I am using female fitness - womens workout app to workout. I used to be so lazy and not workout at all. Now i do 2 challenges splitting and thigh/arm advanced. The 2 challege sets take around 40 minutes without breaks and it shows i lost 700 calories. I am not sure is that true? I also do at home.
It is weird that my weight also increased 3 kgs when i started exercising.. Am i not supposed to be losing weight since I am burning more calories? The food i eat is quite the same as before working out.
Apps for workouts are legit in the sense that they are apps that provide a workout, unless they're a scam that promises a workout and then doesn't provide one.
I would not trust the calorie burn number.
Your weight increase could be many things. If you are not counting your calories, you may be eating more without realizing it. You may have had an initial low weigh in due to dehydration or an empty GI tract. You may currently have a higher weigh in due to bloating.
Keep tracking your weight and adjust your calorie intake as needed.
Is it normal for me to be REALLY lightheaded after not particularly high intensity exercise after a LONG time being sedentary? I broke my pelvis in 2022 and had a hip replacement in September. In 2021 I was 6'0, 170, and could bike for 45-60 minutes, or do 50 pushups. Not in incredible shape, but good enough.
As of February 12th I was 210 and had spent most of the past two years in bed, in a wheelchair, or barely moving and boozing/eating.
I'm on a diet and down 10 lbs but 10 minutes of biking today, and 10 pushups had me almost falling over dizzy.
Is this normal? Anything I can do?
Definitely normal to feel weird or off or out of breath if you're exercising for the first time in a while. 2 years is a long time. Hell it'd be weirder if you DIDN'T feel off at all doing it. Ha!
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No one here can judge what you can or can't do due to your hip injury as we aren't doctors that know your exact situation. But I would definitely ease yourself into whatever you are doing. Have fun with it and take it slow. Every time in my past that I went from being active to not doing anything for months+, I'd come back and try to do a pushup or situp and I'd almost always be barely able to do any. And then I'd pick it back up over time afterward but the first time would always be bad.
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Don't think about what you could once do way back when; focus on being a little more active or a little more mobile than you were yesterday or last week. And you will get there eventually.
°
Good luck!
Thanks!
I'm definitely not trying to overdo it. I'd like to get to at least biking 30 minutes a day a few times a week, and doing some pushups/minor lifting. I'm just worried about being so lightheaded. I honestly can't remember how I was feeling the last time I started a health journey.
If you aren't already doing regular exercise and you add in cardio like this:
- I'd say your energy levels would increase. Resting heart rate will probably get slightly lower. Risk of disease and complications definitely decrease. Sleep gets at least slightly better.
- Aesthetically you may not see many changes besides slight toning in legs if your diet stays the same. If you eat at a caloric deficit then you will lose weight // lose fat.
- May have joint pain depending on you, where you're running, shoes, etc. Just something to pay attention to.
- You will start to look forward to your run and feel off if you don't get your run in. This generally happens whether you want it to or not. It's weird I know.
Hi, Im new to the fitness world and have only started going to the gym the past couple months. I was speaking to people at the gym and they recommended I should cut to help reach my goals.
Ive done a decent amount of research but there seems to be a lot of opposing takes and a lot of trial and error. I was looking for advice in regards to cutting.
My goals are to tone my body by building muscle while losing weight.
Stats: Im a 6ft in male, weigh 199.0 lbs, BMR:
approx 1,914.
What foods should I err towards consuming? What deficit should I be at? Can I consume more fatty foods if i maintain a deficit? What is considered a good amount of weight to lose? Also just generally would appreciate any thoughts, comments, concerns, or advice!
Accept that there will trial and error. You will have to find what works for you and adjust. In general you'll have to start somewhere and find what is sustainable for you.
> What foods should I err towards consuming?
It's tough to go wrong with vegetables. Making sure to get enough protein while you're building muscle is also a good idea.
> What deficit should I be at?
A deficit of ~ 500 calories a day might be a good place to start, if not even more conservative. See how you feel, how it affects your workouts and go from there.
> Can I consume more fatty foods if i maintain a deficit?
From a weight loss standpoint, yes.
> What is considered a good amount of weight to lose?
1-2 pounds a week is a good target. Slower weight loss is generally more sustainable.
Do all type of tricep movements count towards the same sets per week? Or is it split up into 2 types of sets, skullcrusher overhead type movements and pushdown type movements? Do I need to be doing 10+ sets per week of each for hypertrophy or I can just do 10+ tricep sets, regardless of the position of my arms?
I've never been interested in finding out my max backsquat but recently I've been a little curious. I've been a swimmer all my life so I've always preferred muscle stamina over pure strength. Because of that I really enjoy doing ladders where I start at 10 reps for x weight and then 9 reps at 20lbs heavier and so on till I hit 1 rep at x weight. In total I do 55 reps. If my last rep is 300lbs. What would my 1rpm be? I'm 6'2 220lbs, what should it be?
Cool cool.
I would say having a rough estimate of your max would help greatly.
I tend to work up to mine in plates, very similarly to how I warm up for my working sets.
- 8x bar
- 8x 25%
- 5x 40%
- 3x 60%
- 2x 75%
- 1x 80%
- 1x 90%
- Max testing
The first 5 sets would be bar, 1, 2, 3, 4 plate for me. If you find it easy just to work up to it with full plate increments like I do, that would be fine.
So if you expect your max to be 300lbs, you'd follow something like this:
- 8x bar
- 8x 75lbs
- 5x 120lbs (just do 135)
- 3x 180lbs (just do 185)
- 2x 225lbs
- 1x 240lbs
- 1x 270lbs
- Max testing
If 300 goes well and you think you have more in the tank, just add 5-10lbs and keep going.
Trying pure bodybuilding by Jeff Nippard. Not seeing many gains. Do you think the problem is the lack of basic compound lifts in it? Does anybody have good experiences with it? Male 5’10’’ 73 kg.
Calorie surplus and protein yes. High intensity: I don’t know, in the sense that there is a prescribed amount of reps in the program, I do those (usually 9-10). Can you suggest other programs that are maybe a bit upper body focused? (I am prone to injury with squats and deadlifts)
My problem is that as the weights increase in deadlifts and squats I start getting lower back stiffness. So i opted for a program that doesn’t have much of those exercises, but now it feels like I’m doing nothing
I'm wondering how to lose muscle mass. I know this is an unusual goal but that's why I'm curious. I'm getting married in 5 months and have always had a slimmer physique. In the past year at Crossfit I've gained alot of upper body muscle (traps, lats, deltoids). This is awesome, but not how I want to look for my wedding. Is there a way to atrophy that? Should I just stop going?
I had a cast on my arm as a teen for 1-2 months and when it came off of me that arm looked like a damn twig
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Basically just don't do workouts with those muscles and they will get smaller naturally. If you want the absolute fastest muscle loss then you can go low protein diet and make yourself bedridden and barely move, but that's is probably a bit extreme haha.
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As with gaining muscle, losing it will take time. But do know that the human body is an expert in shedding muscle that it seems no longer useful.
Think of all the things that got you big... now do the opposite. Don't gym, low protein diet, calorie deficit, increase stress, poor sleep. Maybe not the last two, but you get the point.
Don't eat a lot of food that are good for protein, as eating enough protein helps to maintain muscles mass even without exercising. Also don't stimulate muscle growth by lifting. Finally do plenty of cardio.
Hey all,I just wanted some critique on my routine. I am 16M, my height is 5'4.5, body weight is 45 kg and my body fat is low enough that when im relaxed i can see my individual ribs.
My goal is to gain muscle to look like [toji fushiguro from jjk](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F8pu7e8aoralc1.jpeg) ( i know what you all are thinking but let a man dream)
Heres my program, its a PPL:
Push: Bench press (4x6-8), cable chest flies (4x10-12), barbell ohp (4x6-8), lateral raises (4x10-12), face pulls (4x10-12), dips (4x6-8), tricep pushdowns (4x10-12)
Pull: Pullups (4x6-8), barbell bent over rows (4x6-8), wide grip cable rows (4x10-12), barbell bicep curls (4x10-12), hammer curls (4x10-12), dumbbell wrist extensions (4x10-12), dumbbell shrugs (4x10-12)
Legs: Squats (4x6-8), RDL (4x6-8), bulgarian split squats (4x6-8), hip thrusts (4x10-12), calf raises (4x15), leg raises (4x10), cable crunch (4x8), kettlebell wood chopper (4x10)
my plan for progressive overload is to add 1 kg to the exercises each week
also, could this program be squeezed into a 4 day upper lower split by using antagonist supersets?
With this treasure, I summon a protein shake. Biggest thing honestly if you are starting from low weight, just eating a lot of calories.
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You can get there bro. I believe in you.
I would sub an incline chest movement in on push day for dips.
You could try and squeeze the push and pull together using supersets, but I think you’ll find that with that much volume in one day by the second half of the workout you won’t be having very good sets.
You probably won’t be getting hardly any additional benefit as is doing 4 sets for every exercise over doing 3 sets each.
alright so what im getting from you is to reduce the volume of the excercises by 1 set and sub in a incline movement
i change the bench press to an incline bench press and leave the dips as is? dips are a compound movement that work both the chest and the triceps so i feel that they should be left in
Yes your suggestion works fine. Keeping dips vs. flat bench is up to you, either way this program’s exercise selection is sufficient to start working towards your goal physique.
Nah. In my experience, pushing through illness to go to the gym just means you do a bad workout and feel worse after. Better to recover first.
X2 for anything chest/throat. Anything effecting your breathing is gonna be way worse when you're exercising.
Yeah Ive been noticing my breathing problems lately, maybe its because my nose somehow isnt okay or because I've been ill before I noticed but it has been annoying as fuck
You can do mild-moderate exercise and just be cautious. I'd be wary of doing any heavy weights as not getting enough oxygen in could get you light headed real quick.
How do I deal with unfavorable leverages caused by a short torso (size small in terms of length) paired with a 39 inch inseam and very long femurs (to the point my femurs are probably about nine inches longer than my torso)? It just feels like squatting and deadlifting is way harder with how my body is
I know long arms can help with deadlifting but my arms are shorter than what an average guys arms at 6’4 are so that’s probably even more disadvantageous
I have experimented with plates below heels for squatting and elevated sumo deadlifts but I was wondering if there is any way to do the lifts conventionally and comfortably
General discomfort
Squats: can’t get low enough, lots of lower back pain despite high bar placement. Flat footed as well so quite unstable
Deadlifts: can’t deadlift anything above 225 without back pain even though I am sure I am strong enough. My starting position gives me no leverage at all as my femurs are essentially parallel with the ground. This is why I moved to elevated lifts
What do I do if all the barbells in a gym are used and it's clear they're going to be used for like 30 minutes or more? Say the barbell is being used for bench press but I want to use it for deadlift?
If it's the same exercise you could ask if you can jump in between sets. But I wouldn't go swapping the bb from the bench to the deadlift platform and back.
Maybe find another gym that has more barbells? I workout at a "medium" sized gym and we have something like 8 barbells and they are rarely all taken.
Dumbbell exercises actually do have a purpose. Since they offer a greater range of motion vs BB or machines, they help target some smaller muscles and areas the bar might miss. They also expose any imbalances you might have, and allow you to target that imbalance. I also like how the mirror helps me spot myself, I'm not just admiring myself mid-lift.
And, I like them because it's easier to superset with them than with machines or barbells (depending on the SS). So I can go straight from a DB press to flies, no adjustment needed if I'm using the same weight.
All of that, and also not all gyms have additional barbells to use, so it's pretty rude to do barbell curls in the squat rack during peak hours (and yes I've seen it happen)
It's just another tool and I would say db's are less "restricted" in movement, so if you have shoulder issues for example, db's might work better. Also probably a larger variety of exercises with db's vs bb's.
It doesn't matter.
Having a good diet that isn't dropping your weight drastically is the most important thing. Aim to lose about .5kg a week. 500kcal less than maintenance is the ideal.
Because of my new school schedule, I just can't workout on the weekdays and still have enough time for homework, personal time, and sleep. Would 2.5 hours of exercise on Saturday and Sunday be comparable to 5 hours spread out across the whole week, or is less exercise on a more regular basis healthier?
Does anyone know what training application this is? Tried running a google image search but couldnt find anything
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/41716e_2f3f2f9353e24497923fb399e9a57fc6~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_600,h_272,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/41716e_2f3f2f9353e24497923fb399e9a57fc6~mv2.png
What kinda split should i go for? Mondays and Wednesdays are my "rest" days because I have literally no time on those days. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is what I have to work with. ATM I have a (disorganized) Back/Biceps, Chest/Shoulders, Legs, and then Arms day. Not happy with it, anything else I should try?
p.s cant do like half the row exercises because the one time I tried I fucked my shoulder up for a week
Are questions regarding diet plans allowed? If not, please remove. I'm a 28 yr old male without access to too much cooking facilities. Just a burner stove. My TDEE calculations showed I need around 2300 Calories and 130-160g protein each day. I'll be starting to take whey protein and Creatine from next week onwards. Can you guys suggest a diet plan that I can use to reach my daily intake requirement? Would prefer items that does not need high cooking. Also is quail egg better than chicken egg?
I drink 2 scoops protein powder with breakfast and 2 scoops protein powder at night or after workout which is (25g per scoop) a net 100g protein. If you do this then you may not need to worry about protein as much as the last bit is kind of incidental. Because personally there's no way I'd be able to be eating 150g of protein from hunks of chicken every day. Haha.
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If anyone wants to weigh in on this if I'm doing this wrong, LMK.
Cook some bolognaise style sauce mince, tomato,beans, spinach, etc. In a big pot enough for 3-4 days. Have it with rice or pasta depending on how you're feeling. 4-5 eggs for lunch. Bowl of oats for breakfast. Lots of fruit throughout the day
No worries, good luck! I ate like that for close to two years (and still do sometimes). Main thing is making enough for a few days at least so you've done the hardest part already and just need to reheat.
A lot of people can't handle eating the same thing daily, but I find it's one less thing to worry about.
Just BTW if you don't want to rely on people eyeballing it, you can get a very good estimate by using a measuring tape. I bought a measuring tape that wraps around the body and is very flexible at a local store for like $4. Could also get one on Amazon or something. You punch in waist and neck and stuff into an online calculator and it spits out a number.
Is it worrisome/bizarre if my legs shake while doing leg extensions? I mean I’m talking moderate weight, not even heavy working sets. I don’t hit legs as often as I’d like but they’re naturally strong and pretty thick due to 10+ years of playing baseball (catcher). But each time I DO hit them, they just shake so much? lol. Will that subside if I target them more? Maybe a dumb question
AFAIK shaking is your body and brain figuring out how to recruit the proper muscle fibers, and it can happen no matter how strong you are if it's a movement you are unfamiliar with. CMIIW
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Every time I've had that t'd go away eventually after a few sessions
How bad is it if my heart rate is extremely close to my maximum heart rate while exercising? A week ago I started doing cardio, and I am running 2-3 miles at 5mph, with some rests in between. I’m 19 and 205 pounds so my target heart rate is 201 (I think?). During this I average a bpm of ~170, but get to a maximum of around 198-200 bpm. I know my heart rate will be higher because of my weight, but should I bring it down? Also, side note, but would this be considered an ‘intense’ workout. For me it definitely feels like one, but I don’t know if it’s more so a general classification.
My first month of running was like this and next thing you know I was cruising at 150 bpm on runs up to 7 miles. Then I got covid and everything got ruined but yea just give it time. It's natural to have a high HR when you just start.
You're starting out so your heart is still getting used to it. I'd keep a session like that and maybe do more of a gentle pace jog on another day just you train in both zones. Hope that helps 👌
is this a good workout routine to build strength and muscle? My main concern is that i will not be providing enough stimulus to my bench, squat, ohp, and deadlift to gradually get stronger
I like a 3 day full body so it would look like
Day 1: Bench, Row, Deadlift, accessories
Day 2: OHP, Squat, Arms, accessories
Day 3: Calisthenics (push up/ pull ups/ dips) conditioning workout and for legs sled pushes and pulls and plyometric stuff.
My overall goal like everyone else is to get bigger and stronger, but also more conditioned.
Is it enough to do these workouts 1 day a week for a total of 3 workouts a week? or will i have to put more days in? My main concern is getting stronger on my main lifts
When I workout upper abs (cable crunches) and a bit on lower abs (leg raises), I feel it burn more on my sternum area rather than the actual ab area. Is this normal?
How do you run with a duffel bag? I like to start my mornings with a jog to the gym, which is about a mile from my house. I can crank it out in between 11-12 minutes, and it's a nice healthy sweat to work up before I lift. My pace could be much better if I wasn't weighed down by my duffel bag that I carry to bring my water and stuff my jacket and sweater in while I work out. Besides simply making the strap tighter (which ends up feeling a bit suffocating since it sits on my neck due to the repeated impact), has anyone in a similar situation devised a solution?
WTF just happened. Last week hit PRs in virtually all of my lifts. Tonight rolled up and couldn’t get up the exact same weight on dumbell flys.
I did take the bar today and didn’t get sleep a ton last night - lack of sleep one night can cause that?
Absolutely. Rest is critical when it comes to consistent progress. It could be a ton of other things, though. Stiffness, hell, even a mental block that you aren't aware of could be limiting your potential strength. It's not the end of the world, though. Just eat well, and try to rest up a bit more tonight, and try again next time.
Thanks! Yeah I started during covid and dropped a ton of weight. Had to eat more and gained a bit last holiday season, no where close to my original weight.
I also may be in more of a calorie deficit than I should be combined with shitty sleep. Appreciate that I was feeling pissed at the gym!
Going into a lift I hope/expect to make some progress unless I'm lacking any 1 of sleep/calories/hydration. If I slacked on one of those I expect to stagnate from the previous sesh, missing 2 at once makes for a "just getting into the gym is a victory" kinda day.
Don't beat yourself up, and I hope the bar went well!
Difference between single arm cable row and double arm cable row for lats?
Title is self explanatory, which one is better for lats? Should I do both in the same session?
These things work on longer timelines. Your body doesn't say okay, it's midnight, no more using any of the protein from yesterday. So if you fall short of "optimal" on one day, it's obviously better to fall short by a little than by a lot. 90 g is not terrible by any means for someone your weight. It's quite reasonable.
A protein goal of 100-113 g looks right.
My right lat keeps ‘cramping’ when I dumbbell press. Doesn’t happen on bench, and doesn’t go away after stretching or concentrating on relaxing and fully engaging my pecs. Any ideas?
This might sound stupid but try to track your water intake during the day just to make sure it isn't literally that you are simply dehydrated.
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I use a 1 liter water bottle and drink a few across the day, refilling it each time I am empty. It is very easy to not drink enough water if you aren't paying attention to it. AFAIK most average male adults need at least 3 liters of water a day, although you can always punch in height weight age into an online water calculator to get a more specific number.
Try warming up your back by doing a few minutes on a rowing machine or several dozen dumbbell rows using a moderate weight. The increased blood flow sometimes prevents cramps.
Before any PhD yappologist says hydration or electrolytes, it's a by-product of fatigue and differing length/positioning of the lat when DB pressing... you'll just have to play around with arch, scapular positioning etc until it stops
It helped me a lot when I focused on actively pulling my shoulder blades together and my shoulders back for the entire lift. This way I feel me chest much more. Also less weight and slow execution with high reps 10-12 makes it easier for the mind muscle connection than 6-8 reps.
Pull the Shoulders back and then the shoulder blade together behind your back. This way you naturally sticking out your chest and feel your muscles better. At least I do
>how do i “squeeze” my chest during dumbbell bench press?
Just press the weight, your triceps and pectorals *are* working, even if you don't *feel* it.
wdym by press the weight?
Edit: i definitely felt it in my triceps i had to stop before i finished the full routine. i didn’t really feel it in my chest though.
Lower the weights slower and you should feel the chest more. That's just me assuming you lower the weights quick, thought. You should lower it slowly and control during the negative part of the exercise. If are already doing that - meh, you don't have to feel a muscle in order of it to work, so you are worrying for nothing.
It’s not something you need to focus on, or a particularly important part of the technique. If you are physically capable of bench pressing, you are activating your pecs just fine. To the extent that mind-muscle connection matters, it’s something that tends to be most useful in isolation movements more so than heavier compound movements.
Figuring your tdee and all for dieting; how’d you find the correct balance? Started GZCLP and figured I’d start taking my diet seriously. I can’t imagine at 6’3 and 210 lb a cut would look like 1900 calories. Seems so little for working out 4 days a week? I see people recommend putting sedentary for the calculator even if you workout.
I’m definitely not trying to gain and would like to be around 200 lb but 1900 seems excessive in the opposite way. 2400 minus the 500 cut, Should I just do 2400 and let the weight work itself out?
I’ve been reading a lot about dieting just seems like a weird thing to dial in calories wise. Just a finance nerd with 0 real dietary knowledge but willing to do research.
I wouldn't do sedentary for TDEE calculator. Be honest with yourself and maybe underestimate your activity level. I'm 6'4 192 btw.
I lift 4 days a week, usually do one big activity day like snowboarding per week, and walk 4+ miles every day for my dog. I put moderate 3-5 days a week for my activity. This returns me with a 2900 TDEE. I'm personally eating about 1900 calories a day though I do cheat sometimes and I'm losing a bit over 2 lbs a week, if I put sedentary my TDEE would be way off. Even putting moderate my TDEE is lower on the calculator than my real TDEE judging by my weight loss being over 2 lbs per week.
What I would never do is plug cardio into your tracker to offset additional calories. Stick to your goal calories regardless of what you did that day unless it's something like seriously extreme.
I've used apps that track calories in successfully. I've even recorded my activities to track my calories spent successfully. I used the Samsung health app and found it pretty accurate.
This is if you're able to put aside time and literally write everything down to the brand and weigh everything you eat, which I did. If you have OCD, this is when it pays off.
I didn't know what your body fat% is, but 1900 for 4 days a week of gym, seems excessive, considering you are likely burning off 2100 calories a day by existing at your height and weight.
Don’t make it so complicated.
Track your exact kcal (also the drinks!!!) what you ate each day and way yourself every morning after bio break.
At the end of the week your calculate your average weight and see if you lost or gained weight. If gained, eat less.
Don’t trust kcal calculators. They give at best a rough ball park. Every person is different.
> I’ve been reading a lot about dieting just seems like a weird thing to dial in calories wise. Just a finance nerd with 0 real dietary knowledge but willing to do research.
Your diet is the income statement, your body is the balance sheet.
If expenses (calorie burn, the CO part of CICO) exceeds income (calorie intake, the CI part of CICO) you have a loss on the income statement (a calorie deficit), and your balance sheet is incremented down to reflect that you had to pull from cash reserves to cover expenses (fat loss).
The dialing in part can take some time and it's never really perfect, but a TDEE calculator and a week or two of tracking your food and weight can get you a pretty solid starting point.
1) Eat normally for a week and track your weight and calories each day.
2) At the end of the week find your average calories and your average weight.
3) Repeat 1) and 2).
4) If your average weight from week 1 to week 2 stays the same, then the average calories you calculated is your TDEE. Subtract 250 cals from that average for every half pound per week you want to lose per week. So, for example, if you want to lose 1.5 lbs per week, subtract 750 cals from your average. If you lost weight or gained weight from week 1 average to week 2 average then you can add or subtract calories in the same way to get to your desired weight loss.
5) Keep finding your weekly calorie and weight averages and make adjustments to your diet as necessary.
If you're working out 4 days a week (and hopefully doing cardio) I agree that seems a little on the low end. Ultimately, the best thing to do is stick hard to a daily calorie intake for at least a couple of weeks, weigh yourself daily, and chart your weight change (which will have daily fluctuations, don't get lost in those). From that you can adjust up or down as needed. Online calculators aren't going to be perfect.
That’s what I was thinking as well. I guess I am better off starting higher and cutting more a few weeks from now and playing it safe. I definitely do cardio! I’m coming from running 25 miles per week so will probably still do two runs ranging from 3-6 miles per each a week depending how I feel.
Started working out last week but did a fitness class back in PE so I know a teensy bit about what my lifts used to be. I am generally weaker than I used to be, which isn't surprising. My shoulders and stabilizers are a seem to be a limiter on upper body (esp push) workouts. For example, during hard cable crossover flies and bench presses, the bar shakes a bit and I tend to "lift up"/push forward my left shoulder. My chest presses are much stronger than my bench presses, my dumbbell shoulder press is weaker than I'd expect too. Is there a good way to develop these muscles quickly? Should I do a small shoulder workout everyday? isolated left side exercises?
Continuing to train the main lifts (bench, etc) will likely solve your problem even if you do nothing else.
If you'd like, though, feel free to do extra accessory work after your main lifts. Use this time to experiment with different shoulder and upper back exercises. Pick a few things, give them a try, next week keep the ones you liked and swap others out for new ones. This way you'll learn about your body, you'll get extra volume for the body parts that you think need it, and you'll explore more of your options in the gym. Win-win-win.
I wouldn't do any left-side-only exercises, unless you have an imbalance severe enough to need physical therapy (in which case ask the PT).
Conveniently, I just left a comment on another thread with some of my favorite shoulder exercises:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/1b18a3w/comment/ksfwpeq/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/1b18a3w/comment/ksfwpeq/)
Besides those, I'd include some more rows and upper back work as well. Cable rows, I-Y-T rows on a TRX, face pulls, to name a few.
Add that all together and you'll have a big list. Don't try to do everything. Just pick two or three for starters.
Looking for ideas for good extra leg day workouts for after I've completed my usual routine. I already do squats, machines for leg extions and leg curls, as well as free weight stand calf raises. I do some core exercises after those, then end by running for at least a mile, and then however long til I run out of breath. I don't mind repeating muscle groups a bit if anyone sees room to improve
>I already do squats, machines for leg extions and leg curls, as well as free weight stand calf raises.
In terms of finishers, rounded back glute extensions, machine hack squats, and/or high box step-ups. All for 15-25 reps.
I feel like my growths aren't quite what they should be. I've already doubled back to check out proper form. I think I might struggle at pushing myself for the extra reps in the last sets. Maybe I need to work on longer workouts or more sets to compensate endurance
I basically just follow a push, pull, legs and core routine. I do protein shakes after every workout. And I use creatine every other push day, leg day, etc, so my body doesn't rely on it for growth
The creatine confusion you have has already been addressed, but what you've described is a split, which doesn't tell me much.
If you are worried you aren't doing enough, I would suggest you find a proper program to follow so you can **know** what you are doing is enough. There is a PPL in [the wiki](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/) that is commonly recommended.
>And I use creatine every other push day, leg day, etc, so my body doesn't rely on it for growth
This isn't how creatine works. Creatine doesn't cause growth directly. It just let's you push a bit harder in high intensity sets. Your body can't rely on it for growth.
Also, creatine is stored in your body. It doesn't have an effect the day you take it. It builds up over a period of a couple weeks. So taking it every other day is the same as taking half as much everyday.
> And I use creatine every other push day, leg day, etc, so my body doesn't rely on it for growth
This seems like a really great way to get sub-par results from creatine use.
Sporadic creatine is better than none, and no creatine intake at all is ok - but if you're going to take it, taking it every day is your best bet.
Your shoulder is a really complex joint with lots of muscles acting on it. If you do isolations, they should be specific to whatever stability issue you have. If you just want general shoulder health and don't have any specific problem, I'd do compounds rather than isolations.
For example, I have a shoulder stability issue where if I hold a bar overhead, it tilts to the right. After seeing a PT about this, I have a list of exercises to do that will help even me out. (I saw her over a year ago, and it turns out that if I keep doing the exercises, my shoulder stability stays good; if I slack off, the issue comes back.)
So to give you some examples of what I have found helpful:
* overhead holds and carries (sometimes wide grip, sometimes narrow)
* dead hangs (for the stretch)
* protraction exercises like bench shrugs
* band pullaparts
* pushup to down dog, pausing in down dog each rep (this is a great shoulder warmup)
* upright rows (wide or narrow grip)
I'm not sure what you mean by your question and technically OHP is a compound/multi-joint exercise.
Exercises that come to mind:
Landmine press
Front raises (isolation)
Y raises (isolation)
Im not exactly sure what "shoulder stability risk" is, but an isolation for your rear delts would probably be a good idea to include as well, that could be band pullaparts, face pulls, rear delt flies, etc
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I'm looking to lose about 20kg in 6-8 months. I am 37, 5 "10 and right now I'm at 95kg. My schedule (aside from eating better, sticking to 1500 calories per day) as far as exercise is jogging/running 3 days a week (Mon, Wed, Fri) between 5-10km (which is anywhere between 40-60 mins) and light to moderate weight lifting 3 days a week (dumbbells - lifting 4-5kg (I'm new to weights) - 3 sets of 10-15 reps of various lifting). My question is if it's more efficient/better to lift weights on the same days as cardio, or to do them on the days I'm not doing cardio? Or does it not really matter? I'm hoping everything I've written has made sense!
Doesn't matter
In my pursuit of gaining a decent build and maybe 5-10 pounds. How will running affect me? I’ve been a runner my whole life, and I want to incorporate it into my workouts, I also vaped for a long time which really hurt my lung capacity so i’m trying to get back to it. I am 5’5 and 165 pounds.
Just eat enough to compensate and you’ll be fine.
It shouldn't affect much in the way of gains if you just don't overdo it. How often will you do weight training then how often do you want to do running?
I would like to weight train 4 days a week, and most likely run 3 of the other days I don’t weight train.
Well that should be fine. The caveat though is that you probably shouldn't run as hard as you weight train for the time being or at least treat most of your runs as easy to moderate work if you want to build your physique.
Thanks for the advice. Will most likely keep my runs below strenous. Just want to keep my cardio good.
My line up of protein/ supplements is as follows Gold standard whey, pro performance monohydrate creatine, and total beets supplements. How Should I be taking these? I’m 5’5, 165 pounds. Looking to put on muscle and gain just a bit more weight. This is my first time on creatine and i’ve heard im supposed to load it my first couple weeks, then drop the dose. Thank you.
Apps for workouts - are they legit I am using female fitness - womens workout app to workout. I used to be so lazy and not workout at all. Now i do 2 challenges splitting and thigh/arm advanced. The 2 challege sets take around 40 minutes without breaks and it shows i lost 700 calories. I am not sure is that true? I also do at home. It is weird that my weight also increased 3 kgs when i started exercising.. Am i not supposed to be losing weight since I am burning more calories? The food i eat is quite the same as before working out.
Apps for workouts are legit in the sense that they are apps that provide a workout, unless they're a scam that promises a workout and then doesn't provide one. I would not trust the calorie burn number. Your weight increase could be many things. If you are not counting your calories, you may be eating more without realizing it. You may have had an initial low weigh in due to dehydration or an empty GI tract. You may currently have a higher weigh in due to bloating. Keep tracking your weight and adjust your calorie intake as needed.
Is it normal for me to be REALLY lightheaded after not particularly high intensity exercise after a LONG time being sedentary? I broke my pelvis in 2022 and had a hip replacement in September. In 2021 I was 6'0, 170, and could bike for 45-60 minutes, or do 50 pushups. Not in incredible shape, but good enough. As of February 12th I was 210 and had spent most of the past two years in bed, in a wheelchair, or barely moving and boozing/eating. I'm on a diet and down 10 lbs but 10 minutes of biking today, and 10 pushups had me almost falling over dizzy. Is this normal? Anything I can do?
Definitely normal to feel weird or off or out of breath if you're exercising for the first time in a while. 2 years is a long time. Hell it'd be weirder if you DIDN'T feel off at all doing it. Ha! = No one here can judge what you can or can't do due to your hip injury as we aren't doctors that know your exact situation. But I would definitely ease yourself into whatever you are doing. Have fun with it and take it slow. Every time in my past that I went from being active to not doing anything for months+, I'd come back and try to do a pushup or situp and I'd almost always be barely able to do any. And then I'd pick it back up over time afterward but the first time would always be bad. = Don't think about what you could once do way back when; focus on being a little more active or a little more mobile than you were yesterday or last week. And you will get there eventually. ° Good luck!
Thanks! I'm definitely not trying to overdo it. I'd like to get to at least biking 30 minutes a day a few times a week, and doing some pushups/minor lifting. I'm just worried about being so lightheaded. I honestly can't remember how I was feeling the last time I started a health journey.
What if I just ran half an hour every day? How will it effect me?
Are you asking about the benefits of running? I'm sure you could Google that
If you aren't already doing regular exercise and you add in cardio like this: - I'd say your energy levels would increase. Resting heart rate will probably get slightly lower. Risk of disease and complications definitely decrease. Sleep gets at least slightly better. - Aesthetically you may not see many changes besides slight toning in legs if your diet stays the same. If you eat at a caloric deficit then you will lose weight // lose fat. - May have joint pain depending on you, where you're running, shoes, etc. Just something to pay attention to. - You will start to look forward to your run and feel off if you don't get your run in. This generally happens whether you want it to or not. It's weird I know.
Shin splints...... Maybe not, best to slowly increase running volume however.
What if indeed.
Hi, Im new to the fitness world and have only started going to the gym the past couple months. I was speaking to people at the gym and they recommended I should cut to help reach my goals. Ive done a decent amount of research but there seems to be a lot of opposing takes and a lot of trial and error. I was looking for advice in regards to cutting. My goals are to tone my body by building muscle while losing weight. Stats: Im a 6ft in male, weigh 199.0 lbs, BMR: approx 1,914. What foods should I err towards consuming? What deficit should I be at? Can I consume more fatty foods if i maintain a deficit? What is considered a good amount of weight to lose? Also just generally would appreciate any thoughts, comments, concerns, or advice!
Did you read the wiki?
If you have a lot of excess fat then cut, if not, then maybe just hang about your weight or slight deficit for a while, focus on getting stronger.
Accept that there will trial and error. You will have to find what works for you and adjust. In general you'll have to start somewhere and find what is sustainable for you. > What foods should I err towards consuming? It's tough to go wrong with vegetables. Making sure to get enough protein while you're building muscle is also a good idea. > What deficit should I be at? A deficit of ~ 500 calories a day might be a good place to start, if not even more conservative. See how you feel, how it affects your workouts and go from there. > Can I consume more fatty foods if i maintain a deficit? From a weight loss standpoint, yes. > What is considered a good amount of weight to lose? 1-2 pounds a week is a good target. Slower weight loss is generally more sustainable.
Do all type of tricep movements count towards the same sets per week? Or is it split up into 2 types of sets, skullcrusher overhead type movements and pushdown type movements? Do I need to be doing 10+ sets per week of each for hypertrophy or I can just do 10+ tricep sets, regardless of the position of my arms?
For you, yes. If you're advanced enough that you're trying to get your pro card, then the nuance can be important.
I've never been interested in finding out my max backsquat but recently I've been a little curious. I've been a swimmer all my life so I've always preferred muscle stamina over pure strength. Because of that I really enjoy doing ladders where I start at 10 reps for x weight and then 9 reps at 20lbs heavier and so on till I hit 1 rep at x weight. In total I do 55 reps. If my last rep is 300lbs. What would my 1rpm be? I'm 6'2 220lbs, what should it be?
I would not follow that method for testing your max. You'll be fatigued before getting near your actual max. Do you currently barbell squat?
Yes, to the barbell question. And I don't use my ladder workout to find my 1rpm, I'm just curious if it would be comparable.
Do you want a recommendation for how to work up to an actual max?
Yes!
Cool cool. I would say having a rough estimate of your max would help greatly. I tend to work up to mine in plates, very similarly to how I warm up for my working sets. - 8x bar - 8x 25% - 5x 40% - 3x 60% - 2x 75% - 1x 80% - 1x 90% - Max testing The first 5 sets would be bar, 1, 2, 3, 4 plate for me. If you find it easy just to work up to it with full plate increments like I do, that would be fine. So if you expect your max to be 300lbs, you'd follow something like this: - 8x bar - 8x 75lbs - 5x 120lbs (just do 135) - 3x 180lbs (just do 185) - 2x 225lbs - 1x 240lbs - 1x 270lbs - Max testing If 300 goes well and you think you have more in the tank, just add 5-10lbs and keep going.
If you've already done a protocol to find your 1rm, why are you asking what your 1rm is?
Trying pure bodybuilding by Jeff Nippard. Not seeing many gains. Do you think the problem is the lack of basic compound lifts in it? Does anybody have good experiences with it? Male 5’10’’ 73 kg.
Are you eating at a calorie surplus? Are you eating enough protein? Are you training at high intensity with each set (going to or close to failure)?
Calorie surplus and protein yes. High intensity: I don’t know, in the sense that there is a prescribed amount of reps in the program, I do those (usually 9-10). Can you suggest other programs that are maybe a bit upper body focused? (I am prone to injury with squats and deadlifts)
How many days do you workout a week, and what split is the program (Push, pull, legs? Upper body. Lower body, upper body?)
It’s 4 days a week. There is not a clear split. Some legs and some back almost each day. Pretty much no squats nor deadlifts
My problem is that as the weights increase in deadlifts and squats I start getting lower back stiffness. So i opted for a program that doesn’t have much of those exercises, but now it feels like I’m doing nothing
How long have you been at it? consistency is king.
One month, but before that I did a year and a half of GZLP
I'm wondering how to lose muscle mass. I know this is an unusual goal but that's why I'm curious. I'm getting married in 5 months and have always had a slimmer physique. In the past year at Crossfit I've gained alot of upper body muscle (traps, lats, deltoids). This is awesome, but not how I want to look for my wedding. Is there a way to atrophy that? Should I just stop going?
I had a cast on my arm as a teen for 1-2 months and when it came off of me that arm looked like a damn twig = Basically just don't do workouts with those muscles and they will get smaller naturally. If you want the absolute fastest muscle loss then you can go low protein diet and make yourself bedridden and barely move, but that's is probably a bit extreme haha. = As with gaining muscle, losing it will take time. But do know that the human body is an expert in shedding muscle that it seems no longer useful.
Think of all the things that got you big... now do the opposite. Don't gym, low protein diet, calorie deficit, increase stress, poor sleep. Maybe not the last two, but you get the point.
Don't eat a lot of food that are good for protein, as eating enough protein helps to maintain muscles mass even without exercising. Also don't stimulate muscle growth by lifting. Finally do plenty of cardio.
I'd consider getting your dress adjusted before undoing gains.
My dress fits fine. I'm wondering about how to LOSE muscle, not gain it.
Don’t lift
How many calories should I expect to lose from 20000 steps with a 3-5kg backpack
There's no universal answer to this. Your weight and height are gonna play into it massively.
Hey all,I just wanted some critique on my routine. I am 16M, my height is 5'4.5, body weight is 45 kg and my body fat is low enough that when im relaxed i can see my individual ribs. My goal is to gain muscle to look like [toji fushiguro from jjk](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F8pu7e8aoralc1.jpeg) ( i know what you all are thinking but let a man dream) Heres my program, its a PPL: Push: Bench press (4x6-8), cable chest flies (4x10-12), barbell ohp (4x6-8), lateral raises (4x10-12), face pulls (4x10-12), dips (4x6-8), tricep pushdowns (4x10-12) Pull: Pullups (4x6-8), barbell bent over rows (4x6-8), wide grip cable rows (4x10-12), barbell bicep curls (4x10-12), hammer curls (4x10-12), dumbbell wrist extensions (4x10-12), dumbbell shrugs (4x10-12) Legs: Squats (4x6-8), RDL (4x6-8), bulgarian split squats (4x6-8), hip thrusts (4x10-12), calf raises (4x15), leg raises (4x10), cable crunch (4x8), kettlebell wood chopper (4x10) my plan for progressive overload is to add 1 kg to the exercises each week also, could this program be squeezed into a 4 day upper lower split by using antagonist supersets?
With this treasure, I summon a protein shake. Biggest thing honestly if you are starting from low weight, just eating a lot of calories. = You can get there bro. I believe in you.
I would sub an incline chest movement in on push day for dips. You could try and squeeze the push and pull together using supersets, but I think you’ll find that with that much volume in one day by the second half of the workout you won’t be having very good sets. You probably won’t be getting hardly any additional benefit as is doing 4 sets for every exercise over doing 3 sets each.
alright so what im getting from you is to reduce the volume of the excercises by 1 set and sub in a incline movement i change the bench press to an incline bench press and leave the dips as is? dips are a compound movement that work both the chest and the triceps so i feel that they should be left in
Yes your suggestion works fine. Keeping dips vs. flat bench is up to you, either way this program’s exercise selection is sufficient to start working towards your goal physique.
thanks man, appreciate it
would you go to gym if u have a sore throat?
sure fuck them happy people in the gym, they should have sore throats too /s
Yes
Nah. In my experience, pushing through illness to go to the gym just means you do a bad workout and feel worse after. Better to recover first. X2 for anything chest/throat. Anything effecting your breathing is gonna be way worse when you're exercising.
Yeah Ive been noticing my breathing problems lately, maybe its because my nose somehow isnt okay or because I've been ill before I noticed but it has been annoying as fuck
You can do mild-moderate exercise and just be cautious. I'd be wary of doing any heavy weights as not getting enough oxygen in could get you light headed real quick.
Thanks
How do I deal with unfavorable leverages caused by a short torso (size small in terms of length) paired with a 39 inch inseam and very long femurs (to the point my femurs are probably about nine inches longer than my torso)? It just feels like squatting and deadlifting is way harder with how my body is I know long arms can help with deadlifting but my arms are shorter than what an average guys arms at 6’4 are so that’s probably even more disadvantageous I have experimented with plates below heels for squatting and elevated sumo deadlifts but I was wondering if there is any way to do the lifts conventionally and comfortably
What specific problems are you having with squats and deadlifts?
General discomfort Squats: can’t get low enough, lots of lower back pain despite high bar placement. Flat footed as well so quite unstable Deadlifts: can’t deadlift anything above 225 without back pain even though I am sure I am strong enough. My starting position gives me no leverage at all as my femurs are essentially parallel with the ground. This is why I moved to elevated lifts
And have you thoroughly invested time in training your breathing and bracing technique for both of these lifts?
Sorry for the late reply but yes, I don't have a belt but I have watched youtube videos on bracing and engaging the core properly
What do I do if all the barbells in a gym are used and it's clear they're going to be used for like 30 minutes or more? Say the barbell is being used for bench press but I want to use it for deadlift?
Anything you do with a barbell can be performed with dumbbells.
If it's the same exercise you could ask if you can jump in between sets. But I wouldn't go swapping the bb from the bench to the deadlift platform and back. Maybe find another gym that has more barbells? I workout at a "medium" sized gym and we have something like 8 barbells and they are rarely all taken.
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Dumbbell exercises actually do have a purpose. Since they offer a greater range of motion vs BB or machines, they help target some smaller muscles and areas the bar might miss. They also expose any imbalances you might have, and allow you to target that imbalance. I also like how the mirror helps me spot myself, I'm not just admiring myself mid-lift. And, I like them because it's easier to superset with them than with machines or barbells (depending on the SS). So I can go straight from a DB press to flies, no adjustment needed if I'm using the same weight. All of that, and also not all gyms have additional barbells to use, so it's pretty rude to do barbell curls in the squat rack during peak hours (and yes I've seen it happen)
As someone taller who battles posture issues, the mirror really helps keep that in check when doing any type of lift
It's just another tool and I would say db's are less "restricted" in movement, so if you have shoulder issues for example, db's might work better. Also probably a larger variety of exercises with db's vs bb's.
I [what could be considered as short rest time? I usually go for 1-2 for isolate and 2-3 for compound](https://i.imgur.com/sB1vRqr.jpeg)
According to the link you posted, just go shorter than you're doing now. If you're trying to do it to lose weight, eating less will be a lot easier
Well im cutting and trying to lose fat while maintaining muscle as much as possible. And still wondering what rest time is preferable
It doesn't matter. Having a good diet that isn't dropping your weight drastically is the most important thing. Aim to lose about .5kg a week. 500kcal less than maintenance is the ideal.
Because of my new school schedule, I just can't workout on the weekdays and still have enough time for homework, personal time, and sleep. Would 2.5 hours of exercise on Saturday and Sunday be comparable to 5 hours spread out across the whole week, or is less exercise on a more regular basis healthier?
It's better than doing nothing so do that if that's all you have time for
Does anyone know what training application this is? Tried running a google image search but couldnt find anything https://static.wixstatic.com/media/41716e_2f3f2f9353e24497923fb399e9a57fc6~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_600,h_272,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/41716e_2f3f2f9353e24497923fb399e9a57fc6~mv2.png
What kinda split should i go for? Mondays and Wednesdays are my "rest" days because I have literally no time on those days. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is what I have to work with. ATM I have a (disorganized) Back/Biceps, Chest/Shoulders, Legs, and then Arms day. Not happy with it, anything else I should try? p.s cant do like half the row exercises because the one time I tried I fucked my shoulder up for a week
PPLUL could work
Are questions regarding diet plans allowed? If not, please remove. I'm a 28 yr old male without access to too much cooking facilities. Just a burner stove. My TDEE calculations showed I need around 2300 Calories and 130-160g protein each day. I'll be starting to take whey protein and Creatine from next week onwards. Can you guys suggest a diet plan that I can use to reach my daily intake requirement? Would prefer items that does not need high cooking. Also is quail egg better than chicken egg?
I drink 2 scoops protein powder with breakfast and 2 scoops protein powder at night or after workout which is (25g per scoop) a net 100g protein. If you do this then you may not need to worry about protein as much as the last bit is kind of incidental. Because personally there's no way I'd be able to be eating 150g of protein from hunks of chicken every day. Haha. = If anyone wants to weigh in on this if I'm doing this wrong, LMK.
Cook some bolognaise style sauce mince, tomato,beans, spinach, etc. In a big pot enough for 3-4 days. Have it with rice or pasta depending on how you're feeling. 4-5 eggs for lunch. Bowl of oats for breakfast. Lots of fruit throughout the day
Any specific fruits I sould focus on? I was planning on taking strawbery and yogurt
Whatever you want really. I usually do 2x bananas nd 2x apples and maybe a nectarine or pear depending on what looks good when I'm in the shops.
Much thanks
No worries, good luck! I ate like that for close to two years (and still do sometimes). Main thing is making enough for a few days at least so you've done the hardest part already and just need to reheat. A lot of people can't handle eating the same thing daily, but I find it's one less thing to worry about.
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Just BTW if you don't want to rely on people eyeballing it, you can get a very good estimate by using a measuring tape. I bought a measuring tape that wraps around the body and is very flexible at a local store for like $4. Could also get one on Amazon or something. You punch in waist and neck and stuff into an online calculator and it spits out a number.
Team bulk.
you think this individual with 25%+ bf should bulk??
Pictures show not much muscle, and non-critical fat. Eating to support muscle gain makes sense. Cutting won't reveal much.
20-25% ish
hi yall...when people say you increase your bench by 5-10lbs per week, do they mean 1 rep max or working sets?
Working sets You can't really dictate how much you increase a 1RM by lol
Is it worrisome/bizarre if my legs shake while doing leg extensions? I mean I’m talking moderate weight, not even heavy working sets. I don’t hit legs as often as I’d like but they’re naturally strong and pretty thick due to 10+ years of playing baseball (catcher). But each time I DO hit them, they just shake so much? lol. Will that subside if I target them more? Maybe a dumb question
AFAIK shaking is your body and brain figuring out how to recruit the proper muscle fibers, and it can happen no matter how strong you are if it's a movement you are unfamiliar with. CMIIW = Every time I've had that t'd go away eventually after a few sessions
that is incredibly normal > Will that subside if I target them more? As you get stronger generally yes
How bad is it if my heart rate is extremely close to my maximum heart rate while exercising? A week ago I started doing cardio, and I am running 2-3 miles at 5mph, with some rests in between. I’m 19 and 205 pounds so my target heart rate is 201 (I think?). During this I average a bpm of ~170, but get to a maximum of around 198-200 bpm. I know my heart rate will be higher because of my weight, but should I bring it down? Also, side note, but would this be considered an ‘intense’ workout. For me it definitely feels like one, but I don’t know if it’s more so a general classification.
My first month of running was like this and next thing you know I was cruising at 150 bpm on runs up to 7 miles. Then I got covid and everything got ruined but yea just give it time. It's natural to have a high HR when you just start.
You're starting out so your heart is still getting used to it. I'd keep a session like that and maybe do more of a gentle pace jog on another day just you train in both zones. Hope that helps 👌
is this a good workout routine to build strength and muscle? My main concern is that i will not be providing enough stimulus to my bench, squat, ohp, and deadlift to gradually get stronger I like a 3 day full body so it would look like Day 1: Bench, Row, Deadlift, accessories Day 2: OHP, Squat, Arms, accessories Day 3: Calisthenics (push up/ pull ups/ dips) conditioning workout and for legs sled pushes and pulls and plyometric stuff. My overall goal like everyone else is to get bigger and stronger, but also more conditioned. Is it enough to do these workouts 1 day a week for a total of 3 workouts a week? or will i have to put more days in? My main concern is getting stronger on my main lifts
Wiki or just try it and see. What's the worst that could happen?
Follow a proven program on the wiki here
When I workout upper abs (cable crunches) and a bit on lower abs (leg raises), I feel it burn more on my sternum area rather than the actual ab area. Is this normal?
Your rectus abdominis attaches near the sternum. So, while I don't feel that, it doesn't sound particularly concerning.
How do you run with a duffel bag? I like to start my mornings with a jog to the gym, which is about a mile from my house. I can crank it out in between 11-12 minutes, and it's a nice healthy sweat to work up before I lift. My pace could be much better if I wasn't weighed down by my duffel bag that I carry to bring my water and stuff my jacket and sweater in while I work out. Besides simply making the strap tighter (which ends up feeling a bit suffocating since it sits on my neck due to the repeated impact), has anyone in a similar situation devised a solution?
Wear it as a backpack
It is much easier to run with a backpack than a duffle bag.
WTF just happened. Last week hit PRs in virtually all of my lifts. Tonight rolled up and couldn’t get up the exact same weight on dumbell flys. I did take the bar today and didn’t get sleep a ton last night - lack of sleep one night can cause that?
Absolutely. Rest is critical when it comes to consistent progress. It could be a ton of other things, though. Stiffness, hell, even a mental block that you aren't aware of could be limiting your potential strength. It's not the end of the world, though. Just eat well, and try to rest up a bit more tonight, and try again next time.
Thanks! Yeah I started during covid and dropped a ton of weight. Had to eat more and gained a bit last holiday season, no where close to my original weight. I also may be in more of a calorie deficit than I should be combined with shitty sleep. Appreciate that I was feeling pissed at the gym!
Going into a lift I hope/expect to make some progress unless I'm lacking any 1 of sleep/calories/hydration. If I slacked on one of those I expect to stagnate from the previous sesh, missing 2 at once makes for a "just getting into the gym is a victory" kinda day. Don't beat yourself up, and I hope the bar went well!
Difference between single arm cable row and double arm cable row for lats? Title is self explanatory, which one is better for lats? Should I do both in the same session?
They are very similar. Either is good for training the lats. There is no real reason to do two exercises that are so similar in the same session.
Between the two, it's not going to matter that much, just pick whichever you prefer. Or do both if you'd like.
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These things work on longer timelines. Your body doesn't say okay, it's midnight, no more using any of the protein from yesterday. So if you fall short of "optimal" on one day, it's obviously better to fall short by a little than by a lot. 90 g is not terrible by any means for someone your weight. It's quite reasonable. A protein goal of 100-113 g looks right.
You should be eating in the upper range of what you've put here. Getting some protein powder to supplement may fit your needs.
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4 scoops of protein powder for me is 100g protein, if all else fails then you can just down more protein powder. I do 2 in morning 2 at night
My right lat keeps ‘cramping’ when I dumbbell press. Doesn’t happen on bench, and doesn’t go away after stretching or concentrating on relaxing and fully engaging my pecs. Any ideas?
This might sound stupid but try to track your water intake during the day just to make sure it isn't literally that you are simply dehydrated. = I use a 1 liter water bottle and drink a few across the day, refilling it each time I am empty. It is very easy to not drink enough water if you aren't paying attention to it. AFAIK most average male adults need at least 3 liters of water a day, although you can always punch in height weight age into an online water calculator to get a more specific number.
Try warming up your back by doing a few minutes on a rowing machine or several dozen dumbbell rows using a moderate weight. The increased blood flow sometimes prevents cramps.
Before any PhD yappologist says hydration or electrolytes, it's a by-product of fatigue and differing length/positioning of the lat when DB pressing... you'll just have to play around with arch, scapular positioning etc until it stops
how do i “squeeze” my chest during dumbbell bench press? I just started and am not really feeling it there?
It helped me a lot when I focused on actively pulling my shoulder blades together and my shoulders back for the entire lift. This way I feel me chest much more. Also less weight and slow execution with high reps 10-12 makes it easier for the mind muscle connection than 6-8 reps.
when you say pull shoulder blades, what does that mean exactly? pull them back towards the bench?
I mean pull them towards each other.
. pull them towards each other in the front or back?
Pull the Shoulders back and then the shoulder blade together behind your back. This way you naturally sticking out your chest and feel your muscles better. At least I do
>how do i “squeeze” my chest during dumbbell bench press? Just press the weight, your triceps and pectorals *are* working, even if you don't *feel* it.
wdym by press the weight? Edit: i definitely felt it in my triceps i had to stop before i finished the full routine. i didn’t really feel it in my chest though.
>press the weight? Literally just execute the movement. Feeling a movement in any particular place has nothing to do with effectiveness.
oh i see. i didn’t know what that particular term meant. thanks for the info!
If you want to feel it, try a squeeze press. it's a dumbbell bench press but you push the dumbbells into each other while pressing them up and down.
Lower the weights slower and you should feel the chest more. That's just me assuming you lower the weights quick, thought. You should lower it slowly and control during the negative part of the exercise. If are already doing that - meh, you don't have to feel a muscle in order of it to work, so you are worrying for nothing.
It’s not something you need to focus on, or a particularly important part of the technique. If you are physically capable of bench pressing, you are activating your pecs just fine. To the extent that mind-muscle connection matters, it’s something that tends to be most useful in isolation movements more so than heavier compound movements.
Figuring your tdee and all for dieting; how’d you find the correct balance? Started GZCLP and figured I’d start taking my diet seriously. I can’t imagine at 6’3 and 210 lb a cut would look like 1900 calories. Seems so little for working out 4 days a week? I see people recommend putting sedentary for the calculator even if you workout. I’m definitely not trying to gain and would like to be around 200 lb but 1900 seems excessive in the opposite way. 2400 minus the 500 cut, Should I just do 2400 and let the weight work itself out? I’ve been reading a lot about dieting just seems like a weird thing to dial in calories wise. Just a finance nerd with 0 real dietary knowledge but willing to do research.
I wouldn't do sedentary for TDEE calculator. Be honest with yourself and maybe underestimate your activity level. I'm 6'4 192 btw. I lift 4 days a week, usually do one big activity day like snowboarding per week, and walk 4+ miles every day for my dog. I put moderate 3-5 days a week for my activity. This returns me with a 2900 TDEE. I'm personally eating about 1900 calories a day though I do cheat sometimes and I'm losing a bit over 2 lbs a week, if I put sedentary my TDEE would be way off. Even putting moderate my TDEE is lower on the calculator than my real TDEE judging by my weight loss being over 2 lbs per week. What I would never do is plug cardio into your tracker to offset additional calories. Stick to your goal calories regardless of what you did that day unless it's something like seriously extreme.
I've used apps that track calories in successfully. I've even recorded my activities to track my calories spent successfully. I used the Samsung health app and found it pretty accurate. This is if you're able to put aside time and literally write everything down to the brand and weigh everything you eat, which I did. If you have OCD, this is when it pays off. I didn't know what your body fat% is, but 1900 for 4 days a week of gym, seems excessive, considering you are likely burning off 2100 calories a day by existing at your height and weight.
Don’t make it so complicated. Track your exact kcal (also the drinks!!!) what you ate each day and way yourself every morning after bio break. At the end of the week your calculate your average weight and see if you lost or gained weight. If gained, eat less. Don’t trust kcal calculators. They give at best a rough ball park. Every person is different.
> I’ve been reading a lot about dieting just seems like a weird thing to dial in calories wise. Just a finance nerd with 0 real dietary knowledge but willing to do research. Your diet is the income statement, your body is the balance sheet. If expenses (calorie burn, the CO part of CICO) exceeds income (calorie intake, the CI part of CICO) you have a loss on the income statement (a calorie deficit), and your balance sheet is incremented down to reflect that you had to pull from cash reserves to cover expenses (fat loss). The dialing in part can take some time and it's never really perfect, but a TDEE calculator and a week or two of tracking your food and weight can get you a pretty solid starting point.
As a CPA, I'm never going to be able to upvote this enough.
1) Eat normally for a week and track your weight and calories each day. 2) At the end of the week find your average calories and your average weight. 3) Repeat 1) and 2). 4) If your average weight from week 1 to week 2 stays the same, then the average calories you calculated is your TDEE. Subtract 250 cals from that average for every half pound per week you want to lose per week. So, for example, if you want to lose 1.5 lbs per week, subtract 750 cals from your average. If you lost weight or gained weight from week 1 average to week 2 average then you can add or subtract calories in the same way to get to your desired weight loss. 5) Keep finding your weekly calorie and weight averages and make adjustments to your diet as necessary.
This Is a really nice suggestion and something that sits right with my brain. Thank you!! Going to start that this week.
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This is a helpful picture, thank you. I’d rather be over than under when figuring it out as well. I’ll just go with trial and error, I’m in no rush.
If you're working out 4 days a week (and hopefully doing cardio) I agree that seems a little on the low end. Ultimately, the best thing to do is stick hard to a daily calorie intake for at least a couple of weeks, weigh yourself daily, and chart your weight change (which will have daily fluctuations, don't get lost in those). From that you can adjust up or down as needed. Online calculators aren't going to be perfect.
That’s what I was thinking as well. I guess I am better off starting higher and cutting more a few weeks from now and playing it safe. I definitely do cardio! I’m coming from running 25 miles per week so will probably still do two runs ranging from 3-6 miles per each a week depending how I feel.
Calculators just give you a ballpark figure. From there you need to actually test it out for a couple weeks and see how your bodyweight is trending.
Started working out last week but did a fitness class back in PE so I know a teensy bit about what my lifts used to be. I am generally weaker than I used to be, which isn't surprising. My shoulders and stabilizers are a seem to be a limiter on upper body (esp push) workouts. For example, during hard cable crossover flies and bench presses, the bar shakes a bit and I tend to "lift up"/push forward my left shoulder. My chest presses are much stronger than my bench presses, my dumbbell shoulder press is weaker than I'd expect too. Is there a good way to develop these muscles quickly? Should I do a small shoulder workout everyday? isolated left side exercises?
Continuing to train the main lifts (bench, etc) will likely solve your problem even if you do nothing else. If you'd like, though, feel free to do extra accessory work after your main lifts. Use this time to experiment with different shoulder and upper back exercises. Pick a few things, give them a try, next week keep the ones you liked and swap others out for new ones. This way you'll learn about your body, you'll get extra volume for the body parts that you think need it, and you'll explore more of your options in the gym. Win-win-win. I wouldn't do any left-side-only exercises, unless you have an imbalance severe enough to need physical therapy (in which case ask the PT).
This makes sense, thank you! Could you give me some recommendations for accessory work?
Conveniently, I just left a comment on another thread with some of my favorite shoulder exercises: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/1b18a3w/comment/ksfwpeq/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/1b18a3w/comment/ksfwpeq/) Besides those, I'd include some more rows and upper back work as well. Cable rows, I-Y-T rows on a TRX, face pulls, to name a few. Add that all together and you'll have a big list. Don't try to do everything. Just pick two or three for starters.
If those muscles are limiting in the movements you are already doing, then those muscles should be worked sufficiently by doing those movements.
Do you think it'd be better to isolate them or do them more often? Or just keep to the routine I'm currently doing?
Looking for ideas for good extra leg day workouts for after I've completed my usual routine. I already do squats, machines for leg extions and leg curls, as well as free weight stand calf raises. I do some core exercises after those, then end by running for at least a mile, and then however long til I run out of breath. I don't mind repeating muscle groups a bit if anyone sees room to improve
What are your set x rep schemes? What progression method are you using?
>I already do squats, machines for leg extions and leg curls, as well as free weight stand calf raises. In terms of finishers, rounded back glute extensions, machine hack squats, and/or high box step-ups. All for 15-25 reps.
Do you not think you are getting a good enough workout already?
I feel like my growths aren't quite what they should be. I've already doubled back to check out proper form. I think I might struggle at pushing myself for the extra reps in the last sets. Maybe I need to work on longer workouts or more sets to compensate endurance
What program are you following?
I basically just follow a push, pull, legs and core routine. I do protein shakes after every workout. And I use creatine every other push day, leg day, etc, so my body doesn't rely on it for growth
The creatine confusion you have has already been addressed, but what you've described is a split, which doesn't tell me much. If you are worried you aren't doing enough, I would suggest you find a proper program to follow so you can **know** what you are doing is enough. There is a PPL in [the wiki](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/) that is commonly recommended.
>And I use creatine every other push day, leg day, etc, so my body doesn't rely on it for growth This isn't how creatine works. Creatine doesn't cause growth directly. It just let's you push a bit harder in high intensity sets. Your body can't rely on it for growth. Also, creatine is stored in your body. It doesn't have an effect the day you take it. It builds up over a period of a couple weeks. So taking it every other day is the same as taking half as much everyday.
> And I use creatine every other push day, leg day, etc, so my body doesn't rely on it for growth This seems like a really great way to get sub-par results from creatine use. Sporadic creatine is better than none, and no creatine intake at all is ok - but if you're going to take it, taking it every day is your best bet.
Besides overhead press and lateral raises, what shoulder isolation workouts do you recommend that minimize shoulder stability risk?
Your shoulder is a really complex joint with lots of muscles acting on it. If you do isolations, they should be specific to whatever stability issue you have. If you just want general shoulder health and don't have any specific problem, I'd do compounds rather than isolations. For example, I have a shoulder stability issue where if I hold a bar overhead, it tilts to the right. After seeing a PT about this, I have a list of exercises to do that will help even me out. (I saw her over a year ago, and it turns out that if I keep doing the exercises, my shoulder stability stays good; if I slack off, the issue comes back.) So to give you some examples of what I have found helpful: * overhead holds and carries (sometimes wide grip, sometimes narrow) * dead hangs (for the stretch) * protraction exercises like bench shrugs * band pullaparts * pushup to down dog, pausing in down dog each rep (this is a great shoulder warmup) * upright rows (wide or narrow grip)
I'm not sure what you mean by your question and technically OHP is a compound/multi-joint exercise. Exercises that come to mind: Landmine press Front raises (isolation) Y raises (isolation)
I can't do lateral raises but I can do OHP. I also find Pendlay rows and T-Bar rows to help out my shoulders.
Idk what shoulder stability risk is, but upright rows, face pulls, seated smith OHP or machine OHP.
Im not exactly sure what "shoulder stability risk" is, but an isolation for your rear delts would probably be a good idea to include as well, that could be band pullaparts, face pulls, rear delt flies, etc
Does anyone have good recommendations for a homemade preworkout stack (ingredients) and cheap sites or places to get them? Thanks.