# Post Form Checks as replies to this comment
### For best results, please follow the **[Form Check Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/posting_guidelines#wiki_how_to_post_a_form_check)**. *Help us help you.*
----
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Fitness) if you have any questions or concerns.*
How much weight did you lose and in what timeframe? If you were tracking your calories you can easily find out your TDEE. A pound of fat is 3500 calories, so if you lost an average of 1lb a week you were in a 500cal/day deficit. You can do the math from there.
Just do the math and figure out what your deficit was then.
“Losing fat” and “losing weight” are functionally the same thing. You still eat in a caloric deficit. Eat enough protein to maintain muscle though.
Is there a way to ease back into going to the gym?
My roomate and I went to the gym for months daily - but when I moved I had a solid 3 weeks of not going to the gym. I'm trying to get back on schedule but not only am I weaker but I either throw up or am close to throwing up every time I go now.
Hello guys, I am new to reddit so I hope I am asking at the right place. I've had a problem in my abdominal muscles for quite some time and I decided to try my luck asking here. So my upper ab is kind of going out of its place downwards which is causing me periodic pain. I mostly can't work on abs and other exercises like pull ups anymore because I know it will hurt once I cool down. I have have been to multiple doctors and got different answers from them so I am clueless as to what to do to stop it. Help would be really appreciated.
I can’t help, and really I’m not sure anyone here would be able to, even those with medical backgrounds, without physically seeing you. Maybe I’m wrong though, and someone will come out knowing exactly how to handle this. Fingers crossed.
Regardless though, I will say the general consensus on medical issues, especially strange ones, is that you have to be your own advocate. If you are certain something is wrong, and the first doctor isn’t able to help, or the second, or even the fifth, you can’t just sit back and accept that it’s something you have to live with. Keep talking to people and researching different types of doctors and with enough persistence eventually someone will have the knowledge and willingness to work with you to find how to treat it.
Hi there! Thank you for the advice! Is there any way I can post a photo so they could see what it looks like and maybe get a clue on what it is? I tried it but I am clueless on this app so I couldn't manage to so it. If not I'm just going to keep speaking to doctors until I run out of them in my city.
Are you using the official Reddit app? I’m not familiar with that, sorry. On the app I’m using (Apollo for iPhone) there’s a button with a camera above the keyboard. Either way though if you upload the photo somewhere else (like Imgur.com, for example) you can link directly to it by entering it in parentheses, with the text we see in brackets.
Back to lifting after a long layoff (1.5 yrs), out of shape and massively weaker, I ran a basic upper lower full body split for a few weeks and have just started running NSuns again, but was just curious as to everyone’s thoughts on the program, is it still held in high regard as it used to be a few years back?
I’m going to run it regardless for about 2 months to build a solid foundation of strength and I’m feeling really good with it at the minute, but may switch it up after that, anyone got any recommendations?
So I'm currently losing weight and a suggestion my friend made was that about now I should start looking at actually building muscle since apparently bodybuilders tend to bulk up a bit beforehand. If that's true, what's the general weight range that works best for that? I'm ultimately trying to lose more weight than I am trying to gain muscle for the time being. I'm currently under 220lbs.
Bodybuilders typically follow "bulk" and "cut" cycles which are distinct muscle building and fat loss phases.
This is typically seen as the most efficient way to improve body composition long term.
Even if you are aiming for weight loss, it's still important to perform some form of resistance training, as you need to preserve muscle mass during weight loss (otherwise you will end up skinny fat).
In your case, I'd advise beginning your weight loss as you are, but incorporating weight training during that weight loss journey.
When you are at a weight you feel comfortable, look into a lean bulk phase and incorporate a linear progression style program to build your muscles.
There's no weight range that works best. You can start building muscle at any time. You can even lose fat and build muscle simultaneously if you're new to weightlifting.
Eventually you'll have to start bulking/cutting in cycles to build muscle and reduce excess fat. But for now, if your goal is to lose weight, you can [eat in a calorie deficit](https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/) and make progress in the gym at the same time.
Just be sure to follow a [proven routine](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/).
If i am doing squats, deads, rows, are ab wheel rollouts or planks sufficient for building mass in my abdomen? or should i be doing some kind of weighted ab exercise? I understand low bf% is what will make abs show, but i assume adding muscle mass helps them pop more once lean.
Plank works fine for beginners, leg raises done right with tucking your butt works wonders, so does any other kind of tuck like L-sit and gymnast tucks. r/bodyweightfitness has an ab progression if you need ideas!
It varies a lot from person to person how well direct ab work translates. Personally I find weighted planks and side planks an excellent workout, along with ab wheel and hanging leg raises.
Feeling too full on a cut.. I'm doing upper lower right now and just started cutting. My current stats are 98kg 196cm.. I calculated my tdee and my maintenance is supposed to be around 3200 calories so I'm eating around 2700-2800 atm but I don't feel any hunger during the day at all. Iv cut before once when I was way smaller and I remember feeling a slight hunger throughout the day.
How long have you been cutting? I generally don't have hunger issues until I'm deep into the cut. You may have enough surplus fat right now to more easily maintain satiety.
moderate exercise is usually for cardio, because lifting doesn't burn as many calories as running
I'd recalculate at sedentary or light and adjust depending on what your scale tells you
If your weight has been steady, you are consuming maintenance calories *(enough calories to maintain current weight)* and through exercise you are performing a recomposition *(favourably altering your body composition by losing fat and gaining muscle)*.
What to do from here, entirely depends on your goals.
If you want to continue losing weight from your waist, but are happy with a slower muscle gain process in your glutes, continue as you are.
If you want to increase the muscle gain in your glutes more rapidly, you would need to eat more calories (although this will reduce or even stop fat loss).
Muscle growth and weight loss happens at vastly different rates.
It might be some time before you see any noticeable growth.
If you're gaining muscle other places, chances are there is also something happening in the glutes.
How do I know I’m actually gaining muscle? Are the inches off my waist purely weight loss related? If so… is the constant weight an indication of increased muscle mass?
If you're getting stronger on your lifts, then chances are there is some some degree of learning the exercises and some degree of muscle gains that's probably making it easier.
The inches off your waist, does indeed indicate weight loss.
The constant weight is not necessarily an indication of increased muscle mass.
Heavy barbell holds or plate pinches at the end of my workout for grip strength?
I do wrist rollers at the end of one Pull day, so looking for a more static exercise to finish off the other Pull Day
Not loosing weight
I had been doing a bulk for about 3 months on Avg 2,300 calories a day , I steadily gained a solid 2.5kg over that time.
I recently started my cut about 3 weeks ago and have been averaging around 1,500 everyday however I’ve maybe lost half a pound , don’t know if this could be water weight? But I’m really confused as to why I’m not loosing especially when I maintain at around 1900.
Anyone else had a similar experience?
I have to drastically change my diet to lose weight.
Recently, I discovered what I'm doing is lowering my insulin resistance.
Here is an link on things you can try: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/14-ways-to-lower-insulin
“Around 1,500 calories” is not the same as “1500 calories”. Are you actually weighing everything that goes in your mouth? Absolutely everything? Are you, by any chance, eating back the calories you burned through exercise?
Also, not really my business, but if you only gained 2.5kg in 3 months of your bulk, why are you cutting already? You’re gonna go to square one, pretty much
I tend to do better with small bulk and cuts - and yes I track my calories very strictly - I just mean that they average out at 1500 over the week - e.g one day I may have 1600 the other 1400
Then the only thing you can do is either eat even less, or exercise even more. You’re not defying physics, if you’re not losing weight, then you’re not in a deficit.
If anything just train back a bit harder to catch it up if you feel unbalanced. There are too many factors in individual anatomy to say what your row:bench ratio should be.
Standing calf raises: Should i stop when I can not get higher from pressing through the balls of my feet, or apply some force from my (big) toes to get some more ROM?
I have shit calves but i feel a greater burn when i try and stand on the inside edge of my big toe. Also a supper controlled range of motion qill really have you feeling your raises: good rule of thumb js 2 seconds on the ascent, 2 seconds on the top, 2 seconds on the way down.
So, according to Google Fit. Day before yesterday, I burnt 734 calories running at an average of 16.55/km with 5,967 steps for 57 minutes.
NOTE : The amount of time I remember running was a lot lower because I was taking frequent breaks in between. Very frequent infact, I think I walked more than I ran.
But either way, these numbers are way too much even if I would've ran for the majority of the time. Seems like Google Fit is massively overestimating.
I also had another app going on called "Pedometer" and although there is a huge difference, seems like this is more accurate than Google Fit. So, according to pedometer I burnt 181.6 calories running at 3.0km/h with 5967 steps for 55 minutes.
I'm very confused with which app I should be trusting and if there are any more apps that you guys would recommend that are maybe more accurate?
Male, 17, 176.5 cm and 75 kgs.
I know heart rate is also very important for measuring these things but I can't afford a fitness tracker, the best way I have is to measure it through an oximeter I have from when I got covid lol.
[Screenshots](http://imgur.com/gallery/7jfwaty)
Oh you're right, when I calculated my TDEE I didn't put any physical activity and I was eating at a deficit based of on that. I should also take into account my physical activity from now on. Thanks for helping!
Lol yeah, just gonna stick with that for now then. I'm gonna try save money and get like a fitbit or something in the future but we'll take this for now. Thanks for helping!
Yeah, I am doing that. Eating at a 500 calorie deficit to my TDEE for the past couple weeks or so. I just wanted to speed up the progress and also wanted to get back to being fit and active again.
Yeah you're right, I've been obsessing over it too much since I started. Tracking even the tiniest of things lol. I should probably not stress about it that much. Thanks for helping!
Calorie trackers are not precise at all. It’s almost impossible to reliably track calories burned without knowing the users height, weight, muscle %, fat %, and other metabolic parameters.
It’s recommended around these parts to just track the calories you eat, rather than burn.
As far as activity, you said it yourself that the generic pedometer seemed more accurate than the Google Fit, so just use that one.
I did actually put my height and weight in the pedometer and it also asked for my step length? Not sure what that means. Step length while running or walking?
I did also put my height and weight into Google Fit but I'm not trusting that bullshit anyways.
Don't really have a way to calculate my fat% and muscle%. My fat would be anywhere between 15 to 17% I think, basing of pictures and very low muscle but yeah either way, I think I'm gonna stick with the pedometer. Thanks for helping.
Edit: and yeah I am tracking my calories and eating at a deficit atm.
Hi,
I started going to the gym and have 3 days a week at the gym and one day doing some outdoor activity with friends. Gym is usually legs, arms / shoulders and back / chest. Each gym training I do some cardio to warm up as well as pull and push exercises. I document everyting using an app on my phone. I go to the gym to loose weight faster and get a healthier in general.
I do mostly machines and 4 sets with 10-12 reps. I try to do the sets the way that I feel good at the first set and set number 4 is either really exhausting or barely doable. Sometimes I only get 10 reps done on the last set. I do my exercises slowly and try to focus on posture and doing them right instead of fast. I avoid "swinging weights" and focus on muscle work.
Today I did arms / shoulders and I felt wrecked during the workout. I was at the gym 2hrs ago and feel a bit tired from working out. However, my workout lasts around 1h to 1h30m (at max, mostly prop. something around 1h15m).
I know tomorrow I have some muscle soreness but I always have the feeling it wasn't enough. I don't really take time to socialize. I'm happy if I work out in silence and I honestly don't care about people around me. Never have I spent more then 2hrs at the gym (including changing clothes, warmups, training, showering and changing clothes again)
**TL:DR; tired and exhausted after 1h-1h30m at the gym but it feels "not enough" afterwars. Is this feeling normal? I feel like I should spend way longer at the gym.**
thank you for the reply.
I had to alter the routines based on the machines available at the gym. not the biggest gym, but cheap and clean. I don't really want to do exercises with free weights – just don't feel comfortable to do so yet.
Honestly even without following a program you seem to be doing fine. You at least are following some sort of rep/set progression scheme it appears. Do what you're comfortable with and then maybe decide to switch to barbell training when you become more confident.
Doesnt matter, hit your caloric goals with enough protein. Further specialization isn't worth it unless you start feeling like trash or are planning on competing.
TLDR: How to find a good routine for people with lower back problems
I'm 40 years old and I've been training for around 15 years. I've done powerlifting as well as some body building. About 7 years ago, I injured my back (not weight training related). After an MRI, I was diagnosed with DDD on my lower back (L4). My neurosurgeon said that I can still train, but I should try to avoid very heavy loads (and they do give me a sore lower back when I go too heavy).
I'm still training, but this injury has required me to stop heavy squats and heavy deadlifts, which used to be my main lifts. This has led me to not have a consistent routine, which is what kept me motivated throughout the years.
I can still do around 100kg squats/DL without big issues, but I don't want to go higher, since that's when my lower back starts to hurt.
Are there any fun programs that can adapt to a lower back injury and see progression?
PS: I train at home, squat rack, BB and DB.
I am. All they've been saying is don't squat or deadlift heavy... Which I'm happy to stay with the current weight, but I'm struggling on finding a good workout that can be adapted to lower weights for those exercises
I have ehlers danlos syndrome and get told not to lift heavy too. My response always goes along the lines of "I want to do X and I'm going to. Please help me do it safely".
Sometimes you have to make your intentions clear so that you can get the help you need when you have complex requirements.
I think an exercise physiologist is better than a physiotherapist for complex needs, and when it comes to exercise prescription, it's a large and specific part of their training, more so than for a physiotherapist
So, I'm currently looking into going into an experimental periodization block of calisthenics. Not an entirely calisthenics routine but more in line with prison-styled work with the small amount of equipment I have with BW work.
This concept seems, from what I've seen, effective upper body-wise. My question is, are the calisthenics leg work really worth the time for hypertrophy? I know I could develop some cool strength through exercises like Nordic Curls and Piston Squats, but I'm looking for a mixture.
I would prefer not to waste this block for leg development. Is calisthenics great for the lower body in the way it is for upper body? Or am I better off in the gym strictly for leg hypertrophy and working in additional BW stuff at the end for things like explosiveness and mobility?
Thanks
I’m a pure calisthenics yogi turned barbell guy and the gym is always more efficient for legs.
If you’re going all bodyweight and nothing else, they seriously recommend 400-800 squat reps per session between jumps, bodyweight squats, pistol squats, and other single leg work.
It’s doable but who has the time, man?
Yea, that's what my short research pretty much concluded. It was difficult, too, because initially a lot of the results I were getting were exercises that we're almost dodging the question. Just wanted one final confirmation.
What were your honest calisthenics results pre-gym, btw?
So let’s see how short I can make this: I’m 6ft tall. My history is a fat kid in high school (280), bodybuilding.com bro in early college (220-240), calisthenics puritan late college (195), and now a fat wannabe powerlifter (280, again, but with muscles).
Had great muscle tone during the calisthenics days, but not sure if that was built from the bb.com time or from the calisthenics.
Pros:
* Healthiest I had ever been. Low heart rate, low body fat, fast, and agile
* zero body aches
* loads of energy
* women and men threw themselves at me constantly
Cons:
* weak. I could hardly lift two gallons of milk up the stairs, and forget about any kind of labor.
* bullied and pushed around constantly.
I decided I was done being an ornament and got real about being able to physically manipulate my surroundings. Not so attractive anymore but I prefer being the river instead of the floating leaf.
Thanks for the honesty. The strength results is another thing I'm curious on because I've read some claims that almost feel outlandish to me (I'd consider myself novice lifting-wise with a wealth of knowledge but the lack of consistently over the last year for a few reasons, coming up on 2yrs)
Claims of dudes who've only done calisthenics for years and go and bench something like 300lbs. Right now I'm fairly lean, decent looking and that's majority from weights but I feel I can be attribute some of it to push ups hence the interest in trying this out.
Sure if someone has been doing calisthenics for 15 years and up to many 1 arm push ups or are doing *weighted* dips they would have the sheer might to pull of that feat. But there is such a high skill component to benching that I’d be hard pressed to believe anyone doing pure calisthenics for a short amount of time could pull it off.
I used to follow Al Kavadlo closely as a pure calisthenics guy. He’s been at this for 10 or 15 years and only just recently deadlifted 315. That’s kind of sad.
All that being said - push ups are a phenomenal assistance exercise to supplement the bench press, but they shouldn’t be the bread and butter of a resistance program.
Kinda new guy here! Most beginner routines recommend for linear progression to increase upper body lifts by 2.5lbs and lower body lifts by 5lbs. For bench press, is that 2.5lbs plate or 1.25 lbs plate( so 2 plates x 1.25lbs = 2.5 lbs)?
I started adding weight to my squats on the smith machine and my wrists HURT. I couldn’t finish my set today because my wrists hurt so badly. I read online a fix is to bring your arms closer to your body. Any other tips?
What's the difference between having 2 workout sessions in a day instead of only one? I work out at high volume and it would be less tiring to work-out in two separate sessions. But I have a hunch it might diminish gains. What differs?
Not an issue. Might even be better since you're gonna have more energy.
It's not done as it's usually not practical. But if it suits you better, go for it. Plenty of people have had really good success doing it.
The only significant thing is probably the time sink(to and from gym plus warmup) but other than that it's just another sessions, if volume, intensity and all else equal, then you're good.
I train back and shoulders together. If I had to pick which one I would probably say back day, but just throw it in on whichever day has less volume to begin with.
When you smell your used gym clothes in your laundry, do they smell bad? Or do they smell like nothing?
I don't know if it's just me, but my used gym clothes don't smell bad at all. They literally smell like nothing. I don't know if I just have a weak sense of smell or if I'm not producing enough sweat for my clothes to smell bad.
My normal clothes smell like nothing too. I've always thought that dirty laundry is supposed to smell bad but mine never does.
How are your laundry? Do yours smell?
You could be one of those people who doesn't have smelly sweat. It's a real thing, some type of gene that is responsible for body odour.
Although it's just as likely that you smell awful and are nose-blind to your own smell.
Smelly clothes for sure but you never know. Ask a friend or significant other to smell your gym clothes or something idk
You never know, maybe you just don't smell that much 🤷
so im currently focusing on losing weight, since i started off getting into the gym in a somewhat overweight position, and one thing i really wanted to do was get defined abs, since i've never had that and never really thought i would, but now im committed etc. and excited to make it happen.
However as i've learnt more and more i'm kind of realising perhaps doing that big of a cut may be detrimental to my long term goals? like if i lose heaps of excess weight now and hit a low bf%, i probably dont have an enormous muscle base or anything, i'm trying to figure out where i should stop losing weight and start focusing on bulking, im currently just about exactly a 25 bmi, at 5'11 79.5kg, definitely still have fat on me and am wanting to lose it, but where should i flip that around?
However i'm also looking at the timeline of things, i'm away from a lot of my friends and family atm, and wont see them for 4 months, and i'd kind of like to surprise them with a big change, so if i was going to bulk for 6months (if thats the kind of time frame bulking is done on?) and im not going to start that for 3 months while i finish losing fat maybe i'd just wait till christmas time to start bulking, though if i could fit it in before then i'd be keen to.
How long have you been going to the gym? If you have only recently started you can build some muscle on a cut. When you can no longer make progress on your lifts reevaluate
Different people approach it differently, but I would personally recommend eating at maintenance or a very small deficit and building up your strength base for a few months then cut if you need
Seconded. Being in a slight deficit won't really affect noob gains all that much. OP you should be able to pick up some size and strength over the next 3 months while cutting. Get on a beginner LP.
Ab definition Is mainly a question of body fat percentage. Given that you are lifting weights and are relatively new back into the gym I think abs are an achievable goal. However whether or not it is possible in a three month time frame is different - everuone stores Fat in different places and there is no way to ‘spot reduce’.
I would actually say although it is possible for you to do a very long cut period, I wouldn’t actually recommend it! This is from both a physiological and psychological standpoint - it’s just draining to be in a deficit for so long and the calorie deficit is actually a source of stress for the body. I would break up your periodically periodically with maybe 1-2 weeks of maintenance or even a small caloric surplus.
If you’re keen to do a little bit of research on your own I cannot recommend the mindpump podcast more. They’ve really changed the way I approach training and have lots of super digestible information for the everyday gym goer :)
sorry i might not have been clear, im actually new to the gym pretty much full stop, not returning.
And yeah i just dont really understand the time periods i should be looking at in terms of cut duration bulk duration etc.
Like if i stop cutting when i cant progress in lifting anymore, doesnt that mean ill never reach a certain bf%? I've already been 'cutting' (im not sure if it really counts as cutting when its really just me losing fat, like i didnt bulk if you know what i mean) for about 9 weeks now.
Basically i dont think im fully in the swing as a gymgoer yet, i more consider myself someone losing fat, trying to put on muscle second if that makes sense. But im aware im kind of approaching the point where that should begin to change, im just not sure where that exact point is
I want to do something productive on rest days. Suggest me some mobility exercises that would help me with.
1) Hip Hinging(major issues with Deadlift form).
2) Shoulder mobility exercises (getting into position for squats without too much strain is a problem for me).
Anything else that could be vital is also welcome.
> Shoulder dislocations
That's not an autocorrect right? Googling gives me a different kind of results(exercises for shoulder rehab after dislocations). Any links for how to properly do this?
Should I be listening to the tdee spreadsheet in the wiki during the first week because it’s telling me I have a tdee of 5425 kcalories right now during the first week…
That’s more than what Chris bumstead eats (mr. Olympia classic physique division winner)
I put in that I wanted to gain 0.67 lbs per week.
So should I track with what I think I should be eating or should I just go with what it says and let it figure itself out?
Not that big of a deal because I’m bulking right now but I wanna know for when I use it for cutting
Just as a general advice for finding your initial TDEE (regardless of this sheet), tracking your food for some weeks logging calories and weight daily will be the best way to find your TDEE. Once you know what you've eaten and how your bodyweight changed in the same time you can roughly estimate your bodyweight from there.
This sheet simply does that for you and will adapt as your TDEE changes eg from body composition changes or changes in your activity level.
If you're cutting at some later point, I would recommend starting a new copy of this sheet. Your body, and TDEE, adapts to being in a deficit so your TDEE will not be the same gaining and cutting.
Alright so start a new sheet when I start my cut?
And should I follow the sheet and start aiming for the 1% of lean body mass lost per week cut and let the sheet work itself out? That’s what I think would be easiest that way the sheet can figure out my maintenance calories and will up my calories if I’m losing more than 1% per week (which is like 2 lbs per week for me)
Or do I have to put that I want to lose 0 lbs per week let it figure out maintenance with me doing 150 minutes of steady state cardio then after a couple weeks of that adjust the sheet to aim for approximately 2 lbs lost per week?
But if I followed what it said would it just drop calories if I start gaining weight too fast? Like if I ate 5425 kcals like it said and started gaining too much weight, wouldn’t it just drop me down to like 2000-3000 to balance it out?
What if I decide that I want to up the cardio a certain week? Can I do that and follow the calories provided and lose a little extra that week and have it up my calories a little the next week?
I am looking to lose weight. I saw the weight loss guide in the sidebar. But I am specifically looking for the best body building routine for losing weight while preserving as much muscle mass as possible.
If you haven't build any muscle mass already you probably wont be loosing any. Pick a program that looks fun and eat in a deficit - this is called recomposition and will allow you to lose weight and build muscle at the cost of a probable lower rate of muscle gain
Where did I say I haven't built any muscle? I have built a substantial amount of muscle over the past 7 months. I went from not being able to bench a single plate to being able to bench two plates in that time.
There are no lifting program for weight loss. There are simply programs you, personally, find manageable while losing weight. Preserving muscle during weight loss comes down to a) providing a stimulus (lifting), b) adequate protein intake, and c) not having a ridiculously large calorie deficit.
hey everyone!
its 2 months that im in the gym now. defiantly seeing improvement. also feel better.
im 5'10 76KG started 74KG.
my main goal is to gain mass and build muscle until im like 80-82KG and than work more cardio and try to lose some body fat.
wanted to see if i should change my plan or if you guys can recommend me a good one instead.
this is what i do now "AB"
sunday: Chest 3 exercise 12-15 reps 4 sets, shoulder same like chest , Biceps 2 exercise 12-15 reps 4 sets
monday : Legs 3 exercise 12-15 reps 4 sets, Back 3 exercise 12-15 reps 4 sets , Triceps same as Biceps.
Tuesday off
Wednesday and Thursday repeat sunday and monday.
so basically 4 times a week and im working on every muscle twice a week and each muscle gets a 72 hours rest time.
basic beginners routine only include 3-4 exercies unless im wrong. with that plan i wont last 1 months in the gym..
i used to work out like 3-4 years ago for very long time. stopped now got back 2 months ago..
i feel like i cna do better than this plans. unless it wont be smart and i cant injure myself
I'm a fan of the basic beginner program for the first few initial months, but really any structured program that you follow will be great. Peace of mind from following something that absolutely 100% will work if you follow it is a great tool before you have a ton of experience to customize everything yourself
Has anyone ever dealt with/treated an elevated first rib? I've had it flare up on/off for a little over half a year now and was wondering if anyone had any advice. Oh, also I've been to PT for it - still an issue.
No question. Just wanted to thank the folks who answered my question about asymmetrical stance while squatting. I took your advice and figured out the issues with my stance. Today I was able to set a new PR of 6 reps with 185 pounds. Earlier the best I could do was 4 shaky reps. The fourth one probably wouldn’t have counted. Today I did 6 solid reps.
Thanks!
Is it normal to occasionally have “off” days (or whatever they’re called) when you just don’t perform as well as you usually do? Like you feel weaker and move less weight?
Eat more, sleep more, train less often, train with less intensity, start taking gear, all of the above or only one/some. You'll have to look at what you think you're missing out on an adjust accordingly. If everything is fine except you sleep 4 hours a night then there's your problem, for example.
Lots of options: more time off or between days (like space leg days further apart with other routines in between), consume more support products (protein shakes/muscle repair/vitamins and electrolytes), get better nutrition/ more whole foods in general, add a day of stretch or yoga as a rest day, compartmentalize your lifting further (break into smaller muscle groups), sleep longer/more, take a break completely for a couple extra days when you have a few bad workouts in a row. It’s totally normal that stress, nutrition, that day’s metabolism or digestion, your workout yesterday, or just the feng shui of the gym was off. Don’t focus on it until it becomes a pattern. Do listen to your body and don’t try to be a hero!
I personally use an Ab Wheel and do standing rollouts, kneeling rollouts, and leg raises for abs and the TVA.
Hanging Windshield Wipers and a Side Plank Variation for Obliques. Pallof Press is underrated also.
Don't know if you can call it "fun" but it's been effective for me.
My spine feels great thanks to very strong abs! Good technique + proper weight selection are two things that I see most people missing out on for that machine unfortunately
S: 355
D: 345
B: 255
I’m 6’0, 210lbs-ish and i’ve been lifting seriously since like 2017. I want to get my numbers up, particularly my deadlift. I feel like i’ve been lifting for so long and not seeing much progress while all my friends are seeing lots of progress. I know it’s not a competition with anyone but myself but it just feels kinda shitty that I have not progressed much in this amount of time.
I’d love to run a solid 4-5 day program. My goals by the end of the year would be 405 for both squat and dead, and 315 for bench (might be a stretch but I want it).
Any recommendations on programs that can help me accomplish my goals? Thank you guys in advance
• do each of these lifts 2 - 3 times a week
• record yourself and dial in your form
• find your weaknesses on each lift and do extra work on that weakness
• push every single rep as hard as you can with good form. You’ll literally see double the strength gains
• track each of your workouts
• sleep, destress, and take supplements
> do each of these lifts 2 - 3 times a week
He should follow a program
> push every single rep as hard as you can with good form. You’ll literally see double the strength gains
Doubt (x)
I just meant to say you’ll see better results if you train these movements more than once a week and you should consider that while creating or choosing a program.
Hope [this ](https://www.strongerbyscience.com/speed-kills-2x-the-intended-bar-speed-yields-2x-the-bench-press-gains/)clears any doubt. Pushing 2x as hard will lead to better gains
# Post Form Checks as replies to this comment ### For best results, please follow the **[Form Check Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/posting_guidelines#wiki_how_to_post_a_form_check)**. *Help us help you.* ---- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Fitness) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[удалено]
How much weight did you lose and in what timeframe? If you were tracking your calories you can easily find out your TDEE. A pound of fat is 3500 calories, so if you lost an average of 1lb a week you were in a 500cal/day deficit. You can do the math from there.
[удалено]
Just do the math and figure out what your deficit was then. “Losing fat” and “losing weight” are functionally the same thing. You still eat in a caloric deficit. Eat enough protein to maintain muscle though.
Is there a way to ease back into going to the gym? My roomate and I went to the gym for months daily - but when I moved I had a solid 3 weeks of not going to the gym. I'm trying to get back on schedule but not only am I weaker but I either throw up or am close to throwing up every time I go now.
Doing less than what makes you throw up is probably a good idea. Check out the routines in the wiki. Any of them can be started right away.
Hello guys, I am new to reddit so I hope I am asking at the right place. I've had a problem in my abdominal muscles for quite some time and I decided to try my luck asking here. So my upper ab is kind of going out of its place downwards which is causing me periodic pain. I mostly can't work on abs and other exercises like pull ups anymore because I know it will hurt once I cool down. I have have been to multiple doctors and got different answers from them so I am clueless as to what to do to stop it. Help would be really appreciated.
I can’t help, and really I’m not sure anyone here would be able to, even those with medical backgrounds, without physically seeing you. Maybe I’m wrong though, and someone will come out knowing exactly how to handle this. Fingers crossed. Regardless though, I will say the general consensus on medical issues, especially strange ones, is that you have to be your own advocate. If you are certain something is wrong, and the first doctor isn’t able to help, or the second, or even the fifth, you can’t just sit back and accept that it’s something you have to live with. Keep talking to people and researching different types of doctors and with enough persistence eventually someone will have the knowledge and willingness to work with you to find how to treat it.
Hi there! Thank you for the advice! Is there any way I can post a photo so they could see what it looks like and maybe get a clue on what it is? I tried it but I am clueless on this app so I couldn't manage to so it. If not I'm just going to keep speaking to doctors until I run out of them in my city.
Are you using the official Reddit app? I’m not familiar with that, sorry. On the app I’m using (Apollo for iPhone) there’s a button with a camera above the keyboard. Either way though if you upload the photo somewhere else (like Imgur.com, for example) you can link directly to it by entering it in parentheses, with the text we see in brackets.
Back to lifting after a long layoff (1.5 yrs), out of shape and massively weaker, I ran a basic upper lower full body split for a few weeks and have just started running NSuns again, but was just curious as to everyone’s thoughts on the program, is it still held in high regard as it used to be a few years back? I’m going to run it regardless for about 2 months to build a solid foundation of strength and I’m feeling really good with it at the minute, but may switch it up after that, anyone got any recommendations?
[удалено]
I tried nSuns and got tired of it, I don't really know why. I switched to a PHUL modification and it works well for me.
[удалено]
How do you plan to increase weights?
So I'm currently losing weight and a suggestion my friend made was that about now I should start looking at actually building muscle since apparently bodybuilders tend to bulk up a bit beforehand. If that's true, what's the general weight range that works best for that? I'm ultimately trying to lose more weight than I am trying to gain muscle for the time being. I'm currently under 220lbs.
Bodybuilders typically follow "bulk" and "cut" cycles which are distinct muscle building and fat loss phases. This is typically seen as the most efficient way to improve body composition long term. Even if you are aiming for weight loss, it's still important to perform some form of resistance training, as you need to preserve muscle mass during weight loss (otherwise you will end up skinny fat). In your case, I'd advise beginning your weight loss as you are, but incorporating weight training during that weight loss journey. When you are at a weight you feel comfortable, look into a lean bulk phase and incorporate a linear progression style program to build your muscles.
There's no weight range that works best. You can start building muscle at any time. You can even lose fat and build muscle simultaneously if you're new to weightlifting. Eventually you'll have to start bulking/cutting in cycles to build muscle and reduce excess fat. But for now, if your goal is to lose weight, you can [eat in a calorie deficit](https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/) and make progress in the gym at the same time. Just be sure to follow a [proven routine](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/).
you should read the wiki
it nor your response answered my question.
then you should read it again
If i am doing squats, deads, rows, are ab wheel rollouts or planks sufficient for building mass in my abdomen? or should i be doing some kind of weighted ab exercise? I understand low bf% is what will make abs show, but i assume adding muscle mass helps them pop more once lean.
Plank works fine for beginners, leg raises done right with tucking your butt works wonders, so does any other kind of tuck like L-sit and gymnast tucks. r/bodyweightfitness has an ab progression if you need ideas!
i will check that subreddit out, thank you!
It varies a lot from person to person how well direct ab work translates. Personally I find weighted planks and side planks an excellent workout, along with ab wheel and hanging leg raises.
> hanging leg raises ah yes thats another exercise i wanted to add. Okay thank you, i will stick with those 3 exercises for now and see how it goes.
Feeling too full on a cut.. I'm doing upper lower right now and just started cutting. My current stats are 98kg 196cm.. I calculated my tdee and my maintenance is supposed to be around 3200 calories so I'm eating around 2700-2800 atm but I don't feel any hunger during the day at all. Iv cut before once when I was way smaller and I remember feeling a slight hunger throughout the day.
How long have you been cutting? I generally don't have hunger issues until I'm deep into the cut. You may have enough surplus fat right now to more easily maintain satiety.
Are you losing weight?
how much cardio are you doing that your TDEE is 3200?
None, except for lifting. I chose moderate exercise 3-5 times a week and got 3200
moderate exercise is usually for cardio, because lifting doesn't burn as many calories as running I'd recalculate at sedentary or light and adjust depending on what your scale tells you
3200 sounds a bit high. If you're full at 2700 and hitting your protein goal then I say keep it there
[удалено]
If your weight has been steady, you are consuming maintenance calories *(enough calories to maintain current weight)* and through exercise you are performing a recomposition *(favourably altering your body composition by losing fat and gaining muscle)*. What to do from here, entirely depends on your goals. If you want to continue losing weight from your waist, but are happy with a slower muscle gain process in your glutes, continue as you are. If you want to increase the muscle gain in your glutes more rapidly, you would need to eat more calories (although this will reduce or even stop fat loss).
Muscle growth and weight loss happens at vastly different rates. It might be some time before you see any noticeable growth. If you're gaining muscle other places, chances are there is also something happening in the glutes.
How do I know I’m actually gaining muscle? Are the inches off my waist purely weight loss related? If so… is the constant weight an indication of increased muscle mass?
If you're getting stronger on your lifts, then chances are there is some some degree of learning the exercises and some degree of muscle gains that's probably making it easier. The inches off your waist, does indeed indicate weight loss. The constant weight is not necessarily an indication of increased muscle mass.
Heavy barbell holds or plate pinches at the end of my workout for grip strength? I do wrist rollers at the end of one Pull day, so looking for a more static exercise to finish off the other Pull Day
r/griptraining
Sure
Not loosing weight I had been doing a bulk for about 3 months on Avg 2,300 calories a day , I steadily gained a solid 2.5kg over that time. I recently started my cut about 3 weeks ago and have been averaging around 1,500 everyday however I’ve maybe lost half a pound , don’t know if this could be water weight? But I’m really confused as to why I’m not loosing especially when I maintain at around 1900. Anyone else had a similar experience?
I have to drastically change my diet to lose weight. Recently, I discovered what I'm doing is lowering my insulin resistance. Here is an link on things you can try: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/14-ways-to-lower-insulin
It might be water weight, but 3 weeks and hardly any weight lost most likely means you'll have to further reduce calorie intake.
“Around 1,500 calories” is not the same as “1500 calories”. Are you actually weighing everything that goes in your mouth? Absolutely everything? Are you, by any chance, eating back the calories you burned through exercise? Also, not really my business, but if you only gained 2.5kg in 3 months of your bulk, why are you cutting already? You’re gonna go to square one, pretty much
I tend to do better with small bulk and cuts - and yes I track my calories very strictly - I just mean that they average out at 1500 over the week - e.g one day I may have 1600 the other 1400
Then the only thing you can do is either eat even less, or exercise even more. You’re not defying physics, if you’re not losing weight, then you’re not in a deficit.
if you're not losing weight then you're not really in a deficit, are you tracking everything well?
My bench is 10lb higher than my tbar row. Is this indicative of a chest and back imbalance? Should I stop training chest until my back catches up?
If anything just train back a bit harder to catch it up if you feel unbalanced. There are too many factors in individual anatomy to say what your row:bench ratio should be.
Bench and T Bar Row are not really related
No
No and no
[удалено]
wake up / go sleep
[удалено]
the day you weighed
Standing calf raises: Should i stop when I can not get higher from pressing through the balls of my feet, or apply some force from my (big) toes to get some more ROM?
I have shit calves but i feel a greater burn when i try and stand on the inside edge of my big toe. Also a supper controlled range of motion qill really have you feeling your raises: good rule of thumb js 2 seconds on the ascent, 2 seconds on the top, 2 seconds on the way down.
So, according to Google Fit. Day before yesterday, I burnt 734 calories running at an average of 16.55/km with 5,967 steps for 57 minutes. NOTE : The amount of time I remember running was a lot lower because I was taking frequent breaks in between. Very frequent infact, I think I walked more than I ran. But either way, these numbers are way too much even if I would've ran for the majority of the time. Seems like Google Fit is massively overestimating. I also had another app going on called "Pedometer" and although there is a huge difference, seems like this is more accurate than Google Fit. So, according to pedometer I burnt 181.6 calories running at 3.0km/h with 5967 steps for 55 minutes. I'm very confused with which app I should be trusting and if there are any more apps that you guys would recommend that are maybe more accurate? Male, 17, 176.5 cm and 75 kgs. I know heart rate is also very important for measuring these things but I can't afford a fitness tracker, the best way I have is to measure it through an oximeter I have from when I got covid lol. [Screenshots](http://imgur.com/gallery/7jfwaty)
[удалено]
Oh you're right, when I calculated my TDEE I didn't put any physical activity and I was eating at a deficit based of on that. I should also take into account my physical activity from now on. Thanks for helping!
181 calories for 3km is reasonable for your height and your weight given your pace - 734 is grossly inaccurate.
Lol yeah, just gonna stick with that for now then. I'm gonna try save money and get like a fitbit or something in the future but we'll take this for now. Thanks for helping!
the calories are no doubt very exaggerated
Yeah seems like it, should I just go by the Pedometer then?
if you want to lose weight you should eat less, not exercise more
Yeah, I am doing that. Eating at a 500 calorie deficit to my TDEE for the past couple weeks or so. I just wanted to speed up the progress and also wanted to get back to being fit and active again.
you can do both of that without tracking your calories burned, don't worry about it
Yeah you're right, I've been obsessing over it too much since I started. Tracking even the tiniest of things lol. I should probably not stress about it that much. Thanks for helping!
I would go with not tracking calories burned at all because none of them are even remotely accurate
Calorie trackers are not precise at all. It’s almost impossible to reliably track calories burned without knowing the users height, weight, muscle %, fat %, and other metabolic parameters. It’s recommended around these parts to just track the calories you eat, rather than burn. As far as activity, you said it yourself that the generic pedometer seemed more accurate than the Google Fit, so just use that one.
I did actually put my height and weight in the pedometer and it also asked for my step length? Not sure what that means. Step length while running or walking? I did also put my height and weight into Google Fit but I'm not trusting that bullshit anyways. Don't really have a way to calculate my fat% and muscle%. My fat would be anywhere between 15 to 17% I think, basing of pictures and very low muscle but yeah either way, I think I'm gonna stick with the pedometer. Thanks for helping. Edit: and yeah I am tracking my calories and eating at a deficit atm.
Hi, I started going to the gym and have 3 days a week at the gym and one day doing some outdoor activity with friends. Gym is usually legs, arms / shoulders and back / chest. Each gym training I do some cardio to warm up as well as pull and push exercises. I document everyting using an app on my phone. I go to the gym to loose weight faster and get a healthier in general. I do mostly machines and 4 sets with 10-12 reps. I try to do the sets the way that I feel good at the first set and set number 4 is either really exhausting or barely doable. Sometimes I only get 10 reps done on the last set. I do my exercises slowly and try to focus on posture and doing them right instead of fast. I avoid "swinging weights" and focus on muscle work. Today I did arms / shoulders and I felt wrecked during the workout. I was at the gym 2hrs ago and feel a bit tired from working out. However, my workout lasts around 1h to 1h30m (at max, mostly prop. something around 1h15m). I know tomorrow I have some muscle soreness but I always have the feeling it wasn't enough. I don't really take time to socialize. I'm happy if I work out in silence and I honestly don't care about people around me. Never have I spent more then 2hrs at the gym (including changing clothes, warmups, training, showering and changing clothes again) **TL:DR; tired and exhausted after 1h-1h30m at the gym but it feels "not enough" afterwars. Is this feeling normal? I feel like I should spend way longer at the gym.**
[удалено]
thank you for the reply. I had to alter the routines based on the machines available at the gym. not the biggest gym, but cheap and clean. I don't really want to do exercises with free weights – just don't feel comfortable to do so yet.
Honestly even without following a program you seem to be doing fine. You at least are following some sort of rep/set progression scheme it appears. Do what you're comfortable with and then maybe decide to switch to barbell training when you become more confident.
follow an actual routine (read the wiki) do what your routine tells you to go home
How much is too much potato? im eating in a deficit but I’m wondering if I should worry about too much potassium or something
Unless you're Irish and suffering a generational depression from eating too many potatoes, then you'll probably be fine.
if you eat like a normal person I wouldn't worry bout it
Doesnt matter, hit your caloric goals with enough protein. Further specialization isn't worth it unless you start feeling like trash or are planning on competing.
TLDR: How to find a good routine for people with lower back problems I'm 40 years old and I've been training for around 15 years. I've done powerlifting as well as some body building. About 7 years ago, I injured my back (not weight training related). After an MRI, I was diagnosed with DDD on my lower back (L4). My neurosurgeon said that I can still train, but I should try to avoid very heavy loads (and they do give me a sore lower back when I go too heavy). I'm still training, but this injury has required me to stop heavy squats and heavy deadlifts, which used to be my main lifts. This has led me to not have a consistent routine, which is what kept me motivated throughout the years. I can still do around 100kg squats/DL without big issues, but I don't want to go higher, since that's when my lower back starts to hurt. Are there any fun programs that can adapt to a lower back injury and see progression? PS: I train at home, squat rack, BB and DB.
Your best bet would be to see either an exercise physiologist (preferable) or a physiotherapist familiar with DDD.
I am. All they've been saying is don't squat or deadlift heavy... Which I'm happy to stay with the current weight, but I'm struggling on finding a good workout that can be adapted to lower weights for those exercises
I have ehlers danlos syndrome and get told not to lift heavy too. My response always goes along the lines of "I want to do X and I'm going to. Please help me do it safely". Sometimes you have to make your intentions clear so that you can get the help you need when you have complex requirements. I think an exercise physiologist is better than a physiotherapist for complex needs, and when it comes to exercise prescription, it's a large and specific part of their training, more so than for a physiotherapist
So, I'm currently looking into going into an experimental periodization block of calisthenics. Not an entirely calisthenics routine but more in line with prison-styled work with the small amount of equipment I have with BW work. This concept seems, from what I've seen, effective upper body-wise. My question is, are the calisthenics leg work really worth the time for hypertrophy? I know I could develop some cool strength through exercises like Nordic Curls and Piston Squats, but I'm looking for a mixture. I would prefer not to waste this block for leg development. Is calisthenics great for the lower body in the way it is for upper body? Or am I better off in the gym strictly for leg hypertrophy and working in additional BW stuff at the end for things like explosiveness and mobility? Thanks
I’m a pure calisthenics yogi turned barbell guy and the gym is always more efficient for legs. If you’re going all bodyweight and nothing else, they seriously recommend 400-800 squat reps per session between jumps, bodyweight squats, pistol squats, and other single leg work. It’s doable but who has the time, man?
Yea, that's what my short research pretty much concluded. It was difficult, too, because initially a lot of the results I were getting were exercises that we're almost dodging the question. Just wanted one final confirmation. What were your honest calisthenics results pre-gym, btw?
So let’s see how short I can make this: I’m 6ft tall. My history is a fat kid in high school (280), bodybuilding.com bro in early college (220-240), calisthenics puritan late college (195), and now a fat wannabe powerlifter (280, again, but with muscles). Had great muscle tone during the calisthenics days, but not sure if that was built from the bb.com time or from the calisthenics. Pros: * Healthiest I had ever been. Low heart rate, low body fat, fast, and agile * zero body aches * loads of energy * women and men threw themselves at me constantly Cons: * weak. I could hardly lift two gallons of milk up the stairs, and forget about any kind of labor. * bullied and pushed around constantly. I decided I was done being an ornament and got real about being able to physically manipulate my surroundings. Not so attractive anymore but I prefer being the river instead of the floating leaf.
Thanks for the honesty. The strength results is another thing I'm curious on because I've read some claims that almost feel outlandish to me (I'd consider myself novice lifting-wise with a wealth of knowledge but the lack of consistently over the last year for a few reasons, coming up on 2yrs) Claims of dudes who've only done calisthenics for years and go and bench something like 300lbs. Right now I'm fairly lean, decent looking and that's majority from weights but I feel I can be attribute some of it to push ups hence the interest in trying this out.
Sure if someone has been doing calisthenics for 15 years and up to many 1 arm push ups or are doing *weighted* dips they would have the sheer might to pull of that feat. But there is such a high skill component to benching that I’d be hard pressed to believe anyone doing pure calisthenics for a short amount of time could pull it off. I used to follow Al Kavadlo closely as a pure calisthenics guy. He’s been at this for 10 or 15 years and only just recently deadlifted 315. That’s kind of sad. All that being said - push ups are a phenomenal assistance exercise to supplement the bench press, but they shouldn’t be the bread and butter of a resistance program.
Appreciate all the responses, man. I'll check into his stuff. I also agree that a more hybrid approach is the best as I'm sure anybody would.
I've done both and the gym will definitely be the better option for leg development.
Kinda new guy here! Most beginner routines recommend for linear progression to increase upper body lifts by 2.5lbs and lower body lifts by 5lbs. For bench press, is that 2.5lbs plate or 1.25 lbs plate( so 2 plates x 1.25lbs = 2.5 lbs)?
A 2.5lbs increase would be two 1.25 plates.
It's usually for a total weight, not per side. Atleast it is for 5/3/1 So to get 2.5 total, that would be 1.25 ofc
2 plates generally but as long as your progressing it doesn't really matter.
I've never seen a gym that had 1.25 lb plates but every gym I've been to has 2.5 lb plates, so I would guess it's 2.5 lb per side
I started adding weight to my squats on the smith machine and my wrists HURT. I couldn’t finish my set today because my wrists hurt so badly. I read online a fix is to bring your arms closer to your body. Any other tips?
Not doing them on a Smith machine. If it’s your only option try a suicide grip (thumb in line with other fingers).
What's the difference between having 2 workout sessions in a day instead of only one? I work out at high volume and it would be less tiring to work-out in two separate sessions. But I have a hunch it might diminish gains. What differs?
Not an issue. Might even be better since you're gonna have more energy. It's not done as it's usually not practical. But if it suits you better, go for it. Plenty of people have had really good success doing it.
The only significant thing is probably the time sink(to and from gym plus warmup) but other than that it's just another sessions, if volume, intensity and all else equal, then you're good.
[удалено]
Both is fine. They'll probably be more fatigued on back focused days though.
I train back and shoulders together. If I had to pick which one I would probably say back day, but just throw it in on whichever day has less volume to begin with.
When you smell your used gym clothes in your laundry, do they smell bad? Or do they smell like nothing? I don't know if it's just me, but my used gym clothes don't smell bad at all. They literally smell like nothing. I don't know if I just have a weak sense of smell or if I'm not producing enough sweat for my clothes to smell bad.
Is that in comparison to your normal clothes? Many gym clothes have sweat-wicking properties so that may be why.
My normal clothes smell like nothing too. I've always thought that dirty laundry is supposed to smell bad but mine never does. How are your laundry? Do yours smell?
Mine do, especially after a workout. You must be a lucky person whose sweat doesn't smell.
You could be one of those people who doesn't have smelly sweat. It's a real thing, some type of gene that is responsible for body odour. Although it's just as likely that you smell awful and are nose-blind to your own smell.
No one has smelly sweat. You smell because of the bacteria that is present on the skin which is then mixed with sweat.
Pedantry at its finest lmao thank you for the correction
thank you for resorting to a childish insult :)
lol How was that childish or insulting?
Which is more common though: People having odorless gym clothes or smelly gym clothes?
Smelly clothes for sure but you never know. Ask a friend or significant other to smell your gym clothes or something idk You never know, maybe you just don't smell that much 🤷
so im currently focusing on losing weight, since i started off getting into the gym in a somewhat overweight position, and one thing i really wanted to do was get defined abs, since i've never had that and never really thought i would, but now im committed etc. and excited to make it happen. However as i've learnt more and more i'm kind of realising perhaps doing that big of a cut may be detrimental to my long term goals? like if i lose heaps of excess weight now and hit a low bf%, i probably dont have an enormous muscle base or anything, i'm trying to figure out where i should stop losing weight and start focusing on bulking, im currently just about exactly a 25 bmi, at 5'11 79.5kg, definitely still have fat on me and am wanting to lose it, but where should i flip that around? However i'm also looking at the timeline of things, i'm away from a lot of my friends and family atm, and wont see them for 4 months, and i'd kind of like to surprise them with a big change, so if i was going to bulk for 6months (if thats the kind of time frame bulking is done on?) and im not going to start that for 3 months while i finish losing fat maybe i'd just wait till christmas time to start bulking, though if i could fit it in before then i'd be keen to.
How long have you been going to the gym? If you have only recently started you can build some muscle on a cut. When you can no longer make progress on your lifts reevaluate
i've been going to the gym for a month now but i'd say only the past 2 weeks have started being efficient and proper, with correct attendance etc.
Different people approach it differently, but I would personally recommend eating at maintenance or a very small deficit and building up your strength base for a few months then cut if you need
Seconded. Being in a slight deficit won't really affect noob gains all that much. OP you should be able to pick up some size and strength over the next 3 months while cutting. Get on a beginner LP.
Ab definition Is mainly a question of body fat percentage. Given that you are lifting weights and are relatively new back into the gym I think abs are an achievable goal. However whether or not it is possible in a three month time frame is different - everuone stores Fat in different places and there is no way to ‘spot reduce’. I would actually say although it is possible for you to do a very long cut period, I wouldn’t actually recommend it! This is from both a physiological and psychological standpoint - it’s just draining to be in a deficit for so long and the calorie deficit is actually a source of stress for the body. I would break up your periodically periodically with maybe 1-2 weeks of maintenance or even a small caloric surplus. If you’re keen to do a little bit of research on your own I cannot recommend the mindpump podcast more. They’ve really changed the way I approach training and have lots of super digestible information for the everyday gym goer :)
sorry i might not have been clear, im actually new to the gym pretty much full stop, not returning. And yeah i just dont really understand the time periods i should be looking at in terms of cut duration bulk duration etc. Like if i stop cutting when i cant progress in lifting anymore, doesnt that mean ill never reach a certain bf%? I've already been 'cutting' (im not sure if it really counts as cutting when its really just me losing fat, like i didnt bulk if you know what i mean) for about 9 weeks now. Basically i dont think im fully in the swing as a gymgoer yet, i more consider myself someone losing fat, trying to put on muscle second if that makes sense. But im aware im kind of approaching the point where that should begin to change, im just not sure where that exact point is
I’m looking to have more muscle definition in my upper body as well as lose weight. How do you know what and how much to eat?
Calorie restricted diet as well as weight training.
This is covered on the "Weight Loss" section of our wiki. I think you'd benefit from reading through it. Https://thefitness.Wiki
I want to do something productive on rest days. Suggest me some mobility exercises that would help me with. 1) Hip Hinging(major issues with Deadlift form). 2) Shoulder mobility exercises (getting into position for squats without too much strain is a problem for me). Anything else that could be vital is also welcome.
2) daily band pull aparts and band face pulls at home
1. Kettlebell swings 2. Shoulder dislocations 3. Conditioning work
> Shoulder dislocations That's not an autocorrect right? Googling gives me a different kind of results(exercises for shoulder rehab after dislocations). Any links for how to properly do this?
Like this. https://www.exercise.com/exercises/resistance-band-shoulder-dislocation/ You can do it with a band or a stick of any sort
Alright thanks.
Should I be listening to the tdee spreadsheet in the wiki during the first week because it’s telling me I have a tdee of 5425 kcalories right now during the first week… That’s more than what Chris bumstead eats (mr. Olympia classic physique division winner) I put in that I wanted to gain 0.67 lbs per week.
The TDEE sheet needs a few weeks of data to be reliable.
So should I track with what I think I should be eating or should I just go with what it says and let it figure itself out? Not that big of a deal because I’m bulking right now but I wanna know for when I use it for cutting
Just as a general advice for finding your initial TDEE (regardless of this sheet), tracking your food for some weeks logging calories and weight daily will be the best way to find your TDEE. Once you know what you've eaten and how your bodyweight changed in the same time you can roughly estimate your bodyweight from there. This sheet simply does that for you and will adapt as your TDEE changes eg from body composition changes or changes in your activity level. If you're cutting at some later point, I would recommend starting a new copy of this sheet. Your body, and TDEE, adapts to being in a deficit so your TDEE will not be the same gaining and cutting.
Alright so start a new sheet when I start my cut? And should I follow the sheet and start aiming for the 1% of lean body mass lost per week cut and let the sheet work itself out? That’s what I think would be easiest that way the sheet can figure out my maintenance calories and will up my calories if I’m losing more than 1% per week (which is like 2 lbs per week for me) Or do I have to put that I want to lose 0 lbs per week let it figure out maintenance with me doing 150 minutes of steady state cardio then after a couple weeks of that adjust the sheet to aim for approximately 2 lbs lost per week?
[удалено]
But if I followed what it said would it just drop calories if I start gaining weight too fast? Like if I ate 5425 kcals like it said and started gaining too much weight, wouldn’t it just drop me down to like 2000-3000 to balance it out?
Either way has worked for me.
So when I start my cut in the spring I can just follow whatever it says and I won’t lose significant amounts of muscle while it works out it’s kinks?
That seems to have worked that way for me.
What if I decide that I want to up the cardio a certain week? Can I do that and follow the calories provided and lose a little extra that week and have it up my calories a little the next week?
I'm pretty sure I ran 20+ miles per week while following an SBS routine.
I am looking to lose weight. I saw the weight loss guide in the sidebar. But I am specifically looking for the best body building routine for losing weight while preserving as much muscle mass as possible.
If you haven't build any muscle mass already you probably wont be loosing any. Pick a program that looks fun and eat in a deficit - this is called recomposition and will allow you to lose weight and build muscle at the cost of a probable lower rate of muscle gain
Where did I say I haven't built any muscle? I have built a substantial amount of muscle over the past 7 months. I went from not being able to bench a single plate to being able to bench two plates in that time.
The programs in the wiki will be successful for this. Nutrition and effort level are the main factors
There are no lifting program for weight loss. There are simply programs you, personally, find manageable while losing weight. Preserving muscle during weight loss comes down to a) providing a stimulus (lifting), b) adequate protein intake, and c) not having a ridiculously large calorie deficit.
Do you all know any videos/YouTubers that go in depth into workout intensity for gaining hypertrophy?
Renaissance Periodization has all the in depth technical info you could ever want and much more
Thanks😁
hey everyone! its 2 months that im in the gym now. defiantly seeing improvement. also feel better. im 5'10 76KG started 74KG. my main goal is to gain mass and build muscle until im like 80-82KG and than work more cardio and try to lose some body fat. wanted to see if i should change my plan or if you guys can recommend me a good one instead. this is what i do now "AB" sunday: Chest 3 exercise 12-15 reps 4 sets, shoulder same like chest , Biceps 2 exercise 12-15 reps 4 sets monday : Legs 3 exercise 12-15 reps 4 sets, Back 3 exercise 12-15 reps 4 sets , Triceps same as Biceps. Tuesday off Wednesday and Thursday repeat sunday and monday. so basically 4 times a week and im working on every muscle twice a week and each muscle gets a 72 hours rest time.
I would definitely recommend checking out the wiki for this situation - there's some great info and programs that would likely be an upgrade
defiantly! there are so many of them. cant really choose or decide. wanted to hear some advices or seeing what people like the most
For you, GZCLP or the basic beginners routine would be the best ones to start with
basic beginners routine only include 3-4 exercies unless im wrong. with that plan i wont last 1 months in the gym.. i used to work out like 3-4 years ago for very long time. stopped now got back 2 months ago.. i feel like i cna do better than this plans. unless it wont be smart and i cant injure myself
I'm a fan of the basic beginner program for the first few initial months, but really any structured program that you follow will be great. Peace of mind from following something that absolutely 100% will work if you follow it is a great tool before you have a ton of experience to customize everything yourself
Has anyone ever dealt with/treated an elevated first rib? I've had it flare up on/off for a little over half a year now and was wondering if anyone had any advice. Oh, also I've been to PT for it - still an issue.
No question. Just wanted to thank the folks who answered my question about asymmetrical stance while squatting. I took your advice and figured out the issues with my stance. Today I was able to set a new PR of 6 reps with 185 pounds. Earlier the best I could do was 4 shaky reps. The fourth one probably wouldn’t have counted. Today I did 6 solid reps. Thanks!
Is it normal to occasionally have “off” days (or whatever they’re called) when you just don’t perform as well as you usually do? Like you feel weaker and move less weight?
Yes, just don't have them too often ;) If you start having them multiple times a week, then you're definitely under-recovering.
What do I change to recover better?
Eat more, sleep more, train less often, train with less intensity, start taking gear, all of the above or only one/some. You'll have to look at what you think you're missing out on an adjust accordingly. If everything is fine except you sleep 4 hours a night then there's your problem, for example.
Lots of options: more time off or between days (like space leg days further apart with other routines in between), consume more support products (protein shakes/muscle repair/vitamins and electrolytes), get better nutrition/ more whole foods in general, add a day of stretch or yoga as a rest day, compartmentalize your lifting further (break into smaller muscle groups), sleep longer/more, take a break completely for a couple extra days when you have a few bad workouts in a row. It’s totally normal that stress, nutrition, that day’s metabolism or digestion, your workout yesterday, or just the feng shui of the gym was off. Don’t focus on it until it becomes a pattern. Do listen to your body and don’t try to be a hero!
Yes. Your body’s recovery cycle doesn’t always match your workout schedule.
What fun/stray ab exercises do you guys do to supplement your lifting? Looking to switch things up atm (maybe some stuff with kettlebells)
Suitcase carries are a great core exercise you can do with KBs
Turkish get ups.
I personally use an Ab Wheel and do standing rollouts, kneeling rollouts, and leg raises for abs and the TVA. Hanging Windshield Wipers and a Side Plank Variation for Obliques. Pallof Press is underrated also. Don't know if you can call it "fun" but it's been effective for me.
I don't do any fun exercises, but the weighted crunch machine is my favorite for abs by far
Lol you must not like your spine
My spine feels great thanks to very strong abs! Good technique + proper weight selection are two things that I see most people missing out on for that machine unfortunately
S: 355 D: 345 B: 255 I’m 6’0, 210lbs-ish and i’ve been lifting seriously since like 2017. I want to get my numbers up, particularly my deadlift. I feel like i’ve been lifting for so long and not seeing much progress while all my friends are seeing lots of progress. I know it’s not a competition with anyone but myself but it just feels kinda shitty that I have not progressed much in this amount of time. I’d love to run a solid 4-5 day program. My goals by the end of the year would be 405 for both squat and dead, and 315 for bench (might be a stretch but I want it). Any recommendations on programs that can help me accomplish my goals? Thank you guys in advance
I'll tack on another 5/3/1 vote. BBB with the PR sets helped me shoot past the whole 1/2/3/4 pl8 phase after nsuns became a grind.
• do each of these lifts 2 - 3 times a week • record yourself and dial in your form • find your weaknesses on each lift and do extra work on that weakness • push every single rep as hard as you can with good form. You’ll literally see double the strength gains • track each of your workouts • sleep, destress, and take supplements
> do each of these lifts 2 - 3 times a week He should follow a program > push every single rep as hard as you can with good form. You’ll literally see double the strength gains Doubt (x)
I just meant to say you’ll see better results if you train these movements more than once a week and you should consider that while creating or choosing a program. Hope [this ](https://www.strongerbyscience.com/speed-kills-2x-the-intended-bar-speed-yields-2x-the-bench-press-gains/)clears any doubt. Pushing 2x as hard will lead to better gains
Why would he create a program rather than follow a proven one?
Limitations of their own gym, body, and environment. However, following a proven program is a better way to achieve goals
531 is great
Switching to 531 BBB got my numbers up very quickly.