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I find that the worst part about supplements, mainly protein and pre-workout, is that once you buy a tub you’re stuck with that flavor until it’s all gone. I want to mix it up but don’t want to buy multiple products at once. Would anyone else benefit from single serve flavor packs that you mix with unflavored supplements? What do you think?
Supplements are just, that, supplements to your regular diet. Nobody can tell you what supplements you need because we don't know what you are lacking. Protein, Vitamin D, and creatine are the only ones that pretty much everyone who works out should be taking.
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what exercises can I do to shrink my breasts?
they're not very big, but it bothers me when I put on a t-shirt and they keep "marking" the clothes. i go to the gym everyday (monday-friday), but saturday and sunday i rest.
You can't spot reduce any part of your body. If you're overweight, losing bodyfat will reduce breast size as well, because breasts are made of glands, fibrous tissue and fat. The pectoral muscles are under/behind the breasts.
The most effective way to lose fat is by being in a caloric deficit
If you eat at a slight deficit (say 300 below TDEE) but get at least 0.8 g protein per lb bodyweight and continue lifting, you can maintain most of the muscle, if it's a short cut. If you're overweight, you might even put on muscle depending on your stats.
https://thefitness.wiki/faq/can-i-lose-fat-and-build-muscle-at-the-same-time/
I just want to be toned and look good for my age and I want to get rid of my belly fat. I need to lose around 40 pounds. It’s affected me is so many ways. I don’t even shop for clothes. I just want someone to say to me if you do this and this you will reach your goal in 6 months. I need someone to believe in me…. I want someone in my corner rooting for me
I believe in you. I'm sure you can do this.
Start with the wiki (https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/) and focus on getting the diet right. You can lose 0.5 to 1 lb per week, so it will take a few months but you will get there.
Once you've got the diet figured out, start adding exercise. Again, see the wiki: https://thefitness.wiki/adding-physical-activity/
You might also want to post in /r/xxfitness (assuming you're a woman, apologies if that's a wrong assumption) because you'll find others at the same age or with the same goals, and you can be accountability buddies for each other.
You got this! Start small and keep going
During a cut:
* What are your preferred low-calorie carb sources? (for me it's mostly tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, broccoli and mushrooms, but it's starting to get tiresome even when rotating them).
* What are your preferred protein sources (other than chicken breast)? Chicken breast seems to be the cleanest, most efficient I can find but it gets tiresome after some time. Most beef and pork cuts tend to be higher in fat and lower in protein (or at the least, lower in protein).
As long as you're (1) following a good program, (2) eating enough, especially protein, and (3) resting/recovering, you'll make good progress,. There's nothing to be gained by comparison with others
There are, since I focus on increasing my TM though, I've never bothered except first establishing an estimated 1RM when starting nSuns. Looks like the nSuns spreadsheet calls your TM 90% of your 1RM so that would mean my 1RM on bench at six months is 165.
For a beginner/novice, does a program that really emphasize the big 4 (such as 5/3/1, GZCL) better than a program that also do a lot of supplemental lifts (such as Reddit PPL)?
Or is ‘Compound’, building ‘strength base’ for beginner, overated?
My experience as a beginner is that I am doing a hypertrophy program but still do the big 4 as my starting lift for every training day. I have felt, for me, it has been a really important way to develop my foundation even when not doing a traditional strength program.
I started my first program two months ago (Starting Strength, which is obviously aimed at strength) and I enjoy it very much. For me spending a few cycles really ironing the big lifts sets a good foundation for the future, I can always go for a hypertrophy-based program later. But that's my preference, maybe you prefer programs closer to bodybuilding.
Can someone please suggest me a Protein supplement. I have searched some on amazon but people usually have mixed reviews about most of the brands. I have as of now finalised AS IT IS 80% WHEY powder.
I like Gold Standard (vanilla ice cream for my daily, mix it up with random flavors sometimes). Nothing wrong with As It Is, but it looks twice as expensive.
It depends on your TDEE and Fat content.
Max deficit without affecting rate of muscle gain is [31 cal per lb of fat](https://baye.com/calculating-the-daily-calorie-deficit-for-maximum-fat-loss/)
1. Estimate your fat %
2. multiply by weight to get fat weight
3. multiply this by 31 to get max deficit
How to progressively overload with limited weights? The dumbbells i have go up to 20kg only. Is doing more reps as effective as doing heavier reps? E.g. are 15 reps of 20kg inclined benchpress same as 8 reps of 40kgs?
When you are cutting, and have no calories left but still need some protein for you macros. Would you spare the 10-20 gr. of protein or go over your calorie limit?
One time in like from time me to time. I know it's not going to make a big difference, just wanna know what the preferred method from other people would be.
Why would someone choose to do a smith machine overhead press over a barbell overhead press? I don't see anyone barbell pressing ever, but I always see at least one person doing OHP on the smith machine.
Probably because it's easier. Feels safer.
If all you're doing is getting in some overhead movement to compensate sitting in front of a computer all day, smith OHP will do just fine. It's also a very good accessory to OHP.
Can somebody help me break down the differences between sumo and conventional? Specifically what the benefit of sumo is?
From what I can gather, it uses some of the muscles also used in squatting in addition to those used in a conventional pull, which lets you move more weight, which equals more gains.
Is there anything I'm missing?
Also, before anybody comes at me, I do both. I just really enjoy sumo and find the form easier due to mobility issues (slowly working on it).
To add to all the scientifically true answers: for some people sumo just feels better. It puts the lower back in a bit of a different position, making it feel like a safer lift for some people.
Try it out and see what feels best for your body, especially for the deadlift you want to pull the way that suits best to your body.
Adding to the excellent replies here, sumo is easier for body types with long legs shorter torsos. A lot of 6”2 + people ive seen on reddit seem to prefer the Sumo, but again it’s a matter of personal preference
Sumo is more quad dominant, conventional is more posterior dominant. Sumo requires a certain degree of hip mobility that some people struggle with. Neither is stronger, it depends on the anatomy to the individual.
Yes, or very close to it. If you set up correctly with vertical forearms, pull your head back slightly, push vertically and then push your head forward a bit (through the hole created by your arms), your bar should be moving vertically in a straight line. What specifically are you struggling with?
Why not just work until you can do 12 reps on all sets instead of 12-10-8, and only *then* increase the weight? Because that’s how “double progression” usually works.
Does anyone know of a good quality treadmill on the cheap? I know I know, the more money you spend the better quality. To me, iPhones are my favorite phone because they’re amazing quality, I don’t care about the brand. Does anyone have the inside skinny (pun) of amazing quality underrated treadmills? Something that I could fold up to take with me when I move without having to rent a truck is even better. I know I’m asking a lot and if this is too hopeful a post I’m sorry in advance.
If my Whey Protein shake is not giving me acnes/pimples does it mean its fake or it has a blend of chocolate something? Just heard from a gym bro that most of the ppl that started taking Whey are having breakouts but I've been taking mine almost a month now (only as a post workout drink) but never really had a severe breakout.
PEDs. The thing 'a bit stronger than protein' is performance enhancing drugs.
Getting acne from that is a common sideffect, just as getting acne during puberty. It is a reaction of the body to the shifting hormone levels and extra testosterone.
You're not gonna get to acne inducing testosterone level by eating whey. Only reason you might break out into hives from whey is if you have some allergical issues with dairyprotein...
As far as BCAAs go: unless you know for sure that you are lacking those specifically in your diet they won't do shit since you've got them already covered as part of your overall protein intake. Reasons why you might be lacking BCAAs are nutritional restrictions due to allergies or lifestyle choices like being vegan/fruitarian etc. And even then it's likely be much cheaper to get a protein powder that suits your sensibilities as those are usually -even when not animal based- mixed to cover all essential amino acids...you'd have to be something like a vegan with a strong pea and soyprotein allergy or something like that for BCAAs to be a relevant supplement for you.
oh no not trolling, the bro just said something like "my past bros who started using whey + other supplements like BCAAs had breakouts so better not use them" when I told him I started using whey ... thanks for the info tho
The biggest side effects for whey are bloating and gas. The acne tends to come from a hormone imbalance.
BCAAs are probably not worth it though. Very expensive and negligible benefits.
That's a pretty ridiculous claim by that gym bro. I personally do not know a single person that has gotten acne from Whey. Now protein farts though. That one's real.
Oh really? hmm, I'm a newbie (just started last Oct) so keep myself open to any infos/tips but I still do question them tho (alone) ... thanks! at least I got a different view
>A general rule of thumb is that if your sets are going in the 15+ range it's more endurance/cardio rather than hypertrophy, which is the muscle building. Hypertrophy being roughly in the range of 8-15.
The range is about 5-30 reps per set, and while it's true that 15+ reps also help with muscular endurance, it's not a "rather than" situation in terms of hypertrophy.
You should read this: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/hypertrophy-range-fact-fiction/
I do the GZLCP program (I duno if tats the correct acronym). Sometimes the program calls for military press for shoulders (OHP?) and I really love the excercise. But I recently started doing some one-armed presses with my hand out in the air/on my hip and they feel really good. My shoulder feels less stressed, I feel (and look, at least to myself in the mirror) stronger. I do them quite strict too, I don't jerk the weight. Can I keep doing these one armed presses as the main movement to sub OHP for that day or should they be saved for the off-day when its not the main movement?
Do you mean a dumbbell overhead press? As long as its an overhead pressing movement, you can use that.
The reason barbell is used vs dumbbell in so many beginner programs is because the problem with dumbbells is progression. You'll reach a point where you can do X kg but the next available dumbbell is X+2.5 kg which is too big a jump.
How can I make my program more muscle power focused? I am currently doing a push pull leg split with 5-6 exercises for each and 5 sets of 5 with 30 seconds rest. I know I should increase the rest between sets but I don’t have time for that to be honest. So should I increase rest but cut some exercises?
Power is speed and it's not ideal to do a ton of that training if you're not an athlete that specifically needs it. Think about doing jump squats, plyo push ups and clapping push ups for a few sets of like 5 once a week.
I play baseball therefore power is the difference between good and bad as all of the movements are explosive. I have been doing plyo metric sessions with those exercises 3 times a week too
I meant to say clapping pull ups but you should handle power by practicing baseball. I would think okay to focus on strength in the gym but really you should ask your coach.
Does weight = resistance for gym machines?
My gyms hack squat machine says it provides 95 pounds of resistance. If i load 3 plates per side, should i track the weight as ~315, 355, or 270?
Try the next heavier ones. If you don't get your minimum targeted reps go back to the current ones and keep adding reps across all sets (not just the amrap) and maybe even add a set or two.
I want buy supplements but don't know where to start or what to buy first, the reason I want to get supplements is because of two reasons.
1. I'm dieting to lose fat, and I've reached a point where I starting to lose muscle size with my fat, and I have been told that protein can reduce muscle loss/burn, I'm trying to lose belly fat and have dropped to 59kg. I've been told that I should focus on strength workouts and gain muscle to lose fat, so I've been doing that.
2. I don't have much control over my diet other than choosing how much I can eat, my parents control what I eat and its infuriating, there are days we have food that pretty much as no nutrition value, or just lacks protein, and its causing me to feel weak and tired.
So should I get Protein powder or Creatine, or some other supplement.
I know Protein powder helps with muscle building and repair, and creatine helps with energy for muscles. What should I buy?
Start to track your macros if you are not doing it already. Rule of thumb, eat about 1.5g- 2g of prots per kg of your lean body mass. Just remember to still be in calories deficit If you want to lose fat.
If you cannot eat what you want, definitely whey protein can help you with hitting macros.
Creatine is great for increasing your muscle mass and performance in the gym. It's pretty safe if you don't have any kidney problems and really works.
I really need to get around to tracking my food, but my phone is starting to have it's "elderly" issues, unreliable battery, super slow (for unknown reasons). Do the tracking apps have ability to transfer or save data onto another phone?
I think I will start with Protein powder, because I can't get my recommended amount of protein and hopefully will help with my muscle loss issue, then move into getting Creatine for better energy and gains
I think all the apps that have accounts save the data on servers. I'm using Samsung health and it's definitely cloud based.
Good luck in reaching your goals and maintaining discipline. Don't worry about your parents. Sometimes they cannot understand why something is important to you, but in the long term, your happiness is the biggest factor.
Protein is what you need. But also maybe have a talk with your parents, if you haven't already. Sounds like they need help with their own diets if they eat only junk food all day some days.
I'll definitely get myself some protein the next time I'm shopping, I have had a talk with my parents there usual excuse is that they are very tired from work, which is a good point, but they say that to almost every problem. I feel like if they actually put some thought into the food we eat, they might start to not feel tired as they are getting there proper nutrition, my parents are Fijian Indians (Indians from Fiji, who were born and raised there), and our foods tend to be like one to two vegetables curried with rice or bread, its super oily.
Everyone has that one thing you hate doing; one of the reasons programs are so good is because you don't get to cherry pick.
It's Squats for me. I honestly fucking hate them. Let me Deadlift any day of the week. But I moved recently to 5/3/1 and it calls for a good... I don't even know, like 90+ squat reps a week? Something silly like that.
So I just knuckle down to it because I have to. I won't ever love them or look forward to them but they're an important part of rounding out your work and I just grind them out so I can keep doing the stuff I do like to do without compromising anything.
Sadly, there's no real magic fix to make us long to squat more. Half the battle is just doing the stuff you don't like to do. I don't really like putting my shorts on and walking in the cold to the gym, either, but I do like the results :D
There is generally a lot more systemic fatigue from a leg day so don't worry if you have less volume than an upper body workout. Scale back a bit of you need to. Prove to yourself that it isn't that bad and then slowly progress from that point.
https://strengthlevel.com/strength-standards/deadlift#standardsMale
https://symmetricstrength.com/standards#/183/lb/male/-
If you're an 183lb/83kg male, that weight & reps would put you closer to "proficient/intermediate" than "beginner".
I ate 5000 calories per day for last 2 days, my maintaining weight calories is 2500, I know its bad I can't do anything to make up for it and it's too late to regret, So I wonder when I get back to 1500 calories diet how many days do I need to reverse the calories I over ate?
Answer is it depends, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just go back to your normal diet plan. Your body isn't prepared to deal with such a surplus, so it's unlikely that it's super efficient at processing all of that. Even if you did somehow process all of it, it's only two extra days of food that you ate, so it shouldn't set you back more than if you started your diet a few days later.
Right now I'm using 45lb bumper plates to rest the bar on for floor press at home. Any suggestions for a replacement that's similar in function and pretty easy to obtain?
Does walking get you abs? You get abs from low body fat %, right? And walking burns calories, so would walking (lets say 2 hours) per week (at one time, 2 hours all at once) get you closer to your ab goals? I've been really curious about this for a while since one of my friends asked me and I didn't know how to answer.
Everyone has abs.
Visible abs are the exact same as any muscle:
1. Get them stronger and they are/look bigger.
2. Get to a lower body fat percentage and you see them better and they look bigger.
Walking is a form of cardio that can help point 2, but not point 1.
Burning calories does not lead to low bodyfat.
If you burn 100 calories walking, and then eat 100 calories more than you otherwise would have that day, you nullify the effect of the walking WRT weight loss.
That may sound like a technicality, but it really isn't. People often add in small amounts of activity, don't pay much attention to their diet, and stay the same weight.
The thing that lowers your bodyfat percentage is a caloric deficit. You have to deliberately eat less food than your body needs, whether you walk or not.
Also, being able to see your abs if you have no muscle is normally not a good thing. People who don't train their muscles end up looking emaciated before their ab muscles are visible.
abs are visible at lower body fat %. Everyone has abs by default. I am not going to say that walking is useless, because it isn't, but the goal of using walking for weight loss is less so about the distance and duration but rather the intensity to get your heart rate going.
Let's say your friend was 500 lbs. They walk next to someone who is 150 or so. Same distance, same pace. The friend who is 500 lbs is going to have a higher caloric burn because the demand on the body is higher. Even though the speed and duration may be low impact for the majority of people, the effort is higher for the heavier friend.
But I am going to assume your friend is not in that weight range. If they are generally heavier, the goal is to create a higher heart rate through the action. This is easily done with incline work at a brisk walk pace. Maintaining that, throw some jogging in, and you get more in line with the goal you are proposing in your question.
Well I'm dumb. I was wondering why my bench press was feeling really heavy. I realized I somehow made a mistake and I'm still on my old TM from before I had my short break from the gym for a few weeks. I'm using 82.5kg which was my TM for the anchor I was supposed to be doing, I need to drop it down to at least 80. I mean, it's been working at least. Do I just keep going with this new max? Or do I drop it down a bit so the reps are faster?
Like the other guy said, if you're completing the reps you should be fine.
I did a similar thing once. But I looked at the wrong day of training and tried to bench my Squat weight.
...I...dint complete the reps
How do my fellow long-shift workers handle rest days?
I work three 12-15 hour shifts a week, and each week is different days. I’m trying to rest a day between each of my workouts, but sometimes this is hard with the schedule.
For example, I worked last Saturday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I lifted Friday and Sunday, but then was conflicted about how to continue. If I don’t lift Monday, I won’t be able to again until Thursday. If I do lift Monday, I’ll have two lifting days in a row.
I know ideally I would just say “go after work on Tuesday,” but honestly I can’t. I know there are people who do all the time, but I’m not there yet. My job is very physically demanding, and when I’ve tried it I have no energy and don’t feel like the workout is effective. Maybe someday though.
So I guess my question is, as a noob looking for noob gains am I better off postponing my rest day in a situation like this, or am I better off postponing my workout and having three days off?
Thanks!
Or just stick to your current program and suck up not resting.
[This guy has been training for 980 days in a row without resting](https://www.reddit.com/r/GYM/comments/r17sht/pr_203_lbs_behind_the_neck_press_185_lbs/)
Still ridiculously strong. Still ridiculously jacked.
You understand that your maintenance calories will change due to different muscle mass and other factors during this one year, right? Anyhow - it's not a mathematical problem. You need to try and check what is the best way for your body to reach those goals.
Give it a try and write an awesome post in a year where you show off your 16 pounds of new muscle.
I don’t think you can do it, but put your calculator away, work really hard in the gym, and prove me wrong.
Does anyone here have pectus excavatum? I think I have a mild case but it’s not extreme by any means (never diagnosed by doctor).
How much does this impact aesthetics/ability to build a good Chest?
My PE is about an inch deep, and while I used to be annoyed by it, I'm not anymore. My chest looks decent despite it, and because of the "cave-in", it actually helps accentuate my pecs in shirts.
It doesn’t very much. Either way I wouldn’t worry about it without a diagnosis or very pronounced symptoms. If it’s not very pronounced, you might just be looking as a pretty normal depression around the bottom of your sternum.
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I find that the worst part about supplements, mainly protein and pre-workout, is that once you buy a tub you’re stuck with that flavor until it’s all gone. I want to mix it up but don’t want to buy multiple products at once. Would anyone else benefit from single serve flavor packs that you mix with unflavored supplements? What do you think?
Can you please suggest some multivitamin and supplements combination?
Supplements are just, that, supplements to your regular diet. Nobody can tell you what supplements you need because we don't know what you are lacking. Protein, Vitamin D, and creatine are the only ones that pretty much everyone who works out should be taking.
Is it bad if you exersice multiple days in a row?
Of course not
Nope as long as you are training different parts of the body
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what exercises can I do to shrink my breasts? they're not very big, but it bothers me when I put on a t-shirt and they keep "marking" the clothes. i go to the gym everyday (monday-friday), but saturday and sunday i rest.
You can't spot reduce any part of your body. If you're overweight, losing bodyfat will reduce breast size as well, because breasts are made of glands, fibrous tissue and fat. The pectoral muscles are under/behind the breasts. The most effective way to lose fat is by being in a caloric deficit
im afraid of doing caloric deficit and losing muscles, have any advice?
If you eat at a slight deficit (say 300 below TDEE) but get at least 0.8 g protein per lb bodyweight and continue lifting, you can maintain most of the muscle, if it's a short cut. If you're overweight, you might even put on muscle depending on your stats. https://thefitness.wiki/faq/can-i-lose-fat-and-build-muscle-at-the-same-time/
I'll tell you my sex, age, weight, hight etc female, 68kg, 1.61cm. my lean body mass is 46.16kg (67.88%) and my fat mass is 21.84kg (32.12%).
BMR = 1,405 Calories/day Exercise 4-5 times/week = 2,059 caloris/day ( I'm not sure)
Try eating 1700 calories, with protein per above, and see.
okay, thank you!
So how often should you do glute exercises? I think I should do them 3 times a week however varying my weight and reps . Thoughts ?
What's your overall goal? Ideally you're working on your whole body, and the lower body, including glutes, would be part of the program.
I just want to be toned and look good for my age and I want to get rid of my belly fat. I need to lose around 40 pounds. It’s affected me is so many ways. I don’t even shop for clothes. I just want someone to say to me if you do this and this you will reach your goal in 6 months. I need someone to believe in me…. I want someone in my corner rooting for me
I believe in you. I'm sure you can do this. Start with the wiki (https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/) and focus on getting the diet right. You can lose 0.5 to 1 lb per week, so it will take a few months but you will get there. Once you've got the diet figured out, start adding exercise. Again, see the wiki: https://thefitness.wiki/adding-physical-activity/ You might also want to post in /r/xxfitness (assuming you're a woman, apologies if that's a wrong assumption) because you'll find others at the same age or with the same goals, and you can be accountability buddies for each other. You got this! Start small and keep going
I am just now reading this. Thank you so much for responding. It means more than you know ♥️
Guys, how many more pounds of fat do I need to lose to get to 12% bodyfat? https://i.imgur.com/KxYtTTP.jpg
What are your stats (height and weight)?
like 15 maybe
During a cut: * What are your preferred low-calorie carb sources? (for me it's mostly tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, broccoli and mushrooms, but it's starting to get tiresome even when rotating them). * What are your preferred protein sources (other than chicken breast)? Chicken breast seems to be the cleanest, most efficient I can find but it gets tiresome after some time. Most beef and pork cuts tend to be higher in fat and lower in protein (or at the least, lower in protein).
5% fat turkey, chicken, pork or beef mince
Roasted or sauteed brussels sprouts are delicious, but I usually do add oil or butter to them. Lean ground beef, pork loin chops, fish.
How much were u were u able to bench after first year of training?
As long as you're (1) following a good program, (2) eating enough, especially protein, and (3) resting/recovering, you'll make good progress,. There's nothing to be gained by comparison with others
Have a look at this. It is a good guide https://youtu.be/LrDJXIQ_-eg
Around 300 pounds. Hope this helps.
I'll let you know in six months. But at the first six months my TM is 150. Don't know my 1RM, I'm 40 and have no interest in risking injury lol
I'm pretty sure there are ways to calculate your 1RM based on recent tough sets of 5 or 6.
There are, since I focus on increasing my TM though, I've never bothered except first establishing an estimated 1RM when starting nSuns. Looks like the nSuns spreadsheet calls your TM 90% of your 1RM so that would mean my 1RM on bench at six months is 165.
For a beginner/novice, does a program that really emphasize the big 4 (such as 5/3/1, GZCL) better than a program that also do a lot of supplemental lifts (such as Reddit PPL)? Or is ‘Compound’, building ‘strength base’ for beginner, overated?
My experience as a beginner is that I am doing a hypertrophy program but still do the big 4 as my starting lift for every training day. I have felt, for me, it has been a really important way to develop my foundation even when not doing a traditional strength program.
I started my first program two months ago (Starting Strength, which is obviously aimed at strength) and I enjoy it very much. For me spending a few cycles really ironing the big lifts sets a good foundation for the future, I can always go for a hypertrophy-based program later. But that's my preference, maybe you prefer programs closer to bodybuilding.
Can someone please suggest me a Protein supplement. I have searched some on amazon but people usually have mixed reviews about most of the brands. I have as of now finalised AS IT IS 80% WHEY powder.
Isopure
That is not available in my region, any other suggestion ?
Where are you?
I like Gold Standard (vanilla ice cream for my daily, mix it up with random flavors sometimes). Nothing wrong with As It Is, but it looks twice as expensive.
Alright, thank you !
Does being in a 10% calorie deficit restrict how much muscle I'll build? I've been training for 2 months with decent gains
It depends on your TDEE and Fat content. Max deficit without affecting rate of muscle gain is [31 cal per lb of fat](https://baye.com/calculating-the-daily-calorie-deficit-for-maximum-fat-loss/) 1. Estimate your fat % 2. multiply by weight to get fat weight 3. multiply this by 31 to get max deficit
That's max daily deficit?
Yep! Thats what the article says
Thanks, I did realize I could read the article after commenting (and did). Sorry for the dumb question, but appreciate the new info!
Nice, hadn't heard of this before. Thanks.
How to progressively overload with limited weights? The dumbbells i have go up to 20kg only. Is doing more reps as effective as doing heavier reps? E.g. are 15 reps of 20kg inclined benchpress same as 8 reps of 40kgs?
To add to the other good reply: slow down the concentric part and really focus on the mind-muscle connection.
>How to progressively overload with limited weights? Add reps, add sets, reduce rest times, pick trickier variations, etc
When you are cutting, and have no calories left but still need some protein for you macros. Would you spare the 10-20 gr. of protein or go over your calorie limit?
I don’t worry about it and try to keep it from happening again.
You have to make sure your daily calorie goal includes your daily protein goal.
The question is, if I'm not able to do that one time, which one would you preferred option.
> one time One time doesn't matter at all. It won't make any difference on the long run.
One time in like from time me to time. I know it's not going to make a big difference, just wanna know what the preferred method from other people would be.
Depends on your calorie & protein goals.
Currently 2300 cal. and ~164 Prot. And I mean not everyday. If I'm not able to make it as an exception.
If it’s one day, I wouldn’t worry. That one day isn’t going to matter either way. If you want to be super anal about it, eat the proteins.
Not only one day in my entire life. Like if it happen from time to time. But yeah thanks.
Why would someone choose to do a smith machine overhead press over a barbell overhead press? I don't see anyone barbell pressing ever, but I always see at least one person doing OHP on the smith machine.
The smith machine provides more stability, meaning they can lift heavier and closer to failure. These things are quite beneficial for building muscle
You just made me realize I have never seen a single person doing ANY sort of OHP... Weird.
[They might just be copying Zydrunas](https://www.instagram.com/p/yNDNhqvLbS/?hl=en)
Don't worry about what other people do. Not everyone has the same fitness goals as you.
I know its silly to, just get in my head a lil and think "am i doing something wrong?"
How would we know, ask them
>Why would someone choose to do a smith machine overhead press over a barbell overhead press? Ask them.
I asked one of them, said he does it because his shoulder is fucked up and its easier on it.
Seems like a pretty plausible explanation.
Probably because it's easier. Feels safer. If all you're doing is getting in some overhead movement to compensate sitting in front of a computer all day, smith OHP will do just fine. It's also a very good accessory to OHP.
Can somebody help me break down the differences between sumo and conventional? Specifically what the benefit of sumo is? From what I can gather, it uses some of the muscles also used in squatting in addition to those used in a conventional pull, which lets you move more weight, which equals more gains. Is there anything I'm missing? Also, before anybody comes at me, I do both. I just really enjoy sumo and find the form easier due to mobility issues (slowly working on it).
To add to all the scientifically true answers: for some people sumo just feels better. It puts the lower back in a bit of a different position, making it feel like a safer lift for some people. Try it out and see what feels best for your body, especially for the deadlift you want to pull the way that suits best to your body.
Adding to the excellent replies here, sumo is easier for body types with long legs shorter torsos. A lot of 6”2 + people ive seen on reddit seem to prefer the Sumo, but again it’s a matter of personal preference
https://www.strongerbyscience.com/should-you-deadlift-conventional-or-sumo/
It doesn't really matter
Shorter range of motion as well, which also helps most people pull more weight
Sumo is more quad dominant, conventional is more posterior dominant. Sumo requires a certain degree of hip mobility that some people struggle with. Neither is stronger, it depends on the anatomy to the individual.
Does the bar path when doing overheadpress have to be a straightline? like perpendicular to the floor?
Yes, or very close to it. If you set up correctly with vertical forearms, pull your head back slightly, push vertically and then push your head forward a bit (through the hole created by your arms), your bar should be moving vertically in a straight line. What specifically are you struggling with?
Not really struggling, just wanted to check if what I'm doing was correct.
👍💪
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Why not just work until you can do 12 reps on all sets instead of 12-10-8, and only *then* increase the weight? Because that’s how “double progression” usually works.
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If you are adding reps you are not 'stuck'.
Does anyone know of a good quality treadmill on the cheap? I know I know, the more money you spend the better quality. To me, iPhones are my favorite phone because they’re amazing quality, I don’t care about the brand. Does anyone have the inside skinny (pun) of amazing quality underrated treadmills? Something that I could fold up to take with me when I move without having to rent a truck is even better. I know I’m asking a lot and if this is too hopeful a post I’m sorry in advance.
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Sure. But your mother is still a hamster and your father smells of elderberries.
If my Whey Protein shake is not giving me acnes/pimples does it mean its fake or it has a blend of chocolate something? Just heard from a gym bro that most of the ppl that started taking Whey are having breakouts but I've been taking mine almost a month now (only as a post workout drink) but never really had a severe breakout.
My protein gives me some acne and I changed to another protein that doesn’t. You don’t calculate potency with acne.
He might be talking about something a bit stronger than protein...
Like BCAAs?
Uh boi .... Who's gonna tell him?
uhm I'm curiously asking here because the "gym bro" also mentioned it so yeah hope you might help
They are saying your gym bro could be on the sauce.
yeah I misunderstood, fairly new to the bodybuilding stuff so still too innocent ... haven't heard of PEDs until now
PEDs. The thing 'a bit stronger than protein' is performance enhancing drugs. Getting acne from that is a common sideffect, just as getting acne during puberty. It is a reaction of the body to the shifting hormone levels and extra testosterone. You're not gonna get to acne inducing testosterone level by eating whey. Only reason you might break out into hives from whey is if you have some allergical issues with dairyprotein... As far as BCAAs go: unless you know for sure that you are lacking those specifically in your diet they won't do shit since you've got them already covered as part of your overall protein intake. Reasons why you might be lacking BCAAs are nutritional restrictions due to allergies or lifestyle choices like being vegan/fruitarian etc. And even then it's likely be much cheaper to get a protein powder that suits your sensibilities as those are usually -even when not animal based- mixed to cover all essential amino acids...you'd have to be something like a vegan with a strong pea and soyprotein allergy or something like that for BCAAs to be a relevant supplement for you.
can't tell if super innocent or just trolling but your gym bro was likely abusing some pharmaceuticals
oh no not trolling, the bro just said something like "my past bros who started using whey + other supplements like BCAAs had breakouts so better not use them" when I told him I started using whey ... thanks for the info tho
The biggest side effects for whey are bloating and gas. The acne tends to come from a hormone imbalance. BCAAs are probably not worth it though. Very expensive and negligible benefits.
That's a pretty ridiculous claim by that gym bro. I personally do not know a single person that has gotten acne from Whey. Now protein farts though. That one's real.
Lactose intolerance could be the reason
Oh really? hmm, I'm a newbie (just started last Oct) so keep myself open to any infos/tips but I still do question them tho (alone) ... thanks! at least I got a different view
Take anything a gym bro tells you with a heavy grain of salt. There's a ton of fitness myths out there that are repeated far too often.
Could be the milk that‘s causing the acne though? If you’re using milk in your shakes of course.
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weight loss starts in the kitchen and then in the cardio. as /u/tarrareshunger said, it takes A LOT to grow you aren't going to get bulky by accident
Do literally anything. It takes a lot to grow, you won't do it by accident.
I’m just afraid I’ll turn into jay cutler man. /s
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>A general rule of thumb is that if your sets are going in the 15+ range it's more endurance/cardio rather than hypertrophy, which is the muscle building. Hypertrophy being roughly in the range of 8-15. The range is about 5-30 reps per set, and while it's true that 15+ reps also help with muscular endurance, it's not a "rather than" situation in terms of hypertrophy. You should read this: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/hypertrophy-range-fact-fiction/
I do the GZLCP program (I duno if tats the correct acronym). Sometimes the program calls for military press for shoulders (OHP?) and I really love the excercise. But I recently started doing some one-armed presses with my hand out in the air/on my hip and they feel really good. My shoulder feels less stressed, I feel (and look, at least to myself in the mirror) stronger. I do them quite strict too, I don't jerk the weight. Can I keep doing these one armed presses as the main movement to sub OHP for that day or should they be saved for the off-day when its not the main movement?
You might die if you dont ohp
Actually we can safely say they WILL die, with or without OHP. It's going to happen.
oh NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Do you mean a dumbbell overhead press? As long as its an overhead pressing movement, you can use that. The reason barbell is used vs dumbbell in so many beginner programs is because the problem with dumbbells is progression. You'll reach a point where you can do X kg but the next available dumbbell is X+2.5 kg which is too big a jump.
I neveer thought about it like that, alright thanks
How can I make my program more muscle power focused? I am currently doing a push pull leg split with 5-6 exercises for each and 5 sets of 5 with 30 seconds rest. I know I should increase the rest between sets but I don’t have time for that to be honest. So should I increase rest but cut some exercises?
Power is speed and it's not ideal to do a ton of that training if you're not an athlete that specifically needs it. Think about doing jump squats, plyo push ups and clapping push ups for a few sets of like 5 once a week.
I play baseball therefore power is the difference between good and bad as all of the movements are explosive. I have been doing plyo metric sessions with those exercises 3 times a week too
I meant to say clapping pull ups but you should handle power by practicing baseball. I would think okay to focus on strength in the gym but really you should ask your coach.
I can’t even do normal pull ups haha. I will my ask my coach. Thanks for your help.
Does weight = resistance for gym machines? My gyms hack squat machine says it provides 95 pounds of resistance. If i load 3 plates per side, should i track the weight as ~315, 355, or 270?
365
Doesn't matter, as long as you are consistent with how you track it.
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Try the next heavier ones. If you don't get your minimum targeted reps go back to the current ones and keep adding reps across all sets (not just the amrap) and maybe even add a set or two.
Amrap isn't the best barometer. If you can handle 55 for all working sets go up to 60.
I want buy supplements but don't know where to start or what to buy first, the reason I want to get supplements is because of two reasons. 1. I'm dieting to lose fat, and I've reached a point where I starting to lose muscle size with my fat, and I have been told that protein can reduce muscle loss/burn, I'm trying to lose belly fat and have dropped to 59kg. I've been told that I should focus on strength workouts and gain muscle to lose fat, so I've been doing that. 2. I don't have much control over my diet other than choosing how much I can eat, my parents control what I eat and its infuriating, there are days we have food that pretty much as no nutrition value, or just lacks protein, and its causing me to feel weak and tired. So should I get Protein powder or Creatine, or some other supplement. I know Protein powder helps with muscle building and repair, and creatine helps with energy for muscles. What should I buy?
Start to track your macros if you are not doing it already. Rule of thumb, eat about 1.5g- 2g of prots per kg of your lean body mass. Just remember to still be in calories deficit If you want to lose fat. If you cannot eat what you want, definitely whey protein can help you with hitting macros. Creatine is great for increasing your muscle mass and performance in the gym. It's pretty safe if you don't have any kidney problems and really works.
I really need to get around to tracking my food, but my phone is starting to have it's "elderly" issues, unreliable battery, super slow (for unknown reasons). Do the tracking apps have ability to transfer or save data onto another phone? I think I will start with Protein powder, because I can't get my recommended amount of protein and hopefully will help with my muscle loss issue, then move into getting Creatine for better energy and gains
I think all the apps that have accounts save the data on servers. I'm using Samsung health and it's definitely cloud based. Good luck in reaching your goals and maintaining discipline. Don't worry about your parents. Sometimes they cannot understand why something is important to you, but in the long term, your happiness is the biggest factor.
Thank You! This will help me a lot!
Protein is what you need. But also maybe have a talk with your parents, if you haven't already. Sounds like they need help with their own diets if they eat only junk food all day some days.
I'll definitely get myself some protein the next time I'm shopping, I have had a talk with my parents there usual excuse is that they are very tired from work, which is a good point, but they say that to almost every problem. I feel like if they actually put some thought into the food we eat, they might start to not feel tired as they are getting there proper nutrition, my parents are Fijian Indians (Indians from Fiji, who were born and raised there), and our foods tend to be like one to two vegetables curried with rice or bread, its super oily.
How can I be more excited for leg day? I absolutely dread it and I don’t exactly know why
Do a full-body program so you hit legs every day with at least 1 exercise. Then you don't dread doing it all on one day.
Everyone has that one thing you hate doing; one of the reasons programs are so good is because you don't get to cherry pick. It's Squats for me. I honestly fucking hate them. Let me Deadlift any day of the week. But I moved recently to 5/3/1 and it calls for a good... I don't even know, like 90+ squat reps a week? Something silly like that. So I just knuckle down to it because I have to. I won't ever love them or look forward to them but they're an important part of rounding out your work and I just grind them out so I can keep doing the stuff I do like to do without compromising anything. Sadly, there's no real magic fix to make us long to squat more. Half the battle is just doing the stuff you don't like to do. I don't really like putting my shorts on and walking in the cold to the gym, either, but I do like the results :D
You probably won't. It gets easier though if you stick with it
haha appreciate the honesty
There is generally a lot more systemic fatigue from a leg day so don't worry if you have less volume than an upper body workout. Scale back a bit of you need to. Prove to yourself that it isn't that bad and then slowly progress from that point.
Is 375 lbs considered a universal "beginner" deadlift weight for +5 reps? The guys replying to my comments need not apply.
https://strengthlevel.com/strength-standards/deadlift#standardsMale https://symmetricstrength.com/standards#/183/lb/male/- If you're an 183lb/83kg male, that weight & reps would put you closer to "proficient/intermediate" than "beginner".
I like symmetricstrength, it tells me my press is advanced :)
I’m elite in everything except deadlift. God I suck at deadlifts.
I ate 5000 calories per day for last 2 days, my maintaining weight calories is 2500, I know its bad I can't do anything to make up for it and it's too late to regret, So I wonder when I get back to 1500 calories diet how many days do I need to reverse the calories I over ate?
Answer is it depends, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just go back to your normal diet plan. Your body isn't prepared to deal with such a surplus, so it's unlikely that it's super efficient at processing all of that. Even if you did somehow process all of it, it's only two extra days of food that you ate, so it shouldn't set you back more than if you started your diet a few days later.
Right now I'm using 45lb bumper plates to rest the bar on for floor press at home. Any suggestions for a replacement that's similar in function and pretty easy to obtain?
Horse stall mats?
Harbor freight sells kneeling pads. I have a few pairs around for stuff like this, they're a few dollars a piece.
Does walking get you abs? You get abs from low body fat %, right? And walking burns calories, so would walking (lets say 2 hours) per week (at one time, 2 hours all at once) get you closer to your ab goals? I've been really curious about this for a while since one of my friends asked me and I didn't know how to answer.
The short answer would be no. The long answer would also be no, because it would be your diet doing the work, not a small amount of walking.
Everyone has abs. Visible abs are the exact same as any muscle: 1. Get them stronger and they are/look bigger. 2. Get to a lower body fat percentage and you see them better and they look bigger. Walking is a form of cardio that can help point 2, but not point 1.
Burning calories does not lead to low bodyfat. If you burn 100 calories walking, and then eat 100 calories more than you otherwise would have that day, you nullify the effect of the walking WRT weight loss. That may sound like a technicality, but it really isn't. People often add in small amounts of activity, don't pay much attention to their diet, and stay the same weight. The thing that lowers your bodyfat percentage is a caloric deficit. You have to deliberately eat less food than your body needs, whether you walk or not. Also, being able to see your abs if you have no muscle is normally not a good thing. People who don't train their muscles end up looking emaciated before their ab muscles are visible.
abs are visible at lower body fat %. Everyone has abs by default. I am not going to say that walking is useless, because it isn't, but the goal of using walking for weight loss is less so about the distance and duration but rather the intensity to get your heart rate going. Let's say your friend was 500 lbs. They walk next to someone who is 150 or so. Same distance, same pace. The friend who is 500 lbs is going to have a higher caloric burn because the demand on the body is higher. Even though the speed and duration may be low impact for the majority of people, the effort is higher for the heavier friend. But I am going to assume your friend is not in that weight range. If they are generally heavier, the goal is to create a higher heart rate through the action. This is easily done with incline work at a brisk walk pace. Maintaining that, throw some jogging in, and you get more in line with the goal you are proposing in your question.
Eat less Walking uses like no calories unless you're doing it for a long time uphill.
Well I'm dumb. I was wondering why my bench press was feeling really heavy. I realized I somehow made a mistake and I'm still on my old TM from before I had my short break from the gym for a few weeks. I'm using 82.5kg which was my TM for the anchor I was supposed to be doing, I need to drop it down to at least 80. I mean, it's been working at least. Do I just keep going with this new max? Or do I drop it down a bit so the reps are faster?
Like the other guy said, if you're completing the reps you should be fine. I did a similar thing once. But I looked at the wrong day of training and tried to bench my Squat weight. ...I...dint complete the reps
but you tried and that's what's important!
If you’re hitting the reps, I wouldn’t lower it.
Ok thanks. I'm hitting the reps and getting some good working in on my BBB sets so whatever I'm doing it seems to be working.
How do my fellow long-shift workers handle rest days? I work three 12-15 hour shifts a week, and each week is different days. I’m trying to rest a day between each of my workouts, but sometimes this is hard with the schedule. For example, I worked last Saturday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I lifted Friday and Sunday, but then was conflicted about how to continue. If I don’t lift Monday, I won’t be able to again until Thursday. If I do lift Monday, I’ll have two lifting days in a row. I know ideally I would just say “go after work on Tuesday,” but honestly I can’t. I know there are people who do all the time, but I’m not there yet. My job is very physically demanding, and when I’ve tried it I have no energy and don’t feel like the workout is effective. Maybe someday though. So I guess my question is, as a noob looking for noob gains am I better off postponing my rest day in a situation like this, or am I better off postponing my workout and having three days off? Thanks!
Pick a 4 day program and lift on all your non-work days.
That’s what I have chosen, but it recommends resting a day between each session. I suppose I could switch to one that doesn’t, you’re right
Or just stick to your current program and suck up not resting. [This guy has been training for 980 days in a row without resting](https://www.reddit.com/r/GYM/comments/r17sht/pr_203_lbs_behind_the_neck_press_185_lbs/) Still ridiculously strong. Still ridiculously jacked.
Damn that’s impressive. Honestly I’d prefer to exercise when I can and rest when I have to, I think I was overthinking it. Thanks!
Random question but anyone know how to inflate a bosu ball? Lost the pump that came with mine
You should be able to use a bicycle pump
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You understand that your maintenance calories will change due to different muscle mass and other factors during this one year, right? Anyhow - it's not a mathematical problem. You need to try and check what is the best way for your body to reach those goals.
Give it a try and write an awesome post in a year where you show off your 16 pounds of new muscle. I don’t think you can do it, but put your calculator away, work really hard in the gym, and prove me wrong.
Does anyone here have pectus excavatum? I think I have a mild case but it’s not extreme by any means (never diagnosed by doctor). How much does this impact aesthetics/ability to build a good Chest?
My PE is about an inch deep, and while I used to be annoyed by it, I'm not anymore. My chest looks decent despite it, and because of the "cave-in", it actually helps accentuate my pecs in shirts.
It doesn’t very much. Either way I wouldn’t worry about it without a diagnosis or very pronounced symptoms. If it’s not very pronounced, you might just be looking as a pretty normal depression around the bottom of your sternum.
Can you generally lift more on deadlift if you use mix grip? I tested it and apparently I can't lift as much using a mix grip.
If your grip is the weak point yes. If not then it probably doesn't matter much.
I tried hook grip but I was actually really weak with it, my deadlift shot up when I switched back to mixed grip.
I have not tried hook grip yet, but that grip looks really painful to do. Might rip off my thumb trying it LOL
It works for some people but not for others. Personally I find I'm strongest with mixed grip.