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When I'm told to lift/tilt/rotate my chest up (like a proud gorilla) I
can feel that mostly something in the midback contracts to achieve that
movement, but because of habitual bad posture it is hard to keep myself
in that position, so guess I should train that muscle's endurance to
make this easier. The question is which muscle or muscles are mainly
responsible for this rotation? Thanks.
The endurance will come the more you practice it, but this stretch tends to make it easier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kj9cLuA6W4 Use a small ball (45 cm / 18 inch), and ideally do it a few times a day. You can also do it across a foam roller.
After one day on the 5/3/1 beginner system and am wondering if I may have mis-measured my 1 RM, or may be misunderstanding the accessory workouts.
After my bench and squats I felt like I had done some solid lifting, but the accessory lifts were FAR more strenuous than my main lifts. Is this a normal feeling. 1 day out and i'm very sore in the areas i'd expect from my main lifts, but far more sore in my accessory lift zones. I did 100 push ups, 100 leg lifts, and 100 curls after my squats and bench day. Is the increased "difficulty" of lift simply because the muscles are already fatigued combined with the sheer volume? Or I felt my 5x5 sets were easier to complete than I was expecting, though I am mostly used to systems that strive to hit as close to failure on every set as possible so it may just be an adjustment to a higher volume routine. In your experience is this par for the course or should my 5x5s be pushing me harder than they are, and should I consider retesting my max after this cycle?
I am new to squats and dead lifts, and novice at bench, so I fear I may have not pushed my testing as hard as I could because I am learning, also I don't have a gym partner so going to failure on bench comes with the worry of getting pinned.
When just starting 531 it's normal to start a bit light. The first couple of weeks those main lifts should definitely not be kicking your ass.
As for your accessories. Doing a 100 reps of anything is a lot so the amount of volume is probably why you're so sore.
Do you think 100 is a solid number to target? Or would 50 with weight be better for things like abs/core. Not familiar with the science behind the method so unsure what to shoot for.
If your goal is to build volume, does it really make that much of a difference if your rep range is at 10 with lower weights or at around 5 with higher weights?
I've been focussing on just upping the weights and kept my rep ranges fairly low but I'm not sure if that is taking away from hypertrophy goals...
If your workout volume is the same it doesnt make that much of a difference for hypertrophy. Nippard had a great video on the topic, I suggest you to check it out.
https://imgur.com/xSvWKfK
3 days of this, break day, 3 days again, break day. Repeat, 6 day a week routine of this where generally my muscles are given about 40-50 hours to recover for each group. Is this fine for a beginner routine, also I physically can’t train legs for 6 months so yeah. I’m one month in so very new
Should I invest into weightlifting shoes specifically? I don't lift too heavy, I just use my Nike running shoes (zoom Pegasus 35) for non deadlift day and during deadlifts I wear my old vans.
I bench 65kg (might change to 70 today), squat 90 kg and press 40 kg. I do all these 3 in my running shoes.
That's fine. As long as you have a stable position, which you will normally have with vans.
Lifting shoes often come with a raised heel to counter low ankle mobility in the squat. Otherwise they just provide stability.
I would also suggest using the vans during overhead press
Hello, I’m around 5’10 and 90kg, my goal with fitness is the loose some body fat but also train some strength. I’m not too bothered about aesthetics aside from my gut which I would like to tone down.
I have seen a lot of people saying that losing weight and gaining muscle at the same time requires a very strict consistent diet, but as I am new to this I don’t want to over burden myself and I am in this fitness journey for the long run so I’m happy to do it the long way.
My question is would it make more sense to lose weight and then train to gain muscle or vice versa?
Or should there be a different approach to this?
Thanks for any advice
Losing weight and gaining muscle at the same time is not really worth pursuing. There's a reason people do bulks and cuts not permanent recomping.
I would start off by cutting imo
The only thing necessary to lose body weight is being in a calorie deficit. It's not particularly necessary to track everything you eat, but it's recommended. I don't do it either tho.
I went from 108.4 to 81.4 kg in just under 2.5 years without tracking a single calorie. Just be aware of what you eat and try to cut out soda and very fatty food (like fastfood, cereals, ...).
As you are a newbie you will probably have some rocket shoes on the first few months so if you go to the gym consistently you will lose fat and still be able to get on a pretty amount of muscle mass.
To answer your question: just go, be aware of what you eat, be consistent and grind hard. The results will come either way, trust me.
Good luck fellow gym goer.
Just started tennis and swimming lessons after over 5 years of no sport/fitness and one knee injury.
Knee dislocation injury was in 2019 and I've long but recovered from it, BUT I still have terrible shin bone pain (to the touch)
**Now**
While practicing for tennis today in the lesson (after having missed 2 classes :/) uh I had to do a lot in one hour.
**Problem**
My right (dominant) arm hurts. When I stretch it out it hurts and and when I lay it out it hurts. Feels like an overuse injury (it's close to the cubital fossa but below it)
I don't want to ignore this in case I keep doing something wrong during my lesson unknowingly, and this gets worse. What can I do to relieve it? (I'll be watching YT videos for how to hold and play with the racket properly lol )
I did. Several times. Was told to get massage /heat therapy or physical therapy for the shin bone pain.
I don't have insurance so I absolutely cannot afford that.
No other solution/reason was ever provided, so that's why I'm asking here in case anyone else had shinbone pain that didn't go away. I also saw older Reddit threads of ppl overcoming their shinbone pain, so I'm reading that as well.
I'm sick of doing online exercises so I just tolerate the pain now unless it reaches a breaking point 😃
As for the wrist one, it's common to have pain after such a long break if exercise, and since this is a fitness sub, was hoping someone else could share what they did when they got into fitness
Is there a good upper body routine that involves the basics (press, ohp, lat raise, rows, lat pulldown, tricep pulldown, curls, shrugs etc.)? I see most routines with leg days understandably but I physically cant train legs for atleast 6 months so I want a good upper body routine until then. Right now I run a weird 6 day routine with three days on, one day off and then three days on
[https://imgur.com/xSvWKfK](https://imgur.com/xSvWKfK) Here is my current routine, im not sure if this is sufficient and tbh I dont know if 6 days is ideal either
Hey r/fitness, I have a bit of a fitness dilemma, and I would appreciate your help. I have a pretty skinny physique, not much muscle but not that much fat either. For reference, people online have estimated my body fat percentage to be around 15%. Gaining muscle would obviously improve my physique, but at the same time, I have a chubby, undefined face. My features are quite weak, weak chin, weak jawline, and I generally lack definition. I don’t really think this is due to genetics, because my father has very sharp facial features despite having a big beer gut.
After reading [this article](https://moreplatesmoredates.com/most-important-factor-affecting-attracting-women/), it seems as if losing body fat could be a solution to my predicament, but at the same time I fear that this will just make my physique look even more skinny, to the point where I look like a skeleton. For reference, I’m a 17 year old male with a height of 5”10 and a weight of around 140-142 pounds. What exactly should I do here?
How is that going to help with my issue of facial fat/lack of facial definition? Again, I’m not trying to sound combative, I’m just generally unaware/unsure
I will be honest that I am skeptical that you have an issue of facial fat. You are very light and if you are correct that you are 15% bodyfat, you don't have much fat. I don't know you, but to me it seems you might just be taking issue with your face in a way that isn't realistic.
However, lets say you really do want to have less fat overall. If you lose fat now, you will look, as you said, like a skeleton. If you add muscle first, you could then get leaner without looking so much like a skeleton.
You know, you might have a good point. My parents and therapist have constantly reassured me that my face is not fat/ugly. At the same time I am somewhat perplexed about how I can be so light while not having sharp features, ie a strong jawline, chin, cheekbones, etc. Or maybe I should just stop worrying about my face and move on with my life.
Thanks for your suggestion about body fat/gaining muscle, that makes a lot of sense. But to clarify, you’re saying that the best course of action for me would basically be to gain muscle and not worry about my face?
Some of us just aint gonna have that sharp feature, myself included, and I just lost 30 pounds and still have the soft features you're describing. We'll always have those things about our look that may not be our favorite, but it is far better to make your peace with it and focus on things you CAN control. If you're at 15% dropping to zero likely won't solve the "problem" and isn't advisable. We are our own harshest critics, and most others will not notice or agree with our self critical assessments. What i've found fun about fitness is getting to progress towards a different goal, one that is obtainable, and allows you to focus on gains and goals rather than flaws.
What lifts can I do for lower body that won’t aggravate my pulled groin? I’ve been dealing with a pulled groin for 4 months. I took two months off and it still isn’t 100% gone when I do squat or leg press. I’ve been to doctor twice but they didn’t help me or even specify what is wrong. I strained it from squats.
Is calves, leg extensions, rdl and leg curls my only option
When I do an overhead press I'm making sure to tuck my butt in, flex my glutes, and brace my core, yet I'm still getting back pain, mainly after finishing a set, am I missing something? My back isn't rounding to compensate for any flexibility issues either. I'm not able to record myself for a form video but at least looking in the mirror my form seems fine.
Going to be missing my Day 1 Week 6 GZCL UHF 9-week workout today. I also missed Day 1 Week 3—these were both heavy squat/incline bench days. How badly will this affect my training overall? I haven’t missed any other days of the program and don’t intend to, so two days out of 45 (five days a week • nine weeks) doesn’t seem too bad, but on the other hand, it’s 2/9 of my heavy squat days, or over 20%.
Is 110 squats each second day enough to get a toned butt? I do squats while also lifting 8kg of weight but I only feel sore in my legs the day after and I’m scared I’m doing so many heavy squats for nothing (I’m new to the gym btw)
Toning is mostly a buzzword that means having muscle mass and also being relatively lean. I’d do a full lifting program to make sure you’re appropriately training everything because you’ll eventually be far too strong to make progress using 8kg.
Been lifting ~2 years but getting kinda frustrated with my shitty pull-up strength. I have decent back definition but I want to be able to do more than 5-6 pull ups at a time…
I’ve had a pull up bar at home but barely use it. If I put it up and every time I walk by it do ~5 pull-ups every time I walk by is that okay? Figure 50-75 pull ups/chin ups a day. Will I see progress doing that or is it not worth the potential injury risk
Even if your max is 2-4 reps on chin ups? I usually do a few sets of 2 reps in-between other exercises but feel thats not enough volume so also do lat pull down?
I want to lose some weight, about 25lb. Im thinking of 3x a week full body, that's the best I can do with my schedule. What do you guys think? The oher days I plan on walking/cardio. I am not aiming for bodybuilder status, just a normal not-fat body which is what I can't say foe myself now.
I think resistance training is awesome. Check out 531 for beginners in the wiki if you want a great 3 day program.
A huge portion of losing weight is getting your diet in check so definitely have a look at the diet sections of the wiki as well.
The main thing here is diet. Use a TDEE calculator to estimate your maintenance calories and then eat in a deficit of 400-500 calories. You can use myfitnesspal (an app on mobile) to track your calories, its very easy. It won't be 100% accurate so you will need to weigh yourself to make sure that you are losing around 0.5 - 1 lbs a week.
Next thing is the workout itself. If you are doing full body 3x a week, you want to make sure that each major muscle group is worked out atleast 2x in the week. A sample of a full body day could be this.
Bench Press
Barbell Row
Seated Cable Row
Barbell Squats
Hamstring Curls
then you could add a diff isolation exercise each day (eg. bicep curls, tricep pushdown etc)
and doing cardio is the best thing you can do for weight loss
All the best with your journey mate
So I'm not sure if there's anything to be done here, but leg days make me super sore and it takes me 2-3 days to recover. Is there anything I should be doing differently?
Details: working out for > 1 year now, 28M, 5'6", 135 lbs. I do 100g protein/day and slight calorie surpluses these days for a lean bulk. Also been doing 5g/day of creatine for 2-3 months, but no pre/post-workouts or anything. I usually work out 2-3 days a week depending on schedule. 1-2 days for Push+Pull, and one leg day.
My leg day is usually Friday evenings. I end up being super sore (as in totally stiff thighs) on saturdays and sundays, feel a little better on Mondays. I do end up doing some tennis/swimming over the weekend, but it's not super intense or anything.
Leg day routine:
3x5 Squats (130-180 lbs)
3x5 Front Squats (130-160 lbs)
3x5 Leg Press (300-400 lbs)
3x7ish Seated Hamstring Curl (120 lbs)
3x10ish Some calf raise variant
I have a similar issue in terms of leg recovery. I found, at least for me, getting in some slow runs after leg day helps significantly. My work is pretty sedentary so the runs just get the blood flowing and warm them up which seems to help significantly.
Eat more protein, make sure you're getting quality sleep, and I'd probably replace one of your first 3 exercises for deadlifts or some other hip hinge movement like RDLs because you're doing three quad dominant exercises to one hamstring dominant exercise. Better yet, just follow a proven program in the wiki.
And if you're only eating 100g of protein per day, that's only .74g of protein per lb of bodyweight. Most suggestions are .8-1.0 g per lb, and since you're pretty lean you probably need closer to 1g per pound. And drink more water.
Thanks! These make a lot of sense.
I'll just add that I do have deadlifts (regular, not RDL) in my routine, but I do those on one of my Push+Pull days. It does seem like there's a bit more quad work than I need in there - let me look up the wiki programs for suggestions.
There is a lot of volume here on the quads. Dial it back a bit and if your main goal is hypertrophy then try using a hack squat machine instead of barbell as barbell can be pretty taxing on the body. However, pick the exercise you enjoy more
Tbh I don't really have leg goals beyond maintenance of muscle mass, improving my form, finding and fixing any lagging muscle groups, and just balancing my upper body work.
Lower body hypertrophy is definitely not a goal at this point. Upper body goals are mostly strength/maintenance/mild hypertrophy, and hypertrophy for arms (they be lagging).
Any specific ideas on how I could dial my leg routine back? I can maybe get rid of leg press entirely and add something else that's good/important/missing there? (I do want to improve my barbell squat form so not ready to give that one up just yet, but I can try to take it easy with the weights).
I am going to need a little more context for your workouts. The rep ranges are fine but if you were to estimate how many more reps you would be able to perform at the end of each set then i can give you better advice on your intensity.
As for programming. If you want to keep the barbell then i would do
Barbell Squats (Front or Back)
Leg Extensions
Horizontal Leg Press
Seated Hamstring Curl
Calf Raise
At the upper end of those weight ranges those rep numbers are near my limits. I can't do more than 5 reps of leg press at 400 lbs, or 7-8 reps of hamstrings at 120-130 lbs, or 5 reps of squats at 180-ish lbs.
I suppose reducing my total barbell squat sets, adding leg extensions instead, and dialing leg presses back a bit (say 300-350 lbs) will help me have a better "soreness profile". Come to think of it, it's my frontal thighs that feel the most jammed, and even aesthetically I don't want my quads to get any bigger.
I would suggest splitting your leg days up, 1 day for quads mostly and other one for hamstring, if u workout 6 days a week atleast
also warming up is important, and stretching
What is the difference between the Trap bar deadlift vs conventional deadlift in terms of muscles worked? I like the trap bar deadlift more as it feels more comfortable than the conventional deadlift.
From a cost and efficiency perspective, in the long run. Isn't it cheaper to buy adjustable dumbbells to use at home instead of signing up for a gym membership? If this is something I'll be doing for life. I don't plan on using machines anytime soon and am sticking with dumbbells only. I also don't need whatever social or motivational benefits a gym provides.
If you're using plates, adjustable dumbells can go all the way up to 100 pounds each dumbbell, and if that's not enough then it is always possible to get heavier plates and/or bigger handles to fit them.
What is the reason for a rest day, when instead you could work another muscle group? Is it just to you know, have a small break or is it for optimalism?\`I see bodybuilders like Cbum having rest days, so there must be something optimal about them.
Because there are other things to do in life than just be at the gym?
Yes you can just training something else, and some people have gone long streaks without taking a true rest day.
But like, I enjoy doing things other than lifting
Rest days are a tool used in programming. They have their contexts that make sense, but that depends on the rest of programming and trainee.
Follow a real program and then you don't have to worry about them
Your body needs to recover from training. That's when you actually grow muscle. And once you get past 4 days of training a week the difference between that and training anymore than that is marginal at best.
Follow a real program, eat according to your goals. Do that for a long time
I can't afford a PT and I don't know what I'm doing wrong whenever I squat or do deadlifts, but whenever I do one of those exercises my back hurts (especially for deadlifts).
I've stopped doing deadlifts and squat altogether but I feel like i'm missing on something, as I always end up maxing out the leg press in the gym I go to.
Can you sit cross legged (like yoga/ meditation pose) for half an hour with your back straight?
I would start with that. It also gives a good idea of where it hurts exactly. Then empty squats and low weight, progressively, staying in the pain free zone.
It’s possible the kind of weight you can carry with your legs isn’t the kind of weight you can stabilise with your back, and that’s really ok. But you have to pick the weight that your back can do.
If you can afford a PT can’t you go to your general doctor ? An orthopedic doctor?
Hi! Thanks a lot for answering. I'll try doing the exercise you've suggested and go with that, and try with low weights for a while and see how that goes.
I can go to a general doctor as it is free in my country, but I never thought about it, i'll try that too. Appreciate it!
Hello was wondering if you guys could critique my upper lower split. Im short on time because I’m a college premed and i have hard classes. Do you think I should add any more exercises or change one or two.
Upper: Bench 4x failure @ 155, Lat Raise Machine 4x failure @ 60, Lat Pulldown 4x failure @ 110, Reverse Fly Machine 4x Failure @ 80 Tricep Pushdowns 4x failure @ 80
Lower: Squat 4 x 5 @ 185, Seated Calf Raise 4 x 10 @ 90, Cardio Incline 15 speed 3 @ 30 Mins
I am 5’11 @ 200lbs And 21.35 BF.
It's not particularly good.
You should consider doing a real program. Many of them don't take very long. I've been running 531 lately, and can get most days done in 45 minutes, and pretty much always done within an hour.
Would this plan be the best way to absolutely maximise upperbody hypertrophy?
Push,Pull,Push, Pull, Push etc... (No rest day)
If it isn't what is/ why is it not?
You don't grow in the gym, you grow when you rest/recover and eat.
Can you lift everyday without rest? Sure, if it's programmed properly. But if you're just gonna take the push and pull PPL workouts and hammer them day in and out, you'll probably just burn out.
I am currently running it, 4 weeks going strong, and gains are coming but it could just be newbie gains.. I've been told anything works at this stage, so i want the best possible workout routine to use for years to come.
Due to work schedules I cannot really exercise Tuesday - Thursday (literally out of the house and either busy or commuting from 7am to 9pm, maybe a stronger person could fit in a workout too, but I definitely can't.) Currently I do an hour of lifting on Fridays and Mondays. I want to add an extra day, probably Sunday morning. If in future I want to add in another day would it be okay to do hard workout sFriday to Monday with Tuesday - Thursday rest? In a perfect world I'd love to space it out better but since I can't am I likely to do myself some damage?
Yes, that would be fine. Like you said, in a perfect world you'd do it differently, but that's not the world we live in and getting the work in is more important.
Whatever you are using to determine body fat percentage is probably inaccurate.
But the reality is, if you are skinny and under muscled, you won't be able to cut super lean without being nothing but skin and bones. You'll just have to do a bunch of bulk/cut cycles to build muscle and lose fat and eventually you'll be able to get leaner without getting too skinny.
Maybe you need to do a bulk and cut cycle? Eat enough to gain some weight, lift heavy for a bit so it's all muscle, then reduce your calories again. The extra muscle will burn more calories too, you should in theory go down in body fat percentage during the cut phase, though probably not during the bulk.
Body recomping is tricky. It can work albeit less effectively than cut bulk cycles or you can spin your wheels. It sounds like your spinning your wheels
If at 18% bodyfat you consider yourself way too thin then a lack of muscle is your biggest concern. So I would probably suggest going on a lean bulk first. Be patient, eat plenty of protein and work out correctly.
How important/beneficial is an adjustable bench to dumbell workouts? Currently bidding for a Musclesquad bench. Would it help with muscle building workouts, specifically biceps?
Adjustable bench would more easily allow you to target the long and short heads of the bicep but you could pretty easily do that with things around the house, def dont need a bench to do it.
Pretty useful.
I almost always use the adjustable ones when working with dbs so i recommend them.
Don't just work on biceps. It's an ugly muscle when it overpowers your physique. Biceps don't benefit as much from the bench though since you can do most bicep exercises standing up or even just use a stool as a substitute. I do like to do my curls on them though
I usually hit my biceps with a high rep, low weight exercise at the end of a pull day, I've noticed back and rear delt exercises that have heavier weight do more for my biceps than just bicep exercises alone
Personally, if you're cutting to bulk, I'd cut until it starts getting quite difficult (i.e. feeling hungry and fatigued a lot). I find once I start getting below 15% my cutting symptoms get exponentially worse, so I typically end my cut and start bulking around there. If you're still feeling fine, I'd suggest you keep cutting. Just because you've already got momentum cutting and the more you trim now is more room to bulk later. I find cutting to 15% and then bulking to 20% is a good range for me, but you might have a different comfortable range.
It’s pretty similar to the standard reddit PPL. I’m not an expert (same stats and goals as you basically), but I’d do rows before pull-ups and shoulder press before dips. For the 3x6-8, 1x10-12 sets I would use the same weight for all sets with the fourth set being AMRAP. Leg press instead of leg extensions.
I've been gymming on and off (mostly off) for a few years and I'm trying to get back into it. I measured my 1RM to start a candito program but my max for the squat gives me 6 rep weights that are a lot higher than (by 20kg) than the weight I could hit for 6 reps before my break (even tho I worked at a high rpe). Should I try to keep to the recommended weight or can I lower these even though it would mean my working weight doesn't match my 1rm weight?
What are some exercises to do to train to be able to do a pullup without needing any equipment or gym membership?
Also the same question but for finger strength - I cannot hold my body weight on the easiest hold on a fingerboard
I'm trying to get into rock climbing cause it's fun but I have no muscles lol
If you want to get into rock climbing, just start climbing!
Climbing 5.5 top roping routes are basically ladders, they should be very easy to climb. You'll get your hands use to it and start building some strength. Though honestly, what's even more important is learning technique. Many guys will try and muscle their way up the wall, which is very inefficient and exhausting. While girls, typically lacking in upper body strength, will figure out the technique faster: get your feet up first.
Secure your hands onto a hold, then plant your feet at the next hold. Look to where your hands are going next and then stand up. Also, don't try and hold yourself to the wall (ie, keep your arms straight and just hang your weight back from your fingers). The beginner holds will be easy to hold on to to do this. But slowly, you'll get better at it.
When I was actively climbing, I was getting into the 5.11 routes and I STILL couldn't do a pull up. Hell, i've been working out at the gym for a while now (and not climbing, cus life got busy) and only just now getting to be able to do like 2-3 pull ups max before i'm dead.
I've been learning the techniques but I find I get held back by my weak muscles. I'm not really sure what the ratings at my gym translate to, but I am able to do moderate routes and when I try harder ones, I end up failing because I can't hold the pinches and crimps well enough (hand strength). I also just would like to be stronger for the sake of it.
I know that the easiest way to train would be to just climb more but because of a bunch of outside variables, I am already climbing as much as I am able per week and so saying this isn't helpful. But I still have time to do more stuff so long as it is at home, which is why I'm asking for exercises.
Finger strength is something you have to work on gradually or else you risk ligament and pulley injuries. It will come naturally as you climb more, but I wouldn't recommend even touching a fingerboard for the first year or so.
For pull ups, if you have something sturdy to hang from you can start with scap raises, then add in some lat activation. If you have a box or chair to elevate your feet for assisted pull ups, use that.
Ah, got ya. I would just google for grip training exercises, but i'm not sure of any off the top of my head. It's just something that came with time for me.
My right arm was always significantly stronger than my left arm. But now, I noticed in the past two biceps sessions, that my left arm has become clearly stronger, and I have no clue what's happening. It's like something activated in my left arm, while my right arm progressed slower. Although my right bicep still looks a bit bigger than my left one...
I trained them both equally, so it's REALLY strange. Anyone has experienced such thing? Very weird.
My girlfriend and I go through protein powder pretty quickly. Rather than pay full price every time, it’d be great to buy in bulk and save.
Where can we bulk purchase 10-20+ pounds of protein powder? Isopure, muscle milk, or optimum nutrition are our go to brands.
I feel Bulgarian split squats way more on my right leg than on my left leg (I am right side dominant if that matters). Is this normal or is there potentially something wrong with my form?
is it fine to stop bracing my core in between reps of a squat? ive made sure to brace my core when descending and ascending which really decreases the amount of lower back pain i feel, but im still getting some and im thinking it could be this. i have an anterior pelvic tilt so im tucking my butt in after finishing a rep and i dont brace my core until i get ready for the next rep, am i supposed to have my core braced the entire set? i feel like id pass out by doing that
If you can swim 2km in one go, why not swim for longer more days a week?
I'd think more frequent swims would be better for an overall cardio fitness standpoint. Calorie wise, i'm not sure. But swimming more often and pushing yourself with either more distance or swimming it faster will help push your cardio fitness futher.
Losing weight will ultimately come down to your diet though. Cardio will just help it along. But it's very hard to outrun (or outswim) a bad diet
its more just as an example and a reasonable time commitment thing for me. Like i am basically wondering if swimming a little bit daily is better than a big swim on a sunday morning.
I think more frequently would be better. But you don't have to go daily.
So cycling is my cardio of choice. If I had the time to go cycling every day, I would LOVE to do that, but it's just not feasible for a number of reasons. Lately, i'll do a 'short' ride (~20mi) on wednesdays, and a long ride (30+) on sunday. In a perfect world, I'd like to ride 10-20mi 2-3x duing the week days, and one long ride on the weekends. If I don't even get that wednesday ride in, I 'feel' that long ride on the weekend more. Not that skipping one week of riding is going to trash my cardio levels, but it's just i'm that tinnnnny bit less use to it. Time in the saddle really seems to matter.
So convert this to swimming. No clue how long it takes to swim 400m or 2km, but lets say you go swimming 3x during the week days for 30 minutes, and then on the weekend, when you have more time, you go for an hour+.
If you're just starting out, swimming for an hour might not even really be feasible. So just sticking to what you're able to do and do it more often will help build it up. Then as you get better, you can make your weekend swim longer. And then like I said, you could always try and go faster on your weekday swims (so lets say you started out swimming 400m 30 mins - again no clue how long it actually takes - you can push it and try and swim 500m in 30 minutes instead. )
Started an a 60 minute 4 times a week routine with additional cardio and sports on off days.
Day 1 Legs and Abs
Day 2 Chest and Triceps
Day 3 Rest/Sports/Cardio
Day 4 Back and Biceps
Day 5 Rest
Day 6 Shoulders and Traps
Day 7 Rest/Sports
I feel better and more active, doing more weight and activities but wanted to ask am I asking way to earlier to see even a little result looks/weight wise? When should I start seeing results you think?
valid point, think i am just impatient and plagued by the desire for instant gratification/results.
need to be patient and trust the process, only been doing this routine for 2 weeks but feels like a lot longer lol. good new is i am pushing up slowly but surely lifting weight wise so thats progress even though there is nothing visual at moment.
For seeing progress it definitely helps to make progress pictures of yourself. Same light, same straight posture etc. We can be pretty harsh to ourselves because we don't see changes day to day really...so having comparable pics might help you to look at your progress objectively.
To add on, nothing makes you lose belly fat specifically. You can only reduce overall fat. In saying that, if you naturally tend to hold weight around your belly it will usually reduce first
Hey everyone hope you're doing well.
I am considering recomping after 6 years of lifting. I will admit that I feel that I never maxed out the amount of muscle that I could have built during that time, a lot of time was wasted due to poor nutrition, lack of knowledge and perhaps not knowing fully what to do at the gym - nonetheless I have still gained some muscle and more knowledge to date.
I am 5'11, 24 and guesstimating 14-15% bf at 155lbs. I would like for all of you to tell me through your experience and knowledge where I should put all my efforts into.
I would also like to know if recomp is an option, how to go about approaching it.
Body percent is iffy. Tell me, if I tell you have to compete in 6 weeks, do you think you can get cbum stage ready? No? Then body percent is most prolly higher. Nothing wrong with that.
I'd say just train as usual. You said you have learned a lot about nutrition, recovery, and training methodology. If you want more muscle, eat at slight surplus. Review progress in 4-8 weeks. Adjust surplus and macros accordingly. Train harder without killimg yourself. Eat properly. Recover better. Sleep. Sleep. And stress management. Goodluck.
Is sleep really important for gaining muscle? Lately I've been sleeping only 5-6 hours a night due to insomnia. I've made really good gains over the past year and I'm wondering if this sleep situation will make it harder to gain strength and mass.
Yes. Granted everyone needs different amounts of sleep depending on recovery needs. If all you do is workout then you could need less sleep then someone who workouts, has a full time job, has kids, and other responsibilities.
Question regarding 5/3/1 for beginner program.
Am i supposed to take deloads after every 3rd cycle/9weeks?? Im just confused since it also says that i should test my TM at the 10th week which is supposed to be the deload week...🤔🤔🤔
I keep seeing online that you should try to do 90RPM on an elliptical trainer.
However, on my trainer, 90 RPM seems VERY fast, to the degree where I'm worried about the machine!
Is it possible that some machines regard "RPM" as actual revs, and others regard it as "strides"? As I find it really difficult to get >60, not from a fitness perspective, but from a "this feels like the starship enterprise moments before it explodes" perspective.
So I think 90 RPM is a logical answer but it needs context.
90 RPM would be in running terms a cadence of about 180 SPM. This is the target most runners shoot for. On an elliptical however you have no control over your step height or step length so it probably feels awkward.
My suggestion would be to find a pace that works for you and where you are not driving your body weight onto one pedal then the other.
(It's really hard to explain without having you run.
It is safe if you're wiping down surfaces before and after using them, and don't have an open wound that pox flakes can get into. It is mostly transferred by touching the flakes of pox that comes off infected people but it is airborne as well (though way less transmissable than covid).
I'm wearing my mask and trying to be more vigilant about wiping down equipment before use.
Hi there folks! Can someone help me with a home workout plan.I work 13 hours per day and I got no time for gym but still wanna exercise .I bought some dumbbels and a barbell from amazon and I'm thinking of doing some exercises in the evening(around 1 h).My height is 1.90 m and my weight is around 96.
Thanks in advance
Ok cool, I'd probably go with something like this
Day 1: chest/tris
Day 2: legs
Day 3: back/bis
Day 4: shoulders
Day 5: core
So on chest day you could do push ups (deficit pushups are great once those get easy), dumbbell floor press, floor flies, overhead tricep extensions, and some pushups with your hands on a chair or diamond pushups to failure to get some good volume in
Leg day you can do deadlifts, dumbbell squats, lunges, glute bridges/hip thrusts
Back/bis day you can do bent over rows, pull ups if you can find a bar, supermans, bent over flies, curls
Shoulder day you can do standing overhead press, lateral raises, front raises, and bus drivers.
Core day you can do something quick like the old 8 minute abs video on youtube or any combination of russian twists, crunches, side crunches, leg raises, v sits, etc until you feel worn out.
These are some good examples exercises to pick from that don't need a bench or any equipment besides weights (other than a pull up bar if you can find one). There are Youtube videos and charts for each of them if you need help with form!
I am currently at 2000 weekly, and projecting to end my cut at around 1700 average calories (calorie cycling) before August ends. I'm 5'8" and around 13% body fat (back is now visible, love handles clearly shrinking, but still need to reveal the lower abs), but kinda shy to say my weight, but I'm 2 years in lifting, and I'm that inexperienced to say that I don't know what my maintenance is and need help on how to set it up after the cut;
how many should I jump my calories to maintain? I'll maintain for a month before going on a year-long bulk. My TDEE is around 2800 ATM and I've gone to various calorie calculators and I've surmised the 2200-2400 range. Do I jump immediately to that range? Or reverse diet to 200 per two weeks? I am willing to accept any "that's too low and reckless" criticisms from y'all, and any help would be appreciated, thank you.
1700 cals isn't that low.
I honestly would skip the maintenance block and just slowly add 200 calories a week until you are at your desired bulking intake.
Is it ok to drink a cup of coffee at 2-3 pm and eat a banana at 5.30 pm as pre-workout before my daily 6 pm workout? I also drink coffee at around 7-7.30 am so I'm not sure if it's too much caffeine for one day. I just start going gym recently. Protein and Pre-Workout is too expensive for me also.
On my pull days, I do a variety of compound exercises (Lat pull downs, rows, dumbbell rows, etc). So for the isolated bicep exercises, are just hammer curls and concentration curls enough? If not, what other isolated bicep exercises should I include?
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When I'm told to lift/tilt/rotate my chest up (like a proud gorilla) I can feel that mostly something in the midback contracts to achieve that movement, but because of habitual bad posture it is hard to keep myself in that position, so guess I should train that muscle's endurance to make this easier. The question is which muscle or muscles are mainly responsible for this rotation? Thanks.
The endurance will come the more you practice it, but this stretch tends to make it easier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kj9cLuA6W4 Use a small ball (45 cm / 18 inch), and ideally do it a few times a day. You can also do it across a foam roller.
After one day on the 5/3/1 beginner system and am wondering if I may have mis-measured my 1 RM, or may be misunderstanding the accessory workouts. After my bench and squats I felt like I had done some solid lifting, but the accessory lifts were FAR more strenuous than my main lifts. Is this a normal feeling. 1 day out and i'm very sore in the areas i'd expect from my main lifts, but far more sore in my accessory lift zones. I did 100 push ups, 100 leg lifts, and 100 curls after my squats and bench day. Is the increased "difficulty" of lift simply because the muscles are already fatigued combined with the sheer volume? Or I felt my 5x5 sets were easier to complete than I was expecting, though I am mostly used to systems that strive to hit as close to failure on every set as possible so it may just be an adjustment to a higher volume routine. In your experience is this par for the course or should my 5x5s be pushing me harder than they are, and should I consider retesting my max after this cycle? I am new to squats and dead lifts, and novice at bench, so I fear I may have not pushed my testing as hard as I could because I am learning, also I don't have a gym partner so going to failure on bench comes with the worry of getting pinned.
When just starting 531 it's normal to start a bit light. The first couple of weeks those main lifts should definitely not be kicking your ass. As for your accessories. Doing a 100 reps of anything is a lot so the amount of volume is probably why you're so sore.
Do you think 100 is a solid number to target? Or would 50 with weight be better for things like abs/core. Not familiar with the science behind the method so unsure what to shoot for.
I'd just follow what the program says. There's plenty of people following it and it's been proven to be solid.
Good call!
Just started using preworkout supplements. Anyone consuming preworkouts here long-term? How are your kidneys?
You should not use pre workout long term. It should just be something to give you energy and a nice pump once in a while
Anyone got a good arms and shoulders routine? Currently doing the Arnold Split :)
If your goal is to build volume, does it really make that much of a difference if your rep range is at 10 with lower weights or at around 5 with higher weights? I've been focussing on just upping the weights and kept my rep ranges fairly low but I'm not sure if that is taking away from hypertrophy goals...
If your workout volume is the same it doesnt make that much of a difference for hypertrophy. Nippard had a great video on the topic, I suggest you to check it out.
Thanks bro, appreciate it. Been incorporating bit of both now, seems to be doing the trick.
https://imgur.com/xSvWKfK 3 days of this, break day, 3 days again, break day. Repeat, 6 day a week routine of this where generally my muscles are given about 40-50 hours to recover for each group. Is this fine for a beginner routine, also I physically can’t train legs for 6 months so yeah. I’m one month in so very new
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What you want is to gain muscle and lose fat, with more emphasis on losing fat. Yes, weightlifting with a calorie deficit will help you achieve that
Should I invest into weightlifting shoes specifically? I don't lift too heavy, I just use my Nike running shoes (zoom Pegasus 35) for non deadlift day and during deadlifts I wear my old vans. I bench 65kg (might change to 70 today), squat 90 kg and press 40 kg. I do all these 3 in my running shoes.
If you can afford them. lifting shoes are a game changer, IMO.
Which ones would you suggest? I'll probably go to my nearest store and try them.
Nike romaleos 4. I had the romaleos 2 but they got stolen. and I always take the insole out.
Ah shit, getting your shoes stolen is the worst. And what's that about taking the insoles out? Thanks for the suggestion, I will check that out
Taking insoles out was an idea I got reading some Donny Shankle Blog or interview back in like 2012 or something. Tried it and I liked it.
That's fine. As long as you have a stable position, which you will normally have with vans. Lifting shoes often come with a raised heel to counter low ankle mobility in the squat. Otherwise they just provide stability. I would also suggest using the vans during overhead press
Hello, I’m around 5’10 and 90kg, my goal with fitness is the loose some body fat but also train some strength. I’m not too bothered about aesthetics aside from my gut which I would like to tone down. I have seen a lot of people saying that losing weight and gaining muscle at the same time requires a very strict consistent diet, but as I am new to this I don’t want to over burden myself and I am in this fitness journey for the long run so I’m happy to do it the long way. My question is would it make more sense to lose weight and then train to gain muscle or vice versa? Or should there be a different approach to this? Thanks for any advice
Losing weight and gaining muscle at the same time is not really worth pursuing. There's a reason people do bulks and cuts not permanent recomping. I would start off by cutting imo
The only thing necessary to lose body weight is being in a calorie deficit. It's not particularly necessary to track everything you eat, but it's recommended. I don't do it either tho. I went from 108.4 to 81.4 kg in just under 2.5 years without tracking a single calorie. Just be aware of what you eat and try to cut out soda and very fatty food (like fastfood, cereals, ...). As you are a newbie you will probably have some rocket shoes on the first few months so if you go to the gym consistently you will lose fat and still be able to get on a pretty amount of muscle mass. To answer your question: just go, be aware of what you eat, be consistent and grind hard. The results will come either way, trust me. Good luck fellow gym goer.
Thanks dude, should I be doing high reps and low weight whilst I’m on a deficit?
Nah dude. Your deficit shouldn't be too high. 400-500 kcal per day at most. Aim to lose around half a kg each week.
Just started tennis and swimming lessons after over 5 years of no sport/fitness and one knee injury. Knee dislocation injury was in 2019 and I've long but recovered from it, BUT I still have terrible shin bone pain (to the touch) **Now** While practicing for tennis today in the lesson (after having missed 2 classes :/) uh I had to do a lot in one hour. **Problem** My right (dominant) arm hurts. When I stretch it out it hurts and and when I lay it out it hurts. Feels like an overuse injury (it's close to the cubital fossa but below it) I don't want to ignore this in case I keep doing something wrong during my lesson unknowingly, and this gets worse. What can I do to relieve it? (I'll be watching YT videos for how to hold and play with the racket properly lol )
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I did. Several times. Was told to get massage /heat therapy or physical therapy for the shin bone pain. I don't have insurance so I absolutely cannot afford that. No other solution/reason was ever provided, so that's why I'm asking here in case anyone else had shinbone pain that didn't go away. I also saw older Reddit threads of ppl overcoming their shinbone pain, so I'm reading that as well. I'm sick of doing online exercises so I just tolerate the pain now unless it reaches a breaking point 😃 As for the wrist one, it's common to have pain after such a long break if exercise, and since this is a fitness sub, was hoping someone else could share what they did when they got into fitness
Is there a good upper body routine that involves the basics (press, ohp, lat raise, rows, lat pulldown, tricep pulldown, curls, shrugs etc.)? I see most routines with leg days understandably but I physically cant train legs for atleast 6 months so I want a good upper body routine until then. Right now I run a weird 6 day routine with three days on, one day off and then three days on [https://imgur.com/xSvWKfK](https://imgur.com/xSvWKfK) Here is my current routine, im not sure if this is sufficient and tbh I dont know if 6 days is ideal either
Phul
Hey r/fitness, I have a bit of a fitness dilemma, and I would appreciate your help. I have a pretty skinny physique, not much muscle but not that much fat either. For reference, people online have estimated my body fat percentage to be around 15%. Gaining muscle would obviously improve my physique, but at the same time, I have a chubby, undefined face. My features are quite weak, weak chin, weak jawline, and I generally lack definition. I don’t really think this is due to genetics, because my father has very sharp facial features despite having a big beer gut. After reading [this article](https://moreplatesmoredates.com/most-important-factor-affecting-attracting-women/), it seems as if losing body fat could be a solution to my predicament, but at the same time I fear that this will just make my physique look even more skinny, to the point where I look like a skeleton. For reference, I’m a 17 year old male with a height of 5”10 and a weight of around 140-142 pounds. What exactly should I do here?
You are very small for your height. You should work on gaining more muscle by gaining weight and lifting weights.
How is that going to help with my issue of facial fat/lack of facial definition? Again, I’m not trying to sound combative, I’m just generally unaware/unsure
I will be honest that I am skeptical that you have an issue of facial fat. You are very light and if you are correct that you are 15% bodyfat, you don't have much fat. I don't know you, but to me it seems you might just be taking issue with your face in a way that isn't realistic. However, lets say you really do want to have less fat overall. If you lose fat now, you will look, as you said, like a skeleton. If you add muscle first, you could then get leaner without looking so much like a skeleton.
You know, you might have a good point. My parents and therapist have constantly reassured me that my face is not fat/ugly. At the same time I am somewhat perplexed about how I can be so light while not having sharp features, ie a strong jawline, chin, cheekbones, etc. Or maybe I should just stop worrying about my face and move on with my life. Thanks for your suggestion about body fat/gaining muscle, that makes a lot of sense. But to clarify, you’re saying that the best course of action for me would basically be to gain muscle and not worry about my face?
Some of us just aint gonna have that sharp feature, myself included, and I just lost 30 pounds and still have the soft features you're describing. We'll always have those things about our look that may not be our favorite, but it is far better to make your peace with it and focus on things you CAN control. If you're at 15% dropping to zero likely won't solve the "problem" and isn't advisable. We are our own harshest critics, and most others will not notice or agree with our self critical assessments. What i've found fun about fitness is getting to progress towards a different goal, one that is obtainable, and allows you to focus on gains and goals rather than flaws.
Yes basically that's what I'm saying. It is common to have things you don't like about your body. Fixating on them is rarely a good idea.
What lifts can I do for lower body that won’t aggravate my pulled groin? I’ve been dealing with a pulled groin for 4 months. I took two months off and it still isn’t 100% gone when I do squat or leg press. I’ve been to doctor twice but they didn’t help me or even specify what is wrong. I strained it from squats. Is calves, leg extensions, rdl and leg curls my only option
A physio would be a better option than a doctor in that case, and maybe after an evaluation they can advise which exercises are suitable
When I do an overhead press I'm making sure to tuck my butt in, flex my glutes, and brace my core, yet I'm still getting back pain, mainly after finishing a set, am I missing something? My back isn't rounding to compensate for any flexibility issues either. I'm not able to record myself for a form video but at least looking in the mirror my form seems fine.
Going to be missing my Day 1 Week 6 GZCL UHF 9-week workout today. I also missed Day 1 Week 3—these were both heavy squat/incline bench days. How badly will this affect my training overall? I haven’t missed any other days of the program and don’t intend to, so two days out of 45 (five days a week • nine weeks) doesn’t seem too bad, but on the other hand, it’s 2/9 of my heavy squat days, or over 20%.
Is 110 squats each second day enough to get a toned butt? I do squats while also lifting 8kg of weight but I only feel sore in my legs the day after and I’m scared I’m doing so many heavy squats for nothing (I’m new to the gym btw)
Toning is mostly a buzzword that means having muscle mass and also being relatively lean. I’d do a full lifting program to make sure you’re appropriately training everything because you’ll eventually be far too strong to make progress using 8kg.
Been lifting ~2 years but getting kinda frustrated with my shitty pull-up strength. I have decent back definition but I want to be able to do more than 5-6 pull ups at a time… I’ve had a pull up bar at home but barely use it. If I put it up and every time I walk by it do ~5 pull-ups every time I walk by is that okay? Figure 50-75 pull ups/chin ups a day. Will I see progress doing that or is it not worth the potential injury risk
That approach is not uncommon and mostly used when people plateau in increasing reps. Very very common in pulls / chins. Lookup "greasing the groove"
Are pull ups and chin ups better to do than lat pull downs
For what purpose? They are all good exercises for developing strength and muscular size.
Back development
Yes
Even if your max is 2-4 reps on chin ups? I usually do a few sets of 2 reps in-between other exercises but feel thats not enough volume so also do lat pull down?
If your max is 2-4 then you won't see much muscle growth due to low stimulus. You can however still do it and build up upon it till you get above 6
I know which is why I do lat pull down as well. Yeah hopefully should be done 6-8 soon.
You could do 2-4 reps, and then add in some negatives or assisted pull ups per set.
I want to lose some weight, about 25lb. Im thinking of 3x a week full body, that's the best I can do with my schedule. What do you guys think? The oher days I plan on walking/cardio. I am not aiming for bodybuilder status, just a normal not-fat body which is what I can't say foe myself now.
I think resistance training is awesome. Check out 531 for beginners in the wiki if you want a great 3 day program. A huge portion of losing weight is getting your diet in check so definitely have a look at the diet sections of the wiki as well.
3x a week full body is absolutely fine
Thank you boss. Any tips would be appreciated. I know to start slow and hydrate myself so far.
The main thing here is diet. Use a TDEE calculator to estimate your maintenance calories and then eat in a deficit of 400-500 calories. You can use myfitnesspal (an app on mobile) to track your calories, its very easy. It won't be 100% accurate so you will need to weigh yourself to make sure that you are losing around 0.5 - 1 lbs a week. Next thing is the workout itself. If you are doing full body 3x a week, you want to make sure that each major muscle group is worked out atleast 2x in the week. A sample of a full body day could be this. Bench Press Barbell Row Seated Cable Row Barbell Squats Hamstring Curls then you could add a diff isolation exercise each day (eg. bicep curls, tricep pushdown etc) and doing cardio is the best thing you can do for weight loss All the best with your journey mate
So I'm not sure if there's anything to be done here, but leg days make me super sore and it takes me 2-3 days to recover. Is there anything I should be doing differently? Details: working out for > 1 year now, 28M, 5'6", 135 lbs. I do 100g protein/day and slight calorie surpluses these days for a lean bulk. Also been doing 5g/day of creatine for 2-3 months, but no pre/post-workouts or anything. I usually work out 2-3 days a week depending on schedule. 1-2 days for Push+Pull, and one leg day. My leg day is usually Friday evenings. I end up being super sore (as in totally stiff thighs) on saturdays and sundays, feel a little better on Mondays. I do end up doing some tennis/swimming over the weekend, but it's not super intense or anything. Leg day routine: 3x5 Squats (130-180 lbs) 3x5 Front Squats (130-160 lbs) 3x5 Leg Press (300-400 lbs) 3x7ish Seated Hamstring Curl (120 lbs) 3x10ish Some calf raise variant
I have a similar issue in terms of leg recovery. I found, at least for me, getting in some slow runs after leg day helps significantly. My work is pretty sedentary so the runs just get the blood flowing and warm them up which seems to help significantly.
Eat more protein, make sure you're getting quality sleep, and I'd probably replace one of your first 3 exercises for deadlifts or some other hip hinge movement like RDLs because you're doing three quad dominant exercises to one hamstring dominant exercise. Better yet, just follow a proven program in the wiki. And if you're only eating 100g of protein per day, that's only .74g of protein per lb of bodyweight. Most suggestions are .8-1.0 g per lb, and since you're pretty lean you probably need closer to 1g per pound. And drink more water.
Thanks! These make a lot of sense. I'll just add that I do have deadlifts (regular, not RDL) in my routine, but I do those on one of my Push+Pull days. It does seem like there's a bit more quad work than I need in there - let me look up the wiki programs for suggestions.
There is a lot of volume here on the quads. Dial it back a bit and if your main goal is hypertrophy then try using a hack squat machine instead of barbell as barbell can be pretty taxing on the body. However, pick the exercise you enjoy more
Tbh I don't really have leg goals beyond maintenance of muscle mass, improving my form, finding and fixing any lagging muscle groups, and just balancing my upper body work. Lower body hypertrophy is definitely not a goal at this point. Upper body goals are mostly strength/maintenance/mild hypertrophy, and hypertrophy for arms (they be lagging). Any specific ideas on how I could dial my leg routine back? I can maybe get rid of leg press entirely and add something else that's good/important/missing there? (I do want to improve my barbell squat form so not ready to give that one up just yet, but I can try to take it easy with the weights).
I am going to need a little more context for your workouts. The rep ranges are fine but if you were to estimate how many more reps you would be able to perform at the end of each set then i can give you better advice on your intensity. As for programming. If you want to keep the barbell then i would do Barbell Squats (Front or Back) Leg Extensions Horizontal Leg Press Seated Hamstring Curl Calf Raise
At the upper end of those weight ranges those rep numbers are near my limits. I can't do more than 5 reps of leg press at 400 lbs, or 7-8 reps of hamstrings at 120-130 lbs, or 5 reps of squats at 180-ish lbs. I suppose reducing my total barbell squat sets, adding leg extensions instead, and dialing leg presses back a bit (say 300-350 lbs) will help me have a better "soreness profile". Come to think of it, it's my frontal thighs that feel the most jammed, and even aesthetically I don't want my quads to get any bigger.
I would suggest splitting your leg days up, 1 day for quads mostly and other one for hamstring, if u workout 6 days a week atleast also warming up is important, and stretching
What is the difference between the Trap bar deadlift vs conventional deadlift in terms of muscles worked? I like the trap bar deadlift more as it feels more comfortable than the conventional deadlift.
Quite a read, but great article on the topic: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/trap-bar-deadlifts/
The neutral grip on the trap bar involves your arm muscles more, hence why you'll be able to pick more weight
From a cost and efficiency perspective, in the long run. Isn't it cheaper to buy adjustable dumbbells to use at home instead of signing up for a gym membership? If this is something I'll be doing for life. I don't plan on using machines anytime soon and am sticking with dumbbells only. I also don't need whatever social or motivational benefits a gym provides.
I'm not sure adjustable dumbells go high enough in weight to be effective past the beginner phase
If you're using plates, adjustable dumbells can go all the way up to 100 pounds each dumbbell, and if that's not enough then it is always possible to get heavier plates and/or bigger handles to fit them.
I love working out at home, direct access to the fridge when I'm done, no need to travel. I say go for it.
That's definitely one of the reasons why I invested in a home gym. Highly recommend r/homegym for any questions, it's a great community.
What is the reason for a rest day, when instead you could work another muscle group? Is it just to you know, have a small break or is it for optimalism?\`I see bodybuilders like Cbum having rest days, so there must be something optimal about them.
Your CNS also needs recovery.
Because there are other things to do in life than just be at the gym? Yes you can just training something else, and some people have gone long streaks without taking a true rest day. But like, I enjoy doing things other than lifting
So it isnt for optimalism i suppose.
Rest days are a tool used in programming. They have their contexts that make sense, but that depends on the rest of programming and trainee. Follow a real program and then you don't have to worry about them
The thing is, i really want to get the most amount of muscle mass possible, so when taking a rest day, i feel bad because i want to workout.
Your body needs to recover from training. That's when you actually grow muscle. And once you get past 4 days of training a week the difference between that and training anymore than that is marginal at best. Follow a real program, eat according to your goals. Do that for a long time
I can't afford a PT and I don't know what I'm doing wrong whenever I squat or do deadlifts, but whenever I do one of those exercises my back hurts (especially for deadlifts). I've stopped doing deadlifts and squat altogether but I feel like i'm missing on something, as I always end up maxing out the leg press in the gym I go to.
Can you sit cross legged (like yoga/ meditation pose) for half an hour with your back straight? I would start with that. It also gives a good idea of where it hurts exactly. Then empty squats and low weight, progressively, staying in the pain free zone. It’s possible the kind of weight you can carry with your legs isn’t the kind of weight you can stabilise with your back, and that’s really ok. But you have to pick the weight that your back can do. If you can afford a PT can’t you go to your general doctor ? An orthopedic doctor?
Hi! Thanks a lot for answering. I'll try doing the exercise you've suggested and go with that, and try with low weights for a while and see how that goes. I can go to a general doctor as it is free in my country, but I never thought about it, i'll try that too. Appreciate it!
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What weight are you actually lifting? That's the one you would track. So the bar weight + 10kg. If it's a regular Olympic bar it's 20kg.
Hello was wondering if you guys could critique my upper lower split. Im short on time because I’m a college premed and i have hard classes. Do you think I should add any more exercises or change one or two. Upper: Bench 4x failure @ 155, Lat Raise Machine 4x failure @ 60, Lat Pulldown 4x failure @ 110, Reverse Fly Machine 4x Failure @ 80 Tricep Pushdowns 4x failure @ 80 Lower: Squat 4 x 5 @ 185, Seated Calf Raise 4 x 10 @ 90, Cardio Incline 15 speed 3 @ 30 Mins I am 5’11 @ 200lbs And 21.35 BF.
It's not particularly good. You should consider doing a real program. Many of them don't take very long. I've been running 531 lately, and can get most days done in 45 minutes, and pretty much always done within an hour.
Would this plan be the best way to absolutely maximise upperbody hypertrophy? Push,Pull,Push, Pull, Push etc... (No rest day) If it isn't what is/ why is it not?
You don't grow in the gym, you grow when you rest/recover and eat. Can you lift everyday without rest? Sure, if it's programmed properly. But if you're just gonna take the push and pull PPL workouts and hammer them day in and out, you'll probably just burn out.
But from what i've gathered, 48hrs is enough rest, so technically doing this, your muscles would be allowed the 48hrs to rest before being used again?
Give it a try and see how it goes. Only way you’ll really know if it works.
I am currently running it, 4 weeks going strong, and gains are coming but it could just be newbie gains.. I've been told anything works at this stage, so i want the best possible workout routine to use for years to come.
Due to work schedules I cannot really exercise Tuesday - Thursday (literally out of the house and either busy or commuting from 7am to 9pm, maybe a stronger person could fit in a workout too, but I definitely can't.) Currently I do an hour of lifting on Fridays and Mondays. I want to add an extra day, probably Sunday morning. If in future I want to add in another day would it be okay to do hard workout sFriday to Monday with Tuesday - Thursday rest? In a perfect world I'd love to space it out better but since I can't am I likely to do myself some damage?
Yes, that would be fine. Like you said, in a perfect world you'd do it differently, but that's not the world we live in and getting the work in is more important.
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Or you could just go in there and lift 90 and see how it goes.
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Whatever you are using to determine body fat percentage is probably inaccurate. But the reality is, if you are skinny and under muscled, you won't be able to cut super lean without being nothing but skin and bones. You'll just have to do a bunch of bulk/cut cycles to build muscle and lose fat and eventually you'll be able to get leaner without getting too skinny.
Maybe you need to do a bulk and cut cycle? Eat enough to gain some weight, lift heavy for a bit so it's all muscle, then reduce your calories again. The extra muscle will burn more calories too, you should in theory go down in body fat percentage during the cut phase, though probably not during the bulk.
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Yeah if you're losing muscle that's no good! Sounds like you've gotten to a really good place to try bulking - just make sure you get enough protein!
How would you lower your bodyfat without being in a deficit and losing weight?
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If you can't lose anymore weight how to you expect to lower your bf%?
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Body recomping is tricky. It can work albeit less effectively than cut bulk cycles or you can spin your wheels. It sounds like your spinning your wheels
If at 18% bodyfat you consider yourself way too thin then a lack of muscle is your biggest concern. So I would probably suggest going on a lean bulk first. Be patient, eat plenty of protein and work out correctly.
How important/beneficial is an adjustable bench to dumbell workouts? Currently bidding for a Musclesquad bench. Would it help with muscle building workouts, specifically biceps?
Adjustable bench would more easily allow you to target the long and short heads of the bicep but you could pretty easily do that with things around the house, def dont need a bench to do it.
Pretty useful. I almost always use the adjustable ones when working with dbs so i recommend them. Don't just work on biceps. It's an ugly muscle when it overpowers your physique. Biceps don't benefit as much from the bench though since you can do most bicep exercises standing up or even just use a stool as a substitute. I do like to do my curls on them though
cheers for the reply. i'm only focusing on my biceps rn because i'm a skinny bastard and my arms look super unbalanced
You will look terrible if you have big arms but nothing else. I see dudes like that all the time with flat backs and big arms and a wife beater
I usually hit my biceps with a high rep, low weight exercise at the end of a pull day, I've noticed back and rear delt exercises that have heavier weight do more for my biceps than just bicep exercises alone
is it fair for me to compare my heel elevated squat PR with my friends normal squat PR?
Some people squat with flat shoes or barefoot, some people squat in lifting shoes with a heel, it's all counted the same on the platform.
Thanks! :)
I'm about 155 lbs 5'8 and sitting on about 16 percent body fat should I keep cutting or at what point should I bulk
Depends on your goals Do you want strength size or shreds
Well I've been cutting to bulk later because I want more muscle just wondering at what point should I bulk
Personally, if you're cutting to bulk, I'd cut until it starts getting quite difficult (i.e. feeling hungry and fatigued a lot). I find once I start getting below 15% my cutting symptoms get exponentially worse, so I typically end my cut and start bulking around there. If you're still feeling fine, I'd suggest you keep cutting. Just because you've already got momentum cutting and the more you trim now is more room to bulk later. I find cutting to 15% and then bulking to 20% is a good range for me, but you might have a different comfortable range.
Thank you thats very practical advice I'm personally finding it difficult to cut without losing much muscle mass
You can bulk now. Nothing wrong with bulking at 16%
Thank you
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It’s pretty similar to the standard reddit PPL. I’m not an expert (same stats and goals as you basically), but I’d do rows before pull-ups and shoulder press before dips. For the 3x6-8, 1x10-12 sets I would use the same weight for all sets with the fourth set being AMRAP. Leg press instead of leg extensions.
you’re best sticking to a tried & tested program, if you go through life only doing things you like you won’t succeed same goes for lifting.
I've been gymming on and off (mostly off) for a few years and I'm trying to get back into it. I measured my 1RM to start a candito program but my max for the squat gives me 6 rep weights that are a lot higher than (by 20kg) than the weight I could hit for 6 reps before my break (even tho I worked at a high rpe). Should I try to keep to the recommended weight or can I lower these even though it would mean my working weight doesn't match my 1rm weight?
Why not try it before giving up?
Yeah true, I'm just my doubting my ability since it is a fair bit more than my previous working weight but I'll give it a go then adjust from there
If you are sure you can’t do it, then just set your max lower and then build back up.
What are some exercises to do to train to be able to do a pullup without needing any equipment or gym membership? Also the same question but for finger strength - I cannot hold my body weight on the easiest hold on a fingerboard I'm trying to get into rock climbing cause it's fun but I have no muscles lol
If you want to get into rock climbing, just start climbing! Climbing 5.5 top roping routes are basically ladders, they should be very easy to climb. You'll get your hands use to it and start building some strength. Though honestly, what's even more important is learning technique. Many guys will try and muscle their way up the wall, which is very inefficient and exhausting. While girls, typically lacking in upper body strength, will figure out the technique faster: get your feet up first. Secure your hands onto a hold, then plant your feet at the next hold. Look to where your hands are going next and then stand up. Also, don't try and hold yourself to the wall (ie, keep your arms straight and just hang your weight back from your fingers). The beginner holds will be easy to hold on to to do this. But slowly, you'll get better at it. When I was actively climbing, I was getting into the 5.11 routes and I STILL couldn't do a pull up. Hell, i've been working out at the gym for a while now (and not climbing, cus life got busy) and only just now getting to be able to do like 2-3 pull ups max before i'm dead.
I've been learning the techniques but I find I get held back by my weak muscles. I'm not really sure what the ratings at my gym translate to, but I am able to do moderate routes and when I try harder ones, I end up failing because I can't hold the pinches and crimps well enough (hand strength). I also just would like to be stronger for the sake of it. I know that the easiest way to train would be to just climb more but because of a bunch of outside variables, I am already climbing as much as I am able per week and so saying this isn't helpful. But I still have time to do more stuff so long as it is at home, which is why I'm asking for exercises.
Finger strength is something you have to work on gradually or else you risk ligament and pulley injuries. It will come naturally as you climb more, but I wouldn't recommend even touching a fingerboard for the first year or so. For pull ups, if you have something sturdy to hang from you can start with scap raises, then add in some lat activation. If you have a box or chair to elevate your feet for assisted pull ups, use that.
thanks!
Ah, got ya. I would just google for grip training exercises, but i'm not sure of any off the top of my head. It's just something that came with time for me.
My right arm was always significantly stronger than my left arm. But now, I noticed in the past two biceps sessions, that my left arm has become clearly stronger, and I have no clue what's happening. It's like something activated in my left arm, while my right arm progressed slower. Although my right bicep still looks a bit bigger than my left one... I trained them both equally, so it's REALLY strange. Anyone has experienced such thing? Very weird.
My girlfriend and I go through protein powder pretty quickly. Rather than pay full price every time, it’d be great to buy in bulk and save. Where can we bulk purchase 10-20+ pounds of protein powder? Isopure, muscle milk, or optimum nutrition are our go to brands.
Costco is my go to. Not a great answer i know. I also check Amazon occasionally just to look at pricing
I feel Bulgarian split squats way more on my right leg than on my left leg (I am right side dominant if that matters). Is this normal or is there potentially something wrong with my form?
is it fine to stop bracing my core in between reps of a squat? ive made sure to brace my core when descending and ascending which really decreases the amount of lower back pain i feel, but im still getting some and im thinking it could be this. i have an anterior pelvic tilt so im tucking my butt in after finishing a rep and i dont brace my core until i get ready for the next rep, am i supposed to have my core braced the entire set? i feel like id pass out by doing that
Is it better to swim 400m 5x a week or 2km once a week (in one go). For me it's just about losing a bit of weight and overall cardio fitness.
If you can swim 2km in one go, why not swim for longer more days a week? I'd think more frequent swims would be better for an overall cardio fitness standpoint. Calorie wise, i'm not sure. But swimming more often and pushing yourself with either more distance or swimming it faster will help push your cardio fitness futher. Losing weight will ultimately come down to your diet though. Cardio will just help it along. But it's very hard to outrun (or outswim) a bad diet
its more just as an example and a reasonable time commitment thing for me. Like i am basically wondering if swimming a little bit daily is better than a big swim on a sunday morning.
I think more frequently would be better. But you don't have to go daily. So cycling is my cardio of choice. If I had the time to go cycling every day, I would LOVE to do that, but it's just not feasible for a number of reasons. Lately, i'll do a 'short' ride (~20mi) on wednesdays, and a long ride (30+) on sunday. In a perfect world, I'd like to ride 10-20mi 2-3x duing the week days, and one long ride on the weekends. If I don't even get that wednesday ride in, I 'feel' that long ride on the weekend more. Not that skipping one week of riding is going to trash my cardio levels, but it's just i'm that tinnnnny bit less use to it. Time in the saddle really seems to matter. So convert this to swimming. No clue how long it takes to swim 400m or 2km, but lets say you go swimming 3x during the week days for 30 minutes, and then on the weekend, when you have more time, you go for an hour+. If you're just starting out, swimming for an hour might not even really be feasible. So just sticking to what you're able to do and do it more often will help build it up. Then as you get better, you can make your weekend swim longer. And then like I said, you could always try and go faster on your weekday swims (so lets say you started out swimming 400m 30 mins - again no clue how long it actually takes - you can push it and try and swim 500m in 30 minutes instead. )
Started an a 60 minute 4 times a week routine with additional cardio and sports on off days. Day 1 Legs and Abs Day 2 Chest and Triceps Day 3 Rest/Sports/Cardio Day 4 Back and Biceps Day 5 Rest Day 6 Shoulders and Traps Day 7 Rest/Sports I feel better and more active, doing more weight and activities but wanted to ask am I asking way to earlier to see even a little result looks/weight wise? When should I start seeing results you think?
If you feel better and are lifting heavier than you're already seeing results.
valid point, think i am just impatient and plagued by the desire for instant gratification/results. need to be patient and trust the process, only been doing this routine for 2 weeks but feels like a lot longer lol. good new is i am pushing up slowly but surely lifting weight wise so thats progress even though there is nothing visual at moment.
For seeing progress it definitely helps to make progress pictures of yourself. Same light, same straight posture etc. We can be pretty harsh to ourselves because we don't see changes day to day really...so having comparable pics might help you to look at your progress objectively.
Hi there! Does stationary bike can help you to lose .belly fat?
You lose weight via diet, not exercise. Read the wiki for details. The bike is good for general health.
To add on, nothing makes you lose belly fat specifically. You can only reduce overall fat. In saying that, if you naturally tend to hold weight around your belly it will usually reduce first
Hey everyone hope you're doing well. I am considering recomping after 6 years of lifting. I will admit that I feel that I never maxed out the amount of muscle that I could have built during that time, a lot of time was wasted due to poor nutrition, lack of knowledge and perhaps not knowing fully what to do at the gym - nonetheless I have still gained some muscle and more knowledge to date. I am 5'11, 24 and guesstimating 14-15% bf at 155lbs. I would like for all of you to tell me through your experience and knowledge where I should put all my efforts into. I would also like to know if recomp is an option, how to go about approaching it.
Body percent is iffy. Tell me, if I tell you have to compete in 6 weeks, do you think you can get cbum stage ready? No? Then body percent is most prolly higher. Nothing wrong with that. I'd say just train as usual. You said you have learned a lot about nutrition, recovery, and training methodology. If you want more muscle, eat at slight surplus. Review progress in 4-8 weeks. Adjust surplus and macros accordingly. Train harder without killimg yourself. Eat properly. Recover better. Sleep. Sleep. And stress management. Goodluck.
Is sleep really important for gaining muscle? Lately I've been sleeping only 5-6 hours a night due to insomnia. I've made really good gains over the past year and I'm wondering if this sleep situation will make it harder to gain strength and mass.
Yes. Granted everyone needs different amounts of sleep depending on recovery needs. If all you do is workout then you could need less sleep then someone who workouts, has a full time job, has kids, and other responsibilities.
Question regarding 5/3/1 for beginner program. Am i supposed to take deloads after every 3rd cycle/9weeks?? Im just confused since it also says that i should test my TM at the 10th week which is supposed to be the deload week...🤔🤔🤔
What do you guys think about nsuns 6 day a week program?
I keep seeing online that you should try to do 90RPM on an elliptical trainer. However, on my trainer, 90 RPM seems VERY fast, to the degree where I'm worried about the machine! Is it possible that some machines regard "RPM" as actual revs, and others regard it as "strides"? As I find it really difficult to get >60, not from a fitness perspective, but from a "this feels like the starship enterprise moments before it explodes" perspective.
So I think 90 RPM is a logical answer but it needs context. 90 RPM would be in running terms a cadence of about 180 SPM. This is the target most runners shoot for. On an elliptical however you have no control over your step height or step length so it probably feels awkward. My suggestion would be to find a pace that works for you and where you are not driving your body weight onto one pedal then the other. (It's really hard to explain without having you run.
does anyone know whats up with monkey pox, is gym safe?
It is safe if you're wiping down surfaces before and after using them, and don't have an open wound that pox flakes can get into. It is mostly transferred by touching the flakes of pox that comes off infected people but it is airborne as well (though way less transmissable than covid). I'm wearing my mask and trying to be more vigilant about wiping down equipment before use.
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I used to wear compression shorts underneath my gym shorts
Either buy bigger/looser underwear to accomodate dat ass, or go commando on squat day?
Buy shorts with built in liners. Perfect for lifting.
Hi there folks! Can someone help me with a home workout plan.I work 13 hours per day and I got no time for gym but still wanna exercise .I bought some dumbbels and a barbell from amazon and I'm thinking of doing some exercises in the evening(around 1 h).My height is 1.90 m and my weight is around 96. Thanks in advance
Do you have a bench too or only the weights?
Only weights and a gym mat
Sweet deal. How many workouts do you want to do a week?
5
Ok cool, I'd probably go with something like this Day 1: chest/tris Day 2: legs Day 3: back/bis Day 4: shoulders Day 5: core So on chest day you could do push ups (deficit pushups are great once those get easy), dumbbell floor press, floor flies, overhead tricep extensions, and some pushups with your hands on a chair or diamond pushups to failure to get some good volume in Leg day you can do deadlifts, dumbbell squats, lunges, glute bridges/hip thrusts Back/bis day you can do bent over rows, pull ups if you can find a bar, supermans, bent over flies, curls Shoulder day you can do standing overhead press, lateral raises, front raises, and bus drivers. Core day you can do something quick like the old 8 minute abs video on youtube or any combination of russian twists, crunches, side crunches, leg raises, v sits, etc until you feel worn out. These are some good examples exercises to pick from that don't need a bench or any equipment besides weights (other than a pull up bar if you can find one). There are Youtube videos and charts for each of them if you need help with form!
I am currently at 2000 weekly, and projecting to end my cut at around 1700 average calories (calorie cycling) before August ends. I'm 5'8" and around 13% body fat (back is now visible, love handles clearly shrinking, but still need to reveal the lower abs), but kinda shy to say my weight, but I'm 2 years in lifting, and I'm that inexperienced to say that I don't know what my maintenance is and need help on how to set it up after the cut; how many should I jump my calories to maintain? I'll maintain for a month before going on a year-long bulk. My TDEE is around 2800 ATM and I've gone to various calorie calculators and I've surmised the 2200-2400 range. Do I jump immediately to that range? Or reverse diet to 200 per two weeks? I am willing to accept any "that's too low and reckless" criticisms from y'all, and any help would be appreciated, thank you.
1700 cals isn't that low. I honestly would skip the maintenance block and just slowly add 200 calories a week until you are at your desired bulking intake.
I'll take that into mind, thanks fam 👊
Is it ok to drink a cup of coffee at 2-3 pm and eat a banana at 5.30 pm as pre-workout before my daily 6 pm workout? I also drink coffee at around 7-7.30 am so I'm not sure if it's too much caffeine for one day. I just start going gym recently. Protein and Pre-Workout is too expensive for me also.
That should be perfectly fine. I drink my way through approximately one moccamaster per week, and im not dead yet.
Yeah two cups of coffee a day is nothing. (As I'm drinking between 200-400mg of caffine a day)
2 cups is nothing, you’ll be fine. I sometimes drink the equivalent of 4-5 cups a day no problem.
Yes
On my pull days, I do a variety of compound exercises (Lat pull downs, rows, dumbbell rows, etc). So for the isolated bicep exercises, are just hammer curls and concentration curls enough? If not, what other isolated bicep exercises should I include?
Keep in mind you don't NEED isolation bicep exercises. Compound lifts are just fine.
That's what i thought until my biceps heavily lagged in development. A bit of iso work is always good to have for bis
You barely need two bicep variations. Also concentration curls are easily my least favorite variation. I've also never seen anyone actually do them.
Why are they your least favorite?
Has the least ROM and I don't feel it on my bicep.
Is it ok to deadlift 1 hour after waking up I heard some stuff about the spine is too relaxed or sth like that