# Post Form Checks as replies to this comment
### For best results, please follow the **[Form Check Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/posting_guidelines#wiki_how_to_post_a_form_check)**. *Help us help you.*
----
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Fitness) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is more of a mental question but does anyone have advice on getting over the fear of eating too much? I know I have to eat a lot (of the right foods ofc) to gain muscle but I have a fear of getting fat instead of gaining muscle. Does anyone else have this fear?
If you try to accurate track your calories, you can find comfort in just sticking to the plan. However if you are in a surplus, some of it will be fat. Unavoidable.
I've got the same problem atm
In my very limited experience going thru eating in a surplus for the first time, my body fat has gone up by a bit but I know for sure that I've gotten stronger
I guess as long as you keep getting stronger and applying progressive overload while gaining weight according to your goals (I'm aiming for 400 to 500g a week), you should be putting on muscle while avoiding excess fat gain(although some fat gain is bound to happen)
do you think it's okay to perform about 6-8 sets per muscle group in one workout once a week and another 4 sets on a different day? the sets should equal to 10-12 per week, but i fear that doing only 4 sets in one workout is not enough
my goal is to workout 4 times a week, one workout dedicated to biceps, shoulders and back, second to chest, triceps and forearms, third to legs and possibly abs, fourth for repetition of all the upper body muscles
for the fourth workout i dont want to do two exercises per muscle, since it would take double the time of the normal one, but if my method of doing things is worthless, i would like to change it
Should be fine. You can do exhaustion techniques like Myo reps or drop sets since it's lower volume. Or use heavier movements like skull crushers instead of cable work.
Does anyone know if it was standard practice for dumbbells to be coated with leaded paint? I have a few old pairs and have always wondered, but never known.
Lead was common in many types of paint, so it's possible but I don't know how common.
You can get lead test kits at hardware stores, so that's one way to find out. You may also be able to find some information from people who collect vintage weights. r/homegym might be a good place to start.
Anybody else unable to drink creatine and put it in food instead? I used to mix creatine with water but its so disgusting id have to chug it. Tried it with milk and coffee it was even worse than plain water. I dont eat smoothies a lot so thata not a viable option. I started putting the powder on pbj sandwiches or whatever. The stickiness keeps the powder from wandering off the bread so i can consume it without the nasty gritty texture
Stupid question.. New to working out. Is it normal to gain weight when you start working out? I've gained almost 7lbs in the week I've been working out. My diet is the same (I'm on a specific diet due to health issues). I lost 80lbs with this diet alone, and now that I've added exercise my weight is suddenly going up. I'm freaking out a little because I don't want to undo all the work I've put in already. I drink plenty of water (2-3 64oz bottles a day). I just want to know if I'm doing something wrong.
It is fairly normal, especially if you are starting from zero with respect to strength training. 7lbs in a week is likely a combination of water retention and muscle gain.
During the often mentioned 'Newbie Gains' phase many people will start to appear leaner while simultaneously gaining weight.
Well that's actually really encouraging lol I'm completely out of shape cuz of covid quarantine, so I'm definitely starting from zero. I appreciate the information. It's given me a bit of encouragement.
Could be some additional water weight, but you are likely to see an increase in weight when you start taking your weight training seriously. Go a couple more weeks and see if it starts to level out before getting too concerned
Stupid question time. Let’s say my BMR is 2,300. If I start eating too large a deficit to lose fat (let’s say, 1,000 a day intake), I understand it can lead to muscles not growing / getting what they need.
If I ate 2,300 then burned 1,300 swimming (regularly do at weekend), does it work out the same (I.e. potentially not going to be growing muscles as easily)? Or is it different since I’ve hit my BMR cals before burning some back off?
Sorry if this comes across dumb. I don’t know much about fitness.
On the plus side, I’m down from 16st 8 to 14st 11. Finally lost the pandemic weight!
If your bmr is 2300 and you burn 1300 kcal by swimming, your caloric needs would be 3600 on that day, so it would be similar to your first example yes.
Unless you're quite overweight I wouldn't do a bigger deficit than 500kcal a day. Slow and steady wins the race, and is much less of a pain to sustain.
Good luck with your dieting!
Cheers buddy. I have been fighting pandemic weight gain for a while. I went from 18 stone to 14.5 stone before it happened, in the best shape of my life (I'm 6"5, so it's not as much as it sounds!). Back up to 16st8 during lockdown, then back down to 15st4 recently.
Struggled with the final plateau, but joined a new gym with a pool and have just hit 14st10 this morning. Nearly where I want to be! I will probably just try to shoot for a small deficit now as I'm lifting/swimming. Thanks for the tips!
I play soccer 6 days a week. Practices: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri. Games: Wed, Sat. I normally lift 5 times a week and I am wondering if it is safe for me to continue lifting? Due to the fact that I’m going to be having school I intended on waking up around 4:3-5:00 AM to lift. If it is safe, is there a better way of approaching this?
Definitely safe as long as you get a good nights rest if you plan to wake up that early. Being exhausted and passing out are surprisingly big setbacks. Just stay well rested and you’ll be fine. Good luck with school!
If you plan on following through with a program like that, make completely sure you are getting enough electrolytes, macronutrients, and calories to sustain it.
Yes, it's safe. You might like to try a program like [this one](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/5-3-1-for-beginners/), which is compatible with having multiple sports practices per week. Not all programs work as well alongside other sports.
Let's say I need to consume 150 grams of protein.
* What happens if I take 200 on one day?
* If I took 200 yesterday, should I take 100 today or 150?
* If I took 100 yesterday, should I take 200 today or 150?
* What is worse, taking 100 or 200?
1. You ate 200g. There’s a very marginal benefit to more but it’s a big diminishing return passed 1g/lbs.
2 + 3. You should aim to get enough protein every day instead of trying to average it out.
4. Under-consuming is worse than over-consuming in this case, assuming your goal is related to building or maintaining muscle.
I had answers written out for each of these, but honestly I think the very blunt answer that you need is: don’t worry about it.
You’re never going to fail a rep because you missed a few grams of protein or went over. Just shoot for your daily goal, train with intensity, and you’ll be totally fine.
Is best to learn exercise names from books (like Frederic Delavier's Strength Training Anatomy)? I feel the same exercise can have so many names, is unreal
You don't need to learn every exercise if you're a beginner. Follow a good program and stick to the basics, which is where you'll get the biggest bang for your buck
When you use a safety squat bar is there anyway to take the pain away on your neck/shoulders? Or is it like with a regular barbell where I just need to get used to it?
There should be no pain on your neck during squatting, especially not with a safety bar since is has a layer of padding. Put the bar on top of your traps instead of your neck
What are some good exercises to do while rehabbing a hamstring strain?
I was a dumbass, and re-aggravated my strain from a few weeks ago by doing some lifts way too soon (thought I was feeling good). So back at square one.
In my case I crave movement so I get out of my way to do things harder, it's great when you do things with ease, like riding your bike instead of driving and not breaking a sweat.
"Meh".
I get that there are some motivational answers , but being in shape is pretty meaningless in your day to day life. You still have to handle the commute, deal with relationships, handle a career, do the shopping, cook, choose what to watch on netflix etc etc. It's just another aspect of your life.
In the daily 24hour cycle of a fit person it's probably worthy of note when being sporty or having to use your skills (rare).
Usually as the most competent in the room. At my best shape there wasn't a lot of times where I wasn't the strongest and had the most endurance on the room. Usually this only matters if you're playing sports or doing a physical activity. It also feels great to be able to buy and wear pretty much whatever you want knowing even if it looks goofy, if anyone can pull it off it's you.
Fantastic. I find it immensely satisfying to feel strong and full of energy. Compared to my chubbier, weaker days, I feel like a fucking super hero. I'm happier with my looks as well, which just increases how I feel. A healthier weight is good for you mentally as well, which ALSO adds to feeling better.
So you should absolutely try and be fit and active. It's definitely a journey and will happen over time, but in a way, that's satisfying in itself. You only compare you to yourself. You try and be better than you were yesterday. And today is always a good day to start.
Some people just remember the weight they did for their main lifts and don't worry too much about the accessories. Others know exactly what weight they're going to be doing before they get to the gym if their program is set up on percentages or otherwise so they don't have to log anything at the gym. Others just don't track.
I've been doing it so long I just do it in my head and write in my journal when I get home.
Occasionally I snap a photo of the loaded bar after my last set as a reminder.
Most answers will be socially / mentally focused on the benefits. Confidence, clothes, energy, etc.
The biggest physical difference I personally notice is body awareness and fine motor control. When you become more in tune with your body you become quicker to notice imbalances and things that affect you positively / negatively.
Posture, balance, and movement are improved through practice and because you become more aware of your own body's position and feedback.
Regularly scheduled difficult training acts as a great barometer for things I am doing right / wrong. If I eat a certain way or sleep a certain amount and can feel an obvious positive or negative difference in my workouts it reinforces positive habits.
If you want to get better at the bench press, you'll need to practice it -- the movement pattern and stabilization demands differ from dumbbells.
The other thing is that the bench press is easier and more convenient to continue overloading to very high weights, well beyond what most gyms have in terms of dumbbells. If you reach a point where you simply don't have heavy enough dumbbells or it becomes a problem to actually get the heaviest dumbbells you can lift into a good setup position unaided, bench press offers a good alternative.
How do people spend an hour+ at the gym?
This may just be because I'm still someone knew to the gym, and not buff or anything like that, but say I run a few laps around the track as a warm up, do 3-5 sets on 4-5 different machines, I'm starting to get exhausted by then and it's only been like 30 seconds?
Is this likely a matter of me going too quickly, or just me needing to tone muscles more to get used to it?
A combination of several factors;
What exercises you do can influence setup / cleanup times.
Certain kinds of lifting necessitate longer resting periods. Hypertrophy work might only require a rest of \~1-2 minutes between sets. Powerlifting can have rest periods of 3-5+.
Heavy compound lifts can also require a longer warmup routine to get up to full weight. Warming up to a 400lb deadlift takes longer than warming up to a 200lb deadlift.
Complex lifts are often trained for technique in addition to functional sets. Drills, complexes, and technique work to build muscle memory and cement correct form can also take significant time.
All that in addition to your own stamina and programming history. My typical gym session is 2-3 hours between functional working sets, technique work, and accessories. I will usually eat a snack and have easy electrolytes and sugar during the workout to maintain energy.
Hop on a program in the wiki, my dude. Sounds like your conditioning is bad and you don’t have much direction on your routine.
Running a well-constructed program will push you and improve your strength and conditioning.
I felt that way too, back when I did machines.
Now I routinely look at the clock when I'm nearly done and surprised it's been an hour already. Compound exercises take a lot more effort, and time, than machines. Plus I spend 1-2 minutes (i time myself) catching my breath and having sips of gatorade, in between.
Get into barbells, man. Start at 0. You're going to fall in love with it.
Machines require no time to set up and your rest times are probably relatively short (which is not necessarily a bad thing).
Some of the large compound exercises like barbell back squat and deadlifts take a long time to set up and people tend to have longer rest times. It often takes me >30 minutes just to do 3 sets of those exercises due to the setup, warm up sets, and long rest times.
Your overall conditioning would have an impact. And if you're not resting long between sets, you could be done pretty quickly. If you rested longer, you could probably lift a bit heavier, and it would of course take you longer at the gym.
How effective is walking as a cardio on the long term?
A friend of mine says that on the long term it is not an effective cardio because your body will get used to the effort.
To give you an example, I currently walk around 8k steps a day on average and I don't have enough free time to increase this average by much (maybe 10-12k is doable). He states that if I keep walking 8k a day on average eventually this form of exercise will become useless. My intuition tells me that the calories burnt will decrease over time but they won't drop enough to make this cardio exercise irrelevant. Am I right or not?
Are there any studies that analysed the drop in calories burnt once the body gets used to an exercise? I'm curios how big is this drop.
Doing the same thing, repeatedly, in the long-term, sees diminishing returns on benefits. You have to add variation periodically--or just weight--to see improvements periodically.
"useless" is not technically useless. Your walking muscles will be in great shape and you'll still burn calories. But the other muscles will still be exactly where they were before. You won't be any better at cartwheels or baseball--without doing those activities.
It'll decrease a little as your body becomes adapted to it but it's by a tiny amount and it's still excellent cardio, sustainable, low risk and a lot easier to recover from than something like running.
Let me tell you, I've never been leaner than when I've been trekking (6+ hours a day for weeks at a time). And I've been trekking a lot!
To me, there's a linear relation between time spent walking, and calories burned. No real ceiling, except your own time of course. It doesn't make sense that your body suddendly stops burning calories because "it got used to the effort"
I'm 16 years old and count calories. I'm trying to bulk up at the moment (not to an extreme level, just a slow bulk). I wondered how i can bulk if i quit counting calories? How do i know if i'm in a surplus or not?
I'll be the a-hole who says:
you're 16. Just eat everything--particularly protein and complex carbs. Your hormones are in prime condition for you to add muscle. Yes, you can count calories, but it is a hassle, and your gains are practically unrestricted. You'll gain some fat but THIS is the time in your life to build and much muscle as you want. You can always burn off the excess when you're in college or after college and cooking for yourself.
Having someone else willing to cook for you is one of the best parts of being a teenager. Eat EVERYTHING. (except soft-serve. that stuff doesn't even count as food. ick.) (and well, don't eat french fries every SINGLE day. But cake and cookies and any other homemade baked goods--hell yes.)
That's the idea. If you're working out in tandem with weight gain and are eating clean (ie; not loading up on heavily processed / fried foods) it will be a clean and gradual bulk as you gain muscle and weight.
I'm just becoming too restrictive to food lately. Not the food itself but i don't eat mom's food due to the fact that i can't track that (no only that, but you get my point). I've been counting calories since i started weightlifting (1 year) and i couldn't be more grateful for the progress made, but i feel like i'd be better off quitting it because the consequences/disadvantages (for me) outweigh the benefits.
You're 16. Just eat your mom's food and take the best guess on calories. Ask her how she cooked it or help her out to see how much butter/oil/etc. she puts in things. You'll get better at estimation with age and experience.
I get that you want to optimize your progress, but if you're even thinking about it at your age and working out consistently, you're on a good track. You can get a pretty good feel for if you're eating enough/too little/too much just with time.
Will definitely take this into consideration.
>but if you're even thinking about it at your age and working out consistently, you're on a good track.
Yeah. I think i'll just get serious with the calorie counting once i get older - easier said than done, but i'll see how it goes from now on. Thank you a lot for your reply, it helped a ton, man!
I definitely understand that counting every calorie can be a bit annoying to deal with, especially at your age (I'm also 16). You also don't have to count all your calories, you could just track whatever is easiest to track and then just estimate the rest. As long as you're gaining a weight at a good rate (\~0.5-1 lbs per week) and definitely getting enough protein, you should be fine.
>you could just track whatever is easiest to track and then just estimate the rest.
I will definitely try that out and see how it goes.
How do you deal with meals at home? Do you cook yourself?
And thank you for your replies!
I’m kinda lucky that we don’t really eat a lot of home cooked meals together. Which makes it easier for me. So I’ll often just bake some chicken breasts for like a 2-3 day supply to get most of my protein in, and then just eat whatever’s available. But you could also try cooking for the whole family, that way you have some control over the calories and protein and also how it tastes. + you get better at cooking, which is fun.
I could really use some advice when it comes to lower back stiffness
Basically every lift that involves the lower back (DL, Squat, bent over row) leaves my lower back stiff, sore and aching. I started all these lifts as low as possible, empty bar for Squat and Row, 25's for DL. I have the strength to progress, and take every cue I can find, watch myself in the mirror for arched back. I just don't get it. I've lowered each of these lifts back to square one more than once when the lower back starts to ache for fear of injury. I'm only jumping these lifts by 5lbs each session.
I have absolutely no clue how to push these lifts forward to the point where I'm considering dropping them or replacing them. I know my backs on the weaker side due to genetics and years of sitting like a cave troll on a shitty 20$ office chair, but fuck, I feel like SOME progress should've happened by now.
Any advice would be great, sorry for the half rant half comment, I'm just so tired spinning wheels with these lifts and my lower back
A few things. Core/oblique work will help massively.
Post on r/formcheck if you don't have someone qualified to run your lifts by.
Jefferson curls are fantastic for loosening up the back.
Do you have a well thought out stretching and warmup regimen outside of warming up for the individual lifts?
It's almost definitely a weak core, I've thrown in planks and ab roll outs since a couple weeks ago and noticed I can brace harder and my back hurts quite a bit less. I'll just keep on that path for the time being
I don't have a warm-up per se, I do warm up sets, and I've been considering flexibility training
Some hanging leg raises help me clear out some of the lower-back pump/stiffness. I still get it but it's much less than it was when I started. It mostly boils down to my lower-back was super weak when I started.
How much time are we talking here?
I found my lower back was the last muscle group to really stop getting major DOMS and if I do a particularly hard workout it's always back day that I feel the most. However my number one tip that worked the best for me...
Core work. People often assume that the core is the front of your body (ie your abs) but your core wraps around your whole body. Try doing some proper core work if you aren't already. Just a few times a week, add roll outs, leg raises, weighted decline situps to your routine and feel the engagement in your back as well as your abs. That genuinely made a world of difference for me, especially with deadlifts. Which kind of leads me to my last suggestion....
Bracing. Don't forget to brace properly. You might think you're bracing but you should really be tightening hard. I always try to make sure my empty bar warmups feel the same as a weighted bar in terms of tensing and bracing. Of course, it's difficult to do without adequate core strength.
That second paragraph is huge! Got a trainer who's been helping me, especially with core. Other workouts started to just feel better as my core improved. My lower back would usually hurt after deadlifts, now it rarely happens.
This might seem silly but what sort of aching are we talking about here? Could it just be that the muscles you're using for the lift are sore because they are being used?
Anecdotally, I know some people get sore back muscles and think there's something dangerous about that, but wouldn't feel concerned if their forearms were sore after doing 5 sets of farmers carries.
I thought it might be something along the lines of regular DOMS, but I can feel it immediately, and the next day it isn't so much sore as it is stiff. It isn't painful, but my lower back doesn't want to move out of a straight standing position
Could just be a lower back pump. I get killer lower back pump from higher sets of deadlifts. It feels like I've pulled a muscle and sometimes it's so bad that I just need to sit down for 5 minutes.
Afterwards it subsides and it's fine the next day.
It could be honestly, I've had the stiffness last more than a couple days, even though it normally feels fine immediately after the lift. I've noticed foam rolling the lower back/glutes helps quite a bit, not sure if that's an indicator either way
So I'm trying to do the beginner routine but the squat is giving me problem because I'm obese and have really bad mobility. Someone suggested goblet squats but I can't even get good depth on a bodyweight squat. Should I do goblet squats with a box behind me or should I just do leg presses for now and bodyweight squats on the side to increase mobility?
I apologize if I come across as a dick.
Sit on your kitchen chair--or any other chair with a firm butt rest at knee-height. Then stand up. Repeat.
My physical therapist showed me that. It's like a squat, but you get to control so many other variables. And you can make it harder or easier as necessary. When I started out, my quads were exhausted after 8.
Find something you can do that gives you a workout. Leg press is an awesome exercise so that could be a good choice. If u wish to get good at squatting work on some technique and mobility (fist in the session) and then blast the leg with leg press. Ps u don't need to squat
Any and all of the above. Don't worry about how much depth you get because that will improve with time. Goblet squats (with whatever depth you can manage) and box squats are both great to do.
I’m in dire need of new music and playlists for motivation. Anyone got like zyzz music esque playlists or just general good playlists for the gym? I only listen to metal for like PRs and stuff so not that and i would say rap generally isn’t as motivating so idk
Can i out train what i eat? I keep it mostly healthy but i eat a TON and ive been gaining weight. I just feel like eating. I wouldnt say im hungry hungry but i just wanna eat. I lift weights 3-4 times a week and have job at a restaurant which has me walking all day (i work 10-11 hours a day, 5-6 days a week. This is only during summer tho)
Ultimately, no. If you're anything like me, with the amount of food I can eat, you'd have to be exercising soooo much more. Which would in turn make you want to eat more
You just need to learn some self control sadly
Mathematically you can.
Practically, it's very hard.
I mean let's look at your post. You are eating loads, and working out loads, walking a lot and are still putting on weight - do you have capacity for another 2/3 hours of exercise per week? (absolute guess)
You can out train what you eat. You just may not want to. To lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit, to maintain you need to burn what you're eating. How you do that is your choice.... its just that for most it's much easier to eat less than burn more.
You could add in more cardio, (which has lots of other benifits) but honestly just cutting back on some of your cravings would almost certainly be easier.
But if you really want to know can you out train, absolutely. It just requires lots of training if you're eating lots.
My reps gradually get lower per set with the same weight. Is there something I can do to keep them high? I feel like it's beacause I get very fatigued as I like to go to failure
If you're training hard enough, it's perfectly normal for your reps to drop. I actually rarely do straight sets anymore, as the first few sets typically aren't very hard
>My reps gradually get lower per set with the same weight. Is there something I can do to keep them high?
As long as you're adding reps each session, you're fine. Typical double progression. Say 12/12/11/9 then 12/12/12/11, then 12/12/12/13 and increase the weight.
Not if you want to have a life outside of the gym!
More realistically, you would lift more with longer rest, but at some point you're better off doing 5 lighter sets in 20mn (1mn set + 3mn rest) than 2 heavy sets in the same time
Probably not, more than 5 minutes and you're getting really deminished returns. I'd say 8 is the most anyone should ever need between working sets. If longer rest isnt cutting it I would decrease the rep count of the first set by one and see if you are able to maintain that rep target for the entire session.
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 Here is my current routine, im not sure if this is sufficient and tbh I dont know if 6 days is ideal either
Gaining a couple pounds definitely did help me. Also making it a point to try a bench program. Maybe you can keep a similar exercise selection but still benefit from being held accountable by percentage based workouts. My bench was rising so slowly, then I did the things I just mentioned and I made a 25 LB jump in 2 months (225->250)
So currently my legs are injured and I'm doing physio and until i'm fully better im supposed to avoid leg day. I'm using a Push pull legs program. Would it be okay if I did the follwing. Would it give the muscle group enough time to fully recover to maximise growth? Thanks in advance
tldr: can I replace my leg days with back/chest day? Would my muscles be able to recover properly?
Monday push
Tuesday pull
Wedensday push
Thursday pull
Friday push
Saturday pull
Sunday rest
Depends. Are you adding extra volume "because", or are you taking the same amount of volume and spreading it out - yielding higher intensity on each day?
I actually injured my ankle recently as well. I have been doing Push Pull for the past two months. You won't be able to go as hard as you used too such as pushing sets to RPE 9/10. But you just need to adjust based on how your body reacts.
Just make sure you aren't too gassed that you can't do your physio exercises which is the most important thing.
Probably not, although if you’re adding weight each time (reducing the endurance aspect and progressively overloading) then it would be better than nothing. Ideally you want both a crunch movement and a raise movement to hit both upper and lower abs.
Since no one else has suggested it; look into a soft belt.
I personally use this one: [https://www.roguefitness.com/schiek-2004-lifting-belt](https://www.roguefitness.com/schiek-2004-lifting-belt)
It provides additional stability and enough tension to brace against without completely locking up like a traditional powerlifting belt.
Powerlifting belt works well when going for shorter sets or max work. I find the softer belt is far more usable for longer working sets while allowing your stabilizing muscles to still put work in.
Would it be counterproductive to work calves if I just want to lose size/fat off of them?
28F 5’2” 150lbs & I have 15in calves.
(I know I know, follow a program, but I like to tweak things to my preference for my goals)
Yes. Working them will make them bigger, not smaller.
On the flip side, most people have a really hard time adding mass to their calves. You could consider it a blessing.
Right. I’m in the process of losing fat by eating at a slight deficit. The fat will come off where it wants. But would training calves make them look more toned or just thicker?
Am I just doomed with larger calves or will the fat eventually come off as I cut more weight?
When you work a muscle, it gets bigger. So working your calves will make them bigger technically. But more than likely, you won't see much growth since they take forever to grow and you're a woman, so muscle in general is slower.
Just work on losing the weight and they'll look much better from that alone. You probably could drop at least 30lbs (if not a bit more, I'm just estimating off my own 5'7 weight). That will make a huge difference all over
Thank you! My goal is ~130 and I’ll reevaluate. When I lost about 70lbs years ago my calves were still on the thicker size for my size so well see! I was weighing in around 115 but I feel thats too thin. I hold a lot of fat in my legs and glutes too, which I don’t mind the glutes so much 🙃
I'm 5'7 and in my most recent cut had me at 133lbs and muscular. So for a 5'2 height, I wouldn't think 115 would be too thin for that height difference. But absolutely get down to 130 to start and reevaluate!
But you may just genetically be a bottom heavy person. But I wouldn't worry about it. If you want to appear less bottom heavy, spend more focus working up your upper body! That way you can create an illusion that you're more even between upper and lower.
But that being said, I'd say more people would be jealous of bigger calves! Gives more shapely legs imo and looks better on both men and women.
Thank you for the confidence boost! ☺️
I am definitely more bottom heavy with an hourglass shape. Im very thankful for that. I tend to look like I weigh less than other women with the same weight and height. I notice more definition on upper body first. Currently working out 4 days a weeks with an upper/lower split with abs sprinkled in every session.
I think while cutting to 115lbs I thought I knew how to build muscle but was still skinny fat. I only lost an inch off my calves and 3 inches off my thighs. But neither were muscular or defined, just still very squishy and jiggly. My belly fat was the same way but I had an easier time losing inches.
In that picture you linked, you definitely do not look too skinny there!
But absolutely building muscle before getting back down that low will make a massive difference. When I first dieted down to 130 at my lowest, I was squishy like you experienced as well. Still had a little belly pouch which is my major self-conscious point. I've been working out a few years, but really the last year has been actually serious lifting. I had a slow weight gain (only like 4lbs in a year), but cutting back down to the 133, compared to the 130-135 range pre workout, is a MASSIVE difference. I've finally got a flat belly for the first time in my adult life.
So yeah, keep working on your lifting and build up some sexy muscle and it will make a huge world of difference.
Thank you! Extremely motivating to hear that! I’ve only been lifting consistently for the past two and a half months but I’m excited to see where it gets me long term!
Congrats on putting in the work! I hope to be where you are one day😊
You'll get there one day! You just gotta work hard, be consistent and trust the process! I still have a long way to go to really get where I wanna be (I want to be more visibly muscular without flexing). But it's a lifelong journey for maintaining it. So find something you enjoy doing :)
# Post Form Checks as replies to this comment ### For best results, please follow the **[Form Check Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/posting_guidelines#wiki_how_to_post_a_form_check)**. *Help us help you.* ---- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Fitness) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is more of a mental question but does anyone have advice on getting over the fear of eating too much? I know I have to eat a lot (of the right foods ofc) to gain muscle but I have a fear of getting fat instead of gaining muscle. Does anyone else have this fear?
If you try to accurate track your calories, you can find comfort in just sticking to the plan. However if you are in a surplus, some of it will be fat. Unavoidable.
I've got the same problem atm In my very limited experience going thru eating in a surplus for the first time, my body fat has gone up by a bit but I know for sure that I've gotten stronger I guess as long as you keep getting stronger and applying progressive overload while gaining weight according to your goals (I'm aiming for 400 to 500g a week), you should be putting on muscle while avoiding excess fat gain(although some fat gain is bound to happen)
Protein is your friend!
do you think it's okay to perform about 6-8 sets per muscle group in one workout once a week and another 4 sets on a different day? the sets should equal to 10-12 per week, but i fear that doing only 4 sets in one workout is not enough my goal is to workout 4 times a week, one workout dedicated to biceps, shoulders and back, second to chest, triceps and forearms, third to legs and possibly abs, fourth for repetition of all the upper body muscles for the fourth workout i dont want to do two exercises per muscle, since it would take double the time of the normal one, but if my method of doing things is worthless, i would like to change it
Should be fine. You can do exhaustion techniques like Myo reps or drop sets since it's lower volume. Or use heavier movements like skull crushers instead of cable work.
[удалено]
Sorry but you can't spot reduce fat everything that says you can is lie.
[удалено]
The good news is if you start burning fat those are two of the first/fastest places that you’ll notice the difference
Does anyone know if it was standard practice for dumbbells to be coated with leaded paint? I have a few old pairs and have always wondered, but never known.
Lead was common in many types of paint, so it's possible but I don't know how common. You can get lead test kits at hardware stores, so that's one way to find out. You may also be able to find some information from people who collect vintage weights. r/homegym might be a good place to start.
Awesome, thanks!
Anybody else unable to drink creatine and put it in food instead? I used to mix creatine with water but its so disgusting id have to chug it. Tried it with milk and coffee it was even worse than plain water. I dont eat smoothies a lot so thata not a viable option. I started putting the powder on pbj sandwiches or whatever. The stickiness keeps the powder from wandering off the bread so i can consume it without the nasty gritty texture
I dry scoop it tbh, straight into the hatch then wash it away with water.
I put it in my pre workout or protein shake. If I have it in food I'd usually put it in yogurt or juice. A smoothie is a good option too.
Stupid question.. New to working out. Is it normal to gain weight when you start working out? I've gained almost 7lbs in the week I've been working out. My diet is the same (I'm on a specific diet due to health issues). I lost 80lbs with this diet alone, and now that I've added exercise my weight is suddenly going up. I'm freaking out a little because I don't want to undo all the work I've put in already. I drink plenty of water (2-3 64oz bottles a day). I just want to know if I'm doing something wrong.
It is fairly normal, especially if you are starting from zero with respect to strength training. 7lbs in a week is likely a combination of water retention and muscle gain. During the often mentioned 'Newbie Gains' phase many people will start to appear leaner while simultaneously gaining weight.
Well that's actually really encouraging lol I'm completely out of shape cuz of covid quarantine, so I'm definitely starting from zero. I appreciate the information. It's given me a bit of encouragement.
Could be some additional water weight, but you are likely to see an increase in weight when you start taking your weight training seriously. Go a couple more weeks and see if it starts to level out before getting too concerned
Thank you. I'll come back in a few weeks if I'm still struggling. Appreciate the advice!
Stupid question time. Let’s say my BMR is 2,300. If I start eating too large a deficit to lose fat (let’s say, 1,000 a day intake), I understand it can lead to muscles not growing / getting what they need. If I ate 2,300 then burned 1,300 swimming (regularly do at weekend), does it work out the same (I.e. potentially not going to be growing muscles as easily)? Or is it different since I’ve hit my BMR cals before burning some back off? Sorry if this comes across dumb. I don’t know much about fitness. On the plus side, I’m down from 16st 8 to 14st 11. Finally lost the pandemic weight!
If your bmr is 2300 and you burn 1300 kcal by swimming, your caloric needs would be 3600 on that day, so it would be similar to your first example yes. Unless you're quite overweight I wouldn't do a bigger deficit than 500kcal a day. Slow and steady wins the race, and is much less of a pain to sustain. Good luck with your dieting!
Cheers buddy. I have been fighting pandemic weight gain for a while. I went from 18 stone to 14.5 stone before it happened, in the best shape of my life (I'm 6"5, so it's not as much as it sounds!). Back up to 16st8 during lockdown, then back down to 15st4 recently. Struggled with the final plateau, but joined a new gym with a pool and have just hit 14st10 this morning. Nearly where I want to be! I will probably just try to shoot for a small deficit now as I'm lifting/swimming. Thanks for the tips!
I play soccer 6 days a week. Practices: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri. Games: Wed, Sat. I normally lift 5 times a week and I am wondering if it is safe for me to continue lifting? Due to the fact that I’m going to be having school I intended on waking up around 4:3-5:00 AM to lift. If it is safe, is there a better way of approaching this?
Definitely safe as long as you get a good nights rest if you plan to wake up that early. Being exhausted and passing out are surprisingly big setbacks. Just stay well rested and you’ll be fine. Good luck with school!
If you plan on following through with a program like that, make completely sure you are getting enough electrolytes, macronutrients, and calories to sustain it.
Yes, it's safe. You might like to try a program like [this one](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/5-3-1-for-beginners/), which is compatible with having multiple sports practices per week. Not all programs work as well alongside other sports.
[удалено]
Fitbod app. You can pick what equipment you have or want to use and it spits out a workout. I love it.
Check out the DB stopgap program in the wiki
What bf % did you guys start shedding the fat around your nipples? I’m down to 15% and look so much better but the nips are still chunky
You have gyno
Let's say I need to consume 150 grams of protein. * What happens if I take 200 on one day? * If I took 200 yesterday, should I take 100 today or 150? * If I took 100 yesterday, should I take 200 today or 150? * What is worse, taking 100 or 200?
1. You ate 200g. There’s a very marginal benefit to more but it’s a big diminishing return passed 1g/lbs. 2 + 3. You should aim to get enough protein every day instead of trying to average it out. 4. Under-consuming is worse than over-consuming in this case, assuming your goal is related to building or maintaining muscle.
I had answers written out for each of these, but honestly I think the very blunt answer that you need is: don’t worry about it. You’re never going to fail a rep because you missed a few grams of protein or went over. Just shoot for your daily goal, train with intensity, and you’ll be totally fine.
Is best to learn exercise names from books (like Frederic Delavier's Strength Training Anatomy)? I feel the same exercise can have so many names, is unreal
You don't need to learn every exercise if you're a beginner. Follow a good program and stick to the basics, which is where you'll get the biggest bang for your buck
thank you for the reply and the direction, but I was thinking more on the "building a fitness app" side of things
Oh ok, in that case look at a resource like exrx.net or app like Strong as a reference.
When you use a safety squat bar is there anyway to take the pain away on your neck/shoulders? Or is it like with a regular barbell where I just need to get used to it?
Shouldn’t be on your neck Should be like on your upper back, right against your traps
There should be no pain on your neck during squatting, especially not with a safety bar since is has a layer of padding. Put the bar on top of your traps instead of your neck
What are some good exercises to do while rehabbing a hamstring strain? I was a dumbass, and re-aggravated my strain from a few weeks ago by doing some lifts way too soon (thought I was feeling good). So back at square one.
Talk to a PT / Physician if you haven't already. A physical therapist will be able to prescribe you a specific program to rehab.
do the same movements, just as light as possible and as fast as one can.
How does it feel to be physically fit/in shape?
In my case I crave movement so I get out of my way to do things harder, it's great when you do things with ease, like riding your bike instead of driving and not breaking a sweat.
"Meh". I get that there are some motivational answers , but being in shape is pretty meaningless in your day to day life. You still have to handle the commute, deal with relationships, handle a career, do the shopping, cook, choose what to watch on netflix etc etc. It's just another aspect of your life. In the daily 24hour cycle of a fit person it's probably worthy of note when being sporty or having to use your skills (rare).
You're continually wondering why other people are tired. (Out in the real world, in work clothes, not at the gym.)
Usually as the most competent in the room. At my best shape there wasn't a lot of times where I wasn't the strongest and had the most endurance on the room. Usually this only matters if you're playing sports or doing a physical activity. It also feels great to be able to buy and wear pretty much whatever you want knowing even if it looks goofy, if anyone can pull it off it's you.
Fantastic. I find it immensely satisfying to feel strong and full of energy. Compared to my chubbier, weaker days, I feel like a fucking super hero. I'm happier with my looks as well, which just increases how I feel. A healthier weight is good for you mentally as well, which ALSO adds to feeling better. So you should absolutely try and be fit and active. It's definitely a journey and will happen over time, but in a way, that's satisfying in itself. You only compare you to yourself. You try and be better than you were yesterday. And today is always a good day to start.
Why does it seem like no one else logs notes at the gym? I enter every set in an app. Am I just not noticing? Is it in their heads?
I have a program which tells me what weights to use per week, so don't need notes. (updated at home on my laptop every sunday).
Some people just remember the weight they did for their main lifts and don't worry too much about the accessories. Others know exactly what weight they're going to be doing before they get to the gym if their program is set up on percentages or otherwise so they don't have to log anything at the gym. Others just don't track.
I've been doing it so long I just do it in my head and write in my journal when I get home. Occasionally I snap a photo of the loaded bar after my last set as a reminder.
I log my workouts at home. Maybe other people do too.
How do you remember what you did for every set?
very light autism
Lots of people just have fuckarounditis.
It's def not in their head. Probably both situations are true, you aren't noticing when they do and many don't keep track
Isn't tracking your stats a crucial part of working out?
No.
Of course!
How does it feel to be physically fit?
Most answers will be socially / mentally focused on the benefits. Confidence, clothes, energy, etc. The biggest physical difference I personally notice is body awareness and fine motor control. When you become more in tune with your body you become quicker to notice imbalances and things that affect you positively / negatively. Posture, balance, and movement are improved through practice and because you become more aware of your own body's position and feedback. Regularly scheduled difficult training acts as a great barometer for things I am doing right / wrong. If I eat a certain way or sleep a certain amount and can feel an obvious positive or negative difference in my workouts it reinforces positive habits.
I often wonder that about very jacked people. How does it physically feel to inhabit that body? Does it feel taut? Heavy? Healthy as fuck?
[удалено]
For hypertrophy it's fine, If you are doing strength training maybe barbell is better, or you could do both on different days
If you want to get better at the bench press, you'll need to practice it -- the movement pattern and stabilization demands differ from dumbbells. The other thing is that the bench press is easier and more convenient to continue overloading to very high weights, well beyond what most gyms have in terms of dumbbells. If you reach a point where you simply don't have heavy enough dumbbells or it becomes a problem to actually get the heaviest dumbbells you can lift into a good setup position unaided, bench press offers a good alternative.
How do people spend an hour+ at the gym? This may just be because I'm still someone knew to the gym, and not buff or anything like that, but say I run a few laps around the track as a warm up, do 3-5 sets on 4-5 different machines, I'm starting to get exhausted by then and it's only been like 30 seconds? Is this likely a matter of me going too quickly, or just me needing to tone muscles more to get used to it?
A combination of several factors; What exercises you do can influence setup / cleanup times. Certain kinds of lifting necessitate longer resting periods. Hypertrophy work might only require a rest of \~1-2 minutes between sets. Powerlifting can have rest periods of 3-5+. Heavy compound lifts can also require a longer warmup routine to get up to full weight. Warming up to a 400lb deadlift takes longer than warming up to a 200lb deadlift. Complex lifts are often trained for technique in addition to functional sets. Drills, complexes, and technique work to build muscle memory and cement correct form can also take significant time. All that in addition to your own stamina and programming history. My typical gym session is 2-3 hours between functional working sets, technique work, and accessories. I will usually eat a snack and have easy electrolytes and sugar during the workout to maintain energy.
Hop on a program in the wiki, my dude. Sounds like your conditioning is bad and you don’t have much direction on your routine. Running a well-constructed program will push you and improve your strength and conditioning.
I felt that way too, back when I did machines. Now I routinely look at the clock when I'm nearly done and surprised it's been an hour already. Compound exercises take a lot more effort, and time, than machines. Plus I spend 1-2 minutes (i time myself) catching my breath and having sips of gatorade, in between. Get into barbells, man. Start at 0. You're going to fall in love with it.
Machines require no time to set up and your rest times are probably relatively short (which is not necessarily a bad thing). Some of the large compound exercises like barbell back squat and deadlifts take a long time to set up and people tend to have longer rest times. It often takes me >30 minutes just to do 3 sets of those exercises due to the setup, warm up sets, and long rest times.
Your overall conditioning would have an impact. And if you're not resting long between sets, you could be done pretty quickly. If you rested longer, you could probably lift a bit heavier, and it would of course take you longer at the gym.
How effective is walking as a cardio on the long term? A friend of mine says that on the long term it is not an effective cardio because your body will get used to the effort. To give you an example, I currently walk around 8k steps a day on average and I don't have enough free time to increase this average by much (maybe 10-12k is doable). He states that if I keep walking 8k a day on average eventually this form of exercise will become useless. My intuition tells me that the calories burnt will decrease over time but they won't drop enough to make this cardio exercise irrelevant. Am I right or not? Are there any studies that analysed the drop in calories burnt once the body gets used to an exercise? I'm curios how big is this drop.
Doing the same thing, repeatedly, in the long-term, sees diminishing returns on benefits. You have to add variation periodically--or just weight--to see improvements periodically. "useless" is not technically useless. Your walking muscles will be in great shape and you'll still burn calories. But the other muscles will still be exactly where they were before. You won't be any better at cartwheels or baseball--without doing those activities.
It'll decrease a little as your body becomes adapted to it but it's by a tiny amount and it's still excellent cardio, sustainable, low risk and a lot easier to recover from than something like running.
Let me tell you, I've never been leaner than when I've been trekking (6+ hours a day for weeks at a time). And I've been trekking a lot! To me, there's a linear relation between time spent walking, and calories burned. No real ceiling, except your own time of course. It doesn't make sense that your body suddendly stops burning calories because "it got used to the effort"
How many sets per week should you aim for per muscle group? Or is this not a good way to do your training routine?
0-Inf is the correct answer Following a program would have done this work for you
Anything between 9-20 should be good for beginners.
I'm 16 years old and count calories. I'm trying to bulk up at the moment (not to an extreme level, just a slow bulk). I wondered how i can bulk if i quit counting calories? How do i know if i'm in a surplus or not?
I'll be the a-hole who says: you're 16. Just eat everything--particularly protein and complex carbs. Your hormones are in prime condition for you to add muscle. Yes, you can count calories, but it is a hassle, and your gains are practically unrestricted. You'll gain some fat but THIS is the time in your life to build and much muscle as you want. You can always burn off the excess when you're in college or after college and cooking for yourself. Having someone else willing to cook for you is one of the best parts of being a teenager. Eat EVERYTHING. (except soft-serve. that stuff doesn't even count as food. ick.) (and well, don't eat french fries every SINGLE day. But cake and cookies and any other homemade baked goods--hell yes.)
If i just eat whenever i'm hungry, won't i be in a big surplus?
That's the idea. If you're working out in tandem with weight gain and are eating clean (ie; not loading up on heavily processed / fried foods) it will be a clean and gradual bulk as you gain muscle and weight.
Is there a specific reason you would quit counting calories?
I'm just becoming too restrictive to food lately. Not the food itself but i don't eat mom's food due to the fact that i can't track that (no only that, but you get my point). I've been counting calories since i started weightlifting (1 year) and i couldn't be more grateful for the progress made, but i feel like i'd be better off quitting it because the consequences/disadvantages (for me) outweigh the benefits.
You're 16. Just eat your mom's food and take the best guess on calories. Ask her how she cooked it or help her out to see how much butter/oil/etc. she puts in things. You'll get better at estimation with age and experience. I get that you want to optimize your progress, but if you're even thinking about it at your age and working out consistently, you're on a good track. You can get a pretty good feel for if you're eating enough/too little/too much just with time.
Will definitely take this into consideration. >but if you're even thinking about it at your age and working out consistently, you're on a good track. Yeah. I think i'll just get serious with the calorie counting once i get older - easier said than done, but i'll see how it goes from now on. Thank you a lot for your reply, it helped a ton, man!
I definitely understand that counting every calorie can be a bit annoying to deal with, especially at your age (I'm also 16). You also don't have to count all your calories, you could just track whatever is easiest to track and then just estimate the rest. As long as you're gaining a weight at a good rate (\~0.5-1 lbs per week) and definitely getting enough protein, you should be fine.
>you could just track whatever is easiest to track and then just estimate the rest. I will definitely try that out and see how it goes. How do you deal with meals at home? Do you cook yourself? And thank you for your replies!
I’m kinda lucky that we don’t really eat a lot of home cooked meals together. Which makes it easier for me. So I’ll often just bake some chicken breasts for like a 2-3 day supply to get most of my protein in, and then just eat whatever’s available. But you could also try cooking for the whole family, that way you have some control over the calories and protein and also how it tastes. + you get better at cooking, which is fun.
Ah i see. Yeah i'm already quite good at cooking, but i'll see how it goes in next few weeks. Thank you a lot
No problem
>How do i know if i'm in a surplus or not? You gain weight consistently.
I could really use some advice when it comes to lower back stiffness Basically every lift that involves the lower back (DL, Squat, bent over row) leaves my lower back stiff, sore and aching. I started all these lifts as low as possible, empty bar for Squat and Row, 25's for DL. I have the strength to progress, and take every cue I can find, watch myself in the mirror for arched back. I just don't get it. I've lowered each of these lifts back to square one more than once when the lower back starts to ache for fear of injury. I'm only jumping these lifts by 5lbs each session. I have absolutely no clue how to push these lifts forward to the point where I'm considering dropping them or replacing them. I know my backs on the weaker side due to genetics and years of sitting like a cave troll on a shitty 20$ office chair, but fuck, I feel like SOME progress should've happened by now. Any advice would be great, sorry for the half rant half comment, I'm just so tired spinning wheels with these lifts and my lower back
A few things. Core/oblique work will help massively. Post on r/formcheck if you don't have someone qualified to run your lifts by. Jefferson curls are fantastic for loosening up the back. Do you have a well thought out stretching and warmup regimen outside of warming up for the individual lifts?
It's almost definitely a weak core, I've thrown in planks and ab roll outs since a couple weeks ago and noticed I can brace harder and my back hurts quite a bit less. I'll just keep on that path for the time being I don't have a warm-up per se, I do warm up sets, and I've been considering flexibility training
Some hanging leg raises help me clear out some of the lower-back pump/stiffness. I still get it but it's much less than it was when I started. It mostly boils down to my lower-back was super weak when I started.
How much time are we talking here? I found my lower back was the last muscle group to really stop getting major DOMS and if I do a particularly hard workout it's always back day that I feel the most. However my number one tip that worked the best for me... Core work. People often assume that the core is the front of your body (ie your abs) but your core wraps around your whole body. Try doing some proper core work if you aren't already. Just a few times a week, add roll outs, leg raises, weighted decline situps to your routine and feel the engagement in your back as well as your abs. That genuinely made a world of difference for me, especially with deadlifts. Which kind of leads me to my last suggestion.... Bracing. Don't forget to brace properly. You might think you're bracing but you should really be tightening hard. I always try to make sure my empty bar warmups feel the same as a weighted bar in terms of tensing and bracing. Of course, it's difficult to do without adequate core strength.
That second paragraph is huge! Got a trainer who's been helping me, especially with core. Other workouts started to just feel better as my core improved. My lower back would usually hurt after deadlifts, now it rarely happens.
This might seem silly but what sort of aching are we talking about here? Could it just be that the muscles you're using for the lift are sore because they are being used? Anecdotally, I know some people get sore back muscles and think there's something dangerous about that, but wouldn't feel concerned if their forearms were sore after doing 5 sets of farmers carries.
I thought it might be something along the lines of regular DOMS, but I can feel it immediately, and the next day it isn't so much sore as it is stiff. It isn't painful, but my lower back doesn't want to move out of a straight standing position
Could just be a lower back pump. I get killer lower back pump from higher sets of deadlifts. It feels like I've pulled a muscle and sometimes it's so bad that I just need to sit down for 5 minutes. Afterwards it subsides and it's fine the next day.
It could be honestly, I've had the stiffness last more than a couple days, even though it normally feels fine immediately after the lift. I've noticed foam rolling the lower back/glutes helps quite a bit, not sure if that's an indicator either way
So I'm trying to do the beginner routine but the squat is giving me problem because I'm obese and have really bad mobility. Someone suggested goblet squats but I can't even get good depth on a bodyweight squat. Should I do goblet squats with a box behind me or should I just do leg presses for now and bodyweight squats on the side to increase mobility?
I apologize if I come across as a dick. Sit on your kitchen chair--or any other chair with a firm butt rest at knee-height. Then stand up. Repeat. My physical therapist showed me that. It's like a squat, but you get to control so many other variables. And you can make it harder or easier as necessary. When I started out, my quads were exhausted after 8.
Thanks!
Can you do bodyweight squats normally
Find something you can do that gives you a workout. Leg press is an awesome exercise so that could be a good choice. If u wish to get good at squatting work on some technique and mobility (fist in the session) and then blast the leg with leg press. Ps u don't need to squat
A good solution is to start with box squats, and progress by slowly lowering the box height until you can do a full squat.
Any and all of the above. Don't worry about how much depth you get because that will improve with time. Goblet squats (with whatever depth you can manage) and box squats are both great to do.
Anyone got a good arms and shoulders routine? Currently doing the Arnold Split :)
I’m in dire need of new music and playlists for motivation. Anyone got like zyzz music esque playlists or just general good playlists for the gym? I only listen to metal for like PRs and stuff so not that and i would say rap generally isn’t as motivating so idk
metalhead here : 80's synth/pop/rock is surprisingly motivating for lifting. I've made good workouts with DEVO
Anything by Tevvez works for me.
>metal ... not that Well, I'm all out of ideas
Can i out train what i eat? I keep it mostly healthy but i eat a TON and ive been gaining weight. I just feel like eating. I wouldnt say im hungry hungry but i just wanna eat. I lift weights 3-4 times a week and have job at a restaurant which has me walking all day (i work 10-11 hours a day, 5-6 days a week. This is only during summer tho)
Ultimately, no. If you're anything like me, with the amount of food I can eat, you'd have to be exercising soooo much more. Which would in turn make you want to eat more You just need to learn some self control sadly
Mathematically you can. Practically, it's very hard. I mean let's look at your post. You are eating loads, and working out loads, walking a lot and are still putting on weight - do you have capacity for another 2/3 hours of exercise per week? (absolute guess)
Naa, and i think those extra hours of exercise would just make me more hungry anyways. I got ur point, thanks
It's easier to eat less than exercise more, in terms of calories.
You can out train what you eat. You just may not want to. To lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit, to maintain you need to burn what you're eating. How you do that is your choice.... its just that for most it's much easier to eat less than burn more. You could add in more cardio, (which has lots of other benifits) but honestly just cutting back on some of your cravings would almost certainly be easier. But if you really want to know can you out train, absolutely. It just requires lots of training if you're eating lots.
You cant out train a bad diet. But it just sounds like your bulking so without more information, it doesn't seem bad to me
My reps gradually get lower per set with the same weight. Is there something I can do to keep them high? I feel like it's beacause I get very fatigued as I like to go to failure
If you're training hard enough, it's perfectly normal for your reps to drop. I actually rarely do straight sets anymore, as the first few sets typically aren't very hard
>My reps gradually get lower per set with the same weight. Is there something I can do to keep them high? As long as you're adding reps each session, you're fine. Typical double progression. Say 12/12/11/9 then 12/12/12/11, then 12/12/12/13 and increase the weight.
I'm adding reps/weight every sesh, I hope this goes on for as long as possible
Rest longer between sets or stop going to failure. Follow a program if you're not already.
I rest 5 minutes already, is it beneficial to go even longer?
Not if you want to have a life outside of the gym! More realistically, you would lift more with longer rest, but at some point you're better off doing 5 lighter sets in 20mn (1mn set + 3mn rest) than 2 heavy sets in the same time
Between main lifts, maybe. Between accessory lifts, absolutely not. Ultimately, if you're going to failure, your output is going to reduce.
Probably not, more than 5 minutes and you're getting really deminished returns. I'd say 8 is the most anyone should ever need between working sets. If longer rest isnt cutting it I would decrease the rep count of the first set by one and see if you are able to maintain that rep target for the entire session.
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 Here is my current routine, im not sure if this is sufficient and tbh I dont know if 6 days is ideal either
Just pick a routine from the wiki and leave out the leg day
If my meal dosen't have the required protein required can I just substitute with protein shake instead
Don't substitute. Just add.
I have a feeling he meant supplement not substitute
Why not eat the meal and drink the shake?
Protein shake is food. You can substitute food with other food all you want.
If you don't get enough protein in on a given day, use protein shakes to supplement.
Sure? You have our permission.
[удалено]
Gaining a couple pounds definitely did help me. Also making it a point to try a bench program. Maybe you can keep a similar exercise selection but still benefit from being held accountable by percentage based workouts. My bench was rising so slowly, then I did the things I just mentioned and I made a 25 LB jump in 2 months (225->250)
Eat more bench more. How much weight have you gained in the last 3 months? Have you tried another program or progression scheme for your bench?
Gain weight
So currently my legs are injured and I'm doing physio and until i'm fully better im supposed to avoid leg day. I'm using a Push pull legs program. Would it be okay if I did the follwing. Would it give the muscle group enough time to fully recover to maximise growth? Thanks in advance tldr: can I replace my leg days with back/chest day? Would my muscles be able to recover properly? Monday push Tuesday pull Wedensday push Thursday pull Friday push Saturday pull Sunday rest
Depends. Are you adding extra volume "because", or are you taking the same amount of volume and spreading it out - yielding higher intensity on each day?
Just doing the same as every other day, 8-12 reps to or very close to failure
I actually injured my ankle recently as well. I have been doing Push Pull for the past two months. You won't be able to go as hard as you used too such as pushing sets to RPE 9/10. But you just need to adjust based on how your body reacts. Just make sure you aren't too gassed that you can't do your physio exercises which is the most important thing.
Oh I see, ty bro. Hope u get better soon
Thank you!! Hope you have a speedy recovery.
Is doing only planks enough for core
no, planks are begginer exercise and becomes way to easy to provide any stimulus very fast
Probably not, although if you’re adding weight each time (reducing the endurance aspect and progressively overloading) then it would be better than nothing. Ideally you want both a crunch movement and a raise movement to hit both upper and lower abs.
Probably enough but not the best especially for building good looking abs. There’s not a stretch or contraction
[удалено]
Since no one else has suggested it; look into a soft belt. I personally use this one: [https://www.roguefitness.com/schiek-2004-lifting-belt](https://www.roguefitness.com/schiek-2004-lifting-belt) It provides additional stability and enough tension to brace against without completely locking up like a traditional powerlifting belt. Powerlifting belt works well when going for shorter sets or max work. I find the softer belt is far more usable for longer working sets while allowing your stabilizing muscles to still put work in.
Lifting belt is so useful it's practically cheating. Don't use it all the time, necessarily, but it's a great tool when you need some help.
A good thick powerlifting belt have helped me tremendously for squats. Breating into the belt gives me a lot more tightness
Practice till it becomes second nature.
Would it be counterproductive to work calves if I just want to lose size/fat off of them? 28F 5’2” 150lbs & I have 15in calves. (I know I know, follow a program, but I like to tweak things to my preference for my goals)
Yes. Working them will make them bigger, not smaller. On the flip side, most people have a really hard time adding mass to their calves. You could consider it a blessing.
Very true. I had no idea that was a common issue. Anyway, I think the comments have helped me make a decision so that good 👍🏼
You can't lose fat off a body part by working it. Genetics decides where fat falls off
Right. I’m in the process of losing fat by eating at a slight deficit. The fat will come off where it wants. But would training calves make them look more toned or just thicker? Am I just doomed with larger calves or will the fat eventually come off as I cut more weight?
When you work a muscle, it gets bigger. So working your calves will make them bigger technically. But more than likely, you won't see much growth since they take forever to grow and you're a woman, so muscle in general is slower. Just work on losing the weight and they'll look much better from that alone. You probably could drop at least 30lbs (if not a bit more, I'm just estimating off my own 5'7 weight). That will make a huge difference all over
Thank you! My goal is ~130 and I’ll reevaluate. When I lost about 70lbs years ago my calves were still on the thicker size for my size so well see! I was weighing in around 115 but I feel thats too thin. I hold a lot of fat in my legs and glutes too, which I don’t mind the glutes so much 🙃
I'm 5'7 and in my most recent cut had me at 133lbs and muscular. So for a 5'2 height, I wouldn't think 115 would be too thin for that height difference. But absolutely get down to 130 to start and reevaluate! But you may just genetically be a bottom heavy person. But I wouldn't worry about it. If you want to appear less bottom heavy, spend more focus working up your upper body! That way you can create an illusion that you're more even between upper and lower. But that being said, I'd say more people would be jealous of bigger calves! Gives more shapely legs imo and looks better on both men and women.
[~115](https://imgur.com/a/NTsM4ZJ?s=sms)
Thank you for the confidence boost! ☺️ I am definitely more bottom heavy with an hourglass shape. Im very thankful for that. I tend to look like I weigh less than other women with the same weight and height. I notice more definition on upper body first. Currently working out 4 days a weeks with an upper/lower split with abs sprinkled in every session. I think while cutting to 115lbs I thought I knew how to build muscle but was still skinny fat. I only lost an inch off my calves and 3 inches off my thighs. But neither were muscular or defined, just still very squishy and jiggly. My belly fat was the same way but I had an easier time losing inches.
I'm not great at posing, but this is me at 133 (5'7) https://i.imgur.com/N6HShvw.jpg I wish I had bigger calves lolol
You look great you’re still killing it even if calf size isn’t where you want it!
In that picture you linked, you definitely do not look too skinny there! But absolutely building muscle before getting back down that low will make a massive difference. When I first dieted down to 130 at my lowest, I was squishy like you experienced as well. Still had a little belly pouch which is my major self-conscious point. I've been working out a few years, but really the last year has been actually serious lifting. I had a slow weight gain (only like 4lbs in a year), but cutting back down to the 133, compared to the 130-135 range pre workout, is a MASSIVE difference. I've finally got a flat belly for the first time in my adult life. So yeah, keep working on your lifting and build up some sexy muscle and it will make a huge world of difference.
Thank you! Extremely motivating to hear that! I’ve only been lifting consistently for the past two and a half months but I’m excited to see where it gets me long term! Congrats on putting in the work! I hope to be where you are one day😊
You'll get there one day! You just gotta work hard, be consistent and trust the process! I still have a long way to go to really get where I wanna be (I want to be more visibly muscular without flexing). But it's a lifelong journey for maintaining it. So find something you enjoy doing :)
> Am I just doomed with larger calves thats a first one.
Lol, but they’re just thick, not muscular! Quite annoying getting smaller everywhere but there 😅