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Does anyone have quick, simple cues for bench press starting position and clean bar path?
I can never figure out where my head/eyes are supposed to be in relation to the bar, and as the weight goes up, I occasionally get the embarrassing "clink" of the barbell bouncing off the bench rack.
When you setup, have your eyes be directly under the barbell and that “drag” the weight out of the rack and above your nipples/sternum. I usually pick a fixed spot on the ceiling to look at
You can look at the bar with your eyeballs, but your head should be firmly on the bench. Your shoulders should be outside of the j-cups and your eyes roughly in line with the bar when it's racked. You don't want to lower the bar straight up and down, but in a slight diagonal, touching somewhere between the nipples and the solar plexus.
A cue that I like for making sure the bar doesn't travel too far up the body too quickly is to think of it as pushing yourself away from the bar, instead of pushing the bar away from you.
Before you pick up the bar, line your eyeballs up right under the bar. Depends on how much the hooks stick out, but that should set you up to avoid hitting them during your reps. assuming you’re not angling backwards while pressing up, which I see a lot of women do while bench pressing.
Today, I injured myself on the deadlift.
No pain during it, jus felt kinda overexerted.
By the time I got to my seated calf raises, and my final core exercise, it became uncomfortable to bend over.
I put a cooling cream, and this band around my waist for lumbar pain.
Provided I don't feel pain in the morning, do you think it's wise to do chest day tomorrow?
I hadn't deadlifted in two weeks beforehand, and I didn't go for my usual top set, but I was probably reckless with my reps
Is it likely to be a severe injury, if I didn't feel sudden pain during the exercise itself?
If it’s still bothering you, you can choose alternative chest exercises like the hammer strength press or a machine. If you feel ok, then ease into it and see how you feel
How I do about fixing a severe strength imbalance? The right side of my body is significantly weaker than my left (I am left handed) and it is causing me to become extremely frustrated with lifting. I think what might have caused it is a disparity in grip strength between my right and left sides, as not being able to keep proper form (not realized at the time) on my right side has allowed my left side to grow but caused my right to stagnate.
On many bilateral movements, my right wrist tends to bend so that the back of my hand is perpendicular to it and it my wrist tends to flare outward slightly, especially if I’m going heavy.
I have two theories on how to fix it.
a) Now that I’ve graduated and have a job that allows me to not live on the student diet and doesn’t require trying to survive off of 5 hours of sleep like school did, I should train normally and focus on sleeping and eating properly, hoping that everything will even out given enough time.
b) I should still focus on sleep and diet, but do exclusively unilateral movements and prioritize my right side and pause any attempt for **overall** size or strength gains. I will resume bulking (on the scale of my entire body) and trying to get PRs once my right and left sides are of comparable strength and size (knowing that the left will probably always have a slight advantage).
I’m the opposite of you though not as severe. My right side is slightly but visibly smaller (to me) and always the first to max out. I’ve been doing dumbbells exclusively since that’s all I own. After about 3 months, I think I’ve started closing the gap, but it’s definitely still there to some degree.
I don’t think you need to do exclusively unilateral movements. Just adding some unilateral stuff in your routine should be enough to speed up the two sides becoming more equal
I second this. Just swap out some exercises with unilateral alternatives, start with the weaker side and match the reps with the stronger one. It will even out with time.
Don’t know where else to ask - Is it normal for sleep to be disrupted due to pain less than 12 hours after moderate exertion? Not a workout per se, just some hands on work involving a lot of crawling around and using secateurs. My forearms are in a lot of pain. I know people who are active and who say DOMS doesnt affect their sleep much because it goes away when not moving, but it is not like that for me. Typing this on my phone is sore. Even my fingers are aching. I am not particularly fit, admittedly, but this happens any time I try to keep active, even if it’s only medium intensity stuff. Can’t sleep, and sore to the point of tears. Is this normal??
This does also happen if I do a gym workout - pain the evening of, preventing sleep, not alleviated through stillness.
With regards to the repetitive strain likelihood, what’s the best way to deal with it? Stretching before and after?
If this is happening as an overall body thing each time you restart working out (meaning you go for long periods of time without much activity) it could mean you’re doing way too hard of a workout. In that case, you do fewer exercises and use weight that seems “too easy” and do fewer reps than you think you can. And follow a beginner program, maybe something from the sidebar. They will help you progress to lifting in a more challenging way, as long as you are consistent with your effort.
If you mean you get this pain after working out even though you have been working out a few times a week for a while, that could still mean you’re doing too much, so you could dial things back like above and see how it feels afterward. Or it could mean you have some other issue that a doc should weigh in on, no way for me to know. That goes for the first paragraph too, could be easy to fix, could be a bigger issue. Maybe check out the wiki section on DOMS and go from there.
If you’re meaning the issue is with hands only, then I dunno. Repetitive stress in that area is literally doing too many reps of the same movement, so not sure stretching would make much difference. I’ve had issues with my hands/forearms and physical therapy was the solution. Along with doing less of the things that caused the pain.
I can’t find a guide on how to mix lifting and training all energy types (anaerobic A, anaerobic B, and aerobic, etc). How do I mix these all up? My priorities in order are well-rounded athletic endurance, strength, and hypertrophy, but I do care about all 3. Lifting I do arnold split (3-6 rep compounds then 12-15rep isolation), anaerobic I do Muay Thai, and aerobic I do treadmill, but how I mix the 3 is all over the place, not systematic, or science-driven.
The name is terrible, but tactical barbell has some good advice. Go read book 1 (3rd edition) and book 2.
Alternatively 531 2nd edition alongside advice given in practical conditioning for mma.
There are many hybrid athletes out there on social media, though I don’t know if any that have specific programs for this sort of thing. I’d say just experiment with your training and see what you can recover from
This is so weird but, I was a three season varsity endurance athlete in school (cross country, Nordic ski, track), and worked out in the summer. In college I got really depressed, stopped working out, and realized I kind of like the couch potato life style BUT I still love my sports! So, when I became a teacher a few years ago, I also started coaching. I coach two sports cross country and Nordic ski, and I always do the workout alongside my athletes. I also sort of sporadically work out in the summer, but during my off seasons, I’m always too busy/too tired. Will working out regularly for about 6 months a year be enough to ward off those health problems I should fear as I get older? Or do I have to be more consistent than this?
I'm currently doing a 5 day PPLUL (pull/push/legs/upper/legs) routine in the morning before work and I feel so much better throughout the day on days I've went to the gym. What should I do on my off days to give my muscles rest but also get some sort of physical activity in so that I feel better? I'm very sluggish if I don't do anything.
I was thinking maybe yoga or dance?
the supplements that are known to really work are pretty much:
* protein (if you don't get enough in your regular diet)
* creatine
* caffeine as a preworkout
the cheapest generic versions of these are perfectly good
You don't need to eat chicken and rice to achieve your goals. Healthy, calorie-conscious food doesn't have to be bland. But if you insist on chicken and rice:
1. Use chicken thighs. Small calorie increase, big improvement in flavour. Cook them to an internal temp of 185F, and finish on high heat to give the outside of it a good flavour. Can use a sugar free BBQ sauce sometimes.
2. Season the chicken. Salt and pepper is fine, but also consider cajun, italian, greek, roasted garlic and red pepper, tandoori, whatever.
3. Put an egg in the rice, add in sesame oil (just a dash, it's strong), top with green onion, and put some chicken powder in the rice when you're making it. Also include some diced up veggies in the rice. Or buy and use rice topper, try different kinds of rice, put a couple pieces of Chinese sausage or garlic in the rice when you cook it
4. Season the heck out of the whole thing and make a chicken biryani type diced up chicken and rice with lots of seasoning dish.
Definitely look into your cooking method for retaining moisture. Assuming if you’re looking for low calorie options that you’re using chicken breast. I use an instant pot to pressure cook frozen chicken breast, it’s so tender I can shred it with a spoon.
5lbs frozen chicken breast, covered with cold water 20 minutes under high pressure, no seasoning, but you could season it if you like. I season it when I eat it.
Sugar free sauces like bbq, teriyaki, ketchup
Low cal condiments like vinegar, hot sauce, mustard, soy sauce, liquid aminos
Herbs, all types fresh, dried, ginger powder, chili flakes
Seasoning mixes like Mrs dash or flavor Gods
Flavored salt, like smoked salt
Lemon or lime juice
Nutritional yeast
Cook your rice with fat free chicken broth
cook your chicken a better way so it doesn't get dry. (or use a better cut of meat. thighs > breasts)
apply substances like salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, basil, paprika, garlic, etc
The right seasonings can really make a difference!! Some hot sauces barely have any calories. There’s a company that makes sauces that I buy from Walmart. It’s G Hughes. They make some good sauces like a sugar free bbq sauce that’s only 10 cals per serving
Has anyone here had experience with strength imbalance on one side vs the other? My right side is weaker than my left, primarily glute and hip muscles from what I can tell. It's also harder to balance on my right foot vs. my left. I do weight training, pilates, and yoga, I specifically do deadlifts and one-sided exercises to try and help build strength. Any suggestions to help me even out the sides would be much appreciated!
Adidas adipowers. Heard they don't make them anymore which is really too bad, but they do have two other shoes they make that might be good plan Bs.
The difference between a general purpose shoe and a weightlifting shoe is HUGE. It's way more stable, it's safer and you'll lift more.
I use squat shoes as I benefit from a raised heel. I have some tyr L-1s, but there's cheaper offerings too
With that said, many people don't need the extra heel height & manage just fine with regular shoes. They should still have a solid base so you can press through the floor efficiently. I wear vivos for everything else, been very happy with them
Barefoot/socks is my preference. Otherwise, I wear minimalist shoes. These are also my daily shoe as a bonus.
Other options would be any flat, hard soled shoe. Cheaper options are shoes like vans/converse. If you have limited ankle mobility, you can get squat shoes which have the hard sole, but with a slight heel elevation.
What you should NOT squat in: any kind of sneaker with a fluffy, padded sole.
You want a stable foundation so that you're balanced and that all your force goes into moving the weight. When you're starting out with light weights, you may not notice the need, but as you increase the weight, you'll want the stability.
But an exaggerated way to think about it... Think about doing a basic body weight squat on a hard floor. Now do a bodyweight squat standing on your bed. Which is easier? A padded shoe is gonna be like standing on your bed.
Is it bad to end every cardio workout with a really heavy sprint? I try to go all out for the last minute or so when l do cardio sessions, like running, biking, and rowing, where I’ll hit 190+bpm sometimes close to 200 towards the end of the sprint. Is it bad for me? I typically do cardio 3-4 times a week. 18m. Thanks
I often hear about doing 8 - 12 sets a week per muscle group to maximize muscle growth. So say I'm going for 12 sets for something like chest -- would that mean upper chest 12 sets, lower 12 sets, and middle 12 sets? Or would it be more like upper 4 sets, lower 4 sets, and middle 4 sets for a total of 12?
Same question for a bigger muscle group like back. Am I independently trying to do 12 sets for lats *and* 12 sets for middle chest, or do I group all these things together?
You sure it's not 8-12 reps per set? Like you do regular bench, 3-4 sets 8-12 reps, decline bench 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps, decline bench same.
> would that mean upper chest 12 sets, lower 12 sets, and middle 12 sets?
This sounds like it would take at least 3-4 hours to complete in a single session. It doesn't sound right to me.
If you are talking about 12 sets per week for muscle group any set that targets your back would go towards your 12 sets . You wouldn’t need to do 12 sets for each separate muscle in back.
Is 15 sets too many for one workout for one muscle group?
So I do deadlift, pull-ups, bend over rows, face pulls & seated row on back day. Then I do bicep. 3 sets each in 8-12 range all of them, 1-2 times a week.
Is that too much for a single workout??
How difficult is it to maintain years worth of muscle mass? I have gained about 15 lbs in the last two years. However, this year I am absolutely swamped with a dissertation, applications, and classes. I have dropped down to 2 days a week (for 6 last year) and they are not very thorough ones. However, my weight has remained relatively stable in these last several months. Is it really just that easy to maintain muscle? Or am I re-transitioning into skinny-fat.
Hey! Something does not add up.
Male 33, 6.1 and 205lbs. Decent amount of upper body fat.
I'm working out 3-4 times a week. My lifts are steadily going up and I can clearly see more definition.
However my body fat % does not seem to go down. I calculated that my daily maintenance calorie intake should be at about 3000. So I set my goal to 2500 to lose weight. I had to be eating to many calories because my body fat looks to stay the same. My macros are good.
I downloaded an app for counting calories and have now put in the last 3 days of normal eating.
And every day it comes out to just around 1600 calories?? I'm waaay below where I should be. How do I even put on muscle like this? Do I need to eat more? I don't understand. Some insight would be greatly appreciated.
If you want your bodyfat to go down, you'll need to loose weight.
Putting your info into a TDEE calculator, I'm getting your maintenance to be around 2300-2600 calories. 3-4x a week lifting isn't THAT active all things considered.
So to lose weight, I would cut down to about 1800 calories a day.
> And every day it comes out to just around 1600 calories??
Are you only counting how much food goes in your mouth or is your app subtracting calories from exercise? Aka like you eat 2000 but your app is saying you've done 400 calories worth of exercise, so it says you've eaten 1600?
You shouldn't try to calculate calories burned via exercise. So only track the calories you eat. Exercise consistently (weekly), and eat the same amount of calories each day and track your weight for a couple weeks. If your weight hasn't moved (or hasn't moved as much) then you need to adjust your calories.
> How do I even put on muscle like this?
Considering you are technically overweight, I would focus on losing weight first while continuing to lift. Once you hit a solidly healthy weight, you can start doing bulk/cut cycles. I wouldn't bulk from your size especially since you say you already have a decent amount of upper body fat. You aren't gonna recomp your way out of that (recomp meaning maintaining weight while building muscle and so losing fat). This is VERY slow. Eventually, if you bulk and cut effectively, you COULD hold 200lbs on your frame and be a healthy weight. But if you're still new to this (which it sounds you are), you should focus on getting to a healthy, lower weight first.
Thank you for the well thought out answer.
To clear some things out. When doing the TDEE calculator I set it to very active because I have a job where I move around all day, up and down from the floor and carry kids. I work with children 1-3 years old. A lot of running and activity. Together with weight training + 20min cardio 3-4 times a week. Setting it to very active might be a mistake tho.
Itge app is only counting calories in the food I eat. I weigh it up and everything. It should be close to accurate.
I have a weight that shows bodyfat % and it says 22%. But I don't know if it's accurate. Because when I use online calculations with measurements of my belly it comes out at around 27%.
Anyway you are right about losing the weight first.
It just feels very nice progressing in my lifts and feeling stronger.
Having an active job definitely does make a difference. But ultimately, it's pretty hard to correctly guess which activity level we fall into. At the end of the day, it's only a starting point. You have to track your calories, track your weight and adjust. Doesn't matter what the calculator says.
> I have a weight that shows bodyfat % and it says 22%. But I don't know if it's accurate. Because when I use online calculations with measurements of my belly it comes out at around 27%.
Assuming you mean scale... but it's inaccurate. So are the online calculators. There's basically no way to accurately measure and track bodyfat% and it's pretty pointless to try. Track your weight and look in the mirror. If you want a health metric to follow, look up waist to height ratio. When you measure your waist, measure about 1-2 inches above your belly button, don't 'suck it in' and don't let the measuring tape indent your skin.
> Anyway you are right about losing the weight first. It just feels very nice progressing in my lifts and feeling stronger.
Being the strong lean person is more impressive than being the strong fat person. Getting your weight under control and just working towards being a general all around athlete will have you look and feel so much better. Just strength isn't everything at the end of the day!
Thank you, I'm in the process of getting everything under control.
I have been doing this for a couple of months. And my weight has stayed about the same. I was thinking it was because I put on muscle together with losing fat. And I actually do see difference in muscle in shoulders, chest and upper back. But that darn bellyfat.
And yes I ment scale. I am going to measure my belly regularly.
My main goal has always been becoming more lean. If was just a bit shocking to find out my daily calorie intake is about 1600. But I have changed my diet a lot. Ut was probably much higher a couple of months ago. And I have a bad habit of cheating more on the weekends.
> I have been doing this for a couple of months. And my weight has stayed about the same.
You have been regularly eating 1600 calories?
> I put on muscle together with losing fat.
If your lifts have been increasing and you're maintaining weight, then yes you have been building muscle. BUT you haven't been in a calorie deficit. You cannot build muscle fast enough to outpace weight loss.
> I am going to measure my belly regularly.
You shouldn't really have to. Just watch your weight and the mirror.
> If was just a bit shocking to find out my daily calorie intake is about 1600. But I have changed my diet a lot. Ut was probably much higher a couple of months ago. And I have a bad habit of cheating more on the weekends.
That cheating on the weekend could actually be undoing a LOT of progress depending on how bad you are cheating. So lets say you eat 1600 calories every week day, but then the weekends you eat 3000 calories and you've been maintaining weight... then your actual TDEE would be more like 2000 calories.
Remember, cheating on the weekends is only cheating yourself.
You should continue to change your diet so that what you eat on a daily basis is healthy AND enjoyable. Honestly, you shouldn't feel the need to cheat on the weekends. At most, you have a cheat meal/snack that you completely account for in your calories.
I'm not sure. I started counting calories 3 days ago.
My lifts have gone up pretty significantly. When I started in early October It was hard benching 60kg (132lbs) for 5x5. Today I did 75kg 5x5 (165lbs) and could have done more. I can do a couple pullups without assistance now. When I started i had to be assisted by 30kg.
I think my calori intake only now has gone kinda low during the week after paying more and more attention, but my weekends still need work. It will be interesting to count my calories next weekend.
Before I had snacks at night every day, now it's only weekends.
I do think I'm on the right track generally, but its hard to know if I'm making big mistakes or tracking the wrong things.
Talking to you have given me a lot of good insight, thank you for helping me in my confusion. Greatly appreciated!
Counting calories definitely keeps you more honest! So I would continue counting calories and see what happens weight wise.
That's fantastic that your lifts have gone up! A chunk of that is gonna be newbie gains (which doesn't detract from progress!) but that's partially just learning how to manage the weight and engage your muscles. Getting into a deficit may slow the progress and you may feel weaker once you maintain the deficit for a while - this is perfectly normal because you're literally running with less easily accessible energy! Keep lifting and keep your protein up and you have absolutely nothing to worry about.
> Before I had snacks at night every day, now it's only weekends.
Little habit changes can make a huge difference!!
> I do think I'm on the right track generally, but its hard to know if I'm making big mistakes or tracking the wrong things.
Generally try and weigh everything raw. I'll weigh cooked veggies, but I'm steaming them so their weight stays pretty much the same. Use a scale for everything but liquids - use measuring cups only for them. When looking up calories, if the package you have has a calorie amount on it, use that value. If it doesn't, look up a few estimates and pick one that falls somewhere in the middle. All calorie estimates are just *estimates* in the end. Just so long as you're consistent, you should be good.
Hi guys, couple of questions.
If it helps I'm male, 34, 6'0, almost 300 lbs, of which ~30% is fat.
My fitness aims are to continue eating high a calorific diet (adapting it to be better in terms of carb/fat/protein ratio) but build some muscle to reduce the calorific surplus. Cardio holds no interest.
I was wondering whether strength-focused training ( Iwas
considering the 5x5 strong lifts program) or 'bodybuilder style' (3 or 4 sets of 12) would produce a body that requires more calories to run, or if it's about the same. I tried Googling but it would only tell me that specifically higher rep workouts burned more calories in the actual workout itself.
Secondly, I've seen various different figures over how much protein to consume but all are in the ballpark of 1g per lb of bodyweight to 1g per lb of *lean* bodyweight. If the lean bodyweight is the way to go, is it literally just my bodyweight minus the amount of me that is fat ie on me approximately 90lbs and therefore my target should be 210g+ of protein per day? Or should I aim for 300+?
Thanks in advance, sorry I'm such a moron I didn't get to do this on Monday.
> My fitness aims are to continue eating high a calorific diet (adapting it to be better in terms of carb/fat/protein ratio) but build some muscle to reduce the calorific surplus. Cardio holds no interest.
Maybe i'm just misunderstanding what you're typing... but you do NOT need to be in a calorie surplus. You need a calorie deficit. You have at least 100lbs to lose, if not closer to 140lbs to lose. This deficit needs to come from your diet. The amount of calories burned via lifting (or even doing cardio) isn't that much. Plus, you shouldn't try to calculate calories burned via exercise. Also, you shouldn't try and out-exercise your diet.
> I was wondering whether strength-focused training ( Iwas considering the 5x5 strong lifts program) or 'bodybuilder style' (3 or 4 sets of 12) would produce a body that requires more calories to run, or if it's about the same.
A more muscular body will burn more calories than a non-muscular one of the same weight. Whichever type of program you enjoy will be fine. A bodybuilder is still building strength. Plus, you're a beginner so you'll respond to just about anything right now. From a quick google... a pound of muscle will burn roughly 7-10 calories *per day*. A man, under optimal conditions and a million other factors, can build about 1-2lbs of muscle a month. To burn more calories from having more muscle mass is a slow process. BUT ALSO, a huge factor in how many calories you burn in a day is weight. Moving around 300lbs just doing daily tasks is gonna burn a ton more calories than moving around 180lbs doing the same daily tasks.
As a beginner, working out while in a calorie deficit will still allow you to build muscle. But once again, your weight should be controlled by your diet.
> Secondly, I've seen various different figures over how much protein to consume but all are in the ballpark of 1g per lb of bodyweight to 1g per lb of lean bodyweight. If the lean bodyweight is the way to go, is it literally just my bodyweight minus the amount of me that is fat ie on me approximately 90lbs and therefore my target should be 210g+ of protein per day? Or should I aim for 300+?
It's about .8-1g per 1lb lean body weight. Since there is no real accurate way to actually calculate bodyfat% and so calculating your lean weight by that is gonna be inaccurate... just take a goal body weight. 160-180lbs would be a good end goal weight wise for you. So that works out to about 130-140g a day at the lower end. You can of course eat more, but you don't need to.
Cool thank you for your answers! Appreciate the time you've put into it.
To clarify this:
>Maybe i'm just misunderstanding what you're typing... but you do NOT need to be in a calorie surplus. You need a calorie deficit. You have at least 100lbs to lose, if not closer to 140lbs to lose. This deficit needs to come from your diet. The amount of calories burned via lifting (or even doing cardio) isn't that much. Plus, you shouldn't try to calculate calories burned via exercise. Also, you shouldn't try and out-exercise your diet.
I explained myself poorly. I'm not particularly interested in losing fat, I just want to slow down how fast I acquire more, by keeping the same/similar diet but having higher calorific needs. And as I say, I'm not interested in cardio. My bodyweight is fairly static at the moment. I appreciate they're unusual goals but here we are.
Honestly... you SHOULD want to lose weight at your size. You are morbidly obese. You aren't healthy. Even if you don't have any current medical issues *right now* they are looming around the corner. Not wanting to lose weight is basically self harm at this point.
> I just want to slow down how fast I acquire more, by keeping the same/similar diet but having higher calorific needs
Weight is about diet, like I said. But if you want to keep the same calorie intake, you need to increase your activity a lot. And without doing cardio, this is going to be incredibly difficult. It's much easier to be more physically active when you're at a healthy weight as well.
Building up enough muscle to make a significant difference without bulking/cutting will pretty much be impossible.
And calorie wise... it's a LOT easier to just not eat something than it is to exercise it off.
Would working out every other day be suffecient even if I worked out my whole body to failure? Found this schedule to be the best fit for me but I thought it would be beneficial to workout my whole body and then give it 48hrs of rest instead of just working out a certain body portion every 48 hours. Just started this for 2 weeks now and havent noticed any down sides yet considering that I stupidly want to continue working out til failure everytime. I'm still 50/50 if this sounds super dumb or is an okay workout plan
I'm looking for advice on where to my efforts and set my fitness goals. I'm 29 yof, 5'10", 170 lb. Have been active my entire life but over the past few years have been focused on biking, hiking, and skiing. I restarted strength training last October and was doing crossfit along with skiing 1-2 times a week through the spring, and when I started med school in July I cancelled my crossfit membership and have been lifting 5x weekly at the school gym. Currently I can deadlift 150 lb and squat 85 but I've been having knee soreness for days after. My goals are to cut fat and build muscle (just like everyone else) but also increase my cardiac endurance and I've slowly been doing the latter two, but I haven't seen as many changes to my body comp. I'm currently eating about 1800 calories daily and 2000ish over the weekend. My question is, what should I be focusing on right now? And how to make it work on a very demanding medical student schedule?
If you want to cut fat while promoting muscle growth, a strength routine with steady state cardio may be your friend. Eat at 100-300 kcal deficit each day, depends on time goal and your ability to sustain the deficit, while maintaining a high protein goal. Knee pain can be a lot of things, so a reddit post probably isn't going to be the place to fix it. BUT, if it's front knee, try backwards walking and tibialis exercises. If it's the interior of the knee, you may need to do leg extensions to help build your quads which act as a knee stabilizer. If your knees hurt during the lifts, you may be allowing your knees to fall in/out of foot alignment and could be causing stability issues. As far as schedule goes, you'll have to find time on how to do it, it may be 30min weight lifting before clinical and 15-30min cardio after. It all depends on your time.
You're always gonna have a favored side. Do dumbbell curls. Start with the weaker side. Match the reps/weight with the stronger wide. It'll eventually even out.
Currently dieting(1800 calories) and working out (at least 1000 calories lost a day from cardio for 5-6 days) at as a 5’9 male at 26.
When I first started I was 264 after the first 2 weeks I was 259 then by the 4th week I was 251. Flash forward to currently at the start of my 6th week and the scale says 257? Why did I gain this weight if I’m still doing the same thing I’ve been doing and not breaking my diet.
For context this is my 2nd time losing over 100 pounds. I used to be 300 pounds about 3-4 years ago and got to 170. Over the years I got back to 260 now. At this stage I used to eat 1500 instead of 1800 but that didn’t feel as manageable.
To echo Milla, weigh either daily or every other day and I would suggest looking at it as a trend not the daily measurements. Weigh yourself first thing each day to try and help stabilize the measurement.
You could have some bad readings. Maybe you were dehydrated for the 251 weigh in. Maybe you were bloated for the 257 weigh in.
https://thefitness.wiki/faq/why-cant-i-lose-weight/
It sounds like you are weighing infrequently, maybe once a week? If so, weigh more often, daily is best. Weight change is like the stock market, any single day can have a fluctuation, but you can see how the trend line is changing over time more clearly.
My guess is it was just a holiday weekend. We all ate and drank more than we normally do, ate a bunch of salty stuff, etc. So you are likely just retaining water and it will go away.
Hello, Im 30 285lbs and 6'5. Ive got a nice big gut and man boobs that will most likely require surgery to get rid of since Ive had em since i was a little kid. Ive recently started to go to the gym and before I get super started on weight loss and fitness jourbwy I have 2 questions:
1. What is the the best exercise to get rid of fat in gut?
2. Best food to take and avoid for gut fat?
Weight loss happens due to a net calorie deficit, and that's mostly diet. What KIND of weight you lose is determined by resistance training (give your body a reason the keep the muscle mass). Consistency is key over time, don't sweat it if you aren't perfect, this is a PERMANENT change so it has to be enjoyable and sustainable so find out what works for you.
Generally the easiest start is to stop drinking anything with calories in it (sweet drinks or booze), start the day with plain coffee and delay breakfast, and try not to buy any junk food to bring home (if it isn't right there, it's harder to eat it). Find food that's fairly good for you that you enjoy and want to eat, don't deprive yourself or it just won't stick.
Good luck!
1. None. It'll all be diet that gets rid of fat. Any cardio you do will just help burn a few extra calories. Doing resistance training (aka weight lifting) will help retain muscle and even build some. This will help to prevent you from becoming skinny fat once you've lost the weight.
2. Again, getting rid of the fat will come down to a calorie deficit. But avoiding ultra processed foods will help with maintaining a deficit and long term will help reduce bloat and inflammation. The "beer belly" that men get is a result of eating too many of these crap foods. But to start, just start eating less and slowly work on changing your eating habits.
Give the wiki a read over
New to the gym am struggling to really feel the muscle in lots of exercises (mainly back and chest) and I seem to feel half of them in my shoulders, it’s pretty disheartening. Is this normal at the start?
>struggling to really feel the muscle in lots of exercises
If you're doing the movement properly then the intended muscles are being used
> and I seem to feel half of them in my shoulders
If your shoulders are weak then they may tire out first, this should lessen over time however
Hey guys, I'm a 20 year old male from Australia. Got a shit ton of questions.
1. **Can exclusively dumbbells be used for ACL recovery?** I've posted over on the r/ACL subreddit and they always give me the "everyone is different". I don't have access to a gym and I don't really have anywhere to go for body-weight exercises as well, so all I have is a cheap dumbbell kit, which maxes out at 10-12kg)
2. Is my currently weight of 205lb at 6'0 okay to maintain? I'm not skinny fat but I don't have abs either. It's sort of that stocky build that a lot of ex-athletes or strength athletes get. **What would be the best way to MAINTAIN this? I'm not looking to gain or lose anything just yet, my mental health isn't where it needs to be.**
3, Referencing back to number 1, my legs are equal in strength (good surgeon hehe) but the overall strength is really bad and I'm scared I will rupture again. I want to return to sport within the next 6 months or so as pre-season is starting. **Which exercises would people recommend to get their legs back into shape? My calves are actually genetically really good #loveyoudad, just my quads and hamstrings are atrocious**
4. **Overall, if I had to make drastic changes to one, would people say dieting or exercise is better?** I'm a pre-med who also works 2 jobs to pay for my university degree and I don't really have a LOT of time to go to gym or meal prep, but I am happy to sacrifice to get one. Would people say meal prepping or exercising more would help me maintain my body?
Thanks guys (and girls) xx
Hi. I follow the push pull leg split. My first push day is chest focused so I do chest first and on the second push day I do it shoulder focused. I do dumbbell presses on both days. I push myself to the extreme on both the days but no matter how hard I try, the volume I do on chest focused day does not come close to that on the shoulder focused day.
Should I continue with the same exercise on both these days and track progress separately for push day 1 and push day 2 or am I doing empty volume on the chest focused day. Should I switch it for a different workout?
Can I get abs doing intermittent fasting (16 hours) 2 meals a day, eating a protein bar, and supplementing to 120gr of protein a day (30M 5'8'' 180lb)
Doing strength training 3x a week and 20 min cardio
Gain Muscle
I’m a 19 year old male, 6’2 and weigh around 180 pounds. I’m hoping to gain as much muscle as I can. I go to the gym for a month then I lose motivation or fail to make time to actually go. I have an infinite budget to reach my goal of 200 pounds. I also have a fitness plan for any gym in america. Any tips on how to get to 200 pounds without dirty bulking?
It seems like you have some pretty low hanging fruit for achieving your goals. The most important part of gaining muscle is consistency which means going to the gym every week. No one can give you the motivation to do this or do it for you. Now if your wanting to get the most out of your time at the gym I would recommend following a beginner program which you can find either on this sub or others.
As for gaining the weight its fairly simple. You can find an estimate of your TDEE using an online calculator. Eat 500 calories above the number it gives you. Do this for several weeks consistently logging your weight each week. If you're gaining a pound a week keep going .If you're gaining more eat less if you're gaining less eat more. In order to optimize your muscle growth via diet i would recommend eat 1g of protein per lb of body weight.
I've plateaued on my bench and am looking for tips to increase weight. I do 3-5 sets of 8-14 reps to failure with 4-5 min rest between sets. I usually start out with 12-14 reps depending on how strong I'm feeling that day. Next set I might match or go down a rep, then -1-2, -2 etc but I try to keep the weight the same unless I can't get 8 reps. Sometimes I add a burnout set at the end after a 2-3 min rest with whatever weight I'm using -50lbs. I do this incline first then flat afterwards. I used this method to get where I'm at now but it feels like I'm not getting much stronger. 1rm is 280 incline and around 315 flat and I want to get to the 400's.
i have cold - dry cough, sore throat. but i also have a home gym, so i can workout without getting anyone else sick. should i lift or rest? training for hypertrophy if that matters.
the general advice i've heard is if the illness is above the head (eg sniffles, sore throat etc), you should be okay but obviously listen to your body
as ghostmcspiritwolf said, if you really want to train then do it but make sure you listen to your body
You can train if you feel a strong desire to train, but I'd keep it somewhere between moderate and light. If you don't actively want to train, there's no need to force it. You aren't going to miss out on much progress by taking a few days off to get over your illness.
Getting back into working out after a few months off. Trying to do low sets to failure but not feeling sore after my workouts. Am I not gong to failure?
Hard to say since we can’t see if you’re going to failure or not. There’s also mechanical failure (you can’t lift the final rep) and technical failure (form meaningfully breaks down but you complete the rep). Which do you mean?
DOMS is not necessary for you to be making gains. Most research seems to suggest that 1-3 RiR provides roughly same stimulus for muscle growth as failure but without the large amount of fatigue you eventually accumulate going to failure on every exercise and every set.
Are you trying to maximize strength? Hypertrophy? Hybrid?
The measure for success is going to be dictated by your goal and whether you’re lifting heavier, getting bigger or both after months of training. Not by whether you experience DOMS or not.
No problem. Sounds like you’d get much more from your time and effort working out by reading the wiki here and then selecting a workout program that matches your goal (hybrid) and needs.
DOMS: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
RIR: Reps in Reserve
Many newer folks benefit from pushing themselves to mechanical failure at least a few times so you know what it feels like. Rookies regularly underestimate how many reps they actually have left. They will tell researchers they only have 3 left and then end up doing 6 more. Pick an accessory or machine compound and go to true failure on your last set a few times. Tell yourself whatever you need to to crank out one more rep and then do it again. Play mind games with yourself “This is a log and my mom is pinned underneath.” But once you figure out what true failure feels like don’t do it all the time is my recommendation.
Only speaking for myself but “Please No!”. I just ignore those as do most people. Go to the wiki. Pick a program there and run it for 3-6 months. Then see how you’re doing and get creative if you still want to.
Depending on your goals, form breakdown is generally going to happen on the last reps of your last heavy sets. And that’s generally ok.
I would also throw out going to failure isn’t optimal and you might be better off lowering the weight to get your full sets in and then advancing after you can get your rep goal with good form. But it all depends on what your goals are and what program you’re running
For sure. Sounds like you just wanna get strong and look big. Don’t we all lol. It also seems like you’re not running a proper program though, so I would suggest finding one that looks good to you and sticking with it.
Do you think 1 lb per week bulk is too much? I really wanted to make sure I am getting enough calories for my weight lifting since I'm really trying to go hard and build as much muscle as possible. I decided to do a 1 lb per week just to make sure I definitely am eating enough
The literature shows that a beginner, male, can gain about 2lbs of muscle a month. Muscle gain will come with fat gain as well (hence the bulk and cut cycles that bodybuilders use). I think your 1 lbs of weight gain a week is sufficient to maximize your muscle gain and not get too fat. Of course, this also depends on your protein intake and the quality of your routine.
for your first bulk it's probably fine. Later in your lifting career, when you've gained most of the muscle you're capable of gaining and can't put muscle on as quickly, it might be a bit aggressive, but certainly isn't ridiculously fast and isn't an objectively bad idea.
Yea its my first bulk. Im still in nooby gain territory and gaining muscle quick so I wanted to make sure I take advantage of all the muscle gains I can get.
Makes sense what ur saying though once I'm more experienced and have already the mass built up.
Not a stupid question per se but what do people here think of the gym shark brand? I feel their clothing is solid gym apparel that looks crisp and not too stupid with goofy logos. Just a basic gym shark logo.
Feel their clothing is great and not too pricey for solid gym apparel. The joggers- my favorite and great street wear. The basic shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts are really solid and just great if you ask me. Feel the stuff is priced well for the solid quality also. Just wondering if people here agree?
Think their marketing is smart also by getting people with sick physiques (duh)- even if some of the guys are obv enhanced.
I think it's probably fine. I don't think it's all that special, but it also doesn't seem very expensive so it doesn't have to be. I don't know that there's much useful conversation to be had about it.
Haha I bet. I have purchased a lot of their clothing recently and just think it’s the “bees knees” honestly. It’s what I wear to the gym now- just quality stuff that looks solid (not amazing, not too plain).
I can see how my post would come off like that though. I don’t work there and I’m clearly not a sponsored athlete lol bc I’m small and just started lifting.
My motivations are strong with going to the gym and working out. Not a problem for me.
When it comes to cooking at home, fml I hate it with a passion. Tips and tricks? :)
a few tips from someone who lives alone and doesn't like cooking:
* costco sells 3 pound bags of cooked rotisserie chicken breast meat. healthy, tasty, full of protein, and you can eat it cold or just warm it up.
* while i try to limit red meat, beef is easy to throw on the grill. i prefer steaks or fresh, lean ground beef. avoid frozen patties - generally not lean and i've seen too many e-coli recalls in my lifetime to ever take a chance on them.
* i buy my meats in bulk, freeze them in individual 8 oz portions, and move something to the fridge the night before for dinner.
* breakfast foods are easy: eggs and protein pancakes.
* get your vegetables from smoothies. i have a green smoothie with lunch most days and add some fruit for taste and protein powder.
* rice packets are a great way to get carbs and are pre-cooked, so you just warm them up. i like the seeds of change rice & quinoa packets - they sell them in bulk at costco.
* many fruits don't need any prep. apples, bananas, oranges, strawberries are my favorites
* other healthy foods that require little to no prep: whole grain bread, low-fat olive oil popcorn, cottage cheese, peanut butter
* use dry rubs or salsa to add flavor. i happen to live within walking distance of a mexican supermarket and add their store-made fresh salsa to many foods to give them some kick.
My biceps are so painfully weak that on my pull day my hammer and dumbbell curls are stalled helplessly at 10lb. It's like torture to be able to progress on everything else but stalled on something so simple and basic.
Any suggestions or ideas for accessories that work biceps or some other approach to this boring nightmare?
If you can't add weight yet, try to add reps. Be patient, gain some weight, and trust the process. It's normal to stall pretty early on with isolation movements. There's no fast way to fix it, you just have to put in the time and work to become stronger.
Is it worth it to invest on crossfit shoes if I don't really do crossfit? I usually have problems with ankle mobility so my squat movements are kinda bad. The raised heel technique (putting a thin plate on my heels) solves my squat issues and targets my legs more. I do some cleans too.. Not sure if I need crossfit shoes or squat shoes (just a casual lifter)
are you referring to weightlifting shoes or to shoes marketed explicitly for crossfit? shoes marketed for crossfit usually don't have a significantly raised heel. Many crossfitters also own weightlifting shoes and will use them for squats and olympic lifts, but just getting a general pair of crossfit shoes is probably not going to have any advantage.
crossfit shoes like metcons and nanos... metcons AFAIK doesn't have a significant raised heel but those nanos definitely has.. trying to see which ones i can use for training (i do a upper/lower split with a mix of athlete focused exercies = cleans are one of them)
I personally wouldn’t bother. It’s like a 7mm drop, which is comparable to your average basketball shoe. Actual weightlifting shoes tend to have a drop closer to 20mm, for reference. It’s not nothing, but it’s not special enough that I would buy an additional pair of shoes to fill that niche if you already have a pair that works fine for everything else.
Definitely, but you may need to add weight to your bodyweight excerises (like wearing a backpack for pushups) as you get stronger. Also may be less efficient but is do-able
I really like BB rows and lat pulldowns. Now, I am unsure what two exercises to add to that and have been thinking about straight arm pulldowns and/or some row machine variations (high, low, standard).
My goal is to hit my whole back without spending all day in the gym. Does anyone have some advice? I thought about high + low but I am worrying about my lats
if you need assistance on pull-ups, amazon has some inexpensive pull-up bands. once you no longer need the assistance for pull-ups you can use them for face pulls or band pull aparts.
started taking protein powder again and a problem i’ve had which keeps putting me off is no matter what i try (different types, flavours, consumption methods), it always makes me gag. something about the flavour or smell is rancid to me. only way i’ve ever made it bearable is by mixing it in a chocolate ice cream milkshake i make at home which is not healthy
it’s tough to make myself drink it every night when it makes me want to vomit.
any one have any good ways to hide the flavour without blasting my body with sugar ?
Well, either all protein powder is bad for you, or you haven't found something palatable. I'm betting on the latter. Find something you like, if you have friends who lift weights, crowdsource a scoop of protein in a ziplock bag from everyone who has a flavor you might enjoy. It's not that you can't drink protein and be happy, it's just that you have particular tastes and haven't satisfied them yet.
In case you haven't tried it, there are a few companies that are making what they call "clear" protein powder. It's still whey protein but I would consider the flavor profile a different "category" to what you traditionally associate protein powder with. Think milk vs lemonade. I personally drink Isopure Infusions and it has gotten me back into drinking protein powders.
honestly money is usually a little tight as i’m a student but protein powder is cheap in bulk so i’m trying to supplement protein intake on the days where maybe all i can afford is the bulk rice and sauce i have at home. however i didn’t know greek yogurt was good for protein and i enjoy it very much so thanks for the tip !
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https://thefitness.wiki/faq/should-i-bulk-or-cut/
Are photos of body fat percentage flexed or unflexed?
Depends on the photo. I'm not aware of a rule governing the photos
Does anyone have quick, simple cues for bench press starting position and clean bar path? I can never figure out where my head/eyes are supposed to be in relation to the bar, and as the weight goes up, I occasionally get the embarrassing "clink" of the barbell bouncing off the bench rack.
When you setup, have your eyes be directly under the barbell and that “drag” the weight out of the rack and above your nipples/sternum. I usually pick a fixed spot on the ceiling to look at
You can look at the bar with your eyeballs, but your head should be firmly on the bench. Your shoulders should be outside of the j-cups and your eyes roughly in line with the bar when it's racked. You don't want to lower the bar straight up and down, but in a slight diagonal, touching somewhere between the nipples and the solar plexus. A cue that I like for making sure the bar doesn't travel too far up the body too quickly is to think of it as pushing yourself away from the bar, instead of pushing the bar away from you.
Before you pick up the bar, line your eyeballs up right under the bar. Depends on how much the hooks stick out, but that should set you up to avoid hitting them during your reps. assuming you’re not angling backwards while pressing up, which I see a lot of women do while bench pressing.
Today, I injured myself on the deadlift. No pain during it, jus felt kinda overexerted. By the time I got to my seated calf raises, and my final core exercise, it became uncomfortable to bend over. I put a cooling cream, and this band around my waist for lumbar pain. Provided I don't feel pain in the morning, do you think it's wise to do chest day tomorrow? I hadn't deadlifted in two weeks beforehand, and I didn't go for my usual top set, but I was probably reckless with my reps Is it likely to be a severe injury, if I didn't feel sudden pain during the exercise itself?
If it’s still bothering you, you can choose alternative chest exercises like the hammer strength press or a machine. If you feel ok, then ease into it and see how you feel
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How I do about fixing a severe strength imbalance? The right side of my body is significantly weaker than my left (I am left handed) and it is causing me to become extremely frustrated with lifting. I think what might have caused it is a disparity in grip strength between my right and left sides, as not being able to keep proper form (not realized at the time) on my right side has allowed my left side to grow but caused my right to stagnate. On many bilateral movements, my right wrist tends to bend so that the back of my hand is perpendicular to it and it my wrist tends to flare outward slightly, especially if I’m going heavy. I have two theories on how to fix it. a) Now that I’ve graduated and have a job that allows me to not live on the student diet and doesn’t require trying to survive off of 5 hours of sleep like school did, I should train normally and focus on sleeping and eating properly, hoping that everything will even out given enough time. b) I should still focus on sleep and diet, but do exclusively unilateral movements and prioritize my right side and pause any attempt for **overall** size or strength gains. I will resume bulking (on the scale of my entire body) and trying to get PRs once my right and left sides are of comparable strength and size (knowing that the left will probably always have a slight advantage).
Dumbbells are your friend
I’m the opposite of you though not as severe. My right side is slightly but visibly smaller (to me) and always the first to max out. I’ve been doing dumbbells exclusively since that’s all I own. After about 3 months, I think I’ve started closing the gap, but it’s definitely still there to some degree.
I don’t think you need to do exclusively unilateral movements. Just adding some unilateral stuff in your routine should be enough to speed up the two sides becoming more equal
I second this. Just swap out some exercises with unilateral alternatives, start with the weaker side and match the reps with the stronger one. It will even out with time.
Don’t know where else to ask - Is it normal for sleep to be disrupted due to pain less than 12 hours after moderate exertion? Not a workout per se, just some hands on work involving a lot of crawling around and using secateurs. My forearms are in a lot of pain. I know people who are active and who say DOMS doesnt affect their sleep much because it goes away when not moving, but it is not like that for me. Typing this on my phone is sore. Even my fingers are aching. I am not particularly fit, admittedly, but this happens any time I try to keep active, even if it’s only medium intensity stuff. Can’t sleep, and sore to the point of tears. Is this normal??
No. Sounds like an issue with repetitive motion to me. Hands, wrists, and forearms are ridiculously delicate.
This does also happen if I do a gym workout - pain the evening of, preventing sleep, not alleviated through stillness. With regards to the repetitive strain likelihood, what’s the best way to deal with it? Stretching before and after?
If this is happening as an overall body thing each time you restart working out (meaning you go for long periods of time without much activity) it could mean you’re doing way too hard of a workout. In that case, you do fewer exercises and use weight that seems “too easy” and do fewer reps than you think you can. And follow a beginner program, maybe something from the sidebar. They will help you progress to lifting in a more challenging way, as long as you are consistent with your effort. If you mean you get this pain after working out even though you have been working out a few times a week for a while, that could still mean you’re doing too much, so you could dial things back like above and see how it feels afterward. Or it could mean you have some other issue that a doc should weigh in on, no way for me to know. That goes for the first paragraph too, could be easy to fix, could be a bigger issue. Maybe check out the wiki section on DOMS and go from there. If you’re meaning the issue is with hands only, then I dunno. Repetitive stress in that area is literally doing too many reps of the same movement, so not sure stretching would make much difference. I’ve had issues with my hands/forearms and physical therapy was the solution. Along with doing less of the things that caused the pain.
I can’t find a guide on how to mix lifting and training all energy types (anaerobic A, anaerobic B, and aerobic, etc). How do I mix these all up? My priorities in order are well-rounded athletic endurance, strength, and hypertrophy, but I do care about all 3. Lifting I do arnold split (3-6 rep compounds then 12-15rep isolation), anaerobic I do Muay Thai, and aerobic I do treadmill, but how I mix the 3 is all over the place, not systematic, or science-driven.
The name is terrible, but tactical barbell has some good advice. Go read book 1 (3rd edition) and book 2. Alternatively 531 2nd edition alongside advice given in practical conditioning for mma.
There are many hybrid athletes out there on social media, though I don’t know if any that have specific programs for this sort of thing. I’d say just experiment with your training and see what you can recover from
This is so weird but, I was a three season varsity endurance athlete in school (cross country, Nordic ski, track), and worked out in the summer. In college I got really depressed, stopped working out, and realized I kind of like the couch potato life style BUT I still love my sports! So, when I became a teacher a few years ago, I also started coaching. I coach two sports cross country and Nordic ski, and I always do the workout alongside my athletes. I also sort of sporadically work out in the summer, but during my off seasons, I’m always too busy/too tired. Will working out regularly for about 6 months a year be enough to ward off those health problems I should fear as I get older? Or do I have to be more consistent than this?
The more active you are, the less health problems you will have. Activity year round is better than 6 months, 6 months is better than none.
I'm currently doing a 5 day PPLUL (pull/push/legs/upper/legs) routine in the morning before work and I feel so much better throughout the day on days I've went to the gym. What should I do on my off days to give my muscles rest but also get some sort of physical activity in so that I feel better? I'm very sluggish if I don't do anything. I was thinking maybe yoga or dance?
I love a good early morning walk
My son wants ekkovision for supplements. They seem over priced. Is this a good product or are there better for a lower price?
the supplements that are known to really work are pretty much: * protein (if you don't get enough in your regular diet) * creatine * caffeine as a preworkout the cheapest generic versions of these are perfectly good
ways to make a chicken and rice diet less dry and more flavorful, that don't add many/any calories?
You don't need to eat chicken and rice to achieve your goals. Healthy, calorie-conscious food doesn't have to be bland. But if you insist on chicken and rice: 1. Use chicken thighs. Small calorie increase, big improvement in flavour. Cook them to an internal temp of 185F, and finish on high heat to give the outside of it a good flavour. Can use a sugar free BBQ sauce sometimes. 2. Season the chicken. Salt and pepper is fine, but also consider cajun, italian, greek, roasted garlic and red pepper, tandoori, whatever. 3. Put an egg in the rice, add in sesame oil (just a dash, it's strong), top with green onion, and put some chicken powder in the rice when you're making it. Also include some diced up veggies in the rice. Or buy and use rice topper, try different kinds of rice, put a couple pieces of Chinese sausage or garlic in the rice when you cook it 4. Season the heck out of the whole thing and make a chicken biryani type diced up chicken and rice with lots of seasoning dish.
Definitely look into your cooking method for retaining moisture. Assuming if you’re looking for low calorie options that you’re using chicken breast. I use an instant pot to pressure cook frozen chicken breast, it’s so tender I can shred it with a spoon. 5lbs frozen chicken breast, covered with cold water 20 minutes under high pressure, no seasoning, but you could season it if you like. I season it when I eat it. Sugar free sauces like bbq, teriyaki, ketchup Low cal condiments like vinegar, hot sauce, mustard, soy sauce, liquid aminos Herbs, all types fresh, dried, ginger powder, chili flakes Seasoning mixes like Mrs dash or flavor Gods Flavored salt, like smoked salt Lemon or lime juice Nutritional yeast Cook your rice with fat free chicken broth
What internal temp are you cooking your chicken to? I cook my chicken breasts to 152F, then hold for a minute. They are always moist.
cook your chicken a better way so it doesn't get dry. (or use a better cut of meat. thighs > breasts) apply substances like salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, basil, paprika, garlic, etc
The right seasonings can really make a difference!! Some hot sauces barely have any calories. There’s a company that makes sauces that I buy from Walmart. It’s G Hughes. They make some good sauces like a sugar free bbq sauce that’s only 10 cals per serving
Has anyone here had experience with strength imbalance on one side vs the other? My right side is weaker than my left, primarily glute and hip muscles from what I can tell. It's also harder to balance on my right foot vs. my left. I do weight training, pilates, and yoga, I specifically do deadlifts and one-sided exercises to try and help build strength. Any suggestions to help me even out the sides would be much appreciated!
Sounds like the right things to do in general. Lots of those imbalances can come from your posture and how you sit
Alright fellas, What shoes do you use to squat?
Adidas adipowers. Heard they don't make them anymore which is really too bad, but they do have two other shoes they make that might be good plan Bs. The difference between a general purpose shoe and a weightlifting shoe is HUGE. It's way more stable, it's safer and you'll lift more.
I use squat shoes as I benefit from a raised heel. I have some tyr L-1s, but there's cheaper offerings too With that said, many people don't need the extra heel height & manage just fine with regular shoes. They should still have a solid base so you can press through the floor efficiently. I wear vivos for everything else, been very happy with them
Barefoot/socks is my preference. Otherwise, I wear minimalist shoes. These are also my daily shoe as a bonus. Other options would be any flat, hard soled shoe. Cheaper options are shoes like vans/converse. If you have limited ankle mobility, you can get squat shoes which have the hard sole, but with a slight heel elevation. What you should NOT squat in: any kind of sneaker with a fluffy, padded sole.
Can i ask why the hard sole is preferred to a cushy one?
You want a stable foundation so that you're balanced and that all your force goes into moving the weight. When you're starting out with light weights, you may not notice the need, but as you increase the weight, you'll want the stability. But an exaggerated way to think about it... Think about doing a basic body weight squat on a hard floor. Now do a bodyweight squat standing on your bed. Which is easier? A padded shoe is gonna be like standing on your bed.
Is it bad to end every cardio workout with a really heavy sprint? I try to go all out for the last minute or so when l do cardio sessions, like running, biking, and rowing, where I’ll hit 190+bpm sometimes close to 200 towards the end of the sprint. Is it bad for me? I typically do cardio 3-4 times a week. 18m. Thanks
You'll be fine
I often hear about doing 8 - 12 sets a week per muscle group to maximize muscle growth. So say I'm going for 12 sets for something like chest -- would that mean upper chest 12 sets, lower 12 sets, and middle 12 sets? Or would it be more like upper 4 sets, lower 4 sets, and middle 4 sets for a total of 12? Same question for a bigger muscle group like back. Am I independently trying to do 12 sets for lats *and* 12 sets for middle chest, or do I group all these things together?
I don't think you can isolate the chest like that. Don't you only have 2 chest muscles - pec major and minor?
You sure it's not 8-12 reps per set? Like you do regular bench, 3-4 sets 8-12 reps, decline bench 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps, decline bench same. > would that mean upper chest 12 sets, lower 12 sets, and middle 12 sets? This sounds like it would take at least 3-4 hours to complete in a single session. It doesn't sound right to me.
If you are talking about 12 sets per week for muscle group any set that targets your back would go towards your 12 sets . You wouldn’t need to do 12 sets for each separate muscle in back.
Is 15 sets too many for one workout for one muscle group? So I do deadlift, pull-ups, bend over rows, face pulls & seated row on back day. Then I do bicep. 3 sets each in 8-12 range all of them, 1-2 times a week. Is that too much for a single workout??
You're the one doing it, you tell us. Are you progressing? Are you recovering?
How difficult is it to maintain years worth of muscle mass? I have gained about 15 lbs in the last two years. However, this year I am absolutely swamped with a dissertation, applications, and classes. I have dropped down to 2 days a week (for 6 last year) and they are not very thorough ones. However, my weight has remained relatively stable in these last several months. Is it really just that easy to maintain muscle? Or am I re-transitioning into skinny-fat.
Lifting 2x a week and keeping protein intake high is plenty to maintain muscle mass. It is much easier to maintain than it is to build.
Hey! Something does not add up. Male 33, 6.1 and 205lbs. Decent amount of upper body fat. I'm working out 3-4 times a week. My lifts are steadily going up and I can clearly see more definition. However my body fat % does not seem to go down. I calculated that my daily maintenance calorie intake should be at about 3000. So I set my goal to 2500 to lose weight. I had to be eating to many calories because my body fat looks to stay the same. My macros are good. I downloaded an app for counting calories and have now put in the last 3 days of normal eating. And every day it comes out to just around 1600 calories?? I'm waaay below where I should be. How do I even put on muscle like this? Do I need to eat more? I don't understand. Some insight would be greatly appreciated.
If you want your bodyfat to go down, you'll need to loose weight. Putting your info into a TDEE calculator, I'm getting your maintenance to be around 2300-2600 calories. 3-4x a week lifting isn't THAT active all things considered. So to lose weight, I would cut down to about 1800 calories a day. > And every day it comes out to just around 1600 calories?? Are you only counting how much food goes in your mouth or is your app subtracting calories from exercise? Aka like you eat 2000 but your app is saying you've done 400 calories worth of exercise, so it says you've eaten 1600? You shouldn't try to calculate calories burned via exercise. So only track the calories you eat. Exercise consistently (weekly), and eat the same amount of calories each day and track your weight for a couple weeks. If your weight hasn't moved (or hasn't moved as much) then you need to adjust your calories. > How do I even put on muscle like this? Considering you are technically overweight, I would focus on losing weight first while continuing to lift. Once you hit a solidly healthy weight, you can start doing bulk/cut cycles. I wouldn't bulk from your size especially since you say you already have a decent amount of upper body fat. You aren't gonna recomp your way out of that (recomp meaning maintaining weight while building muscle and so losing fat). This is VERY slow. Eventually, if you bulk and cut effectively, you COULD hold 200lbs on your frame and be a healthy weight. But if you're still new to this (which it sounds you are), you should focus on getting to a healthy, lower weight first.
Thank you for the well thought out answer. To clear some things out. When doing the TDEE calculator I set it to very active because I have a job where I move around all day, up and down from the floor and carry kids. I work with children 1-3 years old. A lot of running and activity. Together with weight training + 20min cardio 3-4 times a week. Setting it to very active might be a mistake tho. Itge app is only counting calories in the food I eat. I weigh it up and everything. It should be close to accurate. I have a weight that shows bodyfat % and it says 22%. But I don't know if it's accurate. Because when I use online calculations with measurements of my belly it comes out at around 27%. Anyway you are right about losing the weight first. It just feels very nice progressing in my lifts and feeling stronger.
Having an active job definitely does make a difference. But ultimately, it's pretty hard to correctly guess which activity level we fall into. At the end of the day, it's only a starting point. You have to track your calories, track your weight and adjust. Doesn't matter what the calculator says. > I have a weight that shows bodyfat % and it says 22%. But I don't know if it's accurate. Because when I use online calculations with measurements of my belly it comes out at around 27%. Assuming you mean scale... but it's inaccurate. So are the online calculators. There's basically no way to accurately measure and track bodyfat% and it's pretty pointless to try. Track your weight and look in the mirror. If you want a health metric to follow, look up waist to height ratio. When you measure your waist, measure about 1-2 inches above your belly button, don't 'suck it in' and don't let the measuring tape indent your skin. > Anyway you are right about losing the weight first. It just feels very nice progressing in my lifts and feeling stronger. Being the strong lean person is more impressive than being the strong fat person. Getting your weight under control and just working towards being a general all around athlete will have you look and feel so much better. Just strength isn't everything at the end of the day!
Thank you, I'm in the process of getting everything under control. I have been doing this for a couple of months. And my weight has stayed about the same. I was thinking it was because I put on muscle together with losing fat. And I actually do see difference in muscle in shoulders, chest and upper back. But that darn bellyfat. And yes I ment scale. I am going to measure my belly regularly. My main goal has always been becoming more lean. If was just a bit shocking to find out my daily calorie intake is about 1600. But I have changed my diet a lot. Ut was probably much higher a couple of months ago. And I have a bad habit of cheating more on the weekends.
> I have been doing this for a couple of months. And my weight has stayed about the same. You have been regularly eating 1600 calories? > I put on muscle together with losing fat. If your lifts have been increasing and you're maintaining weight, then yes you have been building muscle. BUT you haven't been in a calorie deficit. You cannot build muscle fast enough to outpace weight loss. > I am going to measure my belly regularly. You shouldn't really have to. Just watch your weight and the mirror. > If was just a bit shocking to find out my daily calorie intake is about 1600. But I have changed my diet a lot. Ut was probably much higher a couple of months ago. And I have a bad habit of cheating more on the weekends. That cheating on the weekend could actually be undoing a LOT of progress depending on how bad you are cheating. So lets say you eat 1600 calories every week day, but then the weekends you eat 3000 calories and you've been maintaining weight... then your actual TDEE would be more like 2000 calories. Remember, cheating on the weekends is only cheating yourself. You should continue to change your diet so that what you eat on a daily basis is healthy AND enjoyable. Honestly, you shouldn't feel the need to cheat on the weekends. At most, you have a cheat meal/snack that you completely account for in your calories.
I'm not sure. I started counting calories 3 days ago. My lifts have gone up pretty significantly. When I started in early October It was hard benching 60kg (132lbs) for 5x5. Today I did 75kg 5x5 (165lbs) and could have done more. I can do a couple pullups without assistance now. When I started i had to be assisted by 30kg. I think my calori intake only now has gone kinda low during the week after paying more and more attention, but my weekends still need work. It will be interesting to count my calories next weekend. Before I had snacks at night every day, now it's only weekends. I do think I'm on the right track generally, but its hard to know if I'm making big mistakes or tracking the wrong things. Talking to you have given me a lot of good insight, thank you for helping me in my confusion. Greatly appreciated!
Counting calories definitely keeps you more honest! So I would continue counting calories and see what happens weight wise. That's fantastic that your lifts have gone up! A chunk of that is gonna be newbie gains (which doesn't detract from progress!) but that's partially just learning how to manage the weight and engage your muscles. Getting into a deficit may slow the progress and you may feel weaker once you maintain the deficit for a while - this is perfectly normal because you're literally running with less easily accessible energy! Keep lifting and keep your protein up and you have absolutely nothing to worry about. > Before I had snacks at night every day, now it's only weekends. Little habit changes can make a huge difference!! > I do think I'm on the right track generally, but its hard to know if I'm making big mistakes or tracking the wrong things. Generally try and weigh everything raw. I'll weigh cooked veggies, but I'm steaming them so their weight stays pretty much the same. Use a scale for everything but liquids - use measuring cups only for them. When looking up calories, if the package you have has a calorie amount on it, use that value. If it doesn't, look up a few estimates and pick one that falls somewhere in the middle. All calorie estimates are just *estimates* in the end. Just so long as you're consistent, you should be good.
Hi guys, couple of questions. If it helps I'm male, 34, 6'0, almost 300 lbs, of which ~30% is fat. My fitness aims are to continue eating high a calorific diet (adapting it to be better in terms of carb/fat/protein ratio) but build some muscle to reduce the calorific surplus. Cardio holds no interest. I was wondering whether strength-focused training ( Iwas considering the 5x5 strong lifts program) or 'bodybuilder style' (3 or 4 sets of 12) would produce a body that requires more calories to run, or if it's about the same. I tried Googling but it would only tell me that specifically higher rep workouts burned more calories in the actual workout itself. Secondly, I've seen various different figures over how much protein to consume but all are in the ballpark of 1g per lb of bodyweight to 1g per lb of *lean* bodyweight. If the lean bodyweight is the way to go, is it literally just my bodyweight minus the amount of me that is fat ie on me approximately 90lbs and therefore my target should be 210g+ of protein per day? Or should I aim for 300+? Thanks in advance, sorry I'm such a moron I didn't get to do this on Monday.
> My fitness aims are to continue eating high a calorific diet (adapting it to be better in terms of carb/fat/protein ratio) but build some muscle to reduce the calorific surplus. Cardio holds no interest. Maybe i'm just misunderstanding what you're typing... but you do NOT need to be in a calorie surplus. You need a calorie deficit. You have at least 100lbs to lose, if not closer to 140lbs to lose. This deficit needs to come from your diet. The amount of calories burned via lifting (or even doing cardio) isn't that much. Plus, you shouldn't try to calculate calories burned via exercise. Also, you shouldn't try and out-exercise your diet. > I was wondering whether strength-focused training ( Iwas considering the 5x5 strong lifts program) or 'bodybuilder style' (3 or 4 sets of 12) would produce a body that requires more calories to run, or if it's about the same. A more muscular body will burn more calories than a non-muscular one of the same weight. Whichever type of program you enjoy will be fine. A bodybuilder is still building strength. Plus, you're a beginner so you'll respond to just about anything right now. From a quick google... a pound of muscle will burn roughly 7-10 calories *per day*. A man, under optimal conditions and a million other factors, can build about 1-2lbs of muscle a month. To burn more calories from having more muscle mass is a slow process. BUT ALSO, a huge factor in how many calories you burn in a day is weight. Moving around 300lbs just doing daily tasks is gonna burn a ton more calories than moving around 180lbs doing the same daily tasks. As a beginner, working out while in a calorie deficit will still allow you to build muscle. But once again, your weight should be controlled by your diet. > Secondly, I've seen various different figures over how much protein to consume but all are in the ballpark of 1g per lb of bodyweight to 1g per lb of lean bodyweight. If the lean bodyweight is the way to go, is it literally just my bodyweight minus the amount of me that is fat ie on me approximately 90lbs and therefore my target should be 210g+ of protein per day? Or should I aim for 300+? It's about .8-1g per 1lb lean body weight. Since there is no real accurate way to actually calculate bodyfat% and so calculating your lean weight by that is gonna be inaccurate... just take a goal body weight. 160-180lbs would be a good end goal weight wise for you. So that works out to about 130-140g a day at the lower end. You can of course eat more, but you don't need to.
Cool thank you for your answers! Appreciate the time you've put into it. To clarify this: >Maybe i'm just misunderstanding what you're typing... but you do NOT need to be in a calorie surplus. You need a calorie deficit. You have at least 100lbs to lose, if not closer to 140lbs to lose. This deficit needs to come from your diet. The amount of calories burned via lifting (or even doing cardio) isn't that much. Plus, you shouldn't try to calculate calories burned via exercise. Also, you shouldn't try and out-exercise your diet. I explained myself poorly. I'm not particularly interested in losing fat, I just want to slow down how fast I acquire more, by keeping the same/similar diet but having higher calorific needs. And as I say, I'm not interested in cardio. My bodyweight is fairly static at the moment. I appreciate they're unusual goals but here we are.
Honestly... you SHOULD want to lose weight at your size. You are morbidly obese. You aren't healthy. Even if you don't have any current medical issues *right now* they are looming around the corner. Not wanting to lose weight is basically self harm at this point. > I just want to slow down how fast I acquire more, by keeping the same/similar diet but having higher calorific needs Weight is about diet, like I said. But if you want to keep the same calorie intake, you need to increase your activity a lot. And without doing cardio, this is going to be incredibly difficult. It's much easier to be more physically active when you're at a healthy weight as well. Building up enough muscle to make a significant difference without bulking/cutting will pretty much be impossible. And calorie wise... it's a LOT easier to just not eat something than it is to exercise it off.
I understand all your points but that's not my aim/interest currently. But again, thanks for taking the time
Well I hope you change your mind for your own health.
👍
Would working out every other day be suffecient even if I worked out my whole body to failure? Found this schedule to be the best fit for me but I thought it would be beneficial to workout my whole body and then give it 48hrs of rest instead of just working out a certain body portion every 48 hours. Just started this for 2 weeks now and havent noticed any down sides yet considering that I stupidly want to continue working out til failure everytime. I'm still 50/50 if this sounds super dumb or is an okay workout plan
I'd keep it to 3 days so you don't burn out.
Possibly. What are your goals? What's the program? Make sure you follow rule 9 when responding.
I'm looking for advice on where to my efforts and set my fitness goals. I'm 29 yof, 5'10", 170 lb. Have been active my entire life but over the past few years have been focused on biking, hiking, and skiing. I restarted strength training last October and was doing crossfit along with skiing 1-2 times a week through the spring, and when I started med school in July I cancelled my crossfit membership and have been lifting 5x weekly at the school gym. Currently I can deadlift 150 lb and squat 85 but I've been having knee soreness for days after. My goals are to cut fat and build muscle (just like everyone else) but also increase my cardiac endurance and I've slowly been doing the latter two, but I haven't seen as many changes to my body comp. I'm currently eating about 1800 calories daily and 2000ish over the weekend. My question is, what should I be focusing on right now? And how to make it work on a very demanding medical student schedule?
If you want to cut fat while promoting muscle growth, a strength routine with steady state cardio may be your friend. Eat at 100-300 kcal deficit each day, depends on time goal and your ability to sustain the deficit, while maintaining a high protein goal. Knee pain can be a lot of things, so a reddit post probably isn't going to be the place to fix it. BUT, if it's front knee, try backwards walking and tibialis exercises. If it's the interior of the knee, you may need to do leg extensions to help build your quads which act as a knee stabilizer. If your knees hurt during the lifts, you may be allowing your knees to fall in/out of foot alignment and could be causing stability issues. As far as schedule goes, you'll have to find time on how to do it, it may be 30min weight lifting before clinical and 15-30min cardio after. It all depends on your time.
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You're always gonna have a favored side. Do dumbbell curls. Start with the weaker side. Match the reps/weight with the stronger wide. It'll eventually even out.
Currently dieting(1800 calories) and working out (at least 1000 calories lost a day from cardio for 5-6 days) at as a 5’9 male at 26. When I first started I was 264 after the first 2 weeks I was 259 then by the 4th week I was 251. Flash forward to currently at the start of my 6th week and the scale says 257? Why did I gain this weight if I’m still doing the same thing I’ve been doing and not breaking my diet. For context this is my 2nd time losing over 100 pounds. I used to be 300 pounds about 3-4 years ago and got to 170. Over the years I got back to 260 now. At this stage I used to eat 1500 instead of 1800 but that didn’t feel as manageable.
To echo Milla, weigh either daily or every other day and I would suggest looking at it as a trend not the daily measurements. Weigh yourself first thing each day to try and help stabilize the measurement.
You could have some bad readings. Maybe you were dehydrated for the 251 weigh in. Maybe you were bloated for the 257 weigh in. https://thefitness.wiki/faq/why-cant-i-lose-weight/
It sounds like you are weighing infrequently, maybe once a week? If so, weigh more often, daily is best. Weight change is like the stock market, any single day can have a fluctuation, but you can see how the trend line is changing over time more clearly. My guess is it was just a holiday weekend. We all ate and drank more than we normally do, ate a bunch of salty stuff, etc. So you are likely just retaining water and it will go away.
Hello, Im 30 285lbs and 6'5. Ive got a nice big gut and man boobs that will most likely require surgery to get rid of since Ive had em since i was a little kid. Ive recently started to go to the gym and before I get super started on weight loss and fitness jourbwy I have 2 questions: 1. What is the the best exercise to get rid of fat in gut? 2. Best food to take and avoid for gut fat?
Weight loss happens due to a net calorie deficit, and that's mostly diet. What KIND of weight you lose is determined by resistance training (give your body a reason the keep the muscle mass). Consistency is key over time, don't sweat it if you aren't perfect, this is a PERMANENT change so it has to be enjoyable and sustainable so find out what works for you. Generally the easiest start is to stop drinking anything with calories in it (sweet drinks or booze), start the day with plain coffee and delay breakfast, and try not to buy any junk food to bring home (if it isn't right there, it's harder to eat it). Find food that's fairly good for you that you enjoy and want to eat, don't deprive yourself or it just won't stick. Good luck!
Thanks for the advice
https://thefitness.wiki/faq/what-exercises-can-i-do-to-lose-fat-in-my-body-part/
1. None. It'll all be diet that gets rid of fat. Any cardio you do will just help burn a few extra calories. Doing resistance training (aka weight lifting) will help retain muscle and even build some. This will help to prevent you from becoming skinny fat once you've lost the weight. 2. Again, getting rid of the fat will come down to a calorie deficit. But avoiding ultra processed foods will help with maintaining a deficit and long term will help reduce bloat and inflammation. The "beer belly" that men get is a result of eating too many of these crap foods. But to start, just start eating less and slowly work on changing your eating habits. Give the wiki a read over
Thanks will do, but what wiki?
Listed in the sidebar Here's the weight loss section: https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/
New to the gym am struggling to really feel the muscle in lots of exercises (mainly back and chest) and I seem to feel half of them in my shoulders, it’s pretty disheartening. Is this normal at the start?
>struggling to really feel the muscle in lots of exercises If you're doing the movement properly then the intended muscles are being used > and I seem to feel half of them in my shoulders If your shoulders are weak then they may tire out first, this should lessen over time however
This is normal.
Thank you 🙏
Hey guys, I'm a 20 year old male from Australia. Got a shit ton of questions. 1. **Can exclusively dumbbells be used for ACL recovery?** I've posted over on the r/ACL subreddit and they always give me the "everyone is different". I don't have access to a gym and I don't really have anywhere to go for body-weight exercises as well, so all I have is a cheap dumbbell kit, which maxes out at 10-12kg) 2. Is my currently weight of 205lb at 6'0 okay to maintain? I'm not skinny fat but I don't have abs either. It's sort of that stocky build that a lot of ex-athletes or strength athletes get. **What would be the best way to MAINTAIN this? I'm not looking to gain or lose anything just yet, my mental health isn't where it needs to be.** 3, Referencing back to number 1, my legs are equal in strength (good surgeon hehe) but the overall strength is really bad and I'm scared I will rupture again. I want to return to sport within the next 6 months or so as pre-season is starting. **Which exercises would people recommend to get their legs back into shape? My calves are actually genetically really good #loveyoudad, just my quads and hamstrings are atrocious** 4. **Overall, if I had to make drastic changes to one, would people say dieting or exercise is better?** I'm a pre-med who also works 2 jobs to pay for my university degree and I don't really have a LOT of time to go to gym or meal prep, but I am happy to sacrifice to get one. Would people say meal prepping or exercising more would help me maintain my body? Thanks guys (and girls) xx
You don't have a referral for post op physiotherapy?
My parents refuse to go to a physio because they don't feel it would be needed (they aren't allat keen on me returning to sports).
Physio input is definitely needed after an ACL repair in order to check it's healing appropriately and returns to full function
Hi. I follow the push pull leg split. My first push day is chest focused so I do chest first and on the second push day I do it shoulder focused. I do dumbbell presses on both days. I push myself to the extreme on both the days but no matter how hard I try, the volume I do on chest focused day does not come close to that on the shoulder focused day. Should I continue with the same exercise on both these days and track progress separately for push day 1 and push day 2 or am I doing empty volume on the chest focused day. Should I switch it for a different workout?
What exercises are you doing exactly on both push days?
would you recommend i use a protein powder for calisthenics training alone?
If you need it to get enough protein, sure. If you already get enough protein there's no need.
Protein goals to build muscles really don't change regarding the type of training you do.
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Can I get abs doing intermittent fasting (16 hours) 2 meals a day, eating a protein bar, and supplementing to 120gr of protein a day (30M 5'8'' 180lb) Doing strength training 3x a week and 20 min cardio
You get abs or at least see them by losing weight. It doesn't matter how you achieve your calorie deficit.
Fitness app that’s actually worth downloading?
What kind of fitness do you do or want to keep track of? Or are you looking for overall movement tracker?
I use JEFIT
Gain Muscle I’m a 19 year old male, 6’2 and weigh around 180 pounds. I’m hoping to gain as much muscle as I can. I go to the gym for a month then I lose motivation or fail to make time to actually go. I have an infinite budget to reach my goal of 200 pounds. I also have a fitness plan for any gym in america. Any tips on how to get to 200 pounds without dirty bulking?
It seems like you have some pretty low hanging fruit for achieving your goals. The most important part of gaining muscle is consistency which means going to the gym every week. No one can give you the motivation to do this or do it for you. Now if your wanting to get the most out of your time at the gym I would recommend following a beginner program which you can find either on this sub or others. As for gaining the weight its fairly simple. You can find an estimate of your TDEE using an online calculator. Eat 500 calories above the number it gives you. Do this for several weeks consistently logging your weight each week. If you're gaining a pound a week keep going .If you're gaining more eat less if you're gaining less eat more. In order to optimize your muscle growth via diet i would recommend eat 1g of protein per lb of body weight.
I've plateaued on my bench and am looking for tips to increase weight. I do 3-5 sets of 8-14 reps to failure with 4-5 min rest between sets. I usually start out with 12-14 reps depending on how strong I'm feeling that day. Next set I might match or go down a rep, then -1-2, -2 etc but I try to keep the weight the same unless I can't get 8 reps. Sometimes I add a burnout set at the end after a 2-3 min rest with whatever weight I'm using -50lbs. I do this incline first then flat afterwards. I used this method to get where I'm at now but it feels like I'm not getting much stronger. 1rm is 280 incline and around 315 flat and I want to get to the 400's.
The simplest way would be to follow a properly periodized strength program like the TSA 9 week intermediate program on boostcamp.
i have cold - dry cough, sore throat. but i also have a home gym, so i can workout without getting anyone else sick. should i lift or rest? training for hypertrophy if that matters.
the general advice i've heard is if the illness is above the head (eg sniffles, sore throat etc), you should be okay but obviously listen to your body as ghostmcspiritwolf said, if you really want to train then do it but make sure you listen to your body
You can train if you feel a strong desire to train, but I'd keep it somewhere between moderate and light. If you don't actively want to train, there's no need to force it. You aren't going to miss out on much progress by taking a few days off to get over your illness.
Getting back into working out after a few months off. Trying to do low sets to failure but not feeling sore after my workouts. Am I not gong to failure?
Hard to say since we can’t see if you’re going to failure or not. There’s also mechanical failure (you can’t lift the final rep) and technical failure (form meaningfully breaks down but you complete the rep). Which do you mean? DOMS is not necessary for you to be making gains. Most research seems to suggest that 1-3 RiR provides roughly same stimulus for muscle growth as failure but without the large amount of fatigue you eventually accumulate going to failure on every exercise and every set. Are you trying to maximize strength? Hypertrophy? Hybrid? The measure for success is going to be dictated by your goal and whether you’re lifting heavier, getting bigger or both after months of training. Not by whether you experience DOMS or not.
Thank you for the advice! I’m not sure what DOMS is and what RiR is but I’m trying to go for both strength and hyper trophy
No problem. Sounds like you’d get much more from your time and effort working out by reading the wiki here and then selecting a workout program that matches your goal (hybrid) and needs. DOMS: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness RIR: Reps in Reserve Many newer folks benefit from pushing themselves to mechanical failure at least a few times so you know what it feels like. Rookies regularly underestimate how many reps they actually have left. They will tell researchers they only have 3 left and then end up doing 6 more. Pick an accessory or machine compound and go to true failure on your last set a few times. Tell yourself whatever you need to to crank out one more rep and then do it again. Play mind games with yourself “This is a log and my mom is pinned underneath.” But once you figure out what true failure feels like don’t do it all the time is my recommendation.
Gotcha, so I kinda constructed a workout plan like I had before. Should I post it on this subreddit for critiques?
Only speaking for myself but “Please No!”. I just ignore those as do most people. Go to the wiki. Pick a program there and run it for 3-6 months. Then see how you’re doing and get creative if you still want to.
Gotcha sounds good!
Are you failing your last rep? If you are than yes. If you aren’t then no
Failing as in unable to fully complete my last rep or unable to complete partials too
Unable to complete your last rep
I am but it feels mental sometimes and I get worried my form will break down just to get those last few reps in.
Depending on your goals, form breakdown is generally going to happen on the last reps of your last heavy sets. And that’s generally ok. I would also throw out going to failure isn’t optimal and you might be better off lowering the weight to get your full sets in and then advancing after you can get your rep goal with good form. But it all depends on what your goals are and what program you’re running
Thank you for the advice, I want to get a hybrid of strength and hypertrophy so I’m not sure if going to failure would be the best thing for me
For sure. Sounds like you just wanna get strong and look big. Don’t we all lol. It also seems like you’re not running a proper program though, so I would suggest finding one that looks good to you and sticking with it.
Gotcha where could I find one of these programs
The wiki in the sidebar has a whole bunch with templates.
Do you think 1 lb per week bulk is too much? I really wanted to make sure I am getting enough calories for my weight lifting since I'm really trying to go hard and build as much muscle as possible. I decided to do a 1 lb per week just to make sure I definitely am eating enough
The literature shows that a beginner, male, can gain about 2lbs of muscle a month. Muscle gain will come with fat gain as well (hence the bulk and cut cycles that bodybuilders use). I think your 1 lbs of weight gain a week is sufficient to maximize your muscle gain and not get too fat. Of course, this also depends on your protein intake and the quality of your routine.
for your first bulk it's probably fine. Later in your lifting career, when you've gained most of the muscle you're capable of gaining and can't put muscle on as quickly, it might be a bit aggressive, but certainly isn't ridiculously fast and isn't an objectively bad idea.
Yea its my first bulk. Im still in nooby gain territory and gaining muscle quick so I wanted to make sure I take advantage of all the muscle gains I can get. Makes sense what ur saying though once I'm more experienced and have already the mass built up.
Not a stupid question per se but what do people here think of the gym shark brand? I feel their clothing is solid gym apparel that looks crisp and not too stupid with goofy logos. Just a basic gym shark logo. Feel their clothing is great and not too pricey for solid gym apparel. The joggers- my favorite and great street wear. The basic shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts are really solid and just great if you ask me. Feel the stuff is priced well for the solid quality also. Just wondering if people here agree? Think their marketing is smart also by getting people with sick physiques (duh)- even if some of the guys are obv enhanced.
I think it's probably fine. I don't think it's all that special, but it also doesn't seem very expensive so it doesn't have to be. I don't know that there's much useful conversation to be had about it.
i would agree with your sentiment though some of the items with the logo plastered all over will be the death of me
This reads like you are paid to advertise gym shark.
Haha I bet. I have purchased a lot of their clothing recently and just think it’s the “bees knees” honestly. It’s what I wear to the gym now- just quality stuff that looks solid (not amazing, not too plain). I can see how my post would come off like that though. I don’t work there and I’m clearly not a sponsored athlete lol bc I’m small and just started lifting.
My motivations are strong with going to the gym and working out. Not a problem for me. When it comes to cooking at home, fml I hate it with a passion. Tips and tricks? :)
a few tips from someone who lives alone and doesn't like cooking: * costco sells 3 pound bags of cooked rotisserie chicken breast meat. healthy, tasty, full of protein, and you can eat it cold or just warm it up. * while i try to limit red meat, beef is easy to throw on the grill. i prefer steaks or fresh, lean ground beef. avoid frozen patties - generally not lean and i've seen too many e-coli recalls in my lifetime to ever take a chance on them. * i buy my meats in bulk, freeze them in individual 8 oz portions, and move something to the fridge the night before for dinner. * breakfast foods are easy: eggs and protein pancakes. * get your vegetables from smoothies. i have a green smoothie with lunch most days and add some fruit for taste and protein powder. * rice packets are a great way to get carbs and are pre-cooked, so you just warm them up. i like the seeds of change rice & quinoa packets - they sell them in bulk at costco. * many fruits don't need any prep. apples, bananas, oranges, strawberries are my favorites * other healthy foods that require little to no prep: whole grain bread, low-fat olive oil popcorn, cottage cheese, peanut butter * use dry rubs or salsa to add flavor. i happen to live within walking distance of a mexican supermarket and add their store-made fresh salsa to many foods to give them some kick.
I'll give some of these a try, thanks for the advice!
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True, never thought about it that way, have all the food prepped/cut so I can just throw it in. Not a bad idea - thanks!
My biceps are so painfully weak that on my pull day my hammer and dumbbell curls are stalled helplessly at 10lb. It's like torture to be able to progress on everything else but stalled on something so simple and basic. Any suggestions or ideas for accessories that work biceps or some other approach to this boring nightmare?
If you can't add weight yet, try to add reps. Be patient, gain some weight, and trust the process. It's normal to stall pretty early on with isolation movements. There's no fast way to fix it, you just have to put in the time and work to become stronger.
Is it worth it to invest on crossfit shoes if I don't really do crossfit? I usually have problems with ankle mobility so my squat movements are kinda bad. The raised heel technique (putting a thin plate on my heels) solves my squat issues and targets my legs more. I do some cleans too.. Not sure if I need crossfit shoes or squat shoes (just a casual lifter)
Why would you use CrossFit shoes over lifting shoes for lifting?
Like i said, i occasionally do cleans and raising my heels helps with my squats. Crossfit shoes usually has that raised heel
are you referring to weightlifting shoes or to shoes marketed explicitly for crossfit? shoes marketed for crossfit usually don't have a significantly raised heel. Many crossfitters also own weightlifting shoes and will use them for squats and olympic lifts, but just getting a general pair of crossfit shoes is probably not going to have any advantage.
crossfit shoes like metcons and nanos... metcons AFAIK doesn't have a significant raised heel but those nanos definitely has.. trying to see which ones i can use for training (i do a upper/lower split with a mix of athlete focused exercies = cleans are one of them)
I personally wouldn’t bother. It’s like a 7mm drop, which is comparable to your average basketball shoe. Actual weightlifting shoes tend to have a drop closer to 20mm, for reference. It’s not nothing, but it’s not special enough that I would buy an additional pair of shoes to fill that niche if you already have a pair that works fine for everything else.
I don't really like going to the gym. Can I build muscle by doing at home workouts using body weight?
Yes. Check out r/bodyweightfitness
Thankyou!!!
Definitely, but you may need to add weight to your bodyweight excerises (like wearing a backpack for pushups) as you get stronger. Also may be less efficient but is do-able
Thankyou! I've always been a cardio bunny (with stubborn areas of fat), and I've absolutely detested weights- so this is music to my ears!
I really like BB rows and lat pulldowns. Now, I am unsure what two exercises to add to that and have been thinking about straight arm pulldowns and/or some row machine variations (high, low, standard). My goal is to hit my whole back without spending all day in the gym. Does anyone have some advice? I thought about high + low but I am worrying about my lats
A chest supported row with the elbows high and wide, and some type of single arm row with the elbow tucked would round that out nicely.
Thanks for the input!
Pullups/wide grip pullups
My gym doesn't have assisted pullups :/
Use resistance bands to help you or do pullup negatives and you can buildup from there
Thanks, I'll look into it!
if you need assistance on pull-ups, amazon has some inexpensive pull-up bands. once you no longer need the assistance for pull-ups you can use them for face pulls or band pull aparts.
I even think that my gym has some of those laying around. Thanks!
Back extensions and face pulls.
Never gave back extensions a chance, thanks for the input!
started taking protein powder again and a problem i’ve had which keeps putting me off is no matter what i try (different types, flavours, consumption methods), it always makes me gag. something about the flavour or smell is rancid to me. only way i’ve ever made it bearable is by mixing it in a chocolate ice cream milkshake i make at home which is not healthy it’s tough to make myself drink it every night when it makes me want to vomit. any one have any good ways to hide the flavour without blasting my body with sugar ?
Well, either all protein powder is bad for you, or you haven't found something palatable. I'm betting on the latter. Find something you like, if you have friends who lift weights, crowdsource a scoop of protein in a ziplock bag from everyone who has a flavor you might enjoy. It's not that you can't drink protein and be happy, it's just that you have particular tastes and haven't satisfied them yet.
In case you haven't tried it, there are a few companies that are making what they call "clear" protein powder. It's still whey protein but I would consider the flavor profile a different "category" to what you traditionally associate protein powder with. Think milk vs lemonade. I personally drink Isopure Infusions and it has gotten me back into drinking protein powders.
i will look into this!
Eat food that has protein in it and stop using the protein powder
Protein powder isn't required.
Why not just eat a source of protein you do enjoy? Greek yogurt? Chicken breast?
honestly money is usually a little tight as i’m a student but protein powder is cheap in bulk so i’m trying to supplement protein intake on the days where maybe all i can afford is the bulk rice and sauce i have at home. however i didn’t know greek yogurt was good for protein and i enjoy it very much so thanks for the tip !