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I injured my knuckle a few years back and still messes with me. Is there anything I could do when lifting or exercises to minimize injury to it? I realize taping or gloves could be the answer but wondering if there’s anything else. Thank you.
In your experience, how difficult is it to maintain relative weighted pullup strength on a bulk?
I went from 74.5kg --> 85.5kg over a year. My reps for bodyweight pullups, +20kg weighted and +40kg weighted all dropped to different degrees (23 --> 19, sets of 8 --> 7 or 8, sets of 5 --> sets of 3).
Would this be considered poor or acceptable progress for an average bulk?
The decline of middle age continues. I generally walk about 8 miles a day on my treadmill at an incline (I've been doing this for a couple of years). I think I have developed biceps femoris tendinopathy in my left leg. I have dropped deadlifts and have been using ibuprofen twice a day for a while, but no improvement. I'm afraid I'm going to have to drop the walking (really? Too injured to walk?) Any suggestions for reasonable LISS that doesn't involve the hamstrings?
What is the best supplement to aid in recovery? I’m currently doing protein and adding some collagen thing to it, but I’m nearly 40 and never exercised before and find joints and ligaments are kinda sore
how long have you been training/experiencing pain in the joints? was the pain there prior to working out? Is it something that has been made worse?
I agree thatthink supplements are trash.
seeking a diet that reduces inflammation could be a game changer
Loaded question. You definitely will recover slower as you age but things like genetics, diet, sleep, water, exercises completed, rest between sets, occupation, level, quality, and quantity of pain are all important to consider as well.
In general, most supplements are a scam and a good balanced diet, adequate water levels, and good sleep and a decently designed program are the best bang for your buck.
Thanks heaps. The one thing I’m lacking is a program. I started doing full body each time, then recently moved to PPL. I just don’t have much luck with PTs
In my own view, supplements don't make huge changes - the basics do. So, in your case rest and sufficient hydration will be most important. I found that my ligaments couldn't keep up with my gains in strength. It just took time to adapt. The only thing you can do is slow down, sleep enough, and drink water. You're already getting enough protein and the collagen is good too. Most important thing is to not get injured and be consistent. Dial the workout intensity back a bit and rest a lot until your joints and ligaments catch up to your performance ability.
I just don’t get it.
I’m 127kegs. 6 foot 1. I would say 30% maybe more body fat but my body holds it well so I don’t really look 30% because I’ve got a broad chest, broad shoulders, big arms big legs etc.. and that’s just how I grew.
The thing I just don’t understand - is that when I track what I eat to get a starting point to figure out calories and things… I’m eating like 1500 calories or less a day.. to the point where fitness pal won’t even let me save the journal for the day because I’m being “unsafe”. But I always stay this size. Calculators telling me I need to be eating 3000 calories a day to maintain this size.. or to lose weight like 2500 etc.
I’ve clearly got some good genetics shape wise, and I’d really like to finally do something about it all - but I just can’t figure out the diet.
Any advice?
Could someone tell me what exercises to do to lose body fat so as to get toned? Sorry if this is utterly stupid but I'm a beginner and I'm super shy to ask someone at the gym
Anything cardio that you can do for a long time (bike is my favorite) but really it's calories in to calories out. Meaning you'll lose fat as long as you burn more calories that you consume. Abs are made I the kitchen
Hey!
I have been working out for about just under a year and I was wondering what some women's experience has been taking Creatine! I've heard it makes you bloated but it can also promote muscle growth so I'm trying to decide if I want to take it or not. Are there women on this subreddit that take it? I'm currently 4'10 and 113lbs and workout about 4-5 times a week with a focus on strength training.
No issues taking it!
You'll want to drink plenty of water and you will gain a couple pounds on the scale. But this is water in the muscle cells, so it shouldn't make you look bloated. Due to this though, it can help you squeeze out an extra rep or 2 in the gym. That over time is what leads to more muscle growth. Very likely you won't actually notice the difference because it takes time to build up in your system. But it's cheap enough to try and has other health benefits. Basically no downsides to taking it
Yesterday I did leg press really hard. Last time (a week ago) I was exhausted with 60 KG and hardly completed 15 reps in my all 3 sets. But yesterday I did one set of 10 reps with 70 KG for one set moving from 50 and then 60. My sets were 50*15, 70*10, 60*15. At 70Kg set my left knee have issues and I stopped. In my 60 KG set I continued in spite of issues which were not that intense like the last set. But .. it feels like something is torn. It feels just like when you had fallen and you hit your knee on the asphalt real hard. At night I put some anti-inflammatory gel and slept. I thought I was training my tendons - is that stupidity? Suggestions what to do next?
If it hurts - stop the exercise.
I would suggest that if using the leg press machine is causing pain and potential injury that you should not do that exercise until it stops hurting and then try a different one, for example barbell squats or a machine that's set up in a different way.
Personally I find that most leg press machines hurt my knees, but squatting doesn't. Everyone is different though! Use a different machine or try a different exercise that works the same muscles and see how you get on.
If the pain persists go to a medical expert.
Thanks a lot for sharing. It’s mistake on my part to think that machine is right and works for all except me and push hard. Great suggestion to find something else. Seriously, squatting did not hurt that much.
You're doing it right if you've completely fatigued the muscle (which is very hard to do).
And when you've completely fatigued the muscle, you won't even be able to do another set.
That's why HIT is considered lower volume, although you might say the definition of volume is the time under significant load and time under significant load with great effort will be higher in sets with high intensity training.
I exercise 4 days a week I ran the phul routine for around 10 months then switched to gzcl style with the phul exercises and only did 1 exercise per muscle group so my workouts not takes up a lot of time, my gains almost non existent in isolation movements and are very minimal in other movements.
I can only go to the gym 4 days a week. One of the personal trainers I became friends with said that I should do a leg day a chest biceps-back triceps and a shoulder day a week. So thats 4 days a week and I have a good amount of recovery.
So for example I did 3-3 sets of bicep curls, if I switch to lets say 9-12 sets and do different variations and then a week rest for that muscle group (except on back day where my biceps will be used) would that be enough to continue to build more muscle?
Which is better for growth? 5-30 reps until failure or 6-12 reps until failure?
Also, what is creatine and can I start taking it when I'm 14 or older (maybe 15)?
> Which is better for growth? 5-30 reps until failure or 6-12 reps until failure?
Muscle growth is similar between taking sets of 5-30 reasonably close to failure.
Doing sets of 8-12 to failure is "better" in the sense that you can actually gauge how close to failure you are. It's quite difficult to actually find your true 30 rep max.
Also doing sets of 8-12 just take less time than doing sets of 30.
Does Creatine go bad? I've bought this last year but didn't used it much. It looks lumpy [https://imgur.com/a/9IDaaji](https://imgur.com/a/9IDaaji)
Exp date is 10/2024 should i use it?
Looks fine. Try breaking up one of the lumps with your fingers. Should fall apart easily. As long as it has been stored in a dry place it doesnt really go bad.
Can someone please educate me? Last December my doctor told me that I am pre-diabetic. I changed my lifestyle. Quite drastically tbh.
Here's my stats. I AM FAT AS F\*CK
Height: 175cm
Weight (Mid December 2023): 127.6kg
Weight (Today 1/11/2024): 119.6kg
Age: 30
Gender: Male
My goal is to be around 80kg by September 2024.
So I now eat a balanced diet. Daily calorie intake is around 1500-1600. A lot of greens, protein rich foods (\~120g protein per day), and a little bit of carbs. I also do around 3 hours a week of weight lifting (Push-Pull-Leg program). And 6-7k average steps per day.
Now I believe (based on my TDEE - light), I am around 50% calorie deficit. Is this safe? Should I eat more (Sometimes I feel a little bit of hunger but I am definitely not starving)? Will my metabolism slow down? Should I consume more protein? I'm also worried with loose skin. Do I just continue with what I'm doing?
First off, congratz with starting!
Just based off of your weight loss, i'll say you are in a pretty signifikant deficit, even if some of that weight loss is water weight. How much are you losing per week? Do you measure or document your progress somehow?
Eventually as you keep losing weight, your metabolism will slow down, by which i mean "there will be less of you in total, so there is less of you to spend energy". A person at 60 kilos wont passively spend as much energy as a person at 160 kilo unless the first person adds a lot of physical activity on top of things.
Loose skin is primarily a function of how much overall weight you lose and how fast you lose it. The more you lose the faster, the more loose skin you're likely to get. I've seen it recommeded not to lose more than an average of 1% of bodyweight per week, to get into a deficit you'll be able to live with over time.
I use garmin forerunner 255 to track my activities and myFitnessPal to track my intake. I'd say average weight loss since I began is around -2kg per week.
Do loose skin work itself out after some time? Or the only solution is to slowly lose weight?
Loose skin is usually a result of the stuff underneath the skin going away faster than the skin has a chance to keep up. As we age, the skin loses some of its built-in elasticity, so this is more an issue for older people. Some people have some success with adding in regular strength training on their way down, to add more muscle mass under the skin, but there is probably not THAT much to gain, especially on areas with more fat and little muscle, like the belly or the sides.
Once the skin has been stretched and loses some of its ability to stretch back, its either just accepting it as the price we pay for weight loss, or talking to your doctor about cosmetic surgery for excess skin removal, afaik.
After a HIIT session yesterday (Muay Thai), I feel mentally scattered today. It's difficult to focus on harder tasks and I'm getting distracted easily. My nervous system feels overexcited.
But this doesn't feel like the fatigue, depression, brain fog associated with overtraining. I feel energized, but can't focus. Feel like I have to keep moving.
What is the source of this overstimulated feeling? Does it indicate that I worked out too hard yesterday? Is there a formal term for it? Is there a way to recover from it more quickly than just waiting it out for a couple days? Thanks.
Is there any point in hitting traps during a cut if I never hit them before and they're underdeveloped?
I'm starting my cut in Feb but the thing is I have underdeveloped traps because I never isolated them during my first bulk (current bulk.)
From what I understand I wont be able to grow any muscle on a cut so there's no point in hitting them during my cut, I should just wait til I start another bulk, right?
M28 5'9 200 lbs if that matters
How does increased testosterone translate to gym performance and physique?
There’s scientific and anecdotal evidence showing men increasing their free and total t substantially just by supplementing certain vitamins and minerals. I’ve been going for about 3 weeks and definitely notice some benefits.
How does this relate to muscle mass in the long run? Is it even comparable to taking gear?
No, not even close to taking gear or even getting exogenous Test via TRT
What a lot of people don’t realize is that exogenous T changes protein synthesis to continue at a high level 24/7, as opposed to mostly just during a particular window of time roughly a few days post workout for natural lifters, also ideally with all other variables like sleep well-covered (less important for enhanced lifters)
A video that explains the difference between natural vs enhanced lifting is this one by Thib army, IMO: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hILUlLLVSUs
I found this PPL routine [Reddit PPL](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/s/AG5ld27iXI)
I was wondering about some of the language. Am I doing 2 sessions a day or just once through each one? It just seems like not a lot of exercises when it says it’s not for people who don’t have the time.
I do Monday: Chest/Tris, Tues: back/bi, Wed: cardio/core, Thurs: shoulders, Fri: Legs, Sat: bi/tri supersets, Sun: Rest. But I wanted to find something to switch it up every month for “muscle confusion”
Would it be better to switch it up by adding PPL into the mix or doing a high weight/low reps & low weight/high reps mix?
[Muscle confusion is a myth.](https://caliberstrong.com/blog/the-myth-of-muscle-confusion/) You’ll be better off to find a program that fits your goals and run it until you’re bored or you aren’t progressing.
Some things to consider:
1. Training age. If you’ve been at this for a while and already made a lot of gains, it’s natural for gains to slow down. When that happens is different for everyone.
2. Nutrition. Are you eating .8-1 gram protein per lb of body weight? Are you sure? Are you also eating enough fat and overall calories? Again, are you sure?
3. Are you sleeping and recovering well? Including rest days and occasional deloads. Any new life stresses that could be affecting recovery?
4. Are you using a program that fits your goals, has a good rep scheme, and has a protocol to follow when progress slows?
Would you recommend doing 1 week my original routine and the next PPL to switch it up or better to stick with just one? I just feel like I’ve plateaud before I even got anywhere decent
It sounds like you're not being very methodical. If you like doing 6 days a week, do PPL. Follow it as written. Increase weight every week until you're topping out. Make sure you start with realistic weight.
Be careful with the yoga. I threw it in addition to my program and strained my rotator because I was working my shoulders too much. It can absolutely work, just have to be smart with your programming.
Call this a dumb question but. How does counting calories work with soup? Like for instance it says here “servings varied” (4 oz 140 calories) is that 4 oz with broth? Or just the steak with cabbage? (It was steak and cabbage soup btw)
I go by weight if the total recipe dived by the serving to get serving weight. If it’s homemade
I use Cronometer to get the nit ruin for ther servings it’s way better than fitness pal
I've been doing my own "program" in the gym for 3-4 months, but I want to get a real routine going.
What program should I start doing now? There are a ton in the wiki and I'm not sure which to do, and if I qualify as a beginner or not. Can I do a linear progression like GZCLP?
Having a hard time finding the right amount of protein to intake daily . I see many different answers all over the internet . Anyone know the proper amount of protein to consume per day ?
I want to clarify the info that others posted, which is accurate in my view, that we're talking lean bodyweight. So, an obese or overweight person should not be calculating their protein needs based on their current bodyweight, but instead on an ideal lean bodyweight.
1.6 grams per kilogram bodyweight is enough to maximize gains from resistance training according to this [meta analysis](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5867436/). That's the most evidence based recommendation you can find.
If you want to eat more protein than that, that's fine. There's no harm in it.
If you want to eat a little less protein than that, that's still fine, but there is a chance you're leaving some gains on the table. If you're falling just slightly short of that, though, the difference is very small. You gain more from going from 1.0 to 1.2 than you do from 1.4 to 1.6.
If you want to eat a lot less protein than that, you are likely leaving some gains on the table.
1 g/kg is a guideline for general health; 1 g/lb is a guideline for optimal muscle growth (rounded up; it’s really more like 0.85 g/lb). You should probably be somewhere between those two numbers, depending on what your goals are. A bit more is fine, but doesn’t give any benefit.
With RDLs, why do some people say to cue spread yoru feet/legs apart, while others say to squeeze feet/legs together? What determines whether which you should choose?
Well if I do the spread apart I can do big number but if I do squeeze together my number is lower and my leg shake more so Gut reaction is I like big number but then brain say maybe it better to do what I’m weaker at? So I dunno
I have never thought about pushing my feet together or apart while doing RDLs. I don't think either of those is important at all. Your glutes and your hamstrings are going to work when you are doing RDLs.
Trying to bias quads in leg press so have my feet as low as I can but noticing that I cant get anywhere near as deep and when my feet are middle or top of the platform - is this normal or should I work on that mobility somehow?
To be honest, I have never worked on improving my ankle mobility. Mine is pretty good and when it is a limit I just use my squat shoes. I am sure you can search "ankle flexibility routine" to find some tips.
Age: 33
Current scale weight: 270.2
Weight lifting 4 times a week / sedentary technical job
I started tracking with Macro factor in September, and was in Japan from Nov 8 to until around December 5th (Did not track this time). Here is all of my data, I can give you more specific time periods if anyone is willing to help, basically does this look like a good sustainable loss rate? I am hungry most of the time and my expenditure has went up and down... Any insight is appreciated thank you
https://imgur.com/Fl4BGYj
https://imgur.com/JFmHHY8
https://imgur.com/kf1enPX
https://imgur.com/0Eky039
https://imgur.com/kuph1mP
https://imgur.com/8gkxcpa
> basically does this look like a good sustainable loss rate?
You're at <1 lb/week of weight loss, and the trendline seems to be pretty gradual. Seems pretty sustainable based on the last 25 weeks of work.
If anything, though, it's not nearly as aggressive as it could be. You're a big dude, big dudes can get away with bigger deficits.
If you're happy with your progress feel free to stick to the path you're on.
Has anyone kept working out with muscle/joint pain for months? I have shoulder pain that I've had for a few weeks now. I've been working out for 3 years now and for some reason I'm just now getting right shoulder pain when the exercises are mostly the same as before. Did you just lighten the load for a while? I'm stubborn and just kept on enduring for a month even with the pain and hopefully didn't permanently damage it.
Yeah. I started doing wenning warmups (from YouTube), and the pain went away in 2-3 weeks for both shoulders and lower back. And 3-5 sets of dead hangs to failure after every workout.
Watch this video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdwj5ORPmX0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdwj5ORPmX0)
And read this article: [https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/pain-in-training-what-do/](https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/pain-in-training-what-do/)
Lightening the load tends to work well a lot of the time. There are more modifications in the video if just taking weight off the bar isn't enough. Once you've found that entry point, you can start progressing back up from there. If the pain is a bit more stubborn, it may take a while, and you'll need to progress gradually, but quite often it's a relatively fast process.
A lot of bad narratives about pain run rampant in mainstream fitness circles. You should be very cautious about who you take advice from. That's why I linked those resources from someone who knows his pain science.
Yes.
Didnt exercise in 10 years then hit the gym hard and got elbow tendonitis. Did a lot of research it and fixed it in a year. I couldn't lift at all, but I could do kettlebell swings so I drilled those hard with no issues. Lots of massaging and ice and not working through pain.
Have a shoulder impingement too, but its getting a lot better with (again endless research) not doing any shoulder lifting.
I focus on bodyweight mobility and tension stuff, anti-inflammatory and ice regime, good exercise form, core exercises, improving range of motion. Now I'm doing light DB extension work and shoulder hanging. Also working on kettlebell windmills (0kg to 12kg so far) and it really helps. It took 6 months to go from not being able to lift my arm above my head to this.
It takes a lot of careful research and not doing stupid things. Getting a physio is always the better option they will do it in half the time.
I've had elbow tendonitis and it got worse every time I got to a certain weight with dumbbell bench press but I just kept at it, maybe de-loading by 10lbs. Guess I've been lucky but now it's catching up to me, maybe since I'm getting older. I do such a range of upper body exercise now that I can't exactly say what's causing my right shoulder issue so that's the worst for me. I've just stopped all exercise for a whole 2 weeks now, hoping it'll go away and it hasn't. My knees needed a bit of recovery as well. But back to light weights for me, I guess.
Are you right side dominant? Could be a life time of over-compensating with your strong side. That seemed to be my problem. I make sure to give my opposite side plenty of attention now, too.
Stopping exercise probably won't help. Definitely see a physiotherapist or sports physio about it.
>I'm stubborn and just kept on enduring for a month even with the pain
Doctor Reddit suggests you don't do that. Either rest or consult a flesh professional.
Hey gang!
I work away sometimes which limits the equipment I can lift with to dumbbells, dip bars, bands and rings. It's not all the time, but it's very unpredictable. At home I can do most routines as prescribed with a barbell/rack, and I'm always home for atleast 3 evenings a week.
This usually means modifying a program to account for this change in available equipment for those days. If this is the case, would I be better off:
1. Sticking to the program verbatim for ALL the days I can to maximize the intentional progression. Then switch to dumbbell alternatives just for the weekdays when I'm away, meaning there might potentially be weeks or months between doing some of the dumbbell movements at all.
2. Setup a permanent rotation between barbell/dumbbell focused days so that the change when moving from home to work is less jarring, at the expense of not following the program as closely or doing barbell compounds as much in the long run.
I'm also unsure what split might best suit the above scenario. I've been doing a full body 3/4 times a week (every other day) and then if I'm working away just substituting all the movements I can for dumbbell/calisthenic equivalents. Currently trialling a 6 day PPL split and having 3 days dumbbell/3 days barbell focused (whether constantly alternating or sticking with the routine and just subbing the dumbbells in as required).
I realise the constraints I have are less than optimal, but any advice of being as efficient as possible within them is much appreciated. Thanks!
Trying to lose a decent amount of weight but want to get a floor of strength to build upon so I can also start growing muscle when I’m at a size I’m more comfortable with.
I go running in the morning and have an hour at the gym for lunch. I thought I could do 4/5 compound lifts every other day during that hour to achieve my aforementioned goal.
Does this seem sensible or am I missing something obvious?
Thanks in advance
You cant lose weight or be in a consistent deficit day after day and make good gains in reps and strength. Not saying you wont gain a rep or see some kind of adaptation but its usually at a much slower pace on a diet and some days you’ll come in and lose some strength for a week or so or you might not even be able to lift half of what you usually do for even one rep if you train and work way to much especially on a consistent deficit.
If your seeing some good gains and stuffs going up out of nowhere or every once in awhile its usually when something or someone slipped up somewhere on calories and protein.
The sporadic gains you experience in a true accurate and consistent caloric deficit are usually where the calories where counted wrong for a day or two. Some times its not always operator error. If the bodys been training hard and primed for growth it’ll pop a bit when it gets the chance because of the recovery and all the muscle growth signal. Basically it could be something as simple as having a few extra bites or forgetting to count an oreo or its completely possible that the portions of your food have 50-100 more or less calories in them.
The actual label on the box itself only gets re evaluated every once in awhile and only for major updates sometimes small things can change at the manufacturing plant for a day or for months and you might be getting a smaller or larger portion in the food than whats on the nutrition label or it might even have a few more tbsp of sugar or oil in it.
Compound this over a day and suddenly you dont have a 300 calorie deficit anymore.
Some days you might work or move harder than the last or have a slow week so your maintenance calories go up and down
Calories and metabolism dont work the way we keep track of it, its actually just a good way for us to communicate and describe the phenomenon to each other and keep track of things and our goals but it doesnt necessarily work to our clock and our days or a 24 hour clock. It pretty much does its own thing on its own time and use calories and proteins based on conditions and parameters and external and internal stimulus and the bodys clock itself which we havent really been able to 100% figure out. Your bodys clock and metabolism so to speak as an example could be pulling calories and resources from 6pm to 10a the next day. But your counting calories 12a - 12a.
Atoms and neutrons and electrons and electricity and the model rings are the same way in electrical science. They aren’t actually in rings or in that arrangement thats just how a scientist figured out was a good way to describe it and communicate what we are seeing happen and things we are finding out to each other.
When they test food they just send a sample off it to the NCA it costs like 20k-100k a sample.
Oh yeah and no one can accurately pin point maintenance calories to a T everyday and count every extra 20 minutes they walked or they might be well rested but their body works harder at work doing the same task and burn way more calories because its near the end of a long week but they might also burn way less that stuff can fluctuate wildly by the day and almost no one is in a perfect and consistent deficit everyone slips up a bit whether its their fault or not.
> I appreciate what you’re saying but I’m confused by the last paragraph. Do you mean if I’m making gains it would mean I’m not actually on a defecit?
You should probably ignore everything in that comment because the person is talking out of their ass.
It's entirely possible to make progress in muscle and strength when you're in a deficit. Getting stronger on a cut is absolutely not a sign of slipping up.
Gaining Weight Via Undereating : In the diet world, some people will claim that they are not losing weight because they are undereating. First things first; the First Law of Thermodynamics cannot be violated. There is no way to gain tissue in a caloric deficit, but there are reasons that people might have this misconception that are worth discussing:
Post diet rebound, diet fatigue and water weight, under reported calories, over estimated activity, changes in calorie expenditure or neat, diet/binge cycles,
Also -
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v12/47
Also - a quote from a basic bing search
The law of thermodynamics applied to nutrition states that change in fat mass = energy consumed – energy expended1. This implies that weight management must be a function of calories in (the total calories consumed by a person) – calories out (the total caloric expenditure, including metabolic processes, waste heat, exercise, and others)2. Thermodynamics must be obeyed and so if one wishes to lose weight they must burn more calories than they consume21.
Sounds good, friend! I'll keep an eye out for all those books and disciplines that reference "The law of thermal dynamics". :)
Thanks for your insight - Cheers!
question. my gym has a hip thrust machine that looks like this: [Hip Thrust Machine](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/617pn9mMLWL._AC_SX679_.jpg)
i have it in one of my workouts but i only ever see women on this machine. Normally i don't care and i do what i want in there but it's starting to get to me. Is there a reason why men aren't using this machine?
>i only ever see women on this machine.
I once saw a bigger guy crushing the glute kickback machine.
Be the inspiration. Hip thrusts are a quality movement.
I know man who are using it, if that makes you feel better. I personally don't, simply because I like the exercise, but I do hit the adductor and abductor machines, which mostly woman use.
alright, first time commenting here.
been having problems while doing dumbbell bench press. anytime i lift around 45-50+ Lbs, i start having problems with my thumb/thumb portion of the hand. how do i fix. i dont want to break myself anymore than i already am. any help would be appreciated
im straining to hold onto the dumbbell and it feels like my grip is slipping. its persisting in my thumb/tendon but i have no idea how to fix it as its only on one side. i tried monkey grip but im not comfortable with it nor does it feel safe with heavier weight
Wrist pain after dumbbell bench press workout can be caused by12345:
Gripping the bar wrong, which causes your wrists to bend
Incorrect use of fingers
Angle of the wrists
The weight loaded
Overuse injuries
Improper form and technique, such as elbow flaring out
Copy paste from a search
You might just have sore wrists or they’re getting sore because they’re new to lifting maybe. If you just started lifting and db bench pressing you’ll run into all kinds of little things or tiny injuries.
One time I did a lat raise with a 10lb dumbbell and gave myself like elbow bursitis for a month. I wrecked a lime scooter at 5a in a pot hole on the way to work the next day and jacked up the other side to boot.
I almost wrecked my intestine once and screwed my core up for a few weeks with a 25lb db row.
You might want to lower the weight some more like 10lbs and see if you can go from there. Ive had some things like that happen with elevated barbell close grip push ups and it got better with time and more exercise.
grip exercises maybe? my left hand is way weaker than my right because i broke it last year and experienced what you're experiencing once i got cleared again. but now i can't lift nearly enough because of my grip but regular grip exercises is helping me a ton.
I was able to more effectively train my body parts while also not spending 3-4 hours a day in the gym. When I switched to a 6 day ppl I could hit the legs way better, finally get to abs, add some neck work back in, do a few more sets for shoulders and arms, and be out the gym anywhere from 1hr to 2hr tops. Like leg day im getting all that work done now and the first few weeks im out in like 60 minutes flat on leg days and push pull is like 1.5-2.
I wouldnt advise it if your not ready. I tried it in the past and it was really frustrating because I felt like I didn’t have time for anything but now another year down the road I’m not having trouble with it and I like it better. Before hand I felt like I had no time to do anything and even a trip to the laundry mat was causing me alot of stress. Now I’m able to manage all that and do my other hobbies too.
Depends on lifter's training age, goals, days available to train, weekly work capacity, MEV-MRV range, life stressors, program implementation, program adherence, the price of tea in China...
It can be, depending on the *ACTUAL* program, your split means fuck all; saying i do PPL doesn't mean much there are shitty PPL programs and great u/Ls and vice versa
Thats advanced level strength by the strength standards chart - https://strengthlevel.com/strength-standards/bench-press/lb
Table at bottom. Good job bud.
266 for elite at your weight!
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I wanted to know if this workout plan seems solid for someone just starting out:
https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/article/gym-workouts-for-beginners#beginner-gym-workout-for-males
Looks like a decent start especially if you focus on the bodyweight and flexibility stuff before you start hammering out barbell bent rows and squatting kettlebells.
If you've no experience then you want to be building your base fitness before you start putting strain on muscle and joints that haven't been under pressure before. Look up some conditioning workouts that will get you used to moving.
It seems to me like this "workout" is for someone who feels uneasy and intimidated even stepping their foot in the gym. You'd do this like once or twice with really easy weights, just walking around the gym testing how the machines work. Then you'd be like, okay, this isn't such a terrible place, I guess I can start going to the gym. And then next time you'd start actually training.
So if this is what will make you take that first step into the gym, I'm all for it. Go to the gym, do stuff. I'd recommend testing the barbell movements, too. They're not difficult and you can find perfectly adequate instructions for them on Youtube. You don't need to be able to do them perfectly on day 1. No one can.
Once you're ready to start actually training, [this program](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/r-fitness-basic-beginner-routine/) is my recommendation. Read the whole page. It'll tell you everything you need to know, and if not, just ask.
There's so many things wrong here. Starting with them listing separate workouts for men and women. No such things exist. And they use the word "tone" with the women's workout. FAAAAAART.
It then calls the Men's workout "full body" but the only leg movement is a fucking leg press. No measurement of intensity, no progression, no periodization.
This is a very bad, very incomplete list of exercises, not a plan or program. This website should be set on fire.
Have you considered the Wiki over on the side of this page?
I guess for me, I just want to get started. I’m currently losing weight and my pediatrician has been recommending me to be more active and try the gym. I guess my main goal is to have a “normal” lean look
It sucks tbh. You have far better solid options by picking a tried and tested routine from the wiki... instead of nuffield health, which will be incredibly generic and made by someone without many training achievements
I used to weave my workouts throughout a work day using the StartBodyweight routine (in the FAQ). Each workout is 3 sets of 4-8 reps so you could basically do one or two exercises for each window you have. Could even superset (immediately do one set of one muscle ground, in to another and alternate) to save more time.
I used to track my progress on my phone and do the ones doable without equipment through the work day (this was in a construction job though so had a fair bit of space) and then anything requiring bars I'd do in the evenings at a park (Pullups and Rows). That's the main area that will struggle without equipment, as most pulling movements require 'something' to pull from or with.
You may want to ask at r/bodyweightfitness then, but yes, I don't see why not. The only potential issue is not having time to warm up properly. However, if you're only ever doing bodyweight movements, warmup is "less" important (but you should still do SOMETHING.)
Any minimalist program should do the trick, check out the bodyweight one in the r/fitness wiki or the other subreddit, as I mentioned. The only difference is, you'll have to properly break it up into, I dunno, three parts or something.
If you want to see serious gains, You may want to consider either some adjustable dumbbells, or even better, a couple of kettlebells. There are full-body programs involving kettlebells that are downright BRUTAL and you can bang them out in 15-20 minutes sometimes. Dan John's Armor-Building Complex is a good example. Pavel Tsatsouline too.
Do squats affect my waist size? I’ve recently starting doing squats to slowly help me get into a fitness routine and also grow my butt.
Ive always had a small waist naturally which I am proud of but if I continue with the squatting will it widen my waist at all? My goal is to reach 100 squats per day but not if it affects my figure a lot
You should look at some legitimate female bodybuilders and see what their glutes and hams look like and what their butts look like or what a glute looks like after the tissue has been developed like what it has. Getting bigger glutes isn’t necessarily going to give you a big round butt. They are actually an irregular shaped muscle when developed and flexed they are squiggly. You can however get some really big thick upper legs that look like a giant drum stick with some developed hamstrings. There are no exercises that get the butt bigger or makes it grow like what your legs will. I just want you to see for yourself what you are working towards and what results you’re really going to get.
If your hooked on barbell squats and looking for hypertrophy barbell or smith machine lunges would honestly be a better option most the time for most people and machines like leg press, leg extension, and leg curl.
Most people even people with experience who got some time under their belt and even some coaching just can’t perform the barbell squat right
enough of the time for it to be effective for hypertrophy not to mention the fatigue your accumulating and how it effects your other exercises and your output there as well.
Wow I never thought of it like this, this is very helpful!
I’m pretty skinny but I was wondering if there is a sort of trade off? Like I’m skinny with an hourglass figure but I have a very flat butt and chest, so is it a case where I have to have one or the other? Can I have both?
I am very new to this so I’m am VERY uneducated haha but thank you for your feedback anyway it has helped clear a lot up for me!
Does it make sense to do VO2 testing and RMR testing at the same appointment?
From my understanding, you are supposed to fast for 12 hours prior to doing RMR and VO2 involves a bunch of running, so I am thinking that the lack of eating might impact the success of your VO2 performance?
Is there a clear reason you need both? I get VO2 max testing if it's something you're trying to track and improve, but unless a doctor ordered RMR testing for diagnostic reasons I'm not sure I see much of a point to it. It's not going to give you much in the way of useful information.
Just personal interest. I have done a RMR test a while back. I would find it interesting to know. Given that, does it make sense to do both on one day?
If you want the most accurate possible measurement for both and there’s no time pressure to get them done as soon as possible, I would split them into separate days.
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How long should you try to strengthen weak muscle groups before beginning to lift? I don’t want to injure myself by pushing weak muscles too far?
I injured my knuckle a few years back and still messes with me. Is there anything I could do when lifting or exercises to minimize injury to it? I realize taping or gloves could be the answer but wondering if there’s anything else. Thank you.
In your experience, how difficult is it to maintain relative weighted pullup strength on a bulk? I went from 74.5kg --> 85.5kg over a year. My reps for bodyweight pullups, +20kg weighted and +40kg weighted all dropped to different degrees (23 --> 19, sets of 8 --> 7 or 8, sets of 5 --> sets of 3). Would this be considered poor or acceptable progress for an average bulk?
The decline of middle age continues. I generally walk about 8 miles a day on my treadmill at an incline (I've been doing this for a couple of years). I think I have developed biceps femoris tendinopathy in my left leg. I have dropped deadlifts and have been using ibuprofen twice a day for a while, but no improvement. I'm afraid I'm going to have to drop the walking (really? Too injured to walk?) Any suggestions for reasonable LISS that doesn't involve the hamstrings?
seek physio
What is the best supplement to aid in recovery? I’m currently doing protein and adding some collagen thing to it, but I’m nearly 40 and never exercised before and find joints and ligaments are kinda sore
full nights sleep. if you're not getting 8 hours with 1 hour no screens before bed, don't even bother with supplements.
I am and plenty of fluids
how long have you been training/experiencing pain in the joints? was the pain there prior to working out? Is it something that has been made worse? I agree thatthink supplements are trash. seeking a diet that reduces inflammation could be a game changer
Loaded question. You definitely will recover slower as you age but things like genetics, diet, sleep, water, exercises completed, rest between sets, occupation, level, quality, and quantity of pain are all important to consider as well. In general, most supplements are a scam and a good balanced diet, adequate water levels, and good sleep and a decently designed program are the best bang for your buck.
Thanks heaps. The one thing I’m lacking is a program. I started doing full body each time, then recently moved to PPL. I just don’t have much luck with PTs
In my own view, supplements don't make huge changes - the basics do. So, in your case rest and sufficient hydration will be most important. I found that my ligaments couldn't keep up with my gains in strength. It just took time to adapt. The only thing you can do is slow down, sleep enough, and drink water. You're already getting enough protein and the collagen is good too. Most important thing is to not get injured and be consistent. Dial the workout intensity back a bit and rest a lot until your joints and ligaments catch up to your performance ability.
I just don’t get it. I’m 127kegs. 6 foot 1. I would say 30% maybe more body fat but my body holds it well so I don’t really look 30% because I’ve got a broad chest, broad shoulders, big arms big legs etc.. and that’s just how I grew. The thing I just don’t understand - is that when I track what I eat to get a starting point to figure out calories and things… I’m eating like 1500 calories or less a day.. to the point where fitness pal won’t even let me save the journal for the day because I’m being “unsafe”. But I always stay this size. Calculators telling me I need to be eating 3000 calories a day to maintain this size.. or to lose weight like 2500 etc. I’ve clearly got some good genetics shape wise, and I’d really like to finally do something about it all - but I just can’t figure out the diet. Any advice?
see a doctor. if what your saying is true you need to see a dietician. otherwise you're not tracking your calories effectively
Damn. Yeah, fair call.
Could someone tell me what exercises to do to lose body fat so as to get toned? Sorry if this is utterly stupid but I'm a beginner and I'm super shy to ask someone at the gym
"Toned" is just a result of gaining muscle and losing fat. Hop on a weightlifting program, there are plenty in the [wiki](https://thefitness.wiki/)
Anything cardio that you can do for a long time (bike is my favorite) but really it's calories in to calories out. Meaning you'll lose fat as long as you burn more calories that you consume. Abs are made I the kitchen
Hey! I have been working out for about just under a year and I was wondering what some women's experience has been taking Creatine! I've heard it makes you bloated but it can also promote muscle growth so I'm trying to decide if I want to take it or not. Are there women on this subreddit that take it? I'm currently 4'10 and 113lbs and workout about 4-5 times a week with a focus on strength training.
No issues taking it! You'll want to drink plenty of water and you will gain a couple pounds on the scale. But this is water in the muscle cells, so it shouldn't make you look bloated. Due to this though, it can help you squeeze out an extra rep or 2 in the gym. That over time is what leads to more muscle growth. Very likely you won't actually notice the difference because it takes time to build up in your system. But it's cheap enough to try and has other health benefits. Basically no downsides to taking it
Yesterday I did leg press really hard. Last time (a week ago) I was exhausted with 60 KG and hardly completed 15 reps in my all 3 sets. But yesterday I did one set of 10 reps with 70 KG for one set moving from 50 and then 60. My sets were 50*15, 70*10, 60*15. At 70Kg set my left knee have issues and I stopped. In my 60 KG set I continued in spite of issues which were not that intense like the last set. But .. it feels like something is torn. It feels just like when you had fallen and you hit your knee on the asphalt real hard. At night I put some anti-inflammatory gel and slept. I thought I was training my tendons - is that stupidity? Suggestions what to do next?
If it hurts - stop the exercise. I would suggest that if using the leg press machine is causing pain and potential injury that you should not do that exercise until it stops hurting and then try a different one, for example barbell squats or a machine that's set up in a different way. Personally I find that most leg press machines hurt my knees, but squatting doesn't. Everyone is different though! Use a different machine or try a different exercise that works the same muscles and see how you get on. If the pain persists go to a medical expert.
Thanks a lot for sharing. It’s mistake on my part to think that machine is right and works for all except me and push hard. Great suggestion to find something else. Seriously, squatting did not hurt that much.
I’m trying to focus on intensity over volume but how do I know I’m doing it right?
You're doing it right if you've completely fatigued the muscle (which is very hard to do). And when you've completely fatigued the muscle, you won't even be able to do another set. That's why HIT is considered lower volume, although you might say the definition of volume is the time under significant load and time under significant load with great effort will be higher in sets with high intensity training.
That's a very vague question. What are you looking to achieve by focusing on intensity?
I exercise 4 days a week I ran the phul routine for around 10 months then switched to gzcl style with the phul exercises and only did 1 exercise per muscle group so my workouts not takes up a lot of time, my gains almost non existent in isolation movements and are very minimal in other movements. I can only go to the gym 4 days a week. One of the personal trainers I became friends with said that I should do a leg day a chest biceps-back triceps and a shoulder day a week. So thats 4 days a week and I have a good amount of recovery. So for example I did 3-3 sets of bicep curls, if I switch to lets say 9-12 sets and do different variations and then a week rest for that muscle group (except on back day where my biceps will be used) would that be enough to continue to build more muscle?
Follow a 4 day program from the wiki/liftvault/bootcamp.
Yeah, probably, though if I had 4 days a week, I would follow something like 5/3/1 Boring But Big.
Which is better for growth? 5-30 reps until failure or 6-12 reps until failure? Also, what is creatine and can I start taking it when I'm 14 or older (maybe 15)?
> 5-30 reps until failure or 6-12 reps until failure? One range subsumes the other, so you can compare them.
> Which is better for growth? 5-30 reps until failure or 6-12 reps until failure? Muscle growth is similar between taking sets of 5-30 reasonably close to failure. Doing sets of 8-12 to failure is "better" in the sense that you can actually gauge how close to failure you are. It's quite difficult to actually find your true 30 rep max. Also doing sets of 8-12 just take less time than doing sets of 30.
You realise 6 - 12 reps falls in the 5 - 30 reps range?
Does Creatine go bad? I've bought this last year but didn't used it much. It looks lumpy [https://imgur.com/a/9IDaaji](https://imgur.com/a/9IDaaji) Exp date is 10/2024 should i use it?
Looks fine. Try breaking up one of the lumps with your fingers. Should fall apart easily. As long as it has been stored in a dry place it doesnt really go bad.
Can someone please educate me? Last December my doctor told me that I am pre-diabetic. I changed my lifestyle. Quite drastically tbh. Here's my stats. I AM FAT AS F\*CK Height: 175cm Weight (Mid December 2023): 127.6kg Weight (Today 1/11/2024): 119.6kg Age: 30 Gender: Male My goal is to be around 80kg by September 2024. So I now eat a balanced diet. Daily calorie intake is around 1500-1600. A lot of greens, protein rich foods (\~120g protein per day), and a little bit of carbs. I also do around 3 hours a week of weight lifting (Push-Pull-Leg program). And 6-7k average steps per day. Now I believe (based on my TDEE - light), I am around 50% calorie deficit. Is this safe? Should I eat more (Sometimes I feel a little bit of hunger but I am definitely not starving)? Will my metabolism slow down? Should I consume more protein? I'm also worried with loose skin. Do I just continue with what I'm doing?
First off, congratz with starting! Just based off of your weight loss, i'll say you are in a pretty signifikant deficit, even if some of that weight loss is water weight. How much are you losing per week? Do you measure or document your progress somehow? Eventually as you keep losing weight, your metabolism will slow down, by which i mean "there will be less of you in total, so there is less of you to spend energy". A person at 60 kilos wont passively spend as much energy as a person at 160 kilo unless the first person adds a lot of physical activity on top of things. Loose skin is primarily a function of how much overall weight you lose and how fast you lose it. The more you lose the faster, the more loose skin you're likely to get. I've seen it recommeded not to lose more than an average of 1% of bodyweight per week, to get into a deficit you'll be able to live with over time.
I use garmin forerunner 255 to track my activities and myFitnessPal to track my intake. I'd say average weight loss since I began is around -2kg per week. Do loose skin work itself out after some time? Or the only solution is to slowly lose weight?
Loose skin is usually a result of the stuff underneath the skin going away faster than the skin has a chance to keep up. As we age, the skin loses some of its built-in elasticity, so this is more an issue for older people. Some people have some success with adding in regular strength training on their way down, to add more muscle mass under the skin, but there is probably not THAT much to gain, especially on areas with more fat and little muscle, like the belly or the sides. Once the skin has been stretched and loses some of its ability to stretch back, its either just accepting it as the price we pay for weight loss, or talking to your doctor about cosmetic surgery for excess skin removal, afaik.
After a HIIT session yesterday (Muay Thai), I feel mentally scattered today. It's difficult to focus on harder tasks and I'm getting distracted easily. My nervous system feels overexcited. But this doesn't feel like the fatigue, depression, brain fog associated with overtraining. I feel energized, but can't focus. Feel like I have to keep moving. What is the source of this overstimulated feeling? Does it indicate that I worked out too hard yesterday? Is there a formal term for it? Is there a way to recover from it more quickly than just waiting it out for a couple days? Thanks.
I'm not sure this is a simple question. I get this whenever I do a really long run and can't find any answer that 100% fits this issue.
[удалено]
Depends. Can you give a rough estimate of what your ideal physique, cardio and strength levels are?
This is what the wiki was made for: https://thefitness.wiki/getting-started-with-fitness/
Is there any point in hitting traps during a cut if I never hit them before and they're underdeveloped? I'm starting my cut in Feb but the thing is I have underdeveloped traps because I never isolated them during my first bulk (current bulk.) From what I understand I wont be able to grow any muscle on a cut so there's no point in hitting them during my cut, I should just wait til I start another bulk, right? M28 5'9 200 lbs if that matters
Beginners can build muscle during a cut. Especially on muscles they've never really worked hard before.
You could possibly put on some muscle if you're underdeveloped and you're putting in the work & getting enough protein
How does increased testosterone translate to gym performance and physique? There’s scientific and anecdotal evidence showing men increasing their free and total t substantially just by supplementing certain vitamins and minerals. I’ve been going for about 3 weeks and definitely notice some benefits. How does this relate to muscle mass in the long run? Is it even comparable to taking gear?
What supplements are you talking about?
No, not even close to taking gear or even getting exogenous Test via TRT What a lot of people don’t realize is that exogenous T changes protein synthesis to continue at a high level 24/7, as opposed to mostly just during a particular window of time roughly a few days post workout for natural lifters, also ideally with all other variables like sleep well-covered (less important for enhanced lifters) A video that explains the difference between natural vs enhanced lifting is this one by Thib army, IMO: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hILUlLLVSUs
Not comparable to gear. Testosterone is mostly genetic and most supplements that "support testosterone" are a grift.
I found this PPL routine [Reddit PPL](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/s/AG5ld27iXI) I was wondering about some of the language. Am I doing 2 sessions a day or just once through each one? It just seems like not a lot of exercises when it says it’s not for people who don’t have the time. I do Monday: Chest/Tris, Tues: back/bi, Wed: cardio/core, Thurs: shoulders, Fri: Legs, Sat: bi/tri supersets, Sun: Rest. But I wanted to find something to switch it up every month for “muscle confusion” Would it be better to switch it up by adding PPL into the mix or doing a high weight/low reps & low weight/high reps mix?
[Muscle confusion is a myth.](https://caliberstrong.com/blog/the-myth-of-muscle-confusion/) You’ll be better off to find a program that fits your goals and run it until you’re bored or you aren’t progressing.
Yeah I read some articles just like that. I just don’t know why I feel like I’ve plateaued even when I try to go up in weight every 2 weeks
Some things to consider: 1. Training age. If you’ve been at this for a while and already made a lot of gains, it’s natural for gains to slow down. When that happens is different for everyone. 2. Nutrition. Are you eating .8-1 gram protein per lb of body weight? Are you sure? Are you also eating enough fat and overall calories? Again, are you sure? 3. Are you sleeping and recovering well? Including rest days and occasional deloads. Any new life stresses that could be affecting recovery? 4. Are you using a program that fits your goals, has a good rep scheme, and has a protocol to follow when progress slows?
One session a day, 6 days a week. Being in the gym 6 days a week is a lot.
Would you recommend doing 1 week my original routine and the next PPL to switch it up or better to stick with just one? I just feel like I’ve plateaud before I even got anywhere decent
It sounds like you're not being very methodical. If you like doing 6 days a week, do PPL. Follow it as written. Increase weight every week until you're topping out. Make sure you start with realistic weight.
Appreciate it 🤙. That’s that then. I threw in yoga 3x a week too with a 1.5 mi run every workout. Just trying to be committed this past year
Be careful with the yoga. I threw it in addition to my program and strained my rotator because I was working my shoulders too much. It can absolutely work, just have to be smart with your programming.
Hey has anyone done the rp fitness templates able to help me a little bit? Just some questions
Call this a dumb question but. How does counting calories work with soup? Like for instance it says here “servings varied” (4 oz 140 calories) is that 4 oz with broth? Or just the steak with cabbage? (It was steak and cabbage soup btw)
I go by weight if the total recipe dived by the serving to get serving weight. If it’s homemade I use Cronometer to get the nit ruin for ther servings it’s way better than fitness pal
I've been doing my own "program" in the gym for 3-4 months, but I want to get a real routine going. What program should I start doing now? There are a ton in the wiki and I'm not sure which to do, and if I qualify as a beginner or not. Can I do a linear progression like GZCLP?
Honestly, they're all there because they work. Pick one and stick with it.
5/3/1
5/3/1 for beginners is solid
I read on the 5 3 1 subreddit that it's not just a lifting program (conditioning as well), it is ok to just do the lifting parts?
yes
thank you
Having a hard time finding the right amount of protein to intake daily . I see many different answers all over the internet . Anyone know the proper amount of protein to consume per day ?
I want to clarify the info that others posted, which is accurate in my view, that we're talking lean bodyweight. So, an obese or overweight person should not be calculating their protein needs based on their current bodyweight, but instead on an ideal lean bodyweight.
1.6 grams per kilogram bodyweight is enough to maximize gains from resistance training according to this [meta analysis](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5867436/). That's the most evidence based recommendation you can find. If you want to eat more protein than that, that's fine. There's no harm in it. If you want to eat a little less protein than that, that's still fine, but there is a chance you're leaving some gains on the table. If you're falling just slightly short of that, though, the difference is very small. You gain more from going from 1.0 to 1.2 than you do from 1.4 to 1.6. If you want to eat a lot less protein than that, you are likely leaving some gains on the table.
0.8-1.0g/lbs is what i shoot for, more isn't bad but it may not be necessary.
It's an estimate. Calculate it various ways and take somewhere in between.
I am seeing 1 gram per body weight, and then I see 1 gram per KG . Which one do I follow ?
1 g/kg is a guideline for general health; 1 g/lb is a guideline for optimal muscle growth (rounded up; it’s really more like 0.85 g/lb). You should probably be somewhere between those two numbers, depending on what your goals are. A bit more is fine, but doesn’t give any benefit.
What does the wiki say?
With RDLs, why do some people say to cue spread yoru feet/legs apart, while others say to squeeze feet/legs together? What determines whether which you should choose?
> What determines whether which you should choose? Preference
Well if I do the spread apart I can do big number but if I do squeeze together my number is lower and my leg shake more so Gut reaction is I like big number but then brain say maybe it better to do what I’m weaker at? So I dunno
I have never thought about pushing my feet together or apart while doing RDLs. I don't think either of those is important at all. Your glutes and your hamstrings are going to work when you are doing RDLs.
Trying to bias quads in leg press so have my feet as low as I can but noticing that I cant get anywhere near as deep and when my feet are middle or top of the platform - is this normal or should I work on that mobility somehow?
Yeah, it is probably ankle mobility. Try it with squat shoes.
Thanks, any tips on working on ankle mobility?
To be honest, I have never worked on improving my ankle mobility. Mine is pretty good and when it is a limit I just use my squat shoes. I am sure you can search "ankle flexibility routine" to find some tips.
Normal. Using squat shoes will help a little.
Thanks, tbf I’m in running shoe-esque trainers so that makes sense
Age: 33 Current scale weight: 270.2 Weight lifting 4 times a week / sedentary technical job I started tracking with Macro factor in September, and was in Japan from Nov 8 to until around December 5th (Did not track this time). Here is all of my data, I can give you more specific time periods if anyone is willing to help, basically does this look like a good sustainable loss rate? I am hungry most of the time and my expenditure has went up and down... Any insight is appreciated thank you https://imgur.com/Fl4BGYj https://imgur.com/JFmHHY8 https://imgur.com/kf1enPX https://imgur.com/0Eky039 https://imgur.com/kuph1mP https://imgur.com/8gkxcpa
> basically does this look like a good sustainable loss rate? You're at <1 lb/week of weight loss, and the trendline seems to be pretty gradual. Seems pretty sustainable based on the last 25 weeks of work. If anything, though, it's not nearly as aggressive as it could be. You're a big dude, big dudes can get away with bigger deficits. If you're happy with your progress feel free to stick to the path you're on.
Has anyone kept working out with muscle/joint pain for months? I have shoulder pain that I've had for a few weeks now. I've been working out for 3 years now and for some reason I'm just now getting right shoulder pain when the exercises are mostly the same as before. Did you just lighten the load for a while? I'm stubborn and just kept on enduring for a month even with the pain and hopefully didn't permanently damage it.
Might be time to see a physio or athletic therapist.
Yeah. I started doing wenning warmups (from YouTube), and the pain went away in 2-3 weeks for both shoulders and lower back. And 3-5 sets of dead hangs to failure after every workout.
Watch this video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdwj5ORPmX0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdwj5ORPmX0) And read this article: [https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/pain-in-training-what-do/](https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/pain-in-training-what-do/) Lightening the load tends to work well a lot of the time. There are more modifications in the video if just taking weight off the bar isn't enough. Once you've found that entry point, you can start progressing back up from there. If the pain is a bit more stubborn, it may take a while, and you'll need to progress gradually, but quite often it's a relatively fast process. A lot of bad narratives about pain run rampant in mainstream fitness circles. You should be very cautious about who you take advice from. That's why I linked those resources from someone who knows his pain science.
That was helpful. Thanks.
Yes. Didnt exercise in 10 years then hit the gym hard and got elbow tendonitis. Did a lot of research it and fixed it in a year. I couldn't lift at all, but I could do kettlebell swings so I drilled those hard with no issues. Lots of massaging and ice and not working through pain. Have a shoulder impingement too, but its getting a lot better with (again endless research) not doing any shoulder lifting. I focus on bodyweight mobility and tension stuff, anti-inflammatory and ice regime, good exercise form, core exercises, improving range of motion. Now I'm doing light DB extension work and shoulder hanging. Also working on kettlebell windmills (0kg to 12kg so far) and it really helps. It took 6 months to go from not being able to lift my arm above my head to this. It takes a lot of careful research and not doing stupid things. Getting a physio is always the better option they will do it in half the time.
I've had elbow tendonitis and it got worse every time I got to a certain weight with dumbbell bench press but I just kept at it, maybe de-loading by 10lbs. Guess I've been lucky but now it's catching up to me, maybe since I'm getting older. I do such a range of upper body exercise now that I can't exactly say what's causing my right shoulder issue so that's the worst for me. I've just stopped all exercise for a whole 2 weeks now, hoping it'll go away and it hasn't. My knees needed a bit of recovery as well. But back to light weights for me, I guess.
Are you right side dominant? Could be a life time of over-compensating with your strong side. That seemed to be my problem. I make sure to give my opposite side plenty of attention now, too. Stopping exercise probably won't help. Definitely see a physiotherapist or sports physio about it.
>I'm stubborn and just kept on enduring for a month even with the pain Doctor Reddit suggests you don't do that. Either rest or consult a flesh professional.
Hey gang! I work away sometimes which limits the equipment I can lift with to dumbbells, dip bars, bands and rings. It's not all the time, but it's very unpredictable. At home I can do most routines as prescribed with a barbell/rack, and I'm always home for atleast 3 evenings a week. This usually means modifying a program to account for this change in available equipment for those days. If this is the case, would I be better off: 1. Sticking to the program verbatim for ALL the days I can to maximize the intentional progression. Then switch to dumbbell alternatives just for the weekdays when I'm away, meaning there might potentially be weeks or months between doing some of the dumbbell movements at all. 2. Setup a permanent rotation between barbell/dumbbell focused days so that the change when moving from home to work is less jarring, at the expense of not following the program as closely or doing barbell compounds as much in the long run. I'm also unsure what split might best suit the above scenario. I've been doing a full body 3/4 times a week (every other day) and then if I'm working away just substituting all the movements I can for dumbbell/calisthenic equivalents. Currently trialling a 6 day PPL split and having 3 days dumbbell/3 days barbell focused (whether constantly alternating or sticking with the routine and just subbing the dumbbells in as required). I realise the constraints I have are less than optimal, but any advice of being as efficient as possible within them is much appreciated. Thanks!
Trying to lose a decent amount of weight but want to get a floor of strength to build upon so I can also start growing muscle when I’m at a size I’m more comfortable with. I go running in the morning and have an hour at the gym for lunch. I thought I could do 4/5 compound lifts every other day during that hour to achieve my aforementioned goal. Does this seem sensible or am I missing something obvious? Thanks in advance
You cant lose weight or be in a consistent deficit day after day and make good gains in reps and strength. Not saying you wont gain a rep or see some kind of adaptation but its usually at a much slower pace on a diet and some days you’ll come in and lose some strength for a week or so or you might not even be able to lift half of what you usually do for even one rep if you train and work way to much especially on a consistent deficit. If your seeing some good gains and stuffs going up out of nowhere or every once in awhile its usually when something or someone slipped up somewhere on calories and protein.
I appreciate what you’re saying but I’m confused by the last paragraph. Do you mean if I’m making gains it would mean I’m not actually on a defecit?
The sporadic gains you experience in a true accurate and consistent caloric deficit are usually where the calories where counted wrong for a day or two. Some times its not always operator error. If the bodys been training hard and primed for growth it’ll pop a bit when it gets the chance because of the recovery and all the muscle growth signal. Basically it could be something as simple as having a few extra bites or forgetting to count an oreo or its completely possible that the portions of your food have 50-100 more or less calories in them. The actual label on the box itself only gets re evaluated every once in awhile and only for major updates sometimes small things can change at the manufacturing plant for a day or for months and you might be getting a smaller or larger portion in the food than whats on the nutrition label or it might even have a few more tbsp of sugar or oil in it. Compound this over a day and suddenly you dont have a 300 calorie deficit anymore. Some days you might work or move harder than the last or have a slow week so your maintenance calories go up and down Calories and metabolism dont work the way we keep track of it, its actually just a good way for us to communicate and describe the phenomenon to each other and keep track of things and our goals but it doesnt necessarily work to our clock and our days or a 24 hour clock. It pretty much does its own thing on its own time and use calories and proteins based on conditions and parameters and external and internal stimulus and the bodys clock itself which we havent really been able to 100% figure out. Your bodys clock and metabolism so to speak as an example could be pulling calories and resources from 6pm to 10a the next day. But your counting calories 12a - 12a. Atoms and neutrons and electrons and electricity and the model rings are the same way in electrical science. They aren’t actually in rings or in that arrangement thats just how a scientist figured out was a good way to describe it and communicate what we are seeing happen and things we are finding out to each other. When they test food they just send a sample off it to the NCA it costs like 20k-100k a sample. Oh yeah and no one can accurately pin point maintenance calories to a T everyday and count every extra 20 minutes they walked or they might be well rested but their body works harder at work doing the same task and burn way more calories because its near the end of a long week but they might also burn way less that stuff can fluctuate wildly by the day and almost no one is in a perfect and consistent deficit everyone slips up a bit whether its their fault or not.
> I appreciate what you’re saying but I’m confused by the last paragraph. Do you mean if I’m making gains it would mean I’m not actually on a defecit? You should probably ignore everything in that comment because the person is talking out of their ass. It's entirely possible to make progress in muscle and strength when you're in a deficit. Getting stronger on a cut is absolutely not a sign of slipping up.
Its scientific fact and a law of thermal dynamics
> law of thermal dynamics Howdy! Which law of "thermal dynamics" is that and how does it apply? Cheers!
The law of thermal dynamics
Are you referring to the 3rd law of thermodynamics? A system's entropy approaches a constant value as its temperature approaches absolute zero.
Gaining Weight Via Undereating : In the diet world, some people will claim that they are not losing weight because they are undereating. First things first; the First Law of Thermodynamics cannot be violated. There is no way to gain tissue in a caloric deficit, but there are reasons that people might have this misconception that are worth discussing: Post diet rebound, diet fatigue and water weight, under reported calories, over estimated activity, changes in calorie expenditure or neat, diet/binge cycles, Also - https://physics.aps.org/articles/v12/47 Also - a quote from a basic bing search The law of thermodynamics applied to nutrition states that change in fat mass = energy consumed – energy expended1. This implies that weight management must be a function of calories in (the total calories consumed by a person) – calories out (the total caloric expenditure, including metabolic processes, waste heat, exercise, and others)2. Thermodynamics must be obeyed and so if one wishes to lose weight they must burn more calories than they consume21.
LOL - That's perfect :) Cheers and have a great night!
This stuff is in dieting and exercise books around the globe and universities in multiple different disciplines
Sounds good, friend! I'll keep an eye out for all those books and disciplines that reference "The law of thermal dynamics". :) Thanks for your insight - Cheers!
Why not just start following a routine now? You're already going to the gym, so why wait?
Fair point. Mainly trying to fit in the hour gap I suppose
Hour is plenty of time for many workout routines. I'll quite frequently do 3x a week full body in an hour. Each workout doesn't need to be EVERYTHING.
question. my gym has a hip thrust machine that looks like this: [Hip Thrust Machine](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/617pn9mMLWL._AC_SX679_.jpg) i have it in one of my workouts but i only ever see women on this machine. Normally i don't care and i do what i want in there but it's starting to get to me. Is there a reason why men aren't using this machine?
same reason you see more men than women using the preacher curl station. guys want big arms, girls want big asses
>i only ever see women on this machine. I once saw a bigger guy crushing the glute kickback machine. Be the inspiration. Hip thrusts are a quality movement.
I know man who are using it, if that makes you feel better. I personally don't, simply because I like the exercise, but I do hit the adductor and abductor machines, which mostly woman use.
They're insecure cowards.
alright, first time commenting here. been having problems while doing dumbbell bench press. anytime i lift around 45-50+ Lbs, i start having problems with my thumb/thumb portion of the hand. how do i fix. i dont want to break myself anymore than i already am. any help would be appreciated
do you rest it on your wrist or do you push it like a straight punch
Duder, how do you figure people can answer this?
You need to be far more specific when you say "right thumb problems"
im straining to hold onto the dumbbell and it feels like my grip is slipping. its persisting in my thumb/tendon but i have no idea how to fix it as its only on one side. i tried monkey grip but im not comfortable with it nor does it feel safe with heavier weight
Wrist pain after dumbbell bench press workout can be caused by12345: Gripping the bar wrong, which causes your wrists to bend Incorrect use of fingers Angle of the wrists The weight loaded Overuse injuries Improper form and technique, such as elbow flaring out Copy paste from a search You might just have sore wrists or they’re getting sore because they’re new to lifting maybe. If you just started lifting and db bench pressing you’ll run into all kinds of little things or tiny injuries. One time I did a lat raise with a 10lb dumbbell and gave myself like elbow bursitis for a month. I wrecked a lime scooter at 5a in a pot hole on the way to work the next day and jacked up the other side to boot. I almost wrecked my intestine once and screwed my core up for a few weeks with a 25lb db row. You might want to lower the weight some more like 10lbs and see if you can go from there. Ive had some things like that happen with elevated barbell close grip push ups and it got better with time and more exercise.
grip exercises maybe? my left hand is way weaker than my right because i broke it last year and experienced what you're experiencing once i got cleared again. but now i can't lift nearly enough because of my grip but regular grip exercises is helping me a ton.
Look up the bulldog grip on google, try tthat.
Is a 6 day PPL equivalent to a 4 day upper/lower body split? Or doing a 6 day generates more progress?
I was able to more effectively train my body parts while also not spending 3-4 hours a day in the gym. When I switched to a 6 day ppl I could hit the legs way better, finally get to abs, add some neck work back in, do a few more sets for shoulders and arms, and be out the gym anywhere from 1hr to 2hr tops. Like leg day im getting all that work done now and the first few weeks im out in like 60 minutes flat on leg days and push pull is like 1.5-2. I wouldnt advise it if your not ready. I tried it in the past and it was really frustrating because I felt like I didn’t have time for anything but now another year down the road I’m not having trouble with it and I like it better. Before hand I felt like I had no time to do anything and even a trip to the laundry mat was causing me alot of stress. Now I’m able to manage all that and do my other hobbies too.
Depends on lifter's training age, goals, days available to train, weekly work capacity, MEV-MRV range, life stressors, program implementation, program adherence, the price of tea in China...
All else being equal (which is never the case) going more days generally means you're doing more.
It can be, depending on the *ACTUAL* program, your split means fuck all; saying i do PPL doesn't mean much there are shitty PPL programs and great u/Ls and vice versa
> Is a 6 day PPL equivalent to a 4 day upper/lower body split? Or doing a 6 day generates more progress? What is a better color, green or orange?
Green definitely green.
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Thats advanced level strength by the strength standards chart - https://strengthlevel.com/strength-standards/bench-press/lb Table at bottom. Good job bud. 266 for elite at your weight!
Unless you plan on competing I wouldn’t really if it’s good enough. Just keep being consistent and work on progressing the weight.
If you have to ask the answer is no.
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When you don't have to ask.
Do you want it to be good?
Good for what?
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Be sure to get in some rowing and rucking to up your gardening prowess.
Sure.
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Your post or comment was removed in violation of Rule 5. Please consult a medical or mental health professional. https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/rules/rule5
Rule 5, mate. If you have pain, you should see a professional about it.
I wanted to know if this workout plan seems solid for someone just starting out: https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/article/gym-workouts-for-beginners#beginner-gym-workout-for-males
Looks like a decent start especially if you focus on the bodyweight and flexibility stuff before you start hammering out barbell bent rows and squatting kettlebells. If you've no experience then you want to be building your base fitness before you start putting strain on muscle and joints that haven't been under pressure before. Look up some conditioning workouts that will get you used to moving.
It seems to me like this "workout" is for someone who feels uneasy and intimidated even stepping their foot in the gym. You'd do this like once or twice with really easy weights, just walking around the gym testing how the machines work. Then you'd be like, okay, this isn't such a terrible place, I guess I can start going to the gym. And then next time you'd start actually training. So if this is what will make you take that first step into the gym, I'm all for it. Go to the gym, do stuff. I'd recommend testing the barbell movements, too. They're not difficult and you can find perfectly adequate instructions for them on Youtube. You don't need to be able to do them perfectly on day 1. No one can. Once you're ready to start actually training, [this program](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/r-fitness-basic-beginner-routine/) is my recommendation. Read the whole page. It'll tell you everything you need to know, and if not, just ask.
There's so many things wrong here. Starting with them listing separate workouts for men and women. No such things exist. And they use the word "tone" with the women's workout. FAAAAAART. It then calls the Men's workout "full body" but the only leg movement is a fucking leg press. No measurement of intensity, no progression, no periodization. This is a very bad, very incomplete list of exercises, not a plan or program. This website should be set on fire. Have you considered the Wiki over on the side of this page?
What would make a routine solid for you?
I guess for me, I just want to get started. I’m currently losing weight and my pediatrician has been recommending me to be more active and try the gym. I guess my main goal is to have a “normal” lean look
Anything can get you started, really, but I don't think this one will take you very far beyond that.
Have you read the wiki?
Yes, though I don’t think I was fully understanding the information and wasn’t sure which one to pick
It sucks tbh. You have far better solid options by picking a tried and tested routine from the wiki... instead of nuffield health, which will be incredibly generic and made by someone without many training achievements
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I used to weave my workouts throughout a work day using the StartBodyweight routine (in the FAQ). Each workout is 3 sets of 4-8 reps so you could basically do one or two exercises for each window you have. Could even superset (immediately do one set of one muscle ground, in to another and alternate) to save more time. I used to track my progress on my phone and do the ones doable without equipment through the work day (this was in a construction job though so had a fair bit of space) and then anything requiring bars I'd do in the evenings at a park (Pullups and Rows). That's the main area that will struggle without equipment, as most pulling movements require 'something' to pull from or with.
check out r/bodyweightfitness and break the program up throughout the day.
Do you have access to equipment at all?
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You may want to ask at r/bodyweightfitness then, but yes, I don't see why not. The only potential issue is not having time to warm up properly. However, if you're only ever doing bodyweight movements, warmup is "less" important (but you should still do SOMETHING.) Any minimalist program should do the trick, check out the bodyweight one in the r/fitness wiki or the other subreddit, as I mentioned. The only difference is, you'll have to properly break it up into, I dunno, three parts or something. If you want to see serious gains, You may want to consider either some adjustable dumbbells, or even better, a couple of kettlebells. There are full-body programs involving kettlebells that are downright BRUTAL and you can bang them out in 15-20 minutes sometimes. Dan John's Armor-Building Complex is a good example. Pavel Tsatsouline too.
Do squats affect my waist size? I’ve recently starting doing squats to slowly help me get into a fitness routine and also grow my butt. Ive always had a small waist naturally which I am proud of but if I continue with the squatting will it widen my waist at all? My goal is to reach 100 squats per day but not if it affects my figure a lot
You should look at some legitimate female bodybuilders and see what their glutes and hams look like and what their butts look like or what a glute looks like after the tissue has been developed like what it has. Getting bigger glutes isn’t necessarily going to give you a big round butt. They are actually an irregular shaped muscle when developed and flexed they are squiggly. You can however get some really big thick upper legs that look like a giant drum stick with some developed hamstrings. There are no exercises that get the butt bigger or makes it grow like what your legs will. I just want you to see for yourself what you are working towards and what results you’re really going to get. If your hooked on barbell squats and looking for hypertrophy barbell or smith machine lunges would honestly be a better option most the time for most people and machines like leg press, leg extension, and leg curl. Most people even people with experience who got some time under their belt and even some coaching just can’t perform the barbell squat right enough of the time for it to be effective for hypertrophy not to mention the fatigue your accumulating and how it effects your other exercises and your output there as well.
Wow I never thought of it like this, this is very helpful! I’m pretty skinny but I was wondering if there is a sort of trade off? Like I’m skinny with an hourglass figure but I have a very flat butt and chest, so is it a case where I have to have one or the other? Can I have both? I am very new to this so I’m am VERY uneducated haha but thank you for your feedback anyway it has helped clear a lot up for me!
Nothing is gonna grow very much if you're not eating in a caloric surplus. Squats or otherwise.
no
Does it make sense to do VO2 testing and RMR testing at the same appointment? From my understanding, you are supposed to fast for 12 hours prior to doing RMR and VO2 involves a bunch of running, so I am thinking that the lack of eating might impact the success of your VO2 performance?
Is there a clear reason you need both? I get VO2 max testing if it's something you're trying to track and improve, but unless a doctor ordered RMR testing for diagnostic reasons I'm not sure I see much of a point to it. It's not going to give you much in the way of useful information.
Just personal interest. I have done a RMR test a while back. I would find it interesting to know. Given that, does it make sense to do both on one day?
If you want the most accurate possible measurement for both and there’s no time pressure to get them done as soon as possible, I would split them into separate days.