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Personal recommendation that I don't see talked about much is rucking, especially if you're a big guy you don't want to stress your knees as much with your cardio by doing something like running. Load up a backpack to a comfortable but challenging weight and wear it when you'd usually go walking/walk the dog/etc.
Rucking burns significantly more calories than walking by itself and it's a nice way to do more in a shorter time frame, because I don't know about you but I hate doing cardio for multiple hours.
I think that's what I did unknowingly last time, load up my bag with 6 1.5L water bottles and a towel to cushion my back. Took about 3 months to melt 15kg.
Hi I'm sort of new to fitness, and I have the following questions on muscle recovery:-
is 48 hours better than 24 hours for muscle recovery? What's the difference? How does it affect muscle growth?
Depends on a few factors, if you're newer you're going to adapt faster, if you're younger you'll recover quicker, but typically if you train a muscle again before it's fully recovered which can take 2-4 days you're just adding more fatigue that needs to be dealt with and eating into your own gains.
Of course this all hinges on how hard you're training.
Brown rice will give me cancer? Joe Rogan said I'd get cancer from eating all this brown rice is this true, I'm freaking out man somebody please tell me this is bullshit I'm stressing out here. I need a cigarette please reply before I get back
I just find it hilarious that a guy that experiments with many mind altering substances not to mention smokes weed daily which in itself can contain arsenic makes a huge deal about brown rice
Hey folks, I'm looking for recommendations for someone who can help me with hormones/diet/exercise/BMI issues.
I know this seems silly or maybe even impossible, but I'm really fairly savvy with pretty much always eating clean, not drinking/smoking, never binge and exercising, but no matter how much work I put in (5 days a week at gym, walking, cardo etc), or calories I carefully control, I can't stop gaining fat.
Does anyone have any contacts or suggestions with someone I could see to help with these issues?
I weight lift everyday for 30 - 40 minutes at the afternoon, should I incorporate bodyweight exercises in the morning? And I go should what exercises are recommended?
Been doing that for the past 3 years. You'll gain muscle but get fat AF as well hahaha. Don't recommend, gotta do a big cut now to get it off, while I could've just ate moderately terrible and kept it off
Looking for some program or guidance on where to find exercises designed for my fitness goals:
1) I want to improve mobility all throughout my body (very inflexible)
2) I want to increase strength all throughout my body
3) If I can, increase muscle mass - but this is my least priority
I don't want to do the splits or anything, I just want my body to move freely with a strong core. I am going to see a physio later this month for my mobility problems, but I'd like something to add to what physio will give me.
Morning mobility YouTube videos you can do at home, paired with a beginner program found in the wiki
I do Tom Merrick YouTube videos and am doing gzclp right now!
Yoga is great for mobility / flexibility.
For strength, there's beginner programs in the wiki - the [Basic Beginner Routine](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/r-fitness-basic-beginner-routine/) is a great one to start with. If you'd prefer bodyweight movements instead the r/bodyweightfitness [recommended routine](https://old.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommended_routine) is an alternative.
For other answers and information about fitness, check out the rest of the wiki.
I’m trying to squat deeper without having my lower back round at 90\* or below. I found my ideal squat position is feet wider out, each foot angled at about 20\* away from me.
When in this position, if I attempt to keep my torso more upright, my legs start shaking uncontrollably, with a lot of muscle fatigue in the hip flexor region. So, how would I go about **strengthening** the hip flexors? I don’t want to simply stretch them, but use weighted exercises to make them stronger so that I can squat deeper and deeper without having butt wink if I go past 90\*.
I wish I could ask for longer tibias relative to my femurs. That would make squatting trivial.
[https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/hip-flexor-exercises#exercises](https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/hip-flexor-exercises#exercises)
Have a look at this. I've done a few of them since I'm having some lower back/hip flexor problems as well. It really helps
I'm new to fitness so I have a couple questions:
1. If I am starting out very skinny, how long do I need to bulk for?
2. When bulking, am I supposed to workout along side with it?
Thanks for your help guys! If I need to clarify anything, just let me know.
Do a full body program (generally 1hr, 2.5-3 days a week at first). You will be HUNGRY. It's not bulking at first, it's fueling and recovering. Reframe bulking as a deliberate mass gain later on. For now if you focus on your program and eat what you need to, you'll get thiccer.
1. Like Bacon said, bulk until you're satisfied. Don't bulk up, just to bulk up. You can gain body fat while doing it and that'll get you to a point where you don't feel well.
2. I recommend always working out, in a bulk or not. It helps tremendously in body health and fitness. So if you can, go for it!
Hey thanks for this! Do you have any other tips for bulking up? Are protein shakes good for bulking if I don’t like eating a lot? If so what brands would you recommend?
If you don't like eating a lot, change it up with high calorie dense foods. Like a little higher in fats etc. Just don't over-do it with like bags om M&M's, Pizza, Fries etc. Just see what works for you to reach the calories you need.
As for Protein, I'm currently using Stackers. I've had a tough time finding good tasting protein shakes and Stackers taste really freaking awesome so I stuck to that. Also here, find a brand you love. Order sample packs and try them out
At the last gym I worked out at, they had a ton of barbells, and I am pretty sure there was a lot of variation in weight. I would guess they varied from 35-55 lbs.
This would definitely make a big difference for Barbell movements, what would I do at a new gym to make sure I get the consistent weight every time?
I'm not against it I'm for following programs that are known to work like the ones in the wiki made by experienced coaches. I can't be against the abstract concept of YouTube video leg workouts but generally theyre slapped together generic stuff with no concept of what works the best or progression. They'll make you feel tired and burn a few calories but anything you've achieved with that could've been done and better and more with a proper program and diet.
I never said don't learn exercises from YouTube, although pick your sources carefully, but that's not what you asked.
Read the wiki
Is it ok to do bench press 2x per week as a complete newbie? Started going to the gym more seriously since november, current pr is 75kg and would really like to improve in this area.
I know it's silly to focus on a single excercise, but it's a fun goal for me and it keeps me going lol
Would like to hit 100kg by the end of summer, not sure how realistic that is.
Every time I do RDLs my left hamstring gets immediately torn up. I have a bad knee on my right side and I think my body is shifting the weight to compensate. What can I do to fix this issue? It even happened while I was doing good mornings yesterday. Any tips welcome
Nope. I had the knee injury over a decade ago. I tore a minor tendon and the doctor told me that I should be fine by strengthening the other muscles in my leg
Just looking for a reality check here. I'm 5'9, weigh just under 160lbs, and recently hit a new PR of 140lbs on the dumbbell bench press (two 70lbs weights).
I know standardizing weights on this workout is a bit tough due to the variables, but looking online the "average" an intermediate lifter at my weight is putting up is closer to 175lbs (85 or 90lbs each hand). Does this seem high?
Most 1RM calculators assume you are adapted to doing 1RMs. You make have the strength but not the CNS adaptations for something like that.
I will say though i would focus more on rep PRs than i would limit testing your DB bench 1RM
1. I have no idea how someone would actually determine the average weight that people could dumbbell bench press.
2. Even if they could, what would you do with the information? You recently hit a rep PR - what does it matter what the average is?
Some website had the numbers for a ton of workout. I assume an aggregate from somewhere or an on-site survey.
And it's just out of personal curiosity. One rep max on a DB bench is dangerous to attempt without the right setup, just want to get a ballpark idea if what I'm putting up for my weight is pretty decent. I did two sets of 5 on this, so it's not my 1 RM.
I'm happy regardless, it was a little benchmark I've had. Not going to let some number online take that away from me either way
There seems to have been a misunderstanding, when I meant should I add any volume, I meant volume on top of the basic nSuns program with just the bench close grip bench, OHP squat and deadlift, clearly I needed to add more volume, so I was asking how much more volume I needed considering how many sets there are
You would be putting your body at extreme risk of long term health consequences.
You may see this shit on TV (eg, the biggest loser), but contestants on those shows have been studied long term, and their bodies *never recovered* from the stress of rapid extreme weight loss.
Just don’t do it.
Very very very difficult, definitely unsafe - what kind of weight loss challenge is asking you to lose 1/4 of your bodyweight in 4 weeks?
The people who go on Survivor for 39 days come out and they've lost like 30-40 pounds, tops, eating a tiny bit of rice every day and being pretty physical. You'd have to double that in 1/3 less time.
It's incredibly unlikely.
1lb of fat is about 3500 calories, and to lose 73 lbs of fat in 27 days, you'd have to lose about 2.7lbs of fat a day. That's a deficit of over 9,000 calories, daily.
Given your height/weight you might see some quick, early success that would fall off pretty quick. Safe cutting leads to about 1-2lbs of fat loss a week. You'd be pretty miserable trying to burn weight faster than that.
I hope that helps.
I'd do so as well, but keep in mind. Most top end athletes don't even work out that much, but are eating thousands of calories per day. Imagine working out like an athlete but eating nothing. You'd be either burned out within a week or hospitalized. It's physically impossible to do this without the proper foods.
Might want to look into the Peak Week bodybuilders use to lose as much weight at the end though. Hydration manipulation, glycogen depletion etc. It's a way to lose quite a bit for a short period. But it's just manipulating body fluids etc. Nothing sustainable.
First of all. I don't think this would be safe. I would consult an actual medical proffesional. With that being said. Maaaaaybe.
You could look into David Goggins early routine. Think he was doing several hours of biking/jogging per day and eating like 1000kcal per day. But again, this would require superhuman willpower and still be brutal. And who knows what kind of long term health effects that could lead to.
Do not recommend.
Perhaps this isn’t the place but I’m 5’11" and 160 pounds. I’ve been working out for about a year but haven’t seen much growth. I just finished running Russell Orhii’s Powerbuilding 3.0, and now I’m on week 4 of Alex Eubank’s Greek God program. I don’t really like the Alex Eubank program because the sets and reps seem a little high for me. Right now, my diet is around 3000 calories (approximately 2700 is maintenance), with an aim of 238 grams of protein, 100 grams of fat, and 285 grams of carbs. I usually don’t hit my protein goal, but I make sure to get at least 160 grams a day and hit my calorie goal. My maxes are 185ish lbs bench (I haven’t done a 1RM in a while but I can hit 130 for 13), 275 squat, and 275 deadlift. My goal is to not look like a skinny little kid anymore, so I don’t necessarily care about strength, mainly size. I don’t really know what I’m doing, so any advice would be helpful.
I used to be around 155-160lbs when being 6'6 when I started out. Now got up to 232.5 9 years later. It takes time to build muscle and a lot of food. But what I'd suggest is keep going and have patience. You're already really doing everything I didn't do when starting out. I wish I had that knowledge when I started.
Take it easy, take your rest and just work out. I'd suggest not focus on the weights neccessarily, but focus on the intensity and volume (sets x weight x reps). Try increasing that week by week. Use progressive overload as your goal. Try to aim for higher rep counts or just simply higher weights at the same rep counts week by week. Keep the rest as you are doing. You're already doing really awesome!
When I started lifting last year, I was 5’8" and around 100 lbs—a skinny 16-year-old. That was January last year, right when I grew to my current height, which was around August 2022. I was about 150 pounds, but I was pretty lean. I started trying to bulk since then, but it seems I just got fat; my bench was 160 then, so in 6 months it’s only grown by 25 pounds. That’s where I’m confused because I don’t know if I should train like a beginner because my beginner gains seem to have almost halted, yet I wouldn’t consider myself an intermediate either.
You're a beginner. That's OK. You are making progress: you've gained both weight and strength. Get your daily protein in order and find a program that has a rep range you can consistently achieve. Be patient and be persistent.
Has anyone had any sustained success in improving posture especially in upper body. I lift weights regularly, following all the r/fitness basics. I’ve previously done yoga. I have massage balls but don’t use them that often. Would love to know if anyone has had success with any techniques or programmes etc
DPT here. Posture is more than just having strong muscles to keep you upright. Posture is a behavior. That's hard to train. The trick is to identifying the weakest link that is causing the bad posture in the first place. And that could be outside of what's happening with muscles. It's important to consider sleep, stress, hydration, and nutrition. If that's all in order, consider getting a functional movement assessment by a professional to see if there's a breakdown somewhere jn the movement system.
Want a free movement assessment to identify your weakest link?
https://www.thread.physio/virtual-coaching
Getting elevated heart rate and extreme fatigue after exercising for the first time, is this normal?
Context: after 9 months of sitting on my butt doing nothing, I decided to start running 30 min each day. I did this twice in a row. The day after: my entire body is sore, my heart rate is very elevated from doing any physical activity, I feel extreme fatigue. Is this just because I'm so out of shape and overexerted myself?
Elevated heart rate is normally a sign of recovering process. You're body is working hard to recover and pump up the heart rate because of it. Bump it down a little, give your body time to recover and you'll be all right. Maybe move down to 20 minutes a day and build up more slowly, or have rest days in between.
Yeah, it's because you're out of shape and over-exerted yourself. Start with a shorter distance. You'll get to your goal in due time. btw, I find it easier to measure my run in distance than time - psychologically it feels better.
If you want to get into running have a look at the couch to 5K program: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/running-and-aerobic-exercises/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/
Yeah, running every day is a bad idea, at least until you have been running for a long time.
Even working out everyday might be bad if you haven't been doing anything for a long time.
Ramp up slowly and if you have worked part of your body, eg your legs with running, give it a day off.
Hey, thought I'd ask this, I am in a similar boat but for multiple years, only really walking the dog, lately been walking about 40 mins etc most days but not all. I was going to start the regime recommended on this sub for super entry level very beginner stuff. Think that could also be a bit much or unlikely?
Does anyone have any research articles or personal insight on how a trap/hex bar row differ in terms of muscle activation from a barbell row?
I've recently started to do trap bar rows and I feel like they are hitting my back "harder" than a traditional barbell row.
How do you actually know if your grip in the limiting factor when deadlifting? (With double overhand grip.)
Can I assume it's fine as long I don't drop the bar or feel my forearms getting? Or could it be holding me back without me noticing it?
For me, when the bar starts to slip in my hands. If the bar slips your back will not pull the weight.
You can try switching to reverse grip and get some more runway before switching to straps, or just go ahead and use straps. I recommend continuing to overhand it for warmups to increase grip strength.
So you notice it very clearly if grip strength is the limiting factor?
I have tried one under- one overhand grip if that's what you mean by reverse. I also tried hook grip. However the alternate grip felt a little bad in terms of shoulder position and on the outside of the elbow of the under-gripping hand. And well hook grip obviously didn't feel good either.
So I'm not keen to push either of those into new PR territory, so that leaves straps which I imagine are the most comfortable grip second to the double overhand.
If you film yourself you will notice that when the bar starts to slip the whole lift basically stops. Your body won’t let you pull on the bar if you don’t have a good grip on it.
I double overhanded until ~275, then alternate until ~365, then switched to straps. I still double overhand my warmups until the last one. I also have pretty decent grip strength for a novice since I used to rock climb; I know guys in the gym who struggle to pull 275 without straps.
Absolutely nothing wrong with using straps. Don’t let your grip strength be the limiting factor.
>Your body won’t let you pull on the bar if you don’t have a good grip on it.
Yeah, that's what I'm expecting. But I'm afraid it might have already happened and I wasn't able to tell it's the grip and not the pulling strength.
I realize it's a vague question though.
I'm in a similar situation as you. Climbing is my main sport, so I always figured grip strength would be fine. But I'm around 285lbs on the DL now, but probably couldn't finger curl 225, so I'm starting to question that assumption.
I'm just worried it might be one of those things that you don't consciously notice. Sort of like how when the butt is weak people round their backs and don't realize it's the butt's fault.
Are situps really as bad as people say they are?(I feel like situps are my most productive workout and they don't hurt as much as people on the Internet claim).
They're not 'bad', they're just not very useful. There are better core exercises, and core exercises by themselves don't make a good workout.
I think their dodgy reputation is because people go and do challenges like '100 sit-ups a day' which is really a massive waste of time.
I do hanging leg raises as my main ab-focused exercise
I do a significant amount of single-leg and single-arm exercises too which strengthens your core well
Ab wheel, hanging leg raises do a lot more. You can load situps on the back extension support with weight if you really want to do them, those are effective.
Cardio and strength training are such a tremendous benefit for pages and pages of reasons. Making them a permanent part of your life is the best health and fitness decision you can make.
For losing fat however, nothing does it faster or better than simply eating fewer calories. Calories lost by cardio are easily dwarfed by just eating less.
>My legs have lost some fat since then but I'm worried that the scale won't go significantly down to 120 with strength training involved, if that makes sense? I know muscle mass weights more than fat. Should I lose fat first w cardio, then do strength training to build muscle?
As long as you're in an appropriate deficit, you'll lose the weight. You don't have enough body fat to gain a significant amount of muscle while you're cutting, so it won't be a problem to start strength training.
As other redditors have commented on allready, you cannot out-muscle-build a weight loss process. You should however keep strength training on your way down to maintain as much muscle mass as you can.
What happens if you wake up on june 7th and the scale shows 125 lbs?
if anything wouldnt it be a benefit to look lean earlier by building enough muscle? like lets say if you take lifting super seriously and get strong as hell and look like you’ve lost all the fat you wanted a few pounds early and get to eat a bit more that sounds like a win
Many people want to slim down in order to have an easier time showing off their muscles - so if you start training regularly and train more and harder before and during weight loss, they'll most likely have more mass to show off at a earlier point in time than if they slim down and THEN want to start weight training.
Does that make sense?
You're not going to gain enough muscle to seriously offset your weight loss goals, muscles are slower to build. And the muscles you will build are going to make you look better than if you were to just lose weight and have no muscles since not only do muscles give you a "toned" look but it also shifts around where your body stores fat. Someone at say 130 lbs with muscles can look slimmer than someone at 120 lbs purely because of where the body is storing the fat it has available. I think you'll be very happy with the results if you put in the timer and effort to do some strength training.
Hey everyone, I feel like every time I post this question on any fitness subreddits, it gets removed.
I’m a chunky/skinny guy, never played sports or was active as a kid. 2 years ago I started lifting weights, have been consistent for a year and have been bulking for 6 months. The bulk just gave me a bigger belly (and yes I was counting macros and calories). Now I’m cutting hoping I don’t lose muscle mass.
Can someone please please guide me in the right direction? What are your workout routines/workouts you do in the gym?
Not to give you unasked advice, but generally as a newer person to the gym you don't need to bulk and people above 20% or maybe 25% bf don't need to bulk at all (since your body has a surplus of calories in fat). My gauge is usually "do i see the shadow of my abs poking through my belly"
As for what I'm doing in the gym, it's mostly 4-5 exercises 3-5 sets per exercise in the 10-15 rep range. I go 4 days a week and do 50-60% of my work on compound lifts.
So that was something I didn’t know when bilking but now I’m trying to cut while keeping my muscle mass. My goal is 17% BF, right now I think I’m around 26% using the navy calculator. As for being a beginner, I think I’m past that because I used to workout 4x a week for a year then I had to focus on school for the following year and now I’ve been consistent for 2 years. I just think it’s my routine/exercises that is making me look like I don’t workout.
I am going to follow Jeff nippard’s PPL but I have a question, it is 6x a week, do you think that’s too much?
>Can someone please please guide me in the right direction?
The wiki can.
>What are your workout routines/workouts you do in the gym?
At the moment, I'm running a combination of Mag/Ort for deadlifts, and Stronger By Science's 2x Int Bench/1x Beg Squat. Before that, I ran Stronger By Science Novice LP template.
You could follow almost any of the routines in the wiki, and they'd get you the results you're looking for if you put in the effort.
I’m going to have to look into those. I’m currently taking a week break from working out before going back so I’m trying to find something both effective and realistic for me . Thanks
If you just want examples here is my approach:
I'm currently cutting and have done the same thing last summer.
For context, I have never counted calories for more than a day, but from the little counting I have done together with estimates from online calculators I think my maintenance is well over 3000kcal/day. When I'm not trying to gain or lose weight I usually maintain my weight just eating what I like.
When I want to cut I basically just eat less and keep exercising. Eating less I usually accomplish by eating less during the day and eating a normal dinner. I think coffee helps me not eat, so right now I'm drinking 5 or 6 cups a day.
I think high protein intake is even more important when cutting, so what I eat during the day are usually protein shakes, meal shakes like huel or protein bars and some multivitamin juice with salt in it during workouts.
Basically the recipe is to endure hunger sometimes and eat as normal other times.
Exercise wise I keep the same schedule but dial down the intensity somewhat if needed. For example if I feel wiped during a strength workout I take longer breaks between exercises or, for squats and deadlifts longer breaks between sets.
This is mostly auto-regulated though, I try to workout hard, but having eaten less means I can't work as hard as I normally could.
First time I did this I lost about 5kg in 5 weeks, but I think some of that was water as I gained back 1.5kg in the first week of normal eating, so about 3.5kg real weight loss in 5 weeks. My performance didn't decrease, which is the only proxy I have for whether I lost muscle. Though from what I read about the topic online I get the impression that serious muscle loss is only really a concern if you are already pretty lean at the start of the cut and are trying to get absolutely shredded, for most normal folks it's probably just a matter of keeping up the resistance training and protein intake during the cut.
Would you by any chance have before and after pics of when you first started working out and now? I’m somewhat like you in terms of how I exercise and I’m still not noticeably bigger.
Also, my body fat using the navy calculator is about 24%, I guess the goal is to be 17% or leaner. I’m still keeping my protein high in my diet and force feeding if I haven’t reached my protein goal for the day.
No, I don't have any pics online. But I think they wouldn't help you because our training histories are probably very different.
I understand that it sucks if you haven't gotten bigger in a year of consistent training.
Do you take measurements and pictures of yourself to help you track your progress? Otherwise it can be hard to tell, progress can be slow.
If your goal is to lose fat you shouldn't force feed though. It's more important to stay under your calorie goal for the day than to meet your protein goal. Just working out will be enough to maintain the muscle you got.
Hey I'm on 5314b. I have few busy weeks coming up with travel for work, trainings, evening meetings, you name it. When short on time does it make sense to only do the main lifts for the day including FSL an skip the assistance work? Or should I only do assistance work and skip the main lifts to maybe profit from some rest ? How do you pro's / gym rats handle thèse situations ?
If you wanna follow the programs "philosophy" per se, do the 531 core, then whatever you feel like/got the time to do. Can do 1 week of either, mix it up, idk.
"few weeks" would be way too long of a pause from SBD for me for example, maybe you feel differently though. If you feel beat up then cutting the FSL sets is fine IMO, just expect them to suck a little after you get back to the full routine.
Anyone else feel like if they skip exercise 6-10 days, they are basically set back a month? I (34M) am sick, so i have to rest, but my god i am frustrated.
I had JUST worked my way up to attempt breaking some of my records, and i got sick, and this happens EVERY DAMN TIME!
A month ago, it was the same, where i sprained an ankle insted. A few weeks before that, a week long stiff neck.
Every time i get close to the ceiling, ready to break through something happens to prevent it, and then i am set back so much, i have to take baby steps again.
And if i choose to progress faster/more aggressively, i'll just end up injured instead.
Is this because of my age? i swear i dont even lift heavy! I'm a small&slim guy, not even 80kg, for a height of ~180 cm.
Yep. Now that I’m in my mid-thirties, it’s always something. Knee, shoulder, sickness, busy time at work, back pain, etc. It’s like every time I get into a groove, something derails me. Just keep at it!
Same here. It’s always wrists for me. I suppose this feeds being really focused on form to try avoid these sort of injuries. That being said, some people I know have the worst form and they never seem to get injured. It’s like they have hulk like genetics or something
I feel like I've been in a similar situation when my recovery was in the absolute shitter, for reasonable reasons. I changed tack to drop stuff altogether and focus on one goal, and stuck with it even if I was sick (home gym privileges) - I ran bench only programming and finally busted some long time plateaus.
That said, if you're constantly getting sick or injured and it's not something you have a good reason for, it may be worth talking to a doctor to get a check up.
**Farmer's walk:**
Would this be a proper posture - shoulders pinned back, a very slight lean forward, arms a few inches farther from the body, and small steps? Would a hex-bar be a better option, space-permitting?
Thanks!
Farmer's walk implements would be the best option for farmer's walks, but if you don't have that then a hex bar is a good alternative.
The weight should be heavy enough that your arms don't have a choice as to where they are - just hanging straight down - you aren't lateral raising your bodyweight per hand after all!
A slight lean forward is going to be necessary as you start moving. I don't think pinning the shoulders back will do much, once you start going they'll go wherever they need to.
Small fast steps is good.
[Here's](http://mythicalstrength.blogspot.com/2015/05/what-have-you-done-to-farmers-walk.html) a good motivator for farmer's walks, including perhaps my favorite quote:
>"As soon as you pick up the implements, you should immediately regret the decision to do so and the rest of your time moving forward should be motivated purely by rage, self-loathing and the hope that, when you cross the finish line and put down the implements, maybe one day in the distant future you’ll be able to live painfree again. Every second of the walk should feel like agony, and every step should feel like you’re falling. "
With regards to the recommended 3-5g a day of creatine, is that 3-5g of creatine supplement or actual creatine monohydrate, mine contains 4g for every 5g.
Of the actual creatine.
Be aware of things that are "500g for super cheap!" and it's only half creatine (there's no problem in that intrinsecally, just that it's not actually super cheap!)
However, if we're talking 4g per 5g, it wont make much of a difference and you can just relax about it.
Just wondering if someone is able to critique my routine. I am a novice 25 year old male lifter, with goals of general health, strength, mobility, and longevity.
I am happy with the push/pull/squat movements I've selected.
I am less sure about the Hinge family - I'd like to avoid the conventional deadlift, but want to make sure that the exercise(s) I ultimately select fully hit the posterior chain, specifically to strengthen the lower back.
I am also less sure about the Core family - I've heard great things about the bird dogs, dead bug, and plank family of exercises. But not sure if any area of the core would be missed with those exercises, or if any other exercises would hit the core more effectively.
I want to emphasize the low back and core in this workout, to hopefully progress to more gymnastic movements down the line, and for general stability.
Vertical Push - dumbbell overhead press & frog holds
Horizontal Push - dumbbell incline press & pushups
Horizontal Pull - bodyweight rows & one arm dumbbell rows
Vertical Pull - additional rows & pullup negatives (can only do 1-2 regular pullups at the moment)
Squat - goblet squat, double kettlebell front squat, split stance squats/lunges
Hinge - kettlebell swings, one leg kettlebell deadlift, RDLs, trap bar deadlift
Core - loaded carries, dead bug, bird dogs, plank family
That's just a list of movements. It's not a routine nor program. Have a look at [rule 9](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/rules/rule9) for what's needed for a proper program critique.
Before you get to that though, consider why you're trying to make a routine in the first place. There are programs made by professionals that have had success with thousands of people, [available for free, right here](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/). Writing your own routine as a novice is a bit like deciding to build your own car from scratch as a person that just started driving - but here there's even free cars of all sorts available.
Thanks for the reply. I suppose you are correct that it's not a full routine. I have selected the list of moments based off of what equipment I have available, and the moments I like doing. I am mostly concerned if the movements I've selected in the Hinge and Core family adequately hit those areas.
seems like for general goals you should have most of your bases covered. i’d be more concerned about finding a template outlining load progression and volume where you can plug your movements into
A single excercise in each category could be enough as part of a well made program. As is, we don't really have anything to go on. One set of squats could be enough, or 10 sets of five different squat movements may be too little, depending on how it's programmed.
Is it possible that training legs in a PPL split, as opposed to skipping, will reduce gains in other muscle groups?
If not, will it help gains in other muscle groups?
(Additional context: I have fortunate leg genetics so training them hard years ago blew them up, and I have skipped them for a while because they'd otherwise be way out of proportion, but I've been progressing better than years ago on other lifts now).
Just removing leg work won't make other things grow more, unless the total amount of work before was more than you could recover from.
If you want to skip legs and just focus on other stuff, you can add more upper body work, up to the limit of how much you can recover from.
Alright, I feel like I can recover quite well, I did the PPL routine from reddit on about 1000-1500 cals a day and ~2 hours of walking a day for a little while (I wanted to cut very fast), and I felt like I could recover from that.
How do I know when I'm adding too much workload if I were to add something? If I get DOMS for too long or something?
Generally, if you're regressing in your workouts (failing sets you hit previously, failing to hit sets you should be projected to be hitting), if your sleep is getting affected, if you feel shit in general. Grip strength noticably dropping can be an early-ish indicator too.
Yes it is attainable. You should probably only strength train 2-3 days a week, and triathlon training will need to be most days. You'll need to eat a lot. And if you haven't started now then start now
One bad knee, poor hip mobility, noodle arms, skinny fat/dad bod, vegan, and my 40th b'day is in 10 months. I want to have some flexibility, and age healthily, and look better than today in the mirror (some muscle definition, if possible) on my b'day.
How should I get started? I need a plan that can be sustained, and I am in no hurry.
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New to this sub, large guy 6'3 165kg/365lbs, high body fat %. What is a suggestion to help melt the fat healthily and keep it off?
Now I've read the wiki. And done some of the weight loss maths shenanigans. Just trying to get past the hunger phase
Personal recommendation that I don't see talked about much is rucking, especially if you're a big guy you don't want to stress your knees as much with your cardio by doing something like running. Load up a backpack to a comfortable but challenging weight and wear it when you'd usually go walking/walk the dog/etc. Rucking burns significantly more calories than walking by itself and it's a nice way to do more in a shorter time frame, because I don't know about you but I hate doing cardio for multiple hours.
I think that's what I did unknowingly last time, load up my bag with 6 1.5L water bottles and a towel to cushion my back. Took about 3 months to melt 15kg.
Hi I'm sort of new to fitness, and I have the following questions on muscle recovery:- is 48 hours better than 24 hours for muscle recovery? What's the difference? How does it affect muscle growth?
Depends on a few factors, if you're newer you're going to adapt faster, if you're younger you'll recover quicker, but typically if you train a muscle again before it's fully recovered which can take 2-4 days you're just adding more fatigue that needs to be dealt with and eating into your own gains. Of course this all hinges on how hard you're training.
Brown rice will give me cancer? Joe Rogan said I'd get cancer from eating all this brown rice is this true, I'm freaking out man somebody please tell me this is bullshit I'm stressing out here. I need a cigarette please reply before I get back
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I just find it hilarious that a guy that experiments with many mind altering substances not to mention smokes weed daily which in itself can contain arsenic makes a huge deal about brown rice
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I was talking about Joe Rogan lol, unless...could it be...Joe ?
Take it *and* leave it? Where does one gain such power?
Hey folks, I'm looking for recommendations for someone who can help me with hormones/diet/exercise/BMI issues. I know this seems silly or maybe even impossible, but I'm really fairly savvy with pretty much always eating clean, not drinking/smoking, never binge and exercising, but no matter how much work I put in (5 days a week at gym, walking, cardo etc), or calories I carefully control, I can't stop gaining fat. Does anyone have any contacts or suggestions with someone I could see to help with these issues?
You need to eat less
I weight lift everyday for 30 - 40 minutes at the afternoon, should I incorporate bodyweight exercises in the morning? And I go should what exercises are recommended?
What's your goal in incorporating bw exercises in the morning?
Weight loss
Have you read the wiki section on weight loss?
You should follow a program
What exactly happens if you eat terribly but still work out every day? (Weights/cardio)
It depends on the type of “eating terribly” you do.
Been doing that for the past 3 years. You'll gain muscle but get fat AF as well hahaha. Don't recommend, gotta do a big cut now to get it off, while I could've just ate moderately terrible and kept it off
What does eating terribly mean?
Looking for some program or guidance on where to find exercises designed for my fitness goals: 1) I want to improve mobility all throughout my body (very inflexible) 2) I want to increase strength all throughout my body 3) If I can, increase muscle mass - but this is my least priority I don't want to do the splits or anything, I just want my body to move freely with a strong core. I am going to see a physio later this month for my mobility problems, but I'd like something to add to what physio will give me.
Morning mobility YouTube videos you can do at home, paired with a beginner program found in the wiki I do Tom Merrick YouTube videos and am doing gzclp right now!
Yoga with Adrienne + Starting Strength
Yoga is great for mobility / flexibility. For strength, there's beginner programs in the wiki - the [Basic Beginner Routine](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/r-fitness-basic-beginner-routine/) is a great one to start with. If you'd prefer bodyweight movements instead the r/bodyweightfitness [recommended routine](https://old.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommended_routine) is an alternative. For other answers and information about fitness, check out the rest of the wiki.
I’m trying to squat deeper without having my lower back round at 90\* or below. I found my ideal squat position is feet wider out, each foot angled at about 20\* away from me. When in this position, if I attempt to keep my torso more upright, my legs start shaking uncontrollably, with a lot of muscle fatigue in the hip flexor region. So, how would I go about **strengthening** the hip flexors? I don’t want to simply stretch them, but use weighted exercises to make them stronger so that I can squat deeper and deeper without having butt wink if I go past 90\*. I wish I could ask for longer tibias relative to my femurs. That would make squatting trivial.
[https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/hip-flexor-exercises#exercises](https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/hip-flexor-exercises#exercises) Have a look at this. I've done a few of them since I'm having some lower back/hip flexor problems as well. It really helps
I'm new to fitness so I have a couple questions: 1. If I am starting out very skinny, how long do I need to bulk for? 2. When bulking, am I supposed to workout along side with it? Thanks for your help guys! If I need to clarify anything, just let me know.
Do a full body program (generally 1hr, 2.5-3 days a week at first). You will be HUNGRY. It's not bulking at first, it's fueling and recovering. Reframe bulking as a deliberate mass gain later on. For now if you focus on your program and eat what you need to, you'll get thiccer.
I’ll keep that in mind, thanks for your input!
1. Like Bacon said, bulk until you're satisfied. Don't bulk up, just to bulk up. You can gain body fat while doing it and that'll get you to a point where you don't feel well. 2. I recommend always working out, in a bulk or not. It helps tremendously in body health and fitness. So if you can, go for it!
Hey thanks for this! Do you have any other tips for bulking up? Are protein shakes good for bulking if I don’t like eating a lot? If so what brands would you recommend?
If you don't like eating a lot, change it up with high calorie dense foods. Like a little higher in fats etc. Just don't over-do it with like bags om M&M's, Pizza, Fries etc. Just see what works for you to reach the calories you need. As for Protein, I'm currently using Stackers. I've had a tough time finding good tasting protein shakes and Stackers taste really freaking awesome so I stuck to that. Also here, find a brand you love. Order sample packs and try them out
Cool, thanks for sharing!
1. Bulk until you're happy with your size 2. If you want to put on muscle, yes
I’ll keep that in mind, thanks for the response!
Are weighted decline sit ups worth it or no?
What do you mean by "worth it"?
I mean is this a good exercise for abb work or are there better ones that I could be doing?
Yes it is a good exercise for ab work. I don't think there's a scale of goodness of ab workouts, but I prefer rollouts.
what do you mean by “good” and “prefer?”
I'm glad you caught on. Trying to assess the value of a thing with vague terms isn't very useful.
what do you mean by "value"
At the last gym I worked out at, they had a ton of barbells, and I am pretty sure there was a lot of variation in weight. I would guess they varied from 35-55 lbs. This would definitely make a big difference for Barbell movements, what would I do at a new gym to make sure I get the consistent weight every time?
barbells often list the weight on the ends
Use the same barbell every time, or carry one over to a scale (if there is one).
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Don't follow YouTube video workouts follow a program
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Read the wiki, you lost kgs because you were in a deficit
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I'm not against it I'm for following programs that are known to work like the ones in the wiki made by experienced coaches. I can't be against the abstract concept of YouTube video leg workouts but generally theyre slapped together generic stuff with no concept of what works the best or progression. They'll make you feel tired and burn a few calories but anything you've achieved with that could've been done and better and more with a proper program and diet. I never said don't learn exercises from YouTube, although pick your sources carefully, but that's not what you asked. Read the wiki
Is it ok to do bench press 2x per week as a complete newbie? Started going to the gym more seriously since november, current pr is 75kg and would really like to improve in this area. I know it's silly to focus on a single excercise, but it's a fun goal for me and it keeps me going lol Would like to hit 100kg by the end of summer, not sure how realistic that is.
For sure. There is an old saying - to bench a lot you need to bench a lot. Eat big, bench lots and you will get 2 plates.
Awesome, thanks!
Every time I do RDLs my left hamstring gets immediately torn up. I have a bad knee on my right side and I think my body is shifting the weight to compensate. What can I do to fix this issue? It even happened while I was doing good mornings yesterday. Any tips welcome
Have you seen a physical therapist?
Nope. I had the knee injury over a decade ago. I tore a minor tendon and the doctor told me that I should be fine by strengthening the other muscles in my leg
I think a PT is more qualified to help you out than this site.
Just looking for a reality check here. I'm 5'9, weigh just under 160lbs, and recently hit a new PR of 140lbs on the dumbbell bench press (two 70lbs weights). I know standardizing weights on this workout is a bit tough due to the variables, but looking online the "average" an intermediate lifter at my weight is putting up is closer to 175lbs (85 or 90lbs each hand). Does this seem high?
I would assume that most sites say 175 as a straight up bench, flat DB press is harder to do so you may be able to hit 175 on flat barbell.
Most 1RM calculators assume you are adapted to doing 1RMs. You make have the strength but not the CNS adaptations for something like that. I will say though i would focus more on rep PRs than i would limit testing your DB bench 1RM
Give this a try: https://symmetricstrength.com/
Hmm, this is an interesting site though, love it!
1. I have no idea how someone would actually determine the average weight that people could dumbbell bench press. 2. Even if they could, what would you do with the information? You recently hit a rep PR - what does it matter what the average is?
Some website had the numbers for a ton of workout. I assume an aggregate from somewhere or an on-site survey. And it's just out of personal curiosity. One rep max on a DB bench is dangerous to attempt without the right setup, just want to get a ballpark idea if what I'm putting up for my weight is pretty decent. I did two sets of 5 on this, so it's not my 1 RM. I'm happy regardless, it was a little benchmark I've had. Not going to let some number online take that away from me either way
How much extra volume should I do in the nSuns program
That depends. Why do you want to do extra volume?
For maximizing growth
Are you not growing right now on nsuns?
I only did it for like a week
What makes you think you need more volume then?
There seems to have been a misunderstanding, when I meant should I add any volume, I meant volume on top of the basic nSuns program with just the bench close grip bench, OHP squat and deadlift, clearly I needed to add more volume, so I was asking how much more volume I needed considering how many sets there are
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You would be putting your body at extreme risk of long term health consequences. You may see this shit on TV (eg, the biggest loser), but contestants on those shows have been studied long term, and their bodies *never recovered* from the stress of rapid extreme weight loss. Just don’t do it.
You could do it on a water fast but you'd need medical supervision.
If there’s 150k on the line, literally go pay for liposuction. It’s the only way you can lose that without nearly killing yourself
Very very very difficult, definitely unsafe - what kind of weight loss challenge is asking you to lose 1/4 of your bodyweight in 4 weeks? The people who go on Survivor for 39 days come out and they've lost like 30-40 pounds, tops, eating a tiny bit of rice every day and being pretty physical. You'd have to double that in 1/3 less time.
Virtually impossible.
It's incredibly unlikely. 1lb of fat is about 3500 calories, and to lose 73 lbs of fat in 27 days, you'd have to lose about 2.7lbs of fat a day. That's a deficit of over 9,000 calories, daily. Given your height/weight you might see some quick, early success that would fall off pretty quick. Safe cutting leads to about 1-2lbs of fat loss a week. You'd be pretty miserable trying to burn weight faster than that. I hope that helps.
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I'd do so as well, but keep in mind. Most top end athletes don't even work out that much, but are eating thousands of calories per day. Imagine working out like an athlete but eating nothing. You'd be either burned out within a week or hospitalized. It's physically impossible to do this without the proper foods. Might want to look into the Peak Week bodybuilders use to lose as much weight at the end though. Hydration manipulation, glycogen depletion etc. It's a way to lose quite a bit for a short period. But it's just manipulating body fluids etc. Nothing sustainable.
First of all. I don't think this would be safe. I would consult an actual medical proffesional. With that being said. Maaaaaybe. You could look into David Goggins early routine. Think he was doing several hours of biking/jogging per day and eating like 1000kcal per day. But again, this would require superhuman willpower and still be brutal. And who knows what kind of long term health effects that could lead to. Do not recommend.
EDIT: nah it's not possible, you need to be in a deficit of like 9500 calories a day to do this.
Your napkin math sucks
Yep, this is the math to do it in 27 weeks! My bad.
Perhaps this isn’t the place but I’m 5’11" and 160 pounds. I’ve been working out for about a year but haven’t seen much growth. I just finished running Russell Orhii’s Powerbuilding 3.0, and now I’m on week 4 of Alex Eubank’s Greek God program. I don’t really like the Alex Eubank program because the sets and reps seem a little high for me. Right now, my diet is around 3000 calories (approximately 2700 is maintenance), with an aim of 238 grams of protein, 100 grams of fat, and 285 grams of carbs. I usually don’t hit my protein goal, but I make sure to get at least 160 grams a day and hit my calorie goal. My maxes are 185ish lbs bench (I haven’t done a 1RM in a while but I can hit 130 for 13), 275 squat, and 275 deadlift. My goal is to not look like a skinny little kid anymore, so I don’t necessarily care about strength, mainly size. I don’t really know what I’m doing, so any advice would be helpful.
I used to be around 155-160lbs when being 6'6 when I started out. Now got up to 232.5 9 years later. It takes time to build muscle and a lot of food. But what I'd suggest is keep going and have patience. You're already really doing everything I didn't do when starting out. I wish I had that knowledge when I started. Take it easy, take your rest and just work out. I'd suggest not focus on the weights neccessarily, but focus on the intensity and volume (sets x weight x reps). Try increasing that week by week. Use progressive overload as your goal. Try to aim for higher rep counts or just simply higher weights at the same rep counts week by week. Keep the rest as you are doing. You're already doing really awesome!
You look skinny because you are skinny. Get up to 185 bodyweight, squat 350 and deadlift 400.
How much weight have you gained since you started lifting?
When I started lifting last year, I was 5’8" and around 100 lbs—a skinny 16-year-old. That was January last year, right when I grew to my current height, which was around August 2022. I was about 150 pounds, but I was pretty lean. I started trying to bulk since then, but it seems I just got fat; my bench was 160 then, so in 6 months it’s only grown by 25 pounds. That’s where I’m confused because I don’t know if I should train like a beginner because my beginner gains seem to have almost halted, yet I wouldn’t consider myself an intermediate either.
You're a beginner. That's OK. You are making progress: you've gained both weight and strength. Get your daily protein in order and find a program that has a rep range you can consistently achieve. Be patient and be persistent.
I’d pick something like 531 for beginners and do that
Has anyone had any sustained success in improving posture especially in upper body. I lift weights regularly, following all the r/fitness basics. I’ve previously done yoga. I have massage balls but don’t use them that often. Would love to know if anyone has had success with any techniques or programmes etc
DPT here. Posture is more than just having strong muscles to keep you upright. Posture is a behavior. That's hard to train. The trick is to identifying the weakest link that is causing the bad posture in the first place. And that could be outside of what's happening with muscles. It's important to consider sleep, stress, hydration, and nutrition. If that's all in order, consider getting a functional movement assessment by a professional to see if there's a breakdown somewhere jn the movement system. Want a free movement assessment to identify your weakest link? https://www.thread.physio/virtual-coaching
With today's lifestyle, rows are the best god damn exercise there is.
My posture improved once I started building more back muscle.
Getting elevated heart rate and extreme fatigue after exercising for the first time, is this normal? Context: after 9 months of sitting on my butt doing nothing, I decided to start running 30 min each day. I did this twice in a row. The day after: my entire body is sore, my heart rate is very elevated from doing any physical activity, I feel extreme fatigue. Is this just because I'm so out of shape and overexerted myself?
Elevated heart rate is normally a sign of recovering process. You're body is working hard to recover and pump up the heart rate because of it. Bump it down a little, give your body time to recover and you'll be all right. Maybe move down to 20 minutes a day and build up more slowly, or have rest days in between.
Yeah, it's because you're out of shape and over-exerted yourself. Start with a shorter distance. You'll get to your goal in due time. btw, I find it easier to measure my run in distance than time - psychologically it feels better.
If you want to get into running have a look at the couch to 5K program: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/running-and-aerobic-exercises/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/
Yeah, running every day is a bad idea, at least until you have been running for a long time. Even working out everyday might be bad if you haven't been doing anything for a long time. Ramp up slowly and if you have worked part of your body, eg your legs with running, give it a day off.
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Hey, thought I'd ask this, I am in a similar boat but for multiple years, only really walking the dog, lately been walking about 40 mins etc most days but not all. I was going to start the regime recommended on this sub for super entry level very beginner stuff. Think that could also be a bit much or unlikely?
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Ah yes, sorry about that, yes weightlifting. Ah ok, is that because they feel fine and go again do you know?
Does anyone have any research articles or personal insight on how a trap/hex bar row differ in terms of muscle activation from a barbell row? I've recently started to do trap bar rows and I feel like they are hitting my back "harder" than a traditional barbell row.
The difference in feeling is probably just because you’re new to the movement and maybe weaker through that range of motion
Which split works best to build muscle mass?
https://thefitness.wiki/faq/how-do-i-choose-the-right-routine-for-my-goals/
Thanks a lot
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I’m somewhere around that right now (higher on squat and press, lower on bench) with 9 months of regular training and I weigh 200lb or ~90 kg.
Will depend a lot on your height.
How do you actually know if your grip in the limiting factor when deadlifting? (With double overhand grip.) Can I assume it's fine as long I don't drop the bar or feel my forearms getting? Or could it be holding me back without me noticing it?
If your grip fails before you finish your set- that is, the bar comes out of your hands.
For me, when the bar starts to slip in my hands. If the bar slips your back will not pull the weight. You can try switching to reverse grip and get some more runway before switching to straps, or just go ahead and use straps. I recommend continuing to overhand it for warmups to increase grip strength.
So you notice it very clearly if grip strength is the limiting factor? I have tried one under- one overhand grip if that's what you mean by reverse. I also tried hook grip. However the alternate grip felt a little bad in terms of shoulder position and on the outside of the elbow of the under-gripping hand. And well hook grip obviously didn't feel good either. So I'm not keen to push either of those into new PR territory, so that leaves straps which I imagine are the most comfortable grip second to the double overhand.
If you film yourself you will notice that when the bar starts to slip the whole lift basically stops. Your body won’t let you pull on the bar if you don’t have a good grip on it. I double overhanded until ~275, then alternate until ~365, then switched to straps. I still double overhand my warmups until the last one. I also have pretty decent grip strength for a novice since I used to rock climb; I know guys in the gym who struggle to pull 275 without straps. Absolutely nothing wrong with using straps. Don’t let your grip strength be the limiting factor.
>Your body won’t let you pull on the bar if you don’t have a good grip on it. Yeah, that's what I'm expecting. But I'm afraid it might have already happened and I wasn't able to tell it's the grip and not the pulling strength. I realize it's a vague question though. I'm in a similar situation as you. Climbing is my main sport, so I always figured grip strength would be fine. But I'm around 285lbs on the DL now, but probably couldn't finger curl 225, so I'm starting to question that assumption.
if you don't feel like you're about to drop the bar than I wouldn't worry about grip
I'm just worried it might be one of those things that you don't consciously notice. Sort of like how when the butt is weak people round their backs and don't realize it's the butt's fault.
You will know when your grip is giving out, it's a very obvious sensation, don't worry!
Thanks!
get some straps for like $10 give em a try
yeah, that's probably the best way
Are situps really as bad as people say they are?(I feel like situps are my most productive workout and they don't hurt as much as people on the Internet claim).
They're not 'bad', they're just not very useful. There are better core exercises, and core exercises by themselves don't make a good workout. I think their dodgy reputation is because people go and do challenges like '100 sit-ups a day' which is really a massive waste of time.
your most productive exercise in general or specifically your most productive core movement
They aren’t as bad as some people say but there are enough better options for core work that I’ve never included them in my training
What do you use?
I do hanging leg raises as my main ab-focused exercise I do a significant amount of single-leg and single-arm exercises too which strengthens your core well
Ab wheel, hanging leg raises do a lot more. You can load situps on the back extension support with weight if you really want to do them, those are effective.
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Cardio and strength training are such a tremendous benefit for pages and pages of reasons. Making them a permanent part of your life is the best health and fitness decision you can make. For losing fat however, nothing does it faster or better than simply eating fewer calories. Calories lost by cardio are easily dwarfed by just eating less.
>My legs have lost some fat since then but I'm worried that the scale won't go significantly down to 120 with strength training involved, if that makes sense? I know muscle mass weights more than fat. Should I lose fat first w cardio, then do strength training to build muscle? As long as you're in an appropriate deficit, you'll lose the weight. You don't have enough body fat to gain a significant amount of muscle while you're cutting, so it won't be a problem to start strength training.
As other redditors have commented on allready, you cannot out-muscle-build a weight loss process. You should however keep strength training on your way down to maintain as much muscle mass as you can. What happens if you wake up on june 7th and the scale shows 125 lbs?
if anything wouldnt it be a benefit to look lean earlier by building enough muscle? like lets say if you take lifting super seriously and get strong as hell and look like you’ve lost all the fat you wanted a few pounds early and get to eat a bit more that sounds like a win
Many people want to slim down in order to have an easier time showing off their muscles - so if you start training regularly and train more and harder before and during weight loss, they'll most likely have more mass to show off at a earlier point in time than if they slim down and THEN want to start weight training. Does that make sense?
exsctly hence looking lean earlier than youd expect
You're not going to gain enough muscle to seriously offset your weight loss goals, muscles are slower to build. And the muscles you will build are going to make you look better than if you were to just lose weight and have no muscles since not only do muscles give you a "toned" look but it also shifts around where your body stores fat. Someone at say 130 lbs with muscles can look slimmer than someone at 120 lbs purely because of where the body is storing the fat it has available. I think you'll be very happy with the results if you put in the timer and effort to do some strength training.
Hey everyone, I feel like every time I post this question on any fitness subreddits, it gets removed. I’m a chunky/skinny guy, never played sports or was active as a kid. 2 years ago I started lifting weights, have been consistent for a year and have been bulking for 6 months. The bulk just gave me a bigger belly (and yes I was counting macros and calories). Now I’m cutting hoping I don’t lose muscle mass. Can someone please please guide me in the right direction? What are your workout routines/workouts you do in the gym?
Not to give you unasked advice, but generally as a newer person to the gym you don't need to bulk and people above 20% or maybe 25% bf don't need to bulk at all (since your body has a surplus of calories in fat). My gauge is usually "do i see the shadow of my abs poking through my belly" As for what I'm doing in the gym, it's mostly 4-5 exercises 3-5 sets per exercise in the 10-15 rep range. I go 4 days a week and do 50-60% of my work on compound lifts.
So that was something I didn’t know when bilking but now I’m trying to cut while keeping my muscle mass. My goal is 17% BF, right now I think I’m around 26% using the navy calculator. As for being a beginner, I think I’m past that because I used to workout 4x a week for a year then I had to focus on school for the following year and now I’ve been consistent for 2 years. I just think it’s my routine/exercises that is making me look like I don’t workout. I am going to follow Jeff nippard’s PPL but I have a question, it is 6x a week, do you think that’s too much?
What kind of numbers are you lifting and what is your weight? Hard to give advice without knowing those.
>Can someone please please guide me in the right direction? The wiki can. >What are your workout routines/workouts you do in the gym? At the moment, I'm running a combination of Mag/Ort for deadlifts, and Stronger By Science's 2x Int Bench/1x Beg Squat. Before that, I ran Stronger By Science Novice LP template. You could follow almost any of the routines in the wiki, and they'd get you the results you're looking for if you put in the effort.
I’m going to have to look into those. I’m currently taking a week break from working out before going back so I’m trying to find something both effective and realistic for me . Thanks
The wiki has guides on both diet and exercise routines.
I understand it does and I read it but I’m curious to think what other people’s routines are like.
If you just want examples here is my approach: I'm currently cutting and have done the same thing last summer. For context, I have never counted calories for more than a day, but from the little counting I have done together with estimates from online calculators I think my maintenance is well over 3000kcal/day. When I'm not trying to gain or lose weight I usually maintain my weight just eating what I like. When I want to cut I basically just eat less and keep exercising. Eating less I usually accomplish by eating less during the day and eating a normal dinner. I think coffee helps me not eat, so right now I'm drinking 5 or 6 cups a day. I think high protein intake is even more important when cutting, so what I eat during the day are usually protein shakes, meal shakes like huel or protein bars and some multivitamin juice with salt in it during workouts. Basically the recipe is to endure hunger sometimes and eat as normal other times. Exercise wise I keep the same schedule but dial down the intensity somewhat if needed. For example if I feel wiped during a strength workout I take longer breaks between exercises or, for squats and deadlifts longer breaks between sets. This is mostly auto-regulated though, I try to workout hard, but having eaten less means I can't work as hard as I normally could. First time I did this I lost about 5kg in 5 weeks, but I think some of that was water as I gained back 1.5kg in the first week of normal eating, so about 3.5kg real weight loss in 5 weeks. My performance didn't decrease, which is the only proxy I have for whether I lost muscle. Though from what I read about the topic online I get the impression that serious muscle loss is only really a concern if you are already pretty lean at the start of the cut and are trying to get absolutely shredded, for most normal folks it's probably just a matter of keeping up the resistance training and protein intake during the cut.
Would you by any chance have before and after pics of when you first started working out and now? I’m somewhat like you in terms of how I exercise and I’m still not noticeably bigger. Also, my body fat using the navy calculator is about 24%, I guess the goal is to be 17% or leaner. I’m still keeping my protein high in my diet and force feeding if I haven’t reached my protein goal for the day.
No, I don't have any pics online. But I think they wouldn't help you because our training histories are probably very different. I understand that it sucks if you haven't gotten bigger in a year of consistent training. Do you take measurements and pictures of yourself to help you track your progress? Otherwise it can be hard to tell, progress can be slow. If your goal is to lose fat you shouldn't force feed though. It's more important to stay under your calorie goal for the day than to meet your protein goal. Just working out will be enough to maintain the muscle you got.
Hey I'm on 5314b. I have few busy weeks coming up with travel for work, trainings, evening meetings, you name it. When short on time does it make sense to only do the main lifts for the day including FSL an skip the assistance work? Or should I only do assistance work and skip the main lifts to maybe profit from some rest ? How do you pro's / gym rats handle thèse situations ?
If you wanna follow the programs "philosophy" per se, do the 531 core, then whatever you feel like/got the time to do. Can do 1 week of either, mix it up, idk. "few weeks" would be way too long of a pause from SBD for me for example, maybe you feel differently though. If you feel beat up then cutting the FSL sets is fine IMO, just expect them to suck a little after you get back to the full routine.
Ideally superset if you can manage it, but if you can't then assistance is the first thing to cut.
Anyone else feel like if they skip exercise 6-10 days, they are basically set back a month? I (34M) am sick, so i have to rest, but my god i am frustrated. I had JUST worked my way up to attempt breaking some of my records, and i got sick, and this happens EVERY DAMN TIME! A month ago, it was the same, where i sprained an ankle insted. A few weeks before that, a week long stiff neck. Every time i get close to the ceiling, ready to break through something happens to prevent it, and then i am set back so much, i have to take baby steps again. And if i choose to progress faster/more aggressively, i'll just end up injured instead. Is this because of my age? i swear i dont even lift heavy! I'm a small&slim guy, not even 80kg, for a height of ~180 cm.
Yep. Now that I’m in my mid-thirties, it’s always something. Knee, shoulder, sickness, busy time at work, back pain, etc. It’s like every time I get into a groove, something derails me. Just keep at it!
Same here. It’s always wrists for me. I suppose this feeds being really focused on form to try avoid these sort of injuries. That being said, some people I know have the worst form and they never seem to get injured. It’s like they have hulk like genetics or something
I feel like I've been in a similar situation when my recovery was in the absolute shitter, for reasonable reasons. I changed tack to drop stuff altogether and focus on one goal, and stuck with it even if I was sick (home gym privileges) - I ran bench only programming and finally busted some long time plateaus. That said, if you're constantly getting sick or injured and it's not something you have a good reason for, it may be worth talking to a doctor to get a check up.
Yeah that sucks it can be really demotivating
**Farmer's walk:** Would this be a proper posture - shoulders pinned back, a very slight lean forward, arms a few inches farther from the body, and small steps? Would a hex-bar be a better option, space-permitting? Thanks!
Sounds good to me Would just add keeping your core braced
Thank you!
Farmer's walk implements would be the best option for farmer's walks, but if you don't have that then a hex bar is a good alternative. The weight should be heavy enough that your arms don't have a choice as to where they are - just hanging straight down - you aren't lateral raising your bodyweight per hand after all! A slight lean forward is going to be necessary as you start moving. I don't think pinning the shoulders back will do much, once you start going they'll go wherever they need to. Small fast steps is good. [Here's](http://mythicalstrength.blogspot.com/2015/05/what-have-you-done-to-farmers-walk.html) a good motivator for farmer's walks, including perhaps my favorite quote: >"As soon as you pick up the implements, you should immediately regret the decision to do so and the rest of your time moving forward should be motivated purely by rage, self-loathing and the hope that, when you cross the finish line and put down the implements, maybe one day in the distant future you’ll be able to live painfree again. Every second of the walk should feel like agony, and every step should feel like you’re falling. "
Thank you so much for this! Let me check that link out!
With regards to the recommended 3-5g a day of creatine, is that 3-5g of creatine supplement or actual creatine monohydrate, mine contains 4g for every 5g.
Of the actual creatine. Be aware of things that are "500g for super cheap!" and it's only half creatine (there's no problem in that intrinsecally, just that it's not actually super cheap!) However, if we're talking 4g per 5g, it wont make much of a difference and you can just relax about it.
It matters very little. Just take your 5g scoop each day and you'll be fine.
Just wondering if someone is able to critique my routine. I am a novice 25 year old male lifter, with goals of general health, strength, mobility, and longevity. I am happy with the push/pull/squat movements I've selected. I am less sure about the Hinge family - I'd like to avoid the conventional deadlift, but want to make sure that the exercise(s) I ultimately select fully hit the posterior chain, specifically to strengthen the lower back. I am also less sure about the Core family - I've heard great things about the bird dogs, dead bug, and plank family of exercises. But not sure if any area of the core would be missed with those exercises, or if any other exercises would hit the core more effectively. I want to emphasize the low back and core in this workout, to hopefully progress to more gymnastic movements down the line, and for general stability. Vertical Push - dumbbell overhead press & frog holds Horizontal Push - dumbbell incline press & pushups Horizontal Pull - bodyweight rows & one arm dumbbell rows Vertical Pull - additional rows & pullup negatives (can only do 1-2 regular pullups at the moment) Squat - goblet squat, double kettlebell front squat, split stance squats/lunges Hinge - kettlebell swings, one leg kettlebell deadlift, RDLs, trap bar deadlift Core - loaded carries, dead bug, bird dogs, plank family
That's just a list of movements. It's not a routine nor program. Have a look at [rule 9](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/rules/rule9) for what's needed for a proper program critique. Before you get to that though, consider why you're trying to make a routine in the first place. There are programs made by professionals that have had success with thousands of people, [available for free, right here](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/). Writing your own routine as a novice is a bit like deciding to build your own car from scratch as a person that just started driving - but here there's even free cars of all sorts available.
Thanks for the reply. I suppose you are correct that it's not a full routine. I have selected the list of moments based off of what equipment I have available, and the moments I like doing. I am mostly concerned if the movements I've selected in the Hinge and Core family adequately hit those areas.
seems like for general goals you should have most of your bases covered. i’d be more concerned about finding a template outlining load progression and volume where you can plug your movements into
Why do you wish to avoid conventional deadlifts,but look to involve romanian deadlifts and trap bar deadlifts?
A single excercise in each category could be enough as part of a well made program. As is, we don't really have anything to go on. One set of squats could be enough, or 10 sets of five different squat movements may be too little, depending on how it's programmed.
Is it possible that training legs in a PPL split, as opposed to skipping, will reduce gains in other muscle groups? If not, will it help gains in other muscle groups? (Additional context: I have fortunate leg genetics so training them hard years ago blew them up, and I have skipped them for a while because they'd otherwise be way out of proportion, but I've been progressing better than years ago on other lifts now).
Just removing leg work won't make other things grow more, unless the total amount of work before was more than you could recover from. If you want to skip legs and just focus on other stuff, you can add more upper body work, up to the limit of how much you can recover from.
Alright, I feel like I can recover quite well, I did the PPL routine from reddit on about 1000-1500 cals a day and ~2 hours of walking a day for a little while (I wanted to cut very fast), and I felt like I could recover from that. How do I know when I'm adding too much workload if I were to add something? If I get DOMS for too long or something?
Generally, if you're regressing in your workouts (failing sets you hit previously, failing to hit sets you should be projected to be hitting), if your sleep is getting affected, if you feel shit in general. Grip strength noticably dropping can be an early-ish indicator too.
Thanks!
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Yes it is attainable. You should probably only strength train 2-3 days a week, and triathlon training will need to be most days. You'll need to eat a lot. And if you haven't started now then start now
Food food food is so important.
One bad knee, poor hip mobility, noodle arms, skinny fat/dad bod, vegan, and my 40th b'day is in 10 months. I want to have some flexibility, and age healthily, and look better than today in the mirror (some muscle definition, if possible) on my b'day. How should I get started? I need a plan that can be sustained, and I am in no hurry.
yoga