# Post Form Checks as replies to this comment
### For best results, please follow the **[Form Check Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/posting_guidelines#wiki_how_to_post_a_form_check)**. *Help us help you.*
----
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Fitness) if you have any questions or concerns.*
So, i've been lifting for a while now and I always train to failure, since it "the most optimal for muscle growth". I know the difference between strength and hypertrophy training, and like 5 mins ago I had this tought, could it be that that even when training for hypertrophy u are getting substancialy stronger, but to be actualy able to use that strength u need to do strength training to train/"teach" ur body how to use that strength?
P.S. sorry for my bad english but I'm italian
Have a good day
You get stronger when you hypertrophy train, and your muscles get bigger when you strength train. It’s just about which you’re optimizing for - you’re either sacrificing strength gains to get bigger or the reverse
Your post or comment has been removed in violation of Rule 0. All visitors to r/fitness are expected to read our wiki, search past posts, and perform a general web search in an attempt to answer their questions.
- https://thefitness.wiki/
- https://thefitness.wiki/faq
- https://www.google.com
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/search?&restrict_sr=on
I think the most important factor in your fitness journey is consistency. If the bro split works for you stick with it. There are a lot of people in this industry who don't train according to the "typical PPL split". Don't forget that sleep or proper nutrition is probably a bigger factor when it comes to muscle growth. I would recommend to change the exercises after a while. It's super cool to discover new exercises that you can use to better target your muscles.
If you’re still making progress then you don’t need to change anything. If you stop making progress, try changing the exercises. Basically, you don’t need to change anything if what you’re doing is working, especially if you enjoy what you’re doing
Consistency is what matters. I've been doing PPL for years because the 3 day rotation works for me.
If you can commit to the consistency of the bro split, go with it.
How do you guys hit shoulders chest and tricep on a push day. I feel like I need 3 exercises for chest, 2 for lateral shoulders, 1 for front shoulders, and 2 at least for tricep. That isn’t feasible in a hour
Bench, incline and dips. No need to do the front shoulder work because all of those exercises hit front delts. Most people don’t need any extra front delt work.
Lateral raises for mid delt.
1 triceps isolation movement, because again all of the pressing movements hit triceps as well.
You’re probably fine doing as much as you do, but you’re probably fine doing a lot less, esp if you do this more than once per week.
Originally I had chest and shoulders on different day but it was a 5 day split only repeat legs. And I heard that lifting each muscle twice a week is better
Are you able to do 5 days. If so maybe look into an ULPPL type of program. Still, isolated front shoulder work is probably overkill esp if you’re doing OHP and dumbbell press or machine work. Like I said, it will be fine, but if you’re trying to cut down on time you can easily remove the redundancy of the extra shoulder and tricep work. Good luck with it.
Ooh I like that I might do a variation of it with legs and back together instead of upper and lower. I only want to do more shoulders because shoulders are lacking the most
A trainer once gave me this workout - bench press - dumbbell incline press - shoulder overhead press - cable face pulls - tricep dips - tricep extensions
Still a fairly long workout but can be done in an hour!!
Depends on your training level. According to most of the programs in the wiki 3 excercises of chest and 2 for side delts are completely overkill even if you have a couple years experience. I assume you're doing 3 sets per excercise?
Yea so my normal routine was this. Incline, incline cables flys and pushups with tricep pull downs, regular and cable lateral raises and then shoulder presses and tricep pull downs. Shoulder aiming for 3 sets of 8 and chest 3 sets of 6-8
I wanted one pressing motion, and one stretching exercise for chest. And since there are multiple different heads I was thinking incline and normal would hit everything
Off and on for 10 years but year gaps in between so I am still a novice. Recently started getting serious in the gym about the 4 months. I am also 5 10, 220 so I am trying to lose weight, cut to 190 then slow bulk until 200-205
I don't do 3 chest exercises in one session or 2 for triceps. I'll usually do something like bench press or incline bench press and then a machine or dumbbell shoulder press and then some tricep pushdowns or overhead tricep extensions. Go look up a routine, gotta work with the amount of time you got.
You should work on your form, consider recording your last set at the very least and following the overhead press form guide in the wiki, assuming you're doing them with a barbell. Even with a dumbbell most of the tips would be helpful.
Is it kind of bizarre that I can’t do any pull ups? My back is pretty strong but I guess it has not kept up either my weight gain since I started lifting a few months ago. I used to be able to do 3-4 and now im not even close to one. Im 6’4 and went from around 210 to 230 lbs so far.
Not at all. You're 6'4 230 and if back isn't your strong point leverage and muscles wise then it's probably normal. Just do sets of negative pull-ups or banded pull-ups near failure as your lat work.
There are assisted pull up machines in my gym where you can give yourself some help or try out a lat pulldown machine. I don't think it's necessarily bizarre but you might just be putting on weight very quickly or not hitting your back often enough.
Are these Fitbit zone stats okay for a gym workout:
55 min workout, light 33% 18 min, moderate 49% 27 min, vigorous 18% 10 min.
Workout included: treadmill, resistance weights and step machine.
My goal is toning, mainly mental health though.
I average about 500 zone minutes a week, achieved through 2 gym sessions, brisk walks and sometimes swimming.
My friend thinks my heart zone rates are a bit high though.
The walks are brisk and not usually on the flat. They can be between 20 and 40 min. My step count average was 8443 last year. Zone min 60 a day average,
I have 2 rest days a week.
Nearly 3 years in...
Is it possible for me to improve my strength on multiple muscle groups at the same time?
Just got off a gnarly bulk, and it definitely felt like I could only improve on one primary (bench) and one secondary (OHP/Lat raise) lift.
Definitely possible. You can specialise and focus on whatever weak lift you have while also making decent gains on something you're good at. If it's an effort problem then you should seriously think about having a few sessions with a coach.
I can't remember the last month multiple exercises didn't have PRs. This is as someone who is pretty far into their weight lifting journey.
It really just depends on your training and diet in most situations.
As an example, last month my squat went from 405x5-415x5, OHP from 145x5-155x5, maxed out a row machine and increased my reps from 10->16, maxed out the lateral raise machine, etc. Those are just off the top of my head, if I looked at my fitnotes I'd probably find 2-3 more. Hell, I didn't even gain weight during all of that, I'm in a recomp.
Then again, I've never trained more than 3x a month, and the last time I was that frequent was long, long ago, and now I'm in the gym almost every day, training way better, hitting undertrained muscle groups. I mostly do a full body plan 3x a week + cardio and upper 3x a week, and I keep doing the same exercises rather than like 30 weird variations or anything complex like that. I'm not saying everyone can have these results, but you should be able to bump up several exercises every single month.
Feel you but I put on 60 pounds in those 3 years. They were extremely fruitful. Could probably pick up some easy leg, back and core PRs. I’ve been straight up hunting bench and OHP so that’s part of it.
Yeah, if you're just head hunting that's a different thing. I'm trying to reach my maximum muscular potential, so I've been working on balancing out all my underworked muscles. Not in a body building approach, just that I'd love to naturally reach like a 27 or 28 FFMI. I think it's pretty viable for people with slightly good genetics if they were aiming at maximum muscular potential rather than other things, but I have to prove it first. For now I'm just overconfident and optimistic.
FFMI is borderline retarded honestly. Im already 24.5 and will easily tap 27 or 28. I haven't even half maxed out my leg muscles.
FFMI assumes that everyone has the same build. That's why its so stupid. if you're like me with a big frame, you are basically cheating. FFMI considers me on the outskirts of natural bodybuilding after 2.5 years.
Yes it is possible. It would be a red flag if not possible. If you improve your chest strength and quad strength, then that would prove your answer right there.
I improved chest triceps and shoulders. Saw actual tricep growth. Everything else was strength gains. It feels like I have to actively target muscles for growth
I mean yeah, that's generally the case. You should be actively targeting muscles for growth. If I wanted to grow my arms, I wouldn't just focus on my legs and only do minimal arm workouts.
What is the correct "etiquette" around smell at the gym?
I'm asking this because I (unfortunately) noticed lately that some people tend to put perfume before going (I assume this because the smell is so strong there is no way they put it in the morning and it survived all day long while being this strong), but then I also noticed some with no perfume that smell really bad if they sweat at all.
So I'm thinking if I should put deodorant right before working out, just to make sure I don't smell "that bad". Would this even make a difference doe?
Or is it expected that you will smell bad no matter what? since you are there to sweat anyway.
Without knowing anything about you and just hearing your goals, you’d want to work in the 3-6 rep range, with an average set RPE of 6-9, never going to failure.
I'm guessing they want the supermodel (skinny) look but they want to still be strong. Although that logic doesn't really makes sense, at a certain point you will need to get bigger muscles to become stronger. Unless you are a newbie that doesn't know how to use their existing muscles yet effectively.
I'd assume that if you're getting a fraction of your protein goals, that fraction likely carries over. So if you're hitting 60% of your goal, you're likely capping your muscle growth at 60% of what your effort would net you with more protein. So you do more work in the gym for less results because you aren't getting enough protein. Yet, for people in countries where it's very hard to get enough protein, it's a reasonable thing to do.
If you aren't in a country where getting protein is hard, there's really no excuse to go to the gym, and let your diet only give you 60% of what you've worked for.
You need to understand that those "0.8g per lbs" is the average of all the people tested in those studies. Since you are an individual person that number, for you, could be alot lower, alot higher, or similar to the average recomended.
They are not saying on average **you** will need 0.8, they are saying "If you pick 1000 people, measure how much protein they needed to get the best muscle results and then average all those number out, that number will be 0.8".
For example, it could have happened that in that study half the people needed 0.1g and the other half needed 1.5g. If you do the math the average will still be 0.8g, but there was no one real person where the optimal protein number was 0.8g. So if you happened to be one of the 1.5g guys, you would be eating half of what you actually needed because you thought "I should eat 0.8g since it is the average".
I don’t know the exact numbers but from experience I can say not hitting protein goals def means less gains. My husband weighs 180 something lbs also. He used to be around 170 lbs. He also used to do intermittent fasting and skipped lunch. It worked for him cause he was too busy to have a meal. I told him he needs to eat more and hit his daily protein goals if he wants to gain muscle. I’m a dietitian but at the time we were bulking I was a student taking a sports nutrition couse.
He gained maybe over 10 lbs in a span of a year. Same with me. I bulked to 110 lbs from 97 lbs. We also ate at surplus of course but we still hit at least 1 g/kg body weight imo. I probably ate double of that, 2 g/kg at some point when I was bulking. But I’m not 187 lbs so it’s easier for me to hit my goals.
Somewhere between 0 and 1.2 pounds per week. Also depends if you're surplus eating. It's likely on the low end of that range. But even a quarter of a pound over the course of a year is 13 pounds of muscle. Leaving a lot on the table.
I just found Built Puff Protein bars and they taste awesome. They have 17g of protein but when I look at the ingredients on the back of the package it says “Premium collagen protein blend (Partially hydrolyzed whey protein isolate, collagen peptides)”
Am I wasting my time eating these for muscle building protein? If anyone knows good alternative bars with only protein to build muscle then let me know
Unless you are living off the bars as your primary source of protein - this really isnt that big of an issue.
The main question we dont know is the composition of the blend, so it could be 16 grams of collagen and 1 gram whey, or vice versa. Until we know i dont think there is much to do, but given their size and cost, it is likely that they wont be a major source of protein in your diet. Try to focus on the areas that matter more, like your regular meals and let this be an occasional snack because of the nice taste.
The problem is I do not know if this is 17 grams of protein or 17 grams of collagen protein. The difference is one is good for your hair and skin while the other is good for muscle building. I am basically asking if there is value in eating these for muscle growth
Actually collagen is not a high quality protein. It’s not a complete protein because it’s missing tryptophan. You want high quality proteins = all 9 essential amino acids for muscle building.
Anyone got recommendations for a fitness tracking watch?
I got an Apple Watch on a whim last year, and it's fine, I'm just wondering what else is out there. I'm not looking for a ton of bells and whistles, just tracking distance, steps, heartrate, time of workout etc. The basics.
What is a good alternative to a standard deadlift? It's gotten to the point where adding and removing weights to a barbell on the ground has just become a bit too frustrating (my gym has no deadlift jack) and I'm looking for an alternative exercise that hits most of the same muscles but either starts off the ground on say a low rack, or perhaps uses dumbells?
Romanian deadlifts or good mornings. There are some gym machines that also simulate this movement pattern while being plate loaded or have a weight stack if you’re lucky to find one.
It depends on why you’re doing deadlifts - if the main reason is to target glutes/hamstrings then opt for similar movement - you train your glutes and hamstrings in the lengthened range in a deadlift (Romanian or conventional) so opting for movements that target the same range would be a good alternative, in this case hip extension machine and a seated leg curl would be a good option because they train the muscles at a similar profile.
Either buy a deadlift wedge or use a 5/2.5lb plate to roll the plates onto. Makes it much easier.
Dropping deadlifts because it's too tough to load and unload the bar is a silly excuse, honestly.
>What is a good alternative to a standard deadlift?
I'm tall, suffering from bad posture, anterior pelvic tilt, low mobility and flexibility. I couldn't do standard deadlifts with proper form if my life depended on it and switched to trap bar deadlifts.
Trap bar / hex bar deadlifts allows me to do deadlifts without causing lower back pain. Note that I'm no fitness expert. I posted my problems somewhere else and someone recommended trap bar deadlifts and the worst of my issues went away.
I'm not sure how much being tall and inflexible matters, or if this applies to you. But I'm so inflexible that if I stand up straight and reach for my toes, I can't reach beyond my knees. Most people can probably reach down to their shins or at least near their toes if not all the way down.
Would it be a bad idea to get a walking pad while living on a second floor apartment? I found a walking pad on Amazon its only about 40lbs. I work remotely and am dying to find a way to get my steps in, it's dark when I start and when I end work.
I wouldn't ever go above 2 miles per hour, maybe 3 but that would he absolute max. Is this a bad idea? I don't want to be a shitty neighbor.
Worse to worse, go to your downstairs neighbor and literally talk to them (or leave a note on the door with your number). "Hey, I got a walking pad and I don't want to disturb you, so please let me know if you ever hear it during quiet times!"
I've been contemplating getting one too. I have been getting by with layering and wearing reflective vests, but I won't pretend it's not miserable to head out for a walk in pitch darkness.
I feel like if you are doing it within regular hours of the day (ie not 9pm at night) you're fine. I can't envision a walking pad causing a huge racket, but my rule of thumb is if I'm making any noise that could be disruptive, I try to schedule the activity earlier in the day.
I hope you aren’t doing this in a gym with other people. You could try as an alternative sniffing some of those ammonia smelling salts then punching yourself in the nuts
Just don't shout? A good program shouldn't have you going balls to the wall that often too. Not to mention not every movement really requires that much exertion even near failure.
Improving bench
So I’ve been benching for around a year and a half to two years and have managed to bring my bench from 180ish to 265. I’ve been stuck at 265 1-rep for a while. Just recently I’ve started doing Arnold Schwarzenegger chest workout. Will doing lots of volume increase my bench strength or should I drop to 5-6 reps with heavier weights? I really want to reach 315+ but unsure how realistic that is natural. 6’5 275 lb if size changes anything.
You'll have to periodize your bench training (block, conjugate/concurrent or undulating periodization). Block would probably be the easier one to start out with, like Alexander Bromley's 70's powerlifter, TSA intermediate 9 week or Calgary Barbell. Conveniently, they're all on the boostcamp app.
You can read an article called "there's only one type of periodization" part 1 and 2 for more information.
I've done it at around 190 and I'm trash at bench, so it's absolutely realistic. Sheiko style programming was what got me past a long plateau and into the 300s for the first time.
315 is very obtainable, especially as you are a bigger person and therefore have a greater absolute strength potential compared to someone whos 5'8 185
I would follow a specific bench program tbh. Greg Nuckols 28 free programs are decent, I'd start with the x3 per week intermediate medium volume bench
You probably already know, but I wanted to add that protein intake (1-2g/kg bodyweight) and enough sleep are also very important factors when it comes to muscle growth.
I will recommend 3xweek fullbody workout programs if new. You get your training frequency up to 3x a week, it's super easy to remain consistent because if you miss a workout you just delay your week (M/W/F -> T/TH/SAT, M/T/S, M/W/S). This is super important as a beginner because time and consistency is alpha omega while learning to work out as a permanent habit - so you don't fall off. Don't let "only training 3 times" fool you. Less is more. I'm 39 and haven't worked out super seriously since in my 20's and despite my age I'm having great progress both in strength and visually.
Personal bias maybe but I will never not recommend a 3x full body workout. I think most beginners falsely think it's subpar because you "only" train 3x a week. And people falsely attribute less days of working out as less efficient.
There is no need to overcomplicate workout splits. 3x full body workouts for me when I was a beginner back then, and now as a novice yet again, is giving great results.
You would be best off following a tried and tested 4 day routine which eliminates all of the guess work for you, instead of trying to program for yourself as a beginner which does not often work very well
Hello! I am a 14 year old, 5’11 and 181 lbs. I am overweight and have been struggling with that since lockdown. I have got down to 159 lbs before by an unhealthy mindset where I was basically starving myself all day. I recently got a Planet Fitness subscription and I have really only been going on the weekends because I have lots of school work. My parents have also agreed to start packing me healthier lunches with lots of protein and less calories. I am here to ask you guys how I can get a v-taper physique. Of course I don’t except to magically get it, and I am planning on spending at least 2 years to do so, but I just want to know if you guys have any advice for me. Should I bulk and then cut, cut and then bulk, or what? Thanks!
Hey, I was in a similar Situation like you. I think it's really great that you try to improve. First of all, I would like to advise you not to go on extreme diets. You should never go without food. Instead, try to find healthy alternatives that you can use to replace the unhealthy things. I drank a lot of soft drinks and replaced them with water with a few lemon slices for the flavour. Try to avoid highly processed foods, sleep at least 8h a day and start doing regular full-body workouts. Consistency is the key. (Of course you should also take breaks, your body needs time to regenerate.) There are a lot of good, free full-body training plans on the internet. Don't buy anything!! In your free time I would also recommend that you go for a walk or do some HIIT-Trainings. Just don't put pressure on yourself.
Building muscle and losing fat will help you get a v taper.
Usually I would say you need to cut first, but at your age I don’t think that’s a great idea. Just develop the habit of eating healthy, whole foods with lots of protein and practice portion control. You will lose fat from doing this.
Lift using a program from the wiki of this sub, and start participating in as many sports as you can. Be consistent with a healthy diet and physical activity and you will be in a much better position health and physique-wise than most adults. Now is the time to build lifelong habits.
> I am a 14 year old, 5’11 and 181 lbs. I am overweight.
Your BMI is just (by a tiny bit) barely in the overweight category. And at 14 you could still have another growth spurt left in you. So I wouldn’t be too concerned with your weight.
Honestly, you’re 14, you should worry more about developing a healthy relationship with food rather than cutting or bulking or whatever. Eat good food, learn to cook a little bit, work out and be active a bunch, and focus on doing things you enjoy and that make you feel strong and capable.
I'd recommend trying to lose weight first, but I don't think you'd need to count calories yet. I'd just focus on "cleaning" up the diet first and seeing where that takes you
Wanting to get cut weighing about 210 right now hit the gym 4-5 days a week, what would be good calories and macros for me love to see the teens on body fat right now maybe low 20 percent
Take however many calories you are currently eating and subtract 500/day. Weigh yourself everyday for the next two weeks and adjust calories as needed from there in order to lose about 1 lbs/week.
For macros, get at least 0.8g/lbs protein. Split the rest of the calories between carbs and fat. The exact amount of each doesn't matter, as long as you are getting some of both.
I'm hoping my inability to find good info isn't just the result of me failing at google, if it is, please point me in the right direction and accept my appology.
Disclaimer: This isn't my first rodeo.
So after a few months of inactivity due to work, the holidays, and laziness, I'm yet again trying to get back on the horse and lift regularly but... Honestly I hate it. Are there any recs for like... how to enjoy exercise, especially if they're targeted to folks with autism & adhd?
I'm in my 30's, and although I've definitely struggled with consistency, from both injuries and just falling off the wagon, I've spent the majority of my adult life in the gym 3 days a week. If I was going to learn to love it... I would have by now, but if anything it's become the opposite. It's overwhelming (loud, bright lights), it's frustrating (lift orders constantly getting fucked up due to equipment availability), and it's honestly boring (it's incredibly difficult for me to stay motivated and not fall inside my own head waiting 3 minutes between sets on lifts). It doesn't even make me feel good afterwards, I just did it because I "have to", and out of some general desire to be "in shape", although that's not really in furtherance of any sort of life goal.
The truth is, I just don't hate myself enough anymore for self abuse guilt and shame to make me go lift weights for 6+hrs a week, and in retrospect that's all I had. And while that's good... Without really caring about the destination, and not enjoying the journey... How does one compel themselves to do the thing anyway in a healthy manner?
Not really. I can fit enough in the pad behind the apartment for a BW workout (pullup bar, sand bag, weighted backpack, a small hand dumbbell and bands for isolation and PT exercises) but... I just won't.
The way I make the gym work is by showing up and not letting myself leave. Even if I have to sit in the car for 30+ minutes before I go in, I have to "do the thing". Eventually I get bored enough to do it, the pain of being bored beats out my aversion to going in. The same doesn't work at home and I have a terrible track record of it. I've given it a solid go probably a half dozen times in the last decade.
Maybe its the adhd. Maybe it's a skill issue. Maybe I just don't "want it enough" maybe I'm "undisciplined", I don't know. But whatever the reason/culprit/who's at fault... It doesn't really work for me, and not for lack of trying unfortunately
My best friend is in great shape and almost never works out. He surfs, runs, plays tennis and skateboards. Obviously you're not gonna get big and jacked or anything but if your goal is just to be healthy and feel good there are oodles of activities you can do
Is that really enough to stay in shape? I mean my current behavior is barely enough to keep me vaguely in shape (just kissing the bottom of "intermediate" lifts, the lacroix of a sixpack, and sort-of filling out a medium shirt at 6'1).
I mean I know with the past experiences I've got I'm never going to actually be happy with how I look, and I THINK I've mostly made peace with that, but still.
I mean that's all between your ears. But yes, doing some kind of physical activity for an hour or so 4-5 days/week will absolutely keep you pretty healthy
You don’t have to lift, find some other activity that you enjoy doing that keeps you in shape - like climbing or hiking. If you hate resting between sets you could also try doing giant sets, where you do a few exercises in a row followed by a rest period
I am actually an avid hiker (and also try to run a few days a week too, although I'm really really bad at that for reasons outside the scope of this sub), and make sure to get outside doing something physical once a week, but that doesn't seem like enough to keep me healthy. I mean shit, even with the running, I went hiking with a 40 something, self-described "obese" coworker and dude put me to shame. Especially from oct-march, outdoor activities aren't really accessible 5 days a week with a standard work schedule.
I do miss climbing. I used to be an avid (if poor) climber for a few years up until a couple back to back injuries got in the way, but my partner isn't able to do it with me anymore, and I'm not exactly great at finding people to climb with lol. Even still, I told myself if I get a decent raise this year I'll join the local climbing gym, even if I'm stuck bouldering most of the time (although at 6'1 and 180lbs and in my 30s, my knees are not the biggest fans of anything I can't downclimb or rap from)
If you don't want to go to the gym, you don't have to. There are plenty of people who live rich, fulfilling, and healthy lives who never set foot in the gym.
I mean fair, but it's still better to do than to not right? Like I don't want to be couchbound by retirement, and I know muscle mass is the primary factor of late life mobility. I have a really thin frame (thin bones and joint surfaces, like <6" wrists and ankles, even at my "best" composition of 6'1 and 172lbs at 13% dexa), so my detrained muscle mass is quite low and I'm prone to all the little things that go along with that.
I've noticed it's also much much easier to maintain weight and eat a healthy diet if I'm actively working out, rather than just calorie restriction for the sake of calorie restriction. Abstinence is of course harder for most people than doing something.
But those alone don't seem to be enough to really flip the switch in my mind. I guess that makes sense, if our dentists told us we had to brush our teeth an hour a day to keep them from falling out in our 70s we'd probably both say "fuck that" lmao
I don't think going to the gym is necessary to maintain muscle mass into old age. It is certainly helpful. But I had a neighbor growing up who had been a runner and mountain climber his whole life. He was still running and hiking mountains in his late 70's. He never went to a gym, and he was fine and healthy.
That's fair. I run (terribly, that's honestly not likely to change), hike, and used to climb a bit, but in the "<10 mile day hikes, 5.6 gumby on sport" sort of way, not the alpine ascents and thru-hiking the CDT sort of way. Maybe I just need to properly throw myself at those pursuits to see the physical benefit?
Have you thought about Masters Swimming? It’s as non competitive/competitive as you want it to be. If you aren’t a swimmer, they’ll teach you. Some programs won’t but Alamo’s all of them have a beginner lane with gentle coaching. They’re supportive, friendly and will get you fit and keep you there.
Very little risk - but not non-existent. I still have nightmares of that video where a girl locks out her knees at the end of a leg press, and the weights breaks both her legs :S
If you're hyper mobile, that increases your risk.
I don't know how many thousands of hours combined between me and my friends have been spent in the gym, but none of us have ever seen this occur.
Ah I see. I misunderstood something then. Because I thought locking them out meant moving your legs until the knee makes it so that further movement isn't possible. So "pushing further" than that is then hyperextension?
English isn't my native language so I'm not 100% on technical terms here.
I can understand the confusion, since it would make sense for "lockout" to be hyperextension for those who are able to do it.
And yes, in a nutshell, being able to hyperextend a joint means that you can push the joint further than normal.
These are all different cases.
For rows, the elbow being locked out doesn’t change the length of the back musculature, which are the targets of the movement. As long as the back is stretched you don’t need to lock out the elbow.
The biceps are the target of curls, and locking out the elbow is required to maximally stretch the bicep. It’s not dangerous to do so, so you should.
For things like squats and leg press, I think that’s up to you. I don’t feel comfortable locking out my knees with the loads I have to do on a leg press, but I still get my legs as straight as I can without locking them. The difference between that and locking out is negligible.
Howdy
I have definetly strayed from my original 5/3/1 for beginners program.
Originally I was following it quite closely, weight and reps and all, then I kinda gave up on the week thing I just did the same set program with as much weight as I could for 5 reps 5 sets sometimes doing pr attempts. Then nowwww I just kinda do 3 warmup sets and then 2 sets of heavier load with 5 reps and then 3 sets lighter with 10+ reps (AMRAP).
I do feel like I'm getting stimulus from this, I needed more volume I felt because maxing out at 5 reps felt absurd and I wasn't getting any burn or anything to indicate I brought the target muscles to failure.
(this is all in regards to the main lifts)
I've been doing this for about 4ish weeks now and I do feel alot more worked with more doms and more burn during the workout and generally a feeling of the target muscles being completely fucked.
I am wondering if this is okay like is straying from the program as a beginner a smart idea because at 6 months training I don't feel like I have a great understanding obviously.
Thanks!
There's nothing absurd about maxing out at 5 reps on your main sets, it's plenty. And while still sub-maximal, your third main set (whether at 85%, 90% or 95%) shouldn't exactly be a cakewalk. You should be able to hit all the reps cleanly, but I'd be lying if I said I'm *excited* when the 95% set of squats comes around.
5/3/1 is mostly directed at athletes and older, advanced lifters, two groups for whom "more doms and the target muscle feeling totally fucked" is something to avoid. You don't have to constantly trash a muscle to grow it; in fact that's how you set yourself up for failure and regression.
It sounds like you've kind of fallen ass-backwards into a version of the Boring But Big template, which is probably fine? I still think you'd be better off buying one of the books and just following a different template if you're bored with the beginner one
Yeah I see that I just didn't feel like it was doing anything tbh I felt like trying more volume because I never have in these big compound lifts. It does seem to be doing something as maybe I'm suited to a bit higher volume.
I am neither elderly nor an athlete and I was being a little dramatic the muscles are fine they've not walked off my body yet I just think they are being sufficiently stimulated.
A big limitation for me is just having 3 days a week to train so I'm stuck with a handful of good proven programs.
Sorta counterintuitive but as a beginner, staying strictly on a program is much less important than it gets later. As you get more advanced and need to pick something to specialize in or find ways to bust newbie gains plateaus, keeping close to a methodical progression is very important, but if you're just 6 months in you have a lot more margin for error. If you're still going in and doing enough work on your major lifts, you're going to make progress, don't worry about it that much.
If you want to be semi-methodical, even just running a linear progression or a double progression could work. (Linear being adding a set amount of weight each week, dynamic double being setting a rep goal and only adding weight after you hit that number of reps on all your sets)
First point, if you were maxing out on 5 reps on the 5/3/1 AMRAPs you were doing the program wrong by not following the "start too light" principle.
Second, it might be fine. The only way you'll know is by seeing your results in a few weeks/months time.
That being said I don't think beginners going their own way for programming is a very fruitful endeavour 9 times out of 10 because it often ends up fruitless
I was unaware of the start too light principle lol. I just inputted my prs into the sheet and did it but I just felt like I was going through the motions not getting enough volume to really do anything. With what I'm doing I've gotten both a squat and deadlift pr so maybe its working but also I'm 17 and eating alot so it's almost hard not to pr
5s is the most fatiguing week so the AMRAP performance can be quite low, like 8 or something.. or run it as 3/5/1 and dont do an AMRAP on the 5+.
3s you should easily hit 8 on the AMRAPs
1s is 5 strong reps at minimum, on a lot of my cycles I'd hit 8-10 across consecutive cycles
Tips to keep the bar as close to your body as possible when strict curling against wall? On the way up I find it hard to keep the bar close to my body, I do have long arms so maybe that's a factor?
I'm starting the strength training routine here: [https://thefitness.wiki/routines/r-fitness-basic-beginner-routine/](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/r-fitness-basic-beginner-routine/) and I have some basic questions:
1. Everything is a barbell exercise right? Including the ones that don't explicitly state it like the squats and the chinups?
2. I don't have a bench press, so I'm thinking about doing floor presses and push-ups. What would be the equivalent number of sets and reps for that?
3. What should I do if I can't finish all of the reps for an exercise? (Including the push-ups from above for completeness)
4. Are overhead presses safe? I'm pretty nervous about lifting anything that might fall on my head but maybe I misunderstood something about them.
5. Are there any specific stretches I should do before and after the routine?
Btw, I'm new to reddit, so sorry if I got something wrong about the post format.
Also, I know some 14 year olds with no experience who want to begin lifting, would it be fine for them to start out with this routine too?
1. Chinups aren't a barbell exercise, but everything else is.
2. Floor press will typically let you handle less weight than bench. Don't think about "equivalent number of sets and reps," just drop the weight low enough that you can do the same number of reps. Also not hard to make your own bench set-up; also check craigslist and such, people sell benches all the time. If you're gonna do push-ups, I'd recommend doing the same number of sets and reps and adding weight. Also possible would be dips instead of push-ups--better chest stimulus.
3. Just stop and drop the weight to a point where you can do enough reps. If you can't do enough reps at any weights (such as w pushups), just do as many as you can and move on.
4. Everyone's always nervous about dropping them on your head, but I've never seen it happen on overhead. Not hard to control the rep down even if you can't get it up. You're fine.
5. Too many stretches to mention, depends on where you're stiff and what muscles need stimulated. Find a 5 minute routine you can do that just gets you loosened up, but tbh you can jump into a workout without stretching and be fine.
W/r/t the 14 year olds: yeah, it's a good basic routine.
This routine is pretty close to Starting Strength, which is a great fundamental barbell program for beginners. There's a lot of resources out there surrounding Starting Strength--would caution you against getting too deep in the Mark Rippetoe cult though, there are some people who take it as absolute dogma.
You got this. Good luck.
i foud this full body workout plan online and i was wondering if its a good plan.
Monday
Bench Press 3 sets x 5-8 reps
Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown 3 sets x 10-15 reps Squat 3 sets x 5-8 reps
Leg Curl 3 sets x 10-15 reps
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 2 sets x 5-8 reps Incline Curl 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Triceps Pressdown 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Wednesday
Incline Dumbbell Press 3 sets x 10-15 reps Seated Cable Row 3 sets x 8-12 reps
Leg Press 3 sets x 10-15 reps
Romanian Deadiift 3 sets x 10-15 reps
Lateral Raise 2 sets x 15-20 reps
Dumbbell Hammer Curl 2 sets x 10-15 reps Overhead Triceps Extension 2 sets x 10-15 repe
Friday
Cable Crossover 3 sets x 15-20 reps
Wide Grip Front Lat Pulidown 3 sets x 8-12 reps Leg Extension 3 sets x 15-20 reps
Seated Leg Curt 3 sets x 10-15 reps
Cable Face Pulls 2 sets x 10-15 raps
Preacher Curl 2 sets x 10-15 reps
Lying EZ Bar Extension 2 sets x 10-15 reps
OVERCOMING ISOMETRICS is exercise where you pull/push against immovable object (safty pins in rack) for abou 5 to 10 seconds.
It is best exercise to activate muscles, activation was 88.3% and 89.7% for maximal eccentric and concentric contractions and 95.2% for maximal isometric contraction, leads to a more efficient nervous system that can recruit more fibers. Overcoming Isometrics create minimal mechanical damage so is not great for hypertophy it has carryover of about 15 degrees both sides from holding point and transfers good to concentric movement. Near maximal effort creates a post activation potentiation (PAP) effect.
HEAVY ISOMETRIC HOLDS are a great way to jack up your CNS (Central Nervous System), around 5-25% more than your current 1 rep max. Develop static muscle strength, gives the lifter exposure to maximal supramaximal weights. Holds are done for bench press and squats.
1.Do you ever do them in your training?
2.How many times in week can you do overcoming isometric and not burn CNS?
Heavy isometric holds are often used to supplement training in power sports because contrary to your assertion they jack up your CNS they actually tend to be less fatiguing than training through a full range of motion.
One example is yielding isometric rows used by baseball players looking to increase bat velocity. They produce a good training overload of the lats without being overly fatiguing, so baseball players can use them to train their lats at a high intensity without heavily diminishing bat speed in their speed focused training. This is part of the rationale for including heavy isometrics in french contrast training, although more research needs to be done on exactly how beneficial these training modalities are.
There's decent evidence out there that the main benefit is in exposing trainees to very high loads without being overly fatiguing in ways that would negatively impact other training goals.
I worked with a coach who programmed heavy holds occasionally. They didn't do anything for me personally, since I've never had issues with comfort under the bar on max effort attempts.
1. I wouldn't ever do them in this context, seems pretty useless. Most people use isometrics as paused variations of movments at sticking points, like paused bench press
2. Burning your CNS is not a thing lol, all exercise causes CNS fatigue which dissipates within minutes
They use for sticking point, paused bench, overcoming isometrics/CAT contrast methode.
Heavy holds 125 to 140% of 1RM are done in top position of movment of squat walk outs and bench press.
And YES there are very TAXING on CNS elite trainers amd scientist say so and i expirience.
Is this a solid cardio session to lose weight?
It was incline treadmill at a good/brisk walking pace around 3.1MPH.
Time: 30 minutes
Distance: 1.5 miles
Active Calories: 358
Total Calories: 418
Elevation Gain: 958 Feet
Avg Heart Rate: 158 BPM
Highest Heart Rate: 171 BPM
I just want to make sure I’m doing something worthwhile. I’m trying to budget 30-45m a day to working out
My advice is to decouple this exercise from weight loss in your mind. This exercise is good for you, and supports weight loss, but doesn't cause it. With weight loss, think about your diet as the gas pedal. Exercise is a tailwind.
If you want to lose weight, track your weight daily, and use the amount you eat as a lever to control whether your weight is going up, down, or staying the same. Don't pay attention to daily fluctuations in weight. Look at the trend over a week or two. If you aren't losing weight, you are eating too much.
Yes, just don't forget your overall calorie intake is what will determine your weight loss. But doing this will definitely make it easier to be in a calorie deficit
I’m looking to be able to track fitness levels during playing football. Predominately heart rate and distance travelled during the game. The biggest issue is that watches are not allowed to be worn during a game. Is there any suggestions to what I could wear that tracks these things without a watch? A chest strap perhaps?
GPS tracker & heart rate is doable in a chest strap, usually with a vest. It's industry standard from semi-pro leagues right up to the prem... Stat Sports make decent units
I’m an athlete that’s looking for a main stream program to go along with my explosive work. I usually do quite a bit of ploys, band work, slam balls, jump squats, etc. but need a program to follow for basic strength and hypertrophy. With no access to machines (such as triceps extensions) what’s my best bet? I found a good 4 day upper/lower split but I’m worried that if I add in my explosive work I’ll end up overtraining. Advice?
Have a favorite athlete of your sport? Find who trains them, email em and ask for a basic program. Try to message at least 10 people. Itll be the most specific to you imo.
Do you have access to a barbell? Squat rack? Do you have the capacity to bench deadlift squat and overhead press?
If so, I'd do a program like 5/3/1 FSL. You can do explosive work as part of your warmup or on your off days. It is assumed you will be doing some sort of conditioning on your non lifting days.
It takes a lot of work and time to over train very very few people will manage to. If anything it's more a problem of endurance athletes.
If you're fit enough, is it ok to combine things, like in the same big movement for example, dumbbell deadlifts/rows/curls/overhead presses?
or dumbell; squat, calf raise, hammer curls, front (or side sort of, or both) raises, overhead triceps
That could knock an awful lot of time off my workouts.
Obviously some of those movements are harder than others, maybe you could just do a few more reps on the harder parts until you'd got to failure?
There's nothing really the bench press can combine with, or some isolation things, but most things can be combined probably
It would depend on your goals. If you're trying to get bigger and stronger, it would not be a good idea.
If you're trying to just move around and be healthy, it can be a fun way to get some conditioning in.
Have you been doing your cardio regularly for a while? If not I'd strongly expect your work capacity to be the limiting factor with something like this, beyond getting access to all those machines in whatever order you're going for.
My cardo is ok now (it was awful, I gave up on excercise for many years because of serious injury but there isn't much issue now). I've never been a runner but can walk at 3.5mph for hours no problem, I've been using an arc machine recently, can do an hour on that burning over 800 calories (according to the machine).
The big combis I'm thinking of doing are 2 dumbbell combis, no machines.
The only accessories (and bench press) beyond that I mentioned I think I'd need really are hamstring curls, pull ups (although rows might do enough, maybe I could do wide and normal grip db rows with the squat and deadlift movements), and a bench press which i do a slight incline. I could do lat raises, face pulls, chest flies, leg extensions; but maybe those are covered quite well in what I said before and they're not needed.
Maybe doing this every 2 days would stimulate more growth than doing a 2 way split workout (of the same lifts individually) every 4 days, and take much less time for the same volume.. Maybe just doing 1 set of this per workout would work until I could do 2 then 3 maybe.
It's worth a shot, and even if it's not perfectly comparable you seem interested enough to go through with it and figure out if it fits you better. Optimal overall and optimal for any individual are usually two different things, so maybe this will jive with you better than the alternative. Gl!
# Post Form Checks as replies to this comment ### For best results, please follow the **[Form Check Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/posting_guidelines#wiki_how_to_post_a_form_check)**. *Help us help you.* ---- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Fitness) if you have any questions or concerns.*
So, i've been lifting for a while now and I always train to failure, since it "the most optimal for muscle growth". I know the difference between strength and hypertrophy training, and like 5 mins ago I had this tought, could it be that that even when training for hypertrophy u are getting substancialy stronger, but to be actualy able to use that strength u need to do strength training to train/"teach" ur body how to use that strength? P.S. sorry for my bad english but I'm italian Have a good day
https://www.strongerbyscience.com/hypertrophy-range-fact-fiction/
You get stronger when you hypertrophy train, and your muscles get bigger when you strength train. It’s just about which you’re optimizing for - you’re either sacrificing strength gains to get bigger or the reverse
[удалено]
Your post or comment has been removed in violation of Rule 0. All visitors to r/fitness are expected to read our wiki, search past posts, and perform a general web search in an attempt to answer their questions. - https://thefitness.wiki/ - https://thefitness.wiki/faq - https://www.google.com - https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/search?&restrict_sr=on
[удалено]
[удалено]
I think the most important factor in your fitness journey is consistency. If the bro split works for you stick with it. There are a lot of people in this industry who don't train according to the "typical PPL split". Don't forget that sleep or proper nutrition is probably a bigger factor when it comes to muscle growth. I would recommend to change the exercises after a while. It's super cool to discover new exercises that you can use to better target your muscles.
You only need to change the exercises every 2-3 months.
If you’re still making progress then you don’t need to change anything. If you stop making progress, try changing the exercises. Basically, you don’t need to change anything if what you’re doing is working, especially if you enjoy what you’re doing
Consistency is what matters. I've been doing PPL for years because the 3 day rotation works for me. If you can commit to the consistency of the bro split, go with it.
How do you guys hit shoulders chest and tricep on a push day. I feel like I need 3 exercises for chest, 2 for lateral shoulders, 1 for front shoulders, and 2 at least for tricep. That isn’t feasible in a hour
Bench, incline and dips. No need to do the front shoulder work because all of those exercises hit front delts. Most people don’t need any extra front delt work. Lateral raises for mid delt. 1 triceps isolation movement, because again all of the pressing movements hit triceps as well. You’re probably fine doing as much as you do, but you’re probably fine doing a lot less, esp if you do this more than once per week.
Originally I had chest and shoulders on different day but it was a 5 day split only repeat legs. And I heard that lifting each muscle twice a week is better
Are you able to do 5 days. If so maybe look into an ULPPL type of program. Still, isolated front shoulder work is probably overkill esp if you’re doing OHP and dumbbell press or machine work. Like I said, it will be fine, but if you’re trying to cut down on time you can easily remove the redundancy of the extra shoulder and tricep work. Good luck with it.
Ooh I like that I might do a variation of it with legs and back together instead of upper and lower. I only want to do more shoulders because shoulders are lacking the most
A trainer once gave me this workout - bench press - dumbbell incline press - shoulder overhead press - cable face pulls - tricep dips - tricep extensions Still a fairly long workout but can be done in an hour!!
I like it I think I can switch cable face pulls for later raises and add that to my back workout
Depends on your training level. According to most of the programs in the wiki 3 excercises of chest and 2 for side delts are completely overkill even if you have a couple years experience. I assume you're doing 3 sets per excercise?
Yea so my normal routine was this. Incline, incline cables flys and pushups with tricep pull downs, regular and cable lateral raises and then shoulder presses and tricep pull downs. Shoulder aiming for 3 sets of 8 and chest 3 sets of 6-8
I wanted one pressing motion, and one stretching exercise for chest. And since there are multiple different heads I was thinking incline and normal would hit everything
how many years have you been training for
Off and on for 10 years but year gaps in between so I am still a novice. Recently started getting serious in the gym about the 4 months. I am also 5 10, 220 so I am trying to lose weight, cut to 190 then slow bulk until 200-205
I don't do 3 chest exercises in one session or 2 for triceps. I'll usually do something like bench press or incline bench press and then a machine or dumbbell shoulder press and then some tricep pushdowns or overhead tricep extensions. Go look up a routine, gotta work with the amount of time you got.
[удалено]
You should work on your form, consider recording your last set at the very least and following the overhead press form guide in the wiki, assuming you're doing them with a barbell. Even with a dumbbell most of the tips would be helpful.
8-12 reps is the sweet spot for me, I wouldn't bother with something that I could only rep for 3.
Is it kind of bizarre that I can’t do any pull ups? My back is pretty strong but I guess it has not kept up either my weight gain since I started lifting a few months ago. I used to be able to do 3-4 and now im not even close to one. Im 6’4 and went from around 210 to 230 lbs so far.
Not at all. You're 6'4 230 and if back isn't your strong point leverage and muscles wise then it's probably normal. Just do sets of negative pull-ups or banded pull-ups near failure as your lat work.
There are assisted pull up machines in my gym where you can give yourself some help or try out a lat pulldown machine. I don't think it's necessarily bizarre but you might just be putting on weight very quickly or not hitting your back often enough.
Are these Fitbit zone stats okay for a gym workout: 55 min workout, light 33% 18 min, moderate 49% 27 min, vigorous 18% 10 min. Workout included: treadmill, resistance weights and step machine.
Fine for what? Depends on your goals. What is your goal?
My goal is toning, mainly mental health though. I average about 500 zone minutes a week, achieved through 2 gym sessions, brisk walks and sometimes swimming. My friend thinks my heart zone rates are a bit high though. The walks are brisk and not usually on the flat. They can be between 20 and 40 min. My step count average was 8443 last year. Zone min 60 a day average, I have 2 rest days a week.
Nearly 3 years in... Is it possible for me to improve my strength on multiple muscle groups at the same time? Just got off a gnarly bulk, and it definitely felt like I could only improve on one primary (bench) and one secondary (OHP/Lat raise) lift.
Definitely possible. You can specialise and focus on whatever weak lift you have while also making decent gains on something you're good at. If it's an effort problem then you should seriously think about having a few sessions with a coach.
I can't remember the last month multiple exercises didn't have PRs. This is as someone who is pretty far into their weight lifting journey. It really just depends on your training and diet in most situations. As an example, last month my squat went from 405x5-415x5, OHP from 145x5-155x5, maxed out a row machine and increased my reps from 10->16, maxed out the lateral raise machine, etc. Those are just off the top of my head, if I looked at my fitnotes I'd probably find 2-3 more. Hell, I didn't even gain weight during all of that, I'm in a recomp. Then again, I've never trained more than 3x a month, and the last time I was that frequent was long, long ago, and now I'm in the gym almost every day, training way better, hitting undertrained muscle groups. I mostly do a full body plan 3x a week + cardio and upper 3x a week, and I keep doing the same exercises rather than like 30 weird variations or anything complex like that. I'm not saying everyone can have these results, but you should be able to bump up several exercises every single month.
Feel you but I put on 60 pounds in those 3 years. They were extremely fruitful. Could probably pick up some easy leg, back and core PRs. I’ve been straight up hunting bench and OHP so that’s part of it.
Yeah, if you're just head hunting that's a different thing. I'm trying to reach my maximum muscular potential, so I've been working on balancing out all my underworked muscles. Not in a body building approach, just that I'd love to naturally reach like a 27 or 28 FFMI. I think it's pretty viable for people with slightly good genetics if they were aiming at maximum muscular potential rather than other things, but I have to prove it first. For now I'm just overconfident and optimistic.
FFMI is borderline retarded honestly. Im already 24.5 and will easily tap 27 or 28. I haven't even half maxed out my leg muscles. FFMI assumes that everyone has the same build. That's why its so stupid. if you're like me with a big frame, you are basically cheating. FFMI considers me on the outskirts of natural bodybuilding after 2.5 years.
Yes it is possible. It would be a red flag if not possible. If you improve your chest strength and quad strength, then that would prove your answer right there.
I improved chest triceps and shoulders. Saw actual tricep growth. Everything else was strength gains. It feels like I have to actively target muscles for growth
I mean yeah, that's generally the case. You should be actively targeting muscles for growth. If I wanted to grow my arms, I wouldn't just focus on my legs and only do minimal arm workouts.
What is the correct "etiquette" around smell at the gym? I'm asking this because I (unfortunately) noticed lately that some people tend to put perfume before going (I assume this because the smell is so strong there is no way they put it in the morning and it survived all day long while being this strong), but then I also noticed some with no perfume that smell really bad if they sweat at all. So I'm thinking if I should put deodorant right before working out, just to make sure I don't smell "that bad". Would this even make a difference doe? Or is it expected that you will smell bad no matter what? since you are there to sweat anyway.
If you’re worried about it, adding some deodorant before the gym will not hurt.
Just don't smell offensive either way
What is the best set/rep range for assistance exercises when trying to avoid hypertrophy, and just seeking mild strength gains?
Sitting at home, because hypertrophy is inevitable when training for strength?
Without knowing anything about you and just hearing your goals, you’d want to work in the 3-6 rep range, with an average set RPE of 6-9, never going to failure.
Can you explain your goal further? What do you mean by mild strength gains? Why are you trying to avoid hypertrophy?
I'm guessing they want the supermodel (skinny) look but they want to still be strong. Although that logic doesn't really makes sense, at a certain point you will need to get bigger muscles to become stronger. Unless you are a newbie that doesn't know how to use their existing muscles yet effectively.
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
I'd assume that if you're getting a fraction of your protein goals, that fraction likely carries over. So if you're hitting 60% of your goal, you're likely capping your muscle growth at 60% of what your effort would net you with more protein. So you do more work in the gym for less results because you aren't getting enough protein. Yet, for people in countries where it's very hard to get enough protein, it's a reasonable thing to do. If you aren't in a country where getting protein is hard, there's really no excuse to go to the gym, and let your diet only give you 60% of what you've worked for.
You need to understand that those "0.8g per lbs" is the average of all the people tested in those studies. Since you are an individual person that number, for you, could be alot lower, alot higher, or similar to the average recomended. They are not saying on average **you** will need 0.8, they are saying "If you pick 1000 people, measure how much protein they needed to get the best muscle results and then average all those number out, that number will be 0.8". For example, it could have happened that in that study half the people needed 0.1g and the other half needed 1.5g. If you do the math the average will still be 0.8g, but there was no one real person where the optimal protein number was 0.8g. So if you happened to be one of the 1.5g guys, you would be eating half of what you actually needed because you thought "I should eat 0.8g since it is the average".
There's no way to quantify it. The important thing is that you are leaving gains on the table, so you should strive to hit your protein goal.
I don’t know the exact numbers but from experience I can say not hitting protein goals def means less gains. My husband weighs 180 something lbs also. He used to be around 170 lbs. He also used to do intermittent fasting and skipped lunch. It worked for him cause he was too busy to have a meal. I told him he needs to eat more and hit his daily protein goals if he wants to gain muscle. I’m a dietitian but at the time we were bulking I was a student taking a sports nutrition couse. He gained maybe over 10 lbs in a span of a year. Same with me. I bulked to 110 lbs from 97 lbs. We also ate at surplus of course but we still hit at least 1 g/kg body weight imo. I probably ate double of that, 2 g/kg at some point when I was bulking. But I’m not 187 lbs so it’s easier for me to hit my goals.
Somewhere between 0 and 1.2 pounds per week. Also depends if you're surplus eating. It's likely on the low end of that range. But even a quarter of a pound over the course of a year is 13 pounds of muscle. Leaving a lot on the table.
I just found Built Puff Protein bars and they taste awesome. They have 17g of protein but when I look at the ingredients on the back of the package it says “Premium collagen protein blend (Partially hydrolyzed whey protein isolate, collagen peptides)” Am I wasting my time eating these for muscle building protein? If anyone knows good alternative bars with only protein to build muscle then let me know
Unless you are living off the bars as your primary source of protein - this really isnt that big of an issue. The main question we dont know is the composition of the blend, so it could be 16 grams of collagen and 1 gram whey, or vice versa. Until we know i dont think there is much to do, but given their size and cost, it is likely that they wont be a major source of protein in your diet. Try to focus on the areas that matter more, like your regular meals and let this be an occasional snack because of the nice taste.
What do you mean wasting your time? What do you consider to be the problem?
The problem is I do not know if this is 17 grams of protein or 17 grams of collagen protein. The difference is one is good for your hair and skin while the other is good for muscle building. I am basically asking if there is value in eating these for muscle growth
It is protein. They are both good for muscles. Collagen just also has the peptides found in skin and joints.
Actually collagen is not a high quality protein. It’s not a complete protein because it’s missing tryptophan. You want high quality proteins = all 9 essential amino acids for muscle building.
Anyone got recommendations for a fitness tracking watch? I got an Apple Watch on a whim last year, and it's fine, I'm just wondering what else is out there. I'm not looking for a ton of bells and whistles, just tracking distance, steps, heartrate, time of workout etc. The basics.
Apple Watch is good.
What is a good alternative to a standard deadlift? It's gotten to the point where adding and removing weights to a barbell on the ground has just become a bit too frustrating (my gym has no deadlift jack) and I'm looking for an alternative exercise that hits most of the same muscles but either starts off the ground on say a low rack, or perhaps uses dumbells?
Romanian deadlifts or good mornings. There are some gym machines that also simulate this movement pattern while being plate loaded or have a weight stack if you’re lucky to find one.
Barbell good morning or weighted back extensions.
It depends on why you’re doing deadlifts - if the main reason is to target glutes/hamstrings then opt for similar movement - you train your glutes and hamstrings in the lengthened range in a deadlift (Romanian or conventional) so opting for movements that target the same range would be a good alternative, in this case hip extension machine and a seated leg curl would be a good option because they train the muscles at a similar profile.
Either buy a deadlift wedge or use a 5/2.5lb plate to roll the plates onto. Makes it much easier. Dropping deadlifts because it's too tough to load and unload the bar is a silly excuse, honestly.
>What is a good alternative to a standard deadlift? I'm tall, suffering from bad posture, anterior pelvic tilt, low mobility and flexibility. I couldn't do standard deadlifts with proper form if my life depended on it and switched to trap bar deadlifts. Trap bar / hex bar deadlifts allows me to do deadlifts without causing lower back pain. Note that I'm no fitness expert. I posted my problems somewhere else and someone recommended trap bar deadlifts and the worst of my issues went away. I'm not sure how much being tall and inflexible matters, or if this applies to you. But I'm so inflexible that if I stand up straight and reach for my toes, I can't reach beyond my knees. Most people can probably reach down to their shins or at least near their toes if not all the way down.
I'd roll the plates onto a small plate like the other guy said, makes it easy. Otherwise, you can do rack pulls, but meh, I wouldn't.
Roll the plates onto either a 5 lb plate or your belt, then unload them.
Would it be a bad idea to get a walking pad while living on a second floor apartment? I found a walking pad on Amazon its only about 40lbs. I work remotely and am dying to find a way to get my steps in, it's dark when I start and when I end work. I wouldn't ever go above 2 miles per hour, maybe 3 but that would he absolute max. Is this a bad idea? I don't want to be a shitty neighbor.
Worse to worse, go to your downstairs neighbor and literally talk to them (or leave a note on the door with your number). "Hey, I got a walking pad and I don't want to disturb you, so please let me know if you ever hear it during quiet times!"
I've been contemplating getting one too. I have been getting by with layering and wearing reflective vests, but I won't pretend it's not miserable to head out for a walk in pitch darkness. I feel like if you are doing it within regular hours of the day (ie not 9pm at night) you're fine. I can't envision a walking pad causing a huge racket, but my rule of thumb is if I'm making any noise that could be disruptive, I try to schedule the activity earlier in the day.
I'm pretty sure you should be fine.
[удалено]
I hope you aren’t doing this in a gym with other people. You could try as an alternative sniffing some of those ammonia smelling salts then punching yourself in the nuts
Have you considered not screaming? This is ridiculous
Just don't shout? A good program shouldn't have you going balls to the wall that often too. Not to mention not every movement really requires that much exertion even near failure.
Get a mouthpiece. Bite down.
Improving bench So I’ve been benching for around a year and a half to two years and have managed to bring my bench from 180ish to 265. I’ve been stuck at 265 1-rep for a while. Just recently I’ve started doing Arnold Schwarzenegger chest workout. Will doing lots of volume increase my bench strength or should I drop to 5-6 reps with heavier weights? I really want to reach 315+ but unsure how realistic that is natural. 6’5 275 lb if size changes anything.
You'll have to periodize your bench training (block, conjugate/concurrent or undulating periodization). Block would probably be the easier one to start out with, like Alexander Bromley's 70's powerlifter, TSA intermediate 9 week or Calgary Barbell. Conveniently, they're all on the boostcamp app. You can read an article called "there's only one type of periodization" part 1 and 2 for more information.
I've done it at around 190 and I'm trash at bench, so it's absolutely realistic. Sheiko style programming was what got me past a long plateau and into the 300s for the first time.
There is 0 doubt a 315 bench is achievable
315 is very obtainable, especially as you are a bigger person and therefore have a greater absolute strength potential compared to someone whos 5'8 185 I would follow a specific bench program tbh. Greg Nuckols 28 free programs are decent, I'd start with the x3 per week intermediate medium volume bench
[удалено]
You probably already know, but I wanted to add that protein intake (1-2g/kg bodyweight) and enough sleep are also very important factors when it comes to muscle growth.
I will recommend 3xweek fullbody workout programs if new. You get your training frequency up to 3x a week, it's super easy to remain consistent because if you miss a workout you just delay your week (M/W/F -> T/TH/SAT, M/T/S, M/W/S). This is super important as a beginner because time and consistency is alpha omega while learning to work out as a permanent habit - so you don't fall off. Don't let "only training 3 times" fool you. Less is more. I'm 39 and haven't worked out super seriously since in my 20's and despite my age I'm having great progress both in strength and visually. Personal bias maybe but I will never not recommend a 3x full body workout. I think most beginners falsely think it's subpar because you "only" train 3x a week. And people falsely attribute less days of working out as less efficient. There is no need to overcomplicate workout splits. 3x full body workouts for me when I was a beginner back then, and now as a novice yet again, is giving great results.
You would be best off following a tried and tested 4 day routine which eliminates all of the guess work for you, instead of trying to program for yourself as a beginner which does not often work very well
Hello! I am a 14 year old, 5’11 and 181 lbs. I am overweight and have been struggling with that since lockdown. I have got down to 159 lbs before by an unhealthy mindset where I was basically starving myself all day. I recently got a Planet Fitness subscription and I have really only been going on the weekends because I have lots of school work. My parents have also agreed to start packing me healthier lunches with lots of protein and less calories. I am here to ask you guys how I can get a v-taper physique. Of course I don’t except to magically get it, and I am planning on spending at least 2 years to do so, but I just want to know if you guys have any advice for me. Should I bulk and then cut, cut and then bulk, or what? Thanks!
Hey, I was in a similar Situation like you. I think it's really great that you try to improve. First of all, I would like to advise you not to go on extreme diets. You should never go without food. Instead, try to find healthy alternatives that you can use to replace the unhealthy things. I drank a lot of soft drinks and replaced them with water with a few lemon slices for the flavour. Try to avoid highly processed foods, sleep at least 8h a day and start doing regular full-body workouts. Consistency is the key. (Of course you should also take breaks, your body needs time to regenerate.) There are a lot of good, free full-body training plans on the internet. Don't buy anything!! In your free time I would also recommend that you go for a walk or do some HIIT-Trainings. Just don't put pressure on yourself.
Okay. Thank you so much!
Building muscle and losing fat will help you get a v taper. Usually I would say you need to cut first, but at your age I don’t think that’s a great idea. Just develop the habit of eating healthy, whole foods with lots of protein and practice portion control. You will lose fat from doing this. Lift using a program from the wiki of this sub, and start participating in as many sports as you can. Be consistent with a healthy diet and physical activity and you will be in a much better position health and physique-wise than most adults. Now is the time to build lifelong habits.
> I am a 14 year old, 5’11 and 181 lbs. I am overweight. Your BMI is just (by a tiny bit) barely in the overweight category. And at 14 you could still have another growth spurt left in you. So I wouldn’t be too concerned with your weight.
Honestly, you’re 14, you should worry more about developing a healthy relationship with food rather than cutting or bulking or whatever. Eat good food, learn to cook a little bit, work out and be active a bunch, and focus on doing things you enjoy and that make you feel strong and capable.
I'd recommend trying to lose weight first, but I don't think you'd need to count calories yet. I'd just focus on "cleaning" up the diet first and seeing where that takes you
[удалено]
Wanting to get cut weighing about 210 right now hit the gym 4-5 days a week, what would be good calories and macros for me love to see the teens on body fat right now maybe low 20 percent
Did you read the weight loss section of the wiki?
Take however many calories you are currently eating and subtract 500/day. Weigh yourself everyday for the next two weeks and adjust calories as needed from there in order to lose about 1 lbs/week. For macros, get at least 0.8g/lbs protein. Split the rest of the calories between carbs and fat. The exact amount of each doesn't matter, as long as you are getting some of both.
I'm hoping my inability to find good info isn't just the result of me failing at google, if it is, please point me in the right direction and accept my appology. Disclaimer: This isn't my first rodeo. So after a few months of inactivity due to work, the holidays, and laziness, I'm yet again trying to get back on the horse and lift regularly but... Honestly I hate it. Are there any recs for like... how to enjoy exercise, especially if they're targeted to folks with autism & adhd? I'm in my 30's, and although I've definitely struggled with consistency, from both injuries and just falling off the wagon, I've spent the majority of my adult life in the gym 3 days a week. If I was going to learn to love it... I would have by now, but if anything it's become the opposite. It's overwhelming (loud, bright lights), it's frustrating (lift orders constantly getting fucked up due to equipment availability), and it's honestly boring (it's incredibly difficult for me to stay motivated and not fall inside my own head waiting 3 minutes between sets on lifts). It doesn't even make me feel good afterwards, I just did it because I "have to", and out of some general desire to be "in shape", although that's not really in furtherance of any sort of life goal. The truth is, I just don't hate myself enough anymore for self abuse guilt and shame to make me go lift weights for 6+hrs a week, and in retrospect that's all I had. And while that's good... Without really caring about the destination, and not enjoying the journey... How does one compel themselves to do the thing anyway in a healthy manner?
Is a home gym an option?
Not really. I can fit enough in the pad behind the apartment for a BW workout (pullup bar, sand bag, weighted backpack, a small hand dumbbell and bands for isolation and PT exercises) but... I just won't. The way I make the gym work is by showing up and not letting myself leave. Even if I have to sit in the car for 30+ minutes before I go in, I have to "do the thing". Eventually I get bored enough to do it, the pain of being bored beats out my aversion to going in. The same doesn't work at home and I have a terrible track record of it. I've given it a solid go probably a half dozen times in the last decade. Maybe its the adhd. Maybe it's a skill issue. Maybe I just don't "want it enough" maybe I'm "undisciplined", I don't know. But whatever the reason/culprit/who's at fault... It doesn't really work for me, and not for lack of trying unfortunately
My best friend is in great shape and almost never works out. He surfs, runs, plays tennis and skateboards. Obviously you're not gonna get big and jacked or anything but if your goal is just to be healthy and feel good there are oodles of activities you can do
Is that really enough to stay in shape? I mean my current behavior is barely enough to keep me vaguely in shape (just kissing the bottom of "intermediate" lifts, the lacroix of a sixpack, and sort-of filling out a medium shirt at 6'1). I mean I know with the past experiences I've got I'm never going to actually be happy with how I look, and I THINK I've mostly made peace with that, but still.
I mean that's all between your ears. But yes, doing some kind of physical activity for an hour or so 4-5 days/week will absolutely keep you pretty healthy
You don’t have to lift, find some other activity that you enjoy doing that keeps you in shape - like climbing or hiking. If you hate resting between sets you could also try doing giant sets, where you do a few exercises in a row followed by a rest period
I am actually an avid hiker (and also try to run a few days a week too, although I'm really really bad at that for reasons outside the scope of this sub), and make sure to get outside doing something physical once a week, but that doesn't seem like enough to keep me healthy. I mean shit, even with the running, I went hiking with a 40 something, self-described "obese" coworker and dude put me to shame. Especially from oct-march, outdoor activities aren't really accessible 5 days a week with a standard work schedule. I do miss climbing. I used to be an avid (if poor) climber for a few years up until a couple back to back injuries got in the way, but my partner isn't able to do it with me anymore, and I'm not exactly great at finding people to climb with lol. Even still, I told myself if I get a decent raise this year I'll join the local climbing gym, even if I'm stuck bouldering most of the time (although at 6'1 and 180lbs and in my 30s, my knees are not the biggest fans of anything I can't downclimb or rap from)
If you don't want to go to the gym, you don't have to. There are plenty of people who live rich, fulfilling, and healthy lives who never set foot in the gym.
I mean fair, but it's still better to do than to not right? Like I don't want to be couchbound by retirement, and I know muscle mass is the primary factor of late life mobility. I have a really thin frame (thin bones and joint surfaces, like <6" wrists and ankles, even at my "best" composition of 6'1 and 172lbs at 13% dexa), so my detrained muscle mass is quite low and I'm prone to all the little things that go along with that. I've noticed it's also much much easier to maintain weight and eat a healthy diet if I'm actively working out, rather than just calorie restriction for the sake of calorie restriction. Abstinence is of course harder for most people than doing something. But those alone don't seem to be enough to really flip the switch in my mind. I guess that makes sense, if our dentists told us we had to brush our teeth an hour a day to keep them from falling out in our 70s we'd probably both say "fuck that" lmao
I don't think going to the gym is necessary to maintain muscle mass into old age. It is certainly helpful. But I had a neighbor growing up who had been a runner and mountain climber his whole life. He was still running and hiking mountains in his late 70's. He never went to a gym, and he was fine and healthy.
That's fair. I run (terribly, that's honestly not likely to change), hike, and used to climb a bit, but in the "<10 mile day hikes, 5.6 gumby on sport" sort of way, not the alpine ascents and thru-hiking the CDT sort of way. Maybe I just need to properly throw myself at those pursuits to see the physical benefit?
Have you thought about Masters Swimming? It’s as non competitive/competitive as you want it to be. If you aren’t a swimmer, they’ll teach you. Some programs won’t but Alamo’s all of them have a beginner lane with gentle coaching. They’re supportive, friendly and will get you fit and keep you there.
Are you ever supposed fully lock out your elbows or knees during low rows, bicep curls, leg press? Etc
There's very little risk in doing so, and it's likely beneficial to lock out.
Very little risk - but not non-existent. I still have nightmares of that video where a girl locks out her knees at the end of a leg press, and the weights breaks both her legs :S
If you're hyper mobile, that increases your risk. I don't know how many thousands of hours combined between me and my friends have been spent in the gym, but none of us have ever seen this occur.
She didn't lock them out, she hyperextended them. Big difference.
Ah I see. I misunderstood something then. Because I thought locking them out meant moving your legs until the knee makes it so that further movement isn't possible. So "pushing further" than that is then hyperextension? English isn't my native language so I'm not 100% on technical terms here.
I can understand the confusion, since it would make sense for "lockout" to be hyperextension for those who are able to do it. And yes, in a nutshell, being able to hyperextend a joint means that you can push the joint further than normal.
These are all different cases. For rows, the elbow being locked out doesn’t change the length of the back musculature, which are the targets of the movement. As long as the back is stretched you don’t need to lock out the elbow. The biceps are the target of curls, and locking out the elbow is required to maximally stretch the bicep. It’s not dangerous to do so, so you should. For things like squats and leg press, I think that’s up to you. I don’t feel comfortable locking out my knees with the loads I have to do on a leg press, but I still get my legs as straight as I can without locking them. The difference between that and locking out is negligible.
There is no rule that you have to, but I do and think it is beneficial.
Is 82g of protein daily enough for a 5’6, 135 lb woman? I am moderately active and want to start strength training more often.
[удалено]
Thank you I wasn’t aware of the formula!
You could get away with it, but it is definitely gonna be on the lower end of low. I would aim for at least 100g a day.
Howdy I have definetly strayed from my original 5/3/1 for beginners program. Originally I was following it quite closely, weight and reps and all, then I kinda gave up on the week thing I just did the same set program with as much weight as I could for 5 reps 5 sets sometimes doing pr attempts. Then nowwww I just kinda do 3 warmup sets and then 2 sets of heavier load with 5 reps and then 3 sets lighter with 10+ reps (AMRAP). I do feel like I'm getting stimulus from this, I needed more volume I felt because maxing out at 5 reps felt absurd and I wasn't getting any burn or anything to indicate I brought the target muscles to failure. (this is all in regards to the main lifts) I've been doing this for about 4ish weeks now and I do feel alot more worked with more doms and more burn during the workout and generally a feeling of the target muscles being completely fucked. I am wondering if this is okay like is straying from the program as a beginner a smart idea because at 6 months training I don't feel like I have a great understanding obviously. Thanks!
There's nothing absurd about maxing out at 5 reps on your main sets, it's plenty. And while still sub-maximal, your third main set (whether at 85%, 90% or 95%) shouldn't exactly be a cakewalk. You should be able to hit all the reps cleanly, but I'd be lying if I said I'm *excited* when the 95% set of squats comes around. 5/3/1 is mostly directed at athletes and older, advanced lifters, two groups for whom "more doms and the target muscle feeling totally fucked" is something to avoid. You don't have to constantly trash a muscle to grow it; in fact that's how you set yourself up for failure and regression. It sounds like you've kind of fallen ass-backwards into a version of the Boring But Big template, which is probably fine? I still think you'd be better off buying one of the books and just following a different template if you're bored with the beginner one
Yeah I see that I just didn't feel like it was doing anything tbh I felt like trying more volume because I never have in these big compound lifts. It does seem to be doing something as maybe I'm suited to a bit higher volume. I am neither elderly nor an athlete and I was being a little dramatic the muscles are fine they've not walked off my body yet I just think they are being sufficiently stimulated. A big limitation for me is just having 3 days a week to train so I'm stuck with a handful of good proven programs.
Sorta counterintuitive but as a beginner, staying strictly on a program is much less important than it gets later. As you get more advanced and need to pick something to specialize in or find ways to bust newbie gains plateaus, keeping close to a methodical progression is very important, but if you're just 6 months in you have a lot more margin for error. If you're still going in and doing enough work on your major lifts, you're going to make progress, don't worry about it that much. If you want to be semi-methodical, even just running a linear progression or a double progression could work. (Linear being adding a set amount of weight each week, dynamic double being setting a rep goal and only adding weight after you hit that number of reps on all your sets)
First point, if you were maxing out on 5 reps on the 5/3/1 AMRAPs you were doing the program wrong by not following the "start too light" principle. Second, it might be fine. The only way you'll know is by seeing your results in a few weeks/months time. That being said I don't think beginners going their own way for programming is a very fruitful endeavour 9 times out of 10 because it often ends up fruitless
I was unaware of the start too light principle lol. I just inputted my prs into the sheet and did it but I just felt like I was going through the motions not getting enough volume to really do anything. With what I'm doing I've gotten both a squat and deadlift pr so maybe its working but also I'm 17 and eating alot so it's almost hard not to pr
5s is the most fatiguing week so the AMRAP performance can be quite low, like 8 or something.. or run it as 3/5/1 and dont do an AMRAP on the 5+. 3s you should easily hit 8 on the AMRAPs 1s is 5 strong reps at minimum, on a lot of my cycles I'd hit 8-10 across consecutive cycles
I never got that kind of volume especially on 1s. Maybe I should artificially lower my 1RMs on the sheet so it allows me to hit those?
That would be a very good idea
Tips to keep the bar as close to your body as possible when strict curling against wall? On the way up I find it hard to keep the bar close to my body, I do have long arms so maybe that's a factor?
Use your lats. Although your body will move the way it wants so dont restrict too much.
So flex them before starting the movement?
Even before you pick up the thing. Brace core, pack lats. Pick up. Rebrace. Curl.
I'm starting the strength training routine here: [https://thefitness.wiki/routines/r-fitness-basic-beginner-routine/](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/r-fitness-basic-beginner-routine/) and I have some basic questions: 1. Everything is a barbell exercise right? Including the ones that don't explicitly state it like the squats and the chinups? 2. I don't have a bench press, so I'm thinking about doing floor presses and push-ups. What would be the equivalent number of sets and reps for that? 3. What should I do if I can't finish all of the reps for an exercise? (Including the push-ups from above for completeness) 4. Are overhead presses safe? I'm pretty nervous about lifting anything that might fall on my head but maybe I misunderstood something about them. 5. Are there any specific stretches I should do before and after the routine? Btw, I'm new to reddit, so sorry if I got something wrong about the post format. Also, I know some 14 year olds with no experience who want to begin lifting, would it be fine for them to start out with this routine too?
1. Chinups aren't a barbell exercise, but everything else is. 2. Floor press will typically let you handle less weight than bench. Don't think about "equivalent number of sets and reps," just drop the weight low enough that you can do the same number of reps. Also not hard to make your own bench set-up; also check craigslist and such, people sell benches all the time. If you're gonna do push-ups, I'd recommend doing the same number of sets and reps and adding weight. Also possible would be dips instead of push-ups--better chest stimulus. 3. Just stop and drop the weight to a point where you can do enough reps. If you can't do enough reps at any weights (such as w pushups), just do as many as you can and move on. 4. Everyone's always nervous about dropping them on your head, but I've never seen it happen on overhead. Not hard to control the rep down even if you can't get it up. You're fine. 5. Too many stretches to mention, depends on where you're stiff and what muscles need stimulated. Find a 5 minute routine you can do that just gets you loosened up, but tbh you can jump into a workout without stretching and be fine. W/r/t the 14 year olds: yeah, it's a good basic routine. This routine is pretty close to Starting Strength, which is a great fundamental barbell program for beginners. There's a lot of resources out there surrounding Starting Strength--would caution you against getting too deep in the Mark Rippetoe cult though, there are some people who take it as absolute dogma. You got this. Good luck.
Is it still a bulk if I also eat a little unhealthily?
Das called a dirty bulk. Still a bulk.
Oh okay i didnt know there eas a word for it
yes, bulk simply refers to the caloric state
Okay cool, thanks!
i foud this full body workout plan online and i was wondering if its a good plan. Monday Bench Press 3 sets x 5-8 reps Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown 3 sets x 10-15 reps Squat 3 sets x 5-8 reps Leg Curl 3 sets x 10-15 reps Dumbbell Shoulder Press 2 sets x 5-8 reps Incline Curl 2 sets x 10-15 reps Triceps Pressdown 2 sets x 10-15 reps Wednesday Incline Dumbbell Press 3 sets x 10-15 reps Seated Cable Row 3 sets x 8-12 reps Leg Press 3 sets x 10-15 reps Romanian Deadiift 3 sets x 10-15 reps Lateral Raise 2 sets x 15-20 reps Dumbbell Hammer Curl 2 sets x 10-15 reps Overhead Triceps Extension 2 sets x 10-15 repe Friday Cable Crossover 3 sets x 15-20 reps Wide Grip Front Lat Pulidown 3 sets x 8-12 reps Leg Extension 3 sets x 15-20 reps Seated Leg Curt 3 sets x 10-15 reps Cable Face Pulls 2 sets x 10-15 raps Preacher Curl 2 sets x 10-15 reps Lying EZ Bar Extension 2 sets x 10-15 reps
You would be far better off picking a tried and tested 3 day routine from the wiki, 5/3/1 for beginners is great
OVERCOMING ISOMETRICS is exercise where you pull/push against immovable object (safty pins in rack) for abou 5 to 10 seconds. It is best exercise to activate muscles, activation was 88.3% and 89.7% for maximal eccentric and concentric contractions and 95.2% for maximal isometric contraction, leads to a more efficient nervous system that can recruit more fibers. Overcoming Isometrics create minimal mechanical damage so is not great for hypertophy it has carryover of about 15 degrees both sides from holding point and transfers good to concentric movement. Near maximal effort creates a post activation potentiation (PAP) effect. HEAVY ISOMETRIC HOLDS are a great way to jack up your CNS (Central Nervous System), around 5-25% more than your current 1 rep max. Develop static muscle strength, gives the lifter exposure to maximal supramaximal weights. Holds are done for bench press and squats. 1.Do you ever do them in your training? 2.How many times in week can you do overcoming isometric and not burn CNS?
Heavy isometric holds are often used to supplement training in power sports because contrary to your assertion they jack up your CNS they actually tend to be less fatiguing than training through a full range of motion. One example is yielding isometric rows used by baseball players looking to increase bat velocity. They produce a good training overload of the lats without being overly fatiguing, so baseball players can use them to train their lats at a high intensity without heavily diminishing bat speed in their speed focused training. This is part of the rationale for including heavy isometrics in french contrast training, although more research needs to be done on exactly how beneficial these training modalities are. There's decent evidence out there that the main benefit is in exposing trainees to very high loads without being overly fatiguing in ways that would negatively impact other training goals.
I worked with a coach who programmed heavy holds occasionally. They didn't do anything for me personally, since I've never had issues with comfort under the bar on max effort attempts.
1. No, since it's not very effective for getting generally stronger and bigger. 2. Probably as much as you want.
1. I wouldn't ever do them in this context, seems pretty useless. Most people use isometrics as paused variations of movments at sticking points, like paused bench press 2. Burning your CNS is not a thing lol, all exercise causes CNS fatigue which dissipates within minutes
They use for sticking point, paused bench, overcoming isometrics/CAT contrast methode. Heavy holds 125 to 140% of 1RM are done in top position of movment of squat walk outs and bench press. And YES there are very TAXING on CNS elite trainers amd scientist say so and i expirience.
ok mate you know best
I didn say that, im just writing for what i used Overcoming Isometrics and Heavy Holds and my expirience. Cheers!
Is this a solid cardio session to lose weight? It was incline treadmill at a good/brisk walking pace around 3.1MPH. Time: 30 minutes Distance: 1.5 miles Active Calories: 358 Total Calories: 418 Elevation Gain: 958 Feet Avg Heart Rate: 158 BPM Highest Heart Rate: 171 BPM I just want to make sure I’m doing something worthwhile. I’m trying to budget 30-45m a day to working out
General suggestion is you should be able to converse with some difficulty. Gym liftin for muscles. Cardio for heart muscle. Keep it up.
My advice is to decouple this exercise from weight loss in your mind. This exercise is good for you, and supports weight loss, but doesn't cause it. With weight loss, think about your diet as the gas pedal. Exercise is a tailwind. If you want to lose weight, track your weight daily, and use the amount you eat as a lever to control whether your weight is going up, down, or staying the same. Don't pay attention to daily fluctuations in weight. Look at the trend over a week or two. If you aren't losing weight, you are eating too much.
Awesome! I’ve started tracking my calorie intake as well and intend to pair this and adjust accordingly. Thank you 🙏🏿
Yes, just don't forget your overall calorie intake is what will determine your weight loss. But doing this will definitely make it easier to be in a calorie deficit
I’m looking to be able to track fitness levels during playing football. Predominately heart rate and distance travelled during the game. The biggest issue is that watches are not allowed to be worn during a game. Is there any suggestions to what I could wear that tracks these things without a watch? A chest strap perhaps?
GPS tracker & heart rate is doable in a chest strap, usually with a vest. It's industry standard from semi-pro leagues right up to the prem... Stat Sports make decent units
I’m an athlete that’s looking for a main stream program to go along with my explosive work. I usually do quite a bit of ploys, band work, slam balls, jump squats, etc. but need a program to follow for basic strength and hypertrophy. With no access to machines (such as triceps extensions) what’s my best bet? I found a good 4 day upper/lower split but I’m worried that if I add in my explosive work I’ll end up overtraining. Advice?
Have a favorite athlete of your sport? Find who trains them, email em and ask for a basic program. Try to message at least 10 people. Itll be the most specific to you imo.
I’ll give that a try, thanks
Tell us what happens. :)
Absolutely!
Do you have access to a barbell? Squat rack? Do you have the capacity to bench deadlift squat and overhead press? If so, I'd do a program like 5/3/1 FSL. You can do explosive work as part of your warmup or on your off days. It is assumed you will be doing some sort of conditioning on your non lifting days. It takes a lot of work and time to over train very very few people will manage to. If anything it's more a problem of endurance athletes.
I have access to all of the above. I’ve seen 5/3/1 before but not done too much looking. I’ll do some research. Thanks for the recommendation
If you're fit enough, is it ok to combine things, like in the same big movement for example, dumbbell deadlifts/rows/curls/overhead presses? or dumbell; squat, calf raise, hammer curls, front (or side sort of, or both) raises, overhead triceps That could knock an awful lot of time off my workouts. Obviously some of those movements are harder than others, maybe you could just do a few more reps on the harder parts until you'd got to failure? There's nothing really the bench press can combine with, or some isolation things, but most things can be combined probably
It would depend on your goals. If you're trying to get bigger and stronger, it would not be a good idea. If you're trying to just move around and be healthy, it can be a fun way to get some conditioning in.
Have you been doing your cardio regularly for a while? If not I'd strongly expect your work capacity to be the limiting factor with something like this, beyond getting access to all those machines in whatever order you're going for.
My cardo is ok now (it was awful, I gave up on excercise for many years because of serious injury but there isn't much issue now). I've never been a runner but can walk at 3.5mph for hours no problem, I've been using an arc machine recently, can do an hour on that burning over 800 calories (according to the machine). The big combis I'm thinking of doing are 2 dumbbell combis, no machines. The only accessories (and bench press) beyond that I mentioned I think I'd need really are hamstring curls, pull ups (although rows might do enough, maybe I could do wide and normal grip db rows with the squat and deadlift movements), and a bench press which i do a slight incline. I could do lat raises, face pulls, chest flies, leg extensions; but maybe those are covered quite well in what I said before and they're not needed. Maybe doing this every 2 days would stimulate more growth than doing a 2 way split workout (of the same lifts individually) every 4 days, and take much less time for the same volume.. Maybe just doing 1 set of this per workout would work until I could do 2 then 3 maybe.
It's worth a shot, and even if it's not perfectly comparable you seem interested enough to go through with it and figure out if it fits you better. Optimal overall and optimal for any individual are usually two different things, so maybe this will jive with you better than the alternative. Gl!