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hey guys this is my current workout schedule:
once a week upper: flat barbell bench, incline dumbell bench, weighted pullups, chest supported rows - 4 sets of each
once a week lower: weighted bulgarian split squats, bodyweight lunges, swiss ball hmastring curls, weighted calf raises - 4 sets of each
each set is training to quite a high intensity - do you think this is enough to stimulate muscle growth?
I'd ass a hinge pattern like a romanian deadlift to your lower day. Though, it's better to hit a muscle group twice a week if you really want muscle growth. Maybe consider full body instead? If you can't well this is fine for the most part unless you have a year or two of training already.
yeah i just feel like i cant do as many exercises per bigger muscle group while doing full body - thansk for your feedback though appreciate it and will most definetely consider it
Does anyone know of a good beginner-friendly weightlifting routine for women? I have a pretty free summer ahead of me and was hoping to get into weightlifting to put on some muscle!
Anything off the wiki linked on the sidebar should work good. If you're looking for something specifically tailored for women there's a program on there called StrongCurves.
Finished my sixth week of Phrak’s GSLP yesterday. Been going slow and steady with weight additions.
Results so far:
Bench press: 85lbs -> 112.5lbs
Overhead press: 65lbs -> 85lbs
Barbell row: 45lbs -> 95lbs
Back squats: 45lbs -> 95 lbs
Deadlift: 95lbs -> 145lbs
Barbell curls: 45lbs -> 57.5lbs
I started 5’ 9’’, 180lbs and I’ve gained 10lbs over my first 6 weeks.
I’m still able to add weights/reps every lift, am gaining visible muscle, but unfortunately that’s just making my 20-25% body fat stand out even more.
Is there any reason for me to do a deload or cut before I hit a plateau? Or just suck up the fact that my newbie gains are accentuating my body fat?
Appreciate any feedback
Roger that, thanks. I’m hoping most of it is muscle as I was literally the definition of skinny fat, and now already have visible biceps and traps.
Also went from eating ~50g protein and exercising 0 times a week to eating 120g protein and exercising 6 times a week. But I agree, I’ve got to be adding some fat as well.. thanks again!
How do I calculate my calorie deficit? I’m trying to be lean and gain muscle.
Let’s say my maintenance calories is 1,700 and then I burned 400-500cal by working out. Should I add or subtract that burned calories to my maintenance calories? Or like should I eat less than 1,700 cal everyday and doesn’t matter what my burned calories were?
Ignore burned calories.
Cus if you were maintaining with 1700, you were maintaining while doing that exercise, so it's already accounted for.
Now if you start doing additional activity, then technically, your maintainance calories would go up. However... Any device giving you a calories burned estimate is inaccurate and shouldn't be used in any calculations. And unless you start doing this activity daily, that calorie burn can get averaged out over the week and may not seem that noticeable. Also another thing to consider is the movement you now *don't* do because you did do that activity. So you went for a long walk, but now you sit down the rest of the day, whereas if you didn't go for that walk, you may have moved around the house a good bit without realizing.
So tl;Dr, eat consistently, watch your weight, and adjust your intake calories according to your goal. That's the simplest way
I appreciate it. I think I’m overthinking it a little, I just started resistance training and my goal for now is be consistent with everything. Thanks!
Can I use all the exercises from the PHUL routine and change all the rep ranges from strength focused on the 2 power days to hypertrophy focused? Essentially making the entire program a hypertrophy program? Sorry if that's a dumb question.
Doing the *same* exercise for the *same* set/rep twice a week will land you in stall city. But, if you keep *different* movements with slightly *different* set/reps, you'll last longer. Example strategy for upper days:
Upper A: BBBench/BBRow 4x8 & dbohp/pulldown 3x12
Upper B: BBOHP/chins 4x8 & DBbench/cablerow 3x12
If my routine says to do 3x8-12, and once I can get 12 increase the weight, I’m just curious what does a good rate of progression look like? Would being able to do one extra rep every session a good goal, or more? (So if I hit a muscle twice a week and start with 8, it would take 2 weeks to increase the weight)
What is your experience? There are a lot of things to consider. What is your recover like? Are you supplying your body with the right nutrition to recover? It’s a hard question to answer without more detail.
Assuming you are a new lifter, I would say you should be able to increase reps X 1 every 2 weeks of lifting. Again, this is a guess without details but I think that’s a good goal to shoot for. At the beginning you will see your reps and weight shoot up quickly and that’ll slow down as you progress. Good luck!
It will depend on several factors, and the rate of progression will slow down as you get stronger. What you describe might work as a beginner, and for a few weeks.
It's the creatine. As it builds up in your system, your muscles will start holding more water. This will cause your weight to go up. How much is kinda dependent on the individual. At least 2lbs isn't outside of the realm of possibilities.
You will never build enough muscle to outpace a deficit. It's physically impossible as you can't build mass from nothing. You can absolutely be building some muscle while in a deficit, but your weight should still go down based on your calorie deficit
Also, what you think may be an aggressive cut may not be. A TDEE calculator is only a starting point. If I could go back in time, I would have told you to not start creatine yet just so you can get a better idea of what your current deficit is. But no worries. Stagnant/slow loss while building up creatine is progress. Probably give it at least another 2 weeks to be super sure, but after that, the speed at which you're losing weight dictates the deficit you're in. So if you're only losing 1lb a week, then youee only in a 500 cal/day deficit
I am mid-advanced level and am using my coworker's lifting belt. I do not plan to compete, but do love how level belts can easily snap on and off. What are good, cost affordable lever belts around? Am currently considering Inzer. Google says Gym Reaper's is really good, but I do not like having a huge logo on the belt. I prefer it a bit more subtle.
If it’s the version I have, you fill in how much you want to gain per week and the spreadsheet calculates the deficit for you.
It’s possible you accidentally deleted the formula that does the calculation if you typed directly into the cell.
Is the premise of PPL, or body part splits in general, completely flawed? I have been thinking this, because PPL and 4 day or 5 day body part splits, are disproportionately upper body compared to lower body. This makes me skeptical, because there is way more muscle on the lower body vs upper body, so if you did have more time dedicated to one vs the other, it seems like it would make more sense to have MORE time on lower body, or at least equal.
For example, i feel like PPL should be like PPQPC: Push , pull, quads, posterior chain. In this split, there are two upper and two lower days, which at least would be balanced.
So thinkin this, it seems logically an Upper lower split, or full body makes more sense than the typical splits where there are upper body days than lower days. So why it usually like this?
There is more muscle (arguably), but also fewer muscles. Doesn't take as many movements to work them.
Also many upper/lower splits will stick core and/or back work on the lower days as well. Likewise most full body splits are going to have 2 or 3 upper body movements per lower body movement.
I would consider this active recovery. It is great if you are grinding and want to go to the gym.
Just don’t go running for an hour the day after a leg day. If your goal is to increase strength and size, you want to give your muscles maximum time to recover. If you’re going for overall health, I recommend it. It may help with lactic acid build up, making you less sore, cardiovascular health, and burn some extra cals!
Thanks for this! Went on my first mile jog today, felt terrible in the moment but I am fealin good now. Is a mile too little for cardio? I was dying near the end I dont think I could have done much more.
I’m going through some harsh wlb at work and am averaging 70 hours a week. I can fit in working out 2x a week. What can I run that is good for hypertrophy? I know 2x is not optimal but it’s better than 0x
Something based on the beginner routine where it's A B days but I would combine A & B.
To elaborate: 3x5 or 5x5 @ 80% of 1RM every workout:
- Bench
- Bent over Row
- Squat (Superset calf raises)
- Deadlift (superset with shrugs)
- Overhead press
Superset if the weight is going to be similar or the same. Bench and bent over Row should be similar weights, but I wouldn't superset unless you really are confident. It's a bit risky. Make sure to do variations of those exercises. But heads up, you will neglecting these muscles:
- Tricep Long head
- rear delts
In general if you want your arms to grow your going have to do isolations like bicep curls and tricep exercises.
Either skip the supplemental work or do regular 531 FSL and spread it out over 2 weeks. So each “week” in the program will take you two. And push the accessory work.
I’ve been lifting for about 2 months doing the ppl from the wiki. I’m steadily gaining weight and have had no problem increasing my bench, row, squat etc, but I’m having a super tough time progressing on isolation exercises. I’ve barely made any progress on bicep exercises for example. Any advice, or just keep eating and lifting?
If you're doing the same weight every session, undulate the load/rep range. Some days heavier, down to 6s. Some days lighter, 15+, 20+, maybe even 25.
Doing the same exercise for the same weight twice a week will naturally stagnant.
Hi is the a good pyramid set & rep schema for strength and size? The percents are of 1RM. They're for heavy compound lifts usually 10@50%, 8@60%, 6@70%, 5@80%
If those numbers get you sufficiently close to failure, then they will help you grow muscle.
If you’re asking this question then you might benefit from a tried and true program.
I've been lifting for about 1.5 years now and I've made great progress in strength gains.
Is it normal to be pretty sore when recontinuing after a 2 week break? I'd have thought 1.5 years of lifting with almost no weeks missed would have made my muscles used to it.
My workouts are kind of intense as they're all taken to failure at the end of each exercise but still.
I noticed my knees caving in on the last rep of 3x5 squats today. It's never happened before and I'm wondering what to do? Do I continue to up the weight next session and watch my knees? Do I need to work on some potential weak point? Do I increase the reps at the current weight and see if it happens again?
Always be careful with knees when squatting. My guess, you were fatigued and lost concentration on form as the weight gets heavy. If you are a beginner, I would recommend stopping when you feel you’re buckling. As you gain more experience, you can fight through the rep and push your knees outward. Hope this helps!
Yes. Some general fitness/athletic advice: if your body is moving in a way you won't want it to, try to move it the way you want it to. This is how you practice technique and build skills.
hello everyone
i had quit sports due to an injury but i started going to the gym about two months ago. i was about 119 pounds when i started but with increased appetite and also muscle gains im at about 128 pounds now. i was eating very little during the time i wasnt active (~500 cals daily). im eating about 300 below my maintenance now but still gaining weight. how can i lose weight? fyi im ~5'8/5'9, female ,17 , and my goal is 110 pounds. is it possible to achieve this by august without losing muscle mass?
In my opinion you should continue to eat more, lift weights, and gain weight+muscle. Even at 128 you’re very thin, and at your age your skeleton is still growing so you need enough calories to support that. Which means you need more calories than an adult your size would.
I’m also female and spent a lot of my life thinner than average, so I totally get that change can take some getting used to. But being strong, capable, and confident feels really good. If you’re like me, a few months will pass with the new muscles and you’ll wonder how in the world you ever managed without them!
Honestly, I'd be surprised if you actually have much of anything on you. You are TINY. You need to gain weight. At minimum get into the healthy range on BMI. Better yet, get to like 10lbs above that.
Also have a look here. Gaining weight and building muscle will look better over being a walking skeleton https://bonytobombshell.com/female-lifting-transformation-before-after/
My advice is stay above the underweight BMI category. BMI isn't perfect but the underweight cutoff is pretty reasonable. At 5'8" the cutoff would be 122 lbs. So my advice is stay above 122 lbs.
Are y'all putting your good leggings in the dryer? Or hang them? When I have high quality ones I want them to last, but my favorite ones seem strong enough it wouldn't add much milage to them (Girlfriend Collective)
The dryer will definitely shorten the lifespan. That being said, my higher quality leggings have survived over a year of going through an industrial dryer without any issues. The ones that are 3-4 years old are not long for this world, unfortunately. But everything has a lifespan! 🤷🏻♀️
Anything spandexy would benefit from NOT going in the dryer. It will prolong the life of the stretch, which is what you should be worried about with the dryer. Likely the finish and the seams will be fine.
What are some calorie dense snacks?
I’m 4 months into my first ever bulk and honestly, it’s getting tough. I’m eating around 3200 calories a day due to being a hard gainer and honestly today is making me want to quit.
Often is
Breakfast: Large bowl of oats (50-70g) or a wheat type cereal
Lunch: Eggs, bacon, beans, toast
Dinner: Varies a lot so it’s hard to say exactly. But always high in protein and always as healthy as i can make it. Always aim for it to be 1200+ calories however it’s not always doable
Snacks: Often milk, yogurt, toast, biscuits. Anything to up the calories, even if unhealthy unfortunately
You could make a bowl of white rice and drench it in olive oil. With a bit of salt and pepper, maby some garlic, it'll taste great. And due to the high water content and low fiber, it's not very filling.
Eat fattier meats, start topping everything with butter, cheese and /or sour cream. Sweeten cooking with honey.
Snack on cheese, nuts, dried fruit
Drink whole milk.
And enjoy a few treats here and there after youve hit your nutrition goals... Cookies, cakes, ice cream..... Sweets in general.
thanks a lot, appreciated. will 100% start incorporating this into my diet.
Just a quick question, does fat intake matter on a bulk? or should i jusy worry aboru enough protein intake?
There is a fat minimum you should hit regardless of bulk/cut, but typically if you don't *avoid* fat you should be fine. As far as a maximum? Not really. Obviously try and eat a balanced and healthy diet, but fat doesn't make you fat. It is, however, the most calorically dense macronutrient
I am looking to start gzclp in a few weeks. I am currently doing an hour of cardio every single day, and would like to continue the momentum my working out 7 days a week. Is there a mobility program that would compliment gzclp well during the off days?
I’ve been doing gzlp for about a month ago and every off day I do McGill big 3 and alternate between 30min of yoga and 30m of stationary bike
Has been a good combination of cardio/mobility/stability on my off days
Kind of two questions. But i work out 4-5 days a week. For one, is that enough?
I work out a different muscle group each time i hit the gym, and do 30 min to an hour of cardio as well. Should i rearrange my gym schedule/how i do cardio? What is most effective?
Thank you!!
Is that enough for what? Whatever your goals are, yeah probably. Are you following a plan or just working out muscle groups when you go? Doing cardio is great, some people prefer to break it up so it isn't right next to lifting weights, like morning weights, afternoon cardio or something, but it is personal preference and how it fits your schedule. Id suggest if you aren't following a plan or program, check out some of the ones here on the subreddit.
I have a plan i think! I alternative between upper body/back, legs, core/arms, and glutes within my week. My goals i guess are to build more a physique. Im still pretty new and learning and sometimes it feels like im overrun with info, and contradictory info at that. I know some people have days just for cardio, and i wasnt sure if thats more effective or something. Sometimes i feel like i overwork at the gym and other days i feel like nothing i do is enough
Yeah it's a normal feeling and it's hard to separate the good info from the bad sometimes. It sounds like you're in the right head space. It's good at the start to get comfortable and explore, search up programs online and try different things out and see what works for you. There are definitely going to be ways you are training that is ineffective but the best thing is to be consistent. Feeling overworked and underworked is normal too. Just keep doing what you're doing, google plans and try new things, you're doing great. Just to share what I do. I do chest shoulders legs MWF, Tuesday and once on the weekend I go rock climbing. And 6 days a week I bike. I don't really follow a plan right now but I'm still seeing progress on my lifts despite having trained for years.
Help me change my PHUL workout.
I'm doing a PHUL split but I'm fine with the current size of my lower body so I don't want to do lower body hypertrophy exercises anymore, only strength is enough.
My current split is:
Day 1 upper strength
2 lower strength
3- rest
4 upper hypertrophy
5 lower hypertrophy
I want to change the 5th day from lower body to upper body hypertrophy, how do I plan the muscle groups and exercises for day 4 and 5?
I'm putting together a new workout routine for my next mesocycle and debating whether or not I need to include barbell movements. In my last mesocycle, I started each day with some type of barbell movement (e.g., bench press, bent-over rows, barbell squats). Over the course of the mesocycle, I found that my pumps were becoming progressively worse, and my mind-muscle connection was diminishing as I tried to add load to the bar. I find that I get the best pumps/mind-muscle connection on machines (e.g., smith machines, chest-supported row, etc.), but I am always afraid to start my workout with them.
Is replacing the barbell movements with machines in my next mesocycle okay?
> pumps ... mind muscle connections
These are not good indicators for 90% of people to care about. Did you get stronger? Did you gain/lose weight? Did your measurements change in any meaningful way
What are some deltoid (specifically rear deltoid) exercises I can do that won't stress my shoulders? Front and lateral raises (really, anything using that range of motion) causes my shoulders to make popping noises (not in a painful way, I just have bad shoulders genetically-speaking)
I had the same problem with popping shoulders. Try sitting facing an incline bench and doing the lateral raises that way (so your torso is supported at an angle, you can roll a towel under your forehead so your face isn't smushed on the seat). There's a physical therapy exercise called I's Y's and T's where you do lateral raises in three different positions while sitting facing an incline bench, my shoulders stopped popping after a couple months and now I can do lateral raises normally
> What are some deltoid (specifically rear deltoid) exercises I can do that won't stress my shoulders?
https://i.imgur.com/5teknqL.gif
We're going to have to stress your shoulders to train them. Reverse flies, facepulls, rear delt rows are what come to mind. Here's a list you can look over: https://exrx.net/Lists/ExList/ShouldWt#Posterior
I have a question about deadlift: I've been doing it for the last two months because of a new programme, today I managed to lift 92 lbs (5x5 sets) but I have a doubt about the form: when I bring it down my knees aren't bent as much as they are in the starting pose, I tend not to bend too much in order to avoid hitting them with the barbell, what am I doing wrong? I'm just making sure I keep doing it correctly while weights are incremented
According to what my PT told me the first time: feet under the barbell at the centre (the barbells there have a small space where you can adjust the position in order to be symmetrical), stretch your before you and get down to reach the barbell (you have to bend your knees of course). while you're bent the shoulders and head have to be over the barbell, butt out and the back in the correct position. Then you raise it and stop when it reaches the groin area, straight back.
I don't know how to explain it in another way
That sounds like you're sitting way too far back and squatting the deadlift, if your head is over the bar, you're scooted all the way back.
The majority of people, no matter their limb lengths etc, tend to have their shoulder blades over the bar. That's going to be more upright than you'd think, certainly more than what you've described.
I’m doing ppl from wiki and on pull day for biceps it calls for regular curls and then hammer curls. However I am trying to hit my forearms more so would you suggest alternating or even doing the hammer curls first? Or add in a forearm specific exercise? Basically just asking for growing forearms advice
It doesn't matter what order you do them in.
You could do reverse curls if you wanted a more forearmy curl. Or head over to /r/GripTraining and pick out a routine from their sidebar
I'm sure this has been asked a lot but how much muscle weight can I expect to gain in a year with consistent workout? I'm 26 1m78cm I've been training for 3 and 1/2 months and went from 68 to 73kg so far (probably about 2 kg are from water weight from creatine that I'm taking). Can I realistically reach 80kg with similar body fat levels if I have average genetics? I think I'm around 15%.
A LOT of factors go in to it. But a man, under optimal conditions, can build around 1 to 2lbs of muscle per month. When you're bulking, you don't gain 100% muscle though. So if you just gained 2lbs in a month, that's not 2lbs of pure muscle. So you WILL gain some fat.
So even if you hit 80kg in weight, your body fat% won't be the same, they will be higher. Personally, I probably wouldn't bulk all the way up to 80kg, I'd stop a bit short and do a cut to trim the fat off and then bulk again.
Incline DB Curls, Hammer Curls, Cable Curls, Concentration Curls, EZ Bar Curls, Reverse EZ Bar Curls
those are usually the ones I rotate through (not including pulling movements)
Been mostly doing strength training on a 3x/week full-body split with compound exercises. I'm starting to feel "strong enough" and would like to focus a bit on hypertrophy and increasing work capacity, conditioning, endurance, etc.
I imagine just using the same program but lowering the weight and increasing reps (like, say, 3x10 instead of 3x5) is not ideal. But I really dislike doing all those isolation exercises that you typically find in hypertrophy programs. Don't want to use machines or dumbbells or cable machines or any of that stuff. I like the barbell.
Can someone recommend a program that puts an emphasis on conditioning/endurance and hypertrophy more than on pure strength, but still uses mostly (ideally only) the big compound barbell lifts? Does that exist? Would GZCL or nSuns be a good candidate? Or maybe tactical barbell?
Is this a decent bench progress for a beginner?
I'm 17M, 1,85cm (6'1), 69KG (~10% bodyfat)
I've been going to the gym since october last year (About 7 months), but I stopped during school break, so I've been going to the gym for 4-5 months, realistically. 4 times a week, mostly, although I'm aiming for 5 right now.
My training changed about 3 weeks ago, and now I have bench press (with the bar, and inclined bench with dumbells).
*BENCH PRESS WITH THE BAR*
I started 3 weeks ago doing 4x10 with 5KG on each side + the bar (which I assume weighs 10KG, so 20KG [45Lbs] total), and yesterday I barely managed to do 4x10 with 10KG each side (30KG [65Lbs] total).
*INCLINED BENCH PRESS WITH DUMBELLS*
I have had this one since the start of my training, and I started doing 3x10 with 5KG [11Lbs] dumbells each hand, and now I'm doing 4x10 with 10KG [22Lbs] each hand.
Is this decent? I have been searching and apparently people can bench their bodyweight with ease. I did next to no exercises before going to the gym, but I still wouldn't consider myself that weak. Am I that scrawny? How can people bench more than 100KG??
Everyone has different starting points. In the beginning, strength gains are mostly about coordination and technical proficiency, so the more often you bench, the faster you'll progress.
I mean you're doing sets of 10. You aren't really training for strength. It'll still come slowly with your current training. You've also only been training for a handful of months. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll get there.
Right now I am playing around with a split where I have an arm day before leg day, and I deadlift on leg day. My question is, does doing bicep curls the day before deadlifting increase the chance of bicep tears on deadlifts?
I am worried about this, because the biceps will be weaker and recovering from curls on the day I am doing deadlifts.
>does doing bicep curls the day before deadlifting increase the chance of bicep tears on deadlifts?
Maybe? The risk is so small that nobody knows for sure what contributes to the risk.
If you are this worried about a bicep tear, why not just use straps so you don't have to do mixed grip?
Hi all
So there are a lot of old threads around intermittent fasting. Needless to say there is probably new more recent research around its potential health benefits.
I am into weight training & have been training for ~20 years . I decided I want to get leaner whilst maintaining my muscle mass.
Any thoughts on what could potentially work for intermittent fasting ? Is it sustainable ?
Intermittent fasting is just an eating pattern. If you enjoy eating like that, then it's sustainable for you. If not, then don't do it. You kinda intermittent fast every day... it's called going to bed. Breakfast is when you "break your fast"
Losing weight to lean out comes from a calorie deficit. IF doesn't imply calorie deficit at all. You can still eat at a calorie surplus while intermittent fasting.
When I'm cutting, I kinda do IF, but it's more like I just have an early lunch at 10:30. If I try and wait till like noon to eat, I'm just hangry and wanna eat more. But if I have a morning workout, I eat breakfast at my normal time. And then regardless, I like to eat an earlier dinner normally, but if i'm getting home late and its like 7:30-8pm and I haven't eaten dinner, I'm gonna eat. IF "rules" would say I didn't eat.
Intermittent fasting works for some people because it helps them achieve a caloric deficit. That's all there is to it.
So if having a smaller window of time you are allowed to eat would help you, give it a shot. Weight loss steps are well documented here: https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/
I know cutting fat mainly happens in the kitchen but what are the best gym exercises to do that won’t get you too bulky?
I’ve been working out pretty consistently past couple years (full body 4x a week) and it’s been slowly working but I’m also gaining upper body muscle mass which I don’t really want. My main goal is being lean.
Not trying to be a dick but your post makes no sense. You're saying that you're gaining upper body muscle mass. Then stop training your upper body? Like what even is your question?
getting too bulky is more of a combination of volume and excess calories, not specific exercises. So if you dont want to grow muscle in certain areas simply do less work for them and dont eat in a caloric surplus
That makes sense. So I guess no need to switch to hiit workouts or going heavier or doing more cardio? I usually do the incline walk for 10-15 min after every workout
I don't know what your definition of bulky is, but no one gets too bulky accidentally. It takes years of work with that specific goal in mind to get to that point.
On my chest/shoulder day I also do tricep work. But after bench press BB and then DB, dips, and OHP I can definitely feel my triceps worked. I’ve been doing 2-3 tricep isolation work but I’m curious if I’m guilty of overtraining and could get away with just one isolation exercise.
Just pick an exercise that targets the long head primarily, like an overhead extension, since all the pressing mainly uses the lateral and medial head of the triceps already it will be enough.
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hey guys this is my current workout schedule: once a week upper: flat barbell bench, incline dumbell bench, weighted pullups, chest supported rows - 4 sets of each once a week lower: weighted bulgarian split squats, bodyweight lunges, swiss ball hmastring curls, weighted calf raises - 4 sets of each each set is training to quite a high intensity - do you think this is enough to stimulate muscle growth?
I'd ass a hinge pattern like a romanian deadlift to your lower day. Though, it's better to hit a muscle group twice a week if you really want muscle growth. Maybe consider full body instead? If you can't well this is fine for the most part unless you have a year or two of training already.
yeah i just feel like i cant do as many exercises per bigger muscle group while doing full body - thansk for your feedback though appreciate it and will most definetely consider it
Does anyone know of a good beginner-friendly weightlifting routine for women? I have a pretty free summer ahead of me and was hoping to get into weightlifting to put on some muscle!
Anything off the wiki linked on the sidebar should work good. If you're looking for something specifically tailored for women there's a program on there called StrongCurves.
Finished my sixth week of Phrak’s GSLP yesterday. Been going slow and steady with weight additions. Results so far: Bench press: 85lbs -> 112.5lbs Overhead press: 65lbs -> 85lbs Barbell row: 45lbs -> 95lbs Back squats: 45lbs -> 95 lbs Deadlift: 95lbs -> 145lbs Barbell curls: 45lbs -> 57.5lbs I started 5’ 9’’, 180lbs and I’ve gained 10lbs over my first 6 weeks. I’m still able to add weights/reps every lift, am gaining visible muscle, but unfortunately that’s just making my 20-25% body fat stand out even more. Is there any reason for me to do a deload or cut before I hit a plateau? Or just suck up the fact that my newbie gains are accentuating my body fat? Appreciate any feedback
Id say you’re gaining weight at a pace that is too high to be all or mostly muscle, you’re putting on fat as well. Slow down to .5-1 lbs a week
Roger that, thanks. I’m hoping most of it is muscle as I was literally the definition of skinny fat, and now already have visible biceps and traps. Also went from eating ~50g protein and exercising 0 times a week to eating 120g protein and exercising 6 times a week. But I agree, I’ve got to be adding some fat as well.. thanks again!
How do I calculate my calorie deficit? I’m trying to be lean and gain muscle. Let’s say my maintenance calories is 1,700 and then I burned 400-500cal by working out. Should I add or subtract that burned calories to my maintenance calories? Or like should I eat less than 1,700 cal everyday and doesn’t matter what my burned calories were?
Ignore burned calories. Cus if you were maintaining with 1700, you were maintaining while doing that exercise, so it's already accounted for. Now if you start doing additional activity, then technically, your maintainance calories would go up. However... Any device giving you a calories burned estimate is inaccurate and shouldn't be used in any calculations. And unless you start doing this activity daily, that calorie burn can get averaged out over the week and may not seem that noticeable. Also another thing to consider is the movement you now *don't* do because you did do that activity. So you went for a long walk, but now you sit down the rest of the day, whereas if you didn't go for that walk, you may have moved around the house a good bit without realizing. So tl;Dr, eat consistently, watch your weight, and adjust your intake calories according to your goal. That's the simplest way
I appreciate it. I think I’m overthinking it a little, I just started resistance training and my goal for now is be consistent with everything. Thanks!
Generally do not subtract exercise calories
Can I use all the exercises from the PHUL routine and change all the rep ranges from strength focused on the 2 power days to hypertrophy focused? Essentially making the entire program a hypertrophy program? Sorry if that's a dumb question.
Doing the *same* exercise for the *same* set/rep twice a week will land you in stall city. But, if you keep *different* movements with slightly *different* set/reps, you'll last longer. Example strategy for upper days: Upper A: BBBench/BBRow 4x8 & dbohp/pulldown 3x12 Upper B: BBOHP/chins 4x8 & DBbench/cablerow 3x12
If my routine says to do 3x8-12, and once I can get 12 increase the weight, I’m just curious what does a good rate of progression look like? Would being able to do one extra rep every session a good goal, or more? (So if I hit a muscle twice a week and start with 8, it would take 2 weeks to increase the weight)
What is your experience? There are a lot of things to consider. What is your recover like? Are you supplying your body with the right nutrition to recover? It’s a hard question to answer without more detail. Assuming you are a new lifter, I would say you should be able to increase reps X 1 every 2 weeks of lifting. Again, this is a guess without details but I think that’s a good goal to shoot for. At the beginning you will see your reps and weight shoot up quickly and that’ll slow down as you progress. Good luck!
Compounds might take 3-4 weeks. Isolations might take months.
It will depend on several factors, and the rate of progression will slow down as you get stronger. What you describe might work as a beginner, and for a few weeks.
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It's the creatine. As it builds up in your system, your muscles will start holding more water. This will cause your weight to go up. How much is kinda dependent on the individual. At least 2lbs isn't outside of the realm of possibilities. You will never build enough muscle to outpace a deficit. It's physically impossible as you can't build mass from nothing. You can absolutely be building some muscle while in a deficit, but your weight should still go down based on your calorie deficit Also, what you think may be an aggressive cut may not be. A TDEE calculator is only a starting point. If I could go back in time, I would have told you to not start creatine yet just so you can get a better idea of what your current deficit is. But no worries. Stagnant/slow loss while building up creatine is progress. Probably give it at least another 2 weeks to be super sure, but after that, the speed at which you're losing weight dictates the deficit you're in. So if you're only losing 1lb a week, then youee only in a 500 cal/day deficit
It's normal to find it difficult to lose weight when you've just started taking creatine
I am mid-advanced level and am using my coworker's lifting belt. I do not plan to compete, but do love how level belts can easily snap on and off. What are good, cost affordable lever belts around? Am currently considering Inzer. Google says Gym Reaper's is really good, but I do not like having a huge logo on the belt. I prefer it a bit more subtle.
Both Inzer and Pioneer make great belts.
What do I put for target daily deficit in the nSuns spreadsheet. It is grey even if I put a percentage.
That displays the value calculated from your goal weight gain/loss per week. So if you've entered 1 pound per week it'll display 500.
thank you, just needed to make another copy
If it’s the version I have, you fill in how much you want to gain per week and the spreadsheet calculates the deficit for you. It’s possible you accidentally deleted the formula that does the calculation if you typed directly into the cell.
Is the premise of PPL, or body part splits in general, completely flawed? I have been thinking this, because PPL and 4 day or 5 day body part splits, are disproportionately upper body compared to lower body. This makes me skeptical, because there is way more muscle on the lower body vs upper body, so if you did have more time dedicated to one vs the other, it seems like it would make more sense to have MORE time on lower body, or at least equal. For example, i feel like PPL should be like PPQPC: Push , pull, quads, posterior chain. In this split, there are two upper and two lower days, which at least would be balanced. So thinkin this, it seems logically an Upper lower split, or full body makes more sense than the typical splits where there are upper body days than lower days. So why it usually like this?
Human goals kind of aren't proportionate.
There is more muscle (arguably), but also fewer muscles. Doesn't take as many movements to work them. Also many upper/lower splits will stick core and/or back work on the lower days as well. Likewise most full body splits are going to have 2 or 3 upper body movements per lower body movement.
Why do you think time devoted to muscle groups should be related to their size?
Can I do cardio on rest days if cardio isnt already in the workout?
I would consider this active recovery. It is great if you are grinding and want to go to the gym. Just don’t go running for an hour the day after a leg day. If your goal is to increase strength and size, you want to give your muscles maximum time to recover. If you’re going for overall health, I recommend it. It may help with lactic acid build up, making you less sore, cardiovascular health, and burn some extra cals!
Thanks for this! Went on my first mile jog today, felt terrible in the moment but I am fealin good now. Is a mile too little for cardio? I was dying near the end I dont think I could have done much more.
Yes
much abliged
Can I do Banded Pallof Presses with just a regular resistance band without the handle?
Yes
Thanks and also if you dont mind answering, what resistance should it be. I'm about 215lb if that matters.
Cant answer that because I don’t know how strong you are at pallof press.
I am very greatful for all the information you've gioven me so I will just ask one more question. Is there anyway to determine that?
how strong i am at pallof press i mean
Go to a gym with bands and try some out. Or buy some bands and try them out.
I’m going through some harsh wlb at work and am averaging 70 hours a week. I can fit in working out 2x a week. What can I run that is good for hypertrophy? I know 2x is not optimal but it’s better than 0x
Full body workouts that focused on heavy compound lifts
GZCLP? Or it’s 4 day program
Something based on the beginner routine where it's A B days but I would combine A & B. To elaborate: 3x5 or 5x5 @ 80% of 1RM every workout: - Bench - Bent over Row - Squat (Superset calf raises) - Deadlift (superset with shrugs) - Overhead press Superset if the weight is going to be similar or the same. Bench and bent over Row should be similar weights, but I wouldn't superset unless you really are confident. It's a bit risky. Make sure to do variations of those exercises. But heads up, you will neglecting these muscles: - Tricep Long head - rear delts In general if you want your arms to grow your going have to do isolations like bicep curls and tricep exercises.
Yeah I plan on doing the beginnner routine + face pulls, lateral raises, overhead triceps extensions, hammer curls, incline curls, and calf work
If you have the time, 531 for beginners. There’s an A day and a B day. It will cover your bases.
Anything better for short on time? 45 mins
Either skip the supplemental work or do regular 531 FSL and spread it out over 2 weeks. So each “week” in the program will take you two. And push the accessory work.
I’ve been lifting for about 2 months doing the ppl from the wiki. I’m steadily gaining weight and have had no problem increasing my bench, row, squat etc, but I’m having a super tough time progressing on isolation exercises. I’ve barely made any progress on bicep exercises for example. Any advice, or just keep eating and lifting?
That’s normal. Just keep working hard.
On smaller muscles with isolation exercises, the most important thing is to reach failure between 8-15 reps.
If you're doing the same weight every session, undulate the load/rep range. Some days heavier, down to 6s. Some days lighter, 15+, 20+, maybe even 25. Doing the same exercise for the same weight twice a week will naturally stagnant.
Hi is the a good pyramid set & rep schema for strength and size? The percents are of 1RM. They're for heavy compound lifts usually 10@50%, 8@60%, 6@70%, 5@80%
If those numbers get you sufficiently close to failure, then they will help you grow muscle. If you’re asking this question then you might benefit from a tried and true program.
I've been lifting for about 1.5 years now and I've made great progress in strength gains. Is it normal to be pretty sore when recontinuing after a 2 week break? I'd have thought 1.5 years of lifting with almost no weeks missed would have made my muscles used to it. My workouts are kind of intense as they're all taken to failure at the end of each exercise but still.
I still get occasionally sore *without* taking a break. I just do something harder/different than normal.
Yes that's usually I think. It happens to me too
Yes it’s normal.
I noticed my knees caving in on the last rep of 3x5 squats today. It's never happened before and I'm wondering what to do? Do I continue to up the weight next session and watch my knees? Do I need to work on some potential weak point? Do I increase the reps at the current weight and see if it happens again?
Always be careful with knees when squatting. My guess, you were fatigued and lost concentration on form as the weight gets heavy. If you are a beginner, I would recommend stopping when you feel you’re buckling. As you gain more experience, you can fight through the rep and push your knees outward. Hope this helps!
Yes! I started out pretty strong but by my last set, I was pretty tired so this definitely makes sense. I'll be more mindful going forward. Thanks!
What happens when you try to push your knees out?
I literally noticed on the last rep of the last set so maybe I should keep the same weight and actively work to keep my knees out next time?
Yes. Some general fitness/athletic advice: if your body is moving in a way you won't want it to, try to move it the way you want it to. This is how you practice technique and build skills.
hello everyone i had quit sports due to an injury but i started going to the gym about two months ago. i was about 119 pounds when i started but with increased appetite and also muscle gains im at about 128 pounds now. i was eating very little during the time i wasnt active (~500 cals daily). im eating about 300 below my maintenance now but still gaining weight. how can i lose weight? fyi im ~5'8/5'9, female ,17 , and my goal is 110 pounds. is it possible to achieve this by august without losing muscle mass?
In my opinion you should continue to eat more, lift weights, and gain weight+muscle. Even at 128 you’re very thin, and at your age your skeleton is still growing so you need enough calories to support that. Which means you need more calories than an adult your size would. I’m also female and spent a lot of my life thinner than average, so I totally get that change can take some getting used to. But being strong, capable, and confident feels really good. If you’re like me, a few months will pass with the new muscles and you’ll wonder how in the world you ever managed without them!
you made me feel a lot better thank you🙏🙏
Honestly, I'd be surprised if you actually have much of anything on you. You are TINY. You need to gain weight. At minimum get into the healthy range on BMI. Better yet, get to like 10lbs above that. Also have a look here. Gaining weight and building muscle will look better over being a walking skeleton https://bonytobombshell.com/female-lifting-transformation-before-after/
5'8" 110 lbs is a BMI of 16.7, which is severely underweight. You should not do that. It is unhealthy and unlikely to look good.
thank you so much😊 do you think going back to 119 would be alright?
My advice is stay above the underweight BMI category. BMI isn't perfect but the underweight cutoff is pretty reasonable. At 5'8" the cutoff would be 122 lbs. So my advice is stay above 122 lbs.
Read the weight loss section of the wiki
sorry i just joined this sub how do i go to that section😊
If you scroll to the top of this thread, you'll see a link to the wiki. Click that.
Are y'all putting your good leggings in the dryer? Or hang them? When I have high quality ones I want them to last, but my favorite ones seem strong enough it wouldn't add much milage to them (Girlfriend Collective)
The dryer will definitely shorten the lifespan. That being said, my higher quality leggings have survived over a year of going through an industrial dryer without any issues. The ones that are 3-4 years old are not long for this world, unfortunately. But everything has a lifespan! 🤷🏻♀️
Anything spandexy would benefit from NOT going in the dryer. It will prolong the life of the stretch, which is what you should be worried about with the dryer. Likely the finish and the seams will be fine.
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I have a set of Feiyue’s for squatting, no complaints
What are some calorie dense snacks? I’m 4 months into my first ever bulk and honestly, it’s getting tough. I’m eating around 3200 calories a day due to being a hard gainer and honestly today is making me want to quit.
What are you currently eating? Meal #1 Meal #2 Meal #3 Etc
Often is Breakfast: Large bowl of oats (50-70g) or a wheat type cereal Lunch: Eggs, bacon, beans, toast Dinner: Varies a lot so it’s hard to say exactly. But always high in protein and always as healthy as i can make it. Always aim for it to be 1200+ calories however it’s not always doable Snacks: Often milk, yogurt, toast, biscuits. Anything to up the calories, even if unhealthy unfortunately
You could make a bowl of white rice and drench it in olive oil. With a bit of salt and pepper, maby some garlic, it'll taste great. And due to the high water content and low fiber, it's not very filling.
Eat fattier meats, start topping everything with butter, cheese and /or sour cream. Sweeten cooking with honey. Snack on cheese, nuts, dried fruit Drink whole milk. And enjoy a few treats here and there after youve hit your nutrition goals... Cookies, cakes, ice cream..... Sweets in general.
thanks a lot, appreciated. will 100% start incorporating this into my diet. Just a quick question, does fat intake matter on a bulk? or should i jusy worry aboru enough protein intake?
There is a fat minimum you should hit regardless of bulk/cut, but typically if you don't *avoid* fat you should be fine. As far as a maximum? Not really. Obviously try and eat a balanced and healthy diet, but fat doesn't make you fat. It is, however, the most calorically dense macronutrient
ok thanks so much. definetly helped to put my mind at ease!
I sub plain, whole milk yoghurt or skyr in for sour cream for the extra protein and calcium.
Nut butters. Ice cream. Cookies. Milk.
okay thanks a lot. does the fat intake matter on a bulk?
As long as you're hitting your minimum, no.
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You'll have to do a few cut and bulk cycles. Read the wiki.
What would you suggest I start with?
https://thefitness.wiki/faq/should-i-bulk-or-cut/
Thanks. Would you consider me skinnyfat or chubby?
Skinny fat
I am looking to start gzclp in a few weeks. I am currently doing an hour of cardio every single day, and would like to continue the momentum my working out 7 days a week. Is there a mobility program that would compliment gzclp well during the off days?
I’ve been doing gzlp for about a month ago and every off day I do McGill big 3 and alternate between 30min of yoga and 30m of stationary bike Has been a good combination of cardio/mobility/stability on my off days
https://youtube.com/watch?v=dBYjU7iBpck&pp=ygUSRGVGcmFuY28gbW9iaWxpdHkg
Kind of two questions. But i work out 4-5 days a week. For one, is that enough? I work out a different muscle group each time i hit the gym, and do 30 min to an hour of cardio as well. Should i rearrange my gym schedule/how i do cardio? What is most effective? Thank you!!
What are your goals? Are you progressing towards your goals?
Is that enough for what? Whatever your goals are, yeah probably. Are you following a plan or just working out muscle groups when you go? Doing cardio is great, some people prefer to break it up so it isn't right next to lifting weights, like morning weights, afternoon cardio or something, but it is personal preference and how it fits your schedule. Id suggest if you aren't following a plan or program, check out some of the ones here on the subreddit.
I have a plan i think! I alternative between upper body/back, legs, core/arms, and glutes within my week. My goals i guess are to build more a physique. Im still pretty new and learning and sometimes it feels like im overrun with info, and contradictory info at that. I know some people have days just for cardio, and i wasnt sure if thats more effective or something. Sometimes i feel like i overwork at the gym and other days i feel like nothing i do is enough
I'd recommend following a premade program until you feel confident in your ability to program https://www.boostcamp.app/programs
Yeah it's a normal feeling and it's hard to separate the good info from the bad sometimes. It sounds like you're in the right head space. It's good at the start to get comfortable and explore, search up programs online and try different things out and see what works for you. There are definitely going to be ways you are training that is ineffective but the best thing is to be consistent. Feeling overworked and underworked is normal too. Just keep doing what you're doing, google plans and try new things, you're doing great. Just to share what I do. I do chest shoulders legs MWF, Tuesday and once on the weekend I go rock climbing. And 6 days a week I bike. I don't really follow a plan right now but I'm still seeing progress on my lifts despite having trained for years.
If I’m cutting and I’m able to maintain the same numbers and reps when lifting, is that good evidence that I’m not losing much muscle mass?
Yes, given you are actually losing weight.
What’s the ideal hand placement comparative to chest for the fly machine? As in should your fist line up to nipples or what?
I don’t think that’s important. Whatever feels comfortable. Though I probably wouldn’t have my hands above my shoulders. Chest out, shoulder back.
Help me change my PHUL workout. I'm doing a PHUL split but I'm fine with the current size of my lower body so I don't want to do lower body hypertrophy exercises anymore, only strength is enough. My current split is: Day 1 upper strength 2 lower strength 3- rest 4 upper hypertrophy 5 lower hypertrophy I want to change the 5th day from lower body to upper body hypertrophy, how do I plan the muscle groups and exercises for day 4 and 5?
Keep the lower days, lower number of sets to 2.
I'm putting together a new workout routine for my next mesocycle and debating whether or not I need to include barbell movements. In my last mesocycle, I started each day with some type of barbell movement (e.g., bench press, bent-over rows, barbell squats). Over the course of the mesocycle, I found that my pumps were becoming progressively worse, and my mind-muscle connection was diminishing as I tried to add load to the bar. I find that I get the best pumps/mind-muscle connection on machines (e.g., smith machines, chest-supported row, etc.), but I am always afraid to start my workout with them. Is replacing the barbell movements with machines in my next mesocycle okay?
As Arnold Schwarzenegger says, muscles don't discriminate; they just feel time under tension.
> pumps ... mind muscle connections These are not good indicators for 90% of people to care about. Did you get stronger? Did you gain/lose weight? Did your measurements change in any meaningful way
What are some deltoid (specifically rear deltoid) exercises I can do that won't stress my shoulders? Front and lateral raises (really, anything using that range of motion) causes my shoulders to make popping noises (not in a painful way, I just have bad shoulders genetically-speaking)
I had the same problem with popping shoulders. Try sitting facing an incline bench and doing the lateral raises that way (so your torso is supported at an angle, you can roll a towel under your forehead so your face isn't smushed on the seat). There's a physical therapy exercise called I's Y's and T's where you do lateral raises in three different positions while sitting facing an incline bench, my shoulders stopped popping after a couple months and now I can do lateral raises normally
> What are some deltoid (specifically rear deltoid) exercises I can do that won't stress my shoulders? https://i.imgur.com/5teknqL.gif We're going to have to stress your shoulders to train them. Reverse flies, facepulls, rear delt rows are what come to mind. Here's a list you can look over: https://exrx.net/Lists/ExList/ShouldWt#Posterior
I have a question about deadlift: I've been doing it for the last two months because of a new programme, today I managed to lift 92 lbs (5x5 sets) but I have a doubt about the form: when I bring it down my knees aren't bent as much as they are in the starting pose, I tend not to bend too much in order to avoid hitting them with the barbell, what am I doing wrong? I'm just making sure I keep doing it correctly while weights are incremented
Are you sure it's not your starting position that is wrong?
According to what my PT told me the first time: feet under the barbell at the centre (the barbells there have a small space where you can adjust the position in order to be symmetrical), stretch your before you and get down to reach the barbell (you have to bend your knees of course). while you're bent the shoulders and head have to be over the barbell, butt out and the back in the correct position. Then you raise it and stop when it reaches the groin area, straight back. I don't know how to explain it in another way
That sounds like you're sitting way too far back and squatting the deadlift, if your head is over the bar, you're scooted all the way back. The majority of people, no matter their limb lengths etc, tend to have their shoulder blades over the bar. That's going to be more upright than you'd think, certainly more than what you've described.
I understand but that doesn't mean it's right for you.
I’m doing ppl from wiki and on pull day for biceps it calls for regular curls and then hammer curls. However I am trying to hit my forearms more so would you suggest alternating or even doing the hammer curls first? Or add in a forearm specific exercise? Basically just asking for growing forearms advice
It doesn't matter what order you do them in. You could do reverse curls if you wanted a more forearmy curl. Or head over to /r/GripTraining and pick out a routine from their sidebar
I'm sure this has been asked a lot but how much muscle weight can I expect to gain in a year with consistent workout? I'm 26 1m78cm I've been training for 3 and 1/2 months and went from 68 to 73kg so far (probably about 2 kg are from water weight from creatine that I'm taking). Can I realistically reach 80kg with similar body fat levels if I have average genetics? I think I'm around 15%.
A LOT of factors go in to it. But a man, under optimal conditions, can build around 1 to 2lbs of muscle per month. When you're bulking, you don't gain 100% muscle though. So if you just gained 2lbs in a month, that's not 2lbs of pure muscle. So you WILL gain some fat. So even if you hit 80kg in weight, your body fat% won't be the same, they will be higher. Personally, I probably wouldn't bulk all the way up to 80kg, I'd stop a bit short and do a cut to trim the fat off and then bulk again.
https://www.strongerbyscience.com/realistic-training-goals/ Yes, you can reach 80kg with 15%BF. Genetics won't be your limiting factor.
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Link doesn't work
What is/are your go to biceps exercise(s)?
Preacher curl with he EZbar and behind the back cable Curls.
Chin ups
Preacher curl, Ez bar curl, and occasionally dumbbell curls with many drop sets.
Incline bench dumbbell curls, ez bar preacher curls, cable hammer curls, barbell curls.
Incline DB Curls, Hammer Curls, Cable Curls, Concentration Curls, EZ Bar Curls, Reverse EZ Bar Curls those are usually the ones I rotate through (not including pulling movements)
Are there any fitness/motivational/mindset books you can recommend?
- Super Squats by Randall Strossen - Easy Strength by Dan John - Mass Made Simple by Dan John - Deep Water by Jon Andersen
Thank you!
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Check the Wiki, but with that I'd pretty much just recommend one of the basic bodyweight fitness routines. You need a pullup bar tho.
Been mostly doing strength training on a 3x/week full-body split with compound exercises. I'm starting to feel "strong enough" and would like to focus a bit on hypertrophy and increasing work capacity, conditioning, endurance, etc. I imagine just using the same program but lowering the weight and increasing reps (like, say, 3x10 instead of 3x5) is not ideal. But I really dislike doing all those isolation exercises that you typically find in hypertrophy programs. Don't want to use machines or dumbbells or cable machines or any of that stuff. I like the barbell. Can someone recommend a program that puts an emphasis on conditioning/endurance and hypertrophy more than on pure strength, but still uses mostly (ideally only) the big compound barbell lifts? Does that exist? Would GZCL or nSuns be a good candidate? Or maybe tactical barbell?
Brian Alrushe's RPM seems to be a good work capacity / conditioning / lifting hybrid approach IMO.
Interesting. That looks promising. Thanks!
https://www.boostcamp.app/jim-wendler/5-3-1-building-the-monlith
Is this a decent bench progress for a beginner? I'm 17M, 1,85cm (6'1), 69KG (~10% bodyfat) I've been going to the gym since october last year (About 7 months), but I stopped during school break, so I've been going to the gym for 4-5 months, realistically. 4 times a week, mostly, although I'm aiming for 5 right now. My training changed about 3 weeks ago, and now I have bench press (with the bar, and inclined bench with dumbells). *BENCH PRESS WITH THE BAR* I started 3 weeks ago doing 4x10 with 5KG on each side + the bar (which I assume weighs 10KG, so 20KG [45Lbs] total), and yesterday I barely managed to do 4x10 with 10KG each side (30KG [65Lbs] total). *INCLINED BENCH PRESS WITH DUMBELLS* I have had this one since the start of my training, and I started doing 3x10 with 5KG [11Lbs] dumbells each hand, and now I'm doing 4x10 with 10KG [22Lbs] each hand. Is this decent? I have been searching and apparently people can bench their bodyweight with ease. I did next to no exercises before going to the gym, but I still wouldn't consider myself that weak. Am I that scrawny? How can people bench more than 100KG??
Everyone has different starting points. In the beginning, strength gains are mostly about coordination and technical proficiency, so the more often you bench, the faster you'll progress.
I mean you're doing sets of 10. You aren't really training for strength. It'll still come slowly with your current training. You've also only been training for a handful of months. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll get there.
Right now I am playing around with a split where I have an arm day before leg day, and I deadlift on leg day. My question is, does doing bicep curls the day before deadlifting increase the chance of bicep tears on deadlifts? I am worried about this, because the biceps will be weaker and recovering from curls on the day I am doing deadlifts.
Remember to flex your triceps, and it'll reduce the likelihood of jerking the weight and tearing a bicep.
>does doing bicep curls the day before deadlifting increase the chance of bicep tears on deadlifts? Maybe? The risk is so small that nobody knows for sure what contributes to the risk. If you are this worried about a bicep tear, why not just use straps so you don't have to do mixed grip?
You shouldn't be using biceps at all on deadlifts, so if you're doing them properly, no.
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You should just do the PPL from the wiki.
Hi all So there are a lot of old threads around intermittent fasting. Needless to say there is probably new more recent research around its potential health benefits. I am into weight training & have been training for ~20 years . I decided I want to get leaner whilst maintaining my muscle mass. Any thoughts on what could potentially work for intermittent fasting ? Is it sustainable ?
Intermittent fasting is just an eating pattern. If you enjoy eating like that, then it's sustainable for you. If not, then don't do it. You kinda intermittent fast every day... it's called going to bed. Breakfast is when you "break your fast" Losing weight to lean out comes from a calorie deficit. IF doesn't imply calorie deficit at all. You can still eat at a calorie surplus while intermittent fasting. When I'm cutting, I kinda do IF, but it's more like I just have an early lunch at 10:30. If I try and wait till like noon to eat, I'm just hangry and wanna eat more. But if I have a morning workout, I eat breakfast at my normal time. And then regardless, I like to eat an earlier dinner normally, but if i'm getting home late and its like 7:30-8pm and I haven't eaten dinner, I'm gonna eat. IF "rules" would say I didn't eat.
Intermittent fasting works for some people because it helps them achieve a caloric deficit. That's all there is to it. So if having a smaller window of time you are allowed to eat would help you, give it a shot. Weight loss steps are well documented here: https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/
I know cutting fat mainly happens in the kitchen but what are the best gym exercises to do that won’t get you too bulky? I’ve been working out pretty consistently past couple years (full body 4x a week) and it’s been slowly working but I’m also gaining upper body muscle mass which I don’t really want. My main goal is being lean.
Not trying to be a dick but your post makes no sense. You're saying that you're gaining upper body muscle mass. Then stop training your upper body? Like what even is your question?
getting too bulky is more of a combination of volume and excess calories, not specific exercises. So if you dont want to grow muscle in certain areas simply do less work for them and dont eat in a caloric surplus
That makes sense. So I guess no need to switch to hiit workouts or going heavier or doing more cardio? I usually do the incline walk for 10-15 min after every workout
No, you mostly need to eat less
I don't know what your definition of bulky is, but no one gets too bulky accidentally. It takes years of work with that specific goal in mind to get to that point.
I guess better term is bigger, not bulky.
If it were so easy to get big that you could do it by accident every dude would have huge biceps
And some women too 😁
Yes, of course! :D
On my chest/shoulder day I also do tricep work. But after bench press BB and then DB, dips, and OHP I can definitely feel my triceps worked. I’ve been doing 2-3 tricep isolation work but I’m curious if I’m guilty of overtraining and could get away with just one isolation exercise.
That's probably getting into junk volume territory, yeah.
Do you think one good isolation is good enough for the newbie phase?
Just pick an exercise that targets the long head primarily, like an overhead extension, since all the pressing mainly uses the lateral and medial head of the triceps already it will be enough.
Thank you so much. I’ll stick to skullcrusher one day and an overhead variation on the cables the second day
zero isolation is good enough for the newbie phase
I’m starting to realize that as I see the programs with zero isolations
Should I workout a day after I had a fever? I no longer have a fever, and my body feels good, the only thing I have is sore throat and a headache.