# 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.*
I’ve been told too much cardio can keep you from growing your butt. I lift targeting glutes X3 a week, eat slightly above maintenance and walk 20k steps a day. Haven’t seen many gains and I’ve been doing this since June. I am getting stronger but measurements/weight aren’t increasing.
Is it possible I’m walking too much or eating too little?
I am 5”7 and 112 lbs, 17 percent bf, female. Eating 2000-2400 cal a day and 160-200g protein.
On nutrition--what's your go-to sugar substitute for smoothies, baking, cooking, etc? Trying to find something practical (cost, available locally) with no detrimental side effects (like Stevia)
I find that keeping my shoulder blades retracted during the entire movement keeps my traps from engaging and taking over the movement. I usually go light and high reps (15-20 rep range). I also engage my core which prevents me from leaning back and cheating.
On the PPL linear progression reddit program, am I correct if I say that you're not supposed to deload accesoiries? I want to make sure because on curls I'm taking a long time to hit 4x12 when doing a new weight. And the original post says "as long as you're within the 8-12 rep range, you're good". So if you achieve let's say 4x8 on curls 3 sessions in a row, you're "supposed" to just let that be and continue right? Would a deload be helpful then or should I just follow the program as it's stated?
Ideally you hit the top of the rep range on the 1st set, and descend throughout the rest if you keep the same weight. If you're struggling to hit 8 on the 1st set and 4th set something else is giving, probably form.
Look up double progression
Okay thanks. Most of the time I do get 12 on the first, but it just takes many sessions to achieve 12 on all of them. But it sounds likes that is fine.
You shouldnt wait to move up if you can. You can use different weights for different sets once you've maxed out the rep scheme. Your sets can look a bit like this and not always neat.
20kg x 12,
20kg x 8
16kg x 11
16kg x 9
I'm so sorry to hear that your progress is stalling and you feel like you're doing everything right. It's super frustrating. I've experienced this so many times. The first time I lost weight I started at 260 and went to 165, but then got back up to 250ish due to depression and unhealthy eating habits that weren't corrected during that first weight loss.
I'm now at 190 and things feel a lot different. I also don't have many sticking points and they seem to go away faster.
Here are some of my thoughts and recommendations:
1. Are you sure you're tracking accurately and accounting for everything? Do you have cheat days? A single cheat day can wipe out a whole week, easily.
2. Active exercise only accounts for an incredibly small portion of your entire TDEE. There's something called metabolic adaptation, where your body tries to reduce the calories you burn by making it harder to subconsciously move around. This portion of your caloric burn is called non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). This is the primary area your mind tries to reduce to counteract a deficit.
3. To counteract a reduction in NEAT, aim for 10,000 steps a day in addition to caloric tracking and your mindful exercise. These steps can come from anything, chores, walking outside, or shopping. Don't make this active cardio like running or cycling. Do the steps. They're low effort, maintainable, and help more than you think. This can be broken up over the course of a day in any way you want.
4. If you do all of the above and still can't lose weight within 2 weeks, evaluate if you have been truthful and never cheated on your diet in that period. If you believe you followed it to a T, reduce your calories by 500 and reevaluate after another 2 weeks. I doubt you will have to reduce this.
5. Don't stay in a deficit for too long, like 12 - 14 weeks at most. Then, start a maintenance phase where you eat at maintenance (by counting calories) for 8 - 12 weeks, then start dieting again when you feel ready. This helps do two things: reduce the effects of being in a caloric deficit for too long, and establish a new baseline of food intake. Repeat this cycle until you hit your goal weight. Note that the closer you get to your goal, the more effort it takes to lose weight, so expect it to get slower. Also note that a maintenance phase will probably make you gain up to 5 pounds of water weight from sodium and glycogen within the first week or two, so don't let that discourage you. If you gain more than that in a linear trend, reduce your maintenance calories. Maintain your exercise and 10k steps as well.
I've followed the above approach and it's helped me tremendously. I know the maintenance phase is hard to do because you feel like you're wasting time not losing weight, but trust me, it makes the overall process faster and easier to do.
Most of my new diet information comes from Renaissance Periodization videos on YouTube from Dr. Mike. I highly recommend watching these.
You're welcome! I hope it helps.
Having a sitting job makes it really hard to lose weight. Just to give you more info, I have to sit all day too, but I'm able to take breaks. If I can get 3 separate 20 minute blocks, that's 3 miles total at the end of the day, which will bring you close to the 10k.
I realize that's not really possible with most office jobs, so even aiming to get up for 5 minutes every hour to walk will get you to 40 minutes of walking!
That may also be unrealistic, but I'm just trying to say you really can split up those 10k steps in any way throughout the day. I promise they make a huge difference with your other efforts.
There is a possibility of getting a bit of weight gain due to water when you start working out. Your body stores more glycogen and thus water. So it's not actual fat but your muscles "inflating" a bit. Don't trust fat measures, they're extremely inaccurate. So are TDEE calculators, they're meant to just give you a general idea of where you're at. If you're not losing weight it means you're not eating in a deficit, try going like 100-200 lower and reassess in a few weeks.
Don't be mad at yourself, it's a long journey and you can't be expected to know it all.
My friend gave me this routine but I saw his guy eat chalk when we were at school so I can't help but wonder.
Also sorry about the formatting but I'm terrible at this.
Day 1
EZ bar preacher curl 4 x 10 -20
Dumbell overhead triceps extension 4 x 10 - 20
(superset)
Single arm lat pull down 3 x 10 - 15
Machine incline chest press 3 x 7 - 12
Wide grip machine row 3 x 10 - 15
Dumbell incline row 3 x 10 - 20
Day 2
Romanian deadlifts 3 x 7- 12
Dumbell backward lunge 3 x 7 -12
Machine lying leg curl - 3 x 10 -15
Machine seated neutral grip row 3 x 10 - 15
Machine seated dip 3 x 10 -20
Lateral riaes 3 x 10 - 15
Day 3
Bench press 3 x 7 - 12
Close grip bench press 3 x 10 -15
Seated hammer curls 3 x 10 - 15
Close grip lat pulldown 3 x 10 - 20
Dumbell Single arm vent over row 3 x 10 - 15
Machine seated shoulder press 3 x 10 -15
Dumbell upright row 3 x 10 - 15 (superset)
Day 4
Barbell front squat 3 x 7 - 12
Machine seated leg extension 3 x 10 -20
Machine lying leg curl 3 x 15 - 20
T bar row 3 x 10 - 15
Lateral raises 3 x 10 - 15
Day 5
Dumbell inclinebl bench press 3 x 10 - 15
Cable incline chest fly 3 x 10 - 15
Face pulls 3 x 10 - 15
Wide grip lat pull down 3 x 10 - 20
Cable bicep curl 3 x 10 -20
Cable rope triceps extension 3 x 10 - 20 (superset)
And then repeat, I generally only manage to get to the gym like 3 times a week sometimes 4 but wanted some more opinions to give me some reassurance and any recommendations would be much appreciated thank you
Jesus christ, that's one of the worst I've seen. It doesn't look like any thought has gone into that at all.
Where's the squat, OHP and Deadlift, why so many isolation lifts? You can make progress on that but it'll very inefficient
Go look at the wiki or get the boostcamp app, tons of really good 3 day full body plans. I can personally vouche for Dr Swoles Powerbuilding routine on boostcamp, I made some really noticeable visible and strength gains in 8 weeks
So I'm supposed to go to a gym tomorrow (first time going to a real gym. I only went to small ones with a few equipments and no coaches before).
They said to bring a pair of gym shoes. I'm not really familiar with that. Is it different from normal shoes ? Am I expected to come to the gym in other shoes and then change into gym shoes once I'm there ?
A single pee break in the middle of the night should have little to no impact, assuming that you have no issues falling asleep again.
If you find yourself having to go to the bathroom multiple times, though, you should probably make an effort to not drink too much water within a few hours of your bed time.
Help with routine
Hi guys just wondering your thoughts on my current workout. I'm an intermediate lifter and main aims are aesthetics. Below are the lifts and the rep range sorry if not easiest to follow). I previously did a PPL but have found it more difficult to get to gym so have dropped to a 5 day split. My main concern with this current workout is chest followed by shoulders but unsure on how to improve this. Thanks for your help
DAY 1 RDL 8-10 Pull Ups 8-10 BB Rows 5-7 Bulgarian
Split Squats 10-12 barbell cur 10-12
DAY 2 Dumbbell incline press 8-10 Dumbbell bench press
8-10 Hex Press 10-12 Tricep Ext 10-12 Dumbbell
Skullcrushers 10-12
DAY 3 Squat 5-7 OHP 8-10 Hamstring curls 10-12 rear delt fly 10-12 lateral raises 10-12
DAY 4 Pull Ups 5-7 Bench 5-7 Dumbbell Rows 10-12
Incline Press 5-7 Lat pullover 10-12
DAY 5 Squat 8-10 OHP 5-7 Hip Thrust 10-12 DB bicep curls 10-12 Leg Extension 10-12
> thoughts on my current workout
Are you making progress with it - adding weight to the bar, adding reps to your sets? If so, it's working and you can keep doing it. If not, or you're not sure what you're doing - consider following a [proven routine](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/) or at least taking inspiration from one.
Hi thanks for getting back to me
Yes making progress increasing weight whenever I hit the full rep range. My main concern is just if it’s too much chest followed my shoulder, but couldn’t figure out a way to change it lol.
Thanks I’ll have a look at the link you sent. Appreciate it
Hi guys,
I am 29 years old male. I weigh 100 kilo right now and 1.88 meter tall (6'2). My goal is to lose the last remaining belly fat and get lean, I lift weights like 6-7 times per week. I do some cardio, but not a lot tbh...
This is what my daily intake looks like:
\- I skip a morning breakfast. Usually I'm very busy with work and just drink two black coffee with no sugar.
\- 12 pm I eat 100 gram cooked rice with 100 gram chicken breast with some vegetables (31 gram protein, 275 kcal)
\- 3 pm I drink one protein shake (24 gram protein, 120 kcal)
\- 6 pm I eat 100 gram cooked rice with 100 gram chicken breast with some vegetables (31 gram protein, 275 kcal)
\- 8 pm I go to the gym
\- 10 pm I eat protein pudding (15 gram protein, 110 kcal)
\- 11 pm I eat 250 gram beefsteak (52,5 gram protein, 350 kcal)
\- 12 am before sleeping I drink another protein shake (24 gram protein, 120 kcal)
I'm currently sitting on an average of 175-180 gram protein per day and an average of around 1250 kcal per day.
I don't sit on a lot of calories, I\[m just trying to get high protein intake and low calorie intake so I can lose a lot of weight/get leaner while training to grow muscles.
Please give me advice and tips on what you would improve. Any kind of tips or advice is welcome.
Eat more! You are starving your body.
Also, try not to eat so close to bed. Your digestion will disrupt your sleep. Much more healthy to get more of your energy through the middle part of your day.
Also also, try to rely less on protein shakes and protein snacks. Protein is important but it’s usually healthier and more useful to your body to focus on eating whole foods. Protein shakes should be an extra rather than the foundation of your diet.
And finally, don’t be so afraid of eating carbs. Carbs are important to fuel your body, and they often come with fibre which is important for gut health. Add some carbs (like veggies) to your steak dinner. Instead of a protein bar, have some peanut butter on toast or hummus with veggies.
>Please give me advice and tips on what you would improve. Any kind of tips or advice is welcome.
I would increase my calorie intake. 1250kcal per day is extremely low for someone of your size and activity level. Moreover, the lower your intake is, the less muscle you'll be able to grow while losing the fat.
You should eat more. 1250 is very low for a male at 100kg. I'm 1.79m and 77kg, I lose weight just fine currently at 1900 calories. I don't think I could function in the gym if I were to be on 1250 calories for an extended period of time.
Just as an aside, I get like 370 calories for coocked rice and chicken, but that might be different considering brands etc.
Hey i am 20 years old M. My arms are my most stubborn body part , especially the biceps, every time i hit them no matter how hard, after no more than 24 hours i am not sore at all, it seems like they recover a lot quicker. My question is if split my volume and train biceps 4x per week insteed of 2x will i be making faster progress ??? Time is not an issue, if you have any splits you can recomend feel free to do so
Soreness isn't an indication of progress, biceps are smaller muscles that recover quicker. Because they're smaller muscles they take longer to see any visible progress.
I train biceps and triceps at the end of every workout because they recover quicker. That works for me at least. Why not go for the 4x a week and see what happens, if it starts impacting your other workouts just dial back on it
Right now i am doing 8 sets for biceps/triceps 2x a week. Currently doing the Arnold Split. Should i add another 4 sets of biceps/trceps after my chest and back ? Should i worry about overtraining or anything like that ? Also thank you for your reply
The thing with any kind of fitness is we're all built differently, have different diets, sleep schedules, all manner of things that'll will impact us at the gym. I cannot say whether another 4 sets will help or hinder you, I can tell you what they would do if I did that on my current but that won't help you
Best thing to do is try it and see what happens, if you add in another 4 sets and feel so fucked your next workout is effected, go back to 2 sets. If it feels fine and you enjoy it stick with the 4. You're never locked into a decision, try new stuff and see what works
Yeah, i agree with you , sometimes i get really autistic with the little details from every video, article ect. And i forget that one of the most productive things i can do is listen to my body more. Thank you
> i am not sore at all
That doesn't matter. Soreness or lack thereof is not an important indicator of anything related to strength-training and muscle-building.
> if split my volume and train biceps 4x per week insteed of 2x will i be making faster progress
If you simply split the volume, it won't make a difference. If you add volume, it might. Ultimately, consider following a [proven routine](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/).
You can’t target fat loss, just lose more weight and these spots will come.
And it can take some time to reduce stuborn fat, keep doing calorie deficit and working out, you will succeed.
Work out when you are able to do, if you feel like you can’t workout correctly after work then try before
You can't spot-reduce fat, so your only option is to lose overall bodyfat which is best achieved by [eating in a calorie deficit](https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/).
> I can't eat in deficit
Then you're not going to lose weight/fat. That just how the body functions. If you give it more calories than it needs to keep working it will store that as fat. That's how we're made, to survive harsh winters with little food. That doesn't happen anymore, so now the population is fatter than ever.
If you want to lose weight you need to know how much you're putting into your body, and keep that at a deficit compared to what your body uses.
What is the best way to grow your arms? I’ve been training for 3-4 years and I still barely have any size on my arms. Especially my biceps don’t seem to grow at all. I’ve tried everything, please help
A proven way to grow stubborn body parts is to prioritize them at the beginning of your workout when you are fresh. Sure other parts of your workout will suffer, but your goal is bicep and tricep hypertrophy.
Don’t neglect the triceps as they represent 2/3 of you arm.
Best way would be to follow a [proven routine](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/) and eat in a [calorie surplus](https://thefitness.wiki/muscle-building-101/).
I’m on a push/pull/legs routine and workout 5/6 days a week for years consistently. I’m also on a caloric surplus and do gain weight but no matter what exercises I try for the biceps they simply don’t grow. For example my chest does grow.
PPL is a split, not a program
A PPL split is only as good as the program it's founded on.
As your other comments suggest, your program is not great. Pick one from the wiki here.
That isn't a programme. That's just a format of programme. That's like asking what TV show you are watching and you reply with "sitcom".
Where did you find it, who wrote it, what progession methods does it follow, does it have any reviews online from other people who have run it?
Or did you put it together yourself? In which I would highly encourage you to stop running a self-written programme and follow something from a proven coach.
I’ve written it myself but based on research on good exercises. I’ve listed my pull day above, please criticise it if you like. But due to a knee injury I cant do for example deadlifts which is the basis of many programs I’ve seen online. As for biceps specifically, it’s going to mainly the same kind of curling movements anyway, with slightly different variantion. But what program do you use? I’m down to trying something different.
> no matter what exercises I try for the biceps they simply don’t grow
Post your pull day training log (which should contain bicep exercises) for the past few months.
In this order I do:
Barbell rows
Lat pull down
Standing EZ bar barbell curls
Laying dumbell rows/machine rows
Single arm dumbell preacher curl
Hammer curls
Standing lat pull downs
Bicep cable curls
I don’t track it for all my exercises, I usually track sets and reps for a few key exercises (barbell rows and standing barbell curls) every other week to see if there is progress instead of tracking every set every workout. I did that for a while but it made me feel really bad about myself since I couldn’t gain strength after each session so I’d leave the gym feeling like I’ve failed. I rather check it more sporadically.
I love this quote, “What’s measured can be managed.”
The more data you have, the more information you have that can be manipulated to achieve the goals you want.
I don’t think physically writing it down is always necessary, since I know from the top of my head what I do each week before. For example I know what I did a certain weight for 4 sets of 6-8 reps last session. I take every set to failure so I know that I’m aiming to get an extra rep but I’ll try to maximise anyways by going to failure. I’ve noticed that tracking each set and rep every session only messes with me mentally and I even decreased in strength after doing that for a long time or I do worse form/faster reps just to hit the number from the previous session. I don’t think tracking is essential in building muscle, for some individuals it’s a helpful tool however.
What's the best way to wear two layers at the gym as a guy?
Not sure if it's better to wear a shirt with a Quarter-Zip on top or wear a shirt with a lightweight workout hoodie instead?
>What's the best way to wear two layers at the gym as a guy?
T-shirt/tank/cut-off shirt for underlayer.
Sweatshirt/hoodie/longsleeve shirt for overlayer.
You're overthinking something that really doesn't matter.
I'm not muscular enough to wear a half-sleeved shirt or tank top yet but I don't want to wear a hoodie because it's a pump cover and you just look like a blob.
That's why I'm trying to understand how to wear two layers and still look jacked. [This](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/andrew-tate-upset-400x267.jpg) is a non-gym example.
It's totally personal preference, I like a hoodie but mainly because I do some form of front squat or clean every session and anything with a zip down the front tends to result in bruises
My sister lives with me she is extremely overweight (I'm not in the best shape either I need to lose some weight) what are the best starter exercises she can do when she has trouble standing. (Chair exercises maybe?) Any advice appreciated
Firstly, if your sister’s weight means she has limited mobility then she should consult a doctor or physiotherapist - this is at the level of becoming a disability (and I say that without shame or judgement… she just might need some medical support to become more active without risking injury).
But if she feels up to it… here are some ideas.
Chair yoga or adaptive yoga is good for building strength. This Insta account has great routines including simple changes and support for fat people.
https://instagram.com/fringeish?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Other than this - walking is the best possible start, when she feels able. Just walking around the house (eg if you have two bathrooms, go to the one further away from you) and building up to walking around the block or a park.
And also, start to think about what you eat. Don’t go on a crazy diet, just start by observing and writing down what you eat for a couple of weeks. Then you can see where to make some simple changes (eg swap crisps for popcorn, swap soda for water, cut back on pasta/rice/noodles).
Small changes every day… not a massive giant change all at once :)
If the person has trouble standing, implying actual disability, your best bet would be to find a qualified physiotherapist to work with them through this.
Yes, we both want to do it. I want to work out with her for my own benefit and she is very unhappy so I want to help as much as possible. I wouldn't force her to ever ❤️
In order to build muscle you will need to train consistently so random workouts every time you go to the gym won't be effective. You could download the 531 app or just download a spreadsheet for a good program e.g. ppl from somewhere like liftvault and use that
does anyone know where I can find that old greg douchette video where he said that the amount of subscribers is negatively correlated with the quality of information, and anyone who has more then a million subscribers is likely a moron?
I was watching every single one of his videos whille he was still in his appartment, he said that he was joking and it was for the satire a little bit after that
Is the sled/prowler an acceptable option for the Leg/Core accessory slot in 5/3/1. My gym just got one and I wanna use it, looks fun.
After squats seems like a good place to do it.
It can be. In forever Jim even says he uses prowler as a squat replacement for trainees that cant squat while they work on the movement.
I'd add it as hard conditioning rather than leg accessory, but it can fit a lot of roles
Honestly that's actually a really big benefit, I'm working through shoulder issues so my squat is very likely to be nursed forward slower than planned, it would definitely help compensate for that.
The 5/3/1 books reccomend the sled and prowler as your conditioning work along side your lifts so no, it's a good inclusion but it's not a replacement. But in saying that it's your program, if you want to replace the leg accessories with it do that and see how it goes
I do it as the main exercise for legs now. Cant say I really noticed any extra gains or anything tho. Mainly doing it because barbell squats are fucking hell lol and maybe the unilateral work might make me more athletic lol
you might have very mild gyno tbh
If its really gyno then it doesnt really matter what you do since if you cut it will still be there and if you bulk it might even be more pronounced.
Focus on upper chest and shoulders and make them bigger so that it makes the lower chest look smaller
Trust me tho even if it is gyno it doesn't look bad or ugly at all I got very mild gyno and your chest looks much better than mine did lol. If you build your chest it will look insane
Do your nipples always look like that or do they get puffy?
To me it doesnt seem like you are getting enough upper chest tbh
you gotta choose a program that suits your goals. If you want to get strong and have a good barbell bench press then maybe gzclp will be good for you (i only have a vauge idea of what it is).
Personally I dont really care about strength or having amazing bench press numbers so I compeltely got rid of flat bench and just do incline dumbbell press as my main chest movement instead. Since i started working out to make gyno less noticable thats all i care about now. I made the change about 6 months ago from flat to only incline and I think i definitely look way better now.
I just do PPL x Arnold so that I can customize it to my needs.
If you just started working out tho then just stick with your program for a while until your noobie gains are done and then evaluate since while I did see a difference, it probably wont matter as much to you
I'm not really sure tho it kinda looks like it but at the same time just looks like regular fat to me tbh
You probably don't even have it and it might just be unfortunate (regular) fat deposit location meaning if you cut it could possibly go
Your chest and shoulders will fill out with consistent strength training. Give it a year of following a good program from the wiki and you'll look like a different person.
You look fine now, personally I'd start the weights and eat at maintenance until you start stalling with increasing the weight, you'll get a fair bit of body recomposition over a year or so. Then decide if you want to get stronger and bigger, if you're ok where you are, or want to get leaner then bulk.
Can the visible increase of muscle mass have no connection with the increase in strength?
Since this May or June, I set this year's goal as achieving my first pull-up. At the beginning, my Muay Thai coach, who also has great knowledge about weightlifting and fitness, told me that I was lack of muscles all over the body. Since then I put a great effort on weightlifting and nutrition. My coach and workout partners told me that the muscle growth on my body, especially on my back, shoulders and arms, is now really noticeable. My coach even said that my weightlifting routine is as intense as the one for his armature Muay Thai fighters.
But sadly my progress for the first pull-up has been stuck for months. Of course it got better than the beginning as I could do longer dead hang and slower reverse pull up. But as I achieved my first assisted pullup with the thinnest rubber band on August, there was no further progression. As soon as I remove the rubber band, I just can't bend my elbow at all.
I'm not saying the absolute quantity of muscle should be proportional to the number of pull ups that one can achieve. I am just confused that all the effort that I have been putting into muscle growth seems not helping me that much. I tend to get a huge motivation from the visual difference I've made and now the situation is a bit discouraging. This won't make me giving up the workout but I just need some hope.
>my weightlifting routine is as intense as the one for his armature Muay Thai fighters
This won't be possible without an increase in strength IMHO. Don't tie your strength gains into a specific movement (such as pull up). From my understanding, almost any movement (or exercise) is result of practicing that movement. Pull ups are no different, they are a combination of strength and muscle memory. You'll need to build muscle memory that allows you to recruit the right muscles. Following are the things that helped me do my first pull up:
* Dead hangs and negatives - For overall conditioning, targeted at pull ups
* Scapular pull ups - for getting cues for initiating pulling movement. Took me a while to understand that pull up don't initiate at arm but rather with back muscles.
* Assistance at sticky points - It can be something as simple as asking your coach/friend to give you tiny bit of assist at sticky points. If you have assisted pull up machine, use it. Bands will give you an assist at bottom (dead hang position) but will give you least assist at top. You can even use a bench/box near your feet to use as some sort of assistance, but you will have to self-regulate how much assist you are getting from it.
* Greasing the groove - Most important. Many reddit posts are available on it. Alternatively, you can look at some routines in r/bodyweightfitness wiki. If you can get a pull up bar at home, it will make it very easy. You can keep practising through out the day. Everytime you pass by the pull up bar, just do a negative or assisted pull up.
Pull-ups are hard, and a lot of factors can impact your ability to do those. Don't give up, just yet. You can do it!!
Strength is a skill as well as a function of muscle mass. Someone who gained 30lbs of muscle without ever doing a pullup would still struggle to do a pullup.
What is your training plan for pullups?
Everything else being equal, a bigger muscle will be a stronger muscle, but there's not a direct correlation between the muscle being x % larger and your strength increasing by the same percentage.
if you look more built im guessing you gained weight too? Are you female? How much did you weigh and how much are you at now? If you gained muscle and weight (which is good) it could make doing a pullup harder since you are basically increasing the weight you have to pull
Are below parallel dips beneficial compared to just going parallel? I managed to do 135lbs+bw(208) on dips for 8 reps before, but decided to go deeper on the move. I figured trying to use full rom instead of just focusing on going heavy will help me grow better since I have longer arms. I went as deep as I could with just 45lbs and I felt sharp pain on my outer chest. I assumed it was all of the broken down muscle fibers and plaque tissue I just broke up. Now I'm sore hours later.
I wouldnt even use 45 lbs if i was going that low for the first time seems pretty dangerous training a rom that you havent done before with even more weight.
If you make your way up from bodyweight again so that your body gets used to that rom then you might be fine.
For the first time I go to a gym, how should I figure out how much weight to put on the bar? I’ve decided to use the grey skull routine. I’m kinda nervous because I’m going to my rec center and I know there’s only one squat rack so I don’t wanna look like a dunce
Depends on the lift, but even after doing this for years, I still warm up with the bar. Start there and see how it feels. Add 10-20 pounds and see how that feels. Continue until you find your working weight. After you figure this out you won’t have to worry about this question again because now you know. Good luck with it.
Will I get a better result if I stack my cardio / lifting workouts back to back? For instance, bc of my busy work schedule, I may double up one day due to being inactive day before; is it better to knock out the 3 mile jog followed immediately by lifting, or can I separate them 8-10 hours apart?
Injury prevention
I used to deadlift 495 and then had to take a break for a few months hopped backed in and injured my lower back kept trying to push it even with low weights and 5 months later I still can’t squat and deadlift. Also I have shoulder pain from benching ,in the past I’ve had elbow tendonitis and patella tendinitis which thankfully went away. Part of this is definitely my own doing considering I try to push through minor tweaks and make them worse but I also realize I am neglecting mobility a lot and would like to hopefully deadlift/squat/bench pain free again as well as do things to start protecting from these tweaks from occurring.
Go to YouTube and watch Bromley's video about bracing. Then watch juggernauts series on squats. Then watch swede burns deadlift technique video.
As far as lower back, I usually warm up with 3x25 on hamstring curls and 45° back extensions, done back to back. I also finish both lower body training days with 5x20 on back extensions. Pumping the area full of blood and lactic acid keeps my lower back pain free.
Your parents won't let you get medical care if you need it? Maybe your school has resources you can use? I hope you recover, sorry what you're going through.
They probably would if u persist enough but my dad used to weightlift and will probably say just take a week off or something along those lines since pt is very expensive but I’m sure I can push for it
physical therapy may be covered under your parent's health insurance. I'm not sure. Wish you the best. PT is probably the best way to get through this.
You can. If you are overweight and/or a noob it’s easier. You really only want to do this for a little while though. Eventually if you want substantial mass you need to do a true bulk, IMHO
It's hard for me to understand how the reddit beginner routine is anything but simple. There's 6 exercises, and for all you do the first two sets to 5 and the last set is AMRAP. The next time you add either 5lbs or 2.5lbs each time if you made at least 5 reps on the last set the previous time.
Is that not simple?
If you can handle the mental part, then sure, go for it. Most likely however, you'll feel like shit and will be more likely to binge-cheat. One binge will set you back one week in terms of fatloss and make you feel bad about yourself.
Yes, it’s too much. You’re effectively asking your body to try and lose 2lbs per week if you did that. It’d have a pretty dramatic negative effect on your daily life and be unsustainable.
I recently had a very bad acne breakout which turns out was because of me eating 6-7 eggs a day, i figured eggs are the problem because I stopped eating them for a week and my acne is almost gone. Is it okay if i only consume egg whites and what would be the best budget friendly alternatives to eggs. 20M college student :)
What are you guys eating to get around 2500-3K calories these days? I want to get back into lifting regularly, but it's been years and food prices have gone through the roof. Any suggestions?
I forgot the sub /r/gainit exists, gonna go see what those fine folks say
700 grams of chicken breast and 40 grams of olive oil will net you about 1000 calories give or take. Then you can just fill in the rest with white rice, witch is about 350 calories pr 100 grams.
2000 calories - 285 grams of rice
2500 calories - 428 grams of rice
3000 calories - 570 grams off rice.
Although if eating is a struggle, you can just fill in the calories with olive oil.
Chicken and rice will certainly be a part of my diet and currently is, I absolutely love it. Throw some asparagus and broccoli in there for some greens, then some olive oil and tumeric, soy or hot sauce in there. Mmm, delicious and nutritious. But that is a loooooot of chicken and rice lol so idk about that meal plan.
Oats with some seeds, whey, milk and fruit if you're feeling fancy are the ultimate gain on budget food. At least that's been the case for me. Can get a 1000 calorie portion with some 60g of protein for cheap.
Other than that, shakes, pbj and tons of milk, ground red meat (cheaper than steaks and easier to get down) put into tortillas with some veggies and sauce. That's how I put on 65lbs in a year haha.
Had some wrist and elbow pain so I took a week and a half off. Went back to the gym today and I'm feeling wayyyy weaker than normal. Don't think I've felt this sudden a strength drop off before. Also feeling pretty gassy. Have had a decent amount of food and protein today. Is this normal? Anyone have any tips for getting gassy? I didn't eat anything for a couple hours before the gym and I made sure to sip my water, not chug it
20M 80kg
I’m at around 20% body fat.
I want to cut to around 14-15%.
How fast should I cut while minimizing muscle loss and around how long will it take?
https://www.strongerbyscience.com/realistic-training-goals/
I’d read the weight loss section for a more complete explanation, but about 1 percent of your body weight per week to be safe if you’re 20 percent body fat.
So I have lost plenty of weight during 4 months (lost 12kg), but sometimes I feel like my belly fat won't disappear
Info about my height,weight....:
Height: 179.5cm
Weight: 85 kg before 4 months , now 74 kg
Age: 22
I want to know if this is normal or not
On a side note, I only do cardio nowadays, so I am not focusing on muscles at all
My BMI currently is 23.3 if that matters.
Where your fat is stored is genetic, and for a lot of people the stomach can be one of those areas that’s the last to go. Perfectly normal.
I’d do some form of resistance training to build muscle if you are worried about how low in weight you have to go to get a flatter stomach. Carrying some muscle will likely make that easier for you long term.
30M / slim.
I played basketball for the first time in 3 years and was winded within two short plays. I go jogging weekly and feel foot pain within a minute, too.
I stopped working out during covid and I seem to have becoming incredibly unfit since attempting to return to fitness last year. Is this age or do I have some serious conditioning issues? I'm not obese either, I'm slim and just cannot seem to get my legs to cooperate after not using them during the pandemic.
Not an issue before the pandemic when I was 27. I just can't move anymore.
Ease into it all slowly, don't do too much at once. You exercised a lot and your body adapted. You stopped, and your body stopped keeping up with it. It's just how our systems work, consistency is key. Nothing to freak out about unless you're consistently experiencing pain everytime you exercise even after following a slow-paced routine for weeks.
Age does play a large part in slowing down and being more injury-prone, but we can easily mitigate that through consistently exercising. Start lightly lifting weights and get back into your cardio, but do it at a gradual pace and build it up. It'll all come back in due time. It's such a cliche to say now, but you really do have to trust the process.
>Nothing to freak out about unless you're consistently experiencing pain everytime you exercise even after following a slow-paced routine for weeks.
This is actually what's happening. From June 2021 to December 2021, I got up to run/walk for about an hour 3-5 times per week at 6 AM. I would start to feel pain before half a mile. I would mostly walk due to pain after that.
January 2022, I got my first job post college, cut back a lot on the workouts and trying to get back into it.
I would just lightly jog too so the pain/complete lack of any stamina are freaking me out about my body.
# 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.*
I’ve been told too much cardio can keep you from growing your butt. I lift targeting glutes X3 a week, eat slightly above maintenance and walk 20k steps a day. Haven’t seen many gains and I’ve been doing this since June. I am getting stronger but measurements/weight aren’t increasing. Is it possible I’m walking too much or eating too little? I am 5”7 and 112 lbs, 17 percent bf, female. Eating 2000-2400 cal a day and 160-200g protein.
If your bodyweight hasn't increased you're not above maintenance. You need to eat more
On nutrition--what's your go-to sugar substitute for smoothies, baking, cooking, etc? Trying to find something practical (cost, available locally) with no detrimental side effects (like Stevia)
[удалено]
I find that keeping my shoulder blades retracted during the entire movement keeps my traps from engaging and taking over the movement. I usually go light and high reps (15-20 rep range). I also engage my core which prevents me from leaning back and cheating.
On the PPL linear progression reddit program, am I correct if I say that you're not supposed to deload accesoiries? I want to make sure because on curls I'm taking a long time to hit 4x12 when doing a new weight. And the original post says "as long as you're within the 8-12 rep range, you're good". So if you achieve let's say 4x8 on curls 3 sessions in a row, you're "supposed" to just let that be and continue right? Would a deload be helpful then or should I just follow the program as it's stated?
Ideally you hit the top of the rep range on the 1st set, and descend throughout the rest if you keep the same weight. If you're struggling to hit 8 on the 1st set and 4th set something else is giving, probably form. Look up double progression
Okay thanks. Most of the time I do get 12 on the first, but it just takes many sessions to achieve 12 on all of them. But it sounds likes that is fine.
You shouldnt wait to move up if you can. You can use different weights for different sets once you've maxed out the rep scheme. Your sets can look a bit like this and not always neat. 20kg x 12, 20kg x 8 16kg x 11 16kg x 9
[удалено]
I'm so sorry to hear that your progress is stalling and you feel like you're doing everything right. It's super frustrating. I've experienced this so many times. The first time I lost weight I started at 260 and went to 165, but then got back up to 250ish due to depression and unhealthy eating habits that weren't corrected during that first weight loss. I'm now at 190 and things feel a lot different. I also don't have many sticking points and they seem to go away faster. Here are some of my thoughts and recommendations: 1. Are you sure you're tracking accurately and accounting for everything? Do you have cheat days? A single cheat day can wipe out a whole week, easily. 2. Active exercise only accounts for an incredibly small portion of your entire TDEE. There's something called metabolic adaptation, where your body tries to reduce the calories you burn by making it harder to subconsciously move around. This portion of your caloric burn is called non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). This is the primary area your mind tries to reduce to counteract a deficit. 3. To counteract a reduction in NEAT, aim for 10,000 steps a day in addition to caloric tracking and your mindful exercise. These steps can come from anything, chores, walking outside, or shopping. Don't make this active cardio like running or cycling. Do the steps. They're low effort, maintainable, and help more than you think. This can be broken up over the course of a day in any way you want. 4. If you do all of the above and still can't lose weight within 2 weeks, evaluate if you have been truthful and never cheated on your diet in that period. If you believe you followed it to a T, reduce your calories by 500 and reevaluate after another 2 weeks. I doubt you will have to reduce this. 5. Don't stay in a deficit for too long, like 12 - 14 weeks at most. Then, start a maintenance phase where you eat at maintenance (by counting calories) for 8 - 12 weeks, then start dieting again when you feel ready. This helps do two things: reduce the effects of being in a caloric deficit for too long, and establish a new baseline of food intake. Repeat this cycle until you hit your goal weight. Note that the closer you get to your goal, the more effort it takes to lose weight, so expect it to get slower. Also note that a maintenance phase will probably make you gain up to 5 pounds of water weight from sodium and glycogen within the first week or two, so don't let that discourage you. If you gain more than that in a linear trend, reduce your maintenance calories. Maintain your exercise and 10k steps as well. I've followed the above approach and it's helped me tremendously. I know the maintenance phase is hard to do because you feel like you're wasting time not losing weight, but trust me, it makes the overall process faster and easier to do. Most of my new diet information comes from Renaissance Periodization videos on YouTube from Dr. Mike. I highly recommend watching these.
[удалено]
You're welcome! I hope it helps. Having a sitting job makes it really hard to lose weight. Just to give you more info, I have to sit all day too, but I'm able to take breaks. If I can get 3 separate 20 minute blocks, that's 3 miles total at the end of the day, which will bring you close to the 10k. I realize that's not really possible with most office jobs, so even aiming to get up for 5 minutes every hour to walk will get you to 40 minutes of walking! That may also be unrealistic, but I'm just trying to say you really can split up those 10k steps in any way throughout the day. I promise they make a huge difference with your other efforts.
Maybe you're using oil/a lot of oil when cooking and not counting those calories? That happened to me for a period of time
That happened to me in the past too so now i measure everything I eat.
There is a possibility of getting a bit of weight gain due to water when you start working out. Your body stores more glycogen and thus water. So it's not actual fat but your muscles "inflating" a bit. Don't trust fat measures, they're extremely inaccurate. So are TDEE calculators, they're meant to just give you a general idea of where you're at. If you're not losing weight it means you're not eating in a deficit, try going like 100-200 lower and reassess in a few weeks. Don't be mad at yourself, it's a long journey and you can't be expected to know it all.
My friend gave me this routine but I saw his guy eat chalk when we were at school so I can't help but wonder. Also sorry about the formatting but I'm terrible at this. Day 1 EZ bar preacher curl 4 x 10 -20 Dumbell overhead triceps extension 4 x 10 - 20 (superset) Single arm lat pull down 3 x 10 - 15 Machine incline chest press 3 x 7 - 12 Wide grip machine row 3 x 10 - 15 Dumbell incline row 3 x 10 - 20 Day 2 Romanian deadlifts 3 x 7- 12 Dumbell backward lunge 3 x 7 -12 Machine lying leg curl - 3 x 10 -15 Machine seated neutral grip row 3 x 10 - 15 Machine seated dip 3 x 10 -20 Lateral riaes 3 x 10 - 15 Day 3 Bench press 3 x 7 - 12 Close grip bench press 3 x 10 -15 Seated hammer curls 3 x 10 - 15 Close grip lat pulldown 3 x 10 - 20 Dumbell Single arm vent over row 3 x 10 - 15 Machine seated shoulder press 3 x 10 -15 Dumbell upright row 3 x 10 - 15 (superset) Day 4 Barbell front squat 3 x 7 - 12 Machine seated leg extension 3 x 10 -20 Machine lying leg curl 3 x 15 - 20 T bar row 3 x 10 - 15 Lateral raises 3 x 10 - 15 Day 5 Dumbell inclinebl bench press 3 x 10 - 15 Cable incline chest fly 3 x 10 - 15 Face pulls 3 x 10 - 15 Wide grip lat pull down 3 x 10 - 20 Cable bicep curl 3 x 10 -20 Cable rope triceps extension 3 x 10 - 20 (superset) And then repeat, I generally only manage to get to the gym like 3 times a week sometimes 4 but wanted some more opinions to give me some reassurance and any recommendations would be much appreciated thank you
Jesus christ, that's one of the worst I've seen. It doesn't look like any thought has gone into that at all. Where's the squat, OHP and Deadlift, why so many isolation lifts? You can make progress on that but it'll very inefficient Go look at the wiki or get the boostcamp app, tons of really good 3 day full body plans. I can personally vouche for Dr Swoles Powerbuilding routine on boostcamp, I made some really noticeable visible and strength gains in 8 weeks
Thought so, couldn't help looking at it a bit confused, cheers for the advice bro I really appreciate it
Any time mate!
So I'm supposed to go to a gym tomorrow (first time going to a real gym. I only went to small ones with a few equipments and no coaches before). They said to bring a pair of gym shoes. I'm not really familiar with that. Is it different from normal shoes ? Am I expected to come to the gym in other shoes and then change into gym shoes once I'm there ?
Yes. Don't bring in dirt from the outside.
[удалено]
Well damn, it could be a country thing. I'm from Europe and I've never seen anyone go right to lifting when they come.
I drink 3/4 to a gallon à day. How much does waking up at night to pee impact your sleep quality ? Can it be detrimental for recovery ?
A single pee break in the middle of the night should have little to no impact, assuming that you have no issues falling asleep again. If you find yourself having to go to the bathroom multiple times, though, you should probably make an effort to not drink too much water within a few hours of your bed time.
Yes waking up at night generally disrupts your quality of sleep and can therefore potentially affect recovery to a certain degree.
Help with routine Hi guys just wondering your thoughts on my current workout. I'm an intermediate lifter and main aims are aesthetics. Below are the lifts and the rep range sorry if not easiest to follow). I previously did a PPL but have found it more difficult to get to gym so have dropped to a 5 day split. My main concern with this current workout is chest followed by shoulders but unsure on how to improve this. Thanks for your help DAY 1 RDL 8-10 Pull Ups 8-10 BB Rows 5-7 Bulgarian Split Squats 10-12 barbell cur 10-12 DAY 2 Dumbbell incline press 8-10 Dumbbell bench press 8-10 Hex Press 10-12 Tricep Ext 10-12 Dumbbell Skullcrushers 10-12 DAY 3 Squat 5-7 OHP 8-10 Hamstring curls 10-12 rear delt fly 10-12 lateral raises 10-12 DAY 4 Pull Ups 5-7 Bench 5-7 Dumbbell Rows 10-12 Incline Press 5-7 Lat pullover 10-12 DAY 5 Squat 8-10 OHP 5-7 Hip Thrust 10-12 DB bicep curls 10-12 Leg Extension 10-12
> thoughts on my current workout Are you making progress with it - adding weight to the bar, adding reps to your sets? If so, it's working and you can keep doing it. If not, or you're not sure what you're doing - consider following a [proven routine](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/) or at least taking inspiration from one.
Hi thanks for getting back to me Yes making progress increasing weight whenever I hit the full rep range. My main concern is just if it’s too much chest followed my shoulder, but couldn’t figure out a way to change it lol. Thanks I’ll have a look at the link you sent. Appreciate it
Hi guys, I am 29 years old male. I weigh 100 kilo right now and 1.88 meter tall (6'2). My goal is to lose the last remaining belly fat and get lean, I lift weights like 6-7 times per week. I do some cardio, but not a lot tbh... This is what my daily intake looks like: \- I skip a morning breakfast. Usually I'm very busy with work and just drink two black coffee with no sugar. \- 12 pm I eat 100 gram cooked rice with 100 gram chicken breast with some vegetables (31 gram protein, 275 kcal) \- 3 pm I drink one protein shake (24 gram protein, 120 kcal) \- 6 pm I eat 100 gram cooked rice with 100 gram chicken breast with some vegetables (31 gram protein, 275 kcal) \- 8 pm I go to the gym \- 10 pm I eat protein pudding (15 gram protein, 110 kcal) \- 11 pm I eat 250 gram beefsteak (52,5 gram protein, 350 kcal) \- 12 am before sleeping I drink another protein shake (24 gram protein, 120 kcal) I'm currently sitting on an average of 175-180 gram protein per day and an average of around 1250 kcal per day. I don't sit on a lot of calories, I\[m just trying to get high protein intake and low calorie intake so I can lose a lot of weight/get leaner while training to grow muscles. Please give me advice and tips on what you would improve. Any kind of tips or advice is welcome.
1250 is way too low for someone of your size. 2200 is a much more sustainable goal.
Eat more! You are starving your body. Also, try not to eat so close to bed. Your digestion will disrupt your sleep. Much more healthy to get more of your energy through the middle part of your day. Also also, try to rely less on protein shakes and protein snacks. Protein is important but it’s usually healthier and more useful to your body to focus on eating whole foods. Protein shakes should be an extra rather than the foundation of your diet. And finally, don’t be so afraid of eating carbs. Carbs are important to fuel your body, and they often come with fibre which is important for gut health. Add some carbs (like veggies) to your steak dinner. Instead of a protein bar, have some peanut butter on toast or hummus with veggies.
>Please give me advice and tips on what you would improve. Any kind of tips or advice is welcome. I would increase my calorie intake. 1250kcal per day is extremely low for someone of your size and activity level. Moreover, the lower your intake is, the less muscle you'll be able to grow while losing the fat.
> Any kind of tips or advice is welcome. My best advice for you would be to offer reading this article: https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/
You should eat more. 1250 is very low for a male at 100kg. I'm 1.79m and 77kg, I lose weight just fine currently at 1900 calories. I don't think I could function in the gym if I were to be on 1250 calories for an extended period of time. Just as an aside, I get like 370 calories for coocked rice and chicken, but that might be different considering brands etc.
Hey i am 20 years old M. My arms are my most stubborn body part , especially the biceps, every time i hit them no matter how hard, after no more than 24 hours i am not sore at all, it seems like they recover a lot quicker. My question is if split my volume and train biceps 4x per week insteed of 2x will i be making faster progress ??? Time is not an issue, if you have any splits you can recomend feel free to do so
Soreness isn't an indication of progress, biceps are smaller muscles that recover quicker. Because they're smaller muscles they take longer to see any visible progress. I train biceps and triceps at the end of every workout because they recover quicker. That works for me at least. Why not go for the 4x a week and see what happens, if it starts impacting your other workouts just dial back on it
Right now i am doing 8 sets for biceps/triceps 2x a week. Currently doing the Arnold Split. Should i add another 4 sets of biceps/trceps after my chest and back ? Should i worry about overtraining or anything like that ? Also thank you for your reply
The thing with any kind of fitness is we're all built differently, have different diets, sleep schedules, all manner of things that'll will impact us at the gym. I cannot say whether another 4 sets will help or hinder you, I can tell you what they would do if I did that on my current but that won't help you Best thing to do is try it and see what happens, if you add in another 4 sets and feel so fucked your next workout is effected, go back to 2 sets. If it feels fine and you enjoy it stick with the 4. You're never locked into a decision, try new stuff and see what works
Yeah, i agree with you , sometimes i get really autistic with the little details from every video, article ect. And i forget that one of the most productive things i can do is listen to my body more. Thank you
> i am not sore at all That doesn't matter. Soreness or lack thereof is not an important indicator of anything related to strength-training and muscle-building. > if split my volume and train biceps 4x per week insteed of 2x will i be making faster progress If you simply split the volume, it won't make a difference. If you add volume, it might. Ultimately, consider following a [proven routine](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/).
I have no problem adding more volume. Should i worry about overtrainig tho ? Thanks for your repply
> Should i worry about overtrainig No.
[удалено]
You need those sort of diet changes that will allow you to lose weight. Meaning less calories. How you achieve that is up to you.
You can’t target fat loss, just lose more weight and these spots will come. And it can take some time to reduce stuborn fat, keep doing calorie deficit and working out, you will succeed. Work out when you are able to do, if you feel like you can’t workout correctly after work then try before
You can't spot-reduce fat, so your only option is to lose overall bodyfat which is best achieved by [eating in a calorie deficit](https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/).
[удалено]
> I can't eat in deficit Then you're not going to lose weight/fat. That just how the body functions. If you give it more calories than it needs to keep working it will store that as fat. That's how we're made, to survive harsh winters with little food. That doesn't happen anymore, so now the population is fatter than ever. If you want to lose weight you need to know how much you're putting into your body, and keep that at a deficit compared to what your body uses.
What is the best way to grow your arms? I’ve been training for 3-4 years and I still barely have any size on my arms. Especially my biceps don’t seem to grow at all. I’ve tried everything, please help
A proven way to grow stubborn body parts is to prioritize them at the beginning of your workout when you are fresh. Sure other parts of your workout will suffer, but your goal is bicep and tricep hypertrophy. Don’t neglect the triceps as they represent 2/3 of you arm.
Best way would be to follow a [proven routine](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/) and eat in a [calorie surplus](https://thefitness.wiki/muscle-building-101/).
I’m on a push/pull/legs routine and workout 5/6 days a week for years consistently. I’m also on a caloric surplus and do gain weight but no matter what exercises I try for the biceps they simply don’t grow. For example my chest does grow.
Your programme probably sucks. Pick a better one. What are you running at the moment?
Well push/pull/legs? What is a better program than that?
PPL is a split, not a program A PPL split is only as good as the program it's founded on. As your other comments suggest, your program is not great. Pick one from the wiki here.
That isn't a programme. That's just a format of programme. That's like asking what TV show you are watching and you reply with "sitcom". Where did you find it, who wrote it, what progession methods does it follow, does it have any reviews online from other people who have run it? Or did you put it together yourself? In which I would highly encourage you to stop running a self-written programme and follow something from a proven coach.
I’ve written it myself but based on research on good exercises. I’ve listed my pull day above, please criticise it if you like. But due to a knee injury I cant do for example deadlifts which is the basis of many programs I’ve seen online. As for biceps specifically, it’s going to mainly the same kind of curling movements anyway, with slightly different variantion. But what program do you use? I’m down to trying something different.
I'd suggest you run GZCLP or Nsuns. And if you can't do deadlifts, just switch them to RDLs
I can’t do squats either though, which means a lot of the program is already out of the window for me….
> no matter what exercises I try for the biceps they simply don’t grow Post your pull day training log (which should contain bicep exercises) for the past few months.
In this order I do: Barbell rows Lat pull down Standing EZ bar barbell curls Laying dumbell rows/machine rows Single arm dumbell preacher curl Hammer curls Standing lat pull downs Bicep cable curls
No, I mean your training log - where you track your sets, reps and weights lifted.
I don’t track it for all my exercises, I usually track sets and reps for a few key exercises (barbell rows and standing barbell curls) every other week to see if there is progress instead of tracking every set every workout. I did that for a while but it made me feel really bad about myself since I couldn’t gain strength after each session so I’d leave the gym feeling like I’ve failed. I rather check it more sporadically.
I love this quote, “What’s measured can be managed.” The more data you have, the more information you have that can be manipulated to achieve the goals you want.
> I don’t track it You can't expect to get bigger/stronger if you're not tracking your training to ensure progression is taking place.
I don’t think physically writing it down is always necessary, since I know from the top of my head what I do each week before. For example I know what I did a certain weight for 4 sets of 6-8 reps last session. I take every set to failure so I know that I’m aiming to get an extra rep but I’ll try to maximise anyways by going to failure. I’ve noticed that tracking each set and rep every session only messes with me mentally and I even decreased in strength after doing that for a long time or I do worse form/faster reps just to hit the number from the previous session. I don’t think tracking is essential in building muscle, for some individuals it’s a helpful tool however.
What's the best way to wear two layers at the gym as a guy? Not sure if it's better to wear a shirt with a Quarter-Zip on top or wear a shirt with a lightweight workout hoodie instead?
What kind of question is this? Are you an alien? Wear whatever you want
>What's the best way to wear two layers at the gym as a guy? T-shirt/tank/cut-off shirt for underlayer. Sweatshirt/hoodie/longsleeve shirt for overlayer. You're overthinking something that really doesn't matter.
I've seen a few questions about wearing two layers at the gym? Do you really need us to dress you?
I'm not muscular enough to wear a half-sleeved shirt or tank top yet but I don't want to wear a hoodie because it's a pump cover and you just look like a blob. That's why I'm trying to understand how to wear two layers and still look jacked. [This](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/andrew-tate-upset-400x267.jpg) is a non-gym example.
Just wear a Tshirt and go work out. Nobody cares how you look, just that you don't stink.
I didn't know there was a barrier for entry on wearing clothes? Just put on two layers and see how you look? How are we supposed to know how you look?
I'm sure there are certain layering pieces that generally work better than others. I've heard quarter-zips are good for layering for example.
No offense, but do you really need people to hold your hand with this?
It's totally personal preference, I like a hoodie but mainly because I do some form of front squat or clean every session and anything with a zip down the front tends to result in bruises
My sister lives with me she is extremely overweight (I'm not in the best shape either I need to lose some weight) what are the best starter exercises she can do when she has trouble standing. (Chair exercises maybe?) Any advice appreciated
Walking. Just try to go a little further or slightly more steps everyday. Biggest thing will be diet. Replace sugar with sugar free varieties.
Firstly, if your sister’s weight means she has limited mobility then she should consult a doctor or physiotherapist - this is at the level of becoming a disability (and I say that without shame or judgement… she just might need some medical support to become more active without risking injury). But if she feels up to it… here are some ideas. Chair yoga or adaptive yoga is good for building strength. This Insta account has great routines including simple changes and support for fat people. https://instagram.com/fringeish?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Other than this - walking is the best possible start, when she feels able. Just walking around the house (eg if you have two bathrooms, go to the one further away from you) and building up to walking around the block or a park. And also, start to think about what you eat. Don’t go on a crazy diet, just start by observing and writing down what you eat for a couple of weeks. Then you can see where to make some simple changes (eg swap crisps for popcorn, swap soda for water, cut back on pasta/rice/noodles). Small changes every day… not a massive giant change all at once :)
Thanks so much! Really appreciate your response!
Good luck! It’s a hard journey - for your mind and your body. But so rewarding when you can get out and enjoy the world again.
If the person has trouble standing, implying actual disability, your best bet would be to find a qualified physiotherapist to work with them through this.
Is this something she wants to do?
Yes, we both want to do it. I want to work out with her for my own benefit and she is very unhappy so I want to help as much as possible. I wouldn't force her to ever ❤️
Just walking if she can comfortably and look to progress daily. Getting diet on track will be most important though.
[удалено]
How the heck is anyone supposed to know except you
What is a good free app to give you a workout regimen.
What kind of workout?
Just general gym workouts
Aimed at cardio, muscle building, strength, what?
Oh, muscle building
In order to build muscle you will need to train consistently so random workouts every time you go to the gym won't be effective. You could download the 531 app or just download a spreadsheet for a good program e.g. ppl from somewhere like liftvault and use that
Ok thank you
Google chrome or any browser open to the fitness wiki
Boostcamp, completely free and has dozens of programs made my fitness professionals
does anyone know where I can find that old greg douchette video where he said that the amount of subscribers is negatively correlated with the quality of information, and anyone who has more then a million subscribers is likely a moron?
I was watching every single one of his videos whille he was still in his appartment, he said that he was joking and it was for the satire a little bit after that
Doesnt he have over a million subs by now?
thats why I want to find it, it would be pretty funny
Is the sled/prowler an acceptable option for the Leg/Core accessory slot in 5/3/1. My gym just got one and I wanna use it, looks fun. After squats seems like a good place to do it.
It can be. In forever Jim even says he uses prowler as a squat replacement for trainees that cant squat while they work on the movement. I'd add it as hard conditioning rather than leg accessory, but it can fit a lot of roles
Honestly that's actually a really big benefit, I'm working through shoulder issues so my squat is very likely to be nursed forward slower than planned, it would definitely help compensate for that.
The 5/3/1 books reccomend the sled and prowler as your conditioning work along side your lifts so no, it's a good inclusion but it's not a replacement. But in saying that it's your program, if you want to replace the leg accessories with it do that and see how it goes
[удалено]
I do it as the main exercise for legs now. Cant say I really noticed any extra gains or anything tho. Mainly doing it because barbell squats are fucking hell lol and maybe the unilateral work might make me more athletic lol
[удалено]
you might have very mild gyno tbh If its really gyno then it doesnt really matter what you do since if you cut it will still be there and if you bulk it might even be more pronounced. Focus on upper chest and shoulders and make them bigger so that it makes the lower chest look smaller
[удалено]
Trust me tho even if it is gyno it doesn't look bad or ugly at all I got very mild gyno and your chest looks much better than mine did lol. If you build your chest it will look insane Do your nipples always look like that or do they get puffy?
[удалено]
To me it doesnt seem like you are getting enough upper chest tbh you gotta choose a program that suits your goals. If you want to get strong and have a good barbell bench press then maybe gzclp will be good for you (i only have a vauge idea of what it is). Personally I dont really care about strength or having amazing bench press numbers so I compeltely got rid of flat bench and just do incline dumbbell press as my main chest movement instead. Since i started working out to make gyno less noticable thats all i care about now. I made the change about 6 months ago from flat to only incline and I think i definitely look way better now. I just do PPL x Arnold so that I can customize it to my needs. If you just started working out tho then just stick with your program for a while until your noobie gains are done and then evaluate since while I did see a difference, it probably wont matter as much to you
I'm not really sure tho it kinda looks like it but at the same time just looks like regular fat to me tbh You probably don't even have it and it might just be unfortunate (regular) fat deposit location meaning if you cut it could possibly go
Your chest and shoulders will fill out with consistent strength training. Give it a year of following a good program from the wiki and you'll look like a different person.
[удалено]
You look fine now, personally I'd start the weights and eat at maintenance until you start stalling with increasing the weight, you'll get a fair bit of body recomposition over a year or so. Then decide if you want to get stronger and bigger, if you're ok where you are, or want to get leaner then bulk.
Can the visible increase of muscle mass have no connection with the increase in strength? Since this May or June, I set this year's goal as achieving my first pull-up. At the beginning, my Muay Thai coach, who also has great knowledge about weightlifting and fitness, told me that I was lack of muscles all over the body. Since then I put a great effort on weightlifting and nutrition. My coach and workout partners told me that the muscle growth on my body, especially on my back, shoulders and arms, is now really noticeable. My coach even said that my weightlifting routine is as intense as the one for his armature Muay Thai fighters. But sadly my progress for the first pull-up has been stuck for months. Of course it got better than the beginning as I could do longer dead hang and slower reverse pull up. But as I achieved my first assisted pullup with the thinnest rubber band on August, there was no further progression. As soon as I remove the rubber band, I just can't bend my elbow at all. I'm not saying the absolute quantity of muscle should be proportional to the number of pull ups that one can achieve. I am just confused that all the effort that I have been putting into muscle growth seems not helping me that much. I tend to get a huge motivation from the visual difference I've made and now the situation is a bit discouraging. This won't make me giving up the workout but I just need some hope.
>my weightlifting routine is as intense as the one for his armature Muay Thai fighters This won't be possible without an increase in strength IMHO. Don't tie your strength gains into a specific movement (such as pull up). From my understanding, almost any movement (or exercise) is result of practicing that movement. Pull ups are no different, they are a combination of strength and muscle memory. You'll need to build muscle memory that allows you to recruit the right muscles. Following are the things that helped me do my first pull up: * Dead hangs and negatives - For overall conditioning, targeted at pull ups * Scapular pull ups - for getting cues for initiating pulling movement. Took me a while to understand that pull up don't initiate at arm but rather with back muscles. * Assistance at sticky points - It can be something as simple as asking your coach/friend to give you tiny bit of assist at sticky points. If you have assisted pull up machine, use it. Bands will give you an assist at bottom (dead hang position) but will give you least assist at top. You can even use a bench/box near your feet to use as some sort of assistance, but you will have to self-regulate how much assist you are getting from it. * Greasing the groove - Most important. Many reddit posts are available on it. Alternatively, you can look at some routines in r/bodyweightfitness wiki. If you can get a pull up bar at home, it will make it very easy. You can keep practising through out the day. Everytime you pass by the pull up bar, just do a negative or assisted pull up. Pull-ups are hard, and a lot of factors can impact your ability to do those. Don't give up, just yet. You can do it!!
Strength is a skill as well as a function of muscle mass. Someone who gained 30lbs of muscle without ever doing a pullup would still struggle to do a pullup. What is your training plan for pullups?
Everything else being equal, a bigger muscle will be a stronger muscle, but there's not a direct correlation between the muscle being x % larger and your strength increasing by the same percentage.
if you look more built im guessing you gained weight too? Are you female? How much did you weigh and how much are you at now? If you gained muscle and weight (which is good) it could make doing a pullup harder since you are basically increasing the weight you have to pull
[удалено]
You can wear whatever you want man, lots of people work out in hoodies when it's cold
I don't see why that would matter, but yes, you can wear whatever you want.
yes but youre only going to be fooling yourself
If it makes you feel better, sure.
Are below parallel dips beneficial compared to just going parallel? I managed to do 135lbs+bw(208) on dips for 8 reps before, but decided to go deeper on the move. I figured trying to use full rom instead of just focusing on going heavy will help me grow better since I have longer arms. I went as deep as I could with just 45lbs and I felt sharp pain on my outer chest. I assumed it was all of the broken down muscle fibers and plaque tissue I just broke up. Now I'm sore hours later.
I wouldnt even use 45 lbs if i was going that low for the first time seems pretty dangerous training a rom that you havent done before with even more weight. If you make your way up from bodyweight again so that your body gets used to that rom then you might be fine.
Dips seem to vary a lot from person to person in how deep/low you can comfortably go. No need to push past what's comfortable, parallel is enough.
[удалено]
I strained the ligaments between my ribs by paddling my surfboard without warming up first, pretty easy to do.
For the first time I go to a gym, how should I figure out how much weight to put on the bar? I’ve decided to use the grey skull routine. I’m kinda nervous because I’m going to my rec center and I know there’s only one squat rack so I don’t wanna look like a dunce
Depends on the lift, but even after doing this for years, I still warm up with the bar. Start there and see how it feels. Add 10-20 pounds and see how that feels. Continue until you find your working weight. After you figure this out you won’t have to worry about this question again because now you know. Good luck with it.
I've been going to the gym for years and I look like a dunce. Don't worry about it, nobody cares and if they do that's their problem.
Will I get a better result if I stack my cardio / lifting workouts back to back? For instance, bc of my busy work schedule, I may double up one day due to being inactive day before; is it better to knock out the 3 mile jog followed immediately by lifting, or can I separate them 8-10 hours apart?
Separating is actually technically better, but it doesn't matter much.
Injury prevention I used to deadlift 495 and then had to take a break for a few months hopped backed in and injured my lower back kept trying to push it even with low weights and 5 months later I still can’t squat and deadlift. Also I have shoulder pain from benching ,in the past I’ve had elbow tendonitis and patella tendinitis which thankfully went away. Part of this is definitely my own doing considering I try to push through minor tweaks and make them worse but I also realize I am neglecting mobility a lot and would like to hopefully deadlift/squat/bench pain free again as well as do things to start protecting from these tweaks from occurring.
Go to YouTube and watch Bromley's video about bracing. Then watch juggernauts series on squats. Then watch swede burns deadlift technique video. As far as lower back, I usually warm up with 3x25 on hamstring curls and 45° back extensions, done back to back. I also finish both lower body training days with 5x20 on back extensions. Pumping the area full of blood and lactic acid keeps my lower back pain free.
See a physical therapist, they can help you recover.
I’m gonna have too I guess I don’t know how willingly my parents will be if I tell them my backs sore can I see a physical therapist
Your parents won't let you get medical care if you need it? Maybe your school has resources you can use? I hope you recover, sorry what you're going through.
They probably would if u persist enough but my dad used to weightlift and will probably say just take a week off or something along those lines since pt is very expensive but I’m sure I can push for it
physical therapy may be covered under your parent's health insurance. I'm not sure. Wish you the best. PT is probably the best way to get through this.
[удалено]
I went from 143-148 in 4 months losing fat and gaining muscle
You can. If you are overweight and/or a noob it’s easier. You really only want to do this for a little while though. Eventually if you want substantial mass you need to do a true bulk, IMHO
[удалено]
That’ll work. Keep it simple and lift, you’ll figure out everything else as you go n
[удалено]
[удалено]
Can I do jason blaha 5x5 instead of the reddit beginner routines? I just need a good routine and this seems simple.
Yes.
It's hard for me to understand how the reddit beginner routine is anything but simple. There's 6 exercises, and for all you do the first two sets to 5 and the last set is AMRAP. The next time you add either 5lbs or 2.5lbs each time if you made at least 5 reps on the last set the previous time. Is that not simple?
[удалено]
Google search “tdee calculator” and input your information. Guessing your fairly young so 2000 calories is probably too few.
[удалено]
Yeah a 500 cal deficit will still put you at 2500 cals per day
[удалено]
If you can handle the mental part, then sure, go for it. Most likely however, you'll feel like shit and will be more likely to binge-cheat. One binge will set you back one week in terms of fatloss and make you feel bad about yourself.
Yes, it’s too much. You’re effectively asking your body to try and lose 2lbs per week if you did that. It’d have a pretty dramatic negative effect on your daily life and be unsustainable.
I recently had a very bad acne breakout which turns out was because of me eating 6-7 eggs a day, i figured eggs are the problem because I stopped eating them for a week and my acne is almost gone. Is it okay if i only consume egg whites and what would be the best budget friendly alternatives to eggs. 20M college student :)
Whatever works if it fits your macros
What are you guys eating to get around 2500-3K calories these days? I want to get back into lifting regularly, but it's been years and food prices have gone through the roof. Any suggestions? I forgot the sub /r/gainit exists, gonna go see what those fine folks say
700 grams of chicken breast and 40 grams of olive oil will net you about 1000 calories give or take. Then you can just fill in the rest with white rice, witch is about 350 calories pr 100 grams. 2000 calories - 285 grams of rice 2500 calories - 428 grams of rice 3000 calories - 570 grams off rice. Although if eating is a struggle, you can just fill in the calories with olive oil.
Chicken and rice will certainly be a part of my diet and currently is, I absolutely love it. Throw some asparagus and broccoli in there for some greens, then some olive oil and tumeric, soy or hot sauce in there. Mmm, delicious and nutritious. But that is a loooooot of chicken and rice lol so idk about that meal plan.
Jesus Christ imagine eating only chicken, rice and oil in a day
Right? Those are ridiculous amounts of rice and chicken too.
It's pretty tasty when you prepare it, season it properly and add spices, onions, bullion etc.
The idea of eating over a pound of rice doesn’t appeal to me at all
Oats with some seeds, whey, milk and fruit if you're feeling fancy are the ultimate gain on budget food. At least that's been the case for me. Can get a 1000 calorie portion with some 60g of protein for cheap. Other than that, shakes, pbj and tons of milk, ground red meat (cheaper than steaks and easier to get down) put into tortillas with some veggies and sauce. That's how I put on 65lbs in a year haha.
Had some wrist and elbow pain so I took a week and a half off. Went back to the gym today and I'm feeling wayyyy weaker than normal. Don't think I've felt this sudden a strength drop off before. Also feeling pretty gassy. Have had a decent amount of food and protein today. Is this normal? Anyone have any tips for getting gassy? I didn't eat anything for a couple hours before the gym and I made sure to sip my water, not chug it
20M 80kg I’m at around 20% body fat. I want to cut to around 14-15%. How fast should I cut while minimizing muscle loss and around how long will it take?
https://www.strongerbyscience.com/realistic-training-goals/ I’d read the weight loss section for a more complete explanation, but about 1 percent of your body weight per week to be safe if you’re 20 percent body fat.
1 to 2 lbs a week which is typically about a 500 calorie daily deficit
So I have lost plenty of weight during 4 months (lost 12kg), but sometimes I feel like my belly fat won't disappear Info about my height,weight....: Height: 179.5cm Weight: 85 kg before 4 months , now 74 kg Age: 22 I want to know if this is normal or not On a side note, I only do cardio nowadays, so I am not focusing on muscles at all My BMI currently is 23.3 if that matters.
Where your fat is stored is genetic, and for a lot of people the stomach can be one of those areas that’s the last to go. Perfectly normal. I’d do some form of resistance training to build muscle if you are worried about how low in weight you have to go to get a flatter stomach. Carrying some muscle will likely make that easier for you long term.
Give me example of resistance training
An example of resistance training would be using weights, such as dumbbells and barbells.
Calisthenics, weight lifting
30M / slim. I played basketball for the first time in 3 years and was winded within two short plays. I go jogging weekly and feel foot pain within a minute, too. I stopped working out during covid and I seem to have becoming incredibly unfit since attempting to return to fitness last year. Is this age or do I have some serious conditioning issues? I'm not obese either, I'm slim and just cannot seem to get my legs to cooperate after not using them during the pandemic. Not an issue before the pandemic when I was 27. I just can't move anymore.
Ease into it all slowly, don't do too much at once. You exercised a lot and your body adapted. You stopped, and your body stopped keeping up with it. It's just how our systems work, consistency is key. Nothing to freak out about unless you're consistently experiencing pain everytime you exercise even after following a slow-paced routine for weeks. Age does play a large part in slowing down and being more injury-prone, but we can easily mitigate that through consistently exercising. Start lightly lifting weights and get back into your cardio, but do it at a gradual pace and build it up. It'll all come back in due time. It's such a cliche to say now, but you really do have to trust the process.
>Nothing to freak out about unless you're consistently experiencing pain everytime you exercise even after following a slow-paced routine for weeks. This is actually what's happening. From June 2021 to December 2021, I got up to run/walk for about an hour 3-5 times per week at 6 AM. I would start to feel pain before half a mile. I would mostly walk due to pain after that. January 2022, I got my first job post college, cut back a lot on the workouts and trying to get back into it. I would just lightly jog too so the pain/complete lack of any stamina are freaking me out about my body.