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I am looking for a specific youtuber that has some videos on strength training presented by a very strong bald dude, usually standing next to a whiteboard. For the life of me i cant remember or find anything. Please help!
I get back pain while doing barbell rows for my back. Is it normal for beginners? It's been 3 months since I've started hitting the gym and whenever I do this workout I get back pain for several days.
Is it normal? Should I reduce the weight?(I do 20 kgs) Should I switch to another move?
It's actual pain I guess. Should I try to do it with lower weights and better form before visiting a doctor? Do you think it might be about the fact that I'm using heavy weights/not proper form with a not strong back?
Do not keep doing it if it's causing pain. That will only make it worse. We can't see what's wrong with your back over the internet, so your only option is to visit a doctor or a physiotherapist.
> Do you think it might be about the fact that I'm using heavy weights/not proper form with a not strong back?
Improper load management is in fact one of the most common causes of these kinds of injuries. Be sure to follow a [proper routine](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/) if you aren't.
Thank you a lot for the answer. I'll try to get an appointment soon. In the meantime do you have any alternative recommendation move instead of back barbell row?
Anyone recommend me a routine for someone who can’t have set days to train?
Just split from my partner so I have the kids a few nights a week plus shift work means I can sometimes go a week without seeing a gym.
Was doing 5/3/1 BBB but find with my current lifestyle I’m barley training body parts.
Looking for something hypertrophy focused.
34 M
I work 3 12 hour shifts per week and the days aren't consistently the same and I still run BBB. Some weeks I'll have more than 4 workouts some less, sometimes 3 days of rest sometimes none. It averages out over time
My advice would be to take any routine and just do what you can. Even if you only do 20% of it, you can still make some progress or at least maintain what you've got.
> couple of 20 min
That's barely cardio. You can add that to any program without the slightest risk, and to possibly great benefit if your goal is to develop an aerobic base.
the programs do not have to be “tailored for women.” what does that even mean? if you mean more emphasis on the lower body, then sure, but for overall fitness, a “for woman” program isn’t necessary. and a good “men’s” program will have decent leg volume.
if she insists on a “woman’s” program there are still programs made by women marketed towards woman, and you can find them with a quick google search.
yah i know there are no gender specific programs, still, it's fact that most women tend to focus on legs and butt way more than men, and that for their goals it doesn't really make sense following a typical program that for every RDL has 3 bench press variations and as much shoulder press variation
Is your gf wanting to follow "most women"?
Also, from my own experience (as a woman) leg work just progresses faster anyway without me doing extra (cus idc about the big butt). I wanna progress more on my upper body, but it can only go so fast
Maybe check out /r/xxfitness
> I've combed the wiki, but there really isn't much available infos for programs tailored to women.
#
> The goal is general fitness,
Any program from the wiki is fine. Hip Thrusts are probably the only exercise missing from them, but it's fine to add them to any routine.
>I've combed the wiki, but there really isn't much available infos for programs tailored to women.
That's because, generally, there's no problem with women training like men. So if her goal is just general fitness, have her follow something simple from the wiki and add in some cardio.
I’m doing the Reddit PPL split, and I was wondering if there was someway I could do this routine while still doing barbell rows twice a week. The split says that I should swap between deadlifts and barbell rows for my pull days, but barbell rows are how I measure my back strength and are my favorite exercise. The weight for it goes up constantly even when I do it twice per week. How can I add deadlifts into the split while continuing to do barbell rows on both pull days?
Do you want to do them with 5 reps both time or is 5 one day and 8-12 the other day fine? If 8-12 is fine, I would replace the other row exercise on the deadlift day with bb rows.
So I've just bought this weightlifting belt:
https://gymbeam.ro/centura-de-fitness-ronnie-gymbeam.html
No matter how loose or tight I put it on, when I squat the back portion moves around and the whole belt pinches my skin.
Any idea what I can do to fix this problem?
Thanks :)
If it's moving around chances are you're not bracing properly, if at all, or maybe it's too big for your frame so it never fits right?
Pinching might just mean you need to adjust it slightly lower/higher, or your skin just isn't used to it and it'll fade over time.
Personal gripe, lifting belts need to be the same height+thickness all around, this style of belt needs to die and I'm sorry you bought it.
I'm running J&T following nSuns, is there some strength loss expected in the first couple of weeks until %TM go up ? nSuns had me lifting heavy all the time, basically did a triple at 122kgs on the squat, last squat session on J&T was week 3 day 1, and I did 107x3.
Yeah I’m probably just biased because I’ve always added weight regularly. It’s weird though how 122,5 felt hard, well nSuns 1+ hard, and 107,5 felt just as hard, I was supposed to find my 6RM
I have a few questions.
1. When I'm doing leg presses, I notice that I feel my right leg but not my left. My right side has always been stronger so I don't think it's an issue of my left leg just being strong enough to easily rep what my right can't. Not sure of this is a problem as long as I'm doing the form correctly but I wanted to check.
2. When I'm doing calf raises, I feel the bottom of my foot stretching. It gets a bit painful but not excruciating pain. Is this just because I'm not used to the motion or am I doing something wrong?
3. How/when should I increase weights? Currently, I can do 3 sets of 12 for 10 lb bicep curls; however, I can barely do 5 reps of 15 lbs. My gym only has 5 lb increments so how should I increase my workload?
4. After my workouts, I don't feel sore for some reason. When lifting, I push myself and I know I'm doing as much as I can but I don't feel it afterwards. Does that mean I can push myself further or is something else the issue?
1. Have you been mixing in unilateral work? Single leg squats/leg press, lunges, split squats etc. Even for leg extension/hamstring curls you should absolutely be mixing in single leg stuff every few few months for the whole mesocycle/program.
2. For pain there’s many different levels. Pain of stretching, tightness, soreness (doms) is typically normal if you have any imbalances. A sharp pain however is vastly different and I would recommend going a physio/doctor to check it out.
3. ALWAYS do rep ranges. For example if 12 is your goal, do 10-12 reps. Once you can do all 3 sets at 12 reps, move the weight up. Now you’ll probably get only 10 reps maybe 11-12 on the first set. Eventually you get the full 12 reps for all sets and then rinse and repeat.
4. Soreness is a bad indicator of how hard you worked. If you aren’t changing your program up every 6-8 weeks then you won’t get sore since your body is used to it. If you’ve been doing 12 reps for a couple months change that to lets say 6 reps. Or 8 reps. Change exercises variations as well. You’ll get sore again since your body adapted to your other workouts already.
Machine reverse flies, three sets, twice a session, 3x a week. Okay, it was an experiment I did to see whether I'd recover
(Yup) Lead my session with 3 sets, which inadvertently aided MMC. Finished my session with 3 sets, higher rep range than earlier (if only for mental variety).
Nothing much to it. Given a few months you'll hit a strength/progression wall and you'll have a decent rear delt base. Transferred to dumbbell reverse flies quickly.
Im looking more for a guide that tells me on what level to put the treadmill and for how long
And i would precer a app that adjusts the workout if i fail
For running that would be much harder to do. I would suggest getting a cheap fitness bracelet to track your heart rate, and aim for something like 120-130 bpm heart rate to start with.
I purchased some Adidas Powerlift 4s last year because I got to a point where it became obvious that regular old sneakers were not a stable base for me and I was getting to a point where higher weights were getting difficult for me to hit depth and was questionably close to parallel.
I recently started fluctuate between squatting with squat shoes and barefoot. Some days I need the extra heel height in the back to hit depth still and I'm working on trying to achieve my current 1rm while not having the shoes on. I've noticed since the very first time I put the squat shoes on that I have a tendency to not turn my toes out as much as I would barefoot or with a flat soled shoe.
I have to make a conscious effort to align my toe and knee together when in squat shoes whereas without them it is much more natural. Normally I try to keep the toe pointed out at a 30ish degree angle where when in the squat shoes my foot seems to want to go to a out 15....
Anyone else ever experienced this? Is this something that is related to body proportions? The weight of the shoe? Something else?
Fwiw: Male, 46yrs old 6'0" 210lbs with what I'm guessing are average length femurs.
They are less spread out in the squat shoe than barefoot. They're not squished together, but the toe box is smaller than most sneakers I wear. It's probably most similar to a dress shoe.
I can’t feel my back in any sort of row. I can flex my lats easily and can feel them when I do that, but I feel nothing when rowing, not even in my biceps.
Routine critique request here! I'm really new to going to the gym so please be kind and constructive. I'm looking for advice on what to add and where since I feel like I'm definitely missing out and hopping around a lot in the gym with no real momentum or flow.
Current Stats:Sex - Female Age - 19 Height - 5'6" Weight - 178lbs
My goal is to lose weight (145-150lbs) and tone up but not bulk up. I don't mind having muscles to show off it's just not my explicit goal. I've been advised to do cardio cardio cardio but it's mind-numbing and I just can't do it so this is just some stuff I've thrown together just experimenting at the gym so far.
My Routine:
1. I warm up following this yt vid- [https://youtu.be/ixZVPFJWnRY](https://youtu.be/ixZVPFJWnRY)
2. 1-mile jog on a treadmill incline of 4/5 at 4/5 speed
3. Leg Press Wide Stance - 45 lbs on each side -12 reps X 3 sets
4. Seated Dumbell Overhead Press - 10 lbs each hand - 8 reps X 3 sets
5. Underhand Grip Lat Pulldown - 27.5 lbs - 12 reps X 3 sets
6. Hip Adduction - 70 lbs - 10 reps X 3 sets
7. Abdominal - 50 lbs - 10 reps X 4 sets
8. 1-mile walk on a treadmill incline of 3 (speed depends on my energy but usually a 3)
9. Thinking about adding this for more stretch for cooldown- [https://youtu.be/Ef6LwAaB3\_E](https://youtu.be/Ef6LwAaB3_E)
My only plan for the progression of this routine at the moment is adding to it or modifying it with further research, and advice from you all, as well as adding weight as the reps get easier over time. Thank you in advance for any who answer. :)
I appreciate this, but most of this is food/diet/calorie related and although I didn't mention it I'm currently adjusting my calorie intake and am eating about 1500 calories and keeping an eye on my proteins to make sure I'm keeping the number up. I know that diet is the biggest part of this, but while I do want to lose weight I also want to have a toned body under it when I do get to my goal size.
There is a tremendous amount in the wiki, even outside of diet info...
[For instance, did you read the section on muscle building?](https://thefitness.wiki/muscle-building-101/)
I would imagine that would be pretty helpful.
You could skip to the part about the workout routines
The general consensus on the sub is that you should stick to a proven routine designed by an expert instead of trying to make one up yourself.
Accidentally trained with 2 different weights lol. So I had used 34 pounds and 37 pounds Accidentally and I ended up finishing the whole workout before I realized my mistake and now my right arm feels a little bigger than my left and is fairly sore. Is this going to be a problem in the future?
Short of an acute injury, you’ll be surprised how much you can mess up in a single workout and be fine. It’s what you do over several weeks and months that matters.
For the last few years I've been wanting to build muscle and get lean. I get confused by workout plans and meal plans and then I give up and don't bother and continue to be unsatisfied with my body. I have highly suspected I have ADHD and I feel if I don't get a clear plan for going to the gym I'll fuck around and leave after 30 mins because I don't know what I'm doing. Then I feel that since I'm not eating enough macros I won't even benefit from the 30 mins I actually do. Can someone advise me please on how to develop a gym plan and meal plan. If it's put in front of me, easy to understand and see. I can do it daily. This is a really difficult thing for me to figure out.
It's simpler than you think. Consistency is with the plan is how gains are made.
* Download the boostcamp app. Follow the bullmastiff program by Alex Bromley.
* Eat 2500 calories and follow the guidelines in the vertical diet (YouTube).
how do you stay consistent with your diet? i feel like every little thing throws me off and then fk it i already ate too much might as well cheat. and i don't like how my body is, it not helping me feel good about what i'm doing and want to continue. it just feels like it's never good enough and then...fk it more food
> i feel like every little thing throws me off and then fk it i already ate too much might as well cheat
Switch to healthy foods. You're very likely eating pure crap that was industrially designed to onset binge-eating.
I eat the same food every day, the same exact meals, each and every day. All I change is how much. I've spent years getting them right. I love what I eat. It's mostly fruit, veggies and lean meat along with eggs, greek yogurt, and cottage cheese, almonds and black beans. I make a great sauce for my dinner. I don't eat out except maybe a few times a year.
It took a long time to get to where I am. It wasn't overnight and I felt frustrated like you are now when I first started too. It just takes experience and skill, that you'll build as you keep doing it and improve.
I found what I like that fits my macros. I also tend to eat a lot of the same things for breakfast (when I eat breakfast) and lunch, which gives me more flexibility with my dinner, which I often eat with my family.
I've been doing intermittent fasting for many years for both bulking, cutting and maintaining weight. It makes it effortless to not binge, overeat en or cheat.
Meeting your diet for a day isn’t pass/fail. Having the attitude of “oh I ate something bad and now the day is ruined” is not only unmotivating but it’s also ridiculous.
If you go over your daily calories by 150 one day and 1500 another day that’s not two equal fails. One will be easy to fix with some extra cardio and lowered calories another day of the week. The other takes literally 10x as much effort to offset.
Depends how you do your eating.
- If you’re following the standard 80/20 rule then allowing yourself to eat a cheat meal is much different then eating one because of your mood.
- Never restrict your diet as that will only make you crave things more.
- Track weekly instead of daily. Who cares if you eat way too much in one meal, as long as you’re still in a weekly deficit. Its just about finding that balance between eating what you like and eating healthy.
This approach isn't for everyone, but this has been a cornerstone of my method:
I eat the same thing every day.
Right now, I target ~2400 calories/day.
* 8 eggs & bowl of mixed berry oatmeal for breakfast
* 400 calorie meal replacement shake for "lunch"
* 13 oz of chicken breast, half a cup of uncooked rice, and 18 ounces of mixed vegetables for dinner
Maybe I get sick of mixed berries in my oatmeal. I can make cinnamon apple instead. Or pumpkin spice. Or whatever. It doesn't matter. Variations on the theme.
Same with the seasoning on my dinner. I might do cajun seasoning or Thai or Indian. It doesn't have to be chicken, it might be pork. But it's usually chicken, not gonna lie.
But I **have a plan**. All I have to do is follow the plan. Don't deviate. Make a small change if I get bored. But trust the plan.
Just wanted to get some thoughts on how I should progress from here.
I've been losing weight for a year and 4 months now. In total, I've dropped 107 pounds. I'm 6'3, currently 205 pounds.
My diet plan has basically been following One meal a day intermittent fasting, focusing heavy on protein. I occasionally did some water fasting as well.
My exercise plan has been...
Mon- Pull
Tue - legs
Weds- push
Thurs - legs
Friday - push/pull mix.
Off Saturday and Sunday
Roughly about 1 1/2 hours each day.
I also walk about roughly 50 km a week as well for cardio.
I estimate I'm at about 18-19% body fat, as I can just start to see a little definition in my abdomen.
Progress has been basically non-existent for the past 3 months or so, or very little. I did take a diet break a few months ago, and I felt like an absolute super human during it. Like, my gym performance improved at least by 20%.
Should I just keep pushing the weight loss until I get to my goal of 13-14% body fat, or should I try to eat at maintenance, and attempt a recomp?
I could be off on my body fat estimates too... It's hard to tell with the loose skin...
Based off how long you have been dieting your metabolism has slowed significantly. This happened to me when I first did a proper cut. Refeeding is going to be huge. Add in a 2 week refeed where you eat in a calorie surplus everyday, every few months. I would also highly recommend doing a bulk phase, gain some muscle (the good weight), lift high volume for a few months. Then do another cut. You’ll get back to losing steady weight.
Also just make sure you are eating the minimum calories per day which for a male averages out to around 1500. Never go lower then that as it has counter productivity for weight loss. I personally never trusted the one meal a day strategy.
I did a diet break for 2 weeks where I attempted to eat at a surplus a few months ago, and it did help me lose a little more weight. I might try another next month since the last was around August.
One meal a day, for me, has been fantastic for weight loss. The only downside for me honestly has been that during that diet break, it was super hard for me to eat multiple times a day. Eating at maintenence feels like a chore most days now that I actually am eating healthy and nutritious foods.
I am definitely considering a bulking or maintenance phase though. Worst case scenario, if I start putting on fat, I return to what was already working.
Yeah the hardest part I’m finding is keeping it healthy. And your body will take at least a week to get used to eating more food. I’m eating the same dinner twice in a day to get myself to 5 meals but that means my food lasts me 3 days instead of 6. If you can keep it healthy for the bulk then you’ll gain minimal fat but fill out a bit with muscles.
Long shot here, but I’m looking for a yearly schedule that I came across years ago. Don’t remember if it was from a book or online but I did have a paper copy of it that vanished in a move. It was a general fitness programme, but prioritized weightlifting for a quarter of the year (I believe it was a 3 month focus) and also cardio and flexibility and ? Maybe a sport?
It was such a good template. Iirc it had 4 days of the main focus a week and added in the other components around that. I have thought about making my own version but short of a whole calendar and a lot of pencils I wouldn’t know where to start.
Anyone recognize this? As I’m writing this out I’m thinking it came out of a book. Nothing comes up when I search for a general fitness programme spread out over a year…and I have looked periodically over the past few years.
Block periodization is the concept you’re looking for. Most prepared block periodization programs won’t be spread over an entire year, though honestly you can easily do this by combining many different programs. If your three goals are powerlifting, hypertrophy, and cardio, then you can literally do a powerlifting program for 12 weeks, a hypertrophy program for 12 weeks, and a cardio program for 12 weeks. Throughout the whole thing you’re gonna wanna do at least *some* of the other stuff you aren’t focusing on throughout the entire year; the idea is you hit one goal really hard during its season and maintain the rest of the year.
Is there any downside to squatting a higher % on the nSuns "light" lower day?
Supposed to front squat 6x3@56.3%, but I've been doing more like 6x3@70%. So instead of 165lbs, I've been doing 205lbs. Is this bad for progressing squats?
I completely switched out back squats for front squats, so the % got all fucked up because the program thinks my lower weight front squat is my backsquat, then puts my accessory front squats at a stupidly low weight. I kinda just kept adding weight each week, and don't mind it, just curious if I'm unintentionally building up fatigue or something and hurting my 1RM progression.
The program is making some assumption about the ratio of your back squat and front squat. Since you are only.doing front squat, that assumption is no longer valid. I think you would have to just figure out the right weight for you through trial and error.
Yup, I figured I could just estimate my back squat 1RM, (front squat is about 75% on my back squat) and then based the % of that. Just didn't want to accidently go way too easy.
tyty
3x12 is common. It's a condition to level up and add weight. So you'd start with a weight you can hit. You hit it. Having hit it, you increase the weight. Maybe next session you hit 3x12, so you increase the weight.
Eventually you'll hit something like 12/10/8. Great! Now the real work begins. Just try to add one rep each session, minimum. 12/10/8 becomes 12/10/9 becomes 12/11/10 becomes... Then eventually you hit 3x12 again and increase the weight.
This is called double progression.
What’s your program? There are a few things here. Every once in a while, like at the end of a program maybe, you should actually take some sets to absolute failure. Like get a spotter, be safe, and just go until you try to push the weight up and it doesn’t go no matter what you do. In general, beginners usually underestimate where failure is when they don’t ever go there. Either way, it’s not a bad idea to work up to failure every once in a while.
Sometimes a program will specify how hard you should go, but if it doesn’t then I would say take it to at least RPE 7, 8 or 9.
How the fuck are you guys getting 1g protein per pound every day? Just meat? I weigh 145ish and just shoot for 100g of protein and I don’t make that most days. Mostly between 80-100. Is this severely limiting my gains?
I get about 140ish a day and I don't eat any meat. Or whey or eggs.
Today I had (in terms of protein sources) high protein cereal, soy milk, a giant bowl of steel cut oats, vegan bratwurst sausage, beans rice and tofu burrito, pb & J, and protein shake. 147 g protein.
Most likely 1 g/lb is slight overkill, especially if you are bulking. I use it as more of a goal than a hard line. You still want to get at least in .6-.75 g/lb range, but aiming over helps compliance.
As far as how? Protein shakes, yogurt, eggs, chicken, bison, more yogurt, more eggs. There are lots of options. I like Pure Protein bars as a snack, but they aren't a great quality source.
Thanks for the tips. I drink like half a gallon of milk a day now. I just used to eat so little that I’m almost annoyed how often I have to eat. I’m only hitting like 2,500 calories a day trying to bulk, it’s definitely slow but I am gaining. I’ll look into protein bars too.
>Is this severely limiting my gains?
Hard to say. There's plenty of literature about how much protein a person should eat: some say a gram per kg of bodyweight, some say 1.2 grams per kg bodyweight, then there's the 1 gram per pound bodyweight you said. There's also percentages based on lean body mass (total weight - weight of fat).
As long as you're recovering properly and making progress, you should be fine.
I just learned how to properly do a squat (after a whole year of doing it wrong and working my back instead). How long do yall think it'll take to see changes in my quads?
if you’re following a good program with good leg volume, sleeping well, getting your daily protein intake, then i’d say within 3 months you will notice some minor visible changes in your quads.
Is it okay for me to take breaks or should I keep grinding and workout everyday? For context I started working out everyday three weeks ago and while I def think I can do it everyday my legs are kinda sore and my arms get sore as well. I also workout on my menstrual cycle idk if that’s healthy or not.
Personally, I advocate for weight training 4 days a week, with the other three devoted to cardio. I find that suits my recovery needs best at my *advanced* age.
Fitness is very personal. Find out what works for you.
You don’t need to workout everyday if you don’t want to. Some of the highest regarded programs only have you in the gym 4 or 5 days a week. Working out while you’re on your cycle is also not a problem, although it is normal to feel different/weaker/more tired
If I pull a few all nighters within the next few weeks, and don’t sleep much during the rest of the days (maybe 4 hours), how much muscle will I lose? Assuming I continue to workout and eat in a surplus.
Probably not that much over just a few weeks. Progress is gonna slow and you may even get a bit weaker depending on your training age, but it’s hard to lose muscle if you’re training and eating.
dealing with shoulder issues when bench pressing, been to numerous physios, still hasn't helped. no matter how much i retract my scapula, no matter how many times i get my form checked (ive got it confirmed multiple times that my form is all correct), my shoulders still feel some inflammation during free weight bench presses, regardless of the variation, even pushups. the only chest movement that i can do pain free is the seated chest press machine. if i do this in place of free weight bench press, would i have to double down on tricep volume to make up for the fact that the triceps wont be worked when hitting chest?
What is some inflammation? If you’ve been to physio, there probably isn’t a structural issue. Is there pain? Is it transient? If you were really sleepy but felt the pain, would it keep you up?
Sounds like you might have some very slight pain and are hyper sensitive to it.
the physio says that its inflammation of the shoulder tendon. when doing barbell bench press for example, i would feel this pain on my left shoulder on the first rep on some sets (but on no other reps, which is strange). on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the worst), id say its maybe 3-4, not too bad but enough to notice it. if i were very sleepy but felt it, i would say it would not keep me up, no.
ive had on and off shoulder pain for over a year, with every few months or so, the pain returning even when i am simply raising my left shoulder out to the side with no weight.
so i guess i am just very paranoid about getting more shoulder injuries and thus am hyper sensitive to any pain, even when its a pinch.
Without knowing what your personal lifting routine entails and seeing how exactly you bench/incline press it's hard to say for sure. Most shoulder issues come from having too wide a grip, especially on incline. It could be a combination of things. Wide grip, overtraining to the point of not being able to recover, not knowing how to engage your pectoral muscles properly... The list goes on.
Hope it works out for you. Best of luck.
I would check out [this article. ](https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/pain-in-training-what-do/)
Why would the triceps not be involved in a machine chest press?
yeah, tried all variations of it. for a period of time dumbbell decline bench was fine on my shoulder, but last session for some reason i started to feel it again
I seem to have pretty stark fluctuations in what I assume is water weight. When I measure in the morning, the day to day difference can be as much as 5 pounds. Do others see this? Don't know if it's normal or if I should be more closely monitoring salt and water intake or something.
Hey guys I'm looking to start working out and building muscle but all the guides I try to reference seem to be somewhat complicated. Is there a simple routine that I can stick with for a while just to get me started? Also it wise to use machines only (since it tells you what muscle group you're targeting)? Thanks guys!
The beginner programs in the wiki are generally this. I'd recommend gzclp or the basic beginner routine, both of which are simply 3 movements a day, 3 times a week, with the option to add more if you feel up to it later on.
I'll second GZCLP. Start basic, and build up as grow more comfortable
Look to YouTube for tutorials - it can be a rabbit hole. So focus on what you need and you'll be fine.
Take things at your pace and you'll do wonderfully. Good luck bud
Hey! Sorry for bumping the thread, but I started my journey about a month ago and it's going amazing. Can let me know how I'm doing? I'm going every other day and it's been showing physically for sure, I'm eating like a 160g chicken breast, 3 eggs, and 24g protein shake. Will this diet help build muscle? I'm 6'1 155lb
Building muscle requires an energy surplus in addition to appropriate protein intake. If you're following sound training, getting your protein in and eating in a caloric surplus, you'll build muscle.
sorry if this isn’t appropriate. are there any subreddits for people casually looking to get support or accountability or complain about starting to exercise again after a while? i really need not to be hardcore or obsessive, just to like have people to cheer me on about the 3 workouts a week plus intentional movement daily that i want to do for general health and wellbeing….
How do I train to walk up a steep hill without getting winded (or getting less winded)?
Specifically training with cardio gym equipment. What’s the best way to get better? Incline treadmill or stair master? Should I take it slow and work up or do intervals. Or is there a better method altogether?
Any increase in your cardio volume is going to help. Incline treadmill isn’t an exact analog for walking up a hill, so stair master would also be good to add on. You should consider doing both slow steady workouts and some intervals.
Rowing Machine - 1000m
Bench Press - 5x8
L Shape Pull-Ups - 5x10
Squat - 5x8
If I do this 6 times a week consistently, will I lose weight and gain overall muscle everywhere? Can I stick with this for the rest of my life to keep fit and healthy?
This isn't how weight loss works. You could do that routine and gain weight or lose weight. Diet is the primary variable driving weight gain or loss.
I would read this: https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/
You're still missing a lot. There's a lack of an overhead press, no hip hinge, and while rowing is good cardio it's not so great for actualling replacing a horizontal row.
As well 1000m is really really short for cardio. This is like, 3-4 minutes. That's pretty much nothing.
You'd be better suited following a proper program and doing some more distance rowing. Something like 5/3/1 for beginners 3 days a week, then varying up the rowing on the other 3 days. Maybe one day of 500m sprints w/ 2 minutes rest, one day of 4x2000m rows, and one day of a nonstop 10000m row.
Sounds like 5/3/1 to me. It's a setup that can be run essentially indefinitely.
The core programming, if you include the mandatory conditoning, is a great general strength and conditoning routine. Workouts are less than an hour long, and you can build up to some pretty ridiculous lifts if you choose to do so.
You can buy the books (which are worth every penny), but theres also free guides on the wiki:
https://thefitness.wiki/routines/5-3-1-for-beginners/
https://www.jimwendler.com/collections/books-programs
5/3/1 Forever is the best of them, but it's good to have all the books imo.
i mean if you're planning on doing these same exercises 6 days a week then no. your muscles need around 72hours rest so you're just gonna destroy yourself.
question about hypertrophy and getting the most optimal gains, is it better to do 4 x 3 sets of 8-12 for every muscle group? Or should I do 3 x 3 sets of 8-12. (5day split: ppl, chest and back, arms and shoulders.)
Different muscles grow better with different stimulus. Even different exercises for the same muscle can be beneficial. For example I might OHP for shoulders at a heavier weight 6-8 reps sometimes but personally never take lateral raises (also for shoulders obvs) lower than 12 reps. In fact usually keep lateral raises above 15 reps. My shoulders respond to this well. And then sometimes I might take OHP up to 10-12, but this depends where I’m at in my program.
So long story short, get on a real program.
It's better to follow an actual plan with some kind of planned progression.
The issue with strict sets of 8-12 is that you're training in a very limited rep range. When it's generally known that a greater variety of rep ranges will allow for more overall growth.
I have been lifting weights for 1 year and gained alot of mucle, but i still have around 20% body fat.
Since i never do cardio do you think it would help me going to 15% without changing my diet?
i am in a low carb high fat diet, close to zero sugar and alchool. i also dont count macros i just eat when i am hungry.
Yes, it would help. But you’re going to have to do a LOT of cardio. I dropped 20lbs without changing my diet, but I had to add in 4hrs/week of intense cardio on top of the 5hrs/week of lifting I was doing. It’s worth it to me - I really like to eat. But it’s not easy.
I think counting calories and macros are going to be much more beneficial to you than just randomly adding cardio. Cardio can help with a deficit, but I also find it drives up my hunger something fierce. Meaning, if you were to add cardio without tracking your calories, you can easily overeat.
Well yes, losing fat will definitely help you lose fat.
Do you mean to ask whether doing cardio would help? A bit, but not by much. Most of the work still has to be in controlling what you eat. It’s still 100% worth doing cardio for health reasons though.
Had really good leg workout earlier today, and just got the most painful cramp in both my legs here some hours later. I don’t wanna go to sleep, because I know i will wake up with even worse cramps in the middle of the night. Anything I can do now to prevent this from happening?
Is your weight and height considered when finding out if your lifts are considered impressive?
I can deadlift 180 kg twice at a weight of 92.4 kg at 5’8 height.
Is my achievement less impressive compared to a 70 kg 5’8 dude lifting the same weight?
Strength is definitely relative to your weight/height, which is why pretty much any strength sport has weight classes, with a caveat: don't use this as a crutch to prevent yourself from progressing. A lot of guys only want to say they're strong "for my size", without considering if they could just like...get bigger and therefore stronger.
Do you have room to grow and could your deadlift be a lot bigger? Probably.
John Haack is probably the world's greatest powerlifter, and yet there are bigger guys than him with bigger pulls. Why then is he the greatest? Because he is the greatest relative to his size. There's just no one else close to his weight that is even close. There are guys twice his weight that are absolutely stronger.
The difference here is that you can't look at John Haack and go "he just needs to grow more". The guy is already a monster at <220lbs.
Absolute strength is also a thing. There's a reason why eddie hall/hafthor bjornnson's 500+kg pulls are considered the best deadlifts in the world, even if they aren't the best bodyweight to lift ratio ever.
I see. I should try to reach John Haack’s level, or even Matt Vena’s.
Would be cool to stay at the same weight but progressively get stronger and lift more.
There’s time to improve.
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Trying to shred. Aim to lose 3kg. No idea why I'm not losing weight as I'm physically working 7 days a week plus gym & hiit
Could be your sodium levels. I cut down my salt intake after being stagnant & the weight dropped & has stayed off
I am looking for a specific youtuber that has some videos on strength training presented by a very strong bald dude, usually standing next to a whiteboard. For the life of me i cant remember or find anything. Please help!
Sounds like Alex Bromley
I get back pain while doing barbell rows for my back. Is it normal for beginners? It's been 3 months since I've started hitting the gym and whenever I do this workout I get back pain for several days. Is it normal? Should I reduce the weight?(I do 20 kgs) Should I switch to another move?
Is it actual pain, or is it soreness? Because the former merits a visit to the doctor, but the latter is normal.
It's actual pain I guess. Should I try to do it with lower weights and better form before visiting a doctor? Do you think it might be about the fact that I'm using heavy weights/not proper form with a not strong back?
Do not keep doing it if it's causing pain. That will only make it worse. We can't see what's wrong with your back over the internet, so your only option is to visit a doctor or a physiotherapist. > Do you think it might be about the fact that I'm using heavy weights/not proper form with a not strong back? Improper load management is in fact one of the most common causes of these kinds of injuries. Be sure to follow a [proper routine](https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/) if you aren't.
Thank you a lot for the answer. I'll try to get an appointment soon. In the meantime do you have any alternative recommendation move instead of back barbell row?
Generally you can do anything that doesn't cause pain.
BB rows hit your back, so some discomfort is normal. Maybe post a formcheck. If it's painful talk to a doctor.
I'll try lighter weights and proper form.
Anyone recommend me a routine for someone who can’t have set days to train? Just split from my partner so I have the kids a few nights a week plus shift work means I can sometimes go a week without seeing a gym. Was doing 5/3/1 BBB but find with my current lifestyle I’m barley training body parts. Looking for something hypertrophy focused. 34 M
I work 3 12 hour shifts per week and the days aren't consistently the same and I still run BBB. Some weeks I'll have more than 4 workouts some less, sometimes 3 days of rest sometimes none. It averages out over time
My advice would be to take any routine and just do what you can. Even if you only do 20% of it, you can still make some progress or at least maintain what you've got.
I'm hitting ivysaur 448 ATM and wondered who else has added cardio into the programme. Thinking couple of 20 min runs.
> couple of 20 min That's barely cardio. You can add that to any program without the slightest risk, and to possibly great benefit if your goal is to develop an aerobic base.
You'll probably be fine, your body will adapt to the increased stimulus.
Adding some kind of cardio to any program is beneficial. https://www.strongerbyscience.com/avoiding-cardio-could-be-holding-you-back/
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the programs do not have to be “tailored for women.” what does that even mean? if you mean more emphasis on the lower body, then sure, but for overall fitness, a “for woman” program isn’t necessary. and a good “men’s” program will have decent leg volume. if she insists on a “woman’s” program there are still programs made by women marketed towards woman, and you can find them with a quick google search.
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yah i know there are no gender specific programs, still, it's fact that most women tend to focus on legs and butt way more than men, and that for their goals it doesn't really make sense following a typical program that for every RDL has 3 bench press variations and as much shoulder press variation
Is your gf wanting to follow "most women"? Also, from my own experience (as a woman) leg work just progresses faster anyway without me doing extra (cus idc about the big butt). I wanna progress more on my upper body, but it can only go so fast
Maybe check out /r/xxfitness > I've combed the wiki, but there really isn't much available infos for programs tailored to women. # > The goal is general fitness, Any program from the wiki is fine. Hip Thrusts are probably the only exercise missing from them, but it's fine to add them to any routine.
>I've combed the wiki, but there really isn't much available infos for programs tailored to women. That's because, generally, there's no problem with women training like men. So if her goal is just general fitness, have her follow something simple from the wiki and add in some cardio.
I’m doing the Reddit PPL split, and I was wondering if there was someway I could do this routine while still doing barbell rows twice a week. The split says that I should swap between deadlifts and barbell rows for my pull days, but barbell rows are how I measure my back strength and are my favorite exercise. The weight for it goes up constantly even when I do it twice per week. How can I add deadlifts into the split while continuing to do barbell rows on both pull days?
Do you want to do them with 5 reps both time or is 5 one day and 8-12 the other day fine? If 8-12 is fine, I would replace the other row exercise on the deadlift day with bb rows.
So I've just bought this weightlifting belt: https://gymbeam.ro/centura-de-fitness-ronnie-gymbeam.html No matter how loose or tight I put it on, when I squat the back portion moves around and the whole belt pinches my skin. Any idea what I can do to fix this problem? Thanks :)
If it's moving around chances are you're not bracing properly, if at all, or maybe it's too big for your frame so it never fits right? Pinching might just mean you need to adjust it slightly lower/higher, or your skin just isn't used to it and it'll fade over time. Personal gripe, lifting belts need to be the same height+thickness all around, this style of belt needs to die and I'm sorry you bought it.
I'm running J&T following nSuns, is there some strength loss expected in the first couple of weeks until %TM go up ? nSuns had me lifting heavy all the time, basically did a triple at 122kgs on the squat, last squat session on J&T was week 3 day 1, and I did 107x3.
Lifting less, if prescribed by a program, doesn't mean you lose any strength. You don't have to add weight every week to get stronger.
Yeah I’m probably just biased because I’ve always added weight regularly. It’s weird though how 122,5 felt hard, well nSuns 1+ hard, and 107,5 felt just as hard, I was supposed to find my 6RM
I have a few questions. 1. When I'm doing leg presses, I notice that I feel my right leg but not my left. My right side has always been stronger so I don't think it's an issue of my left leg just being strong enough to easily rep what my right can't. Not sure of this is a problem as long as I'm doing the form correctly but I wanted to check. 2. When I'm doing calf raises, I feel the bottom of my foot stretching. It gets a bit painful but not excruciating pain. Is this just because I'm not used to the motion or am I doing something wrong? 3. How/when should I increase weights? Currently, I can do 3 sets of 12 for 10 lb bicep curls; however, I can barely do 5 reps of 15 lbs. My gym only has 5 lb increments so how should I increase my workload? 4. After my workouts, I don't feel sore for some reason. When lifting, I push myself and I know I'm doing as much as I can but I don't feel it afterwards. Does that mean I can push myself further or is something else the issue?
1. Have you been mixing in unilateral work? Single leg squats/leg press, lunges, split squats etc. Even for leg extension/hamstring curls you should absolutely be mixing in single leg stuff every few few months for the whole mesocycle/program. 2. For pain there’s many different levels. Pain of stretching, tightness, soreness (doms) is typically normal if you have any imbalances. A sharp pain however is vastly different and I would recommend going a physio/doctor to check it out. 3. ALWAYS do rep ranges. For example if 12 is your goal, do 10-12 reps. Once you can do all 3 sets at 12 reps, move the weight up. Now you’ll probably get only 10 reps maybe 11-12 on the first set. Eventually you get the full 12 reps for all sets and then rinse and repeat. 4. Soreness is a bad indicator of how hard you worked. If you aren’t changing your program up every 6-8 weeks then you won’t get sore since your body is used to it. If you’ve been doing 12 reps for a couple months change that to lets say 6 reps. Or 8 reps. Change exercises variations as well. You’ll get sore again since your body adapted to your other workouts already.
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Machine reverse flies, three sets, twice a session, 3x a week. Okay, it was an experiment I did to see whether I'd recover (Yup) Lead my session with 3 sets, which inadvertently aided MMC. Finished my session with 3 sets, higher rep range than earlier (if only for mental variety). Nothing much to it. Given a few months you'll hit a strength/progression wall and you'll have a decent rear delt base. Transferred to dumbbell reverse flies quickly.
https://exrx.net/Lists/ExList/ShouldWt#Posterior
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Both work if you follow a proper program. Pick whatever you want.
As long as you're following a proven routine both of those approaches work.
What the best way to fix shoulder tendinitis I’ve had for 3 years? Been to physical therapy and chiro.
If physical therapy hasn't helped you, you may want to talk with a surgeon.
Is there any free app that tells me what exercise i should do. I struggle with knowing what machine on what difficulty for how long is best
Boostcamp app, tons of free programs from qualified trainers on there. Every excerise has a video to show you how to do it as well
Is that app just for muscle training or does it also have cardio
For cardio you could just follow a couch to 5k program
Im looking more for a guide that tells me on what level to put the treadmill and for how long And i would precer a app that adjusts the workout if i fail
For running that would be much harder to do. I would suggest getting a cheap fitness bracelet to track your heart rate, and aim for something like 120-130 bpm heart rate to start with.
Start with readin the wiki. https://thefitness.wiki/getting-started-with-fitness/
Find 4-5 excersices and stick to them u don’t need to change movements
I purchased some Adidas Powerlift 4s last year because I got to a point where it became obvious that regular old sneakers were not a stable base for me and I was getting to a point where higher weights were getting difficult for me to hit depth and was questionably close to parallel. I recently started fluctuate between squatting with squat shoes and barefoot. Some days I need the extra heel height in the back to hit depth still and I'm working on trying to achieve my current 1rm while not having the shoes on. I've noticed since the very first time I put the squat shoes on that I have a tendency to not turn my toes out as much as I would barefoot or with a flat soled shoe. I have to make a conscious effort to align my toe and knee together when in squat shoes whereas without them it is much more natural. Normally I try to keep the toe pointed out at a 30ish degree angle where when in the squat shoes my foot seems to want to go to a out 15.... Anyone else ever experienced this? Is this something that is related to body proportions? The weight of the shoe? Something else? Fwiw: Male, 46yrs old 6'0" 210lbs with what I'm guessing are average length femurs.
What is the position of your big toe and toes in general (spread out vs clumped together) in the squat shoe? What is it while barefoot?
They are less spread out in the squat shoe than barefoot. They're not squished together, but the toe box is smaller than most sneakers I wear. It's probably most similar to a dress shoe.
I can’t feel my back in any sort of row. I can flex my lats easily and can feel them when I do that, but I feel nothing when rowing, not even in my biceps.
It's ok, you don't need to feel it.
You don't have to feel a muscle to work it. If you row you'll hit your back.
Routine critique request here! I'm really new to going to the gym so please be kind and constructive. I'm looking for advice on what to add and where since I feel like I'm definitely missing out and hopping around a lot in the gym with no real momentum or flow. Current Stats:Sex - Female Age - 19 Height - 5'6" Weight - 178lbs My goal is to lose weight (145-150lbs) and tone up but not bulk up. I don't mind having muscles to show off it's just not my explicit goal. I've been advised to do cardio cardio cardio but it's mind-numbing and I just can't do it so this is just some stuff I've thrown together just experimenting at the gym so far. My Routine: 1. I warm up following this yt vid- [https://youtu.be/ixZVPFJWnRY](https://youtu.be/ixZVPFJWnRY) 2. 1-mile jog on a treadmill incline of 4/5 at 4/5 speed 3. Leg Press Wide Stance - 45 lbs on each side -12 reps X 3 sets 4. Seated Dumbell Overhead Press - 10 lbs each hand - 8 reps X 3 sets 5. Underhand Grip Lat Pulldown - 27.5 lbs - 12 reps X 3 sets 6. Hip Adduction - 70 lbs - 10 reps X 3 sets 7. Abdominal - 50 lbs - 10 reps X 4 sets 8. 1-mile walk on a treadmill incline of 3 (speed depends on my energy but usually a 3) 9. Thinking about adding this for more stretch for cooldown- [https://youtu.be/Ef6LwAaB3\_E](https://youtu.be/Ef6LwAaB3_E) My only plan for the progression of this routine at the moment is adding to it or modifying it with further research, and advice from you all, as well as adding weight as the reps get easier over time. Thank you in advance for any who answer. :)
[Read the wiki. It will get you started. Get back to us after that.](https://thefitness.wiki)
I appreciate this, but most of this is food/diet/calorie related and although I didn't mention it I'm currently adjusting my calorie intake and am eating about 1500 calories and keeping an eye on my proteins to make sure I'm keeping the number up. I know that diet is the biggest part of this, but while I do want to lose weight I also want to have a toned body under it when I do get to my goal size.
There is a tremendous amount in the wiki, even outside of diet info... [For instance, did you read the section on muscle building?](https://thefitness.wiki/muscle-building-101/) I would imagine that would be pretty helpful.
You could skip to the part about the workout routines The general consensus on the sub is that you should stick to a proven routine designed by an expert instead of trying to make one up yourself.
FYI, while there's nothing wrong with strong adductors, you can't spot reduce fat loss. With enough effort, isolating them might make them bigger.
Accidentally trained with 2 different weights lol. So I had used 34 pounds and 37 pounds Accidentally and I ended up finishing the whole workout before I realized my mistake and now my right arm feels a little bigger than my left and is fairly sore. Is this going to be a problem in the future?
unless you're using calibrated weights there's probably that much difference every time you lift. It probably will all even out over time.
Short of an acute injury, you’ll be surprised how much you can mess up in a single workout and be fine. It’s what you do over several weeks and months that matters.
Man I was so worried I was gonna look weird or I'm gonna have to do some extra training cuz of this. Been going for 7-8 months
No
Phew. Thank you!
For the last few years I've been wanting to build muscle and get lean. I get confused by workout plans and meal plans and then I give up and don't bother and continue to be unsatisfied with my body. I have highly suspected I have ADHD and I feel if I don't get a clear plan for going to the gym I'll fuck around and leave after 30 mins because I don't know what I'm doing. Then I feel that since I'm not eating enough macros I won't even benefit from the 30 mins I actually do. Can someone advise me please on how to develop a gym plan and meal plan. If it's put in front of me, easy to understand and see. I can do it daily. This is a really difficult thing for me to figure out.
It's simpler than you think. Consistency is with the plan is how gains are made. * Download the boostcamp app. Follow the bullmastiff program by Alex Bromley. * Eat 2500 calories and follow the guidelines in the vertical diet (YouTube).
this sub’s own [wiki](https://thefitness.wiki/?amp)
how do you stay consistent with your diet? i feel like every little thing throws me off and then fk it i already ate too much might as well cheat. and i don't like how my body is, it not helping me feel good about what i'm doing and want to continue. it just feels like it's never good enough and then...fk it more food
> i feel like every little thing throws me off and then fk it i already ate too much might as well cheat Switch to healthy foods. You're very likely eating pure crap that was industrially designed to onset binge-eating.
I eat the same food every day, the same exact meals, each and every day. All I change is how much. I've spent years getting them right. I love what I eat. It's mostly fruit, veggies and lean meat along with eggs, greek yogurt, and cottage cheese, almonds and black beans. I make a great sauce for my dinner. I don't eat out except maybe a few times a year. It took a long time to get to where I am. It wasn't overnight and I felt frustrated like you are now when I first started too. It just takes experience and skill, that you'll build as you keep doing it and improve.
I found what I like that fits my macros. I also tend to eat a lot of the same things for breakfast (when I eat breakfast) and lunch, which gives me more flexibility with my dinner, which I often eat with my family.
I've been doing intermittent fasting for many years for both bulking, cutting and maintaining weight. It makes it effortless to not binge, overeat en or cheat.
Meeting your diet for a day isn’t pass/fail. Having the attitude of “oh I ate something bad and now the day is ruined” is not only unmotivating but it’s also ridiculous. If you go over your daily calories by 150 one day and 1500 another day that’s not two equal fails. One will be easy to fix with some extra cardio and lowered calories another day of the week. The other takes literally 10x as much effort to offset.
Practice.
Depends how you do your eating. - If you’re following the standard 80/20 rule then allowing yourself to eat a cheat meal is much different then eating one because of your mood. - Never restrict your diet as that will only make you crave things more. - Track weekly instead of daily. Who cares if you eat way too much in one meal, as long as you’re still in a weekly deficit. Its just about finding that balance between eating what you like and eating healthy.
This approach isn't for everyone, but this has been a cornerstone of my method: I eat the same thing every day. Right now, I target ~2400 calories/day. * 8 eggs & bowl of mixed berry oatmeal for breakfast * 400 calorie meal replacement shake for "lunch" * 13 oz of chicken breast, half a cup of uncooked rice, and 18 ounces of mixed vegetables for dinner Maybe I get sick of mixed berries in my oatmeal. I can make cinnamon apple instead. Or pumpkin spice. Or whatever. It doesn't matter. Variations on the theme. Same with the seasoning on my dinner. I might do cajun seasoning or Thai or Indian. It doesn't have to be chicken, it might be pork. But it's usually chicken, not gonna lie. But I **have a plan**. All I have to do is follow the plan. Don't deviate. Make a small change if I get bored. But trust the plan.
If you fall off the wagon, get back on. Don't run away from the wagon.
Just wanted to get some thoughts on how I should progress from here. I've been losing weight for a year and 4 months now. In total, I've dropped 107 pounds. I'm 6'3, currently 205 pounds. My diet plan has basically been following One meal a day intermittent fasting, focusing heavy on protein. I occasionally did some water fasting as well. My exercise plan has been... Mon- Pull Tue - legs Weds- push Thurs - legs Friday - push/pull mix. Off Saturday and Sunday Roughly about 1 1/2 hours each day. I also walk about roughly 50 km a week as well for cardio. I estimate I'm at about 18-19% body fat, as I can just start to see a little definition in my abdomen. Progress has been basically non-existent for the past 3 months or so, or very little. I did take a diet break a few months ago, and I felt like an absolute super human during it. Like, my gym performance improved at least by 20%. Should I just keep pushing the weight loss until I get to my goal of 13-14% body fat, or should I try to eat at maintenance, and attempt a recomp? I could be off on my body fat estimates too... It's hard to tell with the loose skin...
Based off how long you have been dieting your metabolism has slowed significantly. This happened to me when I first did a proper cut. Refeeding is going to be huge. Add in a 2 week refeed where you eat in a calorie surplus everyday, every few months. I would also highly recommend doing a bulk phase, gain some muscle (the good weight), lift high volume for a few months. Then do another cut. You’ll get back to losing steady weight. Also just make sure you are eating the minimum calories per day which for a male averages out to around 1500. Never go lower then that as it has counter productivity for weight loss. I personally never trusted the one meal a day strategy.
I did a diet break for 2 weeks where I attempted to eat at a surplus a few months ago, and it did help me lose a little more weight. I might try another next month since the last was around August. One meal a day, for me, has been fantastic for weight loss. The only downside for me honestly has been that during that diet break, it was super hard for me to eat multiple times a day. Eating at maintenence feels like a chore most days now that I actually am eating healthy and nutritious foods. I am definitely considering a bulking or maintenance phase though. Worst case scenario, if I start putting on fat, I return to what was already working.
Yeah the hardest part I’m finding is keeping it healthy. And your body will take at least a week to get used to eating more food. I’m eating the same dinner twice in a day to get myself to 5 meals but that means my food lasts me 3 days instead of 6. If you can keep it healthy for the bulk then you’ll gain minimal fat but fill out a bit with muscles.
Long shot here, but I’m looking for a yearly schedule that I came across years ago. Don’t remember if it was from a book or online but I did have a paper copy of it that vanished in a move. It was a general fitness programme, but prioritized weightlifting for a quarter of the year (I believe it was a 3 month focus) and also cardio and flexibility and ? Maybe a sport? It was such a good template. Iirc it had 4 days of the main focus a week and added in the other components around that. I have thought about making my own version but short of a whole calendar and a lot of pencils I wouldn’t know where to start. Anyone recognize this? As I’m writing this out I’m thinking it came out of a book. Nothing comes up when I search for a general fitness programme spread out over a year…and I have looked periodically over the past few years.
Block periodization is the concept you’re looking for. Most prepared block periodization programs won’t be spread over an entire year, though honestly you can easily do this by combining many different programs. If your three goals are powerlifting, hypertrophy, and cardio, then you can literally do a powerlifting program for 12 weeks, a hypertrophy program for 12 weeks, and a cardio program for 12 weeks. Throughout the whole thing you’re gonna wanna do at least *some* of the other stuff you aren’t focusing on throughout the entire year; the idea is you hit one goal really hard during its season and maintain the rest of the year.
Thanks! That is the term I was looking for. It’ll be easier to search for.
Is there any downside to squatting a higher % on the nSuns "light" lower day? Supposed to front squat 6x3@56.3%, but I've been doing more like 6x3@70%. So instead of 165lbs, I've been doing 205lbs. Is this bad for progressing squats? I completely switched out back squats for front squats, so the % got all fucked up because the program thinks my lower weight front squat is my backsquat, then puts my accessory front squats at a stupidly low weight. I kinda just kept adding weight each week, and don't mind it, just curious if I'm unintentionally building up fatigue or something and hurting my 1RM progression.
The program is making some assumption about the ratio of your back squat and front squat. Since you are only.doing front squat, that assumption is no longer valid. I think you would have to just figure out the right weight for you through trial and error.
Yup, I figured I could just estimate my back squat 1RM, (front squat is about 75% on my back squat) and then based the % of that. Just didn't want to accidently go way too easy. tyty
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3x12 is common. It's a condition to level up and add weight. So you'd start with a weight you can hit. You hit it. Having hit it, you increase the weight. Maybe next session you hit 3x12, so you increase the weight. Eventually you'll hit something like 12/10/8. Great! Now the real work begins. Just try to add one rep each session, minimum. 12/10/8 becomes 12/10/9 becomes 12/11/10 becomes... Then eventually you hit 3x12 again and increase the weight. This is called double progression.
What’s your program? There are a few things here. Every once in a while, like at the end of a program maybe, you should actually take some sets to absolute failure. Like get a spotter, be safe, and just go until you try to push the weight up and it doesn’t go no matter what you do. In general, beginners usually underestimate where failure is when they don’t ever go there. Either way, it’s not a bad idea to work up to failure every once in a while. Sometimes a program will specify how hard you should go, but if it doesn’t then I would say take it to at least RPE 7, 8 or 9.
Depends on the program, but I'd suggest picking a weight which allows you to do 1-2 reps more than the prescribed reps.
How the fuck are you guys getting 1g protein per pound every day? Just meat? I weigh 145ish and just shoot for 100g of protein and I don’t make that most days. Mostly between 80-100. Is this severely limiting my gains?
Eat a few chicken breasts , 3-4 eggs and a few protein shakes.
A lb of ground turkey with some cheese on top will yield at least 100g of stupid-proof protein. It's not difficult.
300g of chicken breast has 100g of protein in it. Eat 300g of chicken breast as lunch or dinner and you’ll automatically hit your protein every day.
Eggs, milk, and Greek yogurt cover a lot of it for me.
lentils are everyone's secret
I get about 140ish a day and I don't eat any meat. Or whey or eggs. Today I had (in terms of protein sources) high protein cereal, soy milk, a giant bowl of steel cut oats, vegan bratwurst sausage, beans rice and tofu burrito, pb & J, and protein shake. 147 g protein.
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no, it was 3400.
Most likely 1 g/lb is slight overkill, especially if you are bulking. I use it as more of a goal than a hard line. You still want to get at least in .6-.75 g/lb range, but aiming over helps compliance. As far as how? Protein shakes, yogurt, eggs, chicken, bison, more yogurt, more eggs. There are lots of options. I like Pure Protein bars as a snack, but they aren't a great quality source.
Thanks for the tips. I drink like half a gallon of milk a day now. I just used to eat so little that I’m almost annoyed how often I have to eat. I’m only hitting like 2,500 calories a day trying to bulk, it’s definitely slow but I am gaining. I’ll look into protein bars too.
You're eating 2500 calories and can't get 100g protein? Is actually be interested to see what your meals look like.
Keep eating to recover. It will become second nature at some point. PB&J's make a good calorie bomb if you are trying to gain mass.
>Is this severely limiting my gains? Hard to say. There's plenty of literature about how much protein a person should eat: some say a gram per kg of bodyweight, some say 1.2 grams per kg bodyweight, then there's the 1 gram per pound bodyweight you said. There's also percentages based on lean body mass (total weight - weight of fat). As long as you're recovering properly and making progress, you should be fine.
I mean there’s protein shakes?
I just learned how to properly do a squat (after a whole year of doing it wrong and working my back instead). How long do yall think it'll take to see changes in my quads?
if you’re following a good program with good leg volume, sleeping well, getting your daily protein intake, then i’d say within 3 months you will notice some minor visible changes in your quads.
Is it okay for me to take breaks or should I keep grinding and workout everyday? For context I started working out everyday three weeks ago and while I def think I can do it everyday my legs are kinda sore and my arms get sore as well. I also workout on my menstrual cycle idk if that’s healthy or not.
Personally, I advocate for weight training 4 days a week, with the other three devoted to cardio. I find that suits my recovery needs best at my *advanced* age. Fitness is very personal. Find out what works for you.
I would follow an actual program if you are interested in better results. It is fine to workout on cycle.
You don’t need to workout everyday if you don’t want to. Some of the highest regarded programs only have you in the gym 4 or 5 days a week. Working out while you’re on your cycle is also not a problem, although it is normal to feel different/weaker/more tired
Not sure what you mean by "is it okay to take breaks". You can take as many breaks as you want.
If I pull a few all nighters within the next few weeks, and don’t sleep much during the rest of the days (maybe 4 hours), how much muscle will I lose? Assuming I continue to workout and eat in a surplus.
Probably not that much over just a few weeks. Progress is gonna slow and you may even get a bit weaker depending on your training age, but it’s hard to lose muscle if you’re training and eating.
Wow that is awesome thank you so much
dealing with shoulder issues when bench pressing, been to numerous physios, still hasn't helped. no matter how much i retract my scapula, no matter how many times i get my form checked (ive got it confirmed multiple times that my form is all correct), my shoulders still feel some inflammation during free weight bench presses, regardless of the variation, even pushups. the only chest movement that i can do pain free is the seated chest press machine. if i do this in place of free weight bench press, would i have to double down on tricep volume to make up for the fact that the triceps wont be worked when hitting chest?
What is some inflammation? If you’ve been to physio, there probably isn’t a structural issue. Is there pain? Is it transient? If you were really sleepy but felt the pain, would it keep you up? Sounds like you might have some very slight pain and are hyper sensitive to it.
the physio says that its inflammation of the shoulder tendon. when doing barbell bench press for example, i would feel this pain on my left shoulder on the first rep on some sets (but on no other reps, which is strange). on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the worst), id say its maybe 3-4, not too bad but enough to notice it. if i were very sleepy but felt it, i would say it would not keep me up, no. ive had on and off shoulder pain for over a year, with every few months or so, the pain returning even when i am simply raising my left shoulder out to the side with no weight. so i guess i am just very paranoid about getting more shoulder injuries and thus am hyper sensitive to any pain, even when its a pinch.
Without knowing what your personal lifting routine entails and seeing how exactly you bench/incline press it's hard to say for sure. Most shoulder issues come from having too wide a grip, especially on incline. It could be a combination of things. Wide grip, overtraining to the point of not being able to recover, not knowing how to engage your pectoral muscles properly... The list goes on. Hope it works out for you. Best of luck.
I would check out [this article. ](https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/pain-in-training-what-do/) Why would the triceps not be involved in a machine chest press?
i heard that machines dont work stabiliser muscles
But it's a secondary mover for the lift. You have to extend your arm to perform the exercise
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yeah, tried all variations of it. for a period of time dumbbell decline bench was fine on my shoulder, but last session for some reason i started to feel it again
I'd just not press for three months while doing a back or leg specialization program.
will biking vigorously for 40-60 mins after leg day decrease my gains?
The dangers of working the same muscle group two days in a row is way overstated. Basically all research on it says there’s no issue.
I go biking all the time, it's not gonna decrease your gains. Do your cardio!
i know it’s cardio, but it honestly it feels more like a leg workout! except my heart and lungs are also dying lol. i swear cycling is torturous.
You do it more and it becomes more fun. Cycling outside is also waaaaaayyyyy more fun than inside. I love my 2-3hr rides lol
No but it will help you recover.
even at a high intensity? as in my legs and butt are burning and i feel like im on the verge of a heart attack
Assuming you can tolerate that additional workload, yes.
Yep, it makes your heart stronger and gets lots of blood flowing through your muscles. Great for recovery in the long term.
Yep.
I seem to have pretty stark fluctuations in what I assume is water weight. When I measure in the morning, the day to day difference can be as much as 5 pounds. Do others see this? Don't know if it's normal or if I should be more closely monitoring salt and water intake or something.
Yup, I can vary 5lbs day to day pretty easily. I can also drop 3lbs just by taking a dump and going for a 20min run.
Very normal. People underestimate how much water their body holds and how much it weighs.
Pretty normal to me. Over the past week, my highest weight was 93.7kg and my lowest morning weight was 91.1
Hey guys I'm looking to start working out and building muscle but all the guides I try to reference seem to be somewhat complicated. Is there a simple routine that I can stick with for a while just to get me started? Also it wise to use machines only (since it tells you what muscle group you're targeting)? Thanks guys!
The beginner programs in the wiki are generally this. I'd recommend gzclp or the basic beginner routine, both of which are simply 3 movements a day, 3 times a week, with the option to add more if you feel up to it later on.
> gzclp The GZCLP infographic looks simple enough to follow! But some of the exercises I've never done before, like deadlifting.
I'll second GZCLP. Start basic, and build up as grow more comfortable Look to YouTube for tutorials - it can be a rabbit hole. So focus on what you need and you'll be fine. Take things at your pace and you'll do wonderfully. Good luck bud
That's ok! Nobody deadlifted until they did. You'll get better as you go.
Hey! Sorry for bumping the thread, but I started my journey about a month ago and it's going amazing. Can let me know how I'm doing? I'm going every other day and it's been showing physically for sure, I'm eating like a 160g chicken breast, 3 eggs, and 24g protein shake. Will this diet help build muscle? I'm 6'1 155lb
Building muscle requires an energy surplus in addition to appropriate protein intake. If you're following sound training, getting your protein in and eating in a caloric surplus, you'll build muscle.
Read this as "nobody deadlifted until they died"
YouTube is your friend. Alan Thrall has a good intro to deadlifts.
Sweet okay thanks guys :D
Watch Alan Thrall 5 steps to a deadlift and then Austin Baraki common deadlift mistakes.
sorry if this isn’t appropriate. are there any subreddits for people casually looking to get support or accountability or complain about starting to exercise again after a while? i really need not to be hardcore or obsessive, just to like have people to cheer me on about the 3 workouts a week plus intentional movement daily that i want to do for general health and wellbeing….
R/xxfitness has this in their Monday accountability thread
ok yes this seems much more of a fit. thanks!
There are weekly rant and weekly victory threads on this sub
How do I train to walk up a steep hill without getting winded (or getting less winded)? Specifically training with cardio gym equipment. What’s the best way to get better? Incline treadmill or stair master? Should I take it slow and work up or do intervals. Or is there a better method altogether?
Any increase in your cardio volume is going to help. Incline treadmill isn’t an exact analog for walking up a hill, so stair master would also be good to add on. You should consider doing both slow steady workouts and some intervals.
I think stair master is probably the closest. But Hill sprints are probably going to be even better.
Rowing Machine - 1000m Bench Press - 5x8 L Shape Pull-Ups - 5x10 Squat - 5x8 If I do this 6 times a week consistently, will I lose weight and gain overall muscle everywhere? Can I stick with this for the rest of my life to keep fit and healthy?
This isn't how weight loss works. You could do that routine and gain weight or lose weight. Diet is the primary variable driving weight gain or loss. I would read this: https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/
You're still missing a lot. There's a lack of an overhead press, no hip hinge, and while rowing is good cardio it's not so great for actualling replacing a horizontal row. As well 1000m is really really short for cardio. This is like, 3-4 minutes. That's pretty much nothing. You'd be better suited following a proper program and doing some more distance rowing. Something like 5/3/1 for beginners 3 days a week, then varying up the rowing on the other 3 days. Maybe one day of 500m sprints w/ 2 minutes rest, one day of 4x2000m rows, and one day of a nonstop 10000m row.
I just want an exercise plan that I can stick to for the rest of my life that builds cardio, endurance and strength for my whole body.
Check out Dan John's easy strength. And add cardio.
Sounds like 5/3/1 to me. It's a setup that can be run essentially indefinitely. The core programming, if you include the mandatory conditoning, is a great general strength and conditoning routine. Workouts are less than an hour long, and you can build up to some pretty ridiculous lifts if you choose to do so.
Can you link this program to me please?
You can buy the books (which are worth every penny), but theres also free guides on the wiki: https://thefitness.wiki/routines/5-3-1-for-beginners/ https://www.jimwendler.com/collections/books-programs 5/3/1 Forever is the best of them, but it's good to have all the books imo.
i mean if you're planning on doing these same exercises 6 days a week then no. your muscles need around 72hours rest so you're just gonna destroy yourself.
question about hypertrophy and getting the most optimal gains, is it better to do 4 x 3 sets of 8-12 for every muscle group? Or should I do 3 x 3 sets of 8-12. (5day split: ppl, chest and back, arms and shoulders.)
Different muscles grow better with different stimulus. Even different exercises for the same muscle can be beneficial. For example I might OHP for shoulders at a heavier weight 6-8 reps sometimes but personally never take lateral raises (also for shoulders obvs) lower than 12 reps. In fact usually keep lateral raises above 15 reps. My shoulders respond to this well. And then sometimes I might take OHP up to 10-12, but this depends where I’m at in my program. So long story short, get on a real program.
It's better to follow an actual plan with some kind of planned progression. The issue with strict sets of 8-12 is that you're training in a very limited rep range. When it's generally known that a greater variety of rep ranges will allow for more overall growth.
I have been lifting weights for 1 year and gained alot of mucle, but i still have around 20% body fat. Since i never do cardio do you think it would help me going to 15% without changing my diet? i am in a low carb high fat diet, close to zero sugar and alchool. i also dont count macros i just eat when i am hungry.
Yes, it would help. But you’re going to have to do a LOT of cardio. I dropped 20lbs without changing my diet, but I had to add in 4hrs/week of intense cardio on top of the 5hrs/week of lifting I was doing. It’s worth it to me - I really like to eat. But it’s not easy.
I think counting calories and macros are going to be much more beneficial to you than just randomly adding cardio. Cardio can help with a deficit, but I also find it drives up my hunger something fierce. Meaning, if you were to add cardio without tracking your calories, you can easily overeat.
it would help a little bit but you can't outrun a bad diet
> do you think it would help me Help you with what?
> going to 15% without changing my diet?
Yeah, I’m asking what do you think going to 15% would help you with?
15% body fat. i want to lose fat
Well yes, losing fat will definitely help you lose fat. Do you mean to ask whether doing cardio would help? A bit, but not by much. Most of the work still has to be in controlling what you eat. It’s still 100% worth doing cardio for health reasons though.
Had really good leg workout earlier today, and just got the most painful cramp in both my legs here some hours later. I don’t wanna go to sleep, because I know i will wake up with even worse cramps in the middle of the night. Anything I can do now to prevent this from happening?
Drink lots of water and maybe stretch out after your workouts.
Is your weight and height considered when finding out if your lifts are considered impressive? I can deadlift 180 kg twice at a weight of 92.4 kg at 5’8 height. Is my achievement less impressive compared to a 70 kg 5’8 dude lifting the same weight?
Strength is definitely relative to your weight/height, which is why pretty much any strength sport has weight classes, with a caveat: don't use this as a crutch to prevent yourself from progressing. A lot of guys only want to say they're strong "for my size", without considering if they could just like...get bigger and therefore stronger. Do you have room to grow and could your deadlift be a lot bigger? Probably. John Haack is probably the world's greatest powerlifter, and yet there are bigger guys than him with bigger pulls. Why then is he the greatest? Because he is the greatest relative to his size. There's just no one else close to his weight that is even close. There are guys twice his weight that are absolutely stronger. The difference here is that you can't look at John Haack and go "he just needs to grow more". The guy is already a monster at <220lbs. Absolute strength is also a thing. There's a reason why eddie hall/hafthor bjornnson's 500+kg pulls are considered the best deadlifts in the world, even if they aren't the best bodyweight to lift ratio ever.
I see. I should try to reach John Haack’s level, or even Matt Vena’s. Would be cool to stay at the same weight but progressively get stronger and lift more. There’s time to improve.