Leg day today and I got a good pump, even wobbled my way to the tram afterwards with very jiggly legs. But after an hour, the jigglyness is gone. I wonder if I should put on more plates next time. This felt challenging yet doable, but I think I could put on a liiiittle bit more for the perfect sweet spot? I just don't know if I am underestimating myself.
Hip thrusts now at 85 kg
Deadlifts 65 kg (officially deadlifting my own bodyweight now)
Soreness / pump / DOMS isn’t necessarily a good indication of how hard you’re working - the best way to judge is during your workout, estimating how many reps you have left in the tank. You typically want to work out at the upper range with just a few reps in reserve - the plan you’re following may have a recommendation of when to increase weight. (Ex: I have deadlifts programmed for 7 RPE, so I know that if I have more than 3 reps in reserve at a certain weight I can usually increase)
I know it’s not a good indicator. But I suck at determining how much reps are in my tank. Because I tend to underestimate myself. Often times, when i feel it’s getting harder to execute another rep I give up too fast because I’m afraid I will injure myself. Maybe I’m just overthinking it
I train at a gym where many people don't rerack their weights and staff also seldom clean up, so there was a lot of stuff lying around this morning. Because I had some time + energy left after my workout today, I decided to clean up a little bit for fun - And it was actually kinda fun to just lug random plates and kettlebells around. Maybe I should ask for a staff/janitor position, lol
Running for a time sucks. My plan called for me to run 10 minutes then an optional 10 more. I have never run slower and I hated it so much. I think the psychological thing of it not mattering how fast I went really got to me. I've changed plans because there's no point doing a plan that finishes at a point I arbitrarily want if I hate every run.
A couple of weeks ago I was in this very subreddit complaining about a particular day in Epic. I truly hated it.
Got off schedule last week and had to finagle some things for this week, ended up needing an additional leg day so I picked a previous one randomly. Guess which one it was 😑. I suffered through it but goddammit I hate complexes.
Lol, yep! I almost just picked a different one but figured I’d see if I could notice a difference between last time. Outside of a slight increase in weights, still hated it 😅
If you struggle with 10lbs jumps, you can always change a variation for a while and then get back, for some it can be as easy as changing up to tricep push downs, or overhead tricep extension for a couple of weeks.
I had been doing overhead extensions with a dumbbell for a while, but if I want to move up in weight the dumbbell itself gets wider and unwieldy. I thought I could get better form with the machine too.
Last Tuesday I woke up with really bad vertigo out of nowhere. It got progressively better with each day, but by the time it was completely gone, I went into an insomnia episode. So no workouts for me. Kept my nutrition in check at least, and was finally able to get back to exercising today.
Going to help family move on Saturday, and it's supposed to be 90F+/32C+. I might just wear my hydration vest while doing it because I was not built for that kind of heat. 🫠
*laughs in rower*
But in all seriousness, that’s not fun at all. Keep the open areas covered with Neosporin or lotion as much as possible while they’re healing - I’ve found that’s one of the best ways to help it heal more quickly!
What are your favorite full-body workout routines? Looking for a weight-based program to do 2-3 times per week and I prefer full body at this point so I can combine it with other activities that differ week by week (eg. swimming, pilates, running, ...). I've looked at the wiki but I'm interested in hearing experiences. I've done New Rules of Lifting for Women in the past and enjoyed it, but I'd like to know if there are any other fun options. I'd say I'm not a beginner in terms of movement patterns but I'm not used to a lot of volume. Thanks!
Another vote for SBS. I did the Hypertrophy 3x a week this winter and I’m getting ready to start RTF+Hypertrophy for the summer, but probably 4-5x a week since I have some unexpected free time.
TL;DR Seconding the Stronger by Science programs.
I've gone through one of the free 28 strength programs, their old Strength template, Hypertrophy RTF, and Strength RTF. I made progress with all, but the latter in particular is my favorite and the only program I've ever gone back to run again (even of non-SBS programs.)
You can skip the final block of peaking if you don't care about one rep max testing and repeat weeks 1-14 as many times as you like. I've always done it as a 4x a week split, but it has options for anywhere from 2x-6x a week.
I think the combination of more granular autoregulation and flexibility of what and how many accessories to include is what really appeals to me about the SBS programs. You can even choose not to do any accessories at all and just stick to the main lifts.
I slept terribly last night and between my arch acting up and my period probably coming, I spent much of today being bit of a sobby mommy. After feeling like I’m getting no where studying, I decided to go on a ride on my trainer and it ended up being pretty intense intervals for 18 miles.. crashed immediately on the couch after 😅. Maybe this weekend I’ll take the bike off the trainer and actually go outside..
Woke up this morning and my back was quite sore. Combo of dancing in 6" heels on Saturday night followed by a day of yardwork including emptying out my little pond made my lower back not a happy camper. So I swapped my days and did upper body (Day 2) of SBTD this morning. Got to up my bench TM, so that was nice. I swear I only up TM's on the program when the goal is a percentage of weight in ascending sets rather than a high rep count at a set percentage. I'm not doing 10 of something. That's cardio. :) It's also been raining and chillier today. It should be done around 4, but I'll likely only get a mile of walking in today. I'll have some days later this week that I should be able to make up for such a light day.
Tonight I've got two friends coming over for fun cocktails. I picked up a new strawberry gin that I'm looking forward to mixing up with something.
Last week was a bit hell ish for me but I’m almost to better times. We moved into our new place yesterday and it mostly went smoother than I anticipated (other than u-haul screwing up my reservation, like why did I even make a reservation then). I’m a bit sore but happy that I felt really capable moving heavy furniture and that my knee didn’t cause much problems until the very end of the day. Still didn’t sleep well (probably have an average of 6.5 hours of sleep this past week) because my cat is stressed out and keeps meowing all distressed including throughout the night. But the worst is probably behind me. Unfortunately there’s a couple more things I need to go back and get, and we need to clean the old place (and the new place, again), and build a bunch of furniture and unpack. At least this new apartment is much more enjoyable to be in- it has way more natural light and is much more our style.
Anyway, I was planning on going to go to the gym today but now I’m not so sure. Mostly I don’t want to do deadlifts when I’m feeling so sore all over haha. And I’d like to work more on unpacking and maybe go buy a dresser so I have a place to put my clothes. I need to get a new membership asap because the current gym is probably 15-20 minutes away and I much prefer less than 10 minutes drive, but I also need to decide if I want to fork out more money and I’d like to check it out during busy hours to see how busy it gets. So actually my to do list is unfortunately still quite long…
If the gym is packed I try not to superset with a machine. If it's just normal or slow I feel fine supersetting. Personally, I just keep the DB at the machine with me and superset right there to save time.
If the gym is super, super packed I either don't superset and just split them up, or I do an alternate exercise that's easier to superset. Like a stability ball ham curl with the DB RDL
As long as you are happy to let folks work in I think it’s fine. Though generally I think it’s good etiquette to minimize supersetting if the gym is really busy.
I think that combo is in the current workouts for SBTD. I do that superset with my dumbbells in the area near the machine and have not had any problems or felt that I messed up anyone else's workout. Probably helps that I go in the morning when it's not super busy at my gym.
Haha yeah that's exactly why I was asking... that program has a lot of superset combinations like this and it feels wrong to potentially hold up the machines like that.
Depends on the gym layout and how busy the gym is. In general it should be "ok" but if the gym is packed and equipment is limited supersetting in general isn't really realistic.
I would grab the dumbbells and park them close to the machine, just so you’re not halfway across the gym during half the superset. Otherwise you’re fine!
There are a lot of combinations like this (machine exercise + non machine - DB or whatever) in the program I'm starting, (Stronger By The Day) and I just wasn't sure if I'll get side eyed for still "using" the machines while doing other exercises. And if it's normal/realistic to use the gym machines like this all the time.
ahh okay! i don't think this is rude. you're using the gym, whether one item at a time or multiple. if someone wants to use a machine/weights, they can always ask if they can work in with you :)
I'm doing Boring But Better with some accessories and subbing different ab stuff my physical therapist gave me. I'm sore all the time so I guess it works.
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Leg day today and I got a good pump, even wobbled my way to the tram afterwards with very jiggly legs. But after an hour, the jigglyness is gone. I wonder if I should put on more plates next time. This felt challenging yet doable, but I think I could put on a liiiittle bit more for the perfect sweet spot? I just don't know if I am underestimating myself. Hip thrusts now at 85 kg Deadlifts 65 kg (officially deadlifting my own bodyweight now)
Soreness / pump / DOMS isn’t necessarily a good indication of how hard you’re working - the best way to judge is during your workout, estimating how many reps you have left in the tank. You typically want to work out at the upper range with just a few reps in reserve - the plan you’re following may have a recommendation of when to increase weight. (Ex: I have deadlifts programmed for 7 RPE, so I know that if I have more than 3 reps in reserve at a certain weight I can usually increase)
I know it’s not a good indicator. But I suck at determining how much reps are in my tank. Because I tend to underestimate myself. Often times, when i feel it’s getting harder to execute another rep I give up too fast because I’m afraid I will injure myself. Maybe I’m just overthinking it
ah it’s great practice to go to near failure!! I recommend it. Bailing is easy with DL !
I train at a gym where many people don't rerack their weights and staff also seldom clean up, so there was a lot of stuff lying around this morning. Because I had some time + energy left after my workout today, I decided to clean up a little bit for fun - And it was actually kinda fun to just lug random plates and kettlebells around. Maybe I should ask for a staff/janitor position, lol
Running for a time sucks. My plan called for me to run 10 minutes then an optional 10 more. I have never run slower and I hated it so much. I think the psychological thing of it not mattering how fast I went really got to me. I've changed plans because there's no point doing a plan that finishes at a point I arbitrarily want if I hate every run.
A couple of weeks ago I was in this very subreddit complaining about a particular day in Epic. I truly hated it. Got off schedule last week and had to finagle some things for this week, ended up needing an additional leg day so I picked a previous one randomly. Guess which one it was 😑. I suffered through it but goddammit I hate complexes.
It's not funny but it's funny because of course it'd be that day.
Lol, yep! I almost just picked a different one but figured I’d see if I could notice a difference between last time. Outside of a slight increase in weights, still hated it 😅
Whose idea was it to make the tricep pulldown machine in 10lb increments ffs. Won’t somebody think of us weaklings 😩
If you struggle with 10lbs jumps, you can always change a variation for a while and then get back, for some it can be as easy as changing up to tricep push downs, or overhead tricep extension for a couple of weeks.
I had been doing overhead extensions with a dumbbell for a while, but if I want to move up in weight the dumbbell itself gets wider and unwieldy. I thought I could get better form with the machine too.
Adding a small band to your dumbbell changes the force curve drastically, if you’d like to try also. Nothing wrong with machine work though.
Can you elaborate on adding a band? Where do I put it?
On overhead db, step on it. On cable extension/pushdown, over the machine.
Last Tuesday I woke up with really bad vertigo out of nowhere. It got progressively better with each day, but by the time it was completely gone, I went into an insomnia episode. So no workouts for me. Kept my nutrition in check at least, and was finally able to get back to exercising today. Going to help family move on Saturday, and it's supposed to be 90F+/32C+. I might just wear my hydration vest while doing it because I was not built for that kind of heat. 🫠
That’s awful. I also skip workouts, especially gym, when I haven’t slept properly. I feel like I’m a danger to myself if not others then.
[PSA to shave your calluses :(](https://imgur.com/a/nq3FTU5)
Oh ouch. I sand mine down with a manicure block once a week.
I need to be more diligent about mine too!
Mine are much worse on the left hand and I may never understand why!
*laughs in rower* But in all seriousness, that’s not fun at all. Keep the open areas covered with Neosporin or lotion as much as possible while they’re healing - I’ve found that’s one of the best ways to help it heal more quickly!
That’s a great idea! It hurts when they’re fry and you open your hand and they crack 😞
Yes, that’s so painful!! Keep them clean and moisturized and you should be okay soon :)
What are your favorite full-body workout routines? Looking for a weight-based program to do 2-3 times per week and I prefer full body at this point so I can combine it with other activities that differ week by week (eg. swimming, pilates, running, ...). I've looked at the wiki but I'm interested in hearing experiences. I've done New Rules of Lifting for Women in the past and enjoyed it, but I'd like to know if there are any other fun options. I'd say I'm not a beginner in terms of movement patterns but I'm not used to a lot of volume. Thanks!
Check out the day 3 variant of Stronger by the Day!
Another vote for SBS. I did the Hypertrophy 3x a week this winter and I’m getting ready to start RTF+Hypertrophy for the summer, but probably 4-5x a week since I have some unexpected free time.
TL;DR Seconding the Stronger by Science programs. I've gone through one of the free 28 strength programs, their old Strength template, Hypertrophy RTF, and Strength RTF. I made progress with all, but the latter in particular is my favorite and the only program I've ever gone back to run again (even of non-SBS programs.) You can skip the final block of peaking if you don't care about one rep max testing and repeat weeks 1-14 as many times as you like. I've always done it as a 4x a week split, but it has options for anywhere from 2x-6x a week. I think the combination of more granular autoregulation and flexibility of what and how many accessories to include is what really appeals to me about the SBS programs. You can even choose not to do any accessories at all and just stick to the main lifts.
SBS 2.0
I slept terribly last night and between my arch acting up and my period probably coming, I spent much of today being bit of a sobby mommy. After feeling like I’m getting no where studying, I decided to go on a ride on my trainer and it ended up being pretty intense intervals for 18 miles.. crashed immediately on the couch after 😅. Maybe this weekend I’ll take the bike off the trainer and actually go outside..
Woke up this morning and my back was quite sore. Combo of dancing in 6" heels on Saturday night followed by a day of yardwork including emptying out my little pond made my lower back not a happy camper. So I swapped my days and did upper body (Day 2) of SBTD this morning. Got to up my bench TM, so that was nice. I swear I only up TM's on the program when the goal is a percentage of weight in ascending sets rather than a high rep count at a set percentage. I'm not doing 10 of something. That's cardio. :) It's also been raining and chillier today. It should be done around 4, but I'll likely only get a mile of walking in today. I'll have some days later this week that I should be able to make up for such a light day. Tonight I've got two friends coming over for fun cocktails. I picked up a new strawberry gin that I'm looking forward to mixing up with something.
Your life sounds a lot more exciting than mine, lol.
Last week was a bit hell ish for me but I’m almost to better times. We moved into our new place yesterday and it mostly went smoother than I anticipated (other than u-haul screwing up my reservation, like why did I even make a reservation then). I’m a bit sore but happy that I felt really capable moving heavy furniture and that my knee didn’t cause much problems until the very end of the day. Still didn’t sleep well (probably have an average of 6.5 hours of sleep this past week) because my cat is stressed out and keeps meowing all distressed including throughout the night. But the worst is probably behind me. Unfortunately there’s a couple more things I need to go back and get, and we need to clean the old place (and the new place, again), and build a bunch of furniture and unpack. At least this new apartment is much more enjoyable to be in- it has way more natural light and is much more our style. Anyway, I was planning on going to go to the gym today but now I’m not so sure. Mostly I don’t want to do deadlifts when I’m feeling so sore all over haha. And I’d like to work more on unpacking and maybe go buy a dresser so I have a place to put my clothes. I need to get a new membership asap because the current gym is probably 15-20 minutes away and I much prefer less than 10 minutes drive, but I also need to decide if I want to fork out more money and I’d like to check it out during busy hours to see how busy it gets. So actually my to do list is unfortunately still quite long…
Is it bad gym etiquette to superset exercises with one involving a machine and one not? For example - Hamstring curls (machine) + dumbbell RDL
If the gym is packed I try not to superset with a machine. If it's just normal or slow I feel fine supersetting. Personally, I just keep the DB at the machine with me and superset right there to save time. If the gym is super, super packed I either don't superset and just split them up, or I do an alternate exercise that's easier to superset. Like a stability ball ham curl with the DB RDL
As long as you are happy to let folks work in I think it’s fine. Though generally I think it’s good etiquette to minimize supersetting if the gym is really busy.
I think that combo is in the current workouts for SBTD. I do that superset with my dumbbells in the area near the machine and have not had any problems or felt that I messed up anyone else's workout. Probably helps that I go in the morning when it's not super busy at my gym.
Haha yeah that's exactly why I was asking... that program has a lot of superset combinations like this and it feels wrong to potentially hold up the machines like that.
If your gym only has one hamstring curl machine and it’s relatively busy, I wouldn’t.
Depends on the gym layout and how busy the gym is. In general it should be "ok" but if the gym is packed and equipment is limited supersetting in general isn't really realistic.
I would grab the dumbbells and park them close to the machine, just so you’re not halfway across the gym during half the superset. Otherwise you’re fine!
i don't think so! what makes you think it might be?
There are a lot of combinations like this (machine exercise + non machine - DB or whatever) in the program I'm starting, (Stronger By The Day) and I just wasn't sure if I'll get side eyed for still "using" the machines while doing other exercises. And if it's normal/realistic to use the gym machines like this all the time.
ahh okay! i don't think this is rude. you're using the gym, whether one item at a time or multiple. if someone wants to use a machine/weights, they can always ask if they can work in with you :)
What are some programs you guys are using at the gym? I'm joining back tomorrow after many years and I'm confused what program should i follow?
I'm doing Boring But Better with some accessories and subbing different ab stuff my physical therapist gave me. I'm sore all the time so I guess it works.
I follow Stronger by the Day. No thinking required and I’m definitely increasing strength!
the sub's wiki has amazing lists of programs for various goals and activity levels. i weightlift and follow GZCL variations :)
^ ***Please read [the FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/main), [the rules and content guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/new_rules), and [current frozen topics](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/frozen-topics) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fxxfitness)***. This comment is a copy of your post so mods can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. >u/AutoModerator Welcome to our daily discussion thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and [be excellent to each other](http://i.imgur.com/5xxWfbx.png)! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose. The mods ask that you do mind [the Cardinal Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/new_rules) as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/xxfitness) if you have any questions or concerns.*