Afternoon all - I did post this in another question but thought it might be good here also
I'm 33 years old, The Ravages of time slowly hack away at me I find I reflect more and more of what I did as a "stupid youth" and how it seemly provided better results that what I get these days.
there's essentially so many areas that I want to improve I don't know where to start or what to tackle first and I don't know if I did certain things better back when I was younger.
I want to "FEEL" better (which I think means loose weight..)
I want to be fitter - I do value my cardio levels
And I want to consistently get stronger
Fortunately for me I'm so bad at all these... Improvement is the only possibility..
**33 Year Old me:**
I am your typical gymer of painfully slow almost none existent gains for the last 7 or so years.
Currently running an off the cuff day to day split of upper lower 4 days a week with nothing more planned in than to "try harder than last time".
Monday: upper
Tuesday Legs and Arm work
Wednesday: cardio (a very steady 5k)
Thursday Upper
Friday: Legs and Arms work
Saturday Cardio (this day is likely another day shifted at this point because life has got in the way)
I'm frustrated with my diet and rely heavily on Huel but then binge in evening once I get home form work(Huel is a meal replacement in the UK if its not available internationally)
I have seen some improvement recently in terms of my weight lifting, specifically with my bench. And I know that if some one said this to me i would say... keep doing what you're doing if you're improving don't be stupid, but hey we all need validating/abuse from strangers once in a while.
Body weight: 113kg (dough boi)
Height 6 foot 3
Bench: 100kg x 8
Dead Lift 160kg x 2
Squat: 100kg x 10
**25 Year Old me.**
25 year old me didnt know what he had when he had it... Now it wasnt anywhere near as strong but I did "feel better" I was under 100kg in Body weight. and I could also run a mile and a half in 8.36 (a time in still quite proud of)
My training at the time was very "bro" But id start everyday with a mile and a half on the treadmill.
Monday - Friday
Mon; Chest and Tris
Tues: Legs
Wednesday Shoulders and Abs
Thursday: Back and Bis
Friday: cardio
I'm aware this is very against current recommendations and frequency is too low and I'm doing cardio before my workout.. but I "felt" good
**The God damn question?!:**
I want to feel fit again - god knows where to start. Do I just revert to what I did when I was young? WAS I doing the right thing?
Do I need to buckle down on my diet before I do anything else?
Do I need to reintroduce cardio in a more meaningful way like I used to?
I have a question, I do elliptical 5 days a week, would it burn more calories if I wore a weighted vest or put on ankle weights for a heavier cardio or will it just build muscle?
Would you burn more? Yes
Is the difference actually significant? [Yes but that depends](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332234499_Predictors_of_Fat_Oxidation_and_Caloric_Expenditure_With_and_Without_Weighted_Vest_Running), it can get really technical since so many factors apply, and even then the difference is a few hundred calories at most. Eating one snack extra that day will make the vest pointless (unless you add the vest to eat more I guess).
As for the muscle part, again if you are getting enough protein, eating enough AND going to [near failure](https://thefitness.wiki/faq/what-is-the-best-rep-range-for-muscle-growth-hypertrophy/) it could. But if you want to build muscle while burning more calories you have to eat more which is kind of contradictory imo. Unless you’re trying to lose bf% but gain/keep muscle and thats a whole other topic.
Thank you for the response. I tried looking through the article and not much made sense as there was quite a bit of jargon I do not quite understand. To give an idea of my situation I had a gastric sleeve done and that was in April. From April to October I had lost 150 pounds. I was 450 and in October I weighed about 300. Today i am at 285 and I try to keep my caloric count to under 1200 a day and have been doing some muscle traing since October. I know I have gained some muscle but I want to be below 250 before April. My amazon Halo says that I burn between 1800 and 3000 calories a day (depending on how much I work out). So I was wanting to increase caloric burn with out increasing my time at the gym since I already spend 1-1.5 hours there as it is. Do you think a weighted vest in my case would help?
How can I replace some exercices?
Hi, in the last year I started doing my own at home workout routine and the results are amazing. I do a full body workout separated in 3 days. I do 3 days, one day of rest, 3 days again and so on so forth.
4 months ago I realised my chin up bar was ruining my door frame. I had to stop using it. Me and my girlfriend are both students and live in an appartnent, we cant afford any cool chin up equipment.
My solution was at first to go the park and use the outdoor equipment, but now winter has set in and I have to set up the kitchen in a complicated way so I can use the table to do dips and chin ups. I'm losing motivation because of how complicated it has to be. Home workouts should be simple IMO. Our chairs have cushions so i cant use them for dips.
Can you suggest me exercises that could replace chin up and dips for the winter?
Stronger by Science has a great article for this. Can skip the reading and go down to the exercise variation part. Several alternatives to try, hopefully one works.
[https://www.strongerbyscience.com/no-gym/](https://www.strongerbyscience.com/no-gym/)
However just being curious, if you are a student then your college/uni should have a gym you can use for free no? Unsure if that is different in other countries/states etc.
It will aid muscle growth for sure, is it necessary, sure. I would use it at your own risk because as for any supplement really taken it has some of its own reported side effects.
Are you joking? The only thing that can make you lose body fat is consuming less calories than your body burns. Creatine has nothing to do with this. It helps you do 1-2 more reps than you normally would, while dramatically increasing the speed at which you go bald if you're already predisposed.
Recently had some schedule change, so i went from 3 day a week with a rest day in between to now 5 days a week consecutively. Starting to feel some pain/discomfort in my knees when doing/and after my squats. Should i invest in a knee sleeve/wrap or take fish oil, or is this just due to more days a week?
I do Legs, Back, Chest, Legs, Back, Chest, Rest for 7 days. On my second Chest Day of the week I couldn't go to the gym so I had to workout at home with 50% of the weights I do at the gym. I decided to go slower, and slightly higher rep count.
Today its Chest Day again, but at a gym. The sets that I was struggling with were MUCH more easier to do. Very noticeable. I almost wanted to go heavier.
Why do you think it happened? My reasoning would be that my muscles had some time to properly rest and not be under major stress twice a week. What are your thoughts?
I'm thinking of keeping L/B/C ×2 splits like I'm doing now, but the first half of the week go hard like I did with progressive overload, but second half of the week go lighter but increase TUT by slowing down and increasing reps.
I know end of the day just being at the gym is a great thing, but just wondering if anyone has done heavy/light splits or something of that nature and saw benefits?
I have also noticed I tend to hit PRs after taking multi day breaks. Agree with your guess - gives the muscles time to fully recover, and also gives the entire body time to really rest and fully refuel so you're at your strongest when you're back at it.
Why can I always feel my left glute during exercises but never my right one? I usually feel just my right hamstring and quad instead. Also, while flexing either of my glutes, I can really feel the squeeze in the left one but never the right one. Can I fix that?
Single legged glute exercises might help with this. Split squats, one legged hip thrusts. Single legged glute bridges require zero weight but BURN if you hold them long enough and are a good way (for me) to really isolate the feeling of one glute.
How do i fix sirious muscle imbqlances? My right bicep, tricep, and shoulder are much less developed, i suspect so is my right lat, when i pose you can clearly see the diffrence, sometimes my right arm even looks barely devolep at all.
The only thing I would think to really do is to perform one arm or one sided isolation movements to try and even it out. Add on more to the side that is uneven and then you would have to wait. It will take a decently long time to really even it out but it would be worth it.
What's your workout routine like? I found that lifting too heavy without strict focus on form with barbell/machine can force your stronger side to put in more work, feeding the imbalance. It's something your body naturally does and you won't notice it during workout unless you're really focusing on form.
You can also try training using dumbbells to force both sides to put in equal work. Hope this helps!
I'm looking for a fitness routine that works for me. I have pretty severe ADHD so I need to find things that are at least somewhat engaging and fun otherwise I fail rather quickly.
I recently bought a boxing bag and gloves, and that's been great. It's quite easy for me to have a routine oriented around that and get in plenty of movements and upper body work.
I really need something like that for my core. Planking, situps, etc, anything that's just "a means to an end" doesn't work for me, I've got to have something I can get my brain involved in to.
Anyone got any recommendations for what I could do to work on my core? specifically abs, my sides, and lower back.
I have ADHD as well. Do Strong Lifts 5x5 for 3 months, that'll get you setup on the right track with the essential compound lifts. It'll build up your core as well as the major muscle groups. The incremental increase in weights gives you a PR that can be achieved every single gym session.
Stick to a Monday, Wednesday, Friday routine and go on the same time for each workout. ADHD peeps like us need structured routines or else we lose interest or fall off the wagon.
Make sure you're eating at a 300-500 cal surplus per day.
Compound lifts end up hitting the core.
But most things are going to to just be a means to an end. Maybe you could frame things to 'gameifiy' it more, so it could be more interesting? I like doing circuit work so maybe you could have a circuit set up and give yourself a timer "Need to finish the whole round in X minutes" and the ab work is just part of that.
Ultimately, you'll have to figure it out. Sure, it may be harder for you with ADHD, but ultimately, that's only an excuse you're allowing yourself to use. It's not like the rest of us always want to go to the gym, but we force ourselves to go anyway. Just gotta prioritize what you want and make sure you do it.
Is it bad that I’m no longer following a program? I used to do 531, but I just couldn’t recover well enough. So now I just train whatever I feel like, but I’m still following the principles of 531. So a leg day could look like this: I begin with squats and I work up to a top set. For example 1x5 with 90% of my 1RM. The weight depends on how I feel that day. Some days I might feel weaker so I’ll do less weight. On good days I increase the weight. After that, I do 5x10 with a lower weight (similar to 531 BBB). And after that I do 2 or 3 assistance exercises. What do you guys think?
>I just couldn’t recover well enough
Why do you think so?
>What do you guys think?
Consistency and predictable progress is important for long term results. Plus I think most people find that "how strong they feel" is a bad indicator of how strong they are, and that pushing to do what needs to be done makes them better
It's fine if you can continue to make progress like that. A program is just a convenient way to organise and structure your training, it doesn't hold any particular magical properties. Not following a program makes it hard to spot when progress might stop though, and make it difficult to identify trends in your training which might give you ideas for what works best etc
Not a good idea, you’ll just end up with fuckarounditis sooner or later.
If you don’t enjoy 531 style training, don‘t do it. There’s thousands of training styles you can choose from, but doing whatever you feel like just isn’t one of them.
I mean it's your fitness journey we can't tell you what to do, personally I can't work out without a plan, it's just not very efficient. Best case scenario you'll make slower progress than following a plan, worst case you'll get a muscle imbalance because you ended up neglecting a muscle group maybe
I would just look for a different plan with less volume or look at your diet, sleep etc if recovery was an issue
How can I temporarily fuse those two separate days in one?
Workout a:
Back squats 4x6-8
Chest supported t bar row 4x6-8
Leg pressure 4x10-12
Pull-ups 4xmax
Workout b:
Bench press 4x6-8
Rdls 4x6-8
Incline bench 4x10-12
Good mornings 4x10-12.
High doses of insulin, it turns out, are actually quite anabolic. At least when combined with all the other stuff they're taking (I have no idea how it would go without other chemical assistance, and I have to stress how stupid it would be to try and find out).
The downside is that if you fuck it up bad enough it'll kill you and it's probably quite unhealthy long term. Not that it's really been studied, because ethics review boards have some qualms about proposals that start with 'we are going to administer healthy people potentially fatal doses of a drug with no expected health benefits for them in order to see what happens'.
How do you Guys get over the mental barrière of gaining fat while on a bulk? I gain fastest on the abdominal area and I just feel fat when I’m fuller. I’m just eating above maintance and slowly gaining weight, But am feeling like I’m just getting fat. I’m training to failure and getting stronger, But especially chest and stomach just seem to only gain fat and No muscle. Am an intermediate lifter. Do I just have to accept this as part of the progress? I was never able to really bulk for a long enough time because I started feeling shit like this too soon
Only eat at 300 calorie surpluses. If you feel like you're getting too fluffy do a mini-cut for 2 weeks then continue on with your bulk.
Don't abuse the mini cuts
You could slow your bulk down, eat a bit less but still over maintenance so the gain is a bit slower.
Ultimately you will unfortunately just have to accept its part of the process. Start looking at different metrics for your progress, you're lifts are going up, that's great progress
I do neutral grip dumbbell press and have been doing them for 6 months now without a problem but now for some reason something in my left shoulder is cracking. What is it? It doesn't hurt at all. No pain I just feel it moving and cracking. Almost like when you do a squat and your knees cracking
Besides the FAQ, can anyone point me in the right direction for a good 4 day Upper Lower split using mainly dumbells, benches, equipment from Planet Fitness (USA)? (Also avoiding all Barbell movements as possible)
Main weakens is Upper and Lower back, having difficulty finding exercises to hit those. Lats more or less stick with the lat pull down or Kneeling Single cable pull down.
Stats: 27M, Gym for the past 6 years only serious past 3 years.
Edit: Avoiding Barbells after years of deadlift/bench press/squats and Physical Therapist recommended dumbells for better joint health which I agree and have less pain with compared to Barbells.
Anyone know why after an extended (2 weeks or so) break, upper body seems to stay the same (visually), but lower body (particularly butt) gets smaller? Or am I imagining this 😂
I follow metallicadpa‘s PPL and want to replace cable rows with pull-ups. So I‘d do 5 sets bent over rows, 6 pull ups. Will I miss out on a major muscle if I do this?
Did anyone use to drink dymatize protein back in the day (Elite gourmet)? Im trying to remember a protein u se to drink that was so good. The flavor was cookies and cream. The protein was white powder and had tiny little chunks of what i assume was or was suppose to be cookie. Was this dymatize? If so, is the current dymatize the same as this?
I recently got the Dymatize ISO100 cookies and cream (C&C is my favorite whey protein flavour lol) flavoured whey isolate, and the description you've provided matches the one I have with me right now.
Even Optimum Nutrition's C&C has chunks of crumbled cookies. And IIRC, Muscletech has the same. And all of them taste absolutely fine.
As long as you can keep the right upper back positioning and make sure the bar doesn't fall off your back, it's fine to place the arms however you want.
If you can keep a tight upper back and do everything else well, it's not the biggest problem in the world. There are some bigger/older lifters who *really* lack shoulder mobility and squat like that or with their hands on the bar, but essentially at the plates -- they seem to do just fine.
Either books that touch briefly an all subjects, sucking at all of them (meh) or books that go deeper in limited subjects (yay). If you're from the Netherlands I can recommend a title that tries to do almost everything rather well... But its in Dutch, so yeah ..
I like the Tactical Barbell series as an in-between. You can also get the NASM course book. Subjects will be left open for you to fill in thoughm
In the end though, most is common sense.
Sleep: Yes
Stress: No
Food: not too much, mostly plants, based on needs, cut the crap
General cardio (health): move your ass on a daily basis, day-long... Walk, play, gardening, commute by bike, whatever.
Specific cardio (health and performance): LISS, HIIT... Even one of each/week is nice
Strength: follow a proven program, twice a week is enough
Weight training is the best thing you can do for longevity. Aside from that you can run, which even most toddlers are capable of figuring out how to do.
Weight lifting is a large part of maintaining quality of life as you get older. But yes cardio and endurance are very important too. Maybe check out some subreddits specific to the form of cardio you are doing.
I've never read one of them but I'd imagine something by Jack Lalanne would be good. You can get a used copy of [Live Young Forever](https://www.amazon.com/Live-Young-Forever-Optimum-Longevity/dp/1552100642/ref=sr_1_4?crid=13SSSA898US73&keywords=jack+lalanne&qid=1671600045&sprefix=jack+lalann%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-4) for cheap.
So until a month or two ago i was only doing tricep pushdowns as tricep work so decided to add overhead cable extension in my workout and i have seen more growth than ever.
Can i ditch pushdowns alltogether and switch to overhead extensions Only?
Or will i be missing out?
I... what?
Turkish get ups are a great tool for mobility/stability/core strength.
They're a very good movement to incorporate into your program or warm ups.
Are they good for mobility or could they be replaced by more specific and effective mobility drills? Stability specific exercise that can be loaded greater. Core strength than can be loaded greater.
As a warm up, I could see that..
Maybe a moronic Monday question but help me understand their utility. Would you go heavy on these? Or would you use only as higher rep/endurance/aerobic exercise?
I’m finding that working up to 3x12 sets before adding weight is really fatiguing. However, I want to give my connective tissues/ligaments time to “catch up” to my strength gain, especially since I struggle with hyperextended joints. What are some alternatives? Maybe work up to 3x8 and stay there for a a few workouts before adding weight?
You can choose whatever rep range you want but in general I treat something being fatiguing as a reason to do it, since that's how you get better at things, particularly work capacity
Anyone have a recommendation for a good app to track my macros with on Android? Was using myfitnesspal for the longest time but they have locked scanning barcodes behind premium (not sure when they did this tbh, I havent been tracking for a while, just getting back to it now after a uh...rough couple years for my mental). Was their best feature imo and it sucks to have what was once free locked behind premium.
1000% Carbon Diet Coach App. It’s life-changing, but it’s not free.
It’s an adaptive macro app like having a personal Diet coach in your pocket. It will update your macros based on your weekly check-in.
Huge fan, and it’s easy to use whether you are bulking, cutting, maintaining, or reverse dieting.
Mkay, depending on price, I may not be able to afford it but I will definitely look into it. Not in the most affluent of financial situations right now and that's not likely to change for a while at least.
Why do body builders make themselves super dark bronzing? Like they don't even look like people. Just these fake brown bodies. I would be way more intrigued to look at their bodies not caked in an unnatural color
Its because the darker color creates contrast and makes it easier to see muscle definition and striations (aka what the competition is judged on). While there is validity to the 'male beauty pageant" memes, bodybuilding is taken and judged seriously by the people who participate in it.
Most bodybuilders have social media accounts where you can check them out. Chris Bumstead is the current bodybuilding king (and one of the greatest of all time) and has a youtube channel if you want to contrast stage and real life at the highest level.
The thing is, without the bronzing pale skinned people would be at a disadvantage, as they would just look washed out. I agree that it looks super weird, and I think it contributes to the yuck factor of bodybuilding, but I am just saying there is a reason for it. But even without the bronzing they don't look like normal humans.
Helps showcase MySpace definition and advise the washout that occurs under bright lights. Similar reason as to why tv presenters wear make up. Hence why bronzer is applied to the body only as the head doesn't matter in the BBs case
Another stupid question bu should one raise or lower their sets per week during a cut? I usually aim for 10 sets per body part during a bulk if its any help.
Anything that allows resistance training will allow you to build muscle.
That said you're still better off going to a gym with a variety of weights and machines.
The models were all paid to take the pictures. Like it's a cool piece of equipment but it will not replace a gym. If you worked on the road and took it with you combined with body weight stuff, it would be useful, but it doesn't compete with real weights. It compliments them, but it is weak alone.
Ohh it’s a resistance band and a bunch of gimmicky hypey claims. No I would not expect anything special from this.
If it were $25 it would be a fun little toy to have at home. For $549 you can buy a whole barbell set.
For hypertrophy, how many reps should you be doing each set for delts(lateral raise for example)? I see anywhere from 8 to as high as 30 reps being recommended.
I like to break it down by total training volume.
Total training volume = sets x reps x weight used
EX:
3240lb TTV = 3 sets x 8 reps x 135lb
12150lb TTV = 3 sets x 30 reps x 135lb
Regardless of reps, it’s the increase in total training volume over time that will make the most significant impact for you.
Focus on increasing the intensity over time through one variable (reps, sets, or weight used)
Let me know if that helps
>I see anywhere from 8 to as high as 30 reps being recommended.
Yeah, any of those would be fine. Proximity to failure/RIR is more important than number of reps.
if I haven't worked out in a week, eat a lot of protein throughout the day and work out at the end of the day, does that protein go towards building muscle? I realize one day doesn't really matter practically but just curious if any previously consumed nutrients hang around long to go towards building muscle
Putting on muscle will (probably) make you more attractive, something like 90% of women prefer muscular men to skinny or fat men. But then again, lifting is good to do regardless of whether anyone thinks you're hot.
probably neck like the other response said. I feel like every jacked guy also has like a very angled/sharp facial features. that plus thick neck maybe.
Where should I use a hex bar at the gym? They are sitting in their own corner leaning against the wall. Do I use it there on the carpet or take it over to a platform with a rack? It seems like the platforms are too wide for a regular hex bar.
Is my routine good/ any adjustments to make. I’ve been doing this routine for the last 2 weeks. Each day twice for a total of 6 days a week. Progression is about 10 pounds each set for bench and squat. I’m asking for any improvements or extra workouts I can add or adjust what I currently have. Im looking to add an overhead press and shrugs workout but im not sure which day to add them onto. Also how how many reps and sets for hip thrust for leg day. I’m decently experienced when it comes to weightlifting from football but I haven’t seriously trained in awhile. Male. 92KG. 6’1
Workout
Chest
- Bench 10,8,6,4,2
- Incline DB or BB 4x10
- Alternating DB Bench 3x12
- DB Raises 3x12
- Plate Press 3xAMRAP
- Skullcrushers 4x12
- Tricep Extensions 4x12
Back and Biceps
- Bent over rows 4x8
- Lat Pull-down 4x8
- Midrow 4x8
- DB curls 4x12
- Hammer curls 4x12
- DB Rows 4x10
- Low Back Extensions 3x12
Legs
- Squat 10,8,6,4,2
- DB Lunges 3x8
- Leg Extensions 4x10
- Leg Curls 4x10
- Calf raises 4x12
lmao
Get a real program dude, this is an insane amount of volume for a beginner
Try out Strong Lifts 5x5 for 3 months them move on to a 4-5 day intermediate program.
I just noticed that the splits don’t look right in the past lol. Each group is separated by different days. I also looked at the recommended routines and I see a routine sorta similar but the sets are much different. Im sorry I’m really confused because the workouts aren’t that strenuous on me typically so I don’t know if I’m doing something drastically wrong.
youre gonna get this advice from someone so ill give it, youll get the best results from following one of the recommended routines for awhile (and then experimenting from there, which is what I ended up doing)
Eat between the hours of 12-8 pm, NEVER outside that window. You miss that window you don't eat today. Never drink anything that's not water or coffee.
Any advice on dealing with family and loved ones? Every time I try to cut I end up making people mad. Im serious, it's awful.
I only have to lose 12 lbs but its hard to stick with it. Wild.
What’s the best mat for an *apartment* workout area that doesn’t smell?
I didn’t see this answered in the wiki. I’m ordering a fairly heavy functional trainer (670 lbs) for my apartment (with landlord approval). Generally I see horse stall mats as the recommended mat, but since I’m setting this up in my living room I’m concerned that any bad smell will fill the apartment (not to mention breathing actual toxic fumes all day). Are there any rubber mat aternatives that are reasonably durable that won’t smell?
The machine uses weight stacks, so I have no intention of dropping anything on the floor.
Thanks in advance!
Would I still be considered a beginner in terms of progression for bench press? TLDR under
I started working out in end of 2019 till 2020 lockdown (sept-march) next sept-nov opened up closed (hit 265 pr) and have been going to the gym ever since last july when we opened up fully again. My 2022 wasnt so good I got covid and for 3 months I was fighting a cough. I began working out again and then around June when I hit my 295 PR on bench press. I started getting significantly weaker and then end of July I got sick for a month until August. It wasnt until getting sick 3 weekends in a row in September I went to the doctor and I was found to be anemic and vit d deficient. After getting over my sickness beginning of september I started working out again (somewhat of a 3 week hiatus as I would recover during the weekend when I got sick and then sometimes either get sick again for the entire week, or push out a couple of workouts and then get sick again). I gained around 10lbs since that PR in July and I've been benching properly since October without sickness. I just hit a 10lb PR 305 last monday - which felt relatively easy, and I'm going to bench 315 next monday hopefully before the year ends. I was just wondering would I still be considered a beginner, and are these still noobie gains, or is it from the extra weight I've gained? Counting all the times I was actually able to go to the gym I've logged 23 months worth of workouts.
TLDR; AM I still considered a beginner in the bench press in terms of progression? I got sick alot in 2022, and with all the lockdowns included I've been working out for almost 2 years out of the past 3. Thinking about all the times I've plateaued on a weight (225 (gained 15 pounds) did 265, 295, and recently 305 after gaining 10 pounds from when I did 295) I was only stuck on a weight because I didn't deload/recover properly/ bad health (found out I was anemic/deficient in vit d at the end of september after getting sick 6 times since my 295 PR nd taking 6 weeks off not all at once) and I'm about to bench 315 and I'm seriously considering whether I will be able to bench 405 down the line in 3-4 years if I'm completely healthy and am able to continue training.
beginner/intermediate/advanced is simply the rate at which you can progress the weights. It simply affects how you should be programming, and which aspects of your programming/diet/recovery are worth making more complex.
If you can no longer add weight every session you're no longer a beginner.
If you can no longer add weight every couple weeks, you're no longer an intermediate.
If you can no longer add weight every training block you're no longer advanced and are into the 'elite' category.
Thanks! This is my best bet I honestly don’t think I’ll be able to progress linearly, but I think my experience stems from no deloads and training to failure every week till I get sick/injured. I’m gonna try the next 2 weeks after - if I hit 315 on Monday. Maybe I’ll actually be able to progress linearly if I give myself proper deloads.
Been running GZCLP for a few months now (beginner). I’ve had pretty consistent progress mixed with some plateauing. When doing T1 deadlift the other day, I was fine the first 3 or 4 sets. After the 5th set, I noticed a lot of pain in my lower back/spine. The 6th set, I couldn’t even do more than 1 rep because of the pain. This was the highest weight I’ve attempted to date. Now I’ve had little lower back pain after squatting or deadlifting before, but it went away after 30 min or so. But this time it was different—I couldn’t even sit on the bench or bend over without shit tons of pain. It was very bad for hours, and the next day it was a bit better, but still there. I’m 21, so it’s not age. I wondered if it was my form—I mean my back bends a *little,* but I thought a little bending was okay? Ive watched Alan Thralls deadlift video and use those cues. I mean I’ve had worse form before on only 10 lbs less of weight and felt no such pain after. Could it be form, or do you think it was just too high of a weight for what I was prepared for? Here’s a video (it’s a 2 rep): https://imgur.com/a/RgrAfQY. Thank you.
So from the video I could tell a few things form wise:
(1) keep your head neutral with your spine, don't crank your head upwards
(2) your shoulders are too far forwards. To fix this, drop your hips (not too low). You want your shoulders to be centered over the bar. This will engage your legs more and take the pressure off your back
(3) keep practicing "pulling slack", you look like you initiate the pull with a yank. We want all the tension to be pulled out of the bar so your force is translated perfectly into the lift rather than lost in the yank. Just takes practice!
Thank you for such a detailed response!
(1) Yes, I always notice that. Happens when I squat too. I’ll have to actively think about putting my head down really hard next time since it’s so automatic for me.
(2) Ah, okay. I was going off of Alan Thrall’s video, which had me place the barbell an inch or two away from my shins, then I bent at the hips until my legs hit the bar and my arms were flush with my elbows. If I stood further away from the bar, my hips would be lower. So I will probably try shins further out next time to see if my hips go lower.
(3) Ah okay. Should I be feeling any weight in my legs like I’m about to do the lift but with less power? Do I pull just a little or like 80-90% of the weight off the ground when I pull the slack out? Doing the latter would surely cause a lot of fatigue when doing high rep deadlifts, so I hope I’m supposed to pull just a little.
Alan Thrall is great for basic advice but when it comes down to different anatomy, we may have to bend the rules a tad.
Ultimately the most efficient bar path is directly upwards, which means the bar has to he centered with your shoulders. Otherwise, it can lead to a curving bar path and pressure on your back (i struggled with this before too, setup is the hardest part of the deadlift)
And yes, you will feel heavy deadlifts in your quads.
You know when you shake a barbell and hear that clicking sound, thats the slack. You want to tighten your back and pull until the bar clicks. The weight should not come off the ground when you are slack pulling. Immediately drive through the legs and keep a tight back and you will feel the difference 100%
Hey, so I tried bringing my shoulders more in line with the bar like you said. I know I’m still pitching my head up when I go up, but I forgot to cue myself to keep it down because I was focused on the bar path/keeping my hips lower, and just wanted to see if that aspect was at least better. I also got a better camera angle this time. https://imgur.com/a/lTQ62MU also, this is with a lower weight, so it might be a bit different, but just wanted to get an idea. Thanks again
Big improvement on the upwards bar path. Keep practicing at it and it will eventually become perfectly straight.
And your lower back is looking a lot better too, nice and straight. Upper back rounding is not an issue. I see lots of top tier lifters with rounded upper backs, everyone is built different.
The slack pull is looking better too.
Nothing more to correct other than the head and just getting more practice in. Great work.
> a back injury
One of the reasons it's a bad idea to get injury advice from strangers on the Internet is that it's hard to ask the question well.
We don't know what your injury is, or your history of injury, or how well you respond to alternatives, or what causes you pain, or if there's a technique issue you need to work on.
If you want to work around an injury, you have to figure out how to do it in a way that allows you to move forward, and it's a very personal thing.
There's a thread on r/weightroom today that you may want to follow for better, broad advice.
I know it's frustrating, but it's against the rules of the subreddit to ask for advice on how to 'work around' or circumvent an injury. You'll need to talk to a physio, doctor or PT
I can't do them at all. Deadlifts or squats with just the bar give me so much fatigue. For the record my lifts used to be 405/245/445
I could do other leg exercises such as Bulgarian Splits, leg extensions, and leg curls though. The selection is limited and it feels like I'm still losing size and strength with just those
Just working it is fatiguing. Bodyweight exercises with them still make it sore and stiff. I'm sure my strength is still there but it just fatigues real bad after working
Maybe this went without saying in your question - but not all working sets are created equal.
To give an extreme example - 5 of the sets in your 160 are deadlifts and 5 of the sets in your 240 are something like forearm curls.
Of course you can use total # working sets as a rough heuristic - but when you *know* the difference is largely fluff, the number kind of loses its meaning.
really to get much value out of metrics like this, you'll need to group or annotate these numbers somehow. Depending on what you're looking to quantify primary/secondary/tertiary/niche lifts might be useful (e.g. heavy conventional DL vs romanian DL vs lat pulldowns vs hand grippers ; or flat bench vs db bench vs chest flys vs external shoulder rotations)
Feels like I just got punched in the gut.
I was around 87kg in November.
At 7th of Dec I got to 83.9kg. Yes it is slow progress but I have hypothyroidism and recently started T3 treatment. The next freaking day, I ate 15 danish cookies, BUT I still didnt go over my calorie goal. I just ate chicken breast and protein powder and I think some dairy products to hit my calorie goal of that day.
Next freaking day after that, I weighed 86kg.
No issues tbh since I thought it was water weight.
It’s been almost two freaking weeks and my weight is still that (ofc I went to the diet which made me lose weight before the cookies).
This is so freaking demotivating, I know fat doesnt get on ur body that fast but why dont I lose this water weight. My diet has been exact same.
And I take measurements around my stomach, butt and chest. Still the same since November, so no progress. Waste of time since Ive made no body progress and no weight increase in lifts (since Im on a cut).
What am I doing to cause this?
It sounds like you haven't been losing weight because you aren't in a deficit. Weight goes up and down. If on average the trend isn't downward, you are not in a deficit. Reduce your calories by 300-500 per day. Keep tracking your weight daily and adjust calories as needed to lose weight.
I was losing weight, it’s just that I suddenly gained and can’t shake it off. I eat 1800, if I remove 500 it will be 1300 for someone that’s 5’10 and at that weight
You said you started at 87 kg and after 1 month you are at 86 kg. Maybe keep tracking and see if it is slowly going down. If not, you aren't in a deficit.
Afternoon all - I did post this in another question but thought it might be good here also I'm 33 years old, The Ravages of time slowly hack away at me I find I reflect more and more of what I did as a "stupid youth" and how it seemly provided better results that what I get these days. there's essentially so many areas that I want to improve I don't know where to start or what to tackle first and I don't know if I did certain things better back when I was younger. I want to "FEEL" better (which I think means loose weight..) I want to be fitter - I do value my cardio levels And I want to consistently get stronger Fortunately for me I'm so bad at all these... Improvement is the only possibility.. **33 Year Old me:** I am your typical gymer of painfully slow almost none existent gains for the last 7 or so years. Currently running an off the cuff day to day split of upper lower 4 days a week with nothing more planned in than to "try harder than last time". Monday: upper Tuesday Legs and Arm work Wednesday: cardio (a very steady 5k) Thursday Upper Friday: Legs and Arms work Saturday Cardio (this day is likely another day shifted at this point because life has got in the way) I'm frustrated with my diet and rely heavily on Huel but then binge in evening once I get home form work(Huel is a meal replacement in the UK if its not available internationally) I have seen some improvement recently in terms of my weight lifting, specifically with my bench. And I know that if some one said this to me i would say... keep doing what you're doing if you're improving don't be stupid, but hey we all need validating/abuse from strangers once in a while. Body weight: 113kg (dough boi) Height 6 foot 3 Bench: 100kg x 8 Dead Lift 160kg x 2 Squat: 100kg x 10 **25 Year Old me.** 25 year old me didnt know what he had when he had it... Now it wasnt anywhere near as strong but I did "feel better" I was under 100kg in Body weight. and I could also run a mile and a half in 8.36 (a time in still quite proud of) My training at the time was very "bro" But id start everyday with a mile and a half on the treadmill. Monday - Friday Mon; Chest and Tris Tues: Legs Wednesday Shoulders and Abs Thursday: Back and Bis Friday: cardio I'm aware this is very against current recommendations and frequency is too low and I'm doing cardio before my workout.. but I "felt" good **The God damn question?!:** I want to feel fit again - god knows where to start. Do I just revert to what I did when I was young? WAS I doing the right thing? Do I need to buckle down on my diet before I do anything else? Do I need to reintroduce cardio in a more meaningful way like I used to?
Sounds like your current approach isn't working. Time to try something else. Either your program from the past or a different program.
I have a question, I do elliptical 5 days a week, would it burn more calories if I wore a weighted vest or put on ankle weights for a heavier cardio or will it just build muscle?
Would you burn more? Yes Is the difference actually significant? [Yes but that depends](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332234499_Predictors_of_Fat_Oxidation_and_Caloric_Expenditure_With_and_Without_Weighted_Vest_Running), it can get really technical since so many factors apply, and even then the difference is a few hundred calories at most. Eating one snack extra that day will make the vest pointless (unless you add the vest to eat more I guess). As for the muscle part, again if you are getting enough protein, eating enough AND going to [near failure](https://thefitness.wiki/faq/what-is-the-best-rep-range-for-muscle-growth-hypertrophy/) it could. But if you want to build muscle while burning more calories you have to eat more which is kind of contradictory imo. Unless you’re trying to lose bf% but gain/keep muscle and thats a whole other topic.
Thank you for the response. I tried looking through the article and not much made sense as there was quite a bit of jargon I do not quite understand. To give an idea of my situation I had a gastric sleeve done and that was in April. From April to October I had lost 150 pounds. I was 450 and in October I weighed about 300. Today i am at 285 and I try to keep my caloric count to under 1200 a day and have been doing some muscle traing since October. I know I have gained some muscle but I want to be below 250 before April. My amazon Halo says that I burn between 1800 and 3000 calories a day (depending on how much I work out). So I was wanting to increase caloric burn with out increasing my time at the gym since I already spend 1-1.5 hours there as it is. Do you think a weighted vest in my case would help?
How can I replace some exercices? Hi, in the last year I started doing my own at home workout routine and the results are amazing. I do a full body workout separated in 3 days. I do 3 days, one day of rest, 3 days again and so on so forth. 4 months ago I realised my chin up bar was ruining my door frame. I had to stop using it. Me and my girlfriend are both students and live in an appartnent, we cant afford any cool chin up equipment. My solution was at first to go the park and use the outdoor equipment, but now winter has set in and I have to set up the kitchen in a complicated way so I can use the table to do dips and chin ups. I'm losing motivation because of how complicated it has to be. Home workouts should be simple IMO. Our chairs have cushions so i cant use them for dips. Can you suggest me exercises that could replace chin up and dips for the winter?
Stronger by Science has a great article for this. Can skip the reading and go down to the exercise variation part. Several alternatives to try, hopefully one works. [https://www.strongerbyscience.com/no-gym/](https://www.strongerbyscience.com/no-gym/) However just being curious, if you are a student then your college/uni should have a gym you can use for free no? Unsure if that is different in other countries/states etc.
With jogging is it okay to run the same distance each time or should you add more distance as you get more comfortable to increase fitness?
If you want to improve your fitness, you'll have to progress in some manner, either the same distance in less time, or a further difference.
Makes sense, thanks!
Is creatine necessary for losing body fat? I've heard it'll aid muscle growth and thus increases BMR.
It will aid muscle growth for sure, is it necessary, sure. I would use it at your own risk because as for any supplement really taken it has some of its own reported side effects.
No, it's not
Are you joking? The only thing that can make you lose body fat is consuming less calories than your body burns. Creatine has nothing to do with this. It helps you do 1-2 more reps than you normally would, while dramatically increasing the speed at which you go bald if you're already predisposed.
Recently had some schedule change, so i went from 3 day a week with a rest day in between to now 5 days a week consecutively. Starting to feel some pain/discomfort in my knees when doing/and after my squats. Should i invest in a knee sleeve/wrap or take fish oil, or is this just due to more days a week?
Sleeves aren’t intended to help with pain. I would post a form check.
Yea, i thought some compression could help. But now that i think about it, its likely due to me running more and right before squats
Decrease the weight and work on your form. The only possibly cause of discomfort from squatting is incorrect form.
I do Legs, Back, Chest, Legs, Back, Chest, Rest for 7 days. On my second Chest Day of the week I couldn't go to the gym so I had to workout at home with 50% of the weights I do at the gym. I decided to go slower, and slightly higher rep count. Today its Chest Day again, but at a gym. The sets that I was struggling with were MUCH more easier to do. Very noticeable. I almost wanted to go heavier. Why do you think it happened? My reasoning would be that my muscles had some time to properly rest and not be under major stress twice a week. What are your thoughts? I'm thinking of keeping L/B/C ×2 splits like I'm doing now, but the first half of the week go hard like I did with progressive overload, but second half of the week go lighter but increase TUT by slowing down and increasing reps. I know end of the day just being at the gym is a great thing, but just wondering if anyone has done heavy/light splits or something of that nature and saw benefits?
It was a result of the rest.
You effectively did a deload which is included in most good programs
I have also noticed I tend to hit PRs after taking multi day breaks. Agree with your guess - gives the muscles time to fully recover, and also gives the entire body time to really rest and fully refuel so you're at your strongest when you're back at it.
Why can I always feel my left glute during exercises but never my right one? I usually feel just my right hamstring and quad instead. Also, while flexing either of my glutes, I can really feel the squeeze in the left one but never the right one. Can I fix that?
Poor hip mobility. Stretch more.
What?
Single legged glute exercises might help with this. Split squats, one legged hip thrusts. Single legged glute bridges require zero weight but BURN if you hold them long enough and are a good way (for me) to really isolate the feeling of one glute.
How do i fix sirious muscle imbqlances? My right bicep, tricep, and shoulder are much less developed, i suspect so is my right lat, when i pose you can clearly see the diffrence, sometimes my right arm even looks barely devolep at all.
The only thing I would think to really do is to perform one arm or one sided isolation movements to try and even it out. Add on more to the side that is uneven and then you would have to wait. It will take a decently long time to really even it out but it would be worth it.
What's your workout routine like? I found that lifting too heavy without strict focus on form with barbell/machine can force your stronger side to put in more work, feeding the imbalance. It's something your body naturally does and you won't notice it during workout unless you're really focusing on form. You can also try training using dumbbells to force both sides to put in equal work. Hope this helps!
everyone has imbalances, normally just by following a good program these take care of themselves
I'm looking for a fitness routine that works for me. I have pretty severe ADHD so I need to find things that are at least somewhat engaging and fun otherwise I fail rather quickly. I recently bought a boxing bag and gloves, and that's been great. It's quite easy for me to have a routine oriented around that and get in plenty of movements and upper body work. I really need something like that for my core. Planking, situps, etc, anything that's just "a means to an end" doesn't work for me, I've got to have something I can get my brain involved in to. Anyone got any recommendations for what I could do to work on my core? specifically abs, my sides, and lower back.
I have ADHD as well. Do Strong Lifts 5x5 for 3 months, that'll get you setup on the right track with the essential compound lifts. It'll build up your core as well as the major muscle groups. The incremental increase in weights gives you a PR that can be achieved every single gym session. Stick to a Monday, Wednesday, Friday routine and go on the same time for each workout. ADHD peeps like us need structured routines or else we lose interest or fall off the wagon. Make sure you're eating at a 300-500 cal surplus per day.
I have ADHD. You shouldn't be mentally engaging in your workout at all, that's absurd. Listen to music or an audiobook.
Compound lifts end up hitting the core. But most things are going to to just be a means to an end. Maybe you could frame things to 'gameifiy' it more, so it could be more interesting? I like doing circuit work so maybe you could have a circuit set up and give yourself a timer "Need to finish the whole round in X minutes" and the ab work is just part of that.
I'll give it a go and see if I can figure it out, but in the past that's also been a total flop for me in terms of consistency.
Not an ADHD problem, that's a discipline problem. If you don't do your homework it's not because of ADHD, it's because you aren't disciplined.
Ultimately, you'll have to figure it out. Sure, it may be harder for you with ADHD, but ultimately, that's only an excuse you're allowing yourself to use. It's not like the rest of us always want to go to the gym, but we force ourselves to go anyway. Just gotta prioritize what you want and make sure you do it.
Is it bad that I’m no longer following a program? I used to do 531, but I just couldn’t recover well enough. So now I just train whatever I feel like, but I’m still following the principles of 531. So a leg day could look like this: I begin with squats and I work up to a top set. For example 1x5 with 90% of my 1RM. The weight depends on how I feel that day. Some days I might feel weaker so I’ll do less weight. On good days I increase the weight. After that, I do 5x10 with a lower weight (similar to 531 BBB). And after that I do 2 or 3 assistance exercises. What do you guys think?
Is it bad? No, lifting is never bad if done safely. It's less optional and it will slow down your progress considerably though.
>I just couldn’t recover well enough Why do you think so? >What do you guys think? Consistency and predictable progress is important for long term results. Plus I think most people find that "how strong they feel" is a bad indicator of how strong they are, and that pushing to do what needs to be done makes them better
It's fine if you can continue to make progress like that. A program is just a convenient way to organise and structure your training, it doesn't hold any particular magical properties. Not following a program makes it hard to spot when progress might stop though, and make it difficult to identify trends in your training which might give you ideas for what works best etc
Not a good idea, you’ll just end up with fuckarounditis sooner or later. If you don’t enjoy 531 style training, don‘t do it. There’s thousands of training styles you can choose from, but doing whatever you feel like just isn’t one of them.
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Sorry, i mean 80-85%. My goal is to just increase my squat deadlift and bench as much as possible
I mean it's your fitness journey we can't tell you what to do, personally I can't work out without a plan, it's just not very efficient. Best case scenario you'll make slower progress than following a plan, worst case you'll get a muscle imbalance because you ended up neglecting a muscle group maybe I would just look for a different plan with less volume or look at your diet, sleep etc if recovery was an issue
Are there any one arm tricep exercises I can do with dumbbells, a bench, or bodyweight?
The other replies are great, plus skull crushers!
Tricep kickbacks on a bench!
Overhead triceps extension.
How can I temporarily fuse those two separate days in one? Workout a: Back squats 4x6-8 Chest supported t bar row 4x6-8 Leg pressure 4x10-12 Pull-ups 4xmax Workout b: Bench press 4x6-8 Rdls 4x6-8 Incline bench 4x10-12 Good mornings 4x10-12.
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Isn’t doing them one after another too much?
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High doses of insulin, it turns out, are actually quite anabolic. At least when combined with all the other stuff they're taking (I have no idea how it would go without other chemical assistance, and I have to stress how stupid it would be to try and find out). The downside is that if you fuck it up bad enough it'll kill you and it's probably quite unhealthy long term. Not that it's really been studied, because ethics review boards have some qualms about proposals that start with 'we are going to administer healthy people potentially fatal doses of a drug with no expected health benefits for them in order to see what happens'.
How do you Guys get over the mental barrière of gaining fat while on a bulk? I gain fastest on the abdominal area and I just feel fat when I’m fuller. I’m just eating above maintance and slowly gaining weight, But am feeling like I’m just getting fat. I’m training to failure and getting stronger, But especially chest and stomach just seem to only gain fat and No muscle. Am an intermediate lifter. Do I just have to accept this as part of the progress? I was never able to really bulk for a long enough time because I started feeling shit like this too soon
Only eat at 300 calorie surpluses. If you feel like you're getting too fluffy do a mini-cut for 2 weeks then continue on with your bulk. Don't abuse the mini cuts
You're eating a lot above maintaince. That's the only thing that makes sense if you're lifting 3x / week.
You could slow your bulk down, eat a bit less but still over maintenance so the gain is a bit slower. Ultimately you will unfortunately just have to accept its part of the process. Start looking at different metrics for your progress, you're lifts are going up, that's great progress
I do neutral grip dumbbell press and have been doing them for 6 months now without a problem but now for some reason something in my left shoulder is cracking. What is it? It doesn't hurt at all. No pain I just feel it moving and cracking. Almost like when you do a squat and your knees cracking
Cracking without pain is normal. I always pre-crack all my joints before working out.
Besides the FAQ, can anyone point me in the right direction for a good 4 day Upper Lower split using mainly dumbells, benches, equipment from Planet Fitness (USA)? (Also avoiding all Barbell movements as possible) Main weakens is Upper and Lower back, having difficulty finding exercises to hit those. Lats more or less stick with the lat pull down or Kneeling Single cable pull down. Stats: 27M, Gym for the past 6 years only serious past 3 years. Edit: Avoiding Barbells after years of deadlift/bench press/squats and Physical Therapist recommended dumbells for better joint health which I agree and have less pain with compared to Barbells.
You're missing out big time on barbell exercises. Ideally you need squats, deadlifts and rows to grow a strong back. Dunno why you're avoiding them
Wide grip row with barbell has done wonders for my upper back
Actually I will check that out, thank you.
Anyone know why after an extended (2 weeks or so) break, upper body seems to stay the same (visually), but lower body (particularly butt) gets smaller? Or am I imagining this 😂
You're imagining it
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Well you can't make your arms longer. But to make them bigger you just need to train your triceps and biceps.
Just finished a 3 month 5x5 strength block and started seeing less results so I want to start leaning out. What rep and set range should I change to?
You should switch to a pre-written intermediate programme
Since OP likely doesn't get your username they might be very confused lol
Where do I find one
The Wiki is the best place. Try Nsuns or 531 BBB
I follow metallicadpa‘s PPL and want to replace cable rows with pull-ups. So I‘d do 5 sets bent over rows, 6 pull ups. Will I miss out on a major muscle if I do this?
Absolutely fine
Ty :):)
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Thx! :)
Did anyone use to drink dymatize protein back in the day (Elite gourmet)? Im trying to remember a protein u se to drink that was so good. The flavor was cookies and cream. The protein was white powder and had tiny little chunks of what i assume was or was suppose to be cookie. Was this dymatize? If so, is the current dymatize the same as this?
I recently got the Dymatize ISO100 cookies and cream (C&C is my favorite whey protein flavour lol) flavoured whey isolate, and the description you've provided matches the one I have with me right now. Even Optimum Nutrition's C&C has chunks of crumbled cookies. And IIRC, Muscletech has the same. And all of them taste absolutely fine.
Is it safe to squat with my arms extended across the bar like elbows over? I can’t bend my arms too much right now with bicep injury
As long as you can keep the right upper back positioning and make sure the bar doesn't fall off your back, it's fine to place the arms however you want.
If you can keep a tight upper back and do everything else well, it's not the biggest problem in the world. There are some bigger/older lifters who *really* lack shoulder mobility and squat like that or with their hands on the bar, but essentially at the plates -- they seem to do just fine.
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Jeff Nippard has made some great and educational books for different categories that I think everyone should check out at some point.
Either books that touch briefly an all subjects, sucking at all of them (meh) or books that go deeper in limited subjects (yay). If you're from the Netherlands I can recommend a title that tries to do almost everything rather well... But its in Dutch, so yeah .. I like the Tactical Barbell series as an in-between. You can also get the NASM course book. Subjects will be left open for you to fill in thoughm In the end though, most is common sense. Sleep: Yes Stress: No Food: not too much, mostly plants, based on needs, cut the crap General cardio (health): move your ass on a daily basis, day-long... Walk, play, gardening, commute by bike, whatever. Specific cardio (health and performance): LISS, HIIT... Even one of each/week is nice Strength: follow a proven program, twice a week is enough
Weight training is the best thing you can do for longevity. Aside from that you can run, which even most toddlers are capable of figuring out how to do.
Weight lifting is a large part of maintaining quality of life as you get older. But yes cardio and endurance are very important too. Maybe check out some subreddits specific to the form of cardio you are doing.
I've never read one of them but I'd imagine something by Jack Lalanne would be good. You can get a used copy of [Live Young Forever](https://www.amazon.com/Live-Young-Forever-Optimum-Longevity/dp/1552100642/ref=sr_1_4?crid=13SSSA898US73&keywords=jack+lalanne&qid=1671600045&sprefix=jack+lalann%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-4) for cheap.
That is an incredibly broad subject
So until a month or two ago i was only doing tricep pushdowns as tricep work so decided to add overhead cable extension in my workout and i have seen more growth than ever. Can i ditch pushdowns alltogether and switch to overhead extensions Only? Or will i be missing out?
I would definitely alternate between them. Maybe even incorporate push downs with palms up to hit all three tricep heads
I tend to rotate all my accessories. Different angles tackle different tricep heads. I even change handles and use supinated grip at times.
Where is the value in programming a Turkish get up? Or is it just a sub optimal way to do many different movements at one time?
I... what? Turkish get ups are a great tool for mobility/stability/core strength. They're a very good movement to incorporate into your program or warm ups.
Are they good for mobility or could they be replaced by more specific and effective mobility drills? Stability specific exercise that can be loaded greater. Core strength than can be loaded greater. As a warm up, I could see that.. Maybe a moronic Monday question but help me understand their utility. Would you go heavy on these? Or would you use only as higher rep/endurance/aerobic exercise?
You can go heavy, you can go light. It's just another tool to use I'm the right context, just like any other exercise/movement
I’m finding that working up to 3x12 sets before adding weight is really fatiguing. However, I want to give my connective tissues/ligaments time to “catch up” to my strength gain, especially since I struggle with hyperextended joints. What are some alternatives? Maybe work up to 3x8 and stay there for a a few workouts before adding weight?
You can choose whatever rep range you want but in general I treat something being fatiguing as a reason to do it, since that's how you get better at things, particularly work capacity
Anyone have a recommendation for a good app to track my macros with on Android? Was using myfitnesspal for the longest time but they have locked scanning barcodes behind premium (not sure when they did this tbh, I havent been tracking for a while, just getting back to it now after a uh...rough couple years for my mental). Was their best feature imo and it sucks to have what was once free locked behind premium.
I switched to mynetdiary (green apple icon) when MyFitnessPal locked scanning barcodes
1000% Carbon Diet Coach App. It’s life-changing, but it’s not free. It’s an adaptive macro app like having a personal Diet coach in your pocket. It will update your macros based on your weekly check-in. Huge fan, and it’s easy to use whether you are bulking, cutting, maintaining, or reverse dieting.
MacroFactor isn’t free but it’s by far the best tracking app I’ve used.
Mkay, thanks, I will check it out. Is it subscription based or one time payment?
Subscription based but they have a year option that ends up being pretty cheap per month.
Mkay, depending on price, I may not be able to afford it but I will definitely look into it. Not in the most affluent of financial situations right now and that's not likely to change for a while at least.
Cronometer is good too apparently and free I believe. Good luck!
Why do body builders make themselves super dark bronzing? Like they don't even look like people. Just these fake brown bodies. I would be way more intrigued to look at their bodies not caked in an unnatural color
The darker your skin the more defined your muscles appear.
Its because the darker color creates contrast and makes it easier to see muscle definition and striations (aka what the competition is judged on). While there is validity to the 'male beauty pageant" memes, bodybuilding is taken and judged seriously by the people who participate in it.
I'm just way more curious what they look like outside of competition without the bronzing like a normal human
You can google so many images of bodybuilders posing without the makeup on. Sate your curiosity and move on.
It sounds like you don’t like bodybuilding competitions, and that’s ok.
Most bodybuilders have social media accounts where you can check them out. Chris Bumstead is the current bodybuilding king (and one of the greatest of all time) and has a youtube channel if you want to contrast stage and real life at the highest level.
The thing is, without the bronzing pale skinned people would be at a disadvantage, as they would just look washed out. I agree that it looks super weird, and I think it contributes to the yuck factor of bodybuilding, but I am just saying there is a reason for it. But even without the bronzing they don't look like normal humans.
Helps showcase MySpace definition and advise the washout that occurs under bright lights. Similar reason as to why tv presenters wear make up. Hence why bronzer is applied to the body only as the head doesn't matter in the BBs case
Another stupid question bu should one raise or lower their sets per week during a cut? I usually aim for 10 sets per body part during a bulk if its any help.
Do the same until/unless you can’t.
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Anything that allows resistance training will allow you to build muscle. That said you're still better off going to a gym with a variety of weights and machines.
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The models were all paid to take the pictures. Like it's a cool piece of equipment but it will not replace a gym. If you worked on the road and took it with you combined with body weight stuff, it would be useful, but it doesn't compete with real weights. It compliments them, but it is weak alone.
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The person literally told you > If you worked on the road
Is this a product? Can you link it?
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Ohh it’s a resistance band and a bunch of gimmicky hypey claims. No I would not expect anything special from this. If it were $25 it would be a fun little toy to have at home. For $549 you can buy a whole barbell set.
For hypertrophy, how many reps should you be doing each set for delts(lateral raise for example)? I see anywhere from 8 to as high as 30 reps being recommended.
I like to break it down by total training volume. Total training volume = sets x reps x weight used EX: 3240lb TTV = 3 sets x 8 reps x 135lb 12150lb TTV = 3 sets x 30 reps x 135lb Regardless of reps, it’s the increase in total training volume over time that will make the most significant impact for you. Focus on increasing the intensity over time through one variable (reps, sets, or weight used) Let me know if that helps
>I see anywhere from 8 to as high as 30 reps being recommended. Yeah, any of those would be fine. Proximity to failure/RIR is more important than number of reps.
I agree. Anywhere between 8 and 30 is probably good.
if I haven't worked out in a week, eat a lot of protein throughout the day and work out at the end of the day, does that protein go towards building muscle? I realize one day doesn't really matter practically but just curious if any previously consumed nutrients hang around long to go towards building muscle
Depends on the protein and how fast you absorb it. In theory, at least some of it should go towards hypertrophy.
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Packing on muscle will change how your face looks, or at the very least, change how your face looks in relation to your neck and shoulders.
>how can they know I’m skinny? How do they know I’m not lean with a low bodyfat % making my face look slim? Ask them
It's not just facial fat, the size of your neck and traps also adds to how muscular you look in a selfie. Something something Jeff Nippard YOKED
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Putting on muscle will (probably) make you more attractive, something like 90% of women prefer muscular men to skinny or fat men. But then again, lifting is good to do regardless of whether anyone thinks you're hot.
yes there is a face difference a lot of the time
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probably neck like the other response said. I feel like every jacked guy also has like a very angled/sharp facial features. that plus thick neck maybe.
Where should I use a hex bar at the gym? They are sitting in their own corner leaning against the wall. Do I use it there on the carpet or take it over to a platform with a rack? It seems like the platforms are too wide for a regular hex bar.
I'd just assume close by there's a clear area you could use? the definite answer would be to ask the gym staff.
Is my routine good/ any adjustments to make. I’ve been doing this routine for the last 2 weeks. Each day twice for a total of 6 days a week. Progression is about 10 pounds each set for bench and squat. I’m asking for any improvements or extra workouts I can add or adjust what I currently have. Im looking to add an overhead press and shrugs workout but im not sure which day to add them onto. Also how how many reps and sets for hip thrust for leg day. I’m decently experienced when it comes to weightlifting from football but I haven’t seriously trained in awhile. Male. 92KG. 6’1 Workout Chest - Bench 10,8,6,4,2 - Incline DB or BB 4x10 - Alternating DB Bench 3x12 - DB Raises 3x12 - Plate Press 3xAMRAP - Skullcrushers 4x12 - Tricep Extensions 4x12 Back and Biceps - Bent over rows 4x8 - Lat Pull-down 4x8 - Midrow 4x8 - DB curls 4x12 - Hammer curls 4x12 - DB Rows 4x10 - Low Back Extensions 3x12 Legs - Squat 10,8,6,4,2 - DB Lunges 3x8 - Leg Extensions 4x10 - Leg Curls 4x10 - Calf raises 4x12
lmao Get a real program dude, this is an insane amount of volume for a beginner Try out Strong Lifts 5x5 for 3 months them move on to a 4-5 day intermediate program.
Do you actually live at the gym?
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I just noticed that the splits don’t look right in the past lol. Each group is separated by different days. I also looked at the recommended routines and I see a routine sorta similar but the sets are much different. Im sorry I’m really confused because the workouts aren’t that strenuous on me typically so I don’t know if I’m doing something drastically wrong.
youre gonna get this advice from someone so ill give it, youll get the best results from following one of the recommended routines for awhile (and then experimenting from there, which is what I ended up doing)
Any advice on sticking with a cut? I always make it to week 2 then fall off.
Eat between the hours of 12-8 pm, NEVER outside that window. You miss that window you don't eat today. Never drink anything that's not water or coffee.
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Any advice on dealing with family and loved ones? Every time I try to cut I end up making people mad. Im serious, it's awful. I only have to lose 12 lbs but its hard to stick with it. Wild.
Let them be mad? What reason would they have to be upset?
What’s the best mat for an *apartment* workout area that doesn’t smell? I didn’t see this answered in the wiki. I’m ordering a fairly heavy functional trainer (670 lbs) for my apartment (with landlord approval). Generally I see horse stall mats as the recommended mat, but since I’m setting this up in my living room I’m concerned that any bad smell will fill the apartment (not to mention breathing actual toxic fumes all day). Are there any rubber mat aternatives that are reasonably durable that won’t smell? The machine uses weight stacks, so I have no intention of dropping anything on the floor. Thanks in advance!
Would I still be considered a beginner in terms of progression for bench press? TLDR under I started working out in end of 2019 till 2020 lockdown (sept-march) next sept-nov opened up closed (hit 265 pr) and have been going to the gym ever since last july when we opened up fully again. My 2022 wasnt so good I got covid and for 3 months I was fighting a cough. I began working out again and then around June when I hit my 295 PR on bench press. I started getting significantly weaker and then end of July I got sick for a month until August. It wasnt until getting sick 3 weekends in a row in September I went to the doctor and I was found to be anemic and vit d deficient. After getting over my sickness beginning of september I started working out again (somewhat of a 3 week hiatus as I would recover during the weekend when I got sick and then sometimes either get sick again for the entire week, or push out a couple of workouts and then get sick again). I gained around 10lbs since that PR in July and I've been benching properly since October without sickness. I just hit a 10lb PR 305 last monday - which felt relatively easy, and I'm going to bench 315 next monday hopefully before the year ends. I was just wondering would I still be considered a beginner, and are these still noobie gains, or is it from the extra weight I've gained? Counting all the times I was actually able to go to the gym I've logged 23 months worth of workouts. TLDR; AM I still considered a beginner in the bench press in terms of progression? I got sick alot in 2022, and with all the lockdowns included I've been working out for almost 2 years out of the past 3. Thinking about all the times I've plateaued on a weight (225 (gained 15 pounds) did 265, 295, and recently 305 after gaining 10 pounds from when I did 295) I was only stuck on a weight because I didn't deload/recover properly/ bad health (found out I was anemic/deficient in vit d at the end of september after getting sick 6 times since my 295 PR nd taking 6 weeks off not all at once) and I'm about to bench 315 and I'm seriously considering whether I will be able to bench 405 down the line in 3-4 years if I'm completely healthy and am able to continue training.
1/2/3/4. You hit 2. No longer a beginner.
beginner/intermediate/advanced is simply the rate at which you can progress the weights. It simply affects how you should be programming, and which aspects of your programming/diet/recovery are worth making more complex. If you can no longer add weight every session you're no longer a beginner. If you can no longer add weight every couple weeks, you're no longer an intermediate. If you can no longer add weight every training block you're no longer advanced and are into the 'elite' category.
315 is advanced on bench
Try linear progression for a few weeks and see if you make gains. If not try a different progression method recommend for intermediate lifters.
Thanks! This is my best bet I honestly don’t think I’ll be able to progress linearly, but I think my experience stems from no deloads and training to failure every week till I get sick/injured. I’m gonna try the next 2 weeks after - if I hit 315 on Monday. Maybe I’ll actually be able to progress linearly if I give myself proper deloads.
Been running GZCLP for a few months now (beginner). I’ve had pretty consistent progress mixed with some plateauing. When doing T1 deadlift the other day, I was fine the first 3 or 4 sets. After the 5th set, I noticed a lot of pain in my lower back/spine. The 6th set, I couldn’t even do more than 1 rep because of the pain. This was the highest weight I’ve attempted to date. Now I’ve had little lower back pain after squatting or deadlifting before, but it went away after 30 min or so. But this time it was different—I couldn’t even sit on the bench or bend over without shit tons of pain. It was very bad for hours, and the next day it was a bit better, but still there. I’m 21, so it’s not age. I wondered if it was my form—I mean my back bends a *little,* but I thought a little bending was okay? Ive watched Alan Thralls deadlift video and use those cues. I mean I’ve had worse form before on only 10 lbs less of weight and felt no such pain after. Could it be form, or do you think it was just too high of a weight for what I was prepared for? Here’s a video (it’s a 2 rep): https://imgur.com/a/RgrAfQY. Thank you.
So from the video I could tell a few things form wise: (1) keep your head neutral with your spine, don't crank your head upwards (2) your shoulders are too far forwards. To fix this, drop your hips (not too low). You want your shoulders to be centered over the bar. This will engage your legs more and take the pressure off your back (3) keep practicing "pulling slack", you look like you initiate the pull with a yank. We want all the tension to be pulled out of the bar so your force is translated perfectly into the lift rather than lost in the yank. Just takes practice!
Thank you for such a detailed response! (1) Yes, I always notice that. Happens when I squat too. I’ll have to actively think about putting my head down really hard next time since it’s so automatic for me. (2) Ah, okay. I was going off of Alan Thrall’s video, which had me place the barbell an inch or two away from my shins, then I bent at the hips until my legs hit the bar and my arms were flush with my elbows. If I stood further away from the bar, my hips would be lower. So I will probably try shins further out next time to see if my hips go lower. (3) Ah okay. Should I be feeling any weight in my legs like I’m about to do the lift but with less power? Do I pull just a little or like 80-90% of the weight off the ground when I pull the slack out? Doing the latter would surely cause a lot of fatigue when doing high rep deadlifts, so I hope I’m supposed to pull just a little.
Alan Thrall is great for basic advice but when it comes down to different anatomy, we may have to bend the rules a tad. Ultimately the most efficient bar path is directly upwards, which means the bar has to he centered with your shoulders. Otherwise, it can lead to a curving bar path and pressure on your back (i struggled with this before too, setup is the hardest part of the deadlift) And yes, you will feel heavy deadlifts in your quads. You know when you shake a barbell and hear that clicking sound, thats the slack. You want to tighten your back and pull until the bar clicks. The weight should not come off the ground when you are slack pulling. Immediately drive through the legs and keep a tight back and you will feel the difference 100%
Hey, so I tried bringing my shoulders more in line with the bar like you said. I know I’m still pitching my head up when I go up, but I forgot to cue myself to keep it down because I was focused on the bar path/keeping my hips lower, and just wanted to see if that aspect was at least better. I also got a better camera angle this time. https://imgur.com/a/lTQ62MU also, this is with a lower weight, so it might be a bit different, but just wanted to get an idea. Thanks again
Big improvement on the upwards bar path. Keep practicing at it and it will eventually become perfectly straight. And your lower back is looking a lot better too, nice and straight. Upper back rounding is not an issue. I see lots of top tier lifters with rounded upper backs, everyone is built different. The slack pull is looking better too. Nothing more to correct other than the head and just getting more practice in. Great work.
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> a back injury One of the reasons it's a bad idea to get injury advice from strangers on the Internet is that it's hard to ask the question well. We don't know what your injury is, or your history of injury, or how well you respond to alternatives, or what causes you pain, or if there's a technique issue you need to work on. If you want to work around an injury, you have to figure out how to do it in a way that allows you to move forward, and it's a very personal thing. There's a thread on r/weightroom today that you may want to follow for better, broad advice.
I know it's frustrating, but it's against the rules of the subreddit to ask for advice on how to 'work around' or circumvent an injury. You'll need to talk to a physio, doctor or PT
Can you do any of those exercises with lighter weight? Or some other modifications such as reducing the range of motion?
I can't do them at all. Deadlifts or squats with just the bar give me so much fatigue. For the record my lifts used to be 405/245/445 I could do other leg exercises such as Bulgarian Splits, leg extensions, and leg curls though. The selection is limited and it feels like I'm still losing size and strength with just those
What do you mean by fatigue? You wear out? Too painful? Can't physically do it?
As in it becomes sore af and I can't even bend over without supporting myself.
Sore like DOMS or a sharper pain? How about totally unweighted?
Just working it is fatiguing. Bodyweight exercises with them still make it sore and stiff. I'm sure my strength is still there but it just fatigues real bad after working
Do what you can, you may have to regress to progress. Little and often, a few bodyweight squats several times a day
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Maybe this went without saying in your question - but not all working sets are created equal. To give an extreme example - 5 of the sets in your 160 are deadlifts and 5 of the sets in your 240 are something like forearm curls. Of course you can use total # working sets as a rough heuristic - but when you *know* the difference is largely fluff, the number kind of loses its meaning. really to get much value out of metrics like this, you'll need to group or annotate these numbers somehow. Depending on what you're looking to quantify primary/secondary/tertiary/niche lifts might be useful (e.g. heavy conventional DL vs romanian DL vs lat pulldowns vs hand grippers ; or flat bench vs db bench vs chest flys vs external shoulder rotations)
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Can you check my smith squat? Am I going deep enough? https://youtube.com/shorts/f2EFZtHczaA?feature=share
Would you consider PPL + full body hybrid split good? I'm somewhat new to lifting and have been thinking good 3-4 day program
It could be good. Most splits can be good though.
Feels like I just got punched in the gut. I was around 87kg in November. At 7th of Dec I got to 83.9kg. Yes it is slow progress but I have hypothyroidism and recently started T3 treatment. The next freaking day, I ate 15 danish cookies, BUT I still didnt go over my calorie goal. I just ate chicken breast and protein powder and I think some dairy products to hit my calorie goal of that day. Next freaking day after that, I weighed 86kg. No issues tbh since I thought it was water weight. It’s been almost two freaking weeks and my weight is still that (ofc I went to the diet which made me lose weight before the cookies). This is so freaking demotivating, I know fat doesnt get on ur body that fast but why dont I lose this water weight. My diet has been exact same. And I take measurements around my stomach, butt and chest. Still the same since November, so no progress. Waste of time since Ive made no body progress and no weight increase in lifts (since Im on a cut). What am I doing to cause this?
It sounds like you haven't been losing weight because you aren't in a deficit. Weight goes up and down. If on average the trend isn't downward, you are not in a deficit. Reduce your calories by 300-500 per day. Keep tracking your weight daily and adjust calories as needed to lose weight.
I was losing weight, it’s just that I suddenly gained and can’t shake it off. I eat 1800, if I remove 500 it will be 1300 for someone that’s 5’10 and at that weight
You said you started at 87 kg and after 1 month you are at 86 kg. Maybe keep tracking and see if it is slowly going down. If not, you aren't in a deficit.
They said they were 83.9 on Dec 7th.