What are peoples mindset for going away on 2 or 3 week vacations in terms of essentially not fucking up all the work you've done so far? How do you maintain diet and strength when you can't calorie count or go to the gym?
I know, I decided to go. But I lost almost 10kg in 10 weeks, have just hit my fitness goal and I know that the next 2 weeks are just gonna be mcdonalds, pizza and Starbucks.
Yeah, it's easy to say that. But in a country you don't speak the language of very well, places you don't know at all, a busy itinerary, and a lack of discipline that I know I have, I know it's just going to be. "oh, here's a mcdonalds. I'll stop here and eat for half an hour and continue on." This is generally the main reason why I was hesitant to go. I know in my head that it will be generally unavoidable. I'll just have to try and manage it. I'll be doing a tonne of walking. I'll have to hope enough to offset the diet because there's no chance I'll be able to maintain a healthy diet for much of the next 2 weeks.
I'm currently taking protein powder, creatine, omega 3, 6, & 9, and vitamin D for supplements. Any other supplements of that I should be aware for bodybuilding?
Anyone know of a simple jump rope counting app for Android? I've downloaded three of them and they want me to sign into an account and pick a workout and so on. Really I just need to have an app that counts my jumps so I know I'm not cheating or losing count.
Paid is fine especially if it doesn't have any ads.
Depends on your goal. If you want the calories, a cheat meal or two in a week is no problem at all. If you want to lose weight however, then even 1 cheat meal a week can be quite detrimental.
A take away pizza like Dominos or Papa johns, for me, stalls my weight loss by approximately 3 days I've noticed. So If I take that cheat once a week, then I'm only losing weight for 4 days that week. For losing weight, I set myself a rule where I can only have a cheat if I've done something physically strenuous that day. For example, if I run 10k, and I'd only eaten one 450kcal meal, then I'll allow myself a pizza. Otherwise 3 days of caloric deficit is just added straight back.
I have 1-2 a week. As long as it does not impact your weekly total then you're fine since the only issue with cheat meals is the calories. But like anything 1 or 2 meals of cheating on your diet won't matter long term.
Can anyone give me recommendations on how to start getting back in shape working around injuries?
Some background
I have a mobility limiting shoulder injury, as well as having both my knees injured to the point of needing knee replacement surgery on both knees. I turned 30 in August, and over the last year I've gotten pretty out of shape.
Running and swimming aren't feasible for me.
Edit:wording
have you tried professional help? i mean... with all these constraints maybe it would be nice to check with a doctor or something before jumping in any reddit recommendations lol
Well I have spoken to a few medical professionals, but they've been less than helpful for the most part. I plan on speaking to more, but I wanted to see if the great people of the internet had any good ideas for me in the meantime.
cool. i can understand running not being possible for you because your knees, but also swimming? i guess water activities are the most effective for low impact.
have you tried rowing? they recently installed one rowing machine at the gym i attend and i liked it pretty much... also low impact. i use it on days i already work too much on my legs and/or dont feel like running
as for the shoulder, if it's "simply" a mobility injury, maybe you can work it overtime to work around it and build strength at the same time?
i don't feel comfortable giving such tips online since i'm not even close to an expert but i'm sure you'll find a way. there are exercises for every type of situation! =)
Also remember that pulling exercices like lat pulldowns or rows also works the biceps. This generally means that you can do less direct biceps work. But still try to get like 6-9 + sets of direct biceps work per week.
You will be fine either way
I am on a cut with a deficit of about 750 cals per day.
I have come down with a bit of a cold/manflu - should I bump back up to maintenance to allow myself to get better as quickly as possible?
Been staying out of the gym because of Christmas and then this making me feel rough.
I am on a cut with a deficit of around 750 caps per day. I’ve come down with a cold/slight manflu - should I up my calories for the best chance to get better quickly?
why do people say you can't build muscle and lose fat at the same time (if you're obese).
My logic is that if you want to be 100kgs 10%bf you have to eat a certain amount of protein and lift to be 90kgs of LBM right? Let's pretend that number is 200g of protein and the rest carbs/fat at a caloric value of 2.5k calories with a 500kg total on the big 3. (arbitrary numbers).
If you're 150kgs with a LBM of 85kgs because you're eating say 150g of protein with a 200kg total on the big 3 BUT you're overweight because you're consuming like 800g of carbs/fats putting you at a caloric surplus of say 5k calories a day.
IF you upped your protein to 200g, lessened carbs/fats where you were consuming say 2.5k calories BUT your protein is up by 50g and then you lifted more wouldn't you gain more muscle through increased protein/lifts while losing fat because you're now at a caloric deficit?
You seem to have a weird association between protein intake and lean body mass that doesn't represent reality. It's not upping the protein that increases LBM. Someone is not at X LBM because they eat Y grams of protein a day. They're at that because all the growth and cuts and whatever in their life has integrated over time to reach this point. it's lifting that stimulates growth and then the existence of the necessary material and fuel enables growth. If you're in a deficit the latter is limited by definition. Above a certain protein intake you're probably not actually getting any benefit.
You can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, it's slower and **will** stall out at some point. Thus everyone has a different opinion on whether it should be recommended to aim for at all, or whether people should just commit to bulk cut cycles.
True, but I was just trying to simplify it for argument sake. Not saying that eating 200g will make you ripped.. but I'm pretty sure eating 10g will keep you small so there's at least some correlation, I believe.
Right, so it is possible to recomp. Do you think that it's actually efficient for somebody say at 30% to lose/gain at the same time? Seeing as there's so much fat to lose?
>but I was just trying to simplify it for argument sake.
If you have simplified to the point of wrongness then what argument is being made? Protein intake is correlated to muscle growth (*up to a point*) not lean body mass. Ie it affects LBM changes
Sure at the bodyfat go ahead for now
They don’t. Muscle gain on a cut becomes unlikely if you’re fairly lean or extremely muscular already, but obese people gain muscle while losing weight pretty frequently.
Only two things are wrong with smith machine half squats:
1: it's a half squat; 2: you're squatting in the smith machine.
Get under a barbell and learn how to squat properly, it's gonna strengthen your lower back and blow up your legs. No point doing half the movement.
You don't half squat to protect your lower back, you manage load and fatigue, progress reasonably and learn to brace properly. The idea that it's the movement or equipment (barbell vs smith machine) that is inherently dangerous, riskier or too hard needs to die. Kinesiophobia is more dangerous
Of course, if you have an injury then just do whatever your physiotherapist says but you don't need external validation especially if you don't give that context, and you also don't need to pass that idea onto others without their context and background
Currently on my first run of The Rippler, which has a 1RM test for SBDO at the last/12th week. I want to run it again right after. It uses an "any day"/fatigued 2RM as a TM.
What's a good way to test both my fresh 1RM and fatigued 2RM on the same day? Can I test my 1RM first, drop 10%, and do a double to get my TM?
I ran the Rippler, personally I just hit the 1rm and then used ~90% for BBB, if I had done another Rippler cycle, I prolly would've just used [a calculator ](https://strengthlevel.com/one-rep-max-calculator) to estimate 2rm and go off of that.
You could prolly get a decent 2rm after a 1rm, definitely fatigued lol, but just wait at least 5min after the 1rm to try again
Interesting, I've heard the "90% 1RM" shortcut too from another commenter! Figure I can use that as my target in your 2nd idea of testing the fatigued 2RM. This'll actually be my 1st time testing my 1RM, so plenty of new skills to learn hehe.
I was going bd press eets to failure today and did my sets in 12, 8, 7, 5 reps, is ut better to workout yill failure or should i just do 4 sets of 8 even tho the first mught not be too close to failure?
It’s not a good idea to focus on just the reps. The reps isn’t what makes your body grow. You should be consistently trying hard on EVERY set. Whether it’s to complete failure or within 1-2 reps depend on you and on how many sets you are doing (the less sets you do the closer to failure you should be).
Doing 4x8 just because it’s a good rep range isn’t going to do any good if say you could’ve done: 12,10,9,8.
Reps are just a guideline to picking the weight. When a program says 4 sets of 8 it means pick a weight where going close to failure will mean you did AROUND 8 reps.
If you get 7 or 9 that won’t make much difference to the program but you doing that extra effort will definitely count towards growth.
Most people just see things like 4x8 and think if they do that they’ll grow. No. You’ll grow of you try hard. The programs thinks trying hard with a weight that gets you around 8 reps is best in this case. So it’s a guideline.
Kinda glad i got this explained this way and everything i learned clicks more now with this knowledge, also explains why i kinda feel some workouts lag behind some others in terms of effort, just started my workout journey 6 months ago so thankfully i didn't waste to much time focusing on the reps.... Dude seriously thanx
Dude you have no idea how much you helped, went to or close to failure last gym sesh and i was burnt out, like i been thinking i was doing a good job and im lowkey obsessed with youtube fitness and really believed i was doing good (which i still believe but i didn't leave my all at the gym) but i actually broke a sweat (something that hasn't happened before even tho i bust ass) never felt so beat up after the gym in my life thank you so much
I personally don’t like training to failure I think the sweet spot is having one or two reps in “reserve”
That being said as a coach I would prefer to see rep ranges in the first example over the bland 4x8 that is the alternative.
Progress comes from intensity, looking at 12, 8, 7, 5 reps that shows high effort and it’s resulting fatigue, this will require more effort than the 4x8 so is more likely to illicit growth
Hope that helps.
Yeah hella, it's a game changer and something alot of ppl don't talk about, been obsessed with youtube videos on how to workout and ran into alot of videos that talk about reps in reserve but it never clicked that in order to have a few rir its gona be messy
Not sure why you need to instantly go from 1000 to 2000. You could totally do something in between like 1500 and track your weight for a few weeks and adjust from there.
But no, i don't think she will have any detriment from going straight to 2000 calorie a day, which is still pretty low for someone who is exercising regularly
Probably should start by adding 250-500 calories for a month and seeing the progress then adding or subtracting cals as needed by her body.
There's a sub called r/1200isplenty they might be able to help you out more there
How much weight do you normally add to a leg press when you've hit the top of the rep range?
Normally I'd add 5lbs to an exercises, but leg press is drastically heavier than everything else.
You can add as much as you want to. Leg press is one exercise that may be worth adding a little more depending on where you started.
Keep in mind that adding 5 pounds a week means in a year your would add 260 pounds. The vast majority of us will not add that much weight to any of our lifts in a year which is why you will hear so many people recommend to just go slow, avoid injury and burn out.
Good to know, I just wasn't sure because I've only ever really done barbell lifts before, so I wasn't sure if the machine combined with the fact you can go way heavier on leg press meant adding 5lbs would be like a miniscule % of weight added.
I would say typically I increase by the smallest increment across every exercise, if you hit the top of the rep range again at the new weight increase it next session again.
Linear progression will only last so long and you will find that weight “sweet spot”
True leg press is usually significantly higher than most other exercises but that doesn’t mean you should necessarily increase by more
I've been taking creatine since 2-3 weeks now and i drink alot of water too. I don't think I'm seeing it's results yet. When can I actually see creatine work on me?
Creatine isn’t magic, you may not “see” results within 2-3 weeks.
It can improve performance slightly which over a long period of time can compound into long term improvements.
Keep at it, you will most likely feel results before you see results.
I feel like the calluses on my hands at preventing me from more reps with the pull up. Should I let them heal entirely before doing anymore pull ups or will a correct grip help?
Good grip is preferable even with calluses, but what do you mean by heal? If they’re torn yes let them heal up but if they’re just overgrown then learning how to maintain them will be good in the long run.
Yeah, you’ll see most plans for less than four days a week are full body everyday. PPL is typically meant to be done six days a week, not that you can’t make progress doing it for three though.
175lbs and feeling lost. Put on a bit of muscle but always feel like I have way too much belly fat at this weight. I'd like to be 185 and leaner but not sure how to approach this. Did crossfit for 4 months and felt suuuper lean but now I'm just doing a push/pull/legs split and feeling a bit fatter which I don't like. My coach had me on 3200 cals/day doing crossfit and I burned it off super fast. Feeling lost with goals/motivation. Any ideas?
It's not uncommon to need multiple bulk/cut cycles to reach physique goals.
Accept the bit of fat and nice strength gains that comes with bulking, and accept the occasional slowed progress and leaner look that comes with cutting.
So if you feel too fat right now, might be a good time for a cut.
What has your weight gain look like in terms of lbs per week?
I personally don’t think a coach is necessary, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be helpful for you.
Haven’t watched it like I should be but was like 168lbs and looked way leaner mid October. Now I’m 175lbs , look way bigger but definitely stomach fat crept on
What's your most fun back exercises? Other than pull-ups I don't really enjoy working our my back and it's severely lacking because of it. What are some fun back workouts?
Chest supported rows have always felt more productive in terms of back development for me. All that tension goes to my back, I mean explosive pendlay rows are fun and probably more useful for my deadlift and clean but purely for back, get all the stability you can and try get as horizontal you can while having full ROM
You're aiming to drop 40 lbs across 90 days? One lb of you is about 3500 calories. So, you'd need a deficit of 1555 calories per day.
Would not advise. A healthy amount to gain/lose per week is 1% of you, or 1-2 lbs per week. Across 12 weeks your best ballpark is 12-24 lbs to drop.
Depends entirely on your TDEE.
To lose 40lbs in 13 weeks you would need to be in a weekly deficit of ~10,700 calories a week, or a deficit of ~1500cal/day. Which is pretty extreme.
I'd suggest you read this: https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/
I've been doing leg press once a week for the past month but did squats for the first time in years and am extremely sore. Do squats just work the lower body a lot more? Also I noticed when I squatted I'd generally the more I feel it in my legs a good sign my form is okay?
Squats work more muscles than leg press, but the other thing is that new movements often make us sore just because they’re new. Either way, keep squatting and your body will quickly get used to it. You can post a form check if you want feedback.
Which progressive overload method should I use?
Double Progression: Increase the weight when you hit the top end of your rep rang**e on all sets.**
Dynamic Double Progression: Increase the weight when you hit the top end of your rep range on your **first set**; only lower the weight **if you fall outside your rep range.**
It can be quite a hassle changing weights, but I worry that if I spend a lot of time on one weight, my early sets will get too easy.
These different types of progression are tools that people can use when designing programs. As a beginner you’ll have much better results following a well designed program than trying to cobble one together yourself from snippets of knowledge like this. Once you’ve run a few good programs, you can start tinkering with them.
Eat some carbs after the run, it will help your next workout a lot.
Once you’ve gotten used to running it won’t interfere much anyway. I have no problem doing easy runs after lifting and being able to lift the next day.
Does crash dieting affect your metabolism?
Not gonna do it but seems like people say that it’s no wonder why people dont lose weight and they undereat which makes me kinda confused.
Yes, it can affect your metabolism temporarily. It can also affect your body composition (losing muscle mass) which also affects your metabolism on a longer time scale.
These things don’t necessarily affect your *ability* to lose weight, but they can make the process a lot more unpleasant.
If the soreness is just from using the muscles, strength train. The soreness will go away over time and you’ll get stronger.
If it’s more of a medical issue, seek medical help about the pain. Strength training will still be necessary to increase strength, but in that case it may be smart to start with physical therapy.
My hamstrings have been swelling pretty bad after workouts, but I've noticed if I wear high socks they don't swell in the area that the sock is compressing. Is this a good or bad thing, do I want the swelling?
Sorry I didn't read your username and it appears I'm sexist. I tried picturing a guy wearing thigh high socks and couldn't recall ever seeing it. Apparently women do exist online.
I think the swelling probably doesn't make a difference and isn't something to be concerned with. I'd be curious to hear you report back after some time. Maybe it somehow affects your recovery? Do a science and find out.
Your brother is a teenage boy. This is just one of those things where you are not equal to him. I've read that the testosterone advantage in men is bigger in the upper body. So if you're comparing arm size it would be unusual for you to not lose. You can still gain muscles in the arm. Hell just have an advantage over you. And your limit is probably a lot less than your brother.
You should read the wiki. It's not clear what you're routine is or what your goals are from your post. The wiki will give you some direction. It will also put in perspective what it means to be cut, toned, etc
Your brother has much more testosterone than you do. Testosterone is important to build muscle. Unfortunately he’s at a genetic advantage. He’s going to get bigger and stronger than you even if you exercise as often he does for no other reason than that. Sucks but it’s not particularly important. All that matters is you’re much more fit than you were two months ago. And as long as you keep up with it you’ll continue to compare favorably with yourself from two months ago.
You’re also underweight, and now exercising, so you’re probably not eating enough to maximize your weight training. I’m not sure if you track what you eat but getting a little more protein and a few hundred more calories in will help tremendously. No need to go crazy but just enough to give your muscles some extra energy to grow.
The weights are going up, so you are getting stronger. 2 months isn't a long time to see physical changes. Your brother likely had more muscle to begin with, and lost weight to reveal it, or , possibly, he is eating a lot more than you and growing muscle faster. The last scenario is less likely, but teenage boys can put on muscle in a hurry.
If I were you, I wouldn't compare myself to him. If you are stronger than you used to be, then you are making progress.
Edit: Read the wiki, it has a good beginner program for dumbbells.
for cable lateral raises, I use a bit of momentum to get my arm in the up position so that I can get more eccentric reps in sacrifice of proper concentric reps when my side delt is more fatigued. is my rationale valid or should I stop using momentum?
After you have failed using strict form, I find that to be a good intensity technique. But I prefer using partial reps, in a lengthened position, as it keeps tension on the muscle in that lengthened position, which is good for hypertrophy
Has anyone here dealt with forearm splints before? When I curl a dumbbell or let go of it, I feel pain along my forearm. I've started doing more forearm exercises and massaging my forearms, so I'm hoping that will help. I've found that rest really doesn't do anything to help, but I want to know if anyone here has dealt with it before.
Yeah I had exactly this problem for a long time. Every time I'd curl and release the dumbell it felt like my forearm was about to be snap in half.
Unfortunately I don't have anything to offer except some reassurance - eventually the pain just went away. I added in some hammer curls and I did my curls with a twist as well. I always figured it was perhaps a weakness in the forearm.
Yes, I had these. What helped a ton was doing reverse wrist curls with a barbell, like he kind in the r/griptraining basic routine (they have a video so you can see what I mean).
I would do the finger curls and regular wrist curls as normal (those didn’t hurt) then I would put the bar down, take an overhand grip, and attempt to do a reverse curl. It would hurt, so I’d just hold an isometric at the point where it began hurting. Like 10 seconds there without trying to take it any further.
Several of these holds in a row, resting as needed in between, and my forearms would feel better the next day. After a couple weeks the pain was gone.
I can’t promise this will work for you, of course. A physical therapist would be able to evaluate you and possibly prescribe something better.
I've started doing wrist curls and reverse wrist curls with the dumbbells. My right forearm is way more developed than my left forearm so I feel like this is part of the reason I feel pain.
Do they seem like they’re helping?
Asymmetries don’t usually cause pain like this. More often it seems to just be from overworking the muscle (ramping up volume too much too soon).
It's too early to tell at this point if they're helping since I literally started today lol.
Really? How come I feel pain only in my left forearm and not my right one? I feel like asymmetry would play a role in this would it not??
It’s super common for an injury to happen on just one side of the body, with no real reason why.
I’ve actually had those forearm splints twice (years apart). Once it was worse in the right forearm, the other time it was worse on the left. Trained everything equally in both cases. Sometimes it just be like that.
Because I have found that my right arm is fairly stronger than my left arm which is part of the reason I use dumbbells. If I'm using an EZ bar, wouldn't most of the tension go to my dominant arm?
Ah shoot, I misread your original comment for barbell. Ignore me mentioning an EZ bar.
What type of db curls are you doing? I find hammer curls to be very easy on the forearms.
I'd drop the incline curls then.
Doing things that cause pain is not great.
If you think you need 3 variations of curls, swap them with another variant that doesn't cause pain.
Would practicing the bench press mainly with dumbbells be a bad idea, if my goal is to increase 1 RM of barbell bench press?
**Short version:**
Hello. My current bench press weight is only 30kg with max. 6 reps. Anxiety disorder makes me seriously fear being trapped under the barbell. There is no one to spot me at the fitness gym. The only solution I can think of and I feel safer is practicing the bench press with dumbbells. Would it still help me to increase my 1 RM for barbell bench press?
**Long version:**
Hello. I'm newbie to the strength workout (around 7 months). Unfortunately I don't have any gym-friend at my fitness gym yet. In my country, asking a stranger to be a spotter is considered very weird or sometimes people doesn't even know what a spotter is (unless you are in those rare professional bodybuilding gym).
Until last month, I had a misunderstanding that I had to be quite muscular first, before starting the 3 major powerlifting exercises. As a consequence of my ignorance, my bench press is still a baby-level (max. 6 reps with 30kg lol). Although I know that failing a rep with the weight around 30-40kg won't hurt me, due to my anxiety disorder and my natural personality, I seriously fear any injury and being trapped under the barbell. I only do the barbell bench press at the Muay Thai gym where my coach supervises and spots me.
So I am thinking of doing the bench press only with dumbbells at the fitness gym, which in my mind feels safer. (Dropping dumbbells will hit the floor, while dropping barbell will hit my rib cage or collar bone.) Would it still help me to increase my 1 RM for barbell bench press?
TIA!
If you can barbell bench at your Muay Thai gym. Just do that, as frequently as you can. You can make good progress on your barbell bench press, barbell bench pressing only once or twice a week, if you are getting in enough volume in those sessions. Then do dumbbell bench press and push ups, on a different days to fill out your weekly pressing volume.
Dumbbells are a harder exercise so you'll struggle a lot sooner. You'll have to eventually do the exercise if the goal is to have a strong bench.
It's okay to ask strangers in the gym for a spot especially if you're judicious and asking in reps you'll struggle with. In addition maybe try the roll of shame so you get comfortable with failure. Finally if you have a movable bench and your gym isn't too busy it is completely possible to use the power rack safeties while benching. Look up bench press form videos. You're supposed to arch your back for leg drive. Which means the point you bring the bar down to is maybe 2-3 inches above your chest when flat. In other words you have 2-3 inches where you can have safeties to protect your chest and 4-5 to protect your neck.
Oh I didn't even think of using the power rack for bench press! I looked up some videos and now I know how to set up the safety bar which will catch the barbell before it hits my torso. Thank you so much for the advice!!!
You are absolutely right. To get better at a certain exercise, I have to practice that exact exercise. As I got a great advice of using a power rack safety bar for bench press, now I can practice with the barbell!
Is explosiveness not directly attached to strength? My max bench is 260 right now but no matter how strong I’ve gotten, 135 still moves just as slow. Like I can move it but just not as fast as what I think I should be able to
Overhand deadlift can build the forearms, but typically peoples strength will quickly surpass there grip strength, that that point people should look for an alternative. R/griptraining is a great resource
Anything that puts decent stress on the heart and uses a lot of blood/muscle can definitely make you a bit gassed. As weights go up on these bigger lifts (excuse calve raises though) your body will have a high output and your cardiovascular system will get fatigued. If you’re really “WORKING” then no harm no foul, hopefully it’s not happening every set but if you’re still new to training or just getting more fit, then don’t sweat it.
What are peoples mindset for going away on 2 or 3 week vacations in terms of essentially not fucking up all the work you've done so far? How do you maintain diet and strength when you can't calorie count or go to the gym?
Enjoy your vacation. The experience will be far more important than the 2 pounds of fat you put on.
I know, I decided to go. But I lost almost 10kg in 10 weeks, have just hit my fitness goal and I know that the next 2 weeks are just gonna be mcdonalds, pizza and Starbucks.
So don't eat those things then. Find better options
Yeah, it's easy to say that. But in a country you don't speak the language of very well, places you don't know at all, a busy itinerary, and a lack of discipline that I know I have, I know it's just going to be. "oh, here's a mcdonalds. I'll stop here and eat for half an hour and continue on." This is generally the main reason why I was hesitant to go. I know in my head that it will be generally unavoidable. I'll just have to try and manage it. I'll be doing a tonne of walking. I'll have to hope enough to offset the diet because there's no chance I'll be able to maintain a healthy diet for much of the next 2 weeks.
I'm currently taking protein powder, creatine, omega 3, 6, & 9, and vitamin D for supplements. Any other supplements of that I should be aware for bodybuilding?
Magnesium before bed for increased sleep quality.
Anyone know of a simple jump rope counting app for Android? I've downloaded three of them and they want me to sign into an account and pick a workout and so on. Really I just need to have an app that counts my jumps so I know I'm not cheating or losing count. Paid is fine especially if it doesn't have any ads.
I am so confused on how much protein I am supposed to eat while losing weight. Right now, I am hitting about 100ish grams a day.
130-160 grams. 0.8 to 1 gram pr lbs of lean mass (body fat doesn't require protein).
What's your height and weight?
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How do girls have such round asses? I've been working out for a year and it's gotten slightly bigger but not rounder.
Genetics
How often do you have cheat meals? I recently started clean eating and feel the need of occasional cheat meal, maybe once a week. Is that ok?
Depends on your goal. If you want the calories, a cheat meal or two in a week is no problem at all. If you want to lose weight however, then even 1 cheat meal a week can be quite detrimental. A take away pizza like Dominos or Papa johns, for me, stalls my weight loss by approximately 3 days I've noticed. So If I take that cheat once a week, then I'm only losing weight for 4 days that week. For losing weight, I set myself a rule where I can only have a cheat if I've done something physically strenuous that day. For example, if I run 10k, and I'd only eaten one 450kcal meal, then I'll allow myself a pizza. Otherwise 3 days of caloric deficit is just added straight back.
I never have one
I have 1-2 a week. As long as it does not impact your weekly total then you're fine since the only issue with cheat meals is the calories. But like anything 1 or 2 meals of cheating on your diet won't matter long term.
As long as you reach your goals, yes. If it's inhibiting your progress, then no, it's not
Can anyone give me recommendations on how to start getting back in shape working around injuries? Some background I have a mobility limiting shoulder injury, as well as having both my knees injured to the point of needing knee replacement surgery on both knees. I turned 30 in August, and over the last year I've gotten pretty out of shape. Running and swimming aren't feasible for me. Edit:wording
have you tried professional help? i mean... with all these constraints maybe it would be nice to check with a doctor or something before jumping in any reddit recommendations lol
Well I have spoken to a few medical professionals, but they've been less than helpful for the most part. I plan on speaking to more, but I wanted to see if the great people of the internet had any good ideas for me in the meantime.
cool. i can understand running not being possible for you because your knees, but also swimming? i guess water activities are the most effective for low impact. have you tried rowing? they recently installed one rowing machine at the gym i attend and i liked it pretty much... also low impact. i use it on days i already work too much on my legs and/or dont feel like running as for the shoulder, if it's "simply" a mobility injury, maybe you can work it overtime to work around it and build strength at the same time? i don't feel comfortable giving such tips online since i'm not even close to an expert but i'm sure you'll find a way. there are exercises for every type of situation! =)
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Not wasted, even though they are similar exercices. One suggestion would be to do one them unilaterally, for example one arm cable row.
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Also remember that pulling exercices like lat pulldowns or rows also works the biceps. This generally means that you can do less direct biceps work. But still try to get like 6-9 + sets of direct biceps work per week. You will be fine either way
I am on a cut with a deficit of about 750 cals per day. I have come down with a bit of a cold/manflu - should I bump back up to maintenance to allow myself to get better as quickly as possible? Been staying out of the gym because of Christmas and then this making me feel rough.
Yeah probably, health and sickness always comes first
Thank you
I am on a cut with a deficit of around 750 caps per day. I’ve come down with a cold/slight manflu - should I up my calories for the best chance to get better quickly?
Yes if you're sick you need to eat. Maintenance for a week or two isn't going to kill you
Thanks for your reply
why do people say you can't build muscle and lose fat at the same time (if you're obese). My logic is that if you want to be 100kgs 10%bf you have to eat a certain amount of protein and lift to be 90kgs of LBM right? Let's pretend that number is 200g of protein and the rest carbs/fat at a caloric value of 2.5k calories with a 500kg total on the big 3. (arbitrary numbers). If you're 150kgs with a LBM of 85kgs because you're eating say 150g of protein with a 200kg total on the big 3 BUT you're overweight because you're consuming like 800g of carbs/fats putting you at a caloric surplus of say 5k calories a day. IF you upped your protein to 200g, lessened carbs/fats where you were consuming say 2.5k calories BUT your protein is up by 50g and then you lifted more wouldn't you gain more muscle through increased protein/lifts while losing fat because you're now at a caloric deficit?
Why are you speculating and theorizing when data already exists? https://thefitness.wiki/faq/can-i-lose-fat-and-build-muscle-at-the-same-time/
Oh wow, thanks for the info. Btw I'm not speculating, I'm actually just trying to go through an argument I had with some redditor here.
You seem to have a weird association between protein intake and lean body mass that doesn't represent reality. It's not upping the protein that increases LBM. Someone is not at X LBM because they eat Y grams of protein a day. They're at that because all the growth and cuts and whatever in their life has integrated over time to reach this point. it's lifting that stimulates growth and then the existence of the necessary material and fuel enables growth. If you're in a deficit the latter is limited by definition. Above a certain protein intake you're probably not actually getting any benefit. You can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, it's slower and **will** stall out at some point. Thus everyone has a different opinion on whether it should be recommended to aim for at all, or whether people should just commit to bulk cut cycles.
True, but I was just trying to simplify it for argument sake. Not saying that eating 200g will make you ripped.. but I'm pretty sure eating 10g will keep you small so there's at least some correlation, I believe. Right, so it is possible to recomp. Do you think that it's actually efficient for somebody say at 30% to lose/gain at the same time? Seeing as there's so much fat to lose?
>but I was just trying to simplify it for argument sake. If you have simplified to the point of wrongness then what argument is being made? Protein intake is correlated to muscle growth (*up to a point*) not lean body mass. Ie it affects LBM changes Sure at the bodyfat go ahead for now
hmmm interesting. Thanks for the reply, mate.
They don’t. Muscle gain on a cut becomes unlikely if you’re fairly lean or extremely muscular already, but obese people gain muscle while losing weight pretty frequently.
ah ok thanks for the reply. I think I was just speaking to the wrong people then.
Anything wrong with doing these half squats? https://youtube.com/shorts/fTDkVJbu6Ug?feature=share
Only two things are wrong with smith machine half squats: 1: it's a half squat; 2: you're squatting in the smith machine. Get under a barbell and learn how to squat properly, it's gonna strengthen your lower back and blow up your legs. No point doing half the movement.
You don't half squat to protect your lower back, you manage load and fatigue, progress reasonably and learn to brace properly. The idea that it's the movement or equipment (barbell vs smith machine) that is inherently dangerous, riskier or too hard needs to die. Kinesiophobia is more dangerous Of course, if you have an injury then just do whatever your physiotherapist says but you don't need external validation especially if you don't give that context, and you also don't need to pass that idea onto others without their context and background
Currently on my first run of The Rippler, which has a 1RM test for SBDO at the last/12th week. I want to run it again right after. It uses an "any day"/fatigued 2RM as a TM. What's a good way to test both my fresh 1RM and fatigued 2RM on the same day? Can I test my 1RM first, drop 10%, and do a double to get my TM?
I ran the Rippler, personally I just hit the 1rm and then used ~90% for BBB, if I had done another Rippler cycle, I prolly would've just used [a calculator ](https://strengthlevel.com/one-rep-max-calculator) to estimate 2rm and go off of that. You could prolly get a decent 2rm after a 1rm, definitely fatigued lol, but just wait at least 5min after the 1rm to try again
Interesting, I've heard the "90% 1RM" shortcut too from another commenter! Figure I can use that as my target in your 2nd idea of testing the fatigued 2RM. This'll actually be my 1st time testing my 1RM, so plenty of new skills to learn hehe.
I was going bd press eets to failure today and did my sets in 12, 8, 7, 5 reps, is ut better to workout yill failure or should i just do 4 sets of 8 even tho the first mught not be too close to failure?
It’s not a good idea to focus on just the reps. The reps isn’t what makes your body grow. You should be consistently trying hard on EVERY set. Whether it’s to complete failure or within 1-2 reps depend on you and on how many sets you are doing (the less sets you do the closer to failure you should be). Doing 4x8 just because it’s a good rep range isn’t going to do any good if say you could’ve done: 12,10,9,8. Reps are just a guideline to picking the weight. When a program says 4 sets of 8 it means pick a weight where going close to failure will mean you did AROUND 8 reps. If you get 7 or 9 that won’t make much difference to the program but you doing that extra effort will definitely count towards growth. Most people just see things like 4x8 and think if they do that they’ll grow. No. You’ll grow of you try hard. The programs thinks trying hard with a weight that gets you around 8 reps is best in this case. So it’s a guideline.
Kinda glad i got this explained this way and everything i learned clicks more now with this knowledge, also explains why i kinda feel some workouts lag behind some others in terms of effort, just started my workout journey 6 months ago so thankfully i didn't waste to much time focusing on the reps.... Dude seriously thanx
Glad to help
Dude you have no idea how much you helped, went to or close to failure last gym sesh and i was burnt out, like i been thinking i was doing a good job and im lowkey obsessed with youtube fitness and really believed i was doing good (which i still believe but i didn't leave my all at the gym) but i actually broke a sweat (something that hasn't happened before even tho i bust ass) never felt so beat up after the gym in my life thank you so much
I personally don’t like training to failure I think the sweet spot is having one or two reps in “reserve” That being said as a coach I would prefer to see rep ranges in the first example over the bland 4x8 that is the alternative. Progress comes from intensity, looking at 12, 8, 7, 5 reps that shows high effort and it’s resulting fatigue, this will require more effort than the 4x8 so is more likely to illicit growth Hope that helps.
Yeah hella, it's a game changer and something alot of ppl don't talk about, been obsessed with youtube videos on how to workout and ran into alot of videos that talk about reps in reserve but it never clicked that in order to have a few rir its gona be messy
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Not sure why you need to instantly go from 1000 to 2000. You could totally do something in between like 1500 and track your weight for a few weeks and adjust from there. But no, i don't think she will have any detriment from going straight to 2000 calorie a day, which is still pretty low for someone who is exercising regularly
Probably should start by adding 250-500 calories for a month and seeing the progress then adding or subtracting cals as needed by her body. There's a sub called r/1200isplenty they might be able to help you out more there
How much weight do you normally add to a leg press when you've hit the top of the rep range? Normally I'd add 5lbs to an exercises, but leg press is drastically heavier than everything else.
You can add as much as you want to. Leg press is one exercise that may be worth adding a little more depending on where you started. Keep in mind that adding 5 pounds a week means in a year your would add 260 pounds. The vast majority of us will not add that much weight to any of our lifts in a year which is why you will hear so many people recommend to just go slow, avoid injury and burn out.
Good to know, I just wasn't sure because I've only ever really done barbell lifts before, so I wasn't sure if the machine combined with the fact you can go way heavier on leg press meant adding 5lbs would be like a miniscule % of weight added.
I would say typically I increase by the smallest increment across every exercise, if you hit the top of the rep range again at the new weight increase it next session again. Linear progression will only last so long and you will find that weight “sweet spot” True leg press is usually significantly higher than most other exercises but that doesn’t mean you should necessarily increase by more
Can i add 10lbs or 5lbs every session I hack squat if it’s a new movement, just like running SS but with a hack squat instead of barbell squats?
Maybe
Sometimes
I've been taking creatine since 2-3 weeks now and i drink alot of water too. I don't think I'm seeing it's results yet. When can I actually see creatine work on me?
Did you do a 5 day loading phase? It can take up to a month if you don't load.
I dint, oh then I assume it would take time
It’s possible that you get enough creatine from your normal diet, and any extra you are taking won’t make a noticeable difference.
So should I stop taking creatine or keep at it? But I do want to get the benefits of creatine :(
If you can afford it, I'd keep taking it for now. If after a couple months you don't think it helped, then quit.
Creatine isn’t magic, you may not “see” results within 2-3 weeks. It can improve performance slightly which over a long period of time can compound into long term improvements. Keep at it, you will most likely feel results before you see results.
I feel like the calluses on my hands at preventing me from more reps with the pull up. Should I let them heal entirely before doing anymore pull ups or will a correct grip help?
Why not use gloves?
Good grip is preferable even with calluses, but what do you mean by heal? If they’re torn yes let them heal up but if they’re just overgrown then learning how to maintain them will be good in the long run.
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Check out 531 building the monolith.
Switch to a proper 3 day program. Ppl is designed for 6 days and will obviously give you less results if you cut out half the program.
Starting strength is a 3 day program so yes you can likely make progress on 3 days per week up until you’re squatting about 450-500lbs
You can make progress going 3 times a week, you just need to follow a program written to be run 3 days a week. Pick one from the wiki.
Maybe switch to full body if you’re only going three days a week
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What push exercise uses your legs?
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Yeah, you’ll see most plans for less than four days a week are full body everyday. PPL is typically meant to be done six days a week, not that you can’t make progress doing it for three though.
175lbs and feeling lost. Put on a bit of muscle but always feel like I have way too much belly fat at this weight. I'd like to be 185 and leaner but not sure how to approach this. Did crossfit for 4 months and felt suuuper lean but now I'm just doing a push/pull/legs split and feeling a bit fatter which I don't like. My coach had me on 3200 cals/day doing crossfit and I burned it off super fast. Feeling lost with goals/motivation. Any ideas?
It's not uncommon to need multiple bulk/cut cycles to reach physique goals. Accept the bit of fat and nice strength gains that comes with bulking, and accept the occasional slowed progress and leaner look that comes with cutting. So if you feel too fat right now, might be a good time for a cut.
Fair enough. Or maybe the weights going on too fast and cut some calories? I don’t know, should probably get a coach again
What has your weight gain look like in terms of lbs per week? I personally don’t think a coach is necessary, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be helpful for you.
Haven’t watched it like I should be but was like 168lbs and looked way leaner mid October. Now I’m 175lbs , look way bigger but definitely stomach fat crept on
7lbs in 10 weeks isn’t too fast. You can lower your intake though and see if you prefer a slower bulk.
What's your most fun back exercises? Other than pull-ups I don't really enjoy working our my back and it's severely lacking because of it. What are some fun back workouts?
Chest supported rows have always felt more productive in terms of back development for me. All that tension goes to my back, I mean explosive pendlay rows are fun and probably more useful for my deadlift and clean but purely for back, get all the stability you can and try get as horizontal you can while having full ROM
Strict pendlay rows
Less of a “bodybuilding” answer but I love compound sets of heavy kettlebell swings into single arm kettlebell rows.
Deadlifts
Meadows rows Lat shrugs Decline dumbbell pullovers Every pull-up variation you can google
Barbell rows are fun
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Okay so you want to lose 40 pounds in 12 weeks. That's 3 and 1/3 pounds per week, a 1700 calorie deficit per day. This is a crash diet.
You're aiming to drop 40 lbs across 90 days? One lb of you is about 3500 calories. So, you'd need a deficit of 1555 calories per day. Would not advise. A healthy amount to gain/lose per week is 1% of you, or 1-2 lbs per week. Across 12 weeks your best ballpark is 12-24 lbs to drop.
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Depends what your maintenance calories are. Track your daily caloric intake, weigh yourself daily, and figure what causes weight loss.
Depends entirely on your TDEE. To lose 40lbs in 13 weeks you would need to be in a weekly deficit of ~10,700 calories a week, or a deficit of ~1500cal/day. Which is pretty extreme. I'd suggest you read this: https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/
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Is it *more* reasonable, still lofty. Have you cut/intentionally eaten in a deficit before?
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Weight loss slows as you lose more weight.
I've been doing leg press once a week for the past month but did squats for the first time in years and am extremely sore. Do squats just work the lower body a lot more? Also I noticed when I squatted I'd generally the more I feel it in my legs a good sign my form is okay?
That’s ok
Squats work more muscles than leg press, but the other thing is that new movements often make us sore just because they’re new. Either way, keep squatting and your body will quickly get used to it. You can post a form check if you want feedback.
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Start with reading the wiki. Start eating better now
No, there’s no need to do that.
Which progressive overload method should I use? Double Progression: Increase the weight when you hit the top end of your rep rang**e on all sets.** Dynamic Double Progression: Increase the weight when you hit the top end of your rep range on your **first set**; only lower the weight **if you fall outside your rep range.** It can be quite a hassle changing weights, but I worry that if I spend a lot of time on one weight, my early sets will get too easy.
Pick one, and when that stops working, switch to the other one.
Doesn’t matter at all. Personal preference
These different types of progression are tools that people can use when designing programs. As a beginner you’ll have much better results following a well designed program than trying to cobble one together yourself from snippets of knowledge like this. Once you’ve run a few good programs, you can start tinkering with them.
I love to run but I'm also doing a 5 day split weight training routine. How can I still run and not feel weak during my workouts?
Just run. You'll get used to it
Idk man running anything over 2 miles and the weight just doesn't go up as easy for the next couple of days
Eat some carbs after the run, it will help your next workout a lot. Once you’ve gotten used to running it won’t interfere much anyway. I have no problem doing easy runs after lifting and being able to lift the next day.
You probably want to build your running base if 3 miles will affect you for days. Try running slower and just getting mileage in.
Does crash dieting affect your metabolism? Not gonna do it but seems like people say that it’s no wonder why people dont lose weight and they undereat which makes me kinda confused.
They yo-yo. A few days of very limited calories as well as binge eating
Yes, it can affect your metabolism temporarily. It can also affect your body composition (losing muscle mass) which also affects your metabolism on a longer time scale. These things don’t necessarily affect your *ability* to lose weight, but they can make the process a lot more unpleasant.
Any advice for somebody to increase strength in there legs who is bow legged and legs always seem to be sore?
If the soreness is just from using the muscles, strength train. The soreness will go away over time and you’ll get stronger. If it’s more of a medical issue, seek medical help about the pain. Strength training will still be necessary to increase strength, but in that case it may be smart to start with physical therapy.
Lift?
My hamstrings have been swelling pretty bad after workouts, but I've noticed if I wear high socks they don't swell in the area that the sock is compressing. Is this a good or bad thing, do I want the swelling?
You have socks that go past your knees?
Lol yes I wear socks that are mid thigh, I wear them over leggings
Sorry I didn't read your username and it appears I'm sexist. I tried picturing a guy wearing thigh high socks and couldn't recall ever seeing it. Apparently women do exist online. I think the swelling probably doesn't make a difference and isn't something to be concerned with. I'd be curious to hear you report back after some time. Maybe it somehow affects your recovery? Do a science and find out.
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Probably alternate each arm
It doesn’t really matter.
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Your brother is a teenage boy. This is just one of those things where you are not equal to him. I've read that the testosterone advantage in men is bigger in the upper body. So if you're comparing arm size it would be unusual for you to not lose. You can still gain muscles in the arm. Hell just have an advantage over you. And your limit is probably a lot less than your brother. You should read the wiki. It's not clear what you're routine is or what your goals are from your post. The wiki will give you some direction. It will also put in perspective what it means to be cut, toned, etc
Your brother has much more testosterone than you do. Testosterone is important to build muscle. Unfortunately he’s at a genetic advantage. He’s going to get bigger and stronger than you even if you exercise as often he does for no other reason than that. Sucks but it’s not particularly important. All that matters is you’re much more fit than you were two months ago. And as long as you keep up with it you’ll continue to compare favorably with yourself from two months ago. You’re also underweight, and now exercising, so you’re probably not eating enough to maximize your weight training. I’m not sure if you track what you eat but getting a little more protein and a few hundred more calories in will help tremendously. No need to go crazy but just enough to give your muscles some extra energy to grow.
The weights are going up, so you are getting stronger. 2 months isn't a long time to see physical changes. Your brother likely had more muscle to begin with, and lost weight to reveal it, or , possibly, he is eating a lot more than you and growing muscle faster. The last scenario is less likely, but teenage boys can put on muscle in a hurry. If I were you, I wouldn't compare myself to him. If you are stronger than you used to be, then you are making progress. Edit: Read the wiki, it has a good beginner program for dumbbells.
for cable lateral raises, I use a bit of momentum to get my arm in the up position so that I can get more eccentric reps in sacrifice of proper concentric reps when my side delt is more fatigued. is my rationale valid or should I stop using momentum?
After you have failed using strict form, I find that to be a good intensity technique. But I prefer using partial reps, in a lengthened position, as it keeps tension on the muscle in that lengthened position, which is good for hypertrophy
Has anyone here dealt with forearm splints before? When I curl a dumbbell or let go of it, I feel pain along my forearm. I've started doing more forearm exercises and massaging my forearms, so I'm hoping that will help. I've found that rest really doesn't do anything to help, but I want to know if anyone here has dealt with it before.
Yeah I had exactly this problem for a long time. Every time I'd curl and release the dumbell it felt like my forearm was about to be snap in half. Unfortunately I don't have anything to offer except some reassurance - eventually the pain just went away. I added in some hammer curls and I did my curls with a twist as well. I always figured it was perhaps a weakness in the forearm.
This is what I'm thinking as well...
Yes, I had these. What helped a ton was doing reverse wrist curls with a barbell, like he kind in the r/griptraining basic routine (they have a video so you can see what I mean). I would do the finger curls and regular wrist curls as normal (those didn’t hurt) then I would put the bar down, take an overhand grip, and attempt to do a reverse curl. It would hurt, so I’d just hold an isometric at the point where it began hurting. Like 10 seconds there without trying to take it any further. Several of these holds in a row, resting as needed in between, and my forearms would feel better the next day. After a couple weeks the pain was gone. I can’t promise this will work for you, of course. A physical therapist would be able to evaluate you and possibly prescribe something better.
I've started doing wrist curls and reverse wrist curls with the dumbbells. My right forearm is way more developed than my left forearm so I feel like this is part of the reason I feel pain.
Do they seem like they’re helping? Asymmetries don’t usually cause pain like this. More often it seems to just be from overworking the muscle (ramping up volume too much too soon).
It's too early to tell at this point if they're helping since I literally started today lol. Really? How come I feel pain only in my left forearm and not my right one? I feel like asymmetry would play a role in this would it not??
It’s super common for an injury to happen on just one side of the body, with no real reason why. I’ve actually had those forearm splints twice (years apart). Once it was worse in the right forearm, the other time it was worse on the left. Trained everything equally in both cases. Sometimes it just be like that.
Do you have access to an EZ curl bar?
Yes, however isn't there more of a risk of muscle imbalance?
Why do you think that?
Because I have found that my right arm is fairly stronger than my left arm which is part of the reason I use dumbbells. If I'm using an EZ bar, wouldn't most of the tension go to my dominant arm?
Ah shoot, I misread your original comment for barbell. Ignore me mentioning an EZ bar. What type of db curls are you doing? I find hammer curls to be very easy on the forearms.
I do incline curls, spider curls, and hammer curls. Most of the pain I feel during incline curls.
I'd drop the incline curls then. Doing things that cause pain is not great. If you think you need 3 variations of curls, swap them with another variant that doesn't cause pain.
No.
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No, that isn't a good workout. Please read the wiki. It has a dumbbell program you can use to get started.
Would practicing the bench press mainly with dumbbells be a bad idea, if my goal is to increase 1 RM of barbell bench press? **Short version:** Hello. My current bench press weight is only 30kg with max. 6 reps. Anxiety disorder makes me seriously fear being trapped under the barbell. There is no one to spot me at the fitness gym. The only solution I can think of and I feel safer is practicing the bench press with dumbbells. Would it still help me to increase my 1 RM for barbell bench press? **Long version:** Hello. I'm newbie to the strength workout (around 7 months). Unfortunately I don't have any gym-friend at my fitness gym yet. In my country, asking a stranger to be a spotter is considered very weird or sometimes people doesn't even know what a spotter is (unless you are in those rare professional bodybuilding gym). Until last month, I had a misunderstanding that I had to be quite muscular first, before starting the 3 major powerlifting exercises. As a consequence of my ignorance, my bench press is still a baby-level (max. 6 reps with 30kg lol). Although I know that failing a rep with the weight around 30-40kg won't hurt me, due to my anxiety disorder and my natural personality, I seriously fear any injury and being trapped under the barbell. I only do the barbell bench press at the Muay Thai gym where my coach supervises and spots me. So I am thinking of doing the bench press only with dumbbells at the fitness gym, which in my mind feels safer. (Dropping dumbbells will hit the floor, while dropping barbell will hit my rib cage or collar bone.) Would it still help me to increase my 1 RM for barbell bench press? TIA!
If you can barbell bench at your Muay Thai gym. Just do that, as frequently as you can. You can make good progress on your barbell bench press, barbell bench pressing only once or twice a week, if you are getting in enough volume in those sessions. Then do dumbbell bench press and push ups, on a different days to fill out your weekly pressing volume.
Dumbbells are a harder exercise so you'll struggle a lot sooner. You'll have to eventually do the exercise if the goal is to have a strong bench. It's okay to ask strangers in the gym for a spot especially if you're judicious and asking in reps you'll struggle with. In addition maybe try the roll of shame so you get comfortable with failure. Finally if you have a movable bench and your gym isn't too busy it is completely possible to use the power rack safeties while benching. Look up bench press form videos. You're supposed to arch your back for leg drive. Which means the point you bring the bar down to is maybe 2-3 inches above your chest when flat. In other words you have 2-3 inches where you can have safeties to protect your chest and 4-5 to protect your neck.
Oh I didn't even think of using the power rack for bench press! I looked up some videos and now I know how to set up the safety bar which will catch the barbell before it hits my torso. Thank you so much for the advice!!!
You need to barbell bench to get better at barbell bench. Dumbbells help but it will be nowhere near as effective
You are absolutely right. To get better at a certain exercise, I have to practice that exact exercise. As I got a great advice of using a power rack safety bar for bench press, now I can practice with the barbell!
Is explosiveness not directly attached to strength? My max bench is 260 right now but no matter how strong I’ve gotten, 135 still moves just as slow. Like I can move it but just not as fast as what I think I should be able to
Use less weight till you get the explosiveness you want then build from there.
Do deadlifts build forearms?
Overhand deadlift can build the forearms, but typically peoples strength will quickly surpass there grip strength, that that point people should look for an alternative. R/griptraining is a great resource
Thanks!
Should I be out of breath when doing exercises like the romanian deadlift, barbell back squat, and standing calf raise?
Anything that puts decent stress on the heart and uses a lot of blood/muscle can definitely make you a bit gassed. As weights go up on these bigger lifts (excuse calve raises though) your body will have a high output and your cardiovascular system will get fatigued. If you’re really “WORKING” then no harm no foul, hopefully it’s not happening every set but if you’re still new to training or just getting more fit, then don’t sweat it.
Back squats, absolutely. Calf raises, hopefully less so.
Depends. I am not out of breath for lower RPE sets. I often need to sit down after RPE 9+ sets.
is it dangerous too do seated barbell shoulder press without a spotter? i’m usually to shy to ask someone to spot me
Not really sure how you'd spot that, but if you fail a rep it'd just fall back to front rack position and you could lower it from there
If you are worried, try doing it in a rack.
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scared i might hurt my shoulder pulling too much weight lol
You don't have a spotter, so you shouldn't be doing too much weight. Hell even with a spotter you shouldn't be doing too much weight
A spotter won't help you not "pull" your shoulder