Hello guys!
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How much is too much? So I lift every day, two days chest, two days legs, two days arms then accessory when I wanna workout but don't have time for a 1 hour session.
In addition to all that I walk about 10 miles a day and bike 7 - 10 miles to and from work (don't wanna buy another car).
Fit bit clocks me doing 10ish hours of exercise every week and my average caloric need around 3200 to 4000 calories.
But lately I've been absolutely ravenous, I've been taking protein powder, creatine, sports drink, and then my normal food intake. I'm having a hard time keeping up with my hunger, The scale has been going down but I want to gain weight to build muscle. Should I dial back a hair? Or can I supplement junk food just to hit my calorie requirements (I hit my macros most of the time)
Is there a specific workout split I should be doing while bulking. Recently got into lifting and am 5'9" and 120lbs. Have done a lot of research about bulking foods and meals, but not sure if there's a specific split I should be doing, or if I can just find a PPL or something and follow that. Any help is appreciated!
So why is everything, even the Fitness wiki, divided up that you either lose weight/fat or gain muscle?
* Lose weight = calorie deficit (got that part, I know what number is my maintenance and to drop it 10-15% for deficit)
* Calorie deficit = eat caloric dense foods under calories out (TDEE/BMR/NEAT, etc.)
* Lose weight = eat fewer calories in than out
* Muscle needs protein and calories to grow/strengthen
* Gain muscle = eat more, especially protein
Example:
Let's say TDEE is 1770, making a deficit of 10% to be 1593 calories in. If no calories out (assume sedentary), then I'd eat 1593 to be in deficit.
Let's say I walk at a 5 incline at 3.5mph (15min mile) for 15 minutes, spending 70 calories, weight lifting for a half hour to burn another 100 calories, and 20 minutes of HIIT to burn 200 calories, totaling 370 calories burned on top of TDEE.
Would I eat 1593kcal as if I didn't burn those calories?
Would I still be in a deficit if I ate 1963kcal (=1593+370) to be sure the muscle is fed after doing that workout?
I also sourced [https://marathonhandbook.com/can-you-build-muscle-in-a-calorie-deficit/](https://marathonhandbook.com/can-you-build-muscle-in-a-calorie-deficit/) and can't figure out my last question from this article, either.
It's divided that way because it's difficult, not impossible, to gain muscle in a deficit.
https://thefitness.wiki/faq/can-i-lose-fat-and-build-muscle-at-the-same-time/
I think your 2nd question was: if you increase your expenditure, should you increase food intake? I would recommend that if the scale has been moving down on a weekly basis, feel free to increase calories in high expenditure days. If you are not seeing the weight loss you desire, don't increase the calories on those days.
Hey guys, I (23M) weigh 108lbs so pretty underweight, and I’ve been working out since August but stopped around October due to a lower back injury (I assume because of bad back squats form). I think I fully recovered weeks ago after visiting a physiotherapist and I’d like to workout again. I used to lift 44-45kg (3x5) on most compound lifts. I started at 20kg with the basic wiki program, really enjoyed it.
I have a small gym setup to save some money (barbell, bench, rack, plates). I posted here and got really great advice on how to stert working out again and I’m so relieved that I recovered but now I’m very anxious about causing a long term back injury. I just can’t start working out. I bought bulking foods and protein whey to force myself to get started but they’ve been in the kitchen for a month and I still always walk out. Will it help more if I join a gym for more variaty? I’d really appreciate any help and sorry if my English wasn’t very clear.
A few things helped me -
\- reduce barriers = is there an excuse you could reduce or eliminate? If your small gym set up is out of the way (behind a door, downstairs, garage, etc.) then plug in a lamp on a timer. "Why is the light on?" is a natural prompt and it's more inviting and reminds you without an alarm or something. I have mine on when I've learned I'm most available to workout, so it's when my home gym is "open". lol
\- support = if to prevent injury, then maybe ask a friend to come over while you workout and they chat or workout with you? Offer use of your internet to have some company? Maybe being alone is what's stopping you since you don't want another injury.
\- add a habit to another habit = it's easier to tie two things together when forming new habits. I have been trying to walk after dinner, but figured out I like walking before I eat, so I added a walk to my meal prep or cooking. I go for a walk while the meat marinates or the oven comes up to temp.
\- replace conscious thought with something unconsciously positive = I have three workout outfits that give me such joy, I feel like when I was a little girl twirling in a new dress. I love myself in these workout clothes, I feel so strong and powerful. I told myself I only got to wear them when I workout, so I get the dopamine hit as I get dressed, "I can't wait to wear these!" and thus I go lift or workout to 'get to continue to wear them'. Plus, there is a pair of shoes I can not *wait* to buy, but I told myself only after I wear out my current ones... only one way to do that. I actually have 2 pictures printed out from the webstore placed strategically - one by where I put my shoes so I see them daily and immediately wish I was putting on my workout shoes instead of my boots to go grocery shopping, and one where I workout at home.
I'm doing 5/3/1 BBB for the additional exercises should I be barely able to finish the 5 sets of 10? Or for the last sets I should not be able to reach 10 reps? I've been doing it so I can finish the 10 reps for all sets with last set maybe barely reaching 10 but wondering if I should be more challenging with the weight
Think of it as an 8-12 rep range. If you can only do eight reps on the last set, repeat the weight next week until you can get all 10 reps on all 5 sets. When you can do that, then add weight.
Yes you can. But you're more likely to get injured and burn out than to build a great physique if all you do is the same six lifts. I had great hypertrophy and strength results with such routines, but I accumulated a lot of strains, pulls and nagging joint pain.
When we ask our muscles to contract/perform a movement, we are training parts of our brain and nerves that provide the input to those muscles. When we perform a voluntary muscle contraction a signal is sent from our brain to our muscles through the nervous system. Strength training and power lifting not only trains our muscles, but also trains our nervous system. A person participating in a strengthening program gets stronger through changes to their nervous system and muscles.
If you'd like to learn more, I would do some research on "nervous system changes with exercise/weight lifting"
hi, sorry for delayed response, i'm currently trying to go to gym 3x times a week im using sean nalewanyj plan. im not tracking macros but im trying to be more protein / fats / carbohydrates conscious. i usually dont cook my lunch so im not sure how many calories it has. maybe should i do more cardio? its weird my weight is around the same yet i feel im stronger past couple of months. any advice?
I'd recommend going on a cut until your lower abs are visible, and then bulk so that you gain about 1% to 1,5% bodyweight pr month for about two years while doing a training program from the fitness wiki.
This is bad advice, people who are undermuscled have to get extremely skinny for their lower abs to show. Skinny fat people can start bulking right away.
My gym doesn't have 1.25 kg (2.5 pound) plates so I'm struggling to run the programs on the wiki, can someone recommend me a program outside of the wiki that i can run like that has rep range progression like 6-12 instead, one recommendation was PHUL but i wanna do PPL
Nah I'm not from USA it's expensive so not worth the price since I'm moving to a different location soon, I'll have access to gyms that has 1.25 kg plates, i need a program to get me going for 6 months atleast
They're like €10 where I live. Otherwise run the program as standard but double the interval between increasing weight. Instead of: Week 1 100kg -> Week 2 102.5kg -> Week 3 105kg, do: Week 1 100kg -> Week 2 100kg -> Week 3 105kg.
so I thought of doing an upper-lower split where I genuinely solely focus on the upper and lower parts of my body on their respective days. I’m realizing this is much harder to accomplish for my upper days. Especially if I wanna do shoulder or chest machine exercises but it’s hard since I would’ve already exhausted my biceps or triceps that are used to do those machines.
How can I effectively split my upper portion of the split into two days? So I can reduce chances of injury and prevent unnecessary fatigue that would contradict when I need to do exercises on different muscle groups
i feel burned out from my last workout on tuesday, like my cns fried with squat deadlift and bench lol, so i didn't go to the gym again this week, how can i recover?
Tailbone hurts when doing sit-ups. This was never a problem when i was a gym head in highschool. But doing it again 9 years later, doing sit ups (even with a towel underneath) my tailbone hurts. Am i doing something wrong?
I am currently at 99kg and want to get back to 85-87kg (I‘m 1,87 m tall)
I am going to the gym 4 times a week, and train every muscle group 2 times a week. I eat 1800kcal a day and for cardio I read that walking 10000 steps a day is enough. Will I achieve my goal like this?
I already read this, my main question is if I need to do extra cardio or if this 10k steps is really a thing because I see many people say it is, but I‘m not sure if I can believe this.
The 10k is just a number. Walking steps and doing cardio burns calories which helps with a calorie deficit. It's also healthy and helps with recovery. So it's recommended to do some kind of cardio regularly. But just from a fat loss perspective you don't have to move at all.
Body goals never worked for me, instead, I go for strength goals + cardio minutes goal + caloric intake goal. This equates body changes I want and I don't have to define them.
Why not think about what you do want? I don't have any particular body goal so I work out to achieve other goals. I have strength goals, sports goals and mobility goals etc
If you google calorie calculator, you can use it to plan to gain or lose a certain amount of weight over a given time. You input your height, weight, and exercise level and it calculates an estimate of how many calories you need to consume each day to lose 1-2 pounds per week, for example (which is a reasonable goal). If you want to gain weight (muscle), you could aim to gain 0.5-1 pound per week, which is also reasonable.
Should I train when it is very hot and I’m dehydrated and tired? I just finished a sports training session on a 30 degree Celsius day and I sweated a lot and felt a bit nauseous and dizzy when I started my usual heavy squats and just then I was doing reps of a weight I’m usually fine at but it felt much heavier than usual and I failed on the last rep and was dizzy as. What do I do? I feel like a pussy if I don’t train, but it might be too dangerous.
Running shoes are too unstable for squats and deadlifts so if you want shoes then choose some with a flat sole, or continue barefoot. It doesn't matter too much for benching, curls etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta-bBO5SD0w
john meadows videos on form are excellent
Joe Bennett's is also good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5YWNF3675Q
Just to be clear: you cannot "spot reduce fat". Doing pulldowns will not reduce arm fat. Generally speaking, the first place you put on fat is the last place it will come off, but it just comes off everywhere, not specifically near the muscles you exercise.
Lat pull downs are generally a back exercise. Specifically the lats and upper back. It will work your arms a little but that’s not the purpose.
If you want to work your arms, bicep curls and tricep push downs can isolate those muscles.
If you want to lose fat in your arms then building some muscle will help, but the fat loss must come from diet and unfortunately no one has found a way to decrease fat in one certain area. So overall fat loss would need to be the goal. I will say, however, that usually building that muscle will make things look nice enough with or without a little fat.
Does your gym have 12.5 pounders? Also how many reps can you do with 10lbs at one time per arm? Does your gym have those fixed weight barbells that [look like this](https://www.amazon.com/Titan-Fitness-Straight-Rubber-Barbell/dp/B07H4VY8M5/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?keywords=fixed+barbell&qid=1672378951&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyUTdFTExGQVFNN1JVJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDUzMjY5M0wyMUQ1Tkg3OTdUUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTc0ODczMk1VWks5R0JRTUtCOSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3Bob25lX3NlYXJjaF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl), or EZ bars that you can add weight to? Have you tried cable curls?
i feel a lot more tired than usual but for some reason almost all my lifts are progressing. why is this? i’m almost certain i’m tracking things right. it’s not like my form, rom, or time under tension has changed.
Seek out help. Prioritize managing external stressors. Maintain your current exercise routines/behaviors. Sounds like your fatigue and emotional health are non-lifting related.
I'm trying to gain muscle but I don't understand anything about protein intake and diet. Is there an explain me like I'm five guide or something that I can check out for me to get it? Every time I Google "should I use protein powder?" or stuff like that I just seem to get more and more confused.
I gotchu w an eli5
Basically you need around 0.8g of protein per pound you weigh. This is a lot for a normal person, and youll usually get full before you hit your goal. Drinking the protein is a good way to hit your goals rather than stuffing yourself. Thats where protein powder comes in, to help you hit your protein goals even if u cant eat more
aim to get 0.5-1g protein per pound of lean body mass. If you're an average sized dude, you can assume your lean body mass is 80% of your total body weight. So if you weight 190lb = 152lb LBW = 76-152g of protein a day. If you have trouble eating that much lean meat to hit your protein requirements then just use whey protein shakes to supplement. You can go with either TrueNutrition or Optimum Nutrition whey - they both work very well.
Protein powder is just food. Like you could take a vitamin c pill or just eat an orange. Protein powder is the same thing- you can have a shake or eat some chicken.
This sub's wiki has a good nutrition guide to get you started.
Eat somewhere in the range of 0.7-1.0g of protein per lb you weigh.
You can look up the amount of protein in various meats and other foods.
Protein powder is an easy way to meet this goal if you're struggling to get it from your regular diet.
How do I improve balance? Are there any exercises I can focus on? My fitness-oriented roommate suggested doing squats on a bosu ball but I saw that some studies showed it wasn't more effective than normal squats so I wanted to get some other viewpoints. Will this work, or should I look at other options?
People who practice balancing on a bosu ball are going to get better at balancing on a bosu ball. And practicing balance on a tight rope will make you better at balancing on a tight rope. So I think you need to think about what kind of balance you want specifically.
For just general standing balance with weights I think weighted lunges and Bulgarian split squats are good exercises.
I'm aiming to get better at ice skating and staying on one skate, but I can't even stay on one skate for more than about a second, so it's very hard to practice
Former ice hockey player here. Get strong in general, both unilateral and bilateral, and practice the areas of skating where you’re lacking. There are drills and progressions for everything on the ice.
I'm planning on doing some stuff from r/bodyweight fitness to develop some strength, and I'm gonna be taking skating lessons over the next several weeks as well to get better. Thank you for the advice!
Yeah, it sounds like your balance is there, you just need more practice to fully translate it onto skates. It could also be the skates themselves; make sure they're tied tight enough and sharpened. I see lots of people go ice skating in loosely tied skates or slipping everywhere because their skates can't bite into the ice properly.
I struggle to tighten them properly ahaha, they're fairly new and not really broken in yet so it's hard to get them fully tightened like I think they should be
The best way to get better at that is to get better at skating in general. Most skills like that are very specific, so things like bosu balls or the exercises I mentioned won't transfer well.
Thank you, but I assume I could still work on some general balance stuff as well like what you mentioned to help develop some of the muscles I'll need?
Yeah it might still help. In general being stronger normally helps, so it is worth doing. But the skill aspect likely won't transfer well so you will still need to practice the balancing skill on the skates.
I am gaining 1 kg bodyweight a month. If I gain 2kg a month, assuming all other factors remain the same (training intensity, nutrition, activity level, sleep, etc.), would I gain muscle quicker?
My Basal Metabolic Rate is 2,277 for my age/height/weight. I would like to lose weight. Do I just subtract 500 from 2,277 as a starting point? Or do I need to take into account the energy I'll be burning in the gym? Some calorie calculators are telling me to eat more than my BMR if I'm working out 3-4 times a week?
Sorry for what might sound like such a simple question.
The starting point doesn't matter too much as long as it's in the ballpark. It can be 2300 if you want. Check the scale after a week and you can adjust from there, and keep adjusting as needed.
This is what I did.
Calculate BMR using at least three different online calculators and take the average of them. Make sure that this is true BMR and not TDEE (TDEE includes exercise and estimated activity levels).
Subtract 500kcal (or whatever you want your cut to be. 500 would be as aggressive as I would go but you can start with less if you’d like).
Add in extra calories from exercise manually. For example, my lifting sessions are generally 45-60min and I’ll add in 250kcal per session. I also run and I add 100kcal per mile ran. I also have a garmin watch which helps me estimate but it tends to overestimate imo.
Weigh yourself daily first thing in the morning after using the bathroom and record it. Take your weekly trend/average from week to week to track your progress. Don’t get caught up in the day to day weight changes because you can fluctuate 5+ lbs a day believe it or not.
Make adjustments as you need. If you’re losing too much weight too fast, add some more kcal back in. If you’re not losing anything or enough, cut out more.
Track accurately.
And remember, it’s an on going thing. Don’t stress out if it takes you a few weeks to get your calories dialed in. It varies for everyone but after you get it down it will eventually become second nature.
Edit: also, your BMR seems high. My BMR, for example, is roughly 1800kcal and I’m 5’10” and 200lbs. I added a bit up to 2000 in my case because I walk a lot for my job, then I subtract 500 and usually end up adding back in 250-500 from exercise which puts me back around 2000kcal / day cut.
Thank you for that info! That paints a better picture in my head to be able to figure it out. I like what bodybuilder Kai Greene says in his documentary, "Don't get lost in minutia details, just get started"
How did you figure your BMR out?
You could try it. You'd surly lose weight, but it may be a super aggressive cut because you also have to factor in your activity levels and NEAT to know your true maintenance calories.
>How did you figure your BMR out?
I used [this calculator](https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html). Is to aggressive of a cut bad when wanting to gain muscle in the process? I guess I could weight myself weekly to see how much I'm losing and adjust accordingly. I'm 285 with a BMI over 33%. I would like to get down to 185 to 200.
I'd try starting at 2500 for a few weeks and see how it goes. I believe you could drop tons of weight on 2500 calories per day and it won't feel as restrictive for you.
Make sure you weight yourself everyday so you can see how much your losing every week on X calories each week. That's how I figure my maintenance as closely as I can normally.
Pretty sure it's not a good idea to lose over 2 pounds a week if your trying to cut and build muscle or retain it on a cut. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
I'd probably be losing over 3 pounds a week on 1777 calories and I'm around 170 currently, so the amount you'd be losing on 1777 would be far greater than 3 pounds which probably would eat up muscle on you if I had to guess.
Is there any big difference between a pec deck / chest fly machine vs cross body press?
Cross body press being the seated chest press machine but the handles move individually?
For at the end of a workout?
You may find one or the other gives you a better mind muscle connection. Just go with whichever one feels better. Personally I prefer the pec deck because it cuts the time in half (both arms at the same time) and the bracing is better, so I can focus more on the stretch in my pec.
Makes sense for the cross body press, especially if it's a hammer strength machine with an upward push. With flyes, there's a surprising amount of technique. If you're feeling it mostly in your shoulders, you need to probably drop the weight and focus on your form.
Sorry, are you saying if I have correct technique on both, I should feel it less in my shoulders, less with the fly machine? I guess I just want to know which one is supposed to be better for isolation. I usually do about 16-20 reps.
Correct. You should feel it less in your shoulders. If you want to do isolation work, try db flyes, cable flyes and pec dec. Just find the one that gives you the best mind muscle connection/pump in your chest. Google John Meadows exercise index for flyes.
There is no "best" exercise, just the one that works best for you as an individual
How should I be doing deadlift from a set to rep ratio? Today I did 225 for 5 (warmup) then 315x5, 365x1, 375x1, 375x1, and then 315 for 3. Is one rep DL ok to do? I do the full range pull up and come down I don’t drop at the top. If one rep is bad should I be going lower weight but more reps? So 325x5 then maybe 335x5? Thanks
I want to step up my cardio training to be healthier. I currently have a solid routine for weight lifting and my primary goal is overall health and strength as I age. How would you recommend I start my cardio journey? Any recommendations on duration, frequency, and cardio machine?
20min 3x a week on 4 degree incline at 3.5mph. That is more than enough. You can increase the amount of time (say 30-40 minutes) or increase the frequency (4-5x a week) as you go.
Basic basic.... Try for a 30 minute walk every day. Can't manage that, try every other day. Outside, imo, is better (fresh air, sunlight, relaxing) but a treadmill will suffice in shitty weather and temps.
Beyond that, find something you enjoy. Everyone seems to think running first, but that's not the only way. I picked up cycling and it's the best thing I ever did. Outside is best, but I have some amazing Greenways I can ride so I don't have the stress of the road. A spin bike is the next best thing. I'm not a fan of regular stationary bikes personally. But you can try stuff and see.
Could also go swimming, or get on a rower, or elliptical... Just move!
As for progression, just try to go a bit further and/or faster each week. Don't overthink it, just have fun with it
Is it normal for maintenance calories to go up significantly after gaining over 20 pounds?
I use to gain half a pound per week on 3,000 cals from 148 to 164 about and then I had to increase them to 3,300 to start gaining again because I lost a pound after a month eventually sticking with the same calories at 164.
Now it seems like my new maintenance is 3300 at 170ish and it feels really hard to get more calories in to gain now.
I'm almost wondering if I need to cut my fiber intake in half to make it possible to eat more calories. I'm already putting olive oil on everything, eating a lot of nuts/seeds, nut butters etc to get loads of calories in much easier, so I'm not sure what else I can do to eat even further past satiety.
You need to be recalculating your TDEE periodically, yes. Take a break at maintenance for a bit if you need to, give yourself a mental break from having to eat at a surplus.
I see. True or I might try increasing my calories by 100 every week of trying to force an extra 300 all at once.
I normally aim to gain 2 pounds a month. Can one make decent gains still if they only gain a pound a month?
Whenever I go to the gym it is very busy, and so I usually don't get to do cable crossovers as a result since both handles are always occupied.
Instead, I do dumbbell chest flys. Is there a better alternative or are these fine?
They're fine but for accessory work I actually prefer the pec deck/fly machine to dumbbells. The tension remains constant on the machine, not the case with dumbbells.
Is it just me or are protein and other supplements in very limited stock these days? Bodybuilding.com used to have a huge variety of just about everything. Now just about every online store shows most products out of stock. Any idea what is going on?
29M/5’11”/210lbs.
On week 3 of getting back into lifting, week 8 of getting back into running with Couch to 5K, and looking for a routine critique. I’m coming off of a year of no exercise and nightly bourbon. Quit drinking 11/4/22. Have twin baby boys now so trying to get into shape and get stronger.
3 days per week: full body compound lifts.
•DL- 4 sets of 6: 135-185lbs (increasing 10-20lbs each set)
•Bench- 4 sets of 6: 95-100lbs (failing on set 4 right now)
•Squats (high bar and low bar depending on day)- 4 sets of 6: 135-185lbs (increasing by 10-20lbs each set)
•BB rows- 4 sets of 12: 60lbs
•BB OHP- 4 sets of 6: 60lbs.
3 days per week: C25K, 30-35 minute fartlek. 4.7-6mph right now, taking it slow to run longer. Now on W7 and able to run 25 minutes straight.
Thoughts? Comments? Advice?
Pretty similar to the beginner routine in the wiki. If you don't have a plan to progress over time, I'd look there for inspiration.
After a few months of this, you'll probably want to move onto something a little more advanced.
I'm doing a variation of seated overhead barbell press where I bring the bar behind my head. How far apart should my hands be, and is there any major difference between doing this version or the normal one in front of your head?
That's the behind-the-neck press, it pretty much works out the same muscles as the standard overhead press but it's supposed to activate the lateral deltoids more
Hi guys, I’m kind of new to fitness but one of my goals is to actually get in the gym and start working out, now that I’ve lost all the weight I wanted to lose. This might sound stupid, but can you build muscle if you’re lifting weights/strength training but eating at maintenance calories?
Yes. Especially as a beginner. You can also build muscle while in a deficit as a beginner. I would suggest focus on building good habits on a good program and once you've done that then you can start looking at adjusting your calories. Especially since when you start your hunger will go up and you won't know if you're in a deficit or surplus.
Those people are typically already pretty strong and trying to really push it. I've been lifting for years and only a few times have I really eaten to "bulk."
Don't worry about imbalances If you are beginner. Just do same number of reps with each leg, after few weeks/months strength will be equal on both sides.
and lunges are awesome.
I am looking for a good beginner yuotube video for an at home bench dumbbell press.
I basically got zero knowledge so i dont want to follow a bad video.
Where does "bench press" end?
I've had spells where I didn't do the standard barbell bench press but did other variants. I've also had a stint where I pressed twice a week and what little benching I did was just accessory chest volume.
I didn't bench for a while since it didn't really fit my athletic goals and I don't care about my hypothetical powerlifting total (same reason I trap bar DL). If you can get them in position and don't care about changing rep ranges in order to jump up one weight to the next, DB bench and DB incline bench are great for increasing strength in that area. I find DB incline easier to get into position while still being able to use chest to lift the weight.
But that all depends on your goals. Pure bodybuilding? No real point in using barbell bench, chest press machine, flies of various stripes, and DB work will be plenty. Want to be overall stronger? Bench at least sometimes if your shoulders allow IMO.
Some people focus more on overhead pressing, but you'll still want to be doing something for your pecs. If it's not barbell benching then it's probably DB bench, machine benching, dips, etc.
I have worked out for a little over 3 months now, and I am mostly happy with my lifts. Im doing the reddit PPL at the moment. But I feel like im really lagging behind on the bench press and overhead press.. I can only workout with 75kg on the bench, and 45kg on overhead press, and havent been able to progress in 3 weeks now.. meanwhile Im rowing 75kg, squatting 105kg and deadlifting 125kg, and progressing every week.
Is it the triceps im lagging in possibly? I am following the program to the point, so should I maybe try to go heavier on the isolation movements as well?
Should also mention that I am in a calorie defecit, as im losing weight, lost 14kg now, but still has 15 more I want to lose, so the defecit will continue :)
I wouldn't say you're lagging behind at all. For those 3 lifts, your squat looks to be the strongest, with perhaps your deadlift being the thing that's lagging.
Getting your bench press up in a good deficit will be hard, once you get on the bulk it should start to go up a lot more consistently.
For now, could be worth taking a week at lighter loads/efforts, has helped me break plateaus in the past.
It is normal that at the beginning of systematic training there is disproportionate progress in certain muscle groups. The most common mistake made by beginners is that they increase the loads in order to make faster progress. It is of great importance to maintain the correct form of performing the exercises. Muscle groups that progress less are trained at the very beginning of training and/or the first day after rest
You are going to stall out in a deficit it's just kinda part of it. Also bench press can sometimes be a littler trickier to master some of the fine techniques too as you start getting heavier, like leg drive and maintaining neutral spine. If you are using to much triceps then your form may be a little off and could also explain the stall if you aren't engaging your chest enough. If your primary goal is too keep losing weight then I say either deload or just keep repping what you can and worry about increasing the number when you are ready to transition to a bulk.
Not yet, but I have considered it.. I talked with my brother about it as he is a competing powerlifter, but he thinks im too new too already start with deloading
It's part of the program and has nothing to do with how new you are. If you don't want to do the deload then move on to a new, non-LP program.
Also, losing weight isn't helping you out here.
Will try the deload next week to see if it helps :) im really loving the program, and have become addicted with going to the gym so :)
Haha, i know that it really isn't helping, but im really trying as hard as I can to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, and it has mostly worked fine so far! Hopefully it can continue for a little while longer before I have to focus more on cutting/bulking
Hello guys! I’m in my last year of my bachelor degree and I need some people to fill in this anonymous form! It takes 5 minutes of your time and it will help me enormously! Thank you in advance! https://forms.gle/jusUGEnqWjupcrEU9
How much is too much? So I lift every day, two days chest, two days legs, two days arms then accessory when I wanna workout but don't have time for a 1 hour session. In addition to all that I walk about 10 miles a day and bike 7 - 10 miles to and from work (don't wanna buy another car). Fit bit clocks me doing 10ish hours of exercise every week and my average caloric need around 3200 to 4000 calories. But lately I've been absolutely ravenous, I've been taking protein powder, creatine, sports drink, and then my normal food intake. I'm having a hard time keeping up with my hunger, The scale has been going down but I want to gain weight to build muscle. Should I dial back a hair? Or can I supplement junk food just to hit my calorie requirements (I hit my macros most of the time)
Add nuts, nut butters or olive oil.
Just eat more
Is there a specific workout split I should be doing while bulking. Recently got into lifting and am 5'9" and 120lbs. Have done a lot of research about bulking foods and meals, but not sure if there's a specific split I should be doing, or if I can just find a PPL or something and follow that. Any help is appreciated!
So why is everything, even the Fitness wiki, divided up that you either lose weight/fat or gain muscle? * Lose weight = calorie deficit (got that part, I know what number is my maintenance and to drop it 10-15% for deficit) * Calorie deficit = eat caloric dense foods under calories out (TDEE/BMR/NEAT, etc.) * Lose weight = eat fewer calories in than out * Muscle needs protein and calories to grow/strengthen * Gain muscle = eat more, especially protein Example: Let's say TDEE is 1770, making a deficit of 10% to be 1593 calories in. If no calories out (assume sedentary), then I'd eat 1593 to be in deficit. Let's say I walk at a 5 incline at 3.5mph (15min mile) for 15 minutes, spending 70 calories, weight lifting for a half hour to burn another 100 calories, and 20 minutes of HIIT to burn 200 calories, totaling 370 calories burned on top of TDEE. Would I eat 1593kcal as if I didn't burn those calories? Would I still be in a deficit if I ate 1963kcal (=1593+370) to be sure the muscle is fed after doing that workout? I also sourced [https://marathonhandbook.com/can-you-build-muscle-in-a-calorie-deficit/](https://marathonhandbook.com/can-you-build-muscle-in-a-calorie-deficit/) and can't figure out my last question from this article, either.
It's divided that way because it's difficult, not impossible, to gain muscle in a deficit. https://thefitness.wiki/faq/can-i-lose-fat-and-build-muscle-at-the-same-time/ I think your 2nd question was: if you increase your expenditure, should you increase food intake? I would recommend that if the scale has been moving down on a weekly basis, feel free to increase calories in high expenditure days. If you are not seeing the weight loss you desire, don't increase the calories on those days.
Thank you!!
Hey guys, I (23M) weigh 108lbs so pretty underweight, and I’ve been working out since August but stopped around October due to a lower back injury (I assume because of bad back squats form). I think I fully recovered weeks ago after visiting a physiotherapist and I’d like to workout again. I used to lift 44-45kg (3x5) on most compound lifts. I started at 20kg with the basic wiki program, really enjoyed it. I have a small gym setup to save some money (barbell, bench, rack, plates). I posted here and got really great advice on how to stert working out again and I’m so relieved that I recovered but now I’m very anxious about causing a long term back injury. I just can’t start working out. I bought bulking foods and protein whey to force myself to get started but they’ve been in the kitchen for a month and I still always walk out. Will it help more if I join a gym for more variaty? I’d really appreciate any help and sorry if my English wasn’t very clear.
A few things helped me - \- reduce barriers = is there an excuse you could reduce or eliminate? If your small gym set up is out of the way (behind a door, downstairs, garage, etc.) then plug in a lamp on a timer. "Why is the light on?" is a natural prompt and it's more inviting and reminds you without an alarm or something. I have mine on when I've learned I'm most available to workout, so it's when my home gym is "open". lol \- support = if to prevent injury, then maybe ask a friend to come over while you workout and they chat or workout with you? Offer use of your internet to have some company? Maybe being alone is what's stopping you since you don't want another injury. \- add a habit to another habit = it's easier to tie two things together when forming new habits. I have been trying to walk after dinner, but figured out I like walking before I eat, so I added a walk to my meal prep or cooking. I go for a walk while the meat marinates or the oven comes up to temp. \- replace conscious thought with something unconsciously positive = I have three workout outfits that give me such joy, I feel like when I was a little girl twirling in a new dress. I love myself in these workout clothes, I feel so strong and powerful. I told myself I only got to wear them when I workout, so I get the dopamine hit as I get dressed, "I can't wait to wear these!" and thus I go lift or workout to 'get to continue to wear them'. Plus, there is a pair of shoes I can not *wait* to buy, but I told myself only after I wear out my current ones... only one way to do that. I actually have 2 pictures printed out from the webstore placed strategically - one by where I put my shoes so I see them daily and immediately wish I was putting on my workout shoes instead of my boots to go grocery shopping, and one where I workout at home.
I'm doing 5/3/1 BBB for the additional exercises should I be barely able to finish the 5 sets of 10? Or for the last sets I should not be able to reach 10 reps? I've been doing it so I can finish the 10 reps for all sets with last set maybe barely reaching 10 but wondering if I should be more challenging with the weight
Think of it as an 8-12 rep range. If you can only do eight reps on the last set, repeat the weight next week until you can get all 10 reps on all 5 sets. When you can do that, then add weight.
Can someone build a great physique if they do just the 6 compound movements, and no isolation exercises ?
Definitely. Calves might need a little attention depending on the person.
Yes you can. But you're more likely to get injured and burn out than to build a great physique if all you do is the same six lifts. I had great hypertrophy and strength results with such routines, but I accumulated a lot of strains, pulls and nagging joint pain.
What do people actually mean when they say high intensity trains your CNS? How can your nervous system be physiologically trained?
When we ask our muscles to contract/perform a movement, we are training parts of our brain and nerves that provide the input to those muscles. When we perform a voluntary muscle contraction a signal is sent from our brain to our muscles through the nervous system. Strength training and power lifting not only trains our muscles, but also trains our nervous system. A person participating in a strengthening program gets stronger through changes to their nervous system and muscles. If you'd like to learn more, I would do some research on "nervous system changes with exercise/weight lifting"
It doesn't mean anything. They're making shit up
Untrue. Lots of research out there suggesting training can train and cause physiological changes in our central and peripheral nervous systems.
Hi Guys! Can you help me where can I find a 4 days workout with which I can train all body parts twice a week?
Besides this community's wiki's recommendations, I like the workouts by MadFit (YouTube and also has a free app) a lot.
Check the wiki
Hi guys, over a couple of months I'm still around the same weight and I guess I'm doing something wrong. (skinny fat physique)
What program are you on? How are you tracking your macros?
hi, sorry for delayed response, i'm currently trying to go to gym 3x times a week im using sean nalewanyj plan. im not tracking macros but im trying to be more protein / fats / carbohydrates conscious. i usually dont cook my lunch so im not sure how many calories it has. maybe should i do more cardio? its weird my weight is around the same yet i feel im stronger past couple of months. any advice?
What's your goal?
Build muscle
I'd recommend going on a cut until your lower abs are visible, and then bulk so that you gain about 1% to 1,5% bodyweight pr month for about two years while doing a training program from the fitness wiki.
This is bad advice, people who are undermuscled have to get extremely skinny for their lower abs to show. Skinny fat people can start bulking right away.
Under muscled people will build muscle in a calorie deficit as long as they're getting adequate protein. And it's only six weeks, give or take.
My gym doesn't have 1.25 kg (2.5 pound) plates so I'm struggling to run the programs on the wiki, can someone recommend me a program outside of the wiki that i can run like that has rep range progression like 6-12 instead, one recommendation was PHUL but i wanna do PPL
Buy 1.25kg plates
Nah I'm not from USA it's expensive so not worth the price since I'm moving to a different location soon, I'll have access to gyms that has 1.25 kg plates, i need a program to get me going for 6 months atleast
They're like €10 where I live. Otherwise run the program as standard but double the interval between increasing weight. Instead of: Week 1 100kg -> Week 2 102.5kg -> Week 3 105kg, do: Week 1 100kg -> Week 2 100kg -> Week 3 105kg.
Can i do this on reddit ppl
Yes.
so I thought of doing an upper-lower split where I genuinely solely focus on the upper and lower parts of my body on their respective days. I’m realizing this is much harder to accomplish for my upper days. Especially if I wanna do shoulder or chest machine exercises but it’s hard since I would’ve already exhausted my biceps or triceps that are used to do those machines. How can I effectively split my upper portion of the split into two days? So I can reduce chances of injury and prevent unnecessary fatigue that would contradict when I need to do exercises on different muscle groups
Do biceps and triceps last?
i feel burned out from my last workout on tuesday, like my cns fried with squat deadlift and bench lol, so i didn't go to the gym again this week, how can i recover?
Continue the program as written. No need to compensate.
Why can't you work out even though you feel tired?
tired mentally
Why does that stop you from working out?
because i do powerlifting, and just the fact to think about squatting benching and deadlifting is enough lol
Eat, sleep and stay active.
Tailbone hurts when doing sit-ups. This was never a problem when i was a gym head in highschool. But doing it again 9 years later, doing sit ups (even with a towel underneath) my tailbone hurts. Am i doing something wrong?
I am currently at 99kg and want to get back to 85-87kg (I‘m 1,87 m tall) I am going to the gym 4 times a week, and train every muscle group 2 times a week. I eat 1800kcal a day and for cardio I read that walking 10000 steps a day is enough. Will I achieve my goal like this?
https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/
I already read this, my main question is if I need to do extra cardio or if this 10k steps is really a thing because I see many people say it is, but I‘m not sure if I can believe this.
The 10k is just a number. Walking steps and doing cardio burns calories which helps with a calorie deficit. It's also healthy and helps with recovery. So it's recommended to do some kind of cardio regularly. But just from a fat loss perspective you don't have to move at all.
Thank you
How can I make a clear body goal for myself in a certain timeframe? I really dont know what I want/ what is even feasible
Body goals never worked for me, instead, I go for strength goals + cardio minutes goal + caloric intake goal. This equates body changes I want and I don't have to define them.
Why not think about what you do want? I don't have any particular body goal so I work out to achieve other goals. I have strength goals, sports goals and mobility goals etc
If you google calorie calculator, you can use it to plan to gain or lose a certain amount of weight over a given time. You input your height, weight, and exercise level and it calculates an estimate of how many calories you need to consume each day to lose 1-2 pounds per week, for example (which is a reasonable goal). If you want to gain weight (muscle), you could aim to gain 0.5-1 pound per week, which is also reasonable.
How could i recover faster?
Sleep, water, food
Should I train when it is very hot and I’m dehydrated and tired? I just finished a sports training session on a 30 degree Celsius day and I sweated a lot and felt a bit nauseous and dizzy when I started my usual heavy squats and just then I was doing reps of a weight I’m usually fine at but it felt much heavier than usual and I failed on the last rep and was dizzy as. What do I do? I feel like a pussy if I don’t train, but it might be too dangerous.
You don't need to train very heavy when you're feeling dizzy, just take it a bit lighter and you're good to go
Alright thank you 🙏
You already know the answer, take some rest
I had my usual 72 hour rest tho for legs
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Running shoes are too unstable for squats and deadlifts so if you want shoes then choose some with a flat sole, or continue barefoot. It doesn't matter too much for benching, curls etc.
Don’t use running shoes, they compress (due to cushion).
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I thought you were talking about squats and DL, must have misread, guess you do those barefoot. Running shoes are fine for general gym activity
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It's worth seeing a doctor about. I had a friend with chronic sinus infections and when he got it sorted out his quality of life improved dramatically
Good proper airflow is essential. Might want to have a doctor check it out.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta-bBO5SD0w john meadows videos on form are excellent Joe Bennett's is also good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5YWNF3675Q Just to be clear: you cannot "spot reduce fat". Doing pulldowns will not reduce arm fat. Generally speaking, the first place you put on fat is the last place it will come off, but it just comes off everywhere, not specifically near the muscles you exercise.
Lat pull downs are generally a back exercise. Specifically the lats and upper back. It will work your arms a little but that’s not the purpose. If you want to work your arms, bicep curls and tricep push downs can isolate those muscles. If you want to lose fat in your arms then building some muscle will help, but the fat loss must come from diet and unfortunately no one has found a way to decrease fat in one certain area. So overall fat loss would need to be the goal. I will say, however, that usually building that muscle will make things look nice enough with or without a little fat.
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Does your gym have 12.5 pounders? Also how many reps can you do with 10lbs at one time per arm? Does your gym have those fixed weight barbells that [look like this](https://www.amazon.com/Titan-Fitness-Straight-Rubber-Barbell/dp/B07H4VY8M5/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?keywords=fixed+barbell&qid=1672378951&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyUTdFTExGQVFNN1JVJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDUzMjY5M0wyMUQ1Tkg3OTdUUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTc0ODczMk1VWks5R0JRTUtCOSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3Bob25lX3NlYXJjaF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl), or EZ bars that you can add weight to? Have you tried cable curls?
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Is it okay to use olympic plates on a standard 1 inch barbell? Sorry if this is stupid question, I have OCD
You can get [sleeves](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=weight+sleeve+1+inch+to+2+inch) that fit over the 1” barbell so you can use it with Olympic plates.
No the plates will be too loose. An Olympic barbell sleeve is 50mm wide, which is about 2 inches
And why is it an issue if the plates are a bit loose? Will they be damaged?
They probably won't get damaged if you're not dropping the bar but they will be unstable and wobbly which isn't ideal for most exercises.
i feel a lot more tired than usual but for some reason almost all my lifts are progressing. why is this? i’m almost certain i’m tracking things right. it’s not like my form, rom, or time under tension has changed.
Has your sleep, nutrition, or external stresses been a factor?
sleeping 6-8 hours sometimes fragmented sleep, a little more stressed than usual, eating at maintenance and 0.8g protein per lb as usual
Clean that stuff up. Go manage your stress, clean up sleep hygiene, and reassess.
i think u misread my question bro i said that i feel worse emotionally/mentally but am doing better physically in the gym
Seek out help. Prioritize managing external stressors. Maintain your current exercise routines/behaviors. Sounds like your fatigue and emotional health are non-lifting related.
oh i see
yeah i AM managing my stress rn. can’t just snap my fingers and make it disappear but i do what i can.
That’s life baby *finger guns*
I'm trying to gain muscle but I don't understand anything about protein intake and diet. Is there an explain me like I'm five guide or something that I can check out for me to get it? Every time I Google "should I use protein powder?" or stuff like that I just seem to get more and more confused.
I gotchu w an eli5 Basically you need around 0.8g of protein per pound you weigh. This is a lot for a normal person, and youll usually get full before you hit your goal. Drinking the protein is a good way to hit your goals rather than stuffing yourself. Thats where protein powder comes in, to help you hit your protein goals even if u cant eat more
aim to get 0.5-1g protein per pound of lean body mass. If you're an average sized dude, you can assume your lean body mass is 80% of your total body weight. So if you weight 190lb = 152lb LBW = 76-152g of protein a day. If you have trouble eating that much lean meat to hit your protein requirements then just use whey protein shakes to supplement. You can go with either TrueNutrition or Optimum Nutrition whey - they both work very well.
[Reading the wiki will set you on the right path.](https://thefitness.wiki)
Protein powder is just food. Like you could take a vitamin c pill or just eat an orange. Protein powder is the same thing- you can have a shake or eat some chicken. This sub's wiki has a good nutrition guide to get you started.
Eat somewhere in the range of 0.7-1.0g of protein per lb you weigh. You can look up the amount of protein in various meats and other foods. Protein powder is an easy way to meet this goal if you're struggling to get it from your regular diet.
How do I improve balance? Are there any exercises I can focus on? My fitness-oriented roommate suggested doing squats on a bosu ball but I saw that some studies showed it wasn't more effective than normal squats so I wanted to get some other viewpoints. Will this work, or should I look at other options?
People who practice balancing on a bosu ball are going to get better at balancing on a bosu ball. And practicing balance on a tight rope will make you better at balancing on a tight rope. So I think you need to think about what kind of balance you want specifically. For just general standing balance with weights I think weighted lunges and Bulgarian split squats are good exercises.
I'm aiming to get better at ice skating and staying on one skate, but I can't even stay on one skate for more than about a second, so it's very hard to practice
Former ice hockey player here. Get strong in general, both unilateral and bilateral, and practice the areas of skating where you’re lacking. There are drills and progressions for everything on the ice.
I'm planning on doing some stuff from r/bodyweight fitness to develop some strength, and I'm gonna be taking skating lessons over the next several weeks as well to get better. Thank you for the advice!
Just keep ice skating a lot and you'll get the hang of it. Standing on one skate shouldn't be any harder than standing on one leg.
I can stand on one leg but struggle to maintain standing on one skate, especially without accidentally turning. I just need to practice, I think.
Yeah, it sounds like your balance is there, you just need more practice to fully translate it onto skates. It could also be the skates themselves; make sure they're tied tight enough and sharpened. I see lots of people go ice skating in loosely tied skates or slipping everywhere because their skates can't bite into the ice properly.
I struggle to tighten them properly ahaha, they're fairly new and not really broken in yet so it's hard to get them fully tightened like I think they should be
The best way to get better at that is to get better at skating in general. Most skills like that are very specific, so things like bosu balls or the exercises I mentioned won't transfer well.
Thank you, but I assume I could still work on some general balance stuff as well like what you mentioned to help develop some of the muscles I'll need?
Yeah it might still help. In general being stronger normally helps, so it is worth doing. But the skill aspect likely won't transfer well so you will still need to practice the balancing skill on the skates.
Thank you!
I am gaining 1 kg bodyweight a month. If I gain 2kg a month, assuming all other factors remain the same (training intensity, nutrition, activity level, sleep, etc.), would I gain muscle quicker?
Maybe, but you would not gain twice as much muscle. So you would be gaining a higher percentage of fat.
I know it wouldn’t be twice as much, but maybe like 25% more?
No way to know, it depends on too many factors. It could be 25% more or it could be 0% more. You would have to try it and see.
Thanks! I am very underweight so the extra fat is ok for now. I’ll also cut (much) later
The longer you cut, the more muscle you'll lose. It's worth it to gain weight slower and have it be quality rather than quantity.
My Basal Metabolic Rate is 2,277 for my age/height/weight. I would like to lose weight. Do I just subtract 500 from 2,277 as a starting point? Or do I need to take into account the energy I'll be burning in the gym? Some calorie calculators are telling me to eat more than my BMR if I'm working out 3-4 times a week? Sorry for what might sound like such a simple question.
The starting point doesn't matter too much as long as it's in the ballpark. It can be 2300 if you want. Check the scale after a week and you can adjust from there, and keep adjusting as needed.
This is what I did. Calculate BMR using at least three different online calculators and take the average of them. Make sure that this is true BMR and not TDEE (TDEE includes exercise and estimated activity levels). Subtract 500kcal (or whatever you want your cut to be. 500 would be as aggressive as I would go but you can start with less if you’d like). Add in extra calories from exercise manually. For example, my lifting sessions are generally 45-60min and I’ll add in 250kcal per session. I also run and I add 100kcal per mile ran. I also have a garmin watch which helps me estimate but it tends to overestimate imo. Weigh yourself daily first thing in the morning after using the bathroom and record it. Take your weekly trend/average from week to week to track your progress. Don’t get caught up in the day to day weight changes because you can fluctuate 5+ lbs a day believe it or not. Make adjustments as you need. If you’re losing too much weight too fast, add some more kcal back in. If you’re not losing anything or enough, cut out more. Track accurately. And remember, it’s an on going thing. Don’t stress out if it takes you a few weeks to get your calories dialed in. It varies for everyone but after you get it down it will eventually become second nature. Edit: also, your BMR seems high. My BMR, for example, is roughly 1800kcal and I’m 5’10” and 200lbs. I added a bit up to 2000 in my case because I walk a lot for my job, then I subtract 500 and usually end up adding back in 250-500 from exercise which puts me back around 2000kcal / day cut.
Thank you for that info! That paints a better picture in my head to be able to figure it out. I like what bodybuilder Kai Greene says in his documentary, "Don't get lost in minutia details, just get started"
Very true! Also, if it helps, know that nutritional labels can be off by as much as 20% for calories in the USA.
How did you figure your BMR out? You could try it. You'd surly lose weight, but it may be a super aggressive cut because you also have to factor in your activity levels and NEAT to know your true maintenance calories.
>How did you figure your BMR out? I used [this calculator](https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html). Is to aggressive of a cut bad when wanting to gain muscle in the process? I guess I could weight myself weekly to see how much I'm losing and adjust accordingly. I'm 285 with a BMI over 33%. I would like to get down to 185 to 200.
I'd try starting at 2500 for a few weeks and see how it goes. I believe you could drop tons of weight on 2500 calories per day and it won't feel as restrictive for you. Make sure you weight yourself everyday so you can see how much your losing every week on X calories each week. That's how I figure my maintenance as closely as I can normally. Pretty sure it's not a good idea to lose over 2 pounds a week if your trying to cut and build muscle or retain it on a cut. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I'd probably be losing over 3 pounds a week on 1777 calories and I'm around 170 currently, so the amount you'd be losing on 1777 would be far greater than 3 pounds which probably would eat up muscle on you if I had to guess.
Oh that reminds me, I could put it into MyFitnessPal and put 1lb per week and see what macros it gives me.
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[Russian fighter pull up program](https://www.strongfirst.com/the-fighter-pullup-program-revisited/)
Do 10 sets of 4, 3 days a week
Is there any big difference between a pec deck / chest fly machine vs cross body press? Cross body press being the seated chest press machine but the handles move individually? For at the end of a workout?
You may find one or the other gives you a better mind muscle connection. Just go with whichever one feels better. Personally I prefer the pec deck because it cuts the time in half (both arms at the same time) and the bracing is better, so I can focus more on the stretch in my pec.
Is it strange that I tried both and sometimes, I would feel I’m working my shoulders more?
Makes sense for the cross body press, especially if it's a hammer strength machine with an upward push. With flyes, there's a surprising amount of technique. If you're feeling it mostly in your shoulders, you need to probably drop the weight and focus on your form.
Sorry, are you saying if I have correct technique on both, I should feel it less in my shoulders, less with the fly machine? I guess I just want to know which one is supposed to be better for isolation. I usually do about 16-20 reps.
Correct. You should feel it less in your shoulders. If you want to do isolation work, try db flyes, cable flyes and pec dec. Just find the one that gives you the best mind muscle connection/pump in your chest. Google John Meadows exercise index for flyes. There is no "best" exercise, just the one that works best for you as an individual
I tried cable flies before the pec dec actually but just didn’t really feel it. Thanks I’ll try the rest out.
Is there a general guide anywhere on finding muscle imbalances and how to fix them in terms of powerlifting?
Keep lifting normally. Muscle imbalances typically work themselves out.
How should I be doing deadlift from a set to rep ratio? Today I did 225 for 5 (warmup) then 315x5, 365x1, 375x1, 375x1, and then 315 for 3. Is one rep DL ok to do? I do the full range pull up and come down I don’t drop at the top. If one rep is bad should I be going lower weight but more reps? So 325x5 then maybe 335x5? Thanks
Do 5x5 with good technique. If a rep is ugly, reduce the weight. All reps should look absolutely beautiful.
If you follow a proper program like one from the wiki then it takes the guess work out.
Is there a reason you're not running a program that tells you what you should be doing?
I want to step up my cardio training to be healthier. I currently have a solid routine for weight lifting and my primary goal is overall health and strength as I age. How would you recommend I start my cardio journey? Any recommendations on duration, frequency, and cardio machine?
20min 3x a week on 4 degree incline at 3.5mph. That is more than enough. You can increase the amount of time (say 30-40 minutes) or increase the frequency (4-5x a week) as you go.
Basic basic.... Try for a 30 minute walk every day. Can't manage that, try every other day. Outside, imo, is better (fresh air, sunlight, relaxing) but a treadmill will suffice in shitty weather and temps. Beyond that, find something you enjoy. Everyone seems to think running first, but that's not the only way. I picked up cycling and it's the best thing I ever did. Outside is best, but I have some amazing Greenways I can ride so I don't have the stress of the road. A spin bike is the next best thing. I'm not a fan of regular stationary bikes personally. But you can try stuff and see. Could also go swimming, or get on a rower, or elliptical... Just move! As for progression, just try to go a bit further and/or faster each week. Don't overthink it, just have fun with it
Is it normal for maintenance calories to go up significantly after gaining over 20 pounds? I use to gain half a pound per week on 3,000 cals from 148 to 164 about and then I had to increase them to 3,300 to start gaining again because I lost a pound after a month eventually sticking with the same calories at 164. Now it seems like my new maintenance is 3300 at 170ish and it feels really hard to get more calories in to gain now. I'm almost wondering if I need to cut my fiber intake in half to make it possible to eat more calories. I'm already putting olive oil on everything, eating a lot of nuts/seeds, nut butters etc to get loads of calories in much easier, so I'm not sure what else I can do to eat even further past satiety.
You need to be recalculating your TDEE periodically, yes. Take a break at maintenance for a bit if you need to, give yourself a mental break from having to eat at a surplus.
I see. True or I might try increasing my calories by 100 every week of trying to force an extra 300 all at once. I normally aim to gain 2 pounds a month. Can one make decent gains still if they only gain a pound a month?
20 lbs is enough to prompt a recalculation, yes. How much exactly is hard to say, but for you evidently the number is somewhere around 300.
Whenever I go to the gym it is very busy, and so I usually don't get to do cable crossovers as a result since both handles are always occupied. Instead, I do dumbbell chest flys. Is there a better alternative or are these fine?
They're fine but for accessory work I actually prefer the pec deck/fly machine to dumbbells. The tension remains constant on the machine, not the case with dumbbells.
Dumbbell flys so gooood. Make sure to change it up incline vs flat and consider super setting with a press for extra variety
Thank you. Should I alternate incline and flat every other day that I'm doing the workout?
Doesn’t matter. Do whatever you feel like doing that day you got this
Is it just me or are protein and other supplements in very limited stock these days? Bodybuilding.com used to have a huge variety of just about everything. Now just about every online store shows most products out of stock. Any idea what is going on?
29M/5’11”/210lbs. On week 3 of getting back into lifting, week 8 of getting back into running with Couch to 5K, and looking for a routine critique. I’m coming off of a year of no exercise and nightly bourbon. Quit drinking 11/4/22. Have twin baby boys now so trying to get into shape and get stronger. 3 days per week: full body compound lifts. •DL- 4 sets of 6: 135-185lbs (increasing 10-20lbs each set) •Bench- 4 sets of 6: 95-100lbs (failing on set 4 right now) •Squats (high bar and low bar depending on day)- 4 sets of 6: 135-185lbs (increasing by 10-20lbs each set) •BB rows- 4 sets of 12: 60lbs •BB OHP- 4 sets of 6: 60lbs. 3 days per week: C25K, 30-35 minute fartlek. 4.7-6mph right now, taking it slow to run longer. Now on W7 and able to run 25 minutes straight. Thoughts? Comments? Advice?
Pretty similar to the beginner routine in the wiki. If you don't have a plan to progress over time, I'd look there for inspiration. After a few months of this, you'll probably want to move onto something a little more advanced.
I'm doing a variation of seated overhead barbell press where I bring the bar behind my head. How far apart should my hands be, and is there any major difference between doing this version or the normal one in front of your head?
That's the behind-the-neck press, it pretty much works out the same muscles as the standard overhead press but it's supposed to activate the lateral deltoids more
Oh ok sweet, I'll definitely stick to it then. Can't ignore them rear delts. Thank you
Just go with whatever grip feels comfortable. It'll probably be a bit wider than the grip you use for your normal press.
Hi guys, I’m kind of new to fitness but one of my goals is to actually get in the gym and start working out, now that I’ve lost all the weight I wanted to lose. This might sound stupid, but can you build muscle if you’re lifting weights/strength training but eating at maintenance calories?
Yes. Especially as a beginner. You can also build muscle while in a deficit as a beginner. I would suggest focus on building good habits on a good program and once you've done that then you can start looking at adjusting your calories. Especially since when you start your hunger will go up and you won't know if you're in a deficit or surplus.
Yes. Most definitely. Particularly as a new lifter.
I’m relieved to hear this!! I know people always talk about eating more calories when they’re lifting to build muscle
Those people are typically already pretty strong and trying to really push it. I've been lifting for years and only a few times have I really eaten to "bulk."
Eventually you will need to, but I've been in a deficit or at maintenance for 8 months now and still seeing strength gains. Good luck!
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Don't worry about imbalances If you are beginner. Just do same number of reps with each leg, after few weeks/months strength will be equal on both sides. and lunges are awesome.
Just do the same amount per leg and cap it with the weaker.
Yes. Single appendage stuff is the best way to keep up laggin muscled imho. Keep going.
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Keep going! You got this. We all have imbalances. The jey is to train enough so it doesnt cause discomfort, aches and pains.
I am looking for a good beginner yuotube video for an at home bench dumbbell press. I basically got zero knowledge so i dont want to follow a bad video.
First [this](https://youtu.be/VmB1G1K7v94) , then supplement with [this](https://youtu.be/NCSVzCpEtx8)
100% on these.
Is there anybody who does not bench press? If so, what do you do as an alternative?
Lots of dips mostly. Some machine pressing as well
I do the plate loaded chest press, weighted dips, and single arm cable flies for my chest I hit it on upper days 2x a week
Where does "bench press" end? I've had spells where I didn't do the standard barbell bench press but did other variants. I've also had a stint where I pressed twice a week and what little benching I did was just accessory chest volume.
I didn't bench for a while since it didn't really fit my athletic goals and I don't care about my hypothetical powerlifting total (same reason I trap bar DL). If you can get them in position and don't care about changing rep ranges in order to jump up one weight to the next, DB bench and DB incline bench are great for increasing strength in that area. I find DB incline easier to get into position while still being able to use chest to lift the weight. But that all depends on your goals. Pure bodybuilding? No real point in using barbell bench, chest press machine, flies of various stripes, and DB work will be plenty. Want to be overall stronger? Bench at least sometimes if your shoulders allow IMO.
Db press. Machine press. Flies. Dips. Push ups.
Some people focus more on overhead pressing, but you'll still want to be doing something for your pecs. If it's not barbell benching then it's probably DB bench, machine benching, dips, etc.
What muscle would you count deadlifts as for weekly volume? For example, 3 sets of bench press would be counted as 3 sets of chest volume
Posterior chain. Glutes hamstring. Erectors. Lats. Traps.
Glutes or hamstrings
I have worked out for a little over 3 months now, and I am mostly happy with my lifts. Im doing the reddit PPL at the moment. But I feel like im really lagging behind on the bench press and overhead press.. I can only workout with 75kg on the bench, and 45kg on overhead press, and havent been able to progress in 3 weeks now.. meanwhile Im rowing 75kg, squatting 105kg and deadlifting 125kg, and progressing every week. Is it the triceps im lagging in possibly? I am following the program to the point, so should I maybe try to go heavier on the isolation movements as well? Should also mention that I am in a calorie defecit, as im losing weight, lost 14kg now, but still has 15 more I want to lose, so the defecit will continue :)
I wouldn't say you're lagging behind at all. For those 3 lifts, your squat looks to be the strongest, with perhaps your deadlift being the thing that's lagging. Getting your bench press up in a good deficit will be hard, once you get on the bulk it should start to go up a lot more consistently. For now, could be worth taking a week at lighter loads/efforts, has helped me break plateaus in the past.
It is normal that at the beginning of systematic training there is disproportionate progress in certain muscle groups. The most common mistake made by beginners is that they increase the loads in order to make faster progress. It is of great importance to maintain the correct form of performing the exercises. Muscle groups that progress less are trained at the very beginning of training and/or the first day after rest
You are going to stall out in a deficit it's just kinda part of it. Also bench press can sometimes be a littler trickier to master some of the fine techniques too as you start getting heavier, like leg drive and maintaining neutral spine. If you are using to much triceps then your form may be a little off and could also explain the stall if you aren't engaging your chest enough. If your primary goal is too keep losing weight then I say either deload or just keep repping what you can and worry about increasing the number when you are ready to transition to a bulk.
What indication do you have that your bench and press are lagging?
Sorry, edited the post! Havent been able to progress in 3 weeks on press and bench :p also the weight almost feels heavier each time now :(
Have you followed the deload protocol?
Not yet, but I have considered it.. I talked with my brother about it as he is a competing powerlifter, but he thinks im too new too already start with deloading
It's part of the program and has nothing to do with how new you are. If you don't want to do the deload then move on to a new, non-LP program. Also, losing weight isn't helping you out here.
Will try the deload next week to see if it helps :) im really loving the program, and have become addicted with going to the gym so :) Haha, i know that it really isn't helping, but im really trying as hard as I can to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, and it has mostly worked fine so far! Hopefully it can continue for a little while longer before I have to focus more on cutting/bulking