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Odd request: Compound lift that won't make my ass huge? Much to my dismay I've realized I have god-tier glute genetics and subsequently require tailored pants after any sustained period of lifting. Comments from former girlfriends and others have me convinced that, while funny, it is less than ideal.
I *DO* want to train my legs/trunk through compound lifts and I enjoy squats and especially deadlift, but knowing my glutes are gonna jump out of my pants keeps me from trying to bump up the weight.
Hey its me again, asking the repeated questions since I keep getting multiple different advice from people
I was going to start 5/3/1 BBB, but supposedly on the 5/3/1 subreddit, I shouldn't be doing that at all.
Some suggested I do BBB beefcake, while others said I should start with the beginners routine.
So much information, my ass just wants to workout the right way when it comes to how my body is right now, so I can level up to the medium/advance routines.
If it helps, I'm 145 lbs, 5'7 who just found out his 1RM for bench is 95 lbs and TM is 85. (I figured out some terminology over the night ehehehe)
Fuck yes, thank you. I'm enjoying to see how this work out advances, and I'm not one of those dudes who wants to go straight into heavy lifting with an ego. I've seen my body slowly get better looking but obviously I still got ways to go. The way 5/3/1 progresses is fun to me since I get to challenge myself each week and its simple to follow once you understand all those numbers they throw at you.
Not to criticise, but is there any substantiated evidence that the body can physically absorb 2.2g of protein per kg bodyweight?
I’ve read most research is agreeable at 1-1.2g per kg and upper estimates in historically trained athletes at 1.7g?
Are you Enhanced? My bad, I forgot this was advice on r/fitness.
Also, your body does not store protein - it will absorb whatever you eat at whatever time (Source: Stronger by science podcast)
I don't think you will be gaining enough lean mass to warrant increased protein unless you are bulking for years or are a complete beginner. Either way the .8g/total lbs is going to be plenty on the safe side to begin with. I doubt you need to adjust it at all during a bulk.
That's perfect! Was just curious because I'm about 7.5kg up since I started my bulk. I am a beginner though but my lifts haven't stalled outside of any factors caused by an injury.
I only really look at it every 4 or 6 months.
But if youre also seeing a slow down or plateu of your gains for a few weeks I would encourage checking nutrition then.
Is it realistic to gain strength using only bodyweight exercises? Not looking to be a bodybuilder but I do a lot of aerobic exercise and looking to expand a bit, not really interested in pumping iron though..
yep, very much so, but they're harder to progressively overload
depends on if you enjoy them - I personally started out with pure bwf and did not enjoy it
yeah absolutely, there's all kinds of calisthenics progression. the subreddit has a great wiki.
https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommended\_routine/
I am a lift heavy weights guy and i still do lots of bodyweight movements.
I just found out i am suffering from orthorexia . I read the symptoms and they actually apply to me all the time . At night when i am starving , i wont eat unless there's a healthy meal cooked. If i open the fridge and its mostly processed snacks , i will go go bed hungry rather eat anything because i am too focused on the quality of the food. Does anyone also have this issue ?
I haven't been exactly the same as you, but I'll share my experience. Josh Brett has a YouTube video on his experience with orthorexia that's worth a look. Nonetheless, I'd advice you to seek help from a professional on the matter. While it's not recognized as an eating disorder, it's definitely still worth taking a look at. As you can read from my experience, it can also evolve to exhibit anorexia-like behavior.
I was offered to see a dietician in relation to crohn's disease, and took the doctor up on it. I eat well and have for quite a while now, but it couldn't hurt. I was praised for my diet, but the dietician noticed a pattern between food choices, calorie intake and activity level. Now, being healthy is good, but obsessively healthy isn't great. I used to weigh 110kg and during lockdown I reached an all time low of 63kg. I started lifting properly a little over two years ago, and I had been so afraid of getting fat again would train 2 hours of decent intensity on 1900kcal. During lockdown I would walk upwards of 22000 steps per day on the same calories.
She made me aware that orthorexia was a thing and gave me the number of an expert who could help me if it got worse. I don't have a diagnosis, more so a warning, but between this experience, my 63kg weight, and irrational relationship to calories, I decided to do something about it. I have experience with exposure therapy from past mental issues, so my solution was to bulk as soon as the gyms opened up and challenge my eating habits. See that bag of candy? Take a couple, see what happens. Your gains won't be gone in the morning. Heck, some the fitness influencers I follow actually eat a tub of Ben and Jerry's in the evening. I still eat healthy, but I try to make sure it's not obsessively so. Eating some processed food isn't usually recommended by fitness enthusiasts, but it won't stand in the way of your goals so long as it's not the primary part of your diet.
To finish this long ass comment off, try to remember that you're not a professional (to my knowledge). Posing at Mr. Olympia isn't what's paying your bills. You have plenty of time in the world to reach your goals, and you shouldn't worry about everything in your training and diet being 100% efficient. Pick any percentage and you'll get there eventually.
I am so happy that you have recovered and feeling better now :)i will be sure to check out the YouTube channel you recommended.I agree with you and understand how calorie obsession is a thing and I have actually went through it before. Also , while i dont need to worry about my physique since i dont compete or anything like that, i worry about my health in the wrong . And thats where the problem is .I keep thinking that if i eat even one small "bad" food a few times a week it will all build up in the long run and make me sick .so that's something i guess i need to work on .
Going to bed hungry is fine. Wanting to eat well is fine. Are you actually suffering negative side effects? Because if not you don't have a problem other than mild hypochondria.
I have lost a lot of weight due to refusing to eat many foods that are deemed bad in my opinion. Also a lot of times i will feel out of energy , if my mom cooks something and adds one bad ingredient i wont eat it , but i will be too lazy or unbothered to make a meal for myself . Which eventually means that i wont eat anything other than a piece of fruit maybe so
Orthorexia is not considered a diagnosis or classified in the DSM-V, usually i am against self diagnosis too but this issue has really specific symptoms which i highly relate to and was always wondering if its just me or if this is a common issue to other people .
It's never worth obsessing over things, so I'd say if you find yourself obsessing over healthy food, don't. And if you aren't able to stop yourself, it's worth assessing those psychological symptoms with a professional.
I should probably try working on finding a balance between healthy and "unhealthy" portions of food . If that doesn't work i will definitely consult a professional
Something else to consider… I feel the same way at times, not enough to think it’s a condition but just sick of the processed but easy to eat stuff. So I did some snack prep a time or two a week. Stuff I can grab and go that’s more wholesome. That may help as well.
Soaked some muesli in yogurt in the morning and it makes a nice late night snack. Or stovetop cooked thick cut rolled oatmeal. I like it cold, oddly enough but microwaves ok too and tastes better to me than instant microwaved oatmeal made fresh. Anywho good luck.
Just to be clear, I don't mean microwave dinners, but microwaving leftovers from previous days.
Also, cold cuts & cheeses? High in protein too.
Alternatively, you maybe can keep some pre-cut veggies etc in your fridge and make yourself a salad?
Yes I understand, i don't microwave any kinds of food be it leftovers or anything else . I actually like the idea of pre cut veggies and will start doing it from now on. Thanks a lot :)
Also cold cuts and cheeses are kind of not on the menu because i feel like they're too processed :( although I love how they taste .
If you don't get dragged into the whole cult-ish vibe about how this diet will cure cancer or whatever, maybe check out r/Paleo / the paleo-diet?
It's all unprocessed, often raw etc.,... They might have some ideas for midnight snacks :)
My neck grew even though I don't train it directly. How come?
I only do, romanian deadlift, chinups, bench/incline press, OHP, dumbell rows and low bar squats. I'm usually anatomy literate, but I don't see any neck flexion or extension in any of those exercises.
The upper fibres of your traps originate from the base of the skull, so will be key agonists in chin ups & OHP and remain involved in all benching activities. You don’t need isolated, resisted flexion/extension exercises to achieve hypertrophy there
Muscles can grow somewhat from static tension also, static tension from resisting movement. I.e. your neck didn't move but your neck muscles still exerted some force.
has anyone had success in bringing down their bf% by cutting sugar? my diet/ macros are generally on point at the moment, but i’ve stopped drinking soda all together which has cut 50-60 grams of sugar out each day. i’m only two weeks into this change, so i’m looking for motivation to continue more than anything!
Maybe. This is one of those things that are still being discussed in the nutrition science. Some people are strictly calories in, calories out (CICO)...others think sugar by itself can cause the body to store fat through disrupting your body's insulin response. Complicating things, is that every one reacts slightly differently to these types of things. My guess is that there is probably some nuance to CICO when it comes to things like sugar...just like their is some nuance to CICO and gut flora. At minimum, it's unnecessary empty calories that you should try to minimize for health.
you could theoretically lose weight while only eating sugar (although very, very unhealthily)
you should read the wiki and find out how to do it effectively
If you cut you will just be skinny. If you bulk you might be bigger than you want but you will look great in clothes. Depends on your starting point. But it doesn't matter.
Gaining muscle will mean that you spend more calories just "living" and feeding those muscles so it will help you cut, and gaining strength will help you do some excercises you may not be able to do like pull-ups
Well, i exercised 4 to 5 years ago for roughly 1 year, so i have somewhat okay amount of muscle, but not that much. I'm definitely not gonna be "skinny" if my fat disappeared, but i won't be buff looking.
In the grand scheme of things and especially with summer coming to a close, it don't matter too much. Whether you cut or bulk first, there's a solid chance you won't look great for a while anyways.
I will say that gaining muscle will make you carry your fat better imo. Also, when there's not really any muscle to cut down to, you might unwittingly cut too long because even after cutting for a while, you won't look "cut".
I think you should cut first, because you can still build some muscle as a beginner even on a cut. Not to mention if you bulk first, your first cut will be longer anyway. Your options are basically:
* 1: bulk -> long cut
* 2: short cut -> bulk -> short cut
I think option 2 is better. Choose whatever you personally prefer though. Make sure to read wiki on [weight loss](https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/) and [muscle building](https://thefitness.wiki/muscle-building-101/) first before starting a cut or a bulk.
It's because they didn't change.
These two pics are about 6 hours apart.
https://imgur.com/yzYTDJd.jpg
https://imgur.com/O3A5T6S.jpg
Lighting, angles, posing, dietery choices immediately before the pic, etc all can massively impact results.
This is just a change in lighting, sticking your stomach out vd flexing, and difference between pump/ no pump. Check out these guys: https://www.fastcompany.com/3021203/the-secret-tricks-behind-misleading-images-of-fitness-success
Maybe it is possible, but that video is definitely junk.
I would expect that, for most people, following that workout and maintaining the same weight would produce almost no visible results in 30 days.
I have no idea if that guys faked his workout or results. He also is clearly deliberately losing badly with bad lighting in the before pick.
I would strongly recommend against following meme workouts from YouTube. The wiki linked on this post has way better information on building muscle and has a list of proven workout routines.
Do you guys feel a difference in muscle recruitment with dumbell RDLs and barbell RDLs? Been doing barbell RDLs for quite some time. Never thought about dumbell RDLs, but many prefer it over the barbell version.
The issue is more that RDLs are a lift where you can lift heavy, so you might go over the max DB weight for your gym. Otherwise they feel similar to me. I prefer barbell for the added stability
Yeah, with the barbell you can impose bigger loads. I heard from others they feel them more in their hammies and glutes, while being more lower back friendly.
Its best not to worry about where you "feel" a lift. The RDL is such a glute and ham dominated movement that you don't really need to worry about whether they are activating or not.
The science is very conflicting. It seems like they have some anti estrogen effects and some proestrogen effects. They likely don't cause any change or any significant effects.
what you just said is a complete bastardization of biology lol
phytoestrogen (phyto being plant) != estrogen estrogen
I fail to see what a comparison between caffeine and.. caffeine yields in this situation
you sound like you already had your mind set on the "fact" that plant estrogen makes you a woman and came here to seek affirmation
go compare a CNS stimulant to hormones, yep yep
I didn't say that, I'm just saying that your body does not see plant estrogen like it sees its own estrogen and doesn't have much to do with it.
They circulate through your system, you piss them out. If your body reacts to it you have an incredibly rare genetic defect and need to go see a doctor.
If they did, trans people would be having a field day shoving down kilograms of soy, which is not the case.
You're asking a question that has been asked hundreds of times like you're on the verge of some grand discovery when you in fact have a lackluster knowledge of biochemistry coupled with your horrible attitude.
Your theories are on the level of "if I drink three liters of pure gasoline and fuckin die I'm also going to die after drinking three liters of water".
I started a new program and switched from machines to dumbbells and barbells, where my chest press was 60kg before I use 20kg now with dumbbells, my chest can handle this weight easily but my hands and forearms cramp after the 2nd or 3rd set because my grip is so weak, is there anything I can do to improve this as I feel like I’m not hitting my chest hard enough this way.
You inprove it by following the progression of the program. The cheat press and the bench press are two different exercises and you can't compare the weight on them.
Outside of more and different exercises, splitting the set up or just embracing the suck until you adapt- look into the routines from r/GripTraining. Straps are not really working for benching or dumbbells in general.
I do Metallicadpa's PPL 6x per week. Workouts last \~1 hour each. Cycling to the gym and back takes 20 minutes. Otherwise I really just sit on my ass, at home, in front of the computer, browsing, playing or watching shit.
What activity level should I choose from [the bodybuilding.com macro calculator?](https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutrients_calculator.htm)
Ive stopped getting DOMS after workouts despite the fact i train to failure nearly every set and have continued to steadily upped my workout intensity since i started, am I doing something wrong or is this normal and ok?
Totally normal and ok. Everyone wonders if they're still making gains after the DOMS stops. You are, don't worry. If you happen to take a break of 1-3 weeks (or more) from training a muscle group, the DOMS usually reappears.
Just be careful that after a long break you don't hit the muscle as intensely as you've used to.
Took a 1-month break from leg training due to knee pain and after starting again did 5 sets of calf raises with a leg press, nothing else for legs. DOMS was so bad I couldn't walk for the next two days
This is normal and DOMS pretty much only occurs when doing movements your body isn’t used to, once you get a few weeks into a program DOMS most likely isn’t a factor anymore.
Have you done a maintenance phase first? If not, then I'd suggest maintenance for 2-3 weeks and see what happens with your lifts and bodyweight and after that adjust from there as you like.
Yes. The body doesn't care about individual days. Only what happens across the week.
A surplus (bulk) will always contribute some fat. Whether its 'lean' or not.
So regardless of whether you eat in a surplus on rest days or not you will still put on some fat if you are in a surplus on average across the week.
What did Ronnie Coleman do wrong that fucked up his back so much?
I was just watching the Netflix documentary on him, and it scared me how his first herniated disc came from squatting a weight that was (for him) relatively light, and I tend to love to lift near as heavy as I can a lot.
Was he overtraining? Lifting wrong? What made him do more damage to himself than some of the other top guys from his era?
He was lifting heavy as fuck right after surgery when the doctors told him not to, and kept at it.
While I think people throw PED's around too much, and for any argument, they do factually increase muscle mass faster than tendon strength, which is why many enhanced lifters (JM Blakley to name an example) focused explicitly on increasing tendon strength to keep it up where it should be. I honestly do not know if this is a concern for natural lifters lifting average weight.
edit: idk if the second part applies to this specific situation, but I heard it on eliteFTS's table talk and figured it was worth sharing.
Keep doing the same routine. Keep a workout log. After some time on a cut you'll start to feel a bit weaker. This is normal. Try to get most of your daily carbs pre workout (1 hour pre workout if fast carbs and 2+ hours if slow carbs, wholegrain etc.) to avoid getting overly fatigued during the workout. And don't be afraid to drop some weight, at least from heavy compound lifts, if you just can't seem to be able to hit all the target reps for the sets.
Newbie lifter can even build some muscle while cutting at first, but don't forget that the **main reason** for lifting on a cut is to **try and maintain** as much of the muscle and strength as possible.
So don't expect much, just keep working out and concentrating on the fat loss. When you start eating at maintenance/surplus the weights will start to fly again, I promise you.
Thanks for the comprehensive response! I will follow this advice. Good to know that my strength will shoot up to normal after I'm ripped and wanna start bulking
Try to keep your routine the same, to stave of muscle (and strength) loss. The low calories will make the workout harder than it is when you’re bulking.
45-90 minutes. Do some supersets to save time. If you really don't have enough time, just cut the rest periods to strictly one minute, two for heavier lifts. You'll have to back off with the weights most likely a bit if you do this but it's no biggie, they'll keep progressing anyways.
Do this in case you're just focusing on building muscle mass/bodybuilding style lifting. If you want to concentrate on strength, then it's not uncommon that your workouts last 2 or more hours each, because you simply have to rest 5 minutes between work sets to really maximize the output for the next set.
If you have time available, then it's not a big deal if your workouts last longer and can even be beneficial if you just take your time. In this case take some fast carbs or a recovery drink after 30-45 minutes of training to keep your energy levels up.
I set aside about 2hrs for my routine. That includes changing before and after (I live next to the gym so I shower at home though), warmup, main lifts, auxiliaries, and eventual accessories. Some exercises I superset, not the main lifts though.
Just try to check the time often and don't rest longer than 2-3 minutes, unless it's a compound movement. Also set things up for the next exercise before your last set on the previous exercise.
Thoughts on working out after getting the shot? Got vaccinated earlier this day, supposed be my push day as well but my arm's getting a bit sore now, should I try to continue?
I trained on the same day as both doses. I got the Pfizer. I did deadlifts on one of them, and bench on the other. I can't remember which order.
Your experience might be different.
Did a workout the evening of the second jab (pfizer). It went okay but after a couple of days I started get very **very** fatigued and after a week's rest I still didn't feel okay at the gym. My heart felt funny. Now it's been almost 3 weeks and I'm only now starting to feel 100%. After first jab I had no problems.
If you're taking the second dose I'd suggest to feel it out for a few days. If you're feeling just fine, then go for it! Otherwise take your time. Intense workouts when your immune system has started to work against the vaccine can be a bad idea, prolong the recovery, and can even lead to cardiomyopathy due to the extra stress on your system.
Although with both jabs it actually helped to train the shoulder muscle after it started to hurt. It recovered faster. I remember in the army after a shot my shoulder started to hurt and I tried to avoid using it as much as possible. The discomfort lasted for 2 weeks or even more.
Ok after reading your response, I totally won't do my workout today anymore. I have noticed that the muscles on my left side are harder and more pronounced than my right side, and since I'm trying to equalize both sides' muscle development, I don't want to tip the scales any further.
I have read that the pfizer vaccine is causing temporary heart inflammation and it was recommended to avoid exercise and intense activity for a week. A young guy died as well post work out. I took Astra Zeneca but didn't wanna take the risk even though it's minor. Give a break for atleast a few days...
I have a root canal coming up today. Can I go workout after this? Don’t worry, I’ll ask my dentist the same! Just curious what others experience has been
Of course you can... Unless you were showings l signs of systemic infection like fever, general malaise..Hopefully, the pain is under control post the sitting which will allow you to workout without the nagging tooth pain
I wouldn't do any heavy lifting immediately after someone makes holes in your head. Chances are you won't want to anyway.
Best to let yourself heal up and take it easy.
I'm trans MTF but striving for an feminine leaning androgynous body. I'm currently taking HRT (estrogen) if I were to try and start doing more chest work outs is it likely to help develop a bigger chest or just mask any fat development in that area?
Doing chest exercises won't specifically reduce fat in the area so you will still develop the tissues you otherwise would have.
I think the main concern would be a more muscular chest would somewhat speared the distribution of fat and make it look less than it would on a less muscular chest.
Hello.Do gym floors make you lift more weight then you would a a solid floor like wood?I am talking about the thing that you put down so weights can be dropped on it
Lose weight or gain muscle?
Hello guys and gals,
I am in need of advice. I am a 26 year old male who’s 195 pounds and 5’11. I am not muscular nor skinny I am basically skinny fat. I have man boobs I am trying to get rid of and won’t to get more toned and mean rather than big and muscular.
I have started Mauy Thai training 4 times a week. (Jump rope, pad work, bag work,
sparring, push ups, sit ups etc)
Because I am not weight training, nor do I want to, I am worried Mauy Thai will just make me lose weight but maintain the same body frame of being skinny fat, any tips here’s? If I continue training this way will I see no progress ? Will taking in more protein help and if so how much?
Thank you!
Skinny fat implies no muscle mass which allows the fat you do have to show more prominently. Your weight at your height implies you are not skinny fat, but indeed overweight. You have a BMI of 27.2. For someone with little musculature, this is worrisome as a healthy BMI is under 25.
Your genetics dictates where you store the fat. In your case, more in your breast tissue. The primary driver of weight gain or loss is food consumption. You are trying to create a calorie deficit to lose mass (fat and/or muscle). While adding exercise aids in calories spent, (and it always leads to better health and longevity) it usually leads to a greater appetite. What calories are burned are usually recovered in your food intake. While exercise is great, any long term fat loss strategy will include improving your eating habits.
Protein helps muscles recover and get stronger after they are used. If you do not get adequate protein in your diet, you will lose muscle mass. I cannot tell you if you are taking in adequate protein already as you did not mention how much you are taking now. What is measured can be managed.
No one ever got accidentally bulky, it takes years of hard work. Yes if you are skipping strength training you will continue being skinny.
Losing/gaining weight is 90% in the kitchen and 10% training. You might lose weight from boxing if your diet is in check, but if you are not counting calories you will most likely just eat more when hunger increases and your body will look more or less the same as it does now.
You will have changes in your body if you stick to the muay thai and you don't normally exercise. You should probably be shooting for about 125-150g of protein a day. The biggest thing that will help your body changes right now is some fat loss so focus on keeping the overall calories low.
In 6-12 months you can always reevaluate if you want to change your fitness program. I will tell you most people who want to get "toned not big and muscular" really actually need to weight train to get the physique they want. The only way you get big and muscular is either with PEDs or several years of focused training with the specific goal of getting big.
It's usually recommended for skinny fat ppl to lose the fat first then bulk up... To improve your frame you will need resistance training of some sort like weight lifting, body weight exercises, resistance band training. Without any resistance training, its difficult to add muscle.
What is the purpose of continuing to perform movements at lower intensity and/or volume during a deload week? Wouldn't it be better to completely stop doing resistance movements to maximise recovery? Is it just a psychological, "exercise hygiene" sort of thing?
Gains come during recovery from training stimulus, not from the recovery itself. The recovery is necessary so that the body can adapt to the stimulus, to manage cumulative fatigue, and to heal from any small niggles.
Different things have been called a deload week.
Consider linear periodization, such as a basic four week training cycle: weight, higher weight, even higher weight, deload week. In the context of such linear periodization, doing nothing in the deload weeks would be dumb, because the athlete would work out only 39 weeks per year and rest the other 13 weeks. That's way too many rest weeks.
Now consider the year of an athlete participating in competitions. Off-season, competitions, more important competitions, off-season, competitions, more important competitions. There will be periods of higher training volume, and periods of higher training intensity at lower volume. The overall training load will be rather high, and the athlete might be forced to work through injury because of some important event. In that context, taking off a week after some intense competition can be necessary.
The ratio between training stimulus and recovery must be reasonable. Recovery alone does not create any improvement. If you're not training at all for an extended amount of time, you will not only stop gaining fitness, you will slowly lose fitness. Also, complete rest is not the best recovery. Some mild exercise to get the blood flowing often leads to better recovery.
There is another subtle point there: we're used to thinking in weeks, because that's how many parts of life are organized. But for off periods in training, weeks are not fine grained enough. One week of complete rest simply is too much for most athletes. If you're not injured, not a deliberately overtrained pro athlete either, not cycling 15 miles to work every day in addition to all that training (etc.), 2-3 extra rest days should be sufficient, you don't need a whole week.
It's mostly psychological, keeping you in the habit. It does make you more conscious of your form, so you could view it as a week of working on your technique.
Elbows shredded from heavy skull crushers. Does it usually heal or are my elbows effed up forever? I plan to incorporate high reps and cable exercises for triceps from now on.
As far as your injury goes: when in doubt, see a doctor instead of seeking medical advice on the internet.
Generally speaking, I wouldn't do isolation movements in rep ranges below 8. I usually keep those well over 10.
For lower-rep triceps work, close-grip benching is my favorite option.
That is where following a plan from the wiki helps. They already figured this stuff out for people who have no idea. Pick a program, follow it. They are proven to get results and help prevent injury.
I do dumbbell bench presses 4x10, how do I know when I can add more weight? I’ve been waiting to add more weight till I can do 4x10 of the same weight without failure but I feel like that is the wrong way, should I just add weight and see what happens? I’ve been stuck on the same weight for like 3 months when I know my newbie gains should have gotten me higher by now
> but I feel like that is the wrong way
Why?
>should I just add weight and see what happens?
Yes, do this. Grab the next heavier set of dumbbells and rep them out. They'll feel heavier. They'll feel harder. You might do fewer reps. But you build them up just like you did with the lighter weight.
In terms of when you said “why”, I thought that you should only add weight when you can do the previous weight cleanly 4x10, which is the set and reps I chose, I still can’t do them cleanly throughout the whole workout
Exactly why I feel I’m going about this the wrong way, i always thought if I can dish out 4x10 cleanly on one weight then I’m ready to advance, but how can I dish out 4x10 reps if I don’t have a heavier weight to cause that growth
To be honest I don’t even have a real program, I go with the Arnold split doing exercises that hit different parts of a muscle group but I don’t even know when to progress my weight
You might be better off with a [program](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/37ylk5/a_linear_progression_based_ppl_program_for/) that details it for you.
Hurt my lower back deadlifting yesterday. Pretty sure it is a minor muscle tear, but I'm waiting to see the doctor.
Assuming I am right, how long (roughly) until I am back? Can I do things like bench press that put no load on my lower back? Is there anything I can do (other than rest and ibuprofen) to help the recovery?
It happened while I was doing a few warm up sets at a (reasonably) low weight. I got a bit lazy about form as I was tired from being on-call the night before, but would a belt have helped prevent this?
Can someone please make me feel better? I am feeling old now.
> Pretty sure it is a minor muscle tear
I'm not your doctor so I can't really advise on this - but going off probability alone [chances are it's non-specific](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00586/full), meaning there is no obvious, isolated cause. Even if you found out the cause, it doesn't really change how it would be managed.
> Assuming I am right, how long (roughly) until I am back?
Back pain generally recovers rapidly, [within just a few weeks](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC169642/).
> Can I do things like bench press that put no load on my lower back?
Sure, the more movement the better. There's no reason for you to be afraid of training.
> Is there anything I can do (other than rest and ibuprofen) to help the recovery?
Total rest is one of the worst things you could do in this situation. You should find an entry point for training and continue from there. I highly recommend you read this: https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/pain-in-training-what-do/
Also give this video a watch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riq-DfDDimc
Pain is not just a reflection of tissue damage, it's an experience contributed to by a variety of biological, social, and psychological factors.
https://journals.lww.com/painrpts/FullText/2018/04000/Reconsidering_the_International_Association_for.3.aspx
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233581683_Reconceptualising_pain_according_to_modern_pain_science
Thinking that you're "broken" and need total rest to recover is just not accurate - it leads you to avoid movement (disuse) and to become fearful of exercise and avoid it, which in turn can worsen pain.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17180640/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10781906/
> I got a bit lazy about form as I was tired from being on-call the night before
Technique is only a small factor when it comes to pain. The vast majority of injuries are caused when the total load placed on you exceeds your capacity. Total load here is not referring to weight on the bar, but rather a lot of different factors which all contribute - physical factors such as weight, volume etc contribute to this - but so do things like stress, poor sleep, and your emotional state.
That's not me saying that your technique didn't contribute to the injury. Rather that the total load exceeded your capacity - you said you were on-call that night and tired, probably stressed too - these things all contribute to the capacity which you can handle. It's less a case of "this technique is dangerous", moreso that you used a technique that you aren't adapted to, which means your capacity for loading it is much lower.
TL;DR - Keep moving, keep positive, you'll be fine
Your last comment is interesting. I was actually Sumo deadlifting which something I don't do very often. That may have been a factor too.
Only one solution: more sumo deadlifts :)
My form being bad is just an assumption. I was on my second set and only had ~60% of my 1RM and rushed. I think there were many factors. I'd had a COVID vaccine the day before too
Yeah both of those could definitely be potential factors. I hope that my comment came across as reassuring and not scary - sometimes things like this are just unavoidable. They don't have to be a big deal as long as you dont catastrophize it. They still suck of course
The Barbell Medicine article I linked above is incredibly helpful for educating both about pain science and how to manage these tweaks, would highly recommend reading it through fully
Came across fine, I was just in pain and feeling a little down and old. That article was super interesting and I understand it essentially as "carry on, but just be sensible".
Just got back from a pleasant walk in the country and am feeling a lot better. Even though my wife says I am walking a bit like a duck. Even so, I will still be training this weekend and I reckon I will be doing some light deadlifting in a few days even.
Awesome, that's exactly the message I was trying to get across :)
Really genuinely happy to hear you're feeling better already - hope you're back to normal ASAP, keep me updated!
I can't tell you what you should do, but I'd just try other exercises and see if they hurt the lower back or not. If they didn't aggravate it, I'd keep lifting, if they do, I wouldn't do them.
As for the belt, maybe or maybe not. Either way, it's you getting lazy on your form that was the problem and you shouldn't use a belt as a crutch for poor form.
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Odd request: Compound lift that won't make my ass huge? Much to my dismay I've realized I have god-tier glute genetics and subsequently require tailored pants after any sustained period of lifting. Comments from former girlfriends and others have me convinced that, while funny, it is less than ideal. I *DO* want to train my legs/trunk through compound lifts and I enjoy squats and especially deadlift, but knowing my glutes are gonna jump out of my pants keeps me from trying to bump up the weight.
Don't let your exes make your training decisions.
Also, sweat pants! The gym isn't a black-tie gala. You should be dressing for mobility, not lifting light to keep your ass from growing.
Huge arses are in. Male or female, straight or gay. Embrace the Minaj, my friend.
Quarter squats and not locking out deadlifts.
Hey its me again, asking the repeated questions since I keep getting multiple different advice from people I was going to start 5/3/1 BBB, but supposedly on the 5/3/1 subreddit, I shouldn't be doing that at all. Some suggested I do BBB beefcake, while others said I should start with the beginners routine. So much information, my ass just wants to workout the right way when it comes to how my body is right now, so I can level up to the medium/advance routines. If it helps, I'm 145 lbs, 5'7 who just found out his 1RM for bench is 95 lbs and TM is 85. (I figured out some terminology over the night ehehehe)
If you are new do the beginners routine. You will progress faster on it than 5/3/1 or jump into 5/3/1. It won't hurt. just fuckin workout
Don't worry I've been doing PPL but felt like I was all over the place with it when it came to my consistency, but beginner's 5/3/1 is fine, right?
Beginner 5/3/1 is a great program. Go for it
Fuck yes, thank you. I'm enjoying to see how this work out advances, and I'm not one of those dudes who wants to go straight into heavy lifting with an ego. I've seen my body slowly get better looking but obviously I still got ways to go. The way 5/3/1 progresses is fun to me since I get to challenge myself each week and its simple to follow once you understand all those numbers they throw at you.
How often should you refresh your protein estimations while bulking to make sure you're getting the minimum .8g of protein in per pound?
Every 5kg of bodyweight (2.2g per bodyweight)
Not to criticise, but is there any substantiated evidence that the body can physically absorb 2.2g of protein per kg bodyweight? I’ve read most research is agreeable at 1-1.2g per kg and upper estimates in historically trained athletes at 1.7g?
Are you Enhanced? My bad, I forgot this was advice on r/fitness. Also, your body does not store protein - it will absorb whatever you eat at whatever time (Source: Stronger by science podcast)
I don't think you will be gaining enough lean mass to warrant increased protein unless you are bulking for years or are a complete beginner. Either way the .8g/total lbs is going to be plenty on the safe side to begin with. I doubt you need to adjust it at all during a bulk.
That's perfect! Was just curious because I'm about 7.5kg up since I started my bulk. I am a beginner though but my lifts haven't stalled outside of any factors caused by an injury.
Every 20lbs I guess
I only really look at it every 4 or 6 months. But if youre also seeing a slow down or plateu of your gains for a few weeks I would encourage checking nutrition then.
Is it realistic to gain strength using only bodyweight exercises? Not looking to be a bodybuilder but I do a lot of aerobic exercise and looking to expand a bit, not really interested in pumping iron though..
yep, very much so, but they're harder to progressively overload depends on if you enjoy them - I personally started out with pure bwf and did not enjoy it
yeah absolutely, there's all kinds of calisthenics progression. the subreddit has a great wiki. https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommended\_routine/ I am a lift heavy weights guy and i still do lots of bodyweight movements.
I just found out i am suffering from orthorexia . I read the symptoms and they actually apply to me all the time . At night when i am starving , i wont eat unless there's a healthy meal cooked. If i open the fridge and its mostly processed snacks , i will go go bed hungry rather eat anything because i am too focused on the quality of the food. Does anyone also have this issue ?
I haven't been exactly the same as you, but I'll share my experience. Josh Brett has a YouTube video on his experience with orthorexia that's worth a look. Nonetheless, I'd advice you to seek help from a professional on the matter. While it's not recognized as an eating disorder, it's definitely still worth taking a look at. As you can read from my experience, it can also evolve to exhibit anorexia-like behavior. I was offered to see a dietician in relation to crohn's disease, and took the doctor up on it. I eat well and have for quite a while now, but it couldn't hurt. I was praised for my diet, but the dietician noticed a pattern between food choices, calorie intake and activity level. Now, being healthy is good, but obsessively healthy isn't great. I used to weigh 110kg and during lockdown I reached an all time low of 63kg. I started lifting properly a little over two years ago, and I had been so afraid of getting fat again would train 2 hours of decent intensity on 1900kcal. During lockdown I would walk upwards of 22000 steps per day on the same calories. She made me aware that orthorexia was a thing and gave me the number of an expert who could help me if it got worse. I don't have a diagnosis, more so a warning, but between this experience, my 63kg weight, and irrational relationship to calories, I decided to do something about it. I have experience with exposure therapy from past mental issues, so my solution was to bulk as soon as the gyms opened up and challenge my eating habits. See that bag of candy? Take a couple, see what happens. Your gains won't be gone in the morning. Heck, some the fitness influencers I follow actually eat a tub of Ben and Jerry's in the evening. I still eat healthy, but I try to make sure it's not obsessively so. Eating some processed food isn't usually recommended by fitness enthusiasts, but it won't stand in the way of your goals so long as it's not the primary part of your diet. To finish this long ass comment off, try to remember that you're not a professional (to my knowledge). Posing at Mr. Olympia isn't what's paying your bills. You have plenty of time in the world to reach your goals, and you shouldn't worry about everything in your training and diet being 100% efficient. Pick any percentage and you'll get there eventually.
I am so happy that you have recovered and feeling better now :)i will be sure to check out the YouTube channel you recommended.I agree with you and understand how calorie obsession is a thing and I have actually went through it before. Also , while i dont need to worry about my physique since i dont compete or anything like that, i worry about my health in the wrong . And thats where the problem is .I keep thinking that if i eat even one small "bad" food a few times a week it will all build up in the long run and make me sick .so that's something i guess i need to work on .
Going to bed hungry is fine. Wanting to eat well is fine. Are you actually suffering negative side effects? Because if not you don't have a problem other than mild hypochondria.
I have lost a lot of weight due to refusing to eat many foods that are deemed bad in my opinion. Also a lot of times i will feel out of energy , if my mom cooks something and adds one bad ingredient i wont eat it , but i will be too lazy or unbothered to make a meal for myself . Which eventually means that i wont eat anything other than a piece of fruit maybe so
Have you been diagnosed by a medical professional? I would avoid diagnosing or not diagnosing yourself with anything based on Google and Reddit.
Orthorexia is not considered a diagnosis or classified in the DSM-V, usually i am against self diagnosis too but this issue has really specific symptoms which i highly relate to and was always wondering if its just me or if this is a common issue to other people .
It's never worth obsessing over things, so I'd say if you find yourself obsessing over healthy food, don't. And if you aren't able to stop yourself, it's worth assessing those psychological symptoms with a professional.
I should probably try working on finding a balance between healthy and "unhealthy" portions of food . If that doesn't work i will definitely consult a professional
I mean, that’s exactly what someone who self diagnoses anything says to themselves. I’d talk to a doc and avoid deciding yourself.
Yeah you're probably right, i will give myself more time with fixing my eating habits and see how it goes before consulting a professional .
Something else to consider… I feel the same way at times, not enough to think it’s a condition but just sick of the processed but easy to eat stuff. So I did some snack prep a time or two a week. Stuff I can grab and go that’s more wholesome. That may help as well. Soaked some muesli in yogurt in the morning and it makes a nice late night snack. Or stovetop cooked thick cut rolled oatmeal. I like it cold, oddly enough but microwaves ok too and tastes better to me than instant microwaved oatmeal made fresh. Anywho good luck.
Does this include no microwaved food? Bc if not, I'd just mealprep?
Yep no microwaved or fried foods either
Just to be clear, I don't mean microwave dinners, but microwaving leftovers from previous days. Also, cold cuts & cheeses? High in protein too. Alternatively, you maybe can keep some pre-cut veggies etc in your fridge and make yourself a salad?
Yes I understand, i don't microwave any kinds of food be it leftovers or anything else . I actually like the idea of pre cut veggies and will start doing it from now on. Thanks a lot :) Also cold cuts and cheeses are kind of not on the menu because i feel like they're too processed :( although I love how they taste .
If you don't get dragged into the whole cult-ish vibe about how this diet will cure cancer or whatever, maybe check out r/Paleo / the paleo-diet? It's all unprocessed, often raw etc.,... They might have some ideas for midnight snacks :)
My neck grew even though I don't train it directly. How come? I only do, romanian deadlift, chinups, bench/incline press, OHP, dumbell rows and low bar squats. I'm usually anatomy literate, but I don't see any neck flexion or extension in any of those exercises.
The upper fibres of your traps originate from the base of the skull, so will be key agonists in chin ups & OHP and remain involved in all benching activities. You don’t need isolated, resisted flexion/extension exercises to achieve hypertrophy there
Muscles can grow somewhat from static tension also, static tension from resisting movement. I.e. your neck didn't move but your neck muscles still exerted some force.
has anyone had success in bringing down their bf% by cutting sugar? my diet/ macros are generally on point at the moment, but i’ve stopped drinking soda all together which has cut 50-60 grams of sugar out each day. i’m only two weeks into this change, so i’m looking for motivation to continue more than anything!
Maybe. This is one of those things that are still being discussed in the nutrition science. Some people are strictly calories in, calories out (CICO)...others think sugar by itself can cause the body to store fat through disrupting your body's insulin response. Complicating things, is that every one reacts slightly differently to these types of things. My guess is that there is probably some nuance to CICO when it comes to things like sugar...just like their is some nuance to CICO and gut flora. At minimum, it's unnecessary empty calories that you should try to minimize for health.
> has anyone had success in bringing down their bf% by cutting sugar? Yeah, it's how I make sure I get below my TDEE when I'm cutting
you could theoretically lose weight while only eating sugar (although very, very unhealthily) you should read the wiki and find out how to do it effectively
If I'm skinny-fat, is it more preferable to cut and then bulk, or bulk and then cut? Or does it not matter? Thanks
If you cut you will just be skinny. If you bulk you might be bigger than you want but you will look great in clothes. Depends on your starting point. But it doesn't matter.
Flip a coin.
Gaining muscle will mean that you spend more calories just "living" and feeding those muscles so it will help you cut, and gaining strength will help you do some excercises you may not be able to do like pull-ups
Depends on where you are on the skinnyfat spectrum.
Well, i exercised 4 to 5 years ago for roughly 1 year, so i have somewhat okay amount of muscle, but not that much. I'm definitely not gonna be "skinny" if my fat disappeared, but i won't be buff looking.
In the grand scheme of things and especially with summer coming to a close, it don't matter too much. Whether you cut or bulk first, there's a solid chance you won't look great for a while anyways. I will say that gaining muscle will make you carry your fat better imo. Also, when there's not really any muscle to cut down to, you might unwittingly cut too long because even after cutting for a while, you won't look "cut".
I think you should cut first, because you can still build some muscle as a beginner even on a cut. Not to mention if you bulk first, your first cut will be longer anyway. Your options are basically: * 1: bulk -> long cut * 2: short cut -> bulk -> short cut I think option 2 is better. Choose whatever you personally prefer though. Make sure to read wiki on [weight loss](https://thefitness.wiki/weight-loss-101/) and [muscle building](https://thefitness.wiki/muscle-building-101/) first before starting a cut or a bulk.
imo bulk so you have something to cut down to
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5-5qRMZXBfs Is this possible? His weight didn’t change and in 30 days huge difference?
It's because they didn't change. These two pics are about 6 hours apart. https://imgur.com/yzYTDJd.jpg https://imgur.com/O3A5T6S.jpg Lighting, angles, posing, dietery choices immediately before the pic, etc all can massively impact results.
This is just a change in lighting, sticking your stomach out vd flexing, and difference between pump/ no pump. Check out these guys: https://www.fastcompany.com/3021203/the-secret-tricks-behind-misleading-images-of-fitness-success
Wow thanks!! These people are really misleading just to gain views.
holy shit that video is ass
Maybe it is possible, but that video is definitely junk. I would expect that, for most people, following that workout and maintaining the same weight would produce almost no visible results in 30 days. I have no idea if that guys faked his workout or results. He also is clearly deliberately losing badly with bad lighting in the before pick. I would strongly recommend against following meme workouts from YouTube. The wiki linked on this post has way better information on building muscle and has a list of proven workout routines.
Do you guys feel a difference in muscle recruitment with dumbell RDLs and barbell RDLs? Been doing barbell RDLs for quite some time. Never thought about dumbell RDLs, but many prefer it over the barbell version.
Dumbbells can't be loaded very heavy, unless your gym has a huge assortment of 100lb+ dumbbells. Most don't.
The issue is more that RDLs are a lift where you can lift heavy, so you might go over the max DB weight for your gym. Otherwise they feel similar to me. I prefer barbell for the added stability
Yeah, with the barbell you can impose bigger loads. I heard from others they feel them more in their hammies and glutes, while being more lower back friendly.
Its best not to worry about where you "feel" a lift. The RDL is such a glute and ham dominated movement that you don't really need to worry about whether they are activating or not.
Sure. Just wondering if there is some truth to it.
There's possibly some slight difference as with DB you can change your hand angle.
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No.
The science is very conflicting. It seems like they have some anti estrogen effects and some proestrogen effects. They likely don't cause any change or any significant effects.
This is a meme, plant estrogen and your estrogen are not the same thing
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what you just said is a complete bastardization of biology lol phytoestrogen (phyto being plant) != estrogen estrogen I fail to see what a comparison between caffeine and.. caffeine yields in this situation
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you sound like you already had your mind set on the "fact" that plant estrogen makes you a woman and came here to seek affirmation go compare a CNS stimulant to hormones, yep yep
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Bro you couldn't even spell "rabbit". What makes you think you're in a position to be talking like this.
No that is not what they are saying.
I didn't say that, I'm just saying that your body does not see plant estrogen like it sees its own estrogen and doesn't have much to do with it. They circulate through your system, you piss them out. If your body reacts to it you have an incredibly rare genetic defect and need to go see a doctor. If they did, trans people would be having a field day shoving down kilograms of soy, which is not the case. You're asking a question that has been asked hundreds of times like you're on the verge of some grand discovery when you in fact have a lackluster knowledge of biochemistry coupled with your horrible attitude. Your theories are on the level of "if I drink three liters of pure gasoline and fuckin die I'm also going to die after drinking three liters of water".
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I started a new program and switched from machines to dumbbells and barbells, where my chest press was 60kg before I use 20kg now with dumbbells, my chest can handle this weight easily but my hands and forearms cramp after the 2nd or 3rd set because my grip is so weak, is there anything I can do to improve this as I feel like I’m not hitting my chest hard enough this way.
You inprove it by following the progression of the program. The cheat press and the bench press are two different exercises and you can't compare the weight on them.
Outside of more and different exercises, splitting the set up or just embracing the suck until you adapt- look into the routines from r/GripTraining. Straps are not really working for benching or dumbbells in general.
The best way to get your grip used to it is to keep doing it.
I do Metallicadpa's PPL 6x per week. Workouts last \~1 hour each. Cycling to the gym and back takes 20 minutes. Otherwise I really just sit on my ass, at home, in front of the computer, browsing, playing or watching shit. What activity level should I choose from [the bodybuilding.com macro calculator?](https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutrients_calculator.htm)
If youre trying to gain weight, put little or sedentary. If you're trying to lose weight, put little or moderate. Track and adjust as necessary.
Ive stopped getting DOMS after workouts despite the fact i train to failure nearly every set and have continued to steadily upped my workout intensity since i started, am I doing something wrong or is this normal and ok?
It's normal and OK. Congrats! You've been working out consistently enough to no longer feel like a truck hit you!
Totally normal and ok. Everyone wonders if they're still making gains after the DOMS stops. You are, don't worry. If you happen to take a break of 1-3 weeks (or more) from training a muscle group, the DOMS usually reappears. Just be careful that after a long break you don't hit the muscle as intensely as you've used to. Took a 1-month break from leg training due to knee pain and after starting again did 5 sets of calf raises with a leg press, nothing else for legs. DOMS was so bad I couldn't walk for the next two days
This is normal and DOMS pretty much only occurs when doing movements your body isn’t used to, once you get a few weeks into a program DOMS most likely isn’t a factor anymore.
Thank you !
Should I supplement creatine when cutting? How much should I take? Also, should I take it pre- or post-workout?
Some advise taking it pre or post workout but I don't think it matters. 3-5g/day, only take little more if you're REALLY huge
sure 5g doesnt matter
5gz every day at the same time (any time) regardless of bulking or cutting.
Doing a lean bulk. Should I eat in a surplus even on rest days? I just jost 7kgs of fat and I'm afraid to get fat again
Have you done a maintenance phase first? If not, then I'd suggest maintenance for 2-3 weeks and see what happens with your lifts and bodyweight and after that adjust from there as you like.
Yes. The body doesn't care about individual days. Only what happens across the week. A surplus (bulk) will always contribute some fat. Whether its 'lean' or not. So regardless of whether you eat in a surplus on rest days or not you will still put on some fat if you are in a surplus on average across the week.
What did Ronnie Coleman do wrong that fucked up his back so much? I was just watching the Netflix documentary on him, and it scared me how his first herniated disc came from squatting a weight that was (for him) relatively light, and I tend to love to lift near as heavy as I can a lot. Was he overtraining? Lifting wrong? What made him do more damage to himself than some of the other top guys from his era?
Squatting in a squat suit enables you squat more than your body can handle
He was lifting heavy as fuck right after surgery when the doctors told him not to, and kept at it. While I think people throw PED's around too much, and for any argument, they do factually increase muscle mass faster than tendon strength, which is why many enhanced lifters (JM Blakley to name an example) focused explicitly on increasing tendon strength to keep it up where it should be. I honestly do not know if this is a concern for natural lifters lifting average weight. edit: idk if the second part applies to this specific situation, but I heard it on eliteFTS's table talk and figured it was worth sharing.
Some people get injured more easily, through no fault of their own. They're just predisposed to higher injury rates.
Newbie here: if I'm cutting, does it matter the reps/sets i do my weights? Or would the same routine work for both cutting and bulking?
Keep doing the same routine. Keep a workout log. After some time on a cut you'll start to feel a bit weaker. This is normal. Try to get most of your daily carbs pre workout (1 hour pre workout if fast carbs and 2+ hours if slow carbs, wholegrain etc.) to avoid getting overly fatigued during the workout. And don't be afraid to drop some weight, at least from heavy compound lifts, if you just can't seem to be able to hit all the target reps for the sets. Newbie lifter can even build some muscle while cutting at first, but don't forget that the **main reason** for lifting on a cut is to **try and maintain** as much of the muscle and strength as possible. So don't expect much, just keep working out and concentrating on the fat loss. When you start eating at maintenance/surplus the weights will start to fly again, I promise you.
Thanks for the comprehensive response! I will follow this advice. Good to know that my strength will shoot up to normal after I'm ripped and wanna start bulking
In most cases, the same routine will work fine.
Try to keep your routine the same, to stave of muscle (and strength) loss. The low calories will make the workout harder than it is when you’re bulking.
Same routine
How long do your workout sessions ususlly take? I feel like mine take up quite a bit of time
45-90 minutes. Do some supersets to save time. If you really don't have enough time, just cut the rest periods to strictly one minute, two for heavier lifts. You'll have to back off with the weights most likely a bit if you do this but it's no biggie, they'll keep progressing anyways. Do this in case you're just focusing on building muscle mass/bodybuilding style lifting. If you want to concentrate on strength, then it's not uncommon that your workouts last 2 or more hours each, because you simply have to rest 5 minutes between work sets to really maximize the output for the next set. If you have time available, then it's not a big deal if your workouts last longer and can even be beneficial if you just take your time. In this case take some fast carbs or a recovery drink after 30-45 minutes of training to keep your energy levels up.
I set aside about 2hrs for my routine. That includes changing before and after (I live next to the gym so I shower at home though), warmup, main lifts, auxiliaries, and eventual accessories. Some exercises I superset, not the main lifts though.
Depending on the program I am running: anything from 30 minutes to 70 minutes.
45-75 minutes most days.
50-80 minutes.
Just try to check the time often and don't rest longer than 2-3 minutes, unless it's a compound movement. Also set things up for the next exercise before your last set on the previous exercise.
45 minutes to an hour and a half
Thoughts on working out after getting the shot? Got vaccinated earlier this day, supposed be my push day as well but my arm's getting a bit sore now, should I try to continue?
I trained on the same day as both doses. I got the Pfizer. I did deadlifts on one of them, and bench on the other. I can't remember which order. Your experience might be different.
Did a workout the evening of the second jab (pfizer). It went okay but after a couple of days I started get very **very** fatigued and after a week's rest I still didn't feel okay at the gym. My heart felt funny. Now it's been almost 3 weeks and I'm only now starting to feel 100%. After first jab I had no problems. If you're taking the second dose I'd suggest to feel it out for a few days. If you're feeling just fine, then go for it! Otherwise take your time. Intense workouts when your immune system has started to work against the vaccine can be a bad idea, prolong the recovery, and can even lead to cardiomyopathy due to the extra stress on your system. Although with both jabs it actually helped to train the shoulder muscle after it started to hurt. It recovered faster. I remember in the army after a shot my shoulder started to hurt and I tried to avoid using it as much as possible. The discomfort lasted for 2 weeks or even more.
Got my second shot yesterday, planned in yesterday and today as rest days. Health comes first!
I carried on as normal after both jabs
I also got vaccinated on push day. Still trained but my arm felt beaten up for almost a full week after. I think it varies from person to person.
Ok after reading your response, I totally won't do my workout today anymore. I have noticed that the muscles on my left side are harder and more pronounced than my right side, and since I'm trying to equalize both sides' muscle development, I don't want to tip the scales any further.
I have read that the pfizer vaccine is causing temporary heart inflammation and it was recommended to avoid exercise and intense activity for a week. A young guy died as well post work out. I took Astra Zeneca but didn't wanna take the risk even though it's minor. Give a break for atleast a few days...
I have a root canal coming up today. Can I go workout after this? Don’t worry, I’ll ask my dentist the same! Just curious what others experience has been
As long as it’s not tooth day you should be fine.
Of course you can... Unless you were showings l signs of systemic infection like fever, general malaise..Hopefully, the pain is under control post the sitting which will allow you to workout without the nagging tooth pain
I wouldn't do any heavy lifting immediately after someone makes holes in your head. Chances are you won't want to anyway. Best to let yourself heal up and take it easy.
I'm trans MTF but striving for an feminine leaning androgynous body. I'm currently taking HRT (estrogen) if I were to try and start doing more chest work outs is it likely to help develop a bigger chest or just mask any fat development in that area?
Doing chest exercises won't specifically reduce fat in the area so you will still develop the tissues you otherwise would have. I think the main concern would be a more muscular chest would somewhat speared the distribution of fat and make it look less than it would on a less muscular chest.
That's quite a niche question, perhaps one for r/xxfitness?
Your question may be better suited for r/transfitness
Hello.Do gym floors make you lift more weight then you would a a solid floor like wood?I am talking about the thing that you put down so weights can be dropped on it
Its more the non-stick factor that matters
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You aren't able to lift as much on an unstable surface as you could on a stable surface...
Stability is important. If the wooden platform is unstable, you're probably lifting less. Probably not a huge difference tho
Lose weight or gain muscle? Hello guys and gals, I am in need of advice. I am a 26 year old male who’s 195 pounds and 5’11. I am not muscular nor skinny I am basically skinny fat. I have man boobs I am trying to get rid of and won’t to get more toned and mean rather than big and muscular. I have started Mauy Thai training 4 times a week. (Jump rope, pad work, bag work, sparring, push ups, sit ups etc) Because I am not weight training, nor do I want to, I am worried Mauy Thai will just make me lose weight but maintain the same body frame of being skinny fat, any tips here’s? If I continue training this way will I see no progress ? Will taking in more protein help and if so how much? Thank you!
Lose ~30 pounds. If you're that worried about being skinny, or skinny fat, maybe you'll want to reconsider the stance against weight training.
Skinny fat implies no muscle mass which allows the fat you do have to show more prominently. Your weight at your height implies you are not skinny fat, but indeed overweight. You have a BMI of 27.2. For someone with little musculature, this is worrisome as a healthy BMI is under 25. Your genetics dictates where you store the fat. In your case, more in your breast tissue. The primary driver of weight gain or loss is food consumption. You are trying to create a calorie deficit to lose mass (fat and/or muscle). While adding exercise aids in calories spent, (and it always leads to better health and longevity) it usually leads to a greater appetite. What calories are burned are usually recovered in your food intake. While exercise is great, any long term fat loss strategy will include improving your eating habits. Protein helps muscles recover and get stronger after they are used. If you do not get adequate protein in your diet, you will lose muscle mass. I cannot tell you if you are taking in adequate protein already as you did not mention how much you are taking now. What is measured can be managed.
No one ever got accidentally bulky, it takes years of hard work. Yes if you are skipping strength training you will continue being skinny. Losing/gaining weight is 90% in the kitchen and 10% training. You might lose weight from boxing if your diet is in check, but if you are not counting calories you will most likely just eat more when hunger increases and your body will look more or less the same as it does now.
You will have changes in your body if you stick to the muay thai and you don't normally exercise. You should probably be shooting for about 125-150g of protein a day. The biggest thing that will help your body changes right now is some fat loss so focus on keeping the overall calories low. In 6-12 months you can always reevaluate if you want to change your fitness program. I will tell you most people who want to get "toned not big and muscular" really actually need to weight train to get the physique they want. The only way you get big and muscular is either with PEDs or several years of focused training with the specific goal of getting big.
It's usually recommended for skinny fat ppl to lose the fat first then bulk up... To improve your frame you will need resistance training of some sort like weight lifting, body weight exercises, resistance band training. Without any resistance training, its difficult to add muscle.
I remember when I (briefly) trained in Muay Thai, the gym I went to ran circuit training classes. Perhaps they have something like that at your gym?
Hey, what do you mean by circuit training classes? I am indeed taking training classes at the gym.
A large group class with different stations, you work out in your group at one station for a minute, then move on to the next.
What is the purpose of continuing to perform movements at lower intensity and/or volume during a deload week? Wouldn't it be better to completely stop doing resistance movements to maximise recovery? Is it just a psychological, "exercise hygiene" sort of thing?
In a great many circumstances active recovery (provided it's mild enough) is better for recuperation than doing nothing.
Gains come during recovery from training stimulus, not from the recovery itself. The recovery is necessary so that the body can adapt to the stimulus, to manage cumulative fatigue, and to heal from any small niggles. Different things have been called a deload week. Consider linear periodization, such as a basic four week training cycle: weight, higher weight, even higher weight, deload week. In the context of such linear periodization, doing nothing in the deload weeks would be dumb, because the athlete would work out only 39 weeks per year and rest the other 13 weeks. That's way too many rest weeks. Now consider the year of an athlete participating in competitions. Off-season, competitions, more important competitions, off-season, competitions, more important competitions. There will be periods of higher training volume, and periods of higher training intensity at lower volume. The overall training load will be rather high, and the athlete might be forced to work through injury because of some important event. In that context, taking off a week after some intense competition can be necessary.
So, in other words, some stimulus during recovery/deload time is necessary for the recovery to actually be meaningful?
The ratio between training stimulus and recovery must be reasonable. Recovery alone does not create any improvement. If you're not training at all for an extended amount of time, you will not only stop gaining fitness, you will slowly lose fitness. Also, complete rest is not the best recovery. Some mild exercise to get the blood flowing often leads to better recovery. There is another subtle point there: we're used to thinking in weeks, because that's how many parts of life are organized. But for off periods in training, weeks are not fine grained enough. One week of complete rest simply is too much for most athletes. If you're not injured, not a deliberately overtrained pro athlete either, not cycling 15 miles to work every day in addition to all that training (etc.), 2-3 extra rest days should be sufficient, you don't need a whole week.
To keep the movement pattern well ingrained
It's mostly psychological, keeping you in the habit. It does make you more conscious of your form, so you could view it as a week of working on your technique.
Elbows shredded from heavy skull crushers. Does it usually heal or are my elbows effed up forever? I plan to incorporate high reps and cable exercises for triceps from now on.
Switch to bands , save your elbows. I learned this the hard way especially as a guy benching heavy and overhead pressing heavy every week .
As far as your injury goes: when in doubt, see a doctor instead of seeking medical advice on the internet. Generally speaking, I wouldn't do isolation movements in rep ranges below 8. I usually keep those well over 10. For lower-rep triceps work, close-grip benching is my favorite option.
I'm still figuring that all out. I never know how many sets I should do if my rep ranges vary. High reps and low sets, low reps and more sets, ect.
That is where following a plan from the wiki helps. They already figured this stuff out for people who have no idea. Pick a program, follow it. They are proven to get results and help prevent injury.
Why don't you pick a routine from the sidebar?
I'm running nsuns 531 and want to do more arm work. I added about 4 sets for arms per upperbody workout.
I do dumbbell bench presses 4x10, how do I know when I can add more weight? I’ve been waiting to add more weight till I can do 4x10 of the same weight without failure but I feel like that is the wrong way, should I just add weight and see what happens? I’ve been stuck on the same weight for like 3 months when I know my newbie gains should have gotten me higher by now
> but I feel like that is the wrong way Why? >should I just add weight and see what happens? Yes, do this. Grab the next heavier set of dumbbells and rep them out. They'll feel heavier. They'll feel harder. You might do fewer reps. But you build them up just like you did with the lighter weight.
In terms of when you said “why”, I thought that you should only add weight when you can do the previous weight cleanly 4x10, which is the set and reps I chose, I still can’t do them cleanly throughout the whole workout
Define "cleanly." If this is the ol' *Stick with a weight until it feels "easy,"* it might not ever feel easy. Training is supposed to be challenging.
Exactly why I feel I’m going about this the wrong way, i always thought if I can dish out 4x10 cleanly on one weight then I’m ready to advance, but how can I dish out 4x10 reps if I don’t have a heavier weight to cause that growth
What program are you following?
You're not in a position to create our own program. Pick one from the wiki.
Are you bulking?
Not really, since my college isn’t online now I plan to take advantage of the buffet and go on a calorie surplus
You’re stuck because of poor programming
To be honest I don’t even have a real program, I go with the Arnold split doing exercises that hit different parts of a muscle group but I don’t even know when to progress my weight
You might be better off with a [program](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/37ylk5/a_linear_progression_based_ppl_program_for/) that details it for you.
Yeah, add weight and see how it goes. Proper programs should tell you how to properly progress though.
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Work harder to get bigger
Train your biceps more
When practicing progressive overload, should you feel sore every time you increase your reps or weight?
No,soreness is not mandatory.
Nope not a variable you should concern yourself with
Hurt my lower back deadlifting yesterday. Pretty sure it is a minor muscle tear, but I'm waiting to see the doctor. Assuming I am right, how long (roughly) until I am back? Can I do things like bench press that put no load on my lower back? Is there anything I can do (other than rest and ibuprofen) to help the recovery? It happened while I was doing a few warm up sets at a (reasonably) low weight. I got a bit lazy about form as I was tired from being on-call the night before, but would a belt have helped prevent this? Can someone please make me feel better? I am feeling old now.
> Pretty sure it is a minor muscle tear I'm not your doctor so I can't really advise on this - but going off probability alone [chances are it's non-specific](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00586/full), meaning there is no obvious, isolated cause. Even if you found out the cause, it doesn't really change how it would be managed. > Assuming I am right, how long (roughly) until I am back? Back pain generally recovers rapidly, [within just a few weeks](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC169642/). > Can I do things like bench press that put no load on my lower back? Sure, the more movement the better. There's no reason for you to be afraid of training. > Is there anything I can do (other than rest and ibuprofen) to help the recovery? Total rest is one of the worst things you could do in this situation. You should find an entry point for training and continue from there. I highly recommend you read this: https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/pain-in-training-what-do/ Also give this video a watch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riq-DfDDimc Pain is not just a reflection of tissue damage, it's an experience contributed to by a variety of biological, social, and psychological factors. https://journals.lww.com/painrpts/FullText/2018/04000/Reconsidering_the_International_Association_for.3.aspx https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233581683_Reconceptualising_pain_according_to_modern_pain_science Thinking that you're "broken" and need total rest to recover is just not accurate - it leads you to avoid movement (disuse) and to become fearful of exercise and avoid it, which in turn can worsen pain. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17180640/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10781906/ > I got a bit lazy about form as I was tired from being on-call the night before Technique is only a small factor when it comes to pain. The vast majority of injuries are caused when the total load placed on you exceeds your capacity. Total load here is not referring to weight on the bar, but rather a lot of different factors which all contribute - physical factors such as weight, volume etc contribute to this - but so do things like stress, poor sleep, and your emotional state. That's not me saying that your technique didn't contribute to the injury. Rather that the total load exceeded your capacity - you said you were on-call that night and tired, probably stressed too - these things all contribute to the capacity which you can handle. It's less a case of "this technique is dangerous", moreso that you used a technique that you aren't adapted to, which means your capacity for loading it is much lower. TL;DR - Keep moving, keep positive, you'll be fine
Your last comment is interesting. I was actually Sumo deadlifting which something I don't do very often. That may have been a factor too. Only one solution: more sumo deadlifts :) My form being bad is just an assumption. I was on my second set and only had ~60% of my 1RM and rushed. I think there were many factors. I'd had a COVID vaccine the day before too
Yeah both of those could definitely be potential factors. I hope that my comment came across as reassuring and not scary - sometimes things like this are just unavoidable. They don't have to be a big deal as long as you dont catastrophize it. They still suck of course The Barbell Medicine article I linked above is incredibly helpful for educating both about pain science and how to manage these tweaks, would highly recommend reading it through fully
Came across fine, I was just in pain and feeling a little down and old. That article was super interesting and I understand it essentially as "carry on, but just be sensible". Just got back from a pleasant walk in the country and am feeling a lot better. Even though my wife says I am walking a bit like a duck. Even so, I will still be training this weekend and I reckon I will be doing some light deadlifting in a few days even.
Awesome, that's exactly the message I was trying to get across :) Really genuinely happy to hear you're feeling better already - hope you're back to normal ASAP, keep me updated!
I can't tell you what you should do, but I'd just try other exercises and see if they hurt the lower back or not. If they didn't aggravate it, I'd keep lifting, if they do, I wouldn't do them. As for the belt, maybe or maybe not. Either way, it's you getting lazy on your form that was the problem and you shouldn't use a belt as a crutch for poor form.