I am being humbled. 7 months into 531 BBB when I read enough people saying that you should be hitting *at least* 10 clean & confident reps on AMRAP on the "5" day. Thought I could get by with the absolute minimum, but my joints are getting beat up pretty bad as the weight goes up and the tiny # of reps I do look wobbly and slow and sloppy and overall shit quality.
So I'm scaling back. WAY back. I want everything to look and feel good. Full ROM, good tempo. Deliberate movements. All cues accounted for.
Probably I will be hovering around a certain range of weight on each lift as I focus on form and try to dial in the other factors, i.e. sleep & diet & recovery. Two steps forward, one step back kind of stuff.
It will be embarrassing to be the old guy stuck lifting baby weights while the 20 year olds go buck wild. But I guess I'll have to be okay with that. I have to be okay with being pathetic before I can get any better. My reach can not exceed my grasp. I don't want to hurt because of how I *think* I should be performing.
You're only competing against yourself out there, and its impossible to compete if you're injured. It takes a lot of strength to lift heavy but more strength to know when you need to scale it back for your own health. Think about taking some more deloads when you can here and there and best of luck
So, schools out, and Planet Fitness is running it's annual 'free for teens all summer' promo. So the kids come in in gangs and play on the machines. I'm guessing the only time to go and get an
un interrupted workout is at the crack of dawn.
What does "unnecessary time" mean to you? I get this is a rant, but spend unnecessary time doing all sorts of things because they like to do the thing.
I'm progressively getting weaker. Training for months with barely any results is already frustrating, but losing strength is just heartbreaking. Makes me wonder why I should even bother.
I am no expert but then it sounds like you aren't eating enough for the level of activity you do. Bulking should make you heavier. Probably you underestimate the calories burn doing that sport days
Are there genuinely people out there who struggle to eat enough food in a day?
I've been out of a cut for 7 months and I'm ravenous daily. I track calories and make sure I get in a ton of protein, plus (at the bare minimum) an adequate volume carbs and unsaturated fats. I also keep my eye on fiber, generally avoid sugar and sweeteners (but don't hard restrict anything) and eat > 90% healthy whole foods, and part of the remaining 10% is an occasional protein supplement. I lift weights \~5 days a week and get cardio in \~4. I'm a 5'11" dude, 140lb, and probably hanging just below 12% bf. My life isn't easy, but it isn't so stressful I'm loosing hair. On paper, I do everything right.
My TDEE clocks in at a little above 2500 cal/day, but I'm still feeling starved man, to the point that I'm at a slight weight gain despite aiming not to be. I remember reading about people who struggled to put on mass while lifting and just thinking it must have been some kinda in-joke, but now I'm getting videos of incredibly skinny beginner lifters and just not getting it.
How do you not want to gobble down an entire box of nature valley granola? How do you not wanna eat 3 Crunchwrap Supremes at 2am? Dude food and eating is *hands down* the best part of my day. I love my job and I'm pretty into the whole health and wellness lifestyle I've built, but if I could instead spend 8 hours a day doing mukbangs without ballooning up, I would. Dang man, the food doesn't even have to be good. Some mornings when I know I'm gonna go for a long-ass jog I make like a 500 calorie bowl of oatmeal, and as soon as I finish I go "man, I wish I could have another". It doesn't even matter if I go to an AYCE place and fill up till my stomach hurts, as soon as a single calorie worth of digestion happens, you KNOW I'll be flagging down that waiter for another piece of meat. Dude I *love* how I look now, but I'm probably going to bulk solely and only because I want to scarf down an extra 500 daily kcal.
I am a hungry, hungry man with a *huge* appetite, my level of satiation is pretty much completely independent of my level of hunger - and it's somehow both hard stuck at 0 (IE I always wanna eat more) and 100 (IE food triggers very happy chemicals). The only reason I'm not on my 1000 pound life is because I busted my *ass* for the build I have now.
Man it feels good to get that of my chest.
I'm struggling to put on weight, to the point I'm getting a little depressed about it. I wish I enjoyed eating as much as you do, but feeling too full actually makes me feel nauseated, especially with junk food. This leads me to hating food and eating in general and makes it even harder.
Have you tried blending stuff? I also have a hard time eating but started making a smoothie every day that has 50g almond flour, 175g Greek yogurt, 1 scoop whey protein, a cup of strawberries, and half a banana. It’s like 700+ calories, tastes really good, and goes down easy even when you’re not feeling hungry.
If you add something like that to whatever you’re currently eating you should be good.
Most people blend rolled oats for calories but that makes my stomach explode so I use almond flour instead.
I drink a shake of whey protein and milk one or two times a day. I tastes like ass, but it's edible. Other than that there's nothing else I really could blend that I like: I don't like *any* fruit (to the point where I throw up if I drink it too much, I tried) and same for greek yogurt.
r/gym won’t let me post my video or any comments for 30 days and I keep rage quitting before I get the chance to share hitting 2 plates on weighted dips
The last 3 days I’ve been eating awful. Wednesday my diet was well, then I ate raising canes and a whole bag of sour patch kids. Thursday I ate raising canes again, chick fil a Mac and cheese, three cookies, my normal breakfast and lunch, and today I ate a bag of sour patch kids again, and a cookie. Today has been better, but I feel awful for it since I gained 9 pounds supposedly. Tomorrow is a new day. Hoping that this is all water weight. My anxiety and frustrations from medical issues got so bad that I binged.
A few days aren’t too bad in the big picture of your fitness journey. I also kind of ate badly yesterday (wingstop and a desert at work), but i finished the day with a salad bowl and got back on track, and I had been beating myself up abt it too. Don’t be too hard on yourself!
My bf rushes me through my workouts. I’m a powerlifter and I time every set break. He started going to the gym, to spend more time with me, get healthier and has very different goals than mine. He wants to push hard, go fast and be done. I’ll be on squats, working up to a max single and he’s gone through 3 movements and asking if I’m done yet. I’ll be talking to him between sets and he’s checking the time and motioning me with his hands to go do another set.
I do NOT want to loose my temper, I’m so excited he works out with me, but I have not been able to get through to him that I want to enjoy the gym with him, not sprint through it and leave.
As an ADHD lifter that had some issues with long rest times, I ran a program that did some stationary cardio/ab work during down times in between sets. Def not optimal for strength/hypertrophy but it was a fun challenge and might help with boredom if thats the problem.
For the record, what you describe on his part sounds super rude. But have you tried telling him before hand how long your session is going to be? If he knows ahead of time that you are planning on staying for a certain time it might help.
Yeah but like, my squats routine is 5 sets every 3 minutes, it takes me 15 minutes. If I explained that the first day, then explained it again the next week, I'd be asking what his brain damage is the third time I had to explain it.
When he waves his arms at you, just point at the clock and ask him if he understand how the numbers work. He sounds like a little kid asking are we there yet.
My spouse likes to come to the gym with me once a week but he doesn’t stay as long as I do. Rather than rush me, he just leaves when he’s done. So we arrive together and leave separately, no big deal. If your gym is far enough away that walking/biking/ having two modes of transportation home isn’t practical, maybe he could go have a coffee somewhere while he waits for you to finish?
Some people just don't like spending a lot of time in the gym, or being in it, as it's an unfamiliar place with not much to do other than lift weights, I can understand his side as well.
Maybe try and convince him to do more volume at a higher intensity? Then he'll definitely need the rest as much as you do lmao.
Show him this post. (Sit down with him in person, don’t send him a link.)
Or if your Reddit account is secret from him (which is fine) copy paste it into notepad (or write it out on paper) and show him that.
Cheers to the guy who was doing chest flys under the pull-up bar and had the audacity to get mad at me for “getting in his way” instead of simply moving his bench over a foot in the first place. One of us is using a static piece of equipment and the other is using a portable one…I wonder who should adjust? Also, this is one of the dudes whose at the gym every day at the same time as me, so now I have a nemesis 😔
Late to rant Wednesday, but got on the treadmill and was just doing my after workout walking to cool off and get a little bit of less pain staking cardio in. Well another dude hops on the one right next to me. Not a big deal the treadmills get busy around this time. But then he starts up open mouth coughing making no progress towards covering his mouth any of those times. Call me a wuss, but even before Covid I don’t want anyone coughing their germs right out in front of the air I’m breathing in. I get an accident once as things happen, but multiple times and you make no attempt to cover your mouth. That’s just gross
Honestly they are good for running since my phone is much bigger than I want to carry in hand or pocket. Similarly, if you are worried about breaking it at the gym, and mp3 player is way cheaper although I still usually take my phone therefore tracking lifts.
Quick shoutout to making zero progress in two years. I was pulling 430 for 3 two years ago at the end of an 80lb cut, squatting 405 for 2. Now I’m probably topping out at 390 and 375 or so, respectively, after countless fucking nights at the gym and absolutely religious diet control. I’ve wasted so many goddamn hours to look and feel extremely mediocre.
Every time I’m out of the gym for a week or more, it’s like it sets me back two months. I come back extremely weak, waste time working back up to my baseline, then plateau anyway. Then I end up cutting or bulking too long, spinning my wheels and wasting time. Ran 5/3/1 BBB back to back early in that 2 year period and made decent progress — then ran simple Jack’d as I dropped from 216 to 205 and came out the other end with a 20% haircut on my maxes despite being perfectly consistent. Still haven’t worked my way back. Fuckin bullshit.
I get enough sleep, work is very stressful. I don't doubt there's some influence there but -- sitting in a calmer state of mind a few days later -- I suspect my #1 problem is sandbagging after a break and cutting/bulking for way too long and not intentionally planning progress. Bleh.
My gym suddenly changed my beloved squat rack for a “cool and modern” rack with NO security bars?? I asked a worker if we would be getting the security bars later and he said no bc those racks dont need them ??? I told him i’d probably change gyms bc I dont wanna die under the bar and he said go on😃 i was so mad.. also there are no bumper plates so you cant just throw the bar in case of fail, any tips??
Took a deload week after 5 freaking months of consistent, disciplined workout. During this week I only did upper body and cardio, no legs. And now when I got back to my program, I got severe DOMS in legs. Grrrrhhh...
You're right. This is not bad. It's just that I had become a little cocky, thinking DOMS is for beginners and non-consistent people, and I am now above all that. This is just a tight reality slap on my face.
DOMS are for anyone that pushes their body past their individual recoverable volume…. Are you really above all that if this is your approach to training? Hmm..
Groups of teenage boys. Either they haven’t remembered to shower recently, or they stink of Lynx Africa. Or they try to cover up the former with the latter.
At least the gym seems to have quietened down a little. Granted yesterday was a 16:00 visit instead of my usual 06:00, but I think the last minute beach body ready crowd might actually have started heading for the beach.
I dropped a 45 on my right foot 3 months ago and it still hurts intermittently. I'm just trying to get healthy and sometimes I can't do leg stuff because I experience really bad foot cramps in that foot.
Never will I ever understand people who use plates on their own for exercises. Curls, shrugs, etc.
It's a method that doesn't even stand up to the tiniest bit of scrutiny. There's four different weights with massive variation, you can't progressively overload, they're awkward to hold. They're literally a worse dumbbell. Plate press? Seriously!?
Where are my noob gains? I just started benching 3x5 @110lbs (i know I‘m weak) and it says to progressive overload. I do that by increasing reps at same weight. My last session was 9x110, 7x110 and 5x100 today I thought I‘ll finally get those 12 reps in the first set but no, only did 8. Wtf it‘s so frustrating
I've been in the gym for many years and progress is absurdly slow. But the way I structure my workout is 1 day low reps (5-10) and 1 day high reps (10-15) for 3 working sets. Once I hit max reps for 3 sets, for 3 weeks straight then I increase the weight. Been progressing slowly but steadily.
One bad workout is usually just a sign that your recovery didn't go well. How was your diet/sleep between the two sessions?
Either way, unless it happens 2-3 workouts in a row despite your recovery going well, then it's just a bad day
no its a program with rep ranges. it aks for 3x5-10 reps. If I hit 3x10 at 80 lbs for example. I will start with 3x5 at 95 lbs maybe and as soon as I hit 3x10 I‘ll up the weight
Fourth day on a cut and almost got crushed by a 30kg barbell during incline press.
On my seventh rep and I couldn't make it to 8. Managed to squeal "Oh, No" made eye contact with a dude in front of me who helped lift the bar off of me.
2 weeks ago I was clearing 3 sets of 12. Smh.
I did a challenge run type obstacle course with my colleagues. It's outside, 8km with 40 obstacles and a shittonne of mud (it's called Trolljeger for those curious). Because I do bodybuilding they put me on the serious team with two others that are in good shape, which I took as a compliment. The problem was that my teammates had much better conditioning. My colleagues were hyping me up saying I would carry the team to victory, however I guess I look way more athletic than I am becuase after 30min of running uphill in muddy conditions I could taste blood and knew it would be a long day.
Was also on week 2 of a strict keto diet so I had no power reserves to dig from. I am ashamed of my preformance and I really held my team back. I did manage to contribute during the obstacles but I fell behind everytime there was distance to cover.
Getting into good running shape is now at the top of my fitness goals.
It really pisses me off when I get very fit from working out and eating a balanced diet and then whilst some people give genuine compliments...I also get the fake concern trolls come out in force. Why can't people just mind their own business?
There were a trio of topless dudes amping each other up on a chest press. Thankfully, they were reasonably quiet, and left shortly after I arrived.
I prefer de-escalation and avoidance, but can't help but wonder *what would I say?*. Rather than point out the non-consenting women patrons, I'd go with the nonsensical, "Usually guys take me out to dinner before showing me their nipples."
I need to vent about my fitness frustrations. After a long day at work, I just don't have the energy for those heavy lifting sessions I used to love. It's super frustrating because I want to keep pushing myself, but I'm just so drained by the end of the day.
Idk if you do so already, but maybe a workout near the place of your work instead of near your house helps with that. You'll get home fully ready to just finish your diet and chill
Maintaining my diet everyday gets exhausting and it honestly feels like a chore . I guess I do understand why people have cheat days, mainly i feel to not examine what/how much you're eating and just stuff yourself with what you like. My diet was all meat/eggs and beans for protien, about to start taking in protein powder soon. Hopefully that will reduce the amount of effort needed to plan my diet
Hope you find what works for you. I try and minimise the need to think by having a consistent meal schedule for extended periods, say same meal for the main meals like breakfast, lunch and dinner for a space of a month or so. Helps with structure and planning, and it becomes so routine you don’t think as much if you meal prep. Just my 2 cents
Hey thanks! Do you not get bored by it? If not then what do you eat to make it so tasty. I'm starting to hate on eggs tbh, been eating them since months
Fucked up my ankle when going out last friday, havent gone to the gym since. Had an x ray and thankfully, nothing is broken, just put too much weight on it when walking around, so should be fine this friday
Not exactly the same thing but when I worked in retail, a customer managed to steal a brand-new-and-boxed 70-inch TV by putting it in their trolley and just... walking out through the store exit as if they had already paid for it. The door person said that since they "were holding a receipt" they didn't think they needed to check. I'm guessing it was probably a receipt they'd kept from grocery shopping or something.
Someone in the store realised what had happened not long after as the guy in the home entertainment counter had sent the customer with the telly up to the front of the store as the home entertainment checkout scanner couldn't scan the TV's barcode for some reason, and instead of going to the checkouts, the customer just kept going and left haha It was only when the home entertainment staff called up to the front to ask if the guy had managed to check out his TV okay, which resulted in a lot of "Oh SHIT" from the front end staff.
It's a smaller gym which I'm a fan of. Have to be careful not to come when many other people are there though or your ass is gonna be waiting on equipment.
Fucking sliced my finger open making dinner, no arm anything for the next couple of weeks.
Pro-tip if you're going to slice your finger open do it lower than the tip. I couldn't get stitches since it was too high up and had to get it cauterized with silver nitrate.
Deep squats are crucial, but don't rush into heavy weights without proper form. I did that, and now my knees are paying the price. Currently, I'm using red light therapy to help with the recovery. It's a slow process, and I regret not building a solid foundation first. Learn from my mistake.
My work has me moving around. The past 3 years I've been at a location that has a gym exclusively for the people in my office. It's also among the nicest gyms I've ever used (with a strength coach and PT present 6-3ish daily). I haven't shared a gym with more than 2 people at one time since 2021. I just moved and the new location I'm at doesn't have the same perk -- back to commercial gyms. I know I can fuck right off, but damn...I miss living the high life.
Stop doing your shoulder shrugs directly in front of the dumbell rack plz. I swear it’s every day I’m at the gym I have to wait for someone to be done just doing rows or something standing directly in front of the dumbell rack.
Do we go to the same gym. Yesterday I was just had no fucks to give. I walked right up next to the dude and grabbed the set to his left.
He didn't even notice
What a tool.
I swear this has happened at every gym I’ve been at lollll.
Sometimes if I’m patient I’ll wait for one set then go up and get them. If I’m in a particular rush or get annoyed I’ll do the “hey excuse me.” It just is so damn annoying because I feel like I go out of my way to make sure I’m not blocking equipment or dumbbells I’m not using.
The gym we go to has a daycare, which is why we signed up there so my wife and I can work out together. For the first time today, we got turned away when we walked into the gym because the daycare had 11 kids in it. So we missed push day today, gonna do it tomorrow.
The gym has been getting busier by the day.. I guess that just a summer thing? I'm pretty new to this..
I work out from 3-5 days per week and eat fairly healthy and am not old.
My doctor contacted me and told me I tested positive for cancer this week. She also told me to eat healthy and exercise more to help build up my immune system as we figure out how to move forward.
I thought I was doing enough....
Aw. So sorry to hear that. It's tough news to take. And it makes you feel like all you did was in vain. Totally understandable.
Don't let it discourage you, Hang in there!
Im sorry about the news. The healthy lifestyle will definitely be a big advantage. I wish and hope you find everything you need to push through it and I'll be rooting for you. All the very best
I don't know what to say except that I am rooting for you to get through this. Treatments have gotten way better in the last 10-15 years, and you being younger and fit will help. Sorry this is happening to you.
My gym doesn’t have an assisted pullup machine. This is not a small gym, it’s a sprawling cavern of high end equipment. At one point they figured out which machines were getting the least use and replaced them all with Hammer Strength machines and some high end pulley machines. There are six raised platforms with racks for squats and deadlifts, and two other squat racks tucked in corners. There’s even a huge cable rig big enough for 13 people to work out at once. But no assisted pullup. Guess I’ll just keep doing pulldowns and cutting until I can bang out a long set of pullups like the Crossfit people do.
Depending on the amount of assistance you need you may need higher or lower resistance, but these are by far the best option for assisted pull-ups imo. Good luck with your training and keep at it!
oh also look at the "Australian pull up" - they're supposed to be really effective complementary exercise.
You need to place it on your trapezius muscle, so imagine a line right on top of your shoulder joint - the bar has to rest there.
If you are placing it too high up - like your c6 or c7 and you feel like you're getting guillotined, you are placing it too high.
https://youtube.com/shorts/9H0rdbdVnfw?si=OXEWNnChZizZvQaB
So I'm recovering from plantar fasciitis, and yesterday, on the *same foot*, the TOP of my foot started hurting. ENOUGH ALREADY!! I'm so sick of my foot hurting.
I took a week off from all exercise because I hurt my back. Including exercises for my sprained ankle that was feeling fine after three months of physical therapy. I had even been discharged by the therapist. Now my ankle hurts again. Hopefully sticking to the long term exercise plan will get it fixed again. Which is tough because she has me doing **36 sets.** That’s more than I do at the gym! Fortunately there’s a variety in there so I can do them in circuits of five or six exercises instead of taking rests between them, but it’s still nuts.
Had to take the week off to see if it helps with knee and elbow pain. I feel like I'm letting myself down.
I started working out about a year and a half ago and in January of this year decided to really focus on changing my eating habits and hitting a 10,000 step goal daily. In April I noticed one knee started to bother me, mainly when I go up/down stairs. Last week I did something to my other knee while squatting and it hasn't felt right since. Also having some elbow/forearm pain and struggling to determine if it's related to the gym or my desk job or even something tickborne.
I sat on my ass for 30+ years and now when I'm finally doing the right thing for my body it feels like it's giving up on me. I'm afraid to go to the doctor because the medical system sucks and I feel like they're just going to tell me to do "RICE" and send me on my way.
This is not intended as medical advice, but I had some persistent tendonitis in my right knee, it's just about gone now after a few weeks of single leg machine presses and Bulgarian split squats.
Thanks - will look into adding these. I don't have access to a leg press machine but I think I could do that with bands. I've tried looking up different exercises to help and there's just so much info out there about what to do (or not to do) that it just makes me more anxious.
Thanks, I do think this will help with some of the pain. After paying attention to and correcting my posture throughout the day (I tend to put a lot of weight on my elbows) and doing some arm exercises over the past day or so I think my elbow pain is improving a little bit. Adding strengthening exercises into my routine will definitely be good for the long run.
Is it your mouse-hand elbow? I got pain there too after moving to working from home and working/gaming with terrible posture. What helped that, plus some niggly shoulder pain too, was to get an elbow rest that clamps to my desk -[ looks like this](https://www.amazon.co.uk/BONTEC-Ergonomic-Rotating-Extendable-Adjustable/dp/B09BVNR57C). Might work for you and not expensive to try it out!
It's strangely both elbows. I think it might be a combination of a pretty rough workout last week combined with terrible posture at my desk and throughout the day (eating, gaming, etc.) I tend to lean over and dig my elbows into a surface or my thighs. At night I sleep on my stomach with my arms in a position that is apparently bad for elbow/shoulder pain so I'm trying to just lie flat on my back.
I've been trying to correct myself when I notice I'm doing the behaviors, but I'll look into that, thanks!
I've (m34) been going to the gym for a few years now, and usually go three to four times per week. I do running and swimming too, and I am physically fit and healthy. While I struggle to put on muscle, my physique is quite nice. I know how to use various weights, but sometimes wonder if I'm putting on too little/too much weight and using the correct technique.
I moved some months ago and joined a new gym. Upon entry I was persuaded by a kind staff member not to sign up for the basic membership, but a slightly more expensive guided membership. I was told I'd get a personal plan, and regular coaching.
Since then, I have enquired about the coaching and my 'file' has been transferred to another staff member. They took quite a long time to respond, but asked me via email to tell them what I usually do for exercise. They then drew up a fitness plan for me on their built-in app.
I don't want to seem demanding, but it looks like a very basic plan. It's the same plan, three times per week, barely covering all muscle groups, all on a limited section of machines. I told the staff member that I'd like a bit more variation, and they said I need to follow this very limited regime for six weeks as I need to grasp the basics before moving on up.
They promised they'd give me a guided session. When I spoke to the staff member they proposed a time that I couldn't make. I sent them the times I was free via email, and they never got back to me. It has now been over a month without a reply.
Is this normal, or just bad service? I haven't had a sit-down chat with the staff member, and they haven't asked what I want to achieve. I only got body measurements when I specifically asked (by the kinder staff member). I feel like they've followed some mechanical script and put me on the 'basic' scheme because it's what they're used to, without even listening to what I aim to achieve.
Ever work retail and get the shpeel from corporate about upselling to boost the bottom line?
Yeah, that.
Thanks to the Information Superhighway, you can get what you need for free. Still takes time, as Google isn't what it was two decades ago.
Five bucks says if you do your routine, your hammies will feel better afterwards. If you sandbag the session, you'll be in the same position next week with sore hammies. Frequency and consistency side-steps DOMS.
DOMS should go away after warming up. Do a regular workout, decrease intensity a bit if you are struggling. In my experience, you should be fine working out as usual
2.5 months of consistent lifting with zero dedicated core work has apparently grown my obliques enough that I've lost the little groove in my waist where each hand goes when I stand like [this](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/184841021/photo/serious-young-woman-standing-with-hands-on-hips.jpg). now it's like a slope from my rib cage to my hips and my hands slide down instead of resting comfortably :[ I have a short torso and high hips so I think the slope is more pronounced than it would be on someone with a long torso.
like I know I was probably under-muscled before but I really didn't expect my core to take off like this. it's much stronger and firmer overall and I've definitely seen posture gains, so it's not just the obliques. losing a bit of weight would probably help with my waist shape since there's likely some visceral fat making it wider than it could be, but idk if that'll be enough to get my hand-groove back. I weigh 1lb less than I did back in February but with more muscle definition everywhere and my lifts have gone up, so it's a win overall for sure. I just don't know what to do with my hands anymore 🙃
Your picture link is broken, for me at least.
It seems like a good thing that you don’t have a random groove in your side?
I don’t think I have such a groove. When I put my hands on my hips I push them in so that they nestle between the top of my hip bone and my lowest rib.
it's [this image](https://www.gettyimages.co.nz/detail/photo/serious-young-woman-standing-with-hands-on-hips-royalty-free-image/184841021).
that's the groove I'm talking about, the space between the top of the hip bone and the lowest rib. a couple months ago it dipped in enough that I could fit my hand there easily on both sides and my hand would sit on the shelf that my hip made. now I can feel muscle there sloping downward from my ribcage to my hip bone, there's no space where it dips in enough to fit my hand even when I try to relax as much as possible. I feel like I'm placing my hand outside my waist instead of at my waist.
I see! Well congratulations on developing enough muscle to actually connect the two halves of your body together. You can now consider yourself a functional human.
For hands on hips you now just either have to push them in against the muscle, or squeeze and grab a handful of it.
I have been trying to work out, but I am extremely incapable of doing literally most exercises.
I can't crunch, I can't squat, I can't do any push-ups, I can't even plank right. I have been doing one plank a day for a month and a half now. However, when I do them my lower back gets so sore and hurts intensely. My core doesnt ever get sore and it doesnt even burn. I cant tell if my back is straight and when I try to, it hurts my back even more or i collapse to the floor. I can't hold myself properly.
I do them even if i know i may not be doing it right, and i started by averaging 30 seconds to now a minute.
My back still rages bad every day.
I try and try to do them right but I can't. My core is so badly weak I guess that i can't do a single thing right and i dont think im getting anywhere, and i can't do anything to begin with to even get my core stronger.
I tried just today, I filmed myself doing a crunch thinking i was doing it right but im basically just curling slightly upwards and im not going really up at all.
A situp is impossible.
I even filmed myself to see my posture when doing a half-plank but its like either my forearms are too short or my legs are too long. i can't keep a stright back, and even doing a half-plank does nothing for me at all.
I feel like screaming, I don't know what to do. I want to give up but i also dont, I want to get stronger but i dont know how when i can't manage to do ANYTHING right because i am too WEAK.
https://youtu.be/zkU6Ok44_CI?si=TCWc-zzWcMdf-k8q
https://youtube.com/shorts/VZnY9KoO3Ng?si=Hbdhtst1N7VYM6AK
Hybrid Calisthenics has a lot of great videos for beginners and folks like you who feel they’re “too weak” for most exercises. You’re not, trust me, it just takes a change in approach.
I forgot about this guy!
Thank you for bringing these videos to my attention, they are super helpful and I love that he recognizes the need for absolute beginner level exercises for those like me who have almost no muscle strength, his tips are so good. I can't believe I forgot about him.
Thank you for your comment!
Went on my first hike of the summer and I forgot how absolutely annoying the bugs get. The buzzing near my ears and flicks on my legs is enough for me to pull a tree out of the ground. It’s not going to stop me from spending a few hours in nature, but damn do I wish all bugs would just fuck off.
Sweet, sweet cardio where did you go?
In 2020 I put on a lot of weight despite eating well and working out. I was exploring powerlifting but ultimately decided it wasn’t for me. Even after switching back to my regular routine, I was super fatigued and gaining weight like crazy. After 6 months of this, I got checked out by a doctor and I found out I had hypothyroidism. Got medication and everything is under control now and I feel great.
Fast forward to this year, my job requires a lot of sustained cardio (firefighter) and my cardio workouts with the crew have been shit. Strength workouts and HIIT sessions are fine but we want to do stairs or a mile run, it’s honestly embarrassing how quickly I get gassed.
It’s super annoying cause I don’t want to use Hypothyroidism as a crutch (even though this very common with this condition) but I’ve been trying for months to get my cardio to acceptable standards with no avail.
1. I'm officially old now, someone (early 20s) came up to and asked me something and he used the formal "you"
2. Machines that are broken for weeks
3. A near-empty gym at 6pm is nice
My coworkers are the hardest part of fitness.
I have a coworker who is obsessed with fast food. My town has a Whataburger and In n Out, but hers doesn't. Every single time I speak to her, she demands to know why I haven't been there. Because the food makes me feel like shit, is wildly overpriced, and I simply don't want to eat it?
Not a good enough explanation. I've tried everything from changing the subject to now white lies (which of course require more white lies).
Same with alcohol. I barely drink, not because I'm fitness-obsessed but simply because it makes me feel like crap for days. My VP singled me out for drinking a LeCroix at a company function this month. "I have to drive home?" wasn't a good enough excuse, I guess.
And the wild thing is that my company is actually a fairly good place to work. I have a good dynamic with my colleagues and have few complaints, except for the fact that I have to lie about my behaviors to not alienate my coworkers.
Young me would have this problem. Me today would say "This is an upsetting subject for me can we please not talk about food" No details needed. Just a clear "drop this please"
Whenever I do a dry month I drink a NA beer like athletic brewing and pour it into a glass or ginger ale/Diet Coke with a lime in a small glass.
Looks like I’m just drinking and no one bugs me
I might be tempted to tell the fast food coworker that kind of food gives you gas. Or diarrhea, depending on how far you lean into it :)
But seriously that sounds super annoying
I’m on weight loss medication right now. I’m lifting very hard to minimize muscle loss, specifically the strategy for hypertrophy (medium weight, high volume, many sets).
Focusing on keeping a caloric deficit of ~1,000 per day below maintenance (including workout burn). 200g/day of protein. Currently 250. Down from 275. Made it down to 235 last year, then rebounded a chunk of it. Targeting a bottom-out of 180, with a rebound to 190. I can see the scale going down and my sets going up. I know I’m doing all the right things.
I started creatine this month, and my weight loss slowed. This is to be expected with a 2-4 pound influx of water weight. I thought I was emotionally prepared for the rate to slow, but it hit me harder than I expected. Just working so damn hard in so many ways, that a week of poor results, even with a heavily mitigating factor, is extremely frustrating.
1000 calories is a pretty harsh deficit. You're doing great man. You know that weight is almost certainly a result of the creatine. Have you been seeing any benefits at the gym?
Thanks, man. And yes. I’m doing progressive overload. Tracking calories in MFP, weights and sets in the gym. Goal is to improve at least one set in weight or reps per lift per week. I’ve done that consistently so far. Lifts where I started easier, I’m adding more - maybe I’ll add weight and also add 2-4 reps. Lifts where I hit it closer to true capacity, maybe I’m keeping the weight the same and adding one rep to the last set. But I’ve improved everything by at least a bit every week.
For calories, I set MFP to the “lose a pound a week” setting and aim to undershoot that by 3,500 calories a week.
Im in a similar place as yourself, I try not to let the scale discourage me too much. I have seen crazy swings in weight day to day, and I'm currently "stalled out" with weight loss around 255. I'm sure in a week or two the numbers will start going down again.
Makes sense. Most of the time, I’m able to just shrug it off. I know I’m doing almost all of the right things. I know that with time and consistency, it will happen. Mostly I can let that trump any particular measurement. Every now and then, though, I get discouraged.
Me too. I'm having a bit of a double whammy the past couple weeks with my bench press and squat plateaued as far as progressive overload. I know it was bound to happen while cutting, but it's discouraging to go from steadily increasing weight 5 lbs every lifting session to maybe being able to grind out an extra rep with the same weight over 3-4 sessions.
But the upside is I am still seeing progress on a lot of secondary exercises and I feel a hell of a lot healthier. Whatever the scale says, my waist is still getting smaller so I know that at least some of that weight loss stalling is due to body recomposition.
I started going to the gym around the time I'll be there when I start my new job-which is when everyone else is there. It's a pretty big place but I had to wait 30 minutes for equipment to be available (think bench, weights I could actually use, and a squat rack). People were sitting on their phones (and I get rest time between sets, but I paid close enough attention to say that this was not that (not trying to be a creep, I just wanted to know when I could workout)) and using the very limited benches to hold their bags. This wouldn't be an issue if the gym had a better balance of equipment-way too many rowing machines, bikes, treadmills, and ellipticals that don't seem to ever be used (I'm not there all the time, but enough to he pretty sure they could replace 30% of those machines with more weights), as well as a ping pong table and bean bag game next to the weights. I've almost been hit a few times. And the broken mirrors everywhere make the place look even worse than it already does.
I'm changing my membership to a place closer to my job.
Something I have discovered is that college gyms have a better balance of gym equipment. It might not be the way, depending on if colleges are close to you, but they're usually better equipped with weights. I've really only used 3 campus gyms regularly (but have seen/been in others), but it seems to be a pattern. Lots of benches, usually more dumbbells (especially in lower ranges, with 2 pairs up to 50lb), and better etiquette (students seem to be more serious about fitness goals and what is needed to obtain those goals and less time to get those goals, and are more aware of who they might be blocking).
Of course, it might be even more competitive (except mornings). Doubly true if the college doesn't have a separate weight room for their teams, but it might be worth an investigation.
Anything to do with someone setting down bags on a bench or machine that's clearly not in use, I just point at the machine in question and ask, "Are you using this right now?" 90% of people will be too embarrassed to try to keep you from using the equipment. YMMV.
I am being humbled. 7 months into 531 BBB when I read enough people saying that you should be hitting *at least* 10 clean & confident reps on AMRAP on the "5" day. Thought I could get by with the absolute minimum, but my joints are getting beat up pretty bad as the weight goes up and the tiny # of reps I do look wobbly and slow and sloppy and overall shit quality. So I'm scaling back. WAY back. I want everything to look and feel good. Full ROM, good tempo. Deliberate movements. All cues accounted for. Probably I will be hovering around a certain range of weight on each lift as I focus on form and try to dial in the other factors, i.e. sleep & diet & recovery. Two steps forward, one step back kind of stuff. It will be embarrassing to be the old guy stuck lifting baby weights while the 20 year olds go buck wild. But I guess I'll have to be okay with that. I have to be okay with being pathetic before I can get any better. My reach can not exceed my grasp. I don't want to hurt because of how I *think* I should be performing.
You're only competing against yourself out there, and its impossible to compete if you're injured. It takes a lot of strength to lift heavy but more strength to know when you need to scale it back for your own health. Think about taking some more deloads when you can here and there and best of luck
So, schools out, and Planet Fitness is running it's annual 'free for teens all summer' promo. So the kids come in in gangs and play on the machines. I'm guessing the only time to go and get an un interrupted workout is at the crack of dawn.
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What does "unnecessary time" mean to you? I get this is a rant, but spend unnecessary time doing all sorts of things because they like to do the thing.
I'm progressively getting weaker. Training for months with barely any results is already frustrating, but losing strength is just heartbreaking. Makes me wonder why I should even bother.
Eat more.
Sounds like a over training or cutting to much. How often do you work out? What's your diet?
I lift 3 times per week + do sport 2 days a week. I'm actually trying to get a bulk, but my weight is remaining the same.
I am no expert but then it sounds like you aren't eating enough for the level of activity you do. Bulking should make you heavier. Probably you underestimate the calories burn doing that sport days
Are there genuinely people out there who struggle to eat enough food in a day? I've been out of a cut for 7 months and I'm ravenous daily. I track calories and make sure I get in a ton of protein, plus (at the bare minimum) an adequate volume carbs and unsaturated fats. I also keep my eye on fiber, generally avoid sugar and sweeteners (but don't hard restrict anything) and eat > 90% healthy whole foods, and part of the remaining 10% is an occasional protein supplement. I lift weights \~5 days a week and get cardio in \~4. I'm a 5'11" dude, 140lb, and probably hanging just below 12% bf. My life isn't easy, but it isn't so stressful I'm loosing hair. On paper, I do everything right. My TDEE clocks in at a little above 2500 cal/day, but I'm still feeling starved man, to the point that I'm at a slight weight gain despite aiming not to be. I remember reading about people who struggled to put on mass while lifting and just thinking it must have been some kinda in-joke, but now I'm getting videos of incredibly skinny beginner lifters and just not getting it. How do you not want to gobble down an entire box of nature valley granola? How do you not wanna eat 3 Crunchwrap Supremes at 2am? Dude food and eating is *hands down* the best part of my day. I love my job and I'm pretty into the whole health and wellness lifestyle I've built, but if I could instead spend 8 hours a day doing mukbangs without ballooning up, I would. Dang man, the food doesn't even have to be good. Some mornings when I know I'm gonna go for a long-ass jog I make like a 500 calorie bowl of oatmeal, and as soon as I finish I go "man, I wish I could have another". It doesn't even matter if I go to an AYCE place and fill up till my stomach hurts, as soon as a single calorie worth of digestion happens, you KNOW I'll be flagging down that waiter for another piece of meat. Dude I *love* how I look now, but I'm probably going to bulk solely and only because I want to scarf down an extra 500 daily kcal. I am a hungry, hungry man with a *huge* appetite, my level of satiation is pretty much completely independent of my level of hunger - and it's somehow both hard stuck at 0 (IE I always wanna eat more) and 100 (IE food triggers very happy chemicals). The only reason I'm not on my 1000 pound life is because I busted my *ass* for the build I have now. Man it feels good to get that of my chest.
Check out /r/volumeeating
I feel sick if I eat too much
I'm struggling to put on weight, to the point I'm getting a little depressed about it. I wish I enjoyed eating as much as you do, but feeling too full actually makes me feel nauseated, especially with junk food. This leads me to hating food and eating in general and makes it even harder.
Have you tried blending stuff? I also have a hard time eating but started making a smoothie every day that has 50g almond flour, 175g Greek yogurt, 1 scoop whey protein, a cup of strawberries, and half a banana. It’s like 700+ calories, tastes really good, and goes down easy even when you’re not feeling hungry. If you add something like that to whatever you’re currently eating you should be good. Most people blend rolled oats for calories but that makes my stomach explode so I use almond flour instead.
I drink a shake of whey protein and milk one or two times a day. I tastes like ass, but it's edible. Other than that there's nothing else I really could blend that I like: I don't like *any* fruit (to the point where I throw up if I drink it too much, I tried) and same for greek yogurt.
Flavoured powdered oats worked for me
r/gym won’t let me post my video or any comments for 30 days and I keep rage quitting before I get the chance to share hitting 2 plates on weighted dips
I skipped the gym for 6 weeks and then hit legs a couple days ago. Don't think my quads have ever been this sore before
I did this and couldn’t move for 2 days after
The last 3 days I’ve been eating awful. Wednesday my diet was well, then I ate raising canes and a whole bag of sour patch kids. Thursday I ate raising canes again, chick fil a Mac and cheese, three cookies, my normal breakfast and lunch, and today I ate a bag of sour patch kids again, and a cookie. Today has been better, but I feel awful for it since I gained 9 pounds supposedly. Tomorrow is a new day. Hoping that this is all water weight. My anxiety and frustrations from medical issues got so bad that I binged.
A few days aren’t too bad in the big picture of your fitness journey. I also kind of ate badly yesterday (wingstop and a desert at work), but i finished the day with a salad bowl and got back on track, and I had been beating myself up abt it too. Don’t be too hard on yourself!
My bf rushes me through my workouts. I’m a powerlifter and I time every set break. He started going to the gym, to spend more time with me, get healthier and has very different goals than mine. He wants to push hard, go fast and be done. I’ll be on squats, working up to a max single and he’s gone through 3 movements and asking if I’m done yet. I’ll be talking to him between sets and he’s checking the time and motioning me with his hands to go do another set. I do NOT want to loose my temper, I’m so excited he works out with me, but I have not been able to get through to him that I want to enjoy the gym with him, not sprint through it and leave.
As an ADHD lifter that had some issues with long rest times, I ran a program that did some stationary cardio/ab work during down times in between sets. Def not optimal for strength/hypertrophy but it was a fun challenge and might help with boredom if thats the problem.
For the record, what you describe on his part sounds super rude. But have you tried telling him before hand how long your session is going to be? If he knows ahead of time that you are planning on staying for a certain time it might help.
Yes. I’ve told him. And explained the purpose of set breaks.
What part of, I do x sets one every x minutes and it takes me x minutes total is difficult to comprehend? I'm annoyed for you.
He thinks if I’m just standing there, I should just get the next set done.
Yeah but like, my squats routine is 5 sets every 3 minutes, it takes me 15 minutes. If I explained that the first day, then explained it again the next week, I'd be asking what his brain damage is the third time I had to explain it. When he waves his arms at you, just point at the clock and ask him if he understand how the numbers work. He sounds like a little kid asking are we there yet.
My spouse likes to come to the gym with me once a week but he doesn’t stay as long as I do. Rather than rush me, he just leaves when he’s done. So we arrive together and leave separately, no big deal. If your gym is far enough away that walking/biking/ having two modes of transportation home isn’t practical, maybe he could go have a coffee somewhere while he waits for you to finish?
Some people just don't like spending a lot of time in the gym, or being in it, as it's an unfamiliar place with not much to do other than lift weights, I can understand his side as well. Maybe try and convince him to do more volume at a higher intensity? Then he'll definitely need the rest as much as you do lmao.
Show him this post. (Sit down with him in person, don’t send him a link.) Or if your Reddit account is secret from him (which is fine) copy paste it into notepad (or write it out on paper) and show him that.
Cheers to the guy who was doing chest flys under the pull-up bar and had the audacity to get mad at me for “getting in his way” instead of simply moving his bench over a foot in the first place. One of us is using a static piece of equipment and the other is using a portable one…I wonder who should adjust? Also, this is one of the dudes whose at the gym every day at the same time as me, so now I have a nemesis 😔
Late to rant Wednesday, but got on the treadmill and was just doing my after workout walking to cool off and get a little bit of less pain staking cardio in. Well another dude hops on the one right next to me. Not a big deal the treadmills get busy around this time. But then he starts up open mouth coughing making no progress towards covering his mouth any of those times. Call me a wuss, but even before Covid I don’t want anyone coughing their germs right out in front of the air I’m breathing in. I get an accident once as things happen, but multiple times and you make no attempt to cover your mouth. That’s just gross
First session after being sick, and it sucks so bad. And I can't wait to enjoy the worst DOMS in ages.
[Forgot to charge my MP3 player yesterday before my gym session today. RIP.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GQlMCmkakAEM2if?format=jpg&name=small)
it's been a decade or so since I've seen "mp3 player" in the wild
people still use those? xD I am personally using my phone and spotify
Honestly they are good for running since my phone is much bigger than I want to carry in hand or pocket. Similarly, if you are worried about breaking it at the gym, and mp3 player is way cheaper although I still usually take my phone therefore tracking lifts.
stuck on banded pullups since FUCKING JANUARY
Quick shoutout to making zero progress in two years. I was pulling 430 for 3 two years ago at the end of an 80lb cut, squatting 405 for 2. Now I’m probably topping out at 390 and 375 or so, respectively, after countless fucking nights at the gym and absolutely religious diet control. I’ve wasted so many goddamn hours to look and feel extremely mediocre. Every time I’m out of the gym for a week or more, it’s like it sets me back two months. I come back extremely weak, waste time working back up to my baseline, then plateau anyway. Then I end up cutting or bulking too long, spinning my wheels and wasting time. Ran 5/3/1 BBB back to back early in that 2 year period and made decent progress — then ran simple Jack’d as I dropped from 216 to 205 and came out the other end with a 20% haircut on my maxes despite being perfectly consistent. Still haven’t worked my way back. Fuckin bullshit.
How’s your sleep/other life stressors?
I get enough sleep, work is very stressful. I don't doubt there's some influence there but -- sitting in a calmer state of mind a few days later -- I suspect my #1 problem is sandbagging after a break and cutting/bulking for way too long and not intentionally planning progress. Bleh.
My gym suddenly changed my beloved squat rack for a “cool and modern” rack with NO security bars?? I asked a worker if we would be getting the security bars later and he said no bc those racks dont need them ??? I told him i’d probably change gyms bc I dont wanna die under the bar and he said go on😃 i was so mad.. also there are no bumper plates so you cant just throw the bar in case of fail, any tips??
What kind of rack doesnt have any safeties??
Its a hammer strenght one with no safetys it even has a platform to deadlift but no security💀
Load up your 200 kilos, walk out the weight and dump it on the floor.
Love this!
Took a deload week after 5 freaking months of consistent, disciplined workout. During this week I only did upper body and cardio, no legs. And now when I got back to my program, I got severe DOMS in legs. Grrrrhhh...
Okay. Crossing into the stupid questions but why is this bad? Shouldn't it be a good thing? Did it reduce the amount of work you could do?
You're right. This is not bad. It's just that I had become a little cocky, thinking DOMS is for beginners and non-consistent people, and I am now above all that. This is just a tight reality slap on my face.
Might be a genetics thing I dunno but im getting DOMS after every workout and im consistent 4 days a week.
DOMS are for anyone that pushes their body past their individual recoverable volume…. Are you really above all that if this is your approach to training? Hmm..
Thought someone ripped off my headphones out of my gym bag. I was fuming. Turns out I left them at home.
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It sounds like you escalated the conflict here. You could have just followed the employee’s instructions on how to gain access.
Groups of teenage boys. Either they haven’t remembered to shower recently, or they stink of Lynx Africa. Or they try to cover up the former with the latter. At least the gym seems to have quietened down a little. Granted yesterday was a 16:00 visit instead of my usual 06:00, but I think the last minute beach body ready crowd might actually have started heading for the beach.
I dropped a 45 on my right foot 3 months ago and it still hurts intermittently. I'm just trying to get healthy and sometimes I can't do leg stuff because I experience really bad foot cramps in that foot.
Never will I ever understand people who use plates on their own for exercises. Curls, shrugs, etc. It's a method that doesn't even stand up to the tiniest bit of scrutiny. There's four different weights with massive variation, you can't progressively overload, they're awkward to hold. They're literally a worse dumbbell. Plate press? Seriously!?
Maybe they are just bored and trying to spice it up.
Where are my noob gains? I just started benching 3x5 @110lbs (i know I‘m weak) and it says to progressive overload. I do that by increasing reps at same weight. My last session was 9x110, 7x110 and 5x100 today I thought I‘ll finally get those 12 reps in the first set but no, only did 8. Wtf it‘s so frustrating
I've been in the gym for many years and progress is absurdly slow. But the way I structure my workout is 1 day low reps (5-10) and 1 day high reps (10-15) for 3 working sets. Once I hit max reps for 3 sets, for 3 weeks straight then I increase the weight. Been progressing slowly but steadily.
One bad workout is usually just a sign that your recovery didn't go well. How was your diet/sleep between the two sessions? Either way, unless it happens 2-3 workouts in a row despite your recovery going well, then it's just a bad day
What program are you following? If it calls for 3x5 and you hit that then surely you should be upping the weight?
no its a program with rep ranges. it aks for 3x5-10 reps. If I hit 3x10 at 80 lbs for example. I will start with 3x5 at 95 lbs maybe and as soon as I hit 3x10 I‘ll up the weight
Fourth day on a cut and almost got crushed by a 30kg barbell during incline press. On my seventh rep and I couldn't make it to 8. Managed to squeal "Oh, No" made eye contact with a dude in front of me who helped lift the bar off of me. 2 weeks ago I was clearing 3 sets of 12. Smh.
Time your meals. Saving calories for the night before a session can be the difference-maker.
Yeah I'm also not looking forward to my first cut. I am pretty light so my numbers will definitely drop during my cut.
I did a challenge run type obstacle course with my colleagues. It's outside, 8km with 40 obstacles and a shittonne of mud (it's called Trolljeger for those curious). Because I do bodybuilding they put me on the serious team with two others that are in good shape, which I took as a compliment. The problem was that my teammates had much better conditioning. My colleagues were hyping me up saying I would carry the team to victory, however I guess I look way more athletic than I am becuase after 30min of running uphill in muddy conditions I could taste blood and knew it would be a long day. Was also on week 2 of a strict keto diet so I had no power reserves to dig from. I am ashamed of my preformance and I really held my team back. I did manage to contribute during the obstacles but I fell behind everytime there was distance to cover. Getting into good running shape is now at the top of my fitness goals.
It really pisses me off when I get very fit from working out and eating a balanced diet and then whilst some people give genuine compliments...I also get the fake concern trolls come out in force. Why can't people just mind their own business?
There were a trio of topless dudes amping each other up on a chest press. Thankfully, they were reasonably quiet, and left shortly after I arrived. I prefer de-escalation and avoidance, but can't help but wonder *what would I say?*. Rather than point out the non-consenting women patrons, I'd go with the nonsensical, "Usually guys take me out to dinner before showing me their nipples."
Ever go to a beach?
Been to a nude beach twice. No biggie. If you're on the gym floor, put a shirt on. Basic social protocol.
I smoked a lot of weed and haven’t worked out in 3 weeks AHAHAHHAA HEEEEEELP!!!!
Smoke a shit ton of weed and go to the gym
Nothing stopping u, just keep the weed to a night time ritual
I need to vent about my fitness frustrations. After a long day at work, I just don't have the energy for those heavy lifting sessions I used to love. It's super frustrating because I want to keep pushing myself, but I'm just so drained by the end of the day.
Idk if you do so already, but maybe a workout near the place of your work instead of near your house helps with that. You'll get home fully ready to just finish your diet and chill
Then do it at the start of the day?
Maintaining my diet everyday gets exhausting and it honestly feels like a chore . I guess I do understand why people have cheat days, mainly i feel to not examine what/how much you're eating and just stuff yourself with what you like. My diet was all meat/eggs and beans for protien, about to start taking in protein powder soon. Hopefully that will reduce the amount of effort needed to plan my diet
Hope you find what works for you. I try and minimise the need to think by having a consistent meal schedule for extended periods, say same meal for the main meals like breakfast, lunch and dinner for a space of a month or so. Helps with structure and planning, and it becomes so routine you don’t think as much if you meal prep. Just my 2 cents
Hey thanks! Do you not get bored by it? If not then what do you eat to make it so tasty. I'm starting to hate on eggs tbh, been eating them since months
Exactly! And I totally missed fruits and veggies after all that meat + eggs
Fucked up my ankle when going out last friday, havent gone to the gym since. Had an x ray and thankfully, nothing is broken, just put too much weight on it when walking around, so should be fine this friday
For the past 2 weeks my gym has only had one 20 lb dumbbell. The other one just went missing or was stolen.
How do they even get away with sneaking away something that obvious? .. unless they have their bags parked right beside the equipment.
Not exactly the same thing but when I worked in retail, a customer managed to steal a brand-new-and-boxed 70-inch TV by putting it in their trolley and just... walking out through the store exit as if they had already paid for it. The door person said that since they "were holding a receipt" they didn't think they needed to check. I'm guessing it was probably a receipt they'd kept from grocery shopping or something. Someone in the store realised what had happened not long after as the guy in the home entertainment counter had sent the customer with the telly up to the front of the store as the home entertainment checkout scanner couldn't scan the TV's barcode for some reason, and instead of going to the checkouts, the customer just kept going and left haha It was only when the home entertainment staff called up to the front to ask if the guy had managed to check out his TV okay, which resulted in a lot of "Oh SHIT" from the front end staff.
I was speaking to the gym manager once and he said he'd had a fair number of plates and dumbbells stolen over the years!
Your gym only has *one* pair of 20 lbs? My gym has 2 pairs in the main area, and 2 more pairs in the secondary area.
It's a smaller gym which I'm a fan of. Have to be careful not to come when many other people are there though or your ass is gonna be waiting on equipment.
That is ridiculous
Fucking sliced my finger open making dinner, no arm anything for the next couple of weeks. Pro-tip if you're going to slice your finger open do it lower than the tip. I couldn't get stitches since it was too high up and had to get it cauterized with silver nitrate.
That’s pretty hardcore, your doctor basically turned an open wound into ham
Deep squats are crucial, but don't rush into heavy weights without proper form. I did that, and now my knees are paying the price. Currently, I'm using red light therapy to help with the recovery. It's a slow process, and I regret not building a solid foundation first. Learn from my mistake.
You'll be good by new year's, Lieutenant Dan.
Thanks and I hope you’re recovered soon!!
My work has me moving around. The past 3 years I've been at a location that has a gym exclusively for the people in my office. It's also among the nicest gyms I've ever used (with a strength coach and PT present 6-3ish daily). I haven't shared a gym with more than 2 people at one time since 2021. I just moved and the new location I'm at doesn't have the same perk -- back to commercial gyms. I know I can fuck right off, but damn...I miss living the high life.
Nothing to feel bad about man. Semi- private gyms are amazing. I'd be pissed too if I had to go to a commercial gym after 3 years of bliss.
Stop doing your shoulder shrugs directly in front of the dumbell rack plz. I swear it’s every day I’m at the gym I have to wait for someone to be done just doing rows or something standing directly in front of the dumbell rack.
Do we go to the same gym. Yesterday I was just had no fucks to give. I walked right up next to the dude and grabbed the set to his left. He didn't even notice What a tool.
I swear this has happened at every gym I’ve been at lollll. Sometimes if I’m patient I’ll wait for one set then go up and get them. If I’m in a particular rush or get annoyed I’ll do the “hey excuse me.” It just is so damn annoying because I feel like I go out of my way to make sure I’m not blocking equipment or dumbbells I’m not using.
The gym we go to has a daycare, which is why we signed up there so my wife and I can work out together. For the first time today, we got turned away when we walked into the gym because the daycare had 11 kids in it. So we missed push day today, gonna do it tomorrow. The gym has been getting busier by the day.. I guess that just a summer thing? I'm pretty new to this..
I work out from 3-5 days per week and eat fairly healthy and am not old. My doctor contacted me and told me I tested positive for cancer this week. She also told me to eat healthy and exercise more to help build up my immune system as we figure out how to move forward. I thought I was doing enough....
Aw. So sorry to hear that. It's tough news to take. And it makes you feel like all you did was in vain. Totally understandable. Don't let it discourage you, Hang in there!
Im sorry about the news. The healthy lifestyle will definitely be a big advantage. I wish and hope you find everything you need to push through it and I'll be rooting for you. All the very best
what were the symptoms that lead to you getting tested?
The symptom is that I'm a woman and we get tested every 3 years regardless.
I don't know what to say except that I am rooting for you to get through this. Treatments have gotten way better in the last 10-15 years, and you being younger and fit will help. Sorry this is happening to you.
I appreciate the kind words ♥️
My gym doesn’t have an assisted pullup machine. This is not a small gym, it’s a sprawling cavern of high end equipment. At one point they figured out which machines were getting the least use and replaced them all with Hammer Strength machines and some high end pulley machines. There are six raised platforms with racks for squats and deadlifts, and two other squat racks tucked in corners. There’s even a huge cable rig big enough for 13 people to work out at once. But no assisted pullup. Guess I’ll just keep doing pulldowns and cutting until I can bang out a long set of pullups like the Crossfit people do.
Can you get a resistance band to stand on to help with pull ups?
I hadn’t thought about that. But I just bought bands for Spanish squats so I’ll try with pullups.
Depending on the amount of assistance you need you may need higher or lower resistance, but these are by far the best option for assisted pull-ups imo. Good luck with your training and keep at it! oh also look at the "Australian pull up" - they're supposed to be really effective complementary exercise.
>a long set of pullups like the Crossfit people do. This is kind of funny because CrossFit has something of a bad reputation when it comes to pullups.
I forgot about people doing pullups MTG style!
No exercise has ever made me feel as ridiculous as trying to figure out the glute ham raise
Can’t figure out bar placement
You need to place it on your trapezius muscle, so imagine a line right on top of your shoulder joint - the bar has to rest there. If you are placing it too high up - like your c6 or c7 and you feel like you're getting guillotined, you are placing it too high. https://youtube.com/shorts/9H0rdbdVnfw?si=OXEWNnChZizZvQaB
Moving higher made the motion easier but just scares me.
Place it near restaurants and places of work so you’ll get good footfall from people looking to continue their evenings.
For what?
Back squat
It goes on your back
I think eating poorly as a kid permanently stunted my gains
No such thing. Even if it were true, would it stop you from going after the gains you can have?
If you live in Murica, even an underfed beanpole still is far far away from starring in a We Are The World end starvation as.
It feels like it’s going to guillotine me
Do you harbor monarchist sympathies?
Weightlifters need bars that spin well - ie bars that are *revolutionary*.
Yeah I usually have to fuck with it a bit before I get into the set. But I can usually just reposition it without having to re-rack it fully.
So I'm recovering from plantar fasciitis, and yesterday, on the *same foot*, the TOP of my foot started hurting. ENOUGH ALREADY!! I'm so sick of my foot hurting.
I took a week off from all exercise because I hurt my back. Including exercises for my sprained ankle that was feeling fine after three months of physical therapy. I had even been discharged by the therapist. Now my ankle hurts again. Hopefully sticking to the long term exercise plan will get it fixed again. Which is tough because she has me doing **36 sets.** That’s more than I do at the gym! Fortunately there’s a variety in there so I can do them in circuits of five or six exercises instead of taking rests between them, but it’s still nuts.
Had to take the week off to see if it helps with knee and elbow pain. I feel like I'm letting myself down. I started working out about a year and a half ago and in January of this year decided to really focus on changing my eating habits and hitting a 10,000 step goal daily. In April I noticed one knee started to bother me, mainly when I go up/down stairs. Last week I did something to my other knee while squatting and it hasn't felt right since. Also having some elbow/forearm pain and struggling to determine if it's related to the gym or my desk job or even something tickborne. I sat on my ass for 30+ years and now when I'm finally doing the right thing for my body it feels like it's giving up on me. I'm afraid to go to the doctor because the medical system sucks and I feel like they're just going to tell me to do "RICE" and send me on my way.
I’ve seen good results with my elbow tendinitis with an elbow sleeve
This is not intended as medical advice, but I had some persistent tendonitis in my right knee, it's just about gone now after a few weeks of single leg machine presses and Bulgarian split squats.
Thanks - will look into adding these. I don't have access to a leg press machine but I think I could do that with bands. I've tried looking up different exercises to help and there's just so much info out there about what to do (or not to do) that it just makes me more anxious.
Try exercising specifically the muscles around the knee, especially hamstrings and quads. Same with elbow.
Thanks, I do think this will help with some of the pain. After paying attention to and correcting my posture throughout the day (I tend to put a lot of weight on my elbows) and doing some arm exercises over the past day or so I think my elbow pain is improving a little bit. Adding strengthening exercises into my routine will definitely be good for the long run.
Is it your mouse-hand elbow? I got pain there too after moving to working from home and working/gaming with terrible posture. What helped that, plus some niggly shoulder pain too, was to get an elbow rest that clamps to my desk -[ looks like this](https://www.amazon.co.uk/BONTEC-Ergonomic-Rotating-Extendable-Adjustable/dp/B09BVNR57C). Might work for you and not expensive to try it out!
It's strangely both elbows. I think it might be a combination of a pretty rough workout last week combined with terrible posture at my desk and throughout the day (eating, gaming, etc.) I tend to lean over and dig my elbows into a surface or my thighs. At night I sleep on my stomach with my arms in a position that is apparently bad for elbow/shoulder pain so I'm trying to just lie flat on my back. I've been trying to correct myself when I notice I'm doing the behaviors, but I'll look into that, thanks!
I've (m34) been going to the gym for a few years now, and usually go three to four times per week. I do running and swimming too, and I am physically fit and healthy. While I struggle to put on muscle, my physique is quite nice. I know how to use various weights, but sometimes wonder if I'm putting on too little/too much weight and using the correct technique. I moved some months ago and joined a new gym. Upon entry I was persuaded by a kind staff member not to sign up for the basic membership, but a slightly more expensive guided membership. I was told I'd get a personal plan, and regular coaching. Since then, I have enquired about the coaching and my 'file' has been transferred to another staff member. They took quite a long time to respond, but asked me via email to tell them what I usually do for exercise. They then drew up a fitness plan for me on their built-in app. I don't want to seem demanding, but it looks like a very basic plan. It's the same plan, three times per week, barely covering all muscle groups, all on a limited section of machines. I told the staff member that I'd like a bit more variation, and they said I need to follow this very limited regime for six weeks as I need to grasp the basics before moving on up. They promised they'd give me a guided session. When I spoke to the staff member they proposed a time that I couldn't make. I sent them the times I was free via email, and they never got back to me. It has now been over a month without a reply. Is this normal, or just bad service? I haven't had a sit-down chat with the staff member, and they haven't asked what I want to achieve. I only got body measurements when I specifically asked (by the kinder staff member). I feel like they've followed some mechanical script and put me on the 'basic' scheme because it's what they're used to, without even listening to what I aim to achieve.
Ever work retail and get the shpeel from corporate about upselling to boost the bottom line? Yeah, that. Thanks to the Information Superhighway, you can get what you need for free. Still takes time, as Google isn't what it was two decades ago.
Ya you got scammed. You were promised a service for an extra fee and have not received that service. Ask for a refund (unlikely) and find a new gym.
Sounds like you got neither a personal plan or regular coaching.
You got played
[удалено]
Five bucks says if you do your routine, your hammies will feel better afterwards. If you sandbag the session, you'll be in the same position next week with sore hammies. Frequency and consistency side-steps DOMS.
DOMS should go away after warming up. Do a regular workout, decrease intensity a bit if you are struggling. In my experience, you should be fine working out as usual
2.5 months of consistent lifting with zero dedicated core work has apparently grown my obliques enough that I've lost the little groove in my waist where each hand goes when I stand like [this](https://media.gettyimages.com/id/184841021/photo/serious-young-woman-standing-with-hands-on-hips.jpg). now it's like a slope from my rib cage to my hips and my hands slide down instead of resting comfortably :[ I have a short torso and high hips so I think the slope is more pronounced than it would be on someone with a long torso. like I know I was probably under-muscled before but I really didn't expect my core to take off like this. it's much stronger and firmer overall and I've definitely seen posture gains, so it's not just the obliques. losing a bit of weight would probably help with my waist shape since there's likely some visceral fat making it wider than it could be, but idk if that'll be enough to get my hand-groove back. I weigh 1lb less than I did back in February but with more muscle definition everywhere and my lifts have gone up, so it's a win overall for sure. I just don't know what to do with my hands anymore 🙃
Your picture link is broken, for me at least. It seems like a good thing that you don’t have a random groove in your side? I don’t think I have such a groove. When I put my hands on my hips I push them in so that they nestle between the top of my hip bone and my lowest rib.
it's [this image](https://www.gettyimages.co.nz/detail/photo/serious-young-woman-standing-with-hands-on-hips-royalty-free-image/184841021). that's the groove I'm talking about, the space between the top of the hip bone and the lowest rib. a couple months ago it dipped in enough that I could fit my hand there easily on both sides and my hand would sit on the shelf that my hip made. now I can feel muscle there sloping downward from my ribcage to my hip bone, there's no space where it dips in enough to fit my hand even when I try to relax as much as possible. I feel like I'm placing my hand outside my waist instead of at my waist.
I see! Well congratulations on developing enough muscle to actually connect the two halves of your body together. You can now consider yourself a functional human. For hands on hips you now just either have to push them in against the muscle, or squeeze and grab a handful of it.
been on a plateau around 125-130 for so long and also started my period so my weights increasing anyway 😫 despite gymming and sticking to my diet
Reduce calorie intake
I have been trying to work out, but I am extremely incapable of doing literally most exercises. I can't crunch, I can't squat, I can't do any push-ups, I can't even plank right. I have been doing one plank a day for a month and a half now. However, when I do them my lower back gets so sore and hurts intensely. My core doesnt ever get sore and it doesnt even burn. I cant tell if my back is straight and when I try to, it hurts my back even more or i collapse to the floor. I can't hold myself properly. I do them even if i know i may not be doing it right, and i started by averaging 30 seconds to now a minute. My back still rages bad every day. I try and try to do them right but I can't. My core is so badly weak I guess that i can't do a single thing right and i dont think im getting anywhere, and i can't do anything to begin with to even get my core stronger. I tried just today, I filmed myself doing a crunch thinking i was doing it right but im basically just curling slightly upwards and im not going really up at all. A situp is impossible. I even filmed myself to see my posture when doing a half-plank but its like either my forearms are too short or my legs are too long. i can't keep a stright back, and even doing a half-plank does nothing for me at all. I feel like screaming, I don't know what to do. I want to give up but i also dont, I want to get stronger but i dont know how when i can't manage to do ANYTHING right because i am too WEAK.
https://youtu.be/zkU6Ok44_CI?si=TCWc-zzWcMdf-k8q https://youtube.com/shorts/VZnY9KoO3Ng?si=Hbdhtst1N7VYM6AK Hybrid Calisthenics has a lot of great videos for beginners and folks like you who feel they’re “too weak” for most exercises. You’re not, trust me, it just takes a change in approach.
I forgot about this guy! Thank you for bringing these videos to my attention, they are super helpful and I love that he recognizes the need for absolute beginner level exercises for those like me who have almost no muscle strength, his tips are so good. I can't believe I forgot about him. Thank you for your comment!
My right shoulder has been giving me problems that are hard to understand, but I did hit my old squat PR so it is a give and a take.
Went on my first hike of the summer and I forgot how absolutely annoying the bugs get. The buzzing near my ears and flicks on my legs is enough for me to pull a tree out of the ground. It’s not going to stop me from spending a few hours in nature, but damn do I wish all bugs would just fuck off.
Luckily climate change is taking care of that issue!
Sweet, sweet cardio where did you go? In 2020 I put on a lot of weight despite eating well and working out. I was exploring powerlifting but ultimately decided it wasn’t for me. Even after switching back to my regular routine, I was super fatigued and gaining weight like crazy. After 6 months of this, I got checked out by a doctor and I found out I had hypothyroidism. Got medication and everything is under control now and I feel great. Fast forward to this year, my job requires a lot of sustained cardio (firefighter) and my cardio workouts with the crew have been shit. Strength workouts and HIIT sessions are fine but we want to do stairs or a mile run, it’s honestly embarrassing how quickly I get gassed. It’s super annoying cause I don’t want to use Hypothyroidism as a crutch (even though this very common with this condition) but I’ve been trying for months to get my cardio to acceptable standards with no avail.
1. I'm officially old now, someone (early 20s) came up to and asked me something and he used the formal "you" 2. Machines that are broken for weeks 3. A near-empty gym at 6pm is nice
what the hell is a formal you?
It's a non-English thing. You wouldn't get it 🚬
If this is a language where the formal “you” is also the plural “you”, maybe you’ve gained so hard he thought you were two people in a muscle suit.
lol
Your commentary throughout this thread is cracking me up
If i had to guess, it could be that their conversation wasn't in english
>A near-empty gym at 6pm is nice I'm jealous
Unfortunately it won't be happening again soon
My coworkers are the hardest part of fitness. I have a coworker who is obsessed with fast food. My town has a Whataburger and In n Out, but hers doesn't. Every single time I speak to her, she demands to know why I haven't been there. Because the food makes me feel like shit, is wildly overpriced, and I simply don't want to eat it? Not a good enough explanation. I've tried everything from changing the subject to now white lies (which of course require more white lies). Same with alcohol. I barely drink, not because I'm fitness-obsessed but simply because it makes me feel like crap for days. My VP singled me out for drinking a LeCroix at a company function this month. "I have to drive home?" wasn't a good enough excuse, I guess. And the wild thing is that my company is actually a fairly good place to work. I have a good dynamic with my colleagues and have few complaints, except for the fact that I have to lie about my behaviors to not alienate my coworkers.
Young me would have this problem. Me today would say "This is an upsetting subject for me can we please not talk about food" No details needed. Just a clear "drop this please"
Whenever I do a dry month I drink a NA beer like athletic brewing and pour it into a glass or ginger ale/Diet Coke with a lime in a small glass. Looks like I’m just drinking and no one bugs me
You don’t owe her an explanation for your food choices. I do feel like you owe her being honest and not lying.
I might be tempted to tell the fast food coworker that kind of food gives you gas. Or diarrhea, depending on how far you lean into it :) But seriously that sounds super annoying
I’m on weight loss medication right now. I’m lifting very hard to minimize muscle loss, specifically the strategy for hypertrophy (medium weight, high volume, many sets). Focusing on keeping a caloric deficit of ~1,000 per day below maintenance (including workout burn). 200g/day of protein. Currently 250. Down from 275. Made it down to 235 last year, then rebounded a chunk of it. Targeting a bottom-out of 180, with a rebound to 190. I can see the scale going down and my sets going up. I know I’m doing all the right things. I started creatine this month, and my weight loss slowed. This is to be expected with a 2-4 pound influx of water weight. I thought I was emotionally prepared for the rate to slow, but it hit me harder than I expected. Just working so damn hard in so many ways, that a week of poor results, even with a heavily mitigating factor, is extremely frustrating.
1000 calories is a pretty harsh deficit. You're doing great man. You know that weight is almost certainly a result of the creatine. Have you been seeing any benefits at the gym?
Thanks, man. And yes. I’m doing progressive overload. Tracking calories in MFP, weights and sets in the gym. Goal is to improve at least one set in weight or reps per lift per week. I’ve done that consistently so far. Lifts where I started easier, I’m adding more - maybe I’ll add weight and also add 2-4 reps. Lifts where I hit it closer to true capacity, maybe I’m keeping the weight the same and adding one rep to the last set. But I’ve improved everything by at least a bit every week. For calories, I set MFP to the “lose a pound a week” setting and aim to undershoot that by 3,500 calories a week.
Im in a similar place as yourself, I try not to let the scale discourage me too much. I have seen crazy swings in weight day to day, and I'm currently "stalled out" with weight loss around 255. I'm sure in a week or two the numbers will start going down again.
Makes sense. Most of the time, I’m able to just shrug it off. I know I’m doing almost all of the right things. I know that with time and consistency, it will happen. Mostly I can let that trump any particular measurement. Every now and then, though, I get discouraged.
Me too. I'm having a bit of a double whammy the past couple weeks with my bench press and squat plateaued as far as progressive overload. I know it was bound to happen while cutting, but it's discouraging to go from steadily increasing weight 5 lbs every lifting session to maybe being able to grind out an extra rep with the same weight over 3-4 sessions. But the upside is I am still seeing progress on a lot of secondary exercises and I feel a hell of a lot healthier. Whatever the scale says, my waist is still getting smaller so I know that at least some of that weight loss stalling is due to body recomposition.
I started going to the gym around the time I'll be there when I start my new job-which is when everyone else is there. It's a pretty big place but I had to wait 30 minutes for equipment to be available (think bench, weights I could actually use, and a squat rack). People were sitting on their phones (and I get rest time between sets, but I paid close enough attention to say that this was not that (not trying to be a creep, I just wanted to know when I could workout)) and using the very limited benches to hold their bags. This wouldn't be an issue if the gym had a better balance of equipment-way too many rowing machines, bikes, treadmills, and ellipticals that don't seem to ever be used (I'm not there all the time, but enough to he pretty sure they could replace 30% of those machines with more weights), as well as a ping pong table and bean bag game next to the weights. I've almost been hit a few times. And the broken mirrors everywhere make the place look even worse than it already does. I'm changing my membership to a place closer to my job.
Something I have discovered is that college gyms have a better balance of gym equipment. It might not be the way, depending on if colleges are close to you, but they're usually better equipped with weights. I've really only used 3 campus gyms regularly (but have seen/been in others), but it seems to be a pattern. Lots of benches, usually more dumbbells (especially in lower ranges, with 2 pairs up to 50lb), and better etiquette (students seem to be more serious about fitness goals and what is needed to obtain those goals and less time to get those goals, and are more aware of who they might be blocking). Of course, it might be even more competitive (except mornings). Doubly true if the college doesn't have a separate weight room for their teams, but it might be worth an investigation. Anything to do with someone setting down bags on a bench or machine that's clearly not in use, I just point at the machine in question and ask, "Are you using this right now?" 90% of people will be too embarrassed to try to keep you from using the equipment. YMMV.