r/workout Aug 28 '20

Routine Help Beginner's Guide to Working Out

4.6k Upvotes

As a personal trainer, I wanted to take the time to answer some of the most frequently asked questions by people who are new to working out. Feel free to let me know if I've missed anything!

How do I lose weight?

It’s actually way simpler than you might think: maintain a caloric deficit. Consume fewer calories than you burn. It doesn’t matter of you’re morbidly obese or you’re cutting for a show, this basic principal still applies. Note that eating a healthy diet makes this far easier - lots of fruits, veggies, lean protein and water will help you stay satiated for far fewer calories than fatty junk foods (not to mention you’ll have way more energy, and just feel better).

To find out how many calories you should be eating in a day to lose weight, you have a few different options. The first is to determine your maintenance calories with an online calculator, then subtract 250-500 per day from that (to lose about 0.5-1lbs per week).

The other option (my personal favourite, because everyone is different!) is to start by just honestly tallying up how much you’re currently eating each day. Once that’s determined, start by subtracting 250-500 calories per day. If you haven’t lost any weight in a couple weeks, subtract that amount again, until you start seeing progress.

There’s tons of food tracking apps out there, but I recommend MyFitnessPal - it’s free, easy to use, you can scan food labels, and the food database included is enormous.

Another important note - increasing the amount of calories you burn per day (ie. exercising) will also help you stay in a caloric deficit. However, it’s best NOT to rely solely on this method. Doing a whole hour of cardio will only burn a few hundred calories (plus will likely make you hungry for snacks by the time you’re finished) … or, you can simply avoid eating a bag of chips or a piece of pizza, to have the exact same effect.

That’s not to imply that exercise isn’t important in your weight loss journey - quite the contrary! However, instead of focusing on doing hours of cardio a day, this should only be used to supplement your diet (1-2 hours a week is fine for most people). Your focus should instead be on resistance training. Lifting heavy weights 2-4 times per week plays the important role of ensuring you maintain your muscle mass as you lose weight. Want to avoid that “skinny fat” look, and get “toned” instead? Make sure you’re doing resistance training!

How do I lose weight in ___ area?

Unfortunately, spot reduction is a myth. Where you lose weight first (and last) is determined by genetics. However, you *will* eventually lose weight in all your problem areas. You just need to be patient, and keep doing what helped you start losing weight in the first place.

The good news is, the more weight you lose, the more visible the progress will be (especially if you’re doing a good job focusing on just fat loss, while retaining muscle). Going from 250-240lbs probably won’t be noticeable, but losing those last 10lbs will make a huge difference (since a few pounds will make up a far greater percentage of your total body mass). So the progress will be hard-fought for, but definitely worth it!

How do I gain muscle?

It’s a combination of progressively harder resistance training, eating enough food, and lots of patience.

When you’re exercising, just going through the motions isn’t good enough. For optimal muscle gain, you should be performing each set with a weight that you can lift continuously for around 30-60s (this should amount to around 8-15 repetitions). If you feel like you can go for longer, choose a heavier weight.

Perform each repetition slowly (about 1 second concentric, pause, 2-3 seconds eccentric, pause), through a full range of motion. To clarify - the concentric portion of a lift is when you’re moving against gravity, and the eccentric portion is when you’re moving with gravity. Exercises involving long static holds (like planks) are great for endurance, but they won’t amount to much muscle mass gained.

I cannot overemphasize how important good form is either - for avoiding injury, hardwiring the correct neural pathways, and maximizing muscle gain. Especially when you’re just starting out, choose light weights, and make sure optimal form comes naturally before you start increasing the intensity. It’s way easier learning it correctly the first time than fixing bad habits later.

How much food should you be eating? It varies widely between people. Start with your maintenance calories, add a couple hundred to that (it doesn’t have to be a lot!), and measure your results. Be patient with your progress - men can expect to gain 1-2lbs of lean muscle a month, and 0.5-1lbs for women (beginners may gain a little faster). Eating enough protein is also vital to gaining muscle - a general rule of thumb is around 1 gram of protein (each day) per pound of lean body weight (ie. how much you weigh, minus the amount of fat you have).

How do I get stronger?

It honestly depends on your experience level. If you’re just starting out, doing a normal resistance routine focused on gaining muscle will make you stronger. However, if you’ve been working out regularly for awhile (close to a year), using heavier weights (1-6 reps max) will help you get stronger a lot faster.

If you’re focusing more purely on strength gain, it’s important that each repetition is done as perfectly as possible (even moreso than for other training goals). That means stopping 1-2 reps shy of failure. Doing just one sloppy rep can severely impact your strength output for the rest of the workout. Don’t be afraid of taking longer rests between sets either (up to 2-3 minutes), as you want to be ready with as much energy as possible before you start your next set. It also goes without saying that heavier weight = greater chance for injury, and proper form will help prevent that.

Is it possible to lose fat and build muscle at the same time?

Contrary to popular belief - yes. Especially if you’re a beginner! Just make sure you’re eating around maintenance level calories (along with enough protein), doing resistance training 3-4 times a week, and you’ll start seeing body composition changes.

However, if you’re significantly over/underweight, or have already been working out for some time, you’ll see much faster progress if you focus on one goal at a time. The main difference here is going to be diet - eating less if you’re trying to lose weight, or eating more if you’re trying to gain weight. Regular resistance training plays a part in both shedding fat and gaining muscle.

How should I be structuring my workouts?

For the vast majority of people, full body workouts with compound exercises is the way to go. (For those who don’t know, compound exercises are those which use more than one joint at a time - think squats, bench press, rows, etc.)

The popular back/chest/shoulders/arms/legs split routine (or any variation of it) is good for advanced bodybuilders, but not ideal for beginners. Bodybuilders exercise like this because they need a much greater stimulus to properly stress any given muscle group, and more rest between days training that muscle group as a result of their increased workout intensity.

For a beginner, it’s better to hit each muscle group multiple times a week (this is great to hasten learning and growth). You won’t need as long of a rest period before training the same muscle again, because it won’t be as fatigued after each workout.

Compound exercises give you the greatest bang for your buck because you’re working out so many muscles in one movement (and burning way more calories at the same time). Isolation exercises (those working one joint at a time, like bicep curls or leg extensions) are best for bodybuilders who really need to hone in on a single muscle.

Doing resistance training 3-4 times a week is a good goal to shoot for. Workouts should be around 45-60 minutes, with around 6-8 exercises done during that time. Try to keep rests between sets to around 60s (this is all very generalized, and can change depending on experience level and goal). Space rest days evenly between workouts if you can.

Start your workouts with the exercises which require the most energy (usually those which involve lifting the most weight), saving any isolation/ab exercises for the end.

If you’d like some help planning your workout routine, I just released a fitness app called PerfectFit. It gives you access to workouts designed by a personal trainer, all customized according to your unique goals, fitness level, and available equipment. There are tons of bodyweight exercises included - ideal for anyone working out at home! The app is currently available to download on Android, and iOS is hopefully just a few days away (currently under review).

What should I be eating?

If your goal is a change in body composition (gaining muscle/losing fat), the amount of calories you’re consuming is the most important thing to pay attention to.

If you’re consistently working out hard but failing to gain/lose weight, chances are you need to make alterations to your diet. For weight loss, that usually means eating at a deficit of 250-500 calories per day; for weight gain, eating at a surplus of 200-300 calories per day.

What exact foods you’re eating has an impact on how easily you can stick to your calorie goals, as well as your energy levels.

Consuming around 1 gram of protein per pound of lean bodyweight (per day) is a given, regardless of what your fitness goal is. This helps to maintain satiety, and preserve/increase muscle mass.

Eating lots of fruits and veggies (as well as drinking 2-3L of water a day - more for some people) is a great way to feel full without consuming too many calories. It also just contributes to all-around health and energy levels.

Eating lots of fatty foods should be avoided if weight loss is the goal - not because fat makes you fat per se, but because they are so calorically dense. Only one tablespoon of peanut butter or olive oil is 100 calories! Conversely, if your goal is to gain weight, adding more fatty foods to your diet (healthy fats, if possible) can help you hit that calorie goal easier.

And carbs? Not as evil as people make them out to be. Think of them as the energy that fuels your brain and your workouts. Having around 50% of your calories coming from carbs is about the norm. It’s likely beneficial to raise this number even higher if you’re an especially lean individual, or you’re regularly working out at intense levels.

When should I be eating?

The easiest way to time your meals properly is to think: “What will I be doing in the next 2-3 hours?” Eat according to the activity you’re about to do. That doesn’t mean you should be having a giant meal right before your workout, but ideally your biggest meal of the day would be several hours before you exercise. This will give you the energy you need, plus ensure the calories you consume are shuttled into your muscles instead of fat reserves.

If you’re about to do an intense workout, the best thing to eat beforehand (around 15-30 minutes prior) is a light snack of healthy carbs (like some fruit). For optimal recovery, aim for 20-30g of protein within an hour after you workout (if you miss this window though don’t worry about it). A protein shake is probably the simplest and most convenient way of doing this, but whole food is just as good.

What supplements should I be taking?

If you have a healthy, well-rounded diet, including 2-3 cups of different veggies each day, enough protein per pound of bodyweight (from sources that include sufficient amounts of each essential amino acid), and adequate omega-3 fatty acids - then you’re golden, and probably don’t need any supplements.

However, the vast majority of the population would probably benefit from a simple multivitamin and omega-3 supplement, just to help fill any nutritional gaps they have.

If you’re getting enough protein from whole food, then you probably don’t need to add protein powder. However, if you’re struggling with this, then protein powder is a great way to easily increase your daily protein intake. Whey protein is the most bioavailable and has a complete amino acid profile, so it’s the best choice for most people. However, if you’re vegan (or lactose intolerant), there are lots of plant proteins available. You just need to pay attention to the amino acid profile of each one (possibly mixing and matching different plant sources if you need to).

As for all the other supplements out there, it’s honestly on a case-by-case basis as to whether they’d actually help you or not. If you’re a beginner, unless you have any specific requirements or deficits, you probably don’t need them.

Is stretching important?

Yes. Please stretch (or do some other form of myofascial release, such as foam rolling), or you’ll eventually regret it. Regular exercise makes your muscles slowly form clumps of tissue and fascia. Neglecting to release these can result in restricted range of motion, and eventually pain.

Static stretching should be done at the end of your workout. Aim to stretch each worked muscle near its end range of motion for around 60s total. Don’t stretch before your workout, as this can impede strength output.

Is warming up important?

Yes. Warming up is paramount to increasing blood flow and activating your muscles properly before you move onto more intense, metabolically demanding exercises.

Ideally, during your warm-up, you should be actively moving your muscles through the same ranges of motion you’ll be doing for your workout. This can be as simple as doing the exact same movement, but with minimal weight - for example, doing a few sets of bodyweight squats before doing barbell squats.

You want your warm-ups to elevate your heart rate, but not be so intense that they start tiring you out and detract from your workout. Usually 5-10 minutes of light activity is enough.


r/workout May 31 '21

Nutrition Help Do you need to Gain Weight, Lose Weight, or Maintain Weight? Look Here First!

792 Upvotes

The following post was originally contributed my /u/mjconns, who recently left the moderator team, and deleted the original post.

This is a one-stop shop for all weight-related questions -- also known as cutting/bulking/recomp. Ideas, suggestions, guides, workouts, etc -- everything you'll need to answer 99% of questions! This is meant to be a community/collaborative effort, so please add in suggestions in the comments!

To be clear on a couple terms -- when exercising and eating to gain weight, that is called bulking (aka caloric "surplus"). Eating less to lose weight is called cutting (aka caloric "deficit"). And eating just enough to not gain or lose weight is called maintenance (aka recomposition or "recomp").

A visual guide to male and female BF% estimates

I don't like guessing BF% as there's no way to know how much visceral fat we store internally. But athleanx's general guidelines are as good as any for visual estimates.

Who should cut or bulk?

The idea behind cut and bulk cycles is to gain muscle and fat in a bulk phase and then try to keep all your muscle and burn off fat in a cut phase. This approach is generally 'faster', when done correctly, than "recomps" (recompositions) where you maintain your weight but work out hard and try to replace fat with muscle.

Generally speaking, if you're an active person and/or consistently working out, you can do cut/bulk cycles. To get started, you need to know your maintenance calories ("maint") to have an idea on how many calories you can consume without gaining or losing weight, hence the term maintenance; no change in weight. To bulk, you eat more than maintenance (aka "surplus") and to cut you eat less than maintenance (aka "deficit"). If you are not working out and you bulk, that's how you get fat. So don't eat above maint if you're not also working out.

Getting started

To get started, you need to know your "maintenance" calorie needs and for an estimate you need a TDEE calculator (I like this one, but you can google for others). Think of this as a starting point to use that will need some adjusting over time.

Once you have an estimated maintenance, you generally add 250-500 calories for a bulk and subtract 250-750 calories in a cut. Generally, it's safer to over-do cuts and under-do bulks. In a bulk you gain both fat and muscle and after a point you only gain fat (fat stores faster than you can build new muscle), so be cautious in bulks and don't "dirty" bulk.

Deciding to cut or bulk

So far as I'm aware, there isn't a hard science behind when to bulk or cut, but there are guidelines to consider. When bulking, our bodies build muscle and store fat and, after a point, our bodies prioritize storing fat over building muscle. This is why dirty bulking is bad and, generally speaking, if your BF% is > 20%, you should not bulk. Any higher BF% and your body tends to prioritize fat storage vs muscle gained from bulking.

Similarly, cuts are usually done to around 10% because any lower than that and the body will begin to consume more muscle than fat and muscle loss is more likely.

You can make strength gains on a cut. You can't build new muscle, but you can "refactor" (that's my word for it, I'm sure there's a scientific one) existing muscle to be more efficient, hence stronger, as you lose fat. Also, repetitive gym visits will help you become more proficient at working out which helps in the long run when you start bulking and building new muscle.

If you're really unsure, you can make a post in r/BulkOrCut to get community feedback on what it's you personally should do.

If you're skinnyfat, generally you can eat at a small maintenance (aka "clean bulk") and make great strength gains. If you have little muscle mass to cut to, you will just look tiny/thin -- especially if you're tall. So for most skinnyfat people, and I would clean bulk and diligently follow a legit lifting routine. Which brings me to...

Workout routines

Before getting into routines, I think it's worth mentioning first that everyone should walk more. At least 5 times per week, 30 minutes per day:

Check out The Beginner's Guide to Working Out

The best workout routine is the one you can consistently follow. If you're new to the gym, just about anything will get you some results. To a point. If you want to be smart about it, do not make up your own routine! There are plenty of legit, tried-and-true, FREE recommended lifting routines to choose from. I like these routines vs googling something random because these are routines many, many people in various subreddits are doing and have done in the past that can help answer any questions you might have. It's nice to have someone else that is doing or has done the program you're running to offer direct advice from their experience. But you can just google other routines if you want. Just make sure it has:

    1. Progressive overload
  • 2) Structured days to not hit body parts more than 2x/week

If you're working out at home, check out this post from Arnold Schwarzenegger with a detailed bodyweight home routine.

Also another great full body workout for people at home with no equipment.

What to eat

At the end of the day, for 99% of people (various diseases, ailments, and conditions aside), all that matters are Calories In, Calories Out (CICO). This controls weight gain and loss. Lifting heavy weights encourages strength gains or at least strength maintenance in both surplus/bulks and deficit/cuts. But to gain or lose lbs on a scale, the total calories consumed minus calories used and the resulting surplus/deficit are what matters. But how much of what you eat matters...

There's a lot of suggested science over what to eat, but there are generally sound rules of thumbs to follow which are easily broken down into "Macros" for tracking purposes:

  • Proteins (1 gram = 4 calories)

  • Carbs (1 gram = 4 calories)

  • Fats (1 gram = 9 calories)

Collectively, all the macros we consume = total consumption (Calories In). When cutting, it's easiest to cut down fats and carbs. But keep protein high. When bulking, generally you add carbs and/or fats. Protein should always be high; it's what helps build muscle directly.

However, how we feel when consuming these calories and what we get out of other nutrients is important.

Fats

We all need healthy fats to help regulate hormonal balances. This is usually room-temp fats (think extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, various nuts, avocados, etc); less important are the fats in meat and dairy products, for example. A general rule of thumb is to aim for at least 30% x total calories for your fats macro. This is the same for cutting or bulking, but when bulking you can increase if you want.

E.g. if you're consuming 2000 calories daily, aim for 0.3x2000 (600) calories to be from fats.

Carbs

Next come carbs. Carbs are not evil. They're a tool. Our body prefers and relies on carbs to refuel energy stores. Simple, nutrient-dense carbs are preferred -- not complex or junk carbs. The reason for this is 1) satiation, how long we'll feel full, and 2) other nutrient content. When you can, get your carbs from fresh/frozen fruits and veggies. That will do far more for you than crackers, cereal, donuts, etc. Even though the carbs will be utilized equally, produce holds far more vitamins and minerals that have relevant health and recovery benefits that can't be overstated.

Generally, aim for 25-45% of your calories to be carbs (depending on cutting/bulking).

Protein

Generally, you want to keep protein fairly high. Anywhere from .75-1+ gram of protein per lbs of body weight. This can come from any source, as our body will utilize them the same. But some sources are preferred, depending on whether you're cutting or bulking. Ideally, aim for now more than 40-50 grams per meal/protein shake and spread out the consumption through the day.

The remainder of your calories should be protein.

Timing

As carbs are for energy, many people prefer to have more carbs timed around workouts (and no fats during this period) to help boost performance and recovery. If you're going to eat your carbs (e.g. rice and chicken breast), do so about two hours before working out; otherwise, liquid/quickly consumed carbs are preferred (e.g. orange or apple juice). Again, post-workout, get simple carbs and protein into your system via a shake or meal fairly soon. Save fats for well-before or after workouts.

Measuring success

First and foremost, gym progress should always be factored in first. If your routine says X lift should go up Y amount each week, generally you want to be hitting that to know you're on track. If your lift #s are going up according to your routine, you're doing great! If you aren't, there's a breakdown somewhere and you should ask for guidance if you cannot asses the fail point yourself.

Secondly, the weight scale. You want to make sure your body weight is trending in your goal direction. It's ideal to weigh yourself the same way every time.

For example, I wake up, go to the bathroom, and then weigh myself every day for three weeks and then I average my daily changes over those three weeks. I generally aim to gain .5-.75 lbs per week and lose .75-1 lbs per week. If I'm gaining or losing too much, I adjust my macros ~ 250 calories and measure again for three weeks and so on.

Don't get caught up daily changes; I sometimes vary 3-5 lbs between days! Weigh daily for three weeks and average it out. Don't worry about the daily weight, find an average to determine where the trend is taking you and adjust if needed. This will take the annoying variances out of the picture and let you focus on meaningful change.

You can also measure your wrists, waist, neck, etc, as well as take photos, but that's more preference and not as commonly suggested.

Bulking and cutting strategies

I've seen people make amazing progress, both gaining and losing weight, in a variety of ways. Ideally, be healthy. Emphasize fresh/frozen fruits and veggies. But, at the end of the day, many approaches work. You can bulk or cut as a vegan, intermittent fasting ("IF"), KETO, IIFYM, etc. Many approaches work. They are but tools available to you, so find one that best helps you meet your goal. So choose the best "diet" or tool that helps you achieve a goal! If that's keto, great! If that's caveman, awesome. I don't care! Limit your calories in whatever "diet" you choose and you'll see results.

In my opinion, it's better to make lifestyle changes that to follow a diet for a short time. So I don't really like "diets" per se, but more so recommend eating like an adult and limiting calories. But even still, different tactics can help in that goal, and you can deploy as many or as few as you want:

  • Intermittent Fasting ("IF")

  • Tracking macros / IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros)

  • "Banking" calories

I don't buy into the other 'benefits' of IF, but it was a tactic that worked for me. I am a volume eater. I generally eat well, but I like eating a lot. So when I'm cutting, my meals were small and sad. The idea behind IF is that you have a short window of time which you eat meals, the rest of the day you fast. Again, all that matters are calories. You can absolutely get fat eating 10k calories in a 5 hour window. So there's no magic in doing this. But for me, doing IF allowed me to have larger, more satiating meals within the "eating window" instead of more, smaller meals.

Macros are discussed above, but the idea behind IIFYM is that you've a set # for each macro and, so long as what you're eating fits neatly into the prescribed macro allotment, go for eating whatever you want! And, again, so long as total calories are low enough for you, you will lose weight. But this is r/BulkorCut, not r/weightloss. People here are also working out. How well you workout, recover, perform, feel, etc is affected by what you eat. So, sure, add in "fun" foods sometimes. But don't eat like a child simply because it fit your macros. A safe rule of thumb is to eat "cleanly" 80% of the time when bulking, whatever the other 20% of the time. When cutting, I try to eat cleanly 90-95% of the time with fewer treats. What that treat is might change -- some weeks I just want pancakes, other weeks I just want a couple beers. Do what works for you, just do so in controlled quantities.

I liked "banking" calories when I knew I had a special event, date night with the wife, party, or whatever where I'd be consuming extra calories. One way to account for that is to deduct an additional amount of calories each day leading up to the event, to then splurge on that event. Example:

Let's say my maintenance is 2,500 calories and I'm eating at a -500 deficit, so I'm eating 2,000 calories daily. I want to take my wife out for our anniversary, so the week leading up to our date night I deduct an additional -250 calories each day and only eat 1,750 calories daily. This gives me 7x250 (=1750) "banked" calories I can add to my 2,000 calories on our anniversary. Now I can have a nice dinner, dessert, a drink or two, all without blowing my diet out of whack!

Body fat % (BF%) estimates

Estimating ones body fat % is kind of hard. We can't see how much fat is stored internally around organs; some people store more fat over the abs, some more around their love handles (that's me!), and others in their legs/ass. So it's really hard to tell. There are various ways to scan BF%, but most are imprecise with a +/- 20% variance. In my opinion, the only thing they're useful for is estimating BF% changes. Let's say it reads 20% for you; in six months, you try again and it says 15%. You probably lost around 5% BF%, but your actual BF% might be 12%-18%. So it's not a particularly accurate reading, but the rate change is a useful gauge.

The best ways to learn BF% are via:

  • Underwater Weighing (Hydrostatic Weighing) (1-2% variance)

  • DEXA scan (1-2% variance)

Everything else has huge variance and is only useful for measuring rate of change.

Differences in males and females

  • Basically, there aren't any

  • It ultimately comes down to goals and therefore what you're going to emphasize/work towards.

Useful posts/resources

People to follow

  • pheasyque - excellent diagrams, tutorials, and generally great content on how to lift properly

  • Stefi Cohen - 22 world records, doctorate in physical therapy, gym owner, coach. TONS of useful tips, talks, and various informative content.

  • Brian Alsruhe - Strongman competitor/gym owner, great content on lift techniques and personally the most beneficial video I've watched on breathing and bracing.


r/workout 3h ago

Nutrition Help Alcohol vs fitness gains. Is it really that terrible to have a drink?

20 Upvotes

Hi friends! I’ve been working out consistently (usually 4x a week or 3x if it’s that time of the month) and I’ve seen progress and lost weight! Yay! My only vise is alcohol 😭

How much does it truly affect your gains/weight loss? I strictly only drink white claw or red wine, hardly any liquor (like maybe if I go out to eat once in a blue moon I’ll have one cocktail which is usually just a vodka soda or some variation of a low calorie drink) as I just don’t really like it that much, but I’m having a hard time leaving the white claw and wine alone. Before I locked in, I was having about 4 claws a night probably (yikes) and I’m proud of how much I’ve cut back, but I won’t lie having a cold one at the end of a long work day has just kind of become part of my nightly routine and I think that’s why I’m feeling so weird about it. I don’t drink the way I used to, and on days I work out I don’t have anything at all. But on rest days, sometimes I find myself just wanting to have that glass of wine or a white claw or 2 (I’m not talking drinking the entire 12 pack or the entire bottle of wine, but just a little to mellow out with) but I can’t help but feel guilty after it’s said and done, like I’ve just erased weeks of progress and I’m going to wake up the next day 10 lbs heavier and all my gains will be gone lol. I know that’s not really what will happen and it’s about the consistency, but I’m just wrestling between “eh screw it, live a little you work hard and deserve to relax how you enjoy to” and “you must be stone cold sober at all times or else you’re wasting your time in the gym.”

I’ve seen mixed views on this, some ppl say it will hardly make a difference if it’s just a few and you’re consistently in the gym, and that comforts me a little. I’m not drinking to be obliterated and black out, and I don’t drink every single day at that. At most I’m saying like once or twice a week, a glass of wine or two and that’s all. Does it really destroy your progress that much and set you back? I typically also try to do some extra cardio the day after. This might be a dumb question and I know alcohol is still alcohol regardless of what it is, I’m not denying that. But is it really that terrible to have a lower calorie drink sometimes while trying to get the gains? I know it’s a level of discipline that comes with making that decision not to drink, and unfortunately I have not reached sober zen yet I guess. Will those one or two drinks really hurt me that much?

Sincerely, a conflicted girly that likes her white claw 🥲


r/workout 16h ago

Other What‘s the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you in the gym?

107 Upvotes

Be honest… what’s your biggest gym fail so far? 🏋️‍♂️😂


r/workout 7h ago

Exercise Help Is it normal to get less sore with workouts as you get “stronger” … or am I getting sloppy with my reps ?

12 Upvotes

Should I be focusing more on my reps; slower and more methodical with heavier weight? I feel like im getting close to the best shape I’ve been in after falling off big time during covid lol. I’m 5’10 26yo and weigh 170/175. I think I feel and see myself getting stronger just putting on the muscle is so tough for me. (I weighed ~210 during covid) then fasted / walked / ran till I got around 180 where I began to lift daily. Very confusing post haha and I appreciate anyone who takes their time to share any advice or experience. Where do I go from here.. just keep getting in the gym , grinding , mashing protein , and creatine? (Very new to creatine)


r/workout 2h ago

How to start Need Help finding the right workout routine (YT)

4 Upvotes

Hey There!! I'm 23 F at 6 weeks postpartum. I've watched a lot of PP workout videos but I'm still unsure which one to follow.

So, I'm here looking for any mama's who were successful losing weight PP. What workout routine did you follow? How long did it take you get in your dream shape?

And just for some background info, I had a V Delivery and I'm exclusively BF my baby and I think I can spend about 15-30 minutes for myself. I'm at 75Kg rn and hoping to scale it down to 55-60kg🤞🏻

I'd love to hear all your transformation stories! Thank you in Advance 🫶🏻


r/workout 1h ago

what are your thoughts on the rice bucket training for forearms?

Upvotes

is it effective? or should i just be trying to use real weights.

i will admit the rice makes it a pretty unique exercise


r/workout 17h ago

How often do you go to the gym?

50 Upvotes

As an adult going to the gym consistently, I didn't get this part: how often do I need to work out? Currently, I'm going 3–4 times a week and have a solid routine for each day, but I can't get any noticeable gains in strength or looks.
My question is:
1. How many times do you go to the gym in a week?
2. What do you train each day?
3. How long does it take to see improvements, assuming consistency, sleep, and diet?


r/workout 11h ago

i’ve got the physique i’ve always wanted, what do i do now??

17 Upvotes

i’ve been working out for a solid 5 years now, and i’ve achieved what i regard as my dream physique. so do i just stop going to the gym? i love it tho and it’s one of my only hobbies, but i don’t wanna get any bigger (ik this wont happen overnight but yknow). do i just shift my training to just bodyweight exercises?


r/workout 14h ago

What's your "lazy day" workout.

30 Upvotes

Everyone has those days when you don't want to hit the gym. But you go anyways to keep your consistency and keep the routine going. So do any of you have a lazy workout that you do once in a while?


r/workout 33m ago

I do not know what to do anymore(f 15)

Upvotes

So the summer pass for teens has ended almost a week ago and like day by day I can like feel myself falling deeper like working out was such an escape for me. I am a teen and I am poor as fuck and I try to get a job around me but I am not old enough and I can’t pay for a gym membership. Even if I wanted to I would need a credit card to do so and I can’t until I am 18, I think. I feel like I made some progress already during those three months during summer and I feel like it is all going to waste. I just wanted to build muscle and lose weight. I wish the pass lasted a bit longer tbh and lately I have not been eating healthy like the gym motivated me not to be a fat ass. Anyways sorry for the rant I just needed to get that off my chest because I have no one else to tell that.


r/workout 1h ago

Exercise Help Should I workout my abs with weights or just use bodyweight?

Upvotes

When I workout I don’t know if I should just use weights for the rest of my body and stick to bodyweight exercises for my abs. I’ve heard people say to use body weight because weights can make your waist/abdomen more bulky and I don’t actually want a six pack or anything. I just want it to be toned


r/workout 2h ago

Exercise Help Is this a good workout routine?

2 Upvotes

I’m new to going to the gym and I want to work on my overall entire body strength and endurance. I’m trying to target all muscles the best I can. I’m going to the gym 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and doing stretches everyday to help with mobility and flexibility.

I have many goals but right now I want to work on

1- endurance 2- overall body strength 3- flexibility/mobility 4- core strength

I’m not trying to get thinner, I’m 5 feet tall and 111 pounds, I just want to be a bit more toned, stronger and more enduring.

Here is the workout routine

Lower body: Abductions Adductions Hip thrusts Leg presses (using different feet positions to target different muscles groups) Treadmill and stationary bike to add cardio

Upper body: Lat pulls Chest presses Shoulder presses Assisted chin ups Cable overhead triceps extensions (idk if those are necessary) Russian twist Plank Sit ups/crunches

Stretches: weird leg warmer, hip opener Touch toes while sitting down and standing up Cat/cow Cobra Shoulder rolls Neck rolls Arm rolls (big and small) Holding head to the side thing (both sides)

It’s a work in progress and there are a lot more stretches I want to add to achieve a front and side split, but that’s the basics of what I want to do.

Does this target all the muscles/big muscle groups? How should I split this on the 3 days I go to the gym?


r/workout 7h ago

Im starting to work out but I don’t what’s better calisthenics or weights?

5 Upvotes

So I finally convinced my parents to let me go to the gym and I was wondering what would be best to build muscle and lose fat. And I was wondering if I could incorporate both. Essentially I really don’t know what to do. Please help. Thank you


r/workout 3h ago

leg day

2 Upvotes

I’ve been working out for around 5 months and can full stack the leg extension (240 pounds) but can’t even squat 2 plates, what am i doing wrong?


r/workout 16h ago

Simple Questions Does incline bench press works both upper and mid pecs?

20 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

I've been wondering if the incline bench press alone is enough to work both the upper and mid pecs.

Every time I watch Mike Mentzer's workout videos, I notice that he only has his clients do the incline press and the pec deck, sometimes with dips. I've yet to see him use a flat bench press in his routines.

It's been a bit confusing for me, so any insight would be great. Thanks!


r/workout 11h ago

thoughts on my upper body workout routine ?

8 Upvotes

Hello,

I'm hoping people can give me some advice for my upper body program.

I'm 20 and I used to play tennis at a high level, but now I’ve switched my focus to weight training. My main goal is to build muscle mass, and I’ve been training for 6 months now.

I try to increase either the weights or the number of repetitions each week.

So here's my current program:

 

Day 1 & Day 3:

  • Weighted Dips — 4×8
  • Bench press — 4×8
  • Military dumbbel press — 3x8
  • Deep Pushups — 3×10-12
  • Rope triceps extension — 3×10-12
  • Lateral Raises — 3×12-15
  • Face pull — 3×12-15

 

Day 2 & Day 4:

  • Weighted Pull-ups (Pronated) — 4×8
  • Weighted Pull-ups (Supinated) — 3×8
  • Ring Rows — 4×10-12
  • Low Row machine — 3×8-10
  • Incline dumbbel curls — 3×10-12
  • Hammer curls — 3×10-12
  • Rear delt machine — 3×12-15

 

What are your thoughts?

Thanks for your time!


r/workout 16h ago

When are workouts better?

18 Upvotes

I have tried morning, evenings and even nights a few times. But cant seem to understand the difference and keep asking myself, do people just workout when they have the best time to do it?


r/workout 9h ago

Simple Questions A little doubt regarding crunch kicks

6 Upvotes

Hello, i have started working out recently just wanted to ask While doing crunch kicks, when my knees come near my torso, should they be near each other or I should let them be wide apart ??


r/workout 4h ago

Nutrition Help Any advice appreciated

2 Upvotes

Gonna be getting back to the gym soon as I have been steadily losing weight and would like to put it back on. Open to any tips for workouts and especially for dieting because this shit just ain’t cutting it. Currently I am 6’2 and weigh 135, I would like to put on as much weight as possible and preferably fast


r/workout 33m ago

how do you program your mental to push yourself in the gym?

Upvotes

ive met a lot of people saying they listen to some hard rock music or find something to hype themselves up during the gym

ive also personally noticed that it does matter.

so if it does matter. what would you suggest that might work in regards to that?


r/workout 11h ago

How to start 15M complete beginner, What if i can only go to the gym twice a week and two days in a row

9 Upvotes

For some reasons that's only possible schedule for me, but i would like to my workouts be as optimal as it can be. I don't have any equipment in home


r/workout 14h ago

Rest timers - actually useful or just faff?

13 Upvotes

Been training for years and always just went when I felt ready. Recently started being strict with a timer – 3 mins for squats/deadlifts, maybe 4 if the last set was a real battle. About 90 secs for smaller stuff. Have to admit, my numbers have nudged up and I don't feel as knackered by the end of the session.

But it’s got me overthinking everything. Is everyone else this anal about it, or do you just go when the head-rush stops?

And does this all go out the window on a cut? When I'm deep in a diet I feel like I need five minutes just to remember my own name after a heavy set, never mind three.

The whole 'short rest for growth' thing feels like a myth. Anytime I try 60-second rests on something like rows, my form goes to shit and the weights plummet. Is there any truth to it or is it just bro-science that sounds good?

What do you lot do after a proper grinder of a set? Add an extra minute to the clock, or just swallow your pride and strip some plates off for the next one?

And what's the verdict on supersets? Seems like a good way to be too out of breath to lift anything heavy properly, but maybe I'm missing something.

On a side note, my warm-ups. For my main lift I’ll do a few sets at 40%, 60%, then 80% before my working sets. Am I leaving my best lifts in the warm-up?

My biggest problem is definately remembering to press the start button on the timer half the time. Cheers for any thoughts.


r/workout 8h ago

Exercise Help For all of the reddit doctors 🙏❤️

5 Upvotes

Context : I’ve been training for 3 years now with significant improvements but my body has now came to a halt due to injury.

I have a poor posture and used to sit at the desk a lot. When starting training I would lift heavy and see lots of progress, but now it’s come to my realization I cannot progress with my shoulder blade injury. To explain it further, my shoulder blade/delt pops when I do any movement. When I try to train exercises such as chest my bicep and shoulder is being pulled upon. I’ve tried to figure out different training techniques and exercises to strengthen my shoulder blades but I’ve been in the same loop for 8 months now - grow muscle, injury, lose muscle. I need all of you online doctors to please help me find out how to fix this without me having to spend thousands at PT.


r/workout 9h ago

Simple Questions What to do with shower towel after lifting

6 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I have been going to the gym prior to going to work and being able to come home to shower. However, I am moving and still want to go straight to work from the gym, which will involve showering at the gym. What should I use for towels?? I probably can't have a towel balled up all day without getting moldy and in the winter if I keep my towel in the car it'll freeze. Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations on what I can do?


r/workout 4h ago

Getting these bruise marks in shoulders from calf raise machine, anyway to avoid them in future?

2 Upvotes

r/workout 5h ago

Review my program Trying 3x/wk Full Body Split, feedback appreciated

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’ve been lifting consistently for almost a year with PPL, and I’m testrunning a 3x/week full body split with a rest day in between (2 sets to failure on everything) due to time constraints. I’m trying to make sure I’m balancing intensity (so no one day is too taxing) and frequency (so muscles get hit enough for each week). I’m emphasizing upper body, but also specifically chest/shoulders/forearms due to being weak points. Would appreciate any feedback for those fully familiar with 3x/week full body!

FULL BODY 1: - incline dumbbell bench press - weighted pull ups - chest dip - seated cable row (wide grip) - single arm lateral raise (cable) - rear delt reverse fly - tricep extension (cable) - bayesian curl - leg extensions - standing calf raises - leg raise (parallel bar)

FULL BODY 2: - incline dumbbell bench press - chest supported seated row (machine) - chest fly superset with rear delts (pec deck machine) - dumbbell lateral raises - forearm curl/reverse curl superset(cable) - seated leg curl - deadlift - weighted crunch

FULL BODY 3: - chest press machine - weighted pull ups - cable chest flys - single arm lateral raise (cable) - dumbbell preacher curl - forearm curl/reverse curl superset(cable) - machine shoulder press - tricep push down (cable) - hack squat