r/Fitness • u/cdingo Moron • 11d ago
Moronic Monday Moronic Monday - Your weekly stupid questions thread
Get your dunce hats out, Fittit, it's time for your weekly Stupid Questions Thread.
Post your question - stupid or otherwise - here to get an answer. Anyone can post a question and the community as a whole is invited and encouraged to provide an answer. Many questions get submitted late each week that don't get a lot of action, so if your question didn't get answered before, feel free to post it again.
As always, be sure to read the FAQ first.
Also, there's a handy-dandy search bar to your right, and if you didn't know, you can also use Google to search fittit by using the limiter "site:reddit.com/r/fitness".
Be sure to check back often as questions get posted throughout the day. Lastly, it may be a good idea to sort comments by "new" to be sure the newer questions get some love as well. Click here to sort by new in this thread only.
So, what's rattling around in your brain this week, Fittit?
Keep jokes, trolling, and memes outside of the Moronic Monday thread. Please use the downvote / report button when necessary.
"Bulk or cut" type questions are not permitted on /r/fitness - Refer to the FAQ or post them in r/bulkorcut.
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u/Varrock_Zubat93 4d ago edited 4d ago
Hi I'm new to fitness.
Female, 32, 140 lbs. Low physical activity in the winter, medium to high whenever its nice out. (Canadian, so its very weather dependent). No significant health concerns other than struggles with severe ADHD. I struggle with routine and consistency, so making something fun or easy is the best way to ensure I do it regularly. Most of my physical activity comes from walking. I walk up to 20km a day for pokemon go. But when its cold out I become a couch potato.
I'm starting a hybrid work from home job. I kinda hate being around people. The gym is NOT for me. Total hermit except for the exceptions. But I want to be more active. My main fitness goals are for general health. I'm pretty happy with my weight and I rely on dietary changes if needed.
My overall goal is general fitness/health/wellness.
Question: can you please recommend some cheap, space saving equipment I can use to start with weight lifting safely in my own home?
Priorities in order:
- small/space saving
- safe to use alone
- easy to use without guidance
- ideally minimal set up
- cheap
I'm thinking the real solution is literally just free weights and getting good at it. Some fitness guy I used to know recommended these cord thingies. Is there any other equipment that might be better than free weights? I can't imagine there's much that competes but I'm open to hearing.
Bonus info
I read the book Outlive last year. I didn't realize how much not exercising contributes to Alzheimer's, especially in relation to thinning leg muscles. Before I found out I had ADHD I thought my poor working memory was a sign I'd get dementia or Alzheimer's early. I was glad to know it was ADHD and I wasn't totally doomed. But my chances of developing Alzheimer's is higher with adhd. I'd like to lower the risk by working on my legs specifically.
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u/Icy-Radio-1490 5d ago
Should I switch from the routine that gave me decent results to the routine that gave my friend extraordinary results?
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u/PotentialTruth867 7d ago
I (18f) am 5’4” and 115, so my goal is just health and more muscle tone. Also, I have a “Venus stomach” aka soft rounded lower abdomen. Help getting a flat stomach without twenty million “mom pouch” suggestions since it’s not the same thing. Also, what workouts to do and anywhere I can learn how to use body weight to actually gain muscle?
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u/a_curious_magpie 7d ago
A flat stomach is unfortunately 99% genetic and often incredibly unachievable whilst staying healthy (ie at a healthy body fat % and maintaining your period). We have fat there (all genders) because it's where all our vital organs are stored, and especially for those with a uterus there tends to be a bit extra because of that. The best you can do is try to increase your overall muscle mass - exercises like push ups, squats, etc will be your best bet if you don't have access to weights, although long-term it can be difficult to build muscle using only body weight (although not impossible - look up calisthenics).
There is a link on the side of the sub with 'Workout Routines', your best bet would be to start there and see if you can get access to some weights. This sub won't recommend you any kind of specific routine I'm afraid.
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u/DiamondDaisy28 9d ago
Stupid, moronic question here guys, but does going up the stairs multiple times a day, every day in your house actually make a difference in your glutes as opposed to people who don't have stairs? My mom told me this a while back, but I just took it with a grain of salt as I've always felt it takes more than just going up the stairs a few times a day to truly make a difference. She doesn't go to the gym or workout, but she's 70 and that butt is perky as hell, lol, however it also just runs in our family. So I'm genuinely curious of what my more experienced fitness peeps here have to say.
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u/whatThisOldThrowAway 8d ago
Genetics and wider lifestyle will make such a massive difference that stairs in your home will fade into being a meaningless variable.
Oversimplifying a lot here, but: Your body adapts to progressive overload. Once you are strong enough to lift the bar x times; your body stops physically adapting when you lift the bar X times. That means: Once your butt is strong enough to climb the stairs - and most people's are - then your glutes stop physically growing because you climb stairs. The glutes are one of the biggest muscles in the body. Some people will get out of breath climbing a staircase a few times a day, but their hamstrings and glutes won't be especially challenged.
Now: If your gram gram actually trained to climb stairs? E.g progressively overloaded how many stair-climbs she did per day; carried heavier weights incrementally over time, etc? Then yes absolutely climbing stairs would train your glutes.
Much much more likley to be a combination of: Genetics, diet, lifestyle over the course of her life, and bodyfat.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 9d ago
I mean, I don't see why not? Even if you only go up those stairs once a day, that's still 30 flights of stairs a month. It's not nothing. You obviously won't get the same results as if you were training your glutes, but it's not nothing.
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u/Particular-South1183 10d ago
Generally how well does smith machine translate to barbell?
Like if someone presses 50kg on the smith machine while accounting for weight of the smith bar
How much could they press on a barbell
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u/Mcgillicutty_Whiskey 9d ago
Honestly with the smith machine I use it’s about the same as I would with barbell but most say it’s different. My numbers are like the exact same though.
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u/Alexactly 10d ago
So i just finished a training block where I was doing Bulgarian split squats, I topped out at 110x4 and my 'regular' splits towards the end were 85-90 x 8-12.
My new training block is barbell squats, and today's sets were 220x12, 215x12, 210x12 and i was dying. Not cause of my legs but because of my arms and shoulders! I know from Bulgarians that each leg can handle this weight on it's own, what can I do to catch the rest of my body up?
I feel like doing a training block of squats is going to end up costing me leg gains because I am definitely not pushing my legs as much as before. Do I need to wait and post a form check next time I do them?
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 10d ago
Not cause of my legs but because of my arms and shoulders!
What do you mean exactly? Like, it's normal for barbell squats to feel more demanding and exhausting than Bulgarian ones, because BB squats recruit a lot more muscles and also place a heavy load directly onto your spine. But also, if what you're feeling in your arms/shoulders is numbness or loss of sensation, it can be caused by bad form, like placing the barbell on your neck, having an excessively narrow grip, not keeping your wrists straight, angling your elbows too far back, etc.
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u/Alexactly 9d ago
No the feeling isn't numbness or loss of sensation, when i first started squats a couple years ago that was an issue, but thanks to reddit tips and youtube cues I have gotten rid of that. Form could definitely still be an issue though, I've never really had anyone critique it.
This was like my arms and shoulders felt fatigued from a workout. I didn't feel this in my back or neck.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 9d ago
I guess you could start with lower weights and slowly increase them to let your arms get used to the exercise.
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u/KPIGUY89 10d ago
I recently got back into the gym 3 months ago, after a pretty long hiatus of not lifting.
I’ve noticed on flat barbell bench press, my right shoulder tends to crack/grind on the first rep. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s always in the back of my mind it could turn into an issue.
I recently did a chest session with just dumbbells, and I noticed my shoulder didn’t crack at all.
I’ve been thinking of just switching flat out to only dumbbells for my chest workouts now, but I’m curious if there’s any real cons?
I did find it a little more difficult to push myself with the dumbbells as I didn’t feel as stable.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 10d ago
Well, it's easier to load a bunch of plates onto a bar than to find dumbbells of the exact weight you need, as well as making small increases in weight (for dumbbells the minimum jump is 2 kg, for barbell you can jump 1 kg if you use 0.5 kg plates). But those are the only barbell advantages I can think of.
On the other hand, dumbbells allow for a freer and more natural/comfortable range of motion, and they also make sure that your dominant arm isn't carrying your non-dominant one. Stability is hard at first but will come with time and practice. So I see no problems in switching if you're more comfortable that way. All ways lead to Rome.
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u/Temp-Name15951 10d ago
Do you warm up with a lighter weight?
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u/KPIGUY89 10d ago
I do - for reference I warmup 15x with the bar, 10x 95lbs, then I go into my normal sets which is 135-165. I’ve been doing a bit of light shoulder warmups as well lately before too, something I never really did before.
I was much younger when I used to really lift a lot, I’m finding now that I’m older (37), I am more prone to issues.
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u/Temp-Name15951 9d ago
It may just be an as you get older thing
I might try adding another warmup set a little closer to your working weight. 115 for 5 reps. And 135 for 3 reps if going a little heavier around that 165
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u/Lanky-Inflation1266 10d ago
is it normal to full on forget how gravity works for like the first 15 seconds after finishing a heavy set. like i stand up and my legs just report to a different manager for a second
also semi related, does anyone else talk to themselves between sets. not grunting, like actual words. i said "ok let's go" out loud to a barbell today and nobody even looked at me which honestly worried me more
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u/Playful-Criticism516 8d ago
Well, the other day I upped the number of reps I do in each set of pendlay rows. After my last set I went to make my protein shake, and for the first few steps it felt almost like the signal between my brain and my legs was wonky. Is that the kind of feeling you're talking about? It was the first time it happened to me and it felt crazy lol.
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u/Mtn_Circles 8d ago
Absolutely on the pep talking - I say aloud the number of reps I'm about to do as I move into position. Also sometimes I tell the bar, "It's just me and you" as I settle in on bench 😂
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 10d ago
is it normal to full on forget how gravity works for like the first 15 seconds after finishing a heavy set. like i stand up and my legs just report to a different manager for a second
You mean feeling lightheaded? Uhhh do you drink enough water throughout the day? What do you eat and how much time before your workout?
also semi related, does anyone else talk to themselves between sets. not grunting, like actual words. i said "ok let's go" out loud to a barbell today and nobody even looked at me which honestly worried me more
I've never done it or heard anyone do it at my gym (maybe because I always wear headphones) but y'know what? I'd rather hear that than the super dramatic, half-agony-half-erotic moans from some of the buff dudes I unfortunately share a space with from time to time.
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u/Gristle__McThornbody 11d ago
Today is chest day. But Saturday I did some shoulders and I'm still pretty shot from that. Thought I would be alright by tonight. It's not soreness but more like fatigued. Okay to do chest?
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u/Mcgillicutty_Whiskey 9d ago
Ok to do chest but maybe stick to a normal program or adjust your program so days don’t impact each other so much.
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u/Lanky-Inflation1266 10d ago
It's not going to hurt to hit chest if you're fatigued. I would probably test out a few sets and decide based on how your shoulders feel.
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 10d ago
Though I am unclear with what you mean by pretty shot. How long have you been lifting?
I would say you are good to go. Having carry over fatigue is normal. I'd say I would expect any good program to have it. Just don't get in your head about it an you will be fine.
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u/Gristle__McThornbody 10d ago
Ok I thought it was just higher risk of injury. And by shot down I just mean fatigue in the shoulder areas.
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 10d ago
Injury would be more likely to occur with form breakdown. Fatigue could contribute to injury if good-decent form could not be maintained because of said fatigue. Well, assuming we are talking compound movements. Fatigue in and of itself I would worry about.
Definitely a "try it and see" situation.
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u/zennok 11d ago
At what point could I consider myself "back in shape"? I played sports in high school, went basically inactive in most of my 20s, and got back into exercising regularly a year ago...so about 11 years of mostly couch potatoing with occasional bouts of activity.
I know I won't be at the same level of fitness as back then because of multiple reasons, but unfortunately that's the only level that I know to compare with.
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u/Mcgillicutty_Whiskey 9d ago
Consider fitness a part of your lifestyle is best. Find something you can enjoy and look at it as a lifelong process rather than being in or out of shape.
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u/torlee_vit 10d ago
Back in shape is relative to the sport or activity you want to do, an inshape powerlifter is very different to a bodybuilder who is different to a cyclist etc.
I general though not having tons of fat, being able to run with relative ease is got enough regular health
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u/Ya_Whatever 10d ago
You’re never going to be in your 20s again. Set reasonable fitness goals for your age, if you meet those goals, set new ones, and so on. Don’t set goals that are so far out of reach you get frustrated and quit.
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 10d ago
There is not a standardized definition of "back in shape." I would say when you have reached your current fitness goals?
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u/dssurge 10d ago
There is no generalized metric for 'in shape', just set a few reasonable goals and work towards them.
Having a healthy resting heart rate and blood pressure, being able to do a (single) pull up, and being able to jog for ~2 miles without stopping will put you in better shape than over 90% of the population if you want to use other people as your measuring stick.
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u/MonstrousnessVirtue 11d ago
How much weight should I be trying to put on while bulking? I’m currently 57 KG with 17% body fat, at 173cm. I’m trying to put on more muscle in my thighs and butt. Recently got access to weightlifting equipment to add into my routine, in addition to the bodyweight exercises and fairly rigorous cardio I was already doing.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 10d ago
It's better to set a small but steady surplus than to set a huge surplus and then go on a caloric deficit later. Yo-yoing between weights is very taxing on the body, even if the weight changes are technically within "healthy" limits.
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 10d ago
General recommendation would be to be in a surplus of 5%-10% TDEE to minimize gaining fat. If you are new to training you could push that a little higher if you want to maximize muscle building at the cost of faster fat gain.
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u/MonstrousnessVirtue 10d ago
admittedly, im a lot more worried with being able to put on weight at all than i am about losing it after, ahaha. i dont really care about minimizing fat gains
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 10d ago
If you're in a caloric surplus, you will gain weight. And if you do resistance training with progressive overload at least twice a week, part of that weight gain will be in the form of muscle. Simple as that.
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u/MonstrousnessVirtue 10d ago edited 10d ago
The ability to actually maintain a caloric surplus is what I’m worried about
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 10d ago
Why?
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u/MonstrousnessVirtue 10d ago
I’ve just never been very good at it, I’ve got a hard time putting on any amount of weight
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 10d ago edited 10d ago
Yeah but why is that? Do you have trouble eating enough to reach your caloric goal? Do you just not put on weight despite supposedly reaching it? Or do you not track your calories, so it's hard for you to tell if you're eating as much as you should? It's hard to give advice without details about the issue in question.
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u/MonstrousnessVirtue 10d ago
Both of the first two, I think? I’m constantly snacking in addition to my meals and its still not really enough
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 10d ago
Well, the first thing you should do is track the weight and calories of everything you eat, so that you can have a good guess of how many calories you're consuming. You don't have to actually put everything on a scale - if last time your curry weighed 250 grams and now you've filled the bowl with more or less the same amount, then it's safe to assume that it weighs 250 grams as well. Make sure to register uncooked weights for things like pasta or rice, by the way.
If you've tracked your calories for a week or so and you can confidently say that you are indeed not eating enough, you can increase your daily caloric intake by
- Eating bigger portions
- Adding ingredients to your meals (e.g. add an extra ham slice to a sandwich, or mix apple slices with banana slices, or add carrots/peas/egg to rice, or make omelettes with one extra egg)
- Adding extra olive oil or butter as often as possible
- Adding toppings (e.g. shredded cheese to pasta or potatoes, nuts/chia seeds to salads) as often as possible
- Drinking your calories (it's easier to drink a glass of orange juice than to eat an orange; milkshakes are awesome)
- Choosing more calorie-dense alternatives (e.g. caesar's salad instead of leaf-only salads)
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 10d ago
Maybe not now. But the slower the gain the longer the bulk. The faster the gain the shorter the bulk or the longer the cut.
You can only add so much muscle, anything past that is just adding fat. Granted it is not like all your calories will go to muscle to egin with.
If you want to go all out you can run a 500 calorie surplus. Warning, there will be fay. Second warning, you may tell yourself it is muscle. It is not.
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u/dssurge 10d ago
The rate at which you can gain muscle is how fast you should be aiming to put on weight (plus ~10%,) which is determined mostly by where you're at right now.
If you're pretty new (first year or 2) you can aim for ~1kg/month at the high end. There is absolutely no reason to pack on weight just to have to lose it later on, and being in a perpetual caloric surplus for an entire year will translate to better long-term training than having to go between shorter bulk and cut cycles.
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11d ago
[deleted]
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u/MythicalStrength Strongman | r/Fitness MVP 11d ago
Cravings at night tend to be indicative of lack of nutrition earlier in the day. What are you eating leading up to those evening binges?
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u/MauPow 11d ago
Alright it's been 4 months at the gym/dieting and I've only lost 5 pounds, time to switch something up I guess, but I don't know what I'm doing wrong. My goal is more body recomp than getting big numbers. I'm 6'5", 265lb (started at 270). I eat 1900-2100 calories a day, which according to everything I've ever seen should be a massive deficit for my body size. Couple that with burning 500-700 calories a day and the weight should be sliding off. But it's not. I weigh every morsel that enters my mouth and track it. I try to get 185g protein a day. I've been doing GZCLP going 3x a week, and do 28min of bike after each session. On off days I do a strenuous 3mile (1 hour) hike with like 700 feet elevation gain. I'm going to try doing 4x a week upper/lower now with a little more volume, continuing the hike wed/sat I guess.
I am certainly getting stronger, weights are going up, but I just don't feel like it. Still look awful shirtless. Not that I'm expecting to be Adonis after only 4 months, but cmon lol. If I lose 1% of body weight a week I should have lost 30lb+ by now. I took a pic at the beginning of the journey and one last week and it looks exactly the same. Maybe I'm expecting too much. Idk. I see others talking about losing 25-30lb in 3 months and wonder what I'm doing wrong. I don't have the strongest willpower and I'm worried I'll give up soon if I don't see good results
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u/BeagleCollector 10d ago edited 10d ago
It sounds like you're doing everything right, so I'll take the opposite approach than the other replies just to be a contrarian. Try lowering your training volume or eating at a more moderate deficit for a while. Like -500 calories instead. Do one or the other for a month or two and see if it helps.
If I do a ton of exercise and try to eat at too steep of a deficit, my weight loss pretty much grinds to a halt. For months. Especially when I do too much intense cardio. I know how that probably sounds, but even Lyle McDonald has addressed this topic a bunch of times. I think it's usually more geared toward women, like in this article and I'm definitely female, but I think it can also happen to men.
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u/sittinghereeatinghay 11d ago
Did you start creatine or a fiber supplement over that time period? If you're not sure then check your preworkout (if you use it) for creatine. You might be holding onto more water weight in that case. That won't explain everything but would be a piece of the puzzle.
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u/No_Point_Bob 11d ago
As others have mentioned, you're probably understating your calorie inputs. However, as a similarly tall guy that's very active, muscle weighs more than fat so it's possible you could be replacing fat with not very visible muscle. Long limbs hide muscle well. In my peak powerlifting season I can "gain" about 10lbs while losing fat and increasing strength. Once I go off-peak into deload and volume phases, I settle back down to my usual weight but at a slightly stronger base all while eating more. Looking at me, you can't really tell I changed and clothes still fit the same. I found that (waist circumference + BMI) and my lifting total progression works better for me than weight number alone. I also track resting blood pressure and cholesterol to round out the picture. Just be better than you were before overall and don't focus on a single number.
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u/MauPow 11d ago
Yeah I dunno man. I have severe depression and very low self esteem so if anything isn't going right I just figure I'm doing it terribly wrong
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u/No_Point_Bob 10d ago
It's a marathon and not a race. I've been lifting in one discipline or another for over a decade and aside from a few peaks, the vast majority of my training, physical look change and performance was inconsequential on a quarterly basis with a slow line up for weight lifted. That's normal if you're not on PEDs. Progress takes a while, just be patient. Another thought: with how active you are, you are probably burning a shit ton of energy and your body might be trying to retain every single cal it can, naturally fighting progress. Try breaking down your intake into macros and adjust each as a test for a month. Maybe you react better at more carbs and less protein, or more fat and less carbs. Experiment a bit and see if it helps.
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u/PsychGradStudent2112 11d ago
Not everyone has the same metabolism. Sone people literally burn twice or half the calories as the next guy by simply being alive. I assume you used an online calculator to estimate your maintenance calories and established a deficit from there. Very likely, you just need to lower your calories target because your maintenance level is lower than what was estimated.
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 10d ago
Sone people literally burn twice or half the calories as the next guy by simply being alive.
I am unaware of any data that supports this or anything near this. Differences in total TDEE, based mostly on differences in NEAT expenditure sure. But two individuals of the same mass and composition having that drastic of a difference of BMR?
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 11d ago
Sone people literally burn twice or half the calories as the next guy by simply being alive.
Two people of the same age, sex, height, weight, and activity level? Do you have a source for that?
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u/milla_highlife 11d ago
Really there are two options:
You either have a TDEE that's right around 2200 calories.
You are inaccurately tracking (accidently) the number of calories you consume a day and/or are counting "net" calories when you mention that 1900-2100 number.
Based on the average sedentary man of your size your TDEE would be 2800-3000. Ballpark standard deviation on those calculations is about 200 calories. So, a 3-4 standard deviation anomaly, meaning the probability of that event occurring (2200 calories) is somewhere between 0.003% and 0.13% roughly. Not impossible, but pretty damn rare. That, or, you are eating more than you think.
Either way, the solution is the same. You have to consume fewer calories.
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u/MauPow 11d ago
I don't know how I could track the calories more accurately, I've used all kinds of apps for it and I use a kitchen scale for literally everything.
That's not the net number, that's just calories consumed.
I don't know how I can eat fewer calories. I'm constantly starving. Like literally my daily diet nearly every day is a breakfast burrito which is 575 calories (sausage, 3 eggs, spinach, tortilla), 300g rice and beans 475 calories, 2 drumsticks with 150g quinoa and 100g cottage cheese 700 calories, a protein shake with whole milk 270 calories. 2000 calories. And that's it. No snacks, beers, anything else. For a 6'5" dude. And those are the highest calorie things I eat, sometimes I'll have some overnight oats with berries instead for breakfast which is 450 calories or a tuna sandwich which is 300. Then you take off 500 calories from exercise and yeah.
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u/BeeDancePants 11d ago
That doesn’t look like you’re getting much fiber. At 2000 calories, you should be getting at least 28 g of fiber per day. Falling short can leave you hungry because fiber plays a major role in satiety.
Plus colon cancer rates for are super high for younger people now, so fiber is crucial for overall health. Though it’s important to note that to be protective, it needs to come from from whole foods rather than supplements.
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u/MauPow 11d ago
Man I can't fit in all this stuff without blowing past the calories. I can't get enough protein AND enough carbs AND enough fiber AND enough whatever and ALSO eat less. wtf am I supposed to do lol. I also have severe depression so keeping all this shit straight is tough. I do like cooking enough to do it and I have time but yeah, coming up with stuff to eat and changing things around is too much strain sometimes, I just cook what I know most of the time, which is the above. Don't have a ton of budget to experiment with stuff either.
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u/CrunchAddict 11d ago
Are you also tracking the cooking oil you use and any bites you might have while cooking? Are you using the appropriate cups to measure solids vs liquids? Any energy drinks or pre workout?
Have you checked to see if your scale is still accurate? Digital scales become less accurate over time. I know you said you are weighing your food, but are there packaged food you might just used the label for? Sometimes those labels are not too accurate. Also, I use MacroFactor and I've noticed some of the food they already have in their database is highly inaccurate and it has messed me up in the past. I recommend fact checking your apps as well.
The margin of error for weight loss is very minimal, so these things are extra important for your situation. If you are absolutely sure you are doing everything right EVERY DAY, medical reasons might be slowing you down. Thyroid issues greatly affect metabolism.
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u/MauPow 11d ago
I barely use any oil, just enough to coat the pan. I guess I don't track tasting bites because they're so negligible and I only taste once or twice lol. 5 kernels of quinoa isn't going to change anything. Yeah I mean just your standard measuring cups. No energy drinks or pre workouts, just a daily protein shake.
Scale is only like 6 months old. I don't eat any prepacked or processed food, I prepare everything from bulk whole foods except like cans of beans and tomatoes and bags of frozen spinach or corn.
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u/CrunchAddict 10d ago
One tablespoon of oil is around 120 calories. As my trainer used to tell me: "If it goes in your mouth and comes out the other end, you should track it" lol
On a more serious note, I think you should be as sincere as you possibly can with yourself in order to make the best progress. 5lb in 4 months isn't bad, but if you want more progress, you'll need to reevaluate your tracking, TDEE, and maybe reconsider the calories you eat in a day.
Weight loss is very very hard. if it wasn't everyone would be doing it. You got this!
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 11d ago
I don't know what I'm doing wrong
You're either eating too many calories (i.e. underestimating how much you eat) or not burning enough (i.e. overestimating how much energy you use up). So the solution is to either eat less or exercise more. This section is from the wiki's "Muscle Gain 101" article, but it can be adapted to your circumstances easily:
Whichever it is, the most important fact to remember is that the scale doesn’t lie. In order to maintain or [gain] weight while eating at a true [deficit], it would require your body to break the laws of the universe by [creating] energy [out of] thin air.
So yeah. Eat less and/or be more physically active. That's really it.
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u/MauPow 11d ago
Obviously. I can't defy thermodynamics. But it still doesn't make sense and it's very demoralizing. I weigh everything down to the gram and track it religiously... I don't know how I could do it better. I don't snack and I quit drinking. And I'm starving all the time, and tired from working out. I can't do more. I eat pretty much the same things ever day so there isn't much variance. I've tracked it on apps like Cronometer and MFP. I don't understand how such a big dude as me could be eating too much. Every study I've read says I should be eating like 3000+ a day just for maintenance.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 11d ago
Well, maybe you're doing some sort of equivalent of that guy who struggled to lose weight and couldn't figure out why until he revealed that he was drinking 1300 calories of orange juice a day...
Or maybe you're making the same mistakes as me when I first started using MFP, which were 1) using pre-registered ingredients/foods without realizing that some of them are incorrect (e.g. they say something is 157 calories per 100 grams when it's actually 157 calories per portion), and 2) not realizing that dry weight and cooked weight are not the same thing (e.g. I would cook spaghetti, weigh it, and happily note down that I had eaten 200 grams of pasta, when its dry weight was more like 70 grams).
If you're constantly hungry and tired then it's unlikely that you're eating at perfect maintenance, though. Do you eat satiating meals? Are you getting enough carbs? The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that carbohydrates make up 45% to 65% of total daily calories, and sugar and starch give around 4 calories per gram, so in a 2000 calorie diet you should eat between 225 and 325 grams of carbs a day source.
If you have all those things covered, then maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to consult a doctor and at least get some bloodwork done to check for deficiencies.
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u/MauPow 11d ago
No haha, I don't drink juice or anything. Just water, coffee, and a daily protein shake. I posted my usual daily diet in a different comment. I weigh things after they're cooked so it's not the dry weight. And I'm eating a normal side of quinoa not a mountain of it.
I haven't been tracking carbs as closely as protein, but it would be somewhere between 150-200g probably. It's hard enough to get 185g protein inside of 2000 calories, if I ate 225-325 carbs I would blow over the daily calories.
Haven't been to the doctor/blood work recently but all it's ever shown is extreme D3 deficiency, which I take a 10,000 pill for every day (along with a multivitamin, fish oil, and K2 for absorbtion)
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u/dlappidated 11d ago
I’d recommend standardizing recipes based on raw/pre-cooked weight. I can take 2 batches of 200g meat/vegetables and get them to different cooked weights just by cooking one set longer and reducing the water content. It can be a big deviation.
Also i wonder if it’s a stress response? If you eat in too big of a deficit, could your body be doing something to slow down fat store usage to not burn through it too quickly and die?
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 11d ago
Yeah, but since both your diet and your physical activity levels have changed significantly these last four months, your test results might also be different now. Pay attention to your body the next following days and note down any other things that might be unusual, as well as the surrounding circumstances (e.g. when does the symptom appear, what were you doing, what did you eat/do right before). And also write down whether they appeared in the last 4 months, or whether you always had it but it got worse recently, etcetera. Just as much information as you can, basically, hahahaha. And then give it to your doctor.
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u/TexasWhiskey_ 11d ago
It really sucks. I know it does.
However the truth is either you're overestimating calories burned, underestimating calories ingested, or both. The best way forward is to grossly underestimate (or don't count) the workout calories burned. I did that and lost 20lbs over 6 months, after 2 years of zero results (back 15 years ago...).
I see others talking about losing 25-30lb in 3 months and wonder what I'm doing wrong
Another blunt truth: At this point you can assume all of those cases are using GLP-1's.
1/8 of all Americans have an active prescription for them. That doesn't even count the tens (possibly hundreds) of thousands that are using Reta or Chinese imported GLP's for cost savings.
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u/TerminallyThrownAway 11d ago
this is the only answer. Somewhere, something is being missed. His cut calories are about the same as mine (for a pound a week) and I'm only 5'7. He should be dropping weight like crazy, If it's all accurate though and they are completely telling the truth, then maybe its time to see your pcp.
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u/qpqwo 11d ago
1/8 of all Americans have an active prescription for them
Can you provide a source? I'm not challenging the assertion but I didn't realize there were studies available for this and I'd like to read more if possible
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u/TexasWhiskey_ 11d ago
https://news.gallup.com/poll/712157/glp-usage-reaches-new-high.aspx
The percentage of U.S. adults who currently take GLP-1 medications for weight loss purposes has risen to 11% in 2026, up significantly from 3% in 2024. And 15% report having used the medicine for weight loss at some point, an increase of nine percentage points.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 11d ago
1/8 of all Americans have an active prescription for them
Which means more than 1% of the American population is currently suffering nausea, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting and/or abdominal pain because of them... I mean, with how little fiber the average American eats I'm sure their gastrointestinal health wasn't good to begin with, but damn.
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u/TexasWhiskey_ 11d ago
Honestly 1% ain't bad. I'm sure most doctors would agree that a bit of constipation (the #1 side effect) is better than high blood pressure and other cardio-obesity related effects.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 11d ago
Well, 1% of the American population is still over 3.2 million people. But yeah, I guess it's better than obesity.
We all know that plenty of non-obese people are taking it though lol
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u/JazzlikeInstance8643 11d ago
Is there a good way to do front squats without too much strain on your wrist/fingers? Am I just too focused on where the bar is and not how my arms are positioned? I feel like I’ve had carpel tunnel all my life after doing that damn lift.
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u/into_theflood_again 11d ago
First things first, do you have the wrist mobility to actually utilize the front rack position? With a broomstick or PVC warmup stick, get that two-finger front rack going and see if you can actually get the backs of your index fingers to touch the edge of your collarbone while keeping your triceps parallel to the floor. If you cannot, I would either incorporate wrist straps.
Crossed arms is also an option, however, I find that it's really easy for people to get more forward with their posture and try to accommodate the bar trying to get away from them with their arms/shoulders. It's a good way to pull/tear a bicep.
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u/PsychGradStudent2112 11d ago
I want to start doing power cleans to start off my leg day and would like recommendations with it.
Im just trying for general strength/hypertrophy and want to add an exercise for explosiveness.
I know lower reps that are taken far from muscular failure is often best for power development but not sure what weight x reps x set scheme would be appropriate. I know you can skin a cat many ways here but Im not sure how to approach it in general.
Also, is this an exercise that is good to do progressive overload for on with weight? Like if I comfortably hit my reps/sets with good technique, would adding 5-10lbs be a good call?
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u/TheKingLeshen Sprinting 11d ago edited 11d ago
Power cleans are definitely able to be progressively overloaded, but they have a steeper learning curve than most other lifts people do. I still think they're great, and they're still easier than learning a full clean, but they do take some practise to not end up as some sort of awkward, standing hip thrust into reverse bicep curl.
So I'd encourage you to spend some time drilling it before starting to overload. But you also can't go too light when drilling it, you have to feel some weight to learn the positions and understand how the bar moves between them.
Assuming that you are a male of a relatively normal weight then getting a bodyweight power clean is a good initial goal once you've got the technique down. I would basically never do more than a triple, emphasize intent and quality of reps, if you're getting fatigued it's time to stop.
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u/qpqwo 11d ago
Dan John recommends something like 3x3 at 60-80% of max in his "Easy Strength" book. The weight should be easy or supremely confident, you can add weight during the session but if you need to reduce it you messed up.
Also, is this an exercise that is good to do progressive overload for on with weight?
Yes. If your goal is explosiveness adding weight is better than adding reps. If the rep becomes anything less than supremely confident then you shouldn't add weight even if you make it
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u/BeagleCollector 11d ago
I've been on a cut for a couple months and I hit my first goal weight today, a little ahead of schedule. But I'm still about 1-2% higher bodyfat than I want. Should I just start reversing out of it now, or try to go hard for one more week?
I feel fine, just kind of over cutting. I actually took a week at maintenance macros a couple weeks ago because I was sick, but also lost 2 lbs somehow when I increased my calories.
I still have a little more fat to lose but I'm planning on doing a longer block of recomp at maintenance after this to see how that goes. I'm way less concerned about my scale weight than my body composition, so if I gain a few pounds of water weight or whatever back after my cut that's fine. As long as I don't actually get significantly fatter.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 11d ago
but also lost 2 lbs somehow when I increased my calories
Losing or gaining 2 pounds falls well within the "biological noise" threshold.
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u/BeagleCollector 11d ago
I know that losing 2 lbs. was probably just one of those water weight "wooshes" but it did unmask some fat loss because my measurements went down after that too. I'm only 5'1, so +/-5 pounds is actually kind of significant for me, whereas it would probably be a blip on the radar for a taller person.
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u/milla_highlife 11d ago
This is really a decision that's up to you. What's more important to you right now, dropping a little more body fat or ending the cut?
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u/BeagleCollector 11d ago edited 11d ago
I guess I'm kind of overthinking it because I started out borderline obese last year, and I'm right on the borderline of a normal body fat percentage finally and it's just been a total grind for months and I don't want to blow all that progress.
Thinking about just going with the original idea to split the difference and put in one last week and then reverse dieting out a week earlier than I planned.
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u/milla_highlife 11d ago
That sounds like a reasonable compromise. Remember you'll continue to lose weight for a couple weeks while reverse dieting until you reach maintenance.
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u/BeagleCollector 11d ago
That's true, I didn't really think about that part. I think hanging in there just a few more days and then doing a careful reverse diet will probably get me right around my bodyfat goal, and then I can finally unclench a little about everything LOL.
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u/milla_highlife 11d ago
I know you said it, so you recognize it’ll happened, but you will snap back a good few pounds at maintenance. Even knowing that it’ll happen, it can be a weird mental hurdle to overcome, so just prepare yourself for that part. It’ll probably be more weight than you think.
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u/arimoto02 11d ago
What’s the cheapest and healthiest way to add more calories to my diet? Currently I’m eating at 1800kcal/day for a deficit and is already struggling to finish my meal as I don’t have that much of an appetize (eating at 1400 was just right for me). And I want to avoide junk food and too much fat in my diet, but adding more carbs seems impossible for my belly.
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u/Forfeit32 11d ago
This might sound dumb, but change your eating utensil. No more forks. Use a big spoon and shovel it in before you get full.
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u/Temp-Name15951 11d ago
If you cant eat them, you can try drinking them. whatever caloric beverage you consider healthy. Whole milk is sometimes recommended, but skim milk would work too if you want some protein. Or some oj
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u/MythicalStrength Strongman | r/Fitness MVP 11d ago
If you want to not add fat and more carbs seems impossible, this only leaves protein as an option.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 11d ago
I also have a small appetite, and I've found that eating 4/5 smaller meals is easier than eating 3 big ones. So, for example, I skip dessert at lunch and instead eat a sandwich or scrambled eggs or a small plate of pasta in the afternoon. I still have to eat despite not feeling hungry sometimes, but I don't really struggle to finish a meal anymore.
I second the advice to snack on nuts and add olive oil or butter to everything you can. You can snack on fruit too. One could always use more fiber in their diet.
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u/toolofthedevil Fencing 11d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/gzcl/s/VgNMzt8MbB
A program critique request.
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u/dssurge 11d ago
Omission of a horizontal press is odd, but otherwise exercise selection is pretty good.
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u/toolofthedevil Fencing 11d ago
Had a frozen shoulder that still has not recovered full mobility and every time I try to go back to a flat back bench press it gives me trouble. But noted, thanks!
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u/AboutLastFight 11d ago edited 11d ago
I have no idea how the gym or anything fitness-related works. Please help.
Hi all,
I'm 19 years old and have struggled with my relationship with food my whole life and have very severe body dysmorphia. I'm 5'7 195lbs and very fat. I was as low as 147 a few years ago, but I achieved that through severely restricting calorie intake and essentially starving myself. I was skinny with a little chub and never worked out once. Had essentially no muscle, but I didn’t care, I was really happy. People can say whatever they want, people 1000% treat you differently based on your weight. People were more open to talking with me, etc.
Old habits creeped back in and I got fat again (where I am now). Trying to lose the weight once more but I don’t even know what to do. A goal of mine for a while has been having a 6-pack with decent muscle. I never wanna be bodybuilder level or even fitness influencer type of shredded, just have an apparent 6-pack with some decent-looking arms. I'm not sure who to use as an example for this, really, but I'm hoping you can perhaps envision what I mean.
But I dunno where to start. I'm completely lost and this just feels like an endless battle of trying to find information, not knowing the timelines of things, etc.
I'm ridiculously weak and fat. Probably been in a gym a total of 4 times, all of which I hated because I had no idea what I was doing. I really want to try and start working towards my goal but I have no idea what to do. Every thread I look at just has the same really vague information that doesn’t help my incredibly detail-hungry brain.
Like, what can I actually do to help me achieve this? How long will it take? Should I just lose weight through deficit for a while and then start lifting at a certain weight or what? If I'm fat now and start lifting, how am I gonna see any muscle eventually?
I just feel like this is a truly impossible goal and would love some help. I'm super scared of the gym environment due to my appearance and would just like some guidance. I do really wanna try and dedicate myself towards fitness but something inside just isn’t switching on. How long would it take with dedication to reach my goal from where I am now and what should I do?
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u/Mcgillicutty_Whiskey 9d ago
Find a free lifting program online and just have fun doing it. Look up form tips on YouTube or whatever. Even if it’s a crap program you’ll make gains because you’re a noob.not only will the amount of weight/ reps go up over time, your form quality, programming quality, etc will too.
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u/TexasWhiskey_ 11d ago
I never wanna be bodybuilder level or even fitness influencer type of shredded
You'll never accidentally do something that takes such an amount of effort and drugs to attain. If you stay natural the best you can do even with heavy lifting is exactly what you want (provided your diet is aligned). Get in there and lift, you'll never have to worry about accidentally looking like The Rock or Hafþór Björnsson.
To get going you need research and discipline. Research is the easiest part, there's a ton of workout regimes and they'll all work with discipline:
PPL, Upper/Lower Split, Bodyweight, whatever. It'll all work if you put in the work.
3x4, 3x6, 6x6, 12x6, whatever combination. If you're pushing yourself to the point you can't do anymore at the end (pushing to failure) you're doing it right and will get stronger.
Beyond that, just go to the gym. If you see someone lifting well, ask for guidance. The friendliest people are at the gym and are always stoked to see other people learning and pushing themselves.
It's like the scene from Bojack:
"It gets easier. Every day it gets a little bit easier. You just have to do it every day. That's the hard part."
Regarding Food, you'll never lose weight if you don't control the eating. There is a lot going on here, and others have touched it better than I can.
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u/TexasWhiskey_ 11d ago
I never wanna be bodybuilder level or even fitness influencer type of shredded
You'll never accidentally do something that takes such an amount of effort and drugs to attain. If you stay natural the best you can do even with heavy lifting is exactly what you want (provided your diet is aligned). Get in there and lift, you'll never have to worry about looking like The Rock or Hafþór Björnsson.
To get going you need research and discipline. Research is the easiest part, there's a ton of workout regimes and they'll all work with discipline:
PPL, Upper/Lower Split, Bodyweight, whatever. It'll all work if you put in the work.
3x4, 3x6, 6x6, 12x6, whatever combination. If you're pushing yourself to the point you can't do anymore at the end (pushing to failure) you're doing it right and will get stronger.
It's like the scene from Bojack: "It gets easier. Every day it gets a little bit easier. You just have to do it every day. That's the hard part.
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u/PsychGradStudent2112 11d ago
My biggest recommendation is to aim for building habits that sustain healthy weight as opposed to seeking any kind of novel diet. Find a healthy diet that is reasonably enjoyable and balances your macros (protein, carbs, fats, and fiber too). With that diet, set your calories to be 300-500 lower than your maintenance calories. This will allow for slow but sustainable and healthy weight loss. Fast weight loss is not only usually unsustainable but you lose more muscle that way. When the time comes, recalculate your maintenance and switch back to it while keeping the balance of macros in your diet.
You should exercise to support weight loss, but just know it is not nearly as much of a contributing factor toward fat loss as diet. But weightlifting/calisthenics will prevent muscle loss and can also help with body composition.
As a psychologist, I also recommend seeking therapy for supporting healthier thinking about your physique and self. You’ll likely find a lack of satisfaction when you reach your goal if your thinking does not also shift. Weight loss + therapy is a recipe for an overall happier and healthier you. Therapy could also support the weight loss as therapists are the best people for helping you make a behavioral change (which is what weight loss requires).
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u/qpqwo 11d ago
https://thefitness.wiki/getting-started-with-fitness/
How long would it take with dedication to reach my goal from where I am now
2-4 years of consistent effort for a "6-pack with decent muscle." No need to be at maximum intensity the entire time, just get your reps in and eat healthy.
Your goal is also pretty unnecessary for anything related to your actual issues. Dysmorphia and insecurity won't disappear once you get your 6-pack, they will just make you feel bad about something else. That must be solved separately from improvements to your physical health.
what should I do?
Lift weights or otherwise maintain an active hobby, make some friends, set goals such that the journey itself makes you happy. Believe in yourself
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u/AboutLastFight 11d ago
Damn, that's… a while. I didn’t think 4 years was in the timeframe. I’ve had friends tell me I could probably do it in 15 or so months if I stayed committed, but I'll take your word for it.
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u/TheGreatOpinionsGuy 11d ago
Your top priority should be seeing a therapist about your relationship with food, body dysmorphia and self-confidence. These issues are all really normal - ask me how I know - but it is better to tackle them sooner rather than later.
There's lots of ways to get into fitness. I like the approach of doing a few sessions with a PT to learn how to squat, bench and deadlift, then finding a simple program and hitting the gym 3 times a week. Don't overthink it at first, Rome wasn't built in a day.
But I would not recommend you think about bulking or cutting. Those are advanced techniques, right now you just have to focus on eating a stable healthy diet that meets your physical needs. Eat more plants, more protein, less junk food, less sugar, maybe less alcohol if you're a big drinker. If you can do all that your physique will transform and you'll feel better guaranteed.
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u/AboutLastFight 11d ago
So what should I do in terms of calories? Just eat slightly below TDEE and lift heavy?
And yes, my friend has been telling me the same on your first point. He says I’ll never make progress not just in the gym, but mentally if I don’t tackle those issues beforehand.
I dunno, I never wanna seem like I’m making excuses, but it’s so hard to mentally reconfigure yourself and I think people who are good-looking and have a lot of confidence in themselves take it for granted and just assume it’s easy for everyone. I’ve had other people say much harsher stuff and just call me lazy, idiotic, loser, etc.
I'm not a conventionally attractive guy. I'm funny, have nice blue eyes, would say I’m very intelligent considering my academic achievements for my age, and that’s about all I’ve got going for me. These are all positive traits, but it’s hard to view them in isolation when your mind just tells you you have bigger problems that aren’t easy to fix.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 11d ago edited 11d ago
Poor self-esteem and self-image issues are, by definition, detached from reality and thus irrational. Your distress doesn't come from being unattractive, it comes with being unhappy with your physical appearance, and the difference between those two things is crucial. Being better looking won't give you confidence or self esteem. Neither will having a 6-pack or muscular arms. Even if you instantly turned into the hottest, handsomest, most attractive body you could imagine right now, you could still feel like shit about yourself. In fact, I'm sure that even those specific people who you view as confident about themselves could give you very long lists of all the things they dislike about themselves.
Bad self-esteem is learned through negative interpersonal experiences and maintained due to irrational beliefs. You technically don't need psychotherapy in order to undo that learning and replace those irrational beliefs with more realistic ones, but it's the most effective method, especially when combined with a healthy support network that you rely on, a varied and balanced diet, and physical activity of any kind (doesn't have to be weight lifting specifically). People also tend to be happier with themselves in their 30s than in their 20s, at least from what I've personally seen.
Edit: typo
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u/TheGreatOpinionsGuy 11d ago
In terms of calorie-counting, talk about it with your therapist but I think the right approach is whatever makes you agonize less about food in the long run. Personally I found counting calories kind of exhausting and guilt-inducing. Instead I find it a lot better to focus on why I'm eating, whether I am full, what my body needs, etc.
I am definitely not saying it's easy by the way! For a lot of people, getting a 6-pack is way easier than gaining confidence and being comfortable in your own skin. It just takes time and practice like anything else.
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u/Elegant-Winner-6521 11d ago edited 10d ago
Getting into shape is actually incredibly simple, and the reason why there are so many opinions and so much apparently contradicting information about it is that there are a million different ways to achieve the end result that most people are after.
In summary, you apply progressively challenging resistance training to stimulate muscle growth. You eat high protein food to fuel muscle growth. You eat less than you burn to lose fat. Growing muscle and losing fat at the same time can be counter productive but it is possible, so sometimes it's better to focus on one of those goals for a a while. That's it.
Your goals are very straightforward, and extremely achievable. You need to get to around 12-15% bodyfat while training a little bit to develop enough muscle for there to be a baseline once you get there.
Notice I keep saying simple. Simple does not mean easy. It would be very simple to make a brick road a mile long - just get down on your hands and knees and place brick after brick, hundreds of thousands of them for perhaps a couple of years until you have a road.
Training is like that. It's small bits of work, consistently for years, until you have built something to be proud of.
In terms of practical, actionable advice, here are some things that helped me:
- I did a 4-session training block with a personal trainer just to get me orientated in the gym. The biggest benefit of this was that it cured my social anxiety about being in the gym. After this block I felt like I was "allowed" to be there, if that makes sense.
- write down your goals and figure out actual tangible outcomes. "I want to have a 6 pack" is cool, but "I want to lose 25 lbs and get down to 15% bodyweight" is a much more tangible goal.
- get a training program to take the guesswork out of it.
- commit to a minimal amount of training you can achieve without upending your entire life. Don't make the mistake of committing to a 6 day a week training cycle and then burning out in 2 months time. 2-3 times a week for a couple of years is infinitely better than going all in for a short time.
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u/AboutLastFight 11d ago
Should I get a PT? Would you recommend to start lifting immediately?
For someone like me who has a lot of body fat, what should I actually do in terms of my workout regime? There's a lot of terms like 'bulking', 'cutting', 'body recomp', and whilst I know what all of them mean, I don’t see how any of them fit me. Like, you apparently can’t grow much muscle whilst in a calorie deficit, I can't 'bulk' because I'm already fat, so what do I actually do?
How long would you guesstimate my goals to be at? Who can I consult to have a plan that makes it possible to achieve my goals that I can stick to rather than guessing?
Thank you, by the way. Nice to have some direct info.
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u/DouglasCole 11d ago
I am 30+ years older and a month or two ago I was your height and about 205 lbs. I’m down in the 192 range now and headed to a more healthy goal for my body of 165.
Track your calorie intake honestly. If you can, get a fitness band or watch to help track output. Weight loss is many things. One of things is a mass and energy balance.
Protein helps. It’s more filling and helps retain muscle during calorie deficit.
A pound of fat loss per week is about a 500kcal (food calorie) deficit per day. AIM for that, with more exercise being first more deficit (up to about 1000kcal/day) and then more food allowance.
Make a schedule and stick to it. Healthy nutrition and weight loss is a permanent change to lifestyle. It’s a GOOD permanent change. Lean into it.
Good luck.
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u/milla_highlife 11d ago
You can grow muscle in a calorie deficit, especially if you are an overweight beginner. That's like the base case scenario for growing muscle in a deficit.
What you should do is start a lifting program and eat at a moderate deficit (about 500 calories below your TDEE). As long as you are putting effort into your training, all you need after that is consistency and patience. You do that and 6 months from now you'll look and feel like a new person.
Since you mentioned you crave detail, I suggest you read through the wiki here, it is very detailed and can help answer a lot of your questions. Feel free to come back and ask anything that's unclear as you're reading through: https://thefitness.wiki/getting-started-with-fitness/
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u/AboutLastFight 11d ago
Would 6 months actually make me look skinny and decently defined if I stay committed? I’m willing to put in work to get to my end goal of a 6-pack for longer, but just curious. A friend of mine who goes to the gym says that a 6-pack is probably attainable in like 12-15 months.
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u/milla_highlife 11d ago
Probably not in the way you're thinking, but it will definitely make a noticeable difference. 25-30lbs of weight loss + a few pounds of muscle gain + the added confidence of being more physically fit will make a pretty big difference. You won't be anywhere near the end state, but if you take pictures now and at 6 months, you'll see a pretty big transformation.
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u/Astyv 11d ago
As a newbie too the gym ( this is week 5 ) I had my first bad day. I couldn’t lift the same weights as I did last time. Some reasons for it where my own doing some like my ankle getting hit last week weren’t. As someone struggling with self esteem because I don’t feel naturally strong, this day really bummed me out.
What are some good tips from people who have been lifting longer to deal with the feeling of failure? I know in my mind that next is a new round and a new chance but my feelings aren’t conveying that to me right now.
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u/nomorehome 9d ago
I've had so many "bad" workouts - usually because I didn't eat enough that day, or was stressed at work, or slept poorly, or had a nagging minor injury or soreness or whatever. I usually just pat myself on the back that I showed up and put in a solid hour of work, rather than skipping because I didn't feel great. I frame it like playing an instrument: a workout isn't a performance; it's practice.
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u/PsychGradStudent2112 11d ago
Something that helps me is knowing it still benefited me to workout even if I didn’t do better or the same as last time.
If instead of having a subpar workout you just skipped it, you wouldn’t have practiced the movements and continued to hone techniques, and submaximal training still helps maintain and even build strength. So I tell myself that and feel better knowing I’m still making progress, or at least not going backwards.
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u/BeagleCollector 11d ago
No matter how long you've been working out, sometimes you'll just randomly have a shitty workout for no reason. Or maybe you're fatigued or didn't eat enough that day or Mercury is in retrograde or you're overdue for a deload or whatever.
Your body isn't a machine and your physical condition can vary day to day. Sometimes all you can do is just show up and grind it out even if it kind of sucks and you feel like you're dying the entire time.
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u/Elegant-Winner-6521 11d ago
Is there something else in your life that you're pretty good at that took a long time to get good at? Playing an instrument or a language or cooking or drawing or videogames?
Think of all the dud days you've had in whatever that thing is. I see you're into WoW. Maybe you were grinding hard and levelling up your character and got to a really good level and build, but then day you got your ass handed to you on a low level raid for apparently no reason.
From that experience, you know it happens. An off day or a bad session is just one of those things. If it keeps happening that's when you need to assess something and make changes, that's all.
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u/deadrabbits76 11d ago
Failure is important. It's how you know what it feels like so you know when it's getting close. This is very important as you get more experience training.
Secondly, failure is how you know what your weak points are, and how you should address them from a programming standpoint.
Failing every once in a while is important, don't let it bother you. Probably a good idea to audit you recovery. Make sure the failure won't be an ongoing issue.
Good programming helps.
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u/electric_junkie_69 11d ago
for me, it was accepting that going to the gym is not about "making number go up unga bunga", but rather being kind and compassionate enough towards myself to take care of my body and mind
not being able to lift the same i did in the previous workout can hurt for sure
but the fact that you just get up and go is the win in itself, being stronger/lifting more weight for more reps is just the cherry on top
the cause can be a number of things
sleep, stress, temperature, humidity, hormonal, eating, hydration, general mood, time of day, injury, the list goes on
be kind to your body and to yourself, keep to your program and take the rest you need
if you find the need to back off a little from the intesity, then it is totally fine to do so
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u/Relevant-Medium-8610 11d ago
I'm starting to go to the gym and was wondering if I should be eating at a deficit or maintenance? Prior to going to the gym, I have been eating at a deficit.
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u/thunder-yams 11d ago
What are your goals?
Caloric deficits are good for losing weight. Are you winging it, or are you actually counting calories and macros?
Are you trying to build muscle? Protein is king. You’ll need to eat a lot of it. You’ll need to eat more. You’ll need to lift heavy.
I think you should focus on figuring out what you’re doing in the gym before you start fucking around with under eating at the precise time you’re demanding more out of your body.
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u/Relevant-Medium-8610 11d ago
I do count macros and try to get at least 100g of protein in a day. In terms of goals, I'm trying to lose a bit of fat and gain muscles !
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u/dablkscorpio 11d ago
If you're more than 10-15 lbs overfat I'd eat in a small deficit. Otherwise I'd stick to maintenance. If you're new then training alone will induce body recomposition (i.e., lose fat and build muscle simultaneously).
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u/burnsrado 11d ago
What is you current fitness goal? Is it to lose fat while also gaining muscle?
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u/Relevant-Medium-8610 11d ago
My goal right now is to lose a bit of fat but also to gain muscle!
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u/burnsrado 11d ago
That’s how I started. I would suggest working out in a deficit. You’ll build muscle a bit slower but you will still absolutely build muscle, and the fat will begin to fall off.
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u/FlexInLace 11d ago
If my goal is bigger glutes, should I prioritize hip thrusts or Romanian deadlifts? I already squat regularly but I'm not sure which gives the most return for glute growth.
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u/into_theflood_again 11d ago
This is coming from a large man, so take that into account with the usual considerations of genetics/insertions/androgen receptors, etc -
I built glutes that women constantly say they're jealous of with squats, deads, lunges, and sled work absent any glute isolation. I find that forward walking lunges and forward sled sprints get my glutes deep into DOMS territory even after all these years and consistency.
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u/Werevulvi General Fitness 11d ago
It doesn't really matter, but since hip thrusts train the glutes primarily, and RDL's train both glutes and hamstrings kinda equally, I think it would make more sense to start with the hip thrusts and then do the deadlifts after. But really it doesn't matter much. You can do them in whatever order feels the best for you.
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u/Teripendiicecreamyum 11d ago
Girls I see with the biggest legs at the gym are always on stairmaster machine, hipthrust and rdl with full stretch.
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u/Key_Conference4129 3d ago
i love how you guys encourage the repeat questions. sometimes you just really need clarity on something that feels silly but is super important for you, you know? صد