I've been lifting consistently for months, eating in a deficit the whole time. I know the muscle's there, I can feel it and my numbers keep climbing, but it's still hiding under fat. I'd love to actually see some shape instead of just feeling bigger underneath. My protein's probably nowhere near where it should be. Anyone been through this and actually seen it start to show?

I've been trying to simplify my workouts because I keep falling into the trap of saving dozens of routines and then not sticking with any of them. It made me wonder what would actually be enough if I had to keep things as simple as possible for the rest of my life. If you could only keep 3 exercises forever, which ones would you choose and why?

Just wanting to see if you guys have any tips for having better workouts early in the morning. I’ve recently had to go back to training before work and I’m trying to figure out how to get the most out of those sessions.

My schedule is:
Bed: 8:30–9:00 PM
Wake up: 3:30 AM
Get to the gym: 4:00 AM
Workout: Until around 5:20 AM
Get to work: 6:00 AM

I know getting around 6 hours of sleep isn’t ideal or “recommended,” but that’s what I have to work with right now.

I have about an hour and 20 minutes to train, which is more than enough time, but some mornings I feel like it takes me the first couple of sets just to fully wake up and get into the workout. I already do a few things that I’ve seen recommended:

Turn on the big light as soon as I wake up
Drink water
Do some light stretching

But I’m curious if anyone else here trains this early and has found anything that noticeably helps with energy, focus, or performance. Any tips or routines that make those first few sets feel less like a warm-up for your brain?

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I made the mistake of jumping back into leg day after taking some time off and I could barely walk for the next few days. Going downstairs was honestly worse than the workout itself.

What's the workout that completely destroyed you?

So I am trying to deadlift again. A few years back I was stupid and had horrible sciatica which lasted for months so it scared me away.

Anyway. I went to a powerlifting gym for a free trial and there was a guy who told me to use my arms as hooks. Take out the slack. Then to imagine it as a leg press.

But then there is a guy on youtube called pana who seems legit and he says you should be both pushing with your legs and pulling with your back.

So what do people on here say? How do you do the movement?

How do you combat a sweet tooth when you’re on a cut? I cannot say no to a sweet treat and ive been trying😭.

Requirements:

1. Yard

2. wagon

3. 1 human child (optional)

Put child (or equivalent) in wagon. Grab or secure wagon - do laps around the yard. Shredded.

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for advice on a gym routine that fits my goals.

I'm currently training for a half marathon and run 3 times a week, with Sunday as my rest day. My main goal is to get stronger while also building a lean, athletic physique. I do care about looking good, but I'm not trying to get huge or train like a bodybuilder or strongman.

I'm a beginner to strength training and have access to a gym.

My goals are:

• Increase overall strength
• Build some muscle, especially upper body
• Support my running and reduce injury risk
• Balance strength and endurance without one hurting the other

Would you recommend 2 or 3 strength sessions per week? Are there any proven routines that work well alongside half marathon training? Also, what sets/reps would you use to build strength while still gaining some muscle?

I'd really appreciate any advice or routines that have worked for you. Thanks!

All this fuckass machine does is make my calves hurt

So currently I am doing pull ups for my first pull workout, I do them with resistance bands now to try get my first but I’m struggling to progress past 7 reps on the band and I’ve been stuck at those reps for a bit, any advice?

I plan to go to the gym in the next few days, and like probably everyone else, I’ve been informed about what to work on. I want to train three times a week, not only to build muscle mass, but also to improve my explosiveness and general athleticism. During my Internet research, I found different and complicated training plans that I could not decide on. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks in advance!

How many carbs should i be eating to gain muscle while also trying to stay fairly lean? i am 5’4 18F and 110 lbs i do know i need to gain weight and i am trying to. I see people saying that carbs aren’t that necessary and some say they are vital. i know carbs are important im just so lost on how much i should be eating of them. I was aiming for 250-270 g but i feel that is too much after seeing what everyone else eats regarding carbs.

I have this problem with cables when the weight jumps from 5kg to 10kg and there is no middle weight for me to progress.

which should be prioritized and adhered to most conscientiously? And which can you be more casual about, as long as you've got the basic level down (decent but not great)?

I kept hearing beforehand (from misguided men online mostly but also irl) about how all girls need to do is a) keep their weight down and b) work out occasionally and boom, they have the ideal body. I thought this was bollocks before but after hitting the gym for two years it really made me realise just how bollocks it is.

I go three times a week when I can, often on varying days and times depending on availability. The girls who have the "ideal body" at my gym (i.e. slim, wide hips and a bubble butt) are there all the time. It doesn't matter when I go, SOMEHOW they are almost always there. Often they're also there before me and still there when I leave. The girls I know outside the gym who the "ideal" body also practically live at the gym and their whole lifestyle is built around sustaining that ideal.

Like they really, truly live and breathe the gym, it's commendable. Also they just hammer out those Bulgarian Split Squats like it's nothing...bruh my legs hurt just looking at it.

So shout out to the girls and guys, don't underestimate how much effort reaching any sort of ideal really entails.

Hello all!

Im having trouble calculating my ideal caloric intake (to then calculate my ideal deficit) but its quite difficult due to the following:

- I am a 5 foot 1 woman and 59kg, but I am quite muscular due to years in the gym

- This weight puts me just below 'overweight' on the BMI scale due to denser muscle weight and my short stature

- Most activity calculators go based off lifestyle (sedentary vs active work like a builder etc). I work a sedentary desk job but go to the gym to weight train 3 times a week and sometimes add in extra cardio days, but the options are usually 'a little active' or like 'gym 7 days a week' and no in between.

Any tips? Thank you!

I’ve been training consistently for about two years now, so I’m definitely not a beginner.

Something I’ve noticed is that men seem to feel very comfortable critiquing women at the gym, even when nobody has asked for advice. I know a lot of them probably mean well, but it often feels like the assumption is that I don’t know what I’m doing.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s because seeing women lift heavy or train seriously doesn’t fit some people’s expectations.

It also makes me wonder: how often does this happen to men? Do random people regularly come up and correct their form or tell them they’re using the wrong attachment?

The other day my friend and I were doing an exercise when a guy came over and told us we should be using a wider bar. Fair enough, we thanked him and gave it a go.

The very next day, while using that exact attachment, another guy came over, questioned whether we were targeting the right muscles, and then suggested we switch to a smaller bar instead. He finished by saying that it’s really subjective and everyone’s body is different.

That’s exactly my point.

If it’s subjective and different things work for different people, why assume I need correcting in the first place? It gets exhausting feeling like I can’t just do my workout without someone evaluating what I’m doing.

Has anyone else experienced this, especially other women? Or do men get approached and critiqued this often too?

wife and I had a baby a month ago. I have at home workout equipment (heavy dumbbells, bench, pull-up bar, weighted vest). With the baby I can only do 10-15 min lifting at a time. could I spread out the exact same weightlifting exercise I’d do in 1 hour but into 10-15 minute chunks and still get the same results?

Hi everyone I'm a 27 year old guy and want to lose weight. I tried for a while going to a gym but it felt like I was just floundering around without a workout routine and I had no results.

Im planning on giving it another shot but I want to know if anyone here can help me find a routine for losing fat and weight (im 5'10" around 280 lbs I think).

I've tried looking it up before to find routines and they all say different things are the best for losing weight and I don't know who to trust. Any sources to get me started would be appreciated.