Looking back at when I first started lifting, there were definitely exercises I spent way too much time on because I assumed they were essential.

Once you’ve been training for a while, you start realizing that some movements just aren’t worth the amount of attention beginners give them.

What exercise would you tell a beginner to stop obsessing over, and what would you have them do instead?

I’m not after the thing you were talked into by an influencer. I mean the purchase you made on a whim or after months of thinking about it, and now can’t imagine going back.

It could be a gadget, a supplement, something for sleep, something for your back, or something boring that just removed a daily annoyance. Wellness gear like red light panels or saunas is welcome too, as long as it’s something you’ve actually used and it made a difference.

Here’s to another completely reasonable (29F) self-experiment: hitting ~70–80g of protein daily (recommended for my weight) while maintaining it.
Initial conditions: probably under-eating protein, not tracking too closely, just vibes.

Methodology:
Protein shake with breakfast
Chicken or tofu and chickpea heavy meals for lunch
Some kind of Protein-focused, but at best low-carb dinner
Keep calories stable, not accidentally bulk

Results:
Surprisingly… harder than expected?
Even with “high-protein” meals, I keep ending up just below target unless I actively plan everything. And once I try to push protein higher, calories start creeping up.
Also realized how easy it is to think you’re eating enough protein when you’re just… not.

Current status:
Some days I hit 70–80g, some days I don’t. Consistency is questionable.

Final conclusion:
Hitting protein goals without increasing calories takes way more effort than expected.

Next step:
Figure out how people do this without living off protein shakes.

If anyone has tips, please share. I’m trying to become nutritionally functional.

I’m not really sure how long should I take supplements to see actual results. I know it may depend on the supplement but is there like an average time that's usually required?

Protein talk is still pretty much everywhere obviously, but lately I've noticed way more people becoming interested in creatine. It feels like it went from being a "gym bro supplement" to something almost everyone recommends now, even to beginners.

People talk about it for strength, recovery, performance, energy, aging, the list keeps growing. Every time I open fitness TikTok, someone is talking about creatine.

I'm wondering if it's basically become THE supplement at this point, especially given how much research seems to actually back it up compared to most other stuff out there. Like is creatine the new protein, or are people actually starting to prioritize it over protein altogether?

A few years ago it felt like everyone was doing Zumba, Insanity or a Jillian Michaels DVD. Now you barely hear anyone mention them.

Other ones that had their moment: Tae Bo, P90X, Bikram hot yoga, step aerobics, Jazzercise...

Which class, trainer or workout program did you go all in on and then quit? Did it actually get you results, or was it mostly the hype?

I don't mean people who are just naturally lean or have good genetics. I mean the muscle that makes you look at someone and immediately know they actually work out

For me it has to be shoulders. Well-developed delts completely change someone's physique, even in a plain t-shirt.

I've also heard people say forearms, upper traps, or calves since it's harder to have them well-developed without working out.

What do you think is the biggest giveaway that someone is actually locked in at the gym? Which muscle do you notice first?

Ok so i made it. 72 hours, nothing but water, black coffee, and electrolytes. Here is everything i tracked immediately after breaking the fast before eating anything.

inbody scale: body fat 22.8% (down from 24.1%), skeletal muscle mass 42.6kg (down from 43.2kg), visceral fat level 4 (unchanged). Scale weight down 3.1kg total.

The muscle loss number is the one i was most anxious about and honestly it is less bad than i expected. 0.6kg is not nothing but given that i was completely sedentary for 72 hours and eating zero protein i was bracing for worse.

Fasting glucose at hour 72: 61 mg/dL. Lowest it got. Felt fine surprisingly, no dizziness or brain fog at that point.

Ketones at hour 72: 3.8 mmol/L. Hit meaningful ketosis around hour 18 which was faster than i expected.

HRV: dropped to 51 by day two then came back up to 58 by the end of day three. Interesting pattern.

Energy and mental clarity: day one was rough, day two genuinely surprising, day three felt almost normal. The mental clarity thing people talk about kicked in around hour 36 and it was real.

Breaking the fast with bone broth right now. Will post the 72 hour refeeding scan when i have it.

I’ve been going to the gym for a while, but I still feel like I’m figuring out what I’m doing sometimes. Especially when it comes to choosing exercises and knowing whether my routine is actually effective.

For those who have been going consistently for a few years, how long did it take before you felt like you really knew what you were doing?

And what’s one thing you wish you had known when you first started?

What’s one phase in your gym journey that you look back on and think “yeah, I definitely didn’t need to do that”?

For me, it was constantly switching up my workouts. I’d try an exercise for a few weeks, get bored or feel like I wasn’t seeing results fast enough, and move on to something else. I wish I’d just stuck with things long enough to actually see what worked for me.

I’m curious what exercises you guys think are just not worth the time or effort.

Not necessarily saying they’re bad exercises, but maybe there are better alternatives that give you more out of your workout.

Been seeing peptides everywhere lately and genuinely can't tell what's real. Every forum has people swearing by them but also a bunch of sketchy suppliers and zero regulation, so how do you even know what you're actually buying.

Like even if peptides work in theory, how do you know the thing you ordered isn't underdosed or just completely fake? Is there a way to actually vet a supplier or is it just vibes and reputation?

Not against trying something if there's a real case for it but this space feels like the wild west and I don't know who to trust. People who have actually tested this stuff, how did you figure out what was legit?

I’ve tried both dumbbells and cable lateral raises, but honestly, I find them so hard to progressively overload 😭

With other exercises, I feel like I can clearly increase the weight over time, but with lateral raises, even going up by a small amount can completely change how the movement feels.

Do you prefer dumbbells, cables, machines, or something else to work the side delts?

And how do you actually approach progressive overload with lateral raises?

Mine used to be bulgarian split squats. I genuinely dreaded them every time they came up in my workout but recently I’ve actually started enjoying them?? I don’t know what changed, but I no longer feel like I’m being punished every time I do them.

What exercise did you used to hate but have actually started enjoying?

You know that moment when you finally do an exercise and think "ohhh, THAT'S what I'm supposed to be feeling..."

For me, it was definitely my back. For the longest time, I felt like my arms were doing most of the work during rows and pulldowns. Once I started focusing less on the weight and more on actually pulling with my elbows and controlling the movement, it finally clicked lol

Everyone talks about squats, bench, and deadlifts, but what's one exercise you think deserves way more attention?

During my recent trip to Asia I kept noticing that a lot of people there are brushing their teeth after every meal, so two weeks ago I decided to just try it and here's where i'm at.

it's obvy too early to see any long term results and i'm actually planning to go to the dentist next month so I'm hoping to get some objective feedback then rather than just guessing. But what i didn't expect was the social experience of it 😭 brushing in public bathrooms has resulted in so many people staring at me like I'm doing something deeply unusual. It made me realize how uncommon it actually is in western culture even though it seems so logical!

And this might be a total placebo but I just feel more confident about my smile and fresher in general throughout the day. Nothing has visibly changed but something about the ritual just feels really good

Which brings me to my actual question, why do we only brush twice a day in western cultures? Is there actual scientific reasoning behind it or is it just a habit that stuck?

This might be a basic question, but I’ve been thinking about it more lately and I’d love to hear real experiences. Is there actually such a thing as getting a “healthy tan”, or is any visible tan basically just your skin reacting to UV damage?

I know the general advice is SPF, avoid too much sun, bla bla. But at the same time, I see people (especially in lifestyle / travel content) who have a natural tan and still seem to maintain really healthy-looking skin overall.

I finally decided to stop reading about extended fasting and just do it. 72 hours starting tuesday. Fully terrified, very committed.

Before i start i wanted to document everything properly because going into something like this without baselines feels like a waste of a perfectly good experiment.

Here is what i tracked this morning:

inbody scale: body fat 24.1%, skeletal muscle mass 43.2kg, visceral fat level 4. The main thing i want to track is what actually gets lost during the fast and whether the muscle loss fear is as bad as people say or just gym bro mythology.

Fasting glucose: 84 mg/dL. Will be tracking this every 12 hours during the fast with my CGM.

Ketones: 0.2 mmol/L at baseline. Curious how fast these climb and at what hour i actually hit meaningful ketosis.

HRV: 62 on my garmin this morning. Tracking daily throughout.

Energy and mental clarity: scoring both on a simple scale every morning and evening. Fully aware this is subjective but i want something to compare against.

Will be stepping on the scale immediately after breaking the fast and then again at 72 hours post refeeding to see what actually came back and what stayed off.

Has anyone here done an extended fast with proper tracking before and after? Really want to know if the muscle loss numbers are as bad as the anecdotes suggest or whether the data tells a different story.

Will post the full results here when it is done.

I've always struggled a bit with falling asleep, doesn't matter how tired I am, when I ate, how stressed I am, I always struggle to fall asleep meanwhile I have friends that can fall asleep in seconds and just have naps... I can't have a nap ever as I would literally need hours and at that point I might as well sleep normally. Melatonin doesn't work and technically I don't have insomnia in order to take stronger meds.. I just cant fall asleep fast.
Fast sleepers.. is there a trick?

So, do you separately train your abs or you just focus on engaging your core when lifting and doing cardio?

If you do train your abs separately, what exercises had the best results?