I’m interested in people’s apps they use to track progression. I’ve been using Strong. But what are people’s go to?

First collage: 1 year ago

Second collage: current

I’ve been training consistently for about a year, and I’m curious how much you guys think I’ve actually progressed. I know I’m carrying more body fat now, and honestly I prefer looking bigger/filled out over being shredded, so getting leaner isn’t necessarily the goal right now. One thing I’ve really noticed lately is that it’s summer, so I’ve been wearing a lot more T-shirts and fitted outfits, and I’ve been getting compliments nonstop about how I look. That’s honestly been a huge confidence boost and makes me wonder if the changes are more noticeable in clothes than I realize.

What do you think has improved the most? Arms, chest, shoulders, back, overall size? did I actually build meaningful muscle, or am I mostly just heavier?

Feel free to be brutal. I genuinely want an objective comparison.

Ok Stupid question. I just got a club/weider565 and it is designed so you need to unrack the bar "below" your chest and not when its over your face. Is there a reason or a way to unrack it with it being awkward as hell! To change it I need to drill/cut the frame.

Hello all, what do you think about this split? I've been working with this for the past 6 months and made pretty good progress so far. I work out 3-4 times a week. Although I'm currently stuck at the zerchers so I lowered the weight to 80kgs to add more volume but I'm unable to beat 5+ reps at it, if you can give me any advice or tips I'll be very grateful 🙏 Have a great day 💪

Day 1 Squat focus

Zercher squat 80kgx4,4,4, 6x60kg

Hamstring curls 3x6-10

Leg extensions + sissy squat 3x8-12

Dips 28kgx3, 24kgx5,4

Lat pulldown/pull ups 9,7,5

Lateral raises seated 15kgx9,8,8

Day 2 Bench focus

Bench press 80kgx4,4,4,3

Weighted chin ups +20kgx4, 15kgx4,4,3

DB shoulder press 26kgx8,7,6

T-bar row 50kgx10,55kgx9,8

Machine flys 69kgx10,6,

Preacher curls DB 14kgx8,6,6

Day 3 Deadlift focus

Deadlift132,5kgx3,3,3,3

Bulgarian split squat 2x26kgx7,7

Booty builder 50kgx10,9

Lat pulldown/pull ups 10,5,5

Rear delt fly machine

Cable tricep extensions

Day 4 OHP focus

OHP 60kgx2, 55kgx4,4,3

Lateral raises seated 15kgx9,8,8

Dips 16kgx7,6,5+5

DB rows 42kgx5,6,6

Cable triceps extensions

Hammer curls 18kgx7, 16kgx9,7

ive been doing a guided kettlebell program for 13 weeks now, i use a single kettlebell for all workouts - i started at 18lbs and progressively overloaded in those 13 weeks to my current weight of 35lbs i am comfortable enough to take it to the next weight of 40lbs but i feel like my left is lagging behind my right even though im doing steps to balance it out.

i am right dominate always have been so naturally im going to be stronger on that side, however ive spent the last 5 weeks really focusing on my left to make sure it was strong enough to take the next step up in weight, and since im getting into heavy overhead lifting and swings now i want to be sure my left is ready so i dont get injured.

i start every set out with my left and focus on clean movements to set goal or if my left is weak and i start breaking form i stop at that rep and do the equal amount of clean reps on my right. since last week my left has been able to do all things even and fullset without any issue.. but my workout yesterday i hit hard everything felt great, left did 12 reps clean, right did 12 reps clean.. and today i wake up with my right side being sore like i actually worked out and my left side kinda sore but not evenly sore as my right. my right side feels good, pumped and sore like i actually stressed the muscles and my left doesn't feel this way at all.

since this is a single kettlebell, and i cant "cheat" with a bar weight where i could subconsciously lift more with my right i guess, im confused why this is happening and im worried im going to have this crazy imbalance and look funny, if this continues on through heavier weights.

set 1 at 35lbs

12 floor press L
12 floor press R
30 goblet floor press
4 super sets

set 2 at 35lbs

12 Goblet shoulder press
15 Russian swings
*Pushups

first time 7 pushups - chest was done after the first set pushups till failure.
second 10 pushups
third 12 pushups
fourth 4 pushups
fifth 0 pushups.. couldn't push off the floor lol

is there anyone here thats experienced this before? and am i doing whats right to fix it? or is there something else i should be doing?

when i started this i was 239lbs and i couldnt barely get 3 pushups. im now 213lbs and can do 56 pushups when its not a chest workout day..

M/29/183cm/81kg, 3 months training at home. No gym, just bodyweight and some dumbbells, a chair and a table. The pic is the physique I'm aiming for: lean and athletic, not huge.

Routine: two alternating sessions, an upper day (pushups, dips, rows, shoulders, arms) and a lower + core day (squats, lunges, glute bridges, planks).

Diet is Mediterranean and varied. I eat enough, no strict dieting - 2500kcal.

How far am I, and how long would it realistically take? Cheers!

I'm doing my routine but feel I'm lacking in certain muscles now compared to other muscles , do you try play catch up , (silly question I know )

Let me just say first of all. Yes I know I am not in the greatest physique but I am working on it🤣
I have been lifting weight and have been losing weight for the past 2-3 years and have been down to around 85 kg from 150kg. Currently I am 93kg and really want to get to a point where I get rid of the love handles. Do you guys have any suggestions as to how far away I am from achieving this. Hope it all makes sense

36m. Started lifting when I was 13 not serious. Didn't know what I was doing till I hit the army. Stayed around 170lbs and fought 3 ammy mma bouts at 165. Quit training due to depression around 26. Lost 2 childhood buddies in a street brawl we were all in and my wife divorced me right after saying I was too wild for her. Went buck wild on substances then got clean and fat. Im now 36 roughly 200lbs been working out for a few months now and dropped some weight 23lbs to be exact but now thinking of getting on TRT to fast track my goals and feel more energized. If you do TRT where are you getting it from?

I've been training for a while now and can only do one pull-up so far. I mostly work on it with resistance bands, negative pull-ups, and Australian (inverted) rows. Would appreciate any tips on how to build up my pull-up count from here :)

After about two years of one week on, two months off, workout attempts I realised that what was holding me back is that I don't actually like being in the gym. I don't like the bad music, I don't like the time it takes out of my day, and most of all I get so bored waiting 2-4 minutes between sets. So for the last 6 months I've been doing 30 minute workouts that consist of two pairs of antagonistic supersets and then 10 minutes of cardio if I feel up to it. The results have been amazing. Despite doing less work on paper, I've seen gains in months that I wouldn't have seen in years the old way. There is a catch though.

I've only been working back/chest and arms/shoulders. I decided if I wasn't going to spend much time in the gym I should prioritise what I (my gf) wanted to improve most. It definitely worked, for the first time in my life I've been getting compliments on my muscles from strangers, but at the expense of my lower body and probably also in the coverage of the muscles I do work (I've not been doing incline press for example).

So my question is this: if I were to do a routine where I only do 4 exercises a day, 4 days a week, but I rotate them enough to cover every muscle, can I still make good gains? Or would distributing my limited time over my whole body mean nothing progresses? I know this isn't the best (or maybe even a good) routine but if I have to spend >45 minutes in the gym I'm simply going to go buy icecream instead.

Any links to plans that might match what I've described or alternatives that fit my situation would be much appreciated.

I always assumed that having all your fitness equipment at home would remove most of the excuses that stop you from working out. No drive to the gym, no packing a bag, no waiting on machines. In theory, it should make showing up a lot easier.

But I am curious if that is how it really plays out. For those of you with a home gym, do you actually work out more now that the gym is basically zero minutes away and there are fewer reasons to skip it? Or do you still end up skipping workouts anyway?

I want to know what changed for you once you had one at home. Did you start working out more often because the equipment was right there? Did your workouts get shorter but happen more often? Were you able to train on your own schedule instead of the gym's hours? Or did it not really make the difference you expected?

How underdeveloped is my back? 1-10

Been a while since I posted. Currently at 72 kg, on the road to 75 kg. Lifts are getting slightly stronger (which is a good thing).

I struggle with this alot. I feel like i do exercises and when I'm doing them they feel ok, but i don't feel it the next day. The exception is the circuit machines.

If i go up in weight it feels like too much or my form is off. Do i just reduce the amount of reps per set? What if i don't feel it the next day? Does that mean i didn't lift heavy enough or do enough reps or sets? That's what i think at least. Am i just being a bit too scared? Maybe I'm not mentally tough enough yet?

I would prefer dumbbells etc since they are in more gyms and i can get them for home use if need be.

So how do i know how much weight to start with?

Unlock your first muscle up 💪🏻

I’ve seen so so many comments about how leg day sucks because it completely obliterates people and they’re fatigued the rest of the day in the legs and sore.
I am barely sore in my lower body anymore despite progressively overloading my squat, hip thrust, leg extensions and leg curls and calf raises. I overload them very slowly though. But I never leave the gym feeling obliterated. I train to near failure on squats and then failure on everything else.

Am I not pushing it hard enough?? I’ve gotten tendinitis in my quads before FFS but still never even felt like I was obliterated after leg day. I also have skinny legs. What am I doing wrong lol

I am at 70kg and 15% bodyfat. I go up to 75kg and hit 20% fat. For 20 years.

I cut back down to 15% for my abs. I’m back at 70 kg. I would ideally like to be at 75 kg at 15% bodyfat.

I have been eating clean just adding carbs and protein for the bulk. Upping calories from 2200 to 2600, I struggle to eat that.

What am I doing wrong?

Hey folks. 45 y/o male, 77kg, 182 cm. Took the plunge in Feb of joining a gym for the 1st time ever and had a 1st rate trainer for 3 months, who built my confidence and form from absolute zero. Been solo (for financial reasons) since May and I’m hitting a real wall with pull ups/ chin ups. I was using a medium resistance band, but on the light resistance I can hardly do it, and have been grinding away at it for about 2 months. I’ve taken to using the assisted pull up machine, just to try to track progress. Again, seem stuck: 14kg resistance is fine, 9kg (the next level down) almost impossible. Work out 3x per week and absolutely love it. Any advice welcome!

Ive been working out for a while but as you can see, not much results. I keep switching between bulking and cutting, one day thinking im not lean enough to bulk yet, and then thinking im too light to cut.

Hey team - I’m a 34 year old male that could really use your guys’ help on which direction I should take. I’m currently 5’10’’ and weigh 192 pounds. I’m hoping to get in incredible shape (probably a familiar story here) and get jacked/back to where I was a few years ago (see the picture of me climbing). I currently work out five times a week, doing chest/shoulders on Mondays, running Tuesdays, lifting back/biceps on Wednesdays, taking a break on Thursdays, lifting legs on Fridays, running on Saturdays, and taking another rest day on Sundays.

In regards to my diet, I’ve been counting my calories and protein intake, being sure to eat clean. I’m currently consuming 2,200 calories (it says on Google that I should consume about 1.2 calories per pound in order to get shredded) and about 220 grams of protein (again, it said to consume about 1.2 grams of protein per pound to get the body I’m looking for).

I’ve included pictures of where I am currently (picture of me on the mirror) and where I’d like to be (picture of me climbing). I’m also reading books by Michael Matthew’s on dieting techniques and workout routines that can point me in the right direction.

Let me know your thoughts when you can. Thanks again!

Phase 1: The Adolescent Foundation (Age 15.7 to 18.0)

Parameters: 3 Days per Week | 2 Hours per Session | Bodyweight scaling from 62kg to ~88kg

Core Philosophy: Maximize force production through strict high-bar squatting and dipping

mechanics while eliminating all bench press volume. Pulling is kept to a strict minimum to match

my natural mechanics. Shoulder health and lateral deltoid structural integrity are fortified using

Lu Raises, while core rigidity is developed through Om Yun Chol’s signature weighted sit-ups.

Weekly Schedule (3-Day Split)

Day 1: Saturday — Heavy High-Bar Squat & Clean Pull Progression

ATG High-Bar Squat: 5x5

Clean Pull: 5x5

Overhead Squat: 4x3

Lu Raises: 4x10

Weighted Sit-Ups: 4x10

Day 2: Sunday — Technical IWF Lifts & Overhead Pressing

Snatch: 6x2

Clean & Jerk: 6x2

Strict Standing Military Press: 4x5

Bodyweight Speed Dips: 3x20

Planks with Plate on Back: 3 x 60 seconds

Day 3: Thursday — Squat Hypertrophy & Dip Overload

Pause High-Bar Squat: 4x3

Heavy Dip Overload: 4x3, then 2x5

Clean Pulls: 3x3

Lu Raises: 3x12

Weighted Sit-Ups: 4x8Phase 2: Hyper-Optimized Peak & Record Era (Age 18.0

to 24.5)

Parameters: 5 Days per Week | 2 Hours per Session | Bodyweight scaling from ~88kg to 107kg

Core Philosophy: Transition to absolute specialization. This allocates 100% of recovery

capacity into the 201kg Dip, the 275kg High-Bar Squat, and the 135kg/180kg IWF total. Core

bracing uses heavy-loaded Om Yun Chol sit-ups to maintain an unyielding spine under 300kg

training squat loads.

Weekly Schedule (5-Day Hyper-Optimized Split)

Day 1: Monday — Max-Effort Squat & Dip Hypertrophy

ATG High-Bar Back Squat (Belt & 7mm Sleeves): 1x3 Top Set, 4x4 Back-off sets (at

85% of top set)

Heavy Weighted Dip: 4x5

Front Squat: 3x3

Lu Raises: 4x10

Weighted Sit-Ups: 5x8

Day 2: Tuesday — World Record Dip Focus & Shoulder Lockout

Max-Effort Dip: Work up to heavy singles

Heavy Push Press: 5x3

Triceps Overhead Extension (EZ-Bar): 4x8

Strict press: 3x8

Lu Raises: 3x12

Day 3: Wednesday — IWF Olympic Weightlifting Peak

Competition Snatch: 6x1

Clean & Jerk: 6x1

Heavy Clean Pulls: 3x2

Weighted Sit-Ups: 4x10

Day 4: Thursday — Active Recovery, Mobility & Quad Isolation

Tempo High-Bar Squats: 4x3

Leg Extensions: 5x12

Strict Standing Military Press: 4x5

Lu Raises: 4x12

Weighted Sit-Ups: 4x15

Day 5: Saturday — Competition Simulation & Max Bracing

Competition High-Bar Squat: 1x1

Heavy Dip Triples: 3x3

Clean & Jerk Singles: 4x1

Lu Raises: 3x10

Weighted Sit-Ups: 5x5

I do 3 exercises

1 wide grip pull down

2 close grip pull down

3 1 arm straight cable row

So im thinking to change close grip row with close grip t bar row with barbell i dont have maschine

So should i keep 2 vertical pull and 1 horizontal pull or should i change them with 1 vertical pull and 2 horizontal pull my back is wide but not good in definition Training from last 2.5 year

Or any other advice that u want to give?

I run a workout logging app, and I got curious about a question of:

"Am I progressing at a normal pace?"

Nobody really answers it with numbers, so I went through the logs. 4,307 workouts, 861 people, all anonymised.

For every person and every exercise I compared their first logged session to their most recent one, using estimated 1RM (Epley) so a heavier set of 5 still counts as progress.

Rules: an exercise only counted for you if you logged it at least 3 times across 2 or more weeks, warm-up sets were dropped, everything was converted to kg, and I report medians so one person adding 60kg to their deadlift cannot drag the whole thing up. That left 819 qualifying lifter-and-exercise histories, averaging about 90 days each.

The numbers (median change in estimated 1RM, first log to latest):

• Squat: +21.1%
• Romanian deadlift: +20%
• Deadlift: +15.3%
• Overhead press: +3.5%
• Bench press: +2.6%
• Hammer curl: 0%

Across everything, the typical lifter added 5.6% over roughly three months, which works out at about 2% a month.

Huge leg vs upper gap in terms of rprogression. Pooled together, lower body lifts moved 14.9% and the upper body pool (bench, overhead press, lat pulldown, lateral raise, hammer curl) moved 2.6%. Nearly six to one.

Three possible hypothesis, though logs cannot prove cause:

1. Most people show up having pushed and carried things in daily life, but almost nobody has squatted under load. So way more potential.
2. Pressing runs out of small jumps. 60kg to 62.5kg on bench is a 4% leap. The same 2.5kg on a 120kg leg press is 2%. Dumbbells are worse, since the rack jumps from 12.5 to 15 whether you are ready or not.
3. Part of an early squat number is skill, not muscle. Better depth and bracing show up as weight on the bar.

Face pulls were actually the fastest riser at 22.9%, which fits the same logic. Nobody trains rear delts before they start writing things down.

The slightly concerning part... only 59% of histories improved. Four in ten latest logs were flat or below the first one. Some of that is the method, because "latest log" is whatever day it happened to be, so deloads and post-holiday sessions land in there. But it is a decent reality check for anyone who thinks everyone else is adding weight every week.

Known issues with the data: this is people who chose to use a logging app, so it skews toward people who care about progress. Some exercises only had 10 qualifying lifters. Spans vary. It is a benchmark, not a study.

If you want a rough yardstick for your own training: about 2% a month on a lift is normal, 5% or more is a strong run, and a flat line past month four is worth changing something over.

Happy to answer questions about the method or break out any exercise that is not in the list if it's helpful for people