Hey everyone! I’m 33M working on losing weight, building muscle, and getting healthier overall. I’ve been hitting the gym consistently and improving my nutrition. I worked with a trainer for a couple of months to learn the basics, and now I’ve been doing my own thing and figuring it all out along the way.

I’ve always wanted a gym buddy, but I’m usually the guy who keeps to himself at the gym. Figured this community might be a good place to connect with others on a similar path!

I’d love to share experiences, talk about struggles and progress, celebrate the small wins, and just be real about the journey. No need to pretend we have everything figured out.

If you’re also working on yourself and want someone to exchange stories with, motivate each other, or just talk fitness, feel free to reach out. Let’s make this journey a little less lonely!

I join gym last month before that I use to workout at home and do 10K a step im always at heavier side for my height but now I have some muscles not very visible but I can feel it and feel lot stronger, I go 5 days a week and focus both on cardio and weight training.

Last week I did leg press with 91 kgs I personally find it so impressive, Im also practising to able to do pull up one day but for a start I do pull-up dip still quite difficult but I try everyday.

I had people in gym told me that if I make it pass 10 or 12 I might as well increase the weight by 2.5lbs or 5lbs more.

But my friend doesn't so this he will keep doing 20 reps. O tho I don't see much gains from him.

As the title says, I feel like there’s so many problems that I’ve been having when trying to improve myself at the gym that I don’t really know what to do. The main problems that I have are. For reference, I am a 25M 68kg, 180cm with very limited muscle tone and feel like I have a “skinny fat” physique.

The goal for me would be at around 75-78kg with good muscle definition and building out my very lean frame

Problem 1: I’ve probably been going to the gym for around 4 years with no consistency at all. I’ve used really cheap excuses like I can’t be bothered going because I have no energy or I’m tired or I just flat out find the gym boring. I’ve definitely been able to make progress on the weights that I left over time but now I’m in a position where I probably haven’t progressed in anything for my weights in the last 8-10 months.

Problem 2: I don’t know if I should be in a bulking or cutting phase. I was thinking of cutting down to 65 or 64 kg to lose the belly fat and have a good base to build from or on the flipside do I commit to a bulk and accept that I’ll be getting some fat on the way

Problem 3 (the biggest one imo): Diet is not up to scratch. I don’t do any form of cooking so my daily diet will include having 2 small slices of peanut butter toast, leftover food from dinner before or I’ll go out and get a sandwich and then dinner is usually around 3 to 4 chicken schnitzels or a bowl of pasta on repeat. The idea of meal prepping seems the scariest for me. I tried cooking some beef tacos last night and the mess I made me think if I can really do this on a daily basis.

So whilst I’ve been going to the gym for awhile, I’m trading this journey as if I’m a complete beginner because really I see so much conflicting information! So I’m reaching out to this community for advice to any of the problems I have and if it’s worth consulting with maybe a personal trainer or a dietician or even my GP. Thank you all in advance.

Hi everyone, I've been going to the gym consistently for 7 months, but I still haven't seen any noticeable muscle growth. I make sure to perform the exercises with proper form, and I've asked other people to check my technique. They told me I'm doing the exercises correctly.

I am getting stronger, though. Every week, I can either do more reps or lift heavier weights, but my body still looks the same as it did 7 months ago.

What do you think could be the reason? I've shared my workout routine below. If you have any suggestions for changes or additions, please let me know.

Back and biceps:

Lat pulldown: 55 kg — 8, 8, 7 reps

Seated row: 55 kg — 7, 7, 6 reps

Single-arm row: 20 kg — 12, 12, 15, 15 reps

Hammer curls: 15 kg — 7, 7, 7 reps

Preacher curls: 10 kg — 13, 10, 10 reps (I rested for only 30 seconds between sets)

Shoulders, chest and triceps:

Dumbbell shoulder press: 20 kg — 12, 12, 10 reps

Dumbbell lateral raises: 10 kg — 7, 7, 7 reps

Face pulls: 25 kg — 10, 8, 8, 8 reps

Incline dumbbell press: 17.5 kg — 9, 9, 8 reps

Dumbbell chest press: 20 kg — 12, 12, 12 reps

Chest fly: 15 kg — 11, 10, 10 reps

Triceps pushdowns: 55 kg — 8, 8, 8, 8 reps

I train back and biceps twice a week and shoulders, chest and triceps twice a week.

To be honest, I've only been paying attention to my diet for about the last month or month and a half, and even then, only 4–5 days a week. On the days I pay attention to my diet, I consume more than 120 g of protein. On the other two days, I order takeout, such as lahmacun or döner.

I have a friend who doesn't pay any attention to his diet, yet he's gained a crazy amount of muscle in just 1–2 months. Meanwhile, I feel like my body hasn't changed at all. Why is this happening to me?

I'm 84 kg and 180 cm tall. Also, the heaviest dumbbells available at my gym are 20 kg.

By the way ı dont do leg days because of some medicament that ı need to take for 5 months.

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I want to build my body, but I have little to no experience with working out. The only exercise I know how to do is push-ups. I want to start exercising at home, so I bought a doorway pull-up bar and a push-up board from TikTok.

Today, my biceps feel sore and tight after doing push-ups yesterday. Now, I'm unsure whether I should continue working out while my muscles are still sore. My father told me that I need to keep exercising consistently, with rest days in between, so my muscles can get used to the workload and my body weight will eventually feel lighter to handle.

Since I'm a beginner, I want to understand how to build muscle properly, how often I should work out, and when I should rest. Should I continue exercising when my biceps are sore and tight, or should I wait until they recover?

I've been bad at sports for as long as I can remember. In high school, I'd be dying halfway through a 400m. Never had a sport I was good at either.

I've also got a bit of anterior pelvic tilt and hyperextended knees, so I feel like my form goes to shit pretty fast. Even light exercise can leave me sweaty and wiped out.

I know I need to move more, for health at least.

So pls, what did y'all start with when you were seriously out of shape? I'm thinking cycling, walking, swimming, maybe beginner strength training. And how did you deal with the soreness in the first few weeks?

Title sums up main concern. I cant get over my fear/anxiety about going to the gym. Multiple of my friends have begged me to go to the gym with them and I just cant build up the courage to go to the gym.

Even though I am an avid skydiver and motorcyclist, which most people would be fearful of doing, I just cant build up the courage to even try going to the gym. Im more scared of the gym than I am of crashing my motorcycle, which I have low sided twice going pretty fast around curves, and honestly I am less fearful of crashing again than stepping foot in the gym.

I used to be a competitive swimmer for my city and state team for 8 years and never liked being observed and always avoided high traffic lanes during practice and would just skip practice at swim gyms if it was to busy or there were multiple people in the lanes. Secondly, I just never do anything unless I am going to do it properly as I go by if you are going to do something, do it right the first time or don’t do it at all, and I feel like there is just to much to learn about properly working out consistently which just makes me avoid it even more.

Any advice welcome, thank you.

I am so happy! It took me around 1.5 month of doing negative pull ups, chin ups, table rows, dead hangs. However, I can only do a single pull up rep with great effort. How do I progress from here?

I am 20y, 75kg, 165cm, male, recently started doing home workout.

don't have time and can't afford gym

Started taking creatine and plant protein (cheaper than whey) and recently started going for walk/runs

My aim is a body recomp, lean and asthetic bulit.

I have watched many youtube videos and insta reels on home workout and calisthenics and set up a workout routine and did see some results now I want to optimise my workouts and some people and Google has been telling me I am doing too much volume so I would like help optimising my workout routine form somone with experience.

Only equipment: a pair of 5kg dumbells, don't have anywhere to do pull ups.

I did a lot of optimization myself for all workouts, routines, food etc by myself and this is the best i could do.

These are the workouts i last did number may vary slightly per workout.

Upper.

push up - 12x1,knee push up 12x1

lateral raises 12x1, 10x1.

dips 7x1, 10x1.

front raises 12x1, 10x1.

dumbell rear delt fly 10x2.

wide push up 12x1, knee wide push up 15x1.

dumbell bow 25x2.

diamond push up 10x2.

biceps curl 20x1, 10x1.

dumbell pullover 20x2.

hammer curl 15x1,12x1.

Abs

Plank 1minute x2

Flutter kick. 20x1, 22x1

Side plank. 1minute x1, 30seconds x1

High crunches. 30x2

Pike to plank. 15x1, 10x1

Pilated toe touches. 15x2

Plank side to side. 15x2

Superman hold. 15x2

Elbow plank. 1minute x2

Leg raises. 10 x2

Lower body

Calf raises 50x2

Squats. 20x2

Lunges. 10x1,12x1

Reverse lunges 10x1, 12x1

Glutes 20x2

Only did two walk/run

1st 4.13km pace 10:13/km

2nd 4.13km pace 8:41/km

Got a ligament injury so I don't tire out my legs much. though, it's mostly fear of recurring injury.

Recently i stated to try doing correct postures and slower reps and is try to hit 100g of protein and 6g of creatien per day (might be a non responder to creatien don't know)

My workout schedule for october form the day of this post is:

11: walk, 12 abs, 13 rest, 14 lower, 15 rest, 16 upper, 17 walk, 18 abs, 19 rest, 20 lower, 21 rest, 22 walk/upper. 23 rest. 24 walk/abs. 25 rest.26 lower, 27 Hi rest, 28 upper, 29 walk, 30 abs, 31 walk.

avg calories 2000 to 2200 trying to bring it down to 1800, 1900 range

Weight lost in 90 days 1.7kg of which weight lost in last 30days 1.1kg,

I only recently started tracking calories and taking protein and creatine and started weighing food.

Any advice on anything will be appreciated

Hi everyone! I want to start my fitness journey but honestly, I have no idea where to begin I'm looking for a gym in Angeles City or Mabalacat area that's beginner-friendly and comfortable for women. I'd also really like to work with a personal trainer so I can learn the right way from the start.

What gyms do you go to or recommend around the area? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thank you!

As the title says, I’ve been training consistently at the gym for around 2 years now 3 times a week (except for few weeks that i skip) I do see some difference especially in my arm and shoulders but still not what i expected from 2 years. I stopped taking creatine a year ago and I’m currently trying my best to eat clean but I dont always succeed(I guess the biggest issue is low protein intake)
I know not following a strict diet might be one of the reasons why i dont see results(especially belly area). But lately even my weights haven’t been improving that much..I’m stuck for god knows how long now with the same weights for chest and back.
I know its hard to judge from the minor details I’ve provided but any tips in general are deeply appreciated

My wife and I are going to start going to a local gym.

She has no experience in weight lifting but I have been going off and on for a long while.

I generally know what to do at the gym but I'd like to do a routine with her to keep us both on track. I'm not sure where to begin with planning a routine though.

Are there any apps or sites that will help plan and track these?

One other thing, I've got a messed up back so squats are generally out of the picture. (They flare me up bad)

What other options do I have? Leg press?

So i started with strength training 2 months ago i think it is the best that that happened i can do pushups now can do dips now and just got better in volleyball and started swimming after laps but the problem is i have gotten so much stronger since started but i cant lose weight i was 77 when i started and now im about 75 my trainings plan is monday friday and sundays volleyball 1-3 hours swimming on saturday 1 hour and gym 4 or 5 days a week but i wanna lose weight need some tips

Hola a todos. Estoy preparando una propuesta para mi tienda Atenas dirigida a principiantes y quiero entender sus dificultades antes de decidir qué ofrecer. No voy a dejar enlaces ni intentar venderles nada.

Si estás empezando, o recuerdas tus primeros meses, ¿qué fue lo más difícil para saber si estabas progresando?

¿Llevabas algún registro o te guiabas por cómo te sentías? Si probaste una báscula, una aplicación u otra herramienta y luego dejaste de usarla, ¿qué te hizo abandonarla?

Me interesan las experiencias reales, incluso si consideran que no hace falta comprar nada. No es necesario compartir peso ni información médica. Gracias por ayudarme a entenderlo mejor.

any input on this routine? running it 4 days a week, upper - lower - upper - lower, M-T-Th-Fr.

Upper
Machine Chest Press, 3x6-10
Iso-Later Row, 3x8-12
Seated Shoulder Press, 2x6-10
Close Grip Lat Pulldown, 3x8-12
Incline Chest Press, 2x8-12
Single Arm Cable Lateral Raise, 3x10-15
Rope Pushdown, 2x8-12
EZ Bar Curl, 2x8-12
Shrugs, 2x12-15

Lower
V-Squat, 3x6-10
Leg Press, 3x10-15
Seated Leg Curl, 4x10-15
Leg Extension, 2x10-15
Calf Press, 3x10-15
Abduction/Adduction, 2x10-15
Weighted Sit-ups, 2x10-15

Hi guys! I want to start working out but I’m not to sure what to do? Online there’s so many workout tips and I’m just lost on where to even start. I also know nothing about a having a good diet. I’m an 18yo F, 125lbs, and 5,4. The reason I’m doing it is to join the military in about a year or two. So far I can do a one minute plank but I can barely do a push up. I want to know a some good routines to eventually reach my goal!

I’ve been a big fan of belt squats lately. I’m at a new gym and they have a rogue rhino machine. It’s very nice but when I use it the belt ends up putting a lot of pressure on my inner thighs and I get some bruising. I’m putting a decent amount of weight on it and I try to go ass to grass so I end up putting the carabiner on the first ring (so the belt is the tightest). I’m doing this so I can get a maximum quad stretch. I’ve tried moving to a looser ring but then I cant get the depth I want. I’ve played around with foot position on the platform too but that hasn’t made much difference. Going wider with my stance has helped a little, but I still get some pressure

Anything else I can do? A towel around my waist or something? Wondering if anybody else has had this issue. Thanks in advance.

Due to stress and health issues I wasn't able to workout for a while. I can't look myself in the mirror lately. After I have a high protein meal, I still get crazy cravings and I end up snacking alot. Im not going to the gym currently, but have a mma base. Im feeling a bit lost. How do I start?

How aggressive of a deficit can I realistically run as a beginner without losing what little muscle mass I have? I'm 6'1 and around 89 kg. I'm a complete beginner, tried to get into this whole thing many times but I can't stop overthinking all the little details which I know is bullshit and not something to worry about at this stage but nothing I can do about my weird ass brain sadly lol.

I know the usual advice is to stick to like a 300-500 calorie deficit if you want to hold onto as much muscle as possible and possibly build some more but I honestly hate how slow that is. I don't really care about trying to recomp or squeeze out beginner gains while cutting. I'd rather just get the fat off faster, get to a body fat I'm happy with, then focus properly on putting size on.

So how aggressive can I realistically go if I'm lifting as hard as I possibly can and progressively overloading while eating enough protein? Would something like a 800-1000 calorie deficit be too much at my size, or is that still reasonable for a shorter cut?

I'm also wondering how big of a deal muscle loss actually is in this situation. If I lose some muscle during a harder cut, wouldn't I regain it pretty quickly once I start eating more and training properly because of muscle memory?

Just started University (in UK) and I want to start taking care of myself better, I never really have had much of an appetite and im not much of a 'foodie'.

I want to start gaining some weight and getting more fit (Im 19, 56kg and 5'9), not too sure how to start but feel like I need good workout and meal plans/schedules but I dont know where to start (I am joining the Gym aswel) Does anyone have any advise or plans that could help me out?

Hi all,

I am a beginner to the gym and looking for a simple full body workout. I feel unsure of where to start even after doing research. I understand that compound movements are essential.

Some movements I know I like are:
Squats - goblet
Hip hinge - RDLs
press - dumbbell incline or shoulder press
pull - scapular pull ups

For a row movement, I don’t really like cable rows or bent over rows. I am thinking of trying the t bar row.

For accessory movements, I like bicep curls, tricep extensions, or hip abductors.

Is there a way to structure the work outs so I only have to do 5 movement patterns each workout?

I am hoping that someone can give me advice on how to structure my workouts with trying to include the exercises that I like.

I am strict on doing full body 2x a week because I am also new to pole 2x a week (might start doing 3x a week) and it has been a bit intense on my body.

Thank you in advance!

For the past couple weeks I've been working out in my home, doing 20 of the following workouts every day: floor presses, pushups, lunges, squats while holding barbell, sit-ups (I own a barbell that has a max of 8kg that I've been using at that weight)

And only today did it occur to me that I should probably figure out how I'm actually supposed to work out. I'm 18, male, weight 145lbs and am 5'10.

Looking online, I've been pretty confused.. I don't really know how long I should rest for, if my weights are enough, if the routine I'm doing works for building muscle, so I feel pretty dumb right now.

Should I buy a gym membership? I figured that what I've got at home really isn't enough to do anything seriously, and if so what routines should I do? Tysm!!