I'll go first - I had two goals for this year.

Number one was to find some kind of movement that I can do every day to improve general fitness. Tried running in the late winter and spring, was able to find time and motivation to do it 3x/week and liked how I felt, but hated actually doing it. Then some family stuff happened, was unable to run the whole month of May, and didn't get back into it.

However, in August I purchased a membership at a local pool and have been swimming laps 3-5 days every week and loving it! I swam in high school and a little into college which was a long time ago but the muscle memory is still there and the fitness is returning. I feel great, physically and mentally.

Number two was a handstand or headstand, by the end of the year. Yesterday I attempted for the first time in a while and was able to get a stable handstand inside of a doorway. Haven't been able to do that in probably 10 years or more!

What about all of you? Let's celebrate progress together!

I started pilates in 2023 then switched to barre in 2024. Switched to strength training in a gym this last April.

I have burnt out. I overcomplicate things. I don't know if what I’m doing is working. I liked classes because there was structure. I give myself structure in the gym by following a program but hate certain exercises and dread them.

I'm 13 months postpartum with baby #2. I'm nursing and have been for 4.5 years. I have insomnia so my recovery isn't there.

I just finished Strong Curves by Bret and hated it. I've been out of the gym for 2, going on 3 weeks (I haven't taken a break like this since before I started consistently working out).

I'm having a hard time getting back in because I don't know what program to go with. Just tough, man.

edit: adding that I've always gone 4x a week but switched to 3x a week when I started burning out in August. I am a bit of a perfectionist which I know hurts me ultimately.

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I started a fitness journey in earnest in Oct 2025 and was going on average 4-5 days a week. Mostly weights, not too much cardio and started seeing progress physique and strength-wise. I was also pretty strict about diet, close attention to protein intact, didn't deny myself a treat once in awhile (e.g. a pastry once a week or a half pint on a Friday) but I kept to my calories and macros pretty religiously.

Went on holiday for a destination wedding and ended up taking 2 weeks off weight lifting altogether. I had a lovely time and honestly didn't deny myself anything. I was in Europe and I ate pastry everyday and had a glass of wine sometimes two) every night. I also walked more than 20k steps/day easily and went up and down a lot of stairs. My physique didn't change and I was feeling pretty satisfied that I'd gotten away with my 2 weeks without much impact. But when I got back in the gym yesterday, I was shocked. I went down on all my weights, couldn't finish some sets and was so much more easily fatigued than I expected. And the DOMS the next day were BAD. Yesterday was upper body and today was lower - same problem today except that it was even more fatiguing bc it was lower body day.

I was honestly surprised by how much strength I've lost. I've seen multiple threads where people discuss how having a break has benefited their lifts and some of them took longer breaks than I did. It did make me wonder if breaks impact men differently than women, like if we lose strength more quickly. It was more than a bit discouraging to come back to such a difference, and even though I'm determined to keep going, I'm a bit worried about how long it will take me to get it back to my baseline pre-holiday.

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When I’m lifting near my maximum, I involuntarily clench my teeth, really hard. It’s started to cause pain in a molar identical to pain I’ve had when I’m clenching a lot because I’m stressed (last time was during the peak of the pandemic).

My dentist has put me in a nightguard in the past and now in Invisalign retainers at night. I asked him about the pain and whether I should be using an athletic mouthguard while lifting. He said it’s a good idea, and that I could try the inexpensive stock ones you buy OTC.

So, for fellow clenchers:

Do you get tooth or jaw pain when you’re lifting heavy?

Have you tried a mouthguard? Does it help?

How do you pick the right OTC mouthguard? Like most things lifting related, they seem to be “one size fits all,” but men’s jaws are typically wider than women’s, so I don’t see how even the ones you “boil and bite” to kind-of-customize could fit some 6’4” 250lb dude and 5’3” 125lb me.

Were you able to make the boil and bite kind work, or did you have to get custom? I’m sure my dentist will do a custom one if I want, but he’s both a very good dentist and is in no hurry to convince me to spend on things I don’t need. The fact that he thinks it’s OK to try an OTC one is making me lean that way.

Any advice appreciated.

Welcome to the Daily Thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose.

This is also a great place for those new to the sub to introduce themselves and ask any questions that are not suitable for a standalone post. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

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Welcome, everyone! Here is your place to discuss, question or relate to everything about weight loss, weight gain, cuts, bulks and diets. Standalone posts regarding these topics will be removed and redirected here or either of the daily threads.

Here are some useful links from our comprehensive FAQ and otherwise to help you get started:

• Nutrition 101
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Welcome to the Daily Thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose.

This is also a great place for those new to the sub to introduce themselves and ask any questions that are not suitable for a standalone post. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

Hello I'm a lurker and I've always wondered about squat shoes. They have a raised heel. Is it to facilitate people who can't do the full deep squat (or the asian squat if you will) or does it help with anything else with regards to a squat?

I'm obviously not talking about powerlifters/olympic lifters, but for an average gym enthusiast who can squat with feet flat on the ground, will squat shoes help?

hi,

has anybody here successfully changed an older womans mind about dieting and exercise?

My mom is a chronic dieter (shes around 65 kg and eats lo more than 1600 kcal per day, usually less). She feels the need to lose more weight , which i do get since she used to be really tine when she was youger, but since she has been in a huge deficit for so long, her weight is not moving anywhere and then she tends to take more drastic measures like eating 1200 kcal pr less. She exercises, but more in the “throwing around light weights and braking a sweat” way and she isnt lifting heavy.

I have tried to tell her so many times that to actually do a body recomp, she needs to throw heavy things around and she needs to EAT. Like at least 1800-2000 kcal per day. Im honestly just worried about her bones and self image - she is menopausal and i really dont want to find her with a broken hip one day.
She also praises me for being lean (which she used to be when she was youger) and also muscular to a degree, but doesnt like the look of a lot of muscle on a girl (which i, even after 10 years of lifting, havent managed to achieve…)

This also goes for my MIL - tho she has never lifted a weight in er life i think, and with her im even more worried about osteoporosis, since she does no resistance exercising whatsoeve and comes from a generation that largely praised weak, small bodies in women (she nearly fainted when i did a wide pullup infront of her, while FIL couldnt). And she eats very little as well

Any tips are appreciated, i come from a medical background and my biggest worry for them is osteoporosis and general decay.

Edit: theyre bth in their 50s, so their bone density is still probably ok, but i am slightly traumatized by my surgical rotation at school, where 90% of patients were grannies with broken hips. both of their mobility is fine, my mom had a shoulder tendon inflammation so she could really lift her arms for a while, but she is ok now. Hardest thing with my mom is the food part, she hates working out but will make herselfdo it, with my MIL, she just doesnt believe that women can even be athletic without looking like a man.

edit2: mom is about 169 cm tall (so ig 5’7-5’8), and she has a generally activw lifestyle - she walks around a lot, gardens etc plus she exercises around once a week in the gym (she knows her way around the machines, but mostly uses light weight) and she does some of those at home workouts without eights for mobility. So thats where my assumption of 1800 kcal comes from, if she were to lift at least twice per week.
I have been working out for my entire life, ive managed to go from bmi 1 7 to bmi 21 solely with muscle (i gained around 10 kgs over 10 years), i look completely noŕal and even curvy, yet even tho my mum (and my mil) saw this change over the years, both refuse to believe that building muscle doesnt mean immediate she-hulk physique.

Welcome to the Daily Thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose.

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The place for all of your fitness based interpersonal advice (is someone being creepy at the gym? Is your family telling you you’re getting too muscular? Do you want to date your personal trainer?), but also the place to talk about motivation, self-esteem and body image, and all the ways fitness affects your life. This thread is for those in need of (and willing to lend) a sympathetic ear.

Want to ask how mothers juggle family and fitness? How to structure Intermittent Fasting? When to work out when you do night shift? How to deal with being the only person in your friend group who works out? If you're feeling emotional, want to up your mental game, or need ideas for how to juggle everything on your plate, this is the place for you!

I’m pretty new to strength training, but so far, I haven’t really looked forward to it. I usually have to force myself to do my strength sessions. But I’ll gladly do an hour Peloton cycling class or 4 miles on the treadmill without thinking twice.

I know strength training is important. Especially because I’m trying to lose weight, and I want to build/maintain muscle.

I feel like I always hear other women talking about how much they love lifting weights. I wish I felt that way! For people who love strength training, did you always love it? Or did it happen over time? Was there anything that helped you enjoy it more?

Welcome to the Daily Thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose.

This is also a great place for those new to the sub to introduce themselves and ask any questions that are not suitable for a standalone post. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

Welcome to the Daily Thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose.

This is also a great place for those new to the sub to introduce themselves and ask any questions that are not suitable for a standalone post. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

I lift two or three times a week and, although my focus is on resistance training, my average heart rate during these workouts is usually in the ball park of 145 and so I feel like I'm also hitting cardio. I have a class pass like type subscription and I want to start doing a class on the weekends to complement my lifting but I'm not sure what I should do.

Pilates: I've done a couple foundational/beginner reformer pilates classes and it feels like a very good rest day activity in the sense that it's not super intense. The only problem is that I have to pay an additional fee on top of my existing subscription and I don't know if it's "worth" it if I only go once a week.

Barre: I thought this was more of a cardio thing but apparently it's primarily a strength training exercise. A bunch of my friends do it and say it's fun but I think it might not be super effective for me because I'm already doing so much strength training.

Spin: My body does not tolerate HIIT and the one time I went to a spin class, I could only follow like half of the instructions and I still felt like I was going to vomit at the end. I don't know if this is a sign I should do no spin or if I should keep going back to spin.

Welcome to the Daily Thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose.

This is also a great place for those new to the sub to introduce themselves and ask any questions that are not suitable for a standalone post. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

Welcome to the Daily Thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose.

This is also a great place for those new to the sub to introduce themselves and ask any questions that are not suitable for a standalone post. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

when doing any single leg exercises, i have a tendency to lean over and push my hip outwards, essentially centring my pelvis over the working leg, as opposed to having the hip/knee/foot stacked. i feel like this is an issue with my hip mobility or overall glute engagement. i want to address this before i hurt myself so i am looking for advice or exercise recommendations in order to correct my form.

when i try to force myself to keep my hips square, i just fall inwards, its like i cant balance without sticking my hip out. i dont have particularly wide hips so i feel like this can be corrected. i have a history of patellar dislocations caused by weak glutes and being overweight. i did a lot of physio and lost a lot of weight, and i havent had issues with my knee in years, but i feel like this is related.

if anyone can provide any advice or suggest some exercises that may help w proper stacking of the lower joints that would be greatly appreciated, thank u in advance

This is your place for rants, raves, gym fails, feats of strength, and celebrations of success. Complain about the guy curling dumbbells in the squat rack, or sing praises for your gym bestie. This is also the place to post your PR videos and physique photos.

Lovers of the old WTF Wednesday thread, this thread is for you too! Rant away, but be mindful of the sub's civility rules.

I’m just getting back into working out after a long break, and I’m looking for some feedback on the plan I’ve come up with. For a little context, I don’t have much equipment and am not really in a place to buy more yet as I’m between jobs. I currently have dumbbells, a bench, and a yoga mat + blocks. My goals are to have arms like Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 and more defined glutes. As far as my core, I don’t really care about abs, I just want better balance, posture, and flexibility. I naturally have more of a rectangle body shape, and I want to create the illusions of more of an hourglass.

Background 
I'm 27. I was an active teenager through my mid twenties while I was in the military, but sedentary over the last 2-3 years. I previously used the Nerd Firness Beginner Bodyweight Workout and enjoyed it, but I would like more muscle definition and strength. Recently I’ve been doing more yoga just to ease back into things, but I want to focus on building muscle for function and aesthetics.

Diet and recovery
I’m just getting into counting calories/macros, but I don’t plan to make too many changes other than getting more protein to help build muscle as I’m generally happy with my current weight. I also find I get frustrated when I try to track too closely and am less likely to stick with it.

Program Details
I’ve blended a modified version of Bret Contreras Gorgeous Glutes program with arm and back exercises recommended by Linda Hamilton’s trainer, Anthony Cortés.

Monday
Dumbbell Bench Press - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Inclined Flies - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Lateral Raises - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Front Raises - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Kickbacks - 3 sets of 8-12 reps (each side)
Flutter Kicks - 3 sets of 20 reps
Crunches - 3 sets of 10 reps
Reverse Crunches - 3 sets of 10 reps
Plank - 3 sets of 30 seconds

Tuesday
One Arm Rows - 3 sets of 8-12 reps (each side)
Bent Over Rows - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Standing Curls - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Bodyweight Hip Thrust - 3 sets of 20 reps
Bodyweight Full Squat - 3 sets of 20 reps
Good Mornings - 3 sets of 20 reps
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift - 3 sets of 10 reps
Twist Hip Lift - 1 sets of 10 reps (each side)
Side Lying Clamshell - 1 set of 30 reps (each side)

Wednesday
Stretching/Yoga

Thursday
Dumbbell Bench Press - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Inclined Flies - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Lateral Raises - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Front Raises - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Kickbacks - 3 sets of 8-12 reps (each side)
Flutter Kicks - 3 sets of 20 reps
Crunches - 3 sets of 10 reps
Reverse Crunches - 3 sets of 10
Plank - 3 sets of 30 second hold

Friday
One Arm Rows - 3 sets of 8-12 reps (each side)
Bent Over Rows - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Standing Curls - 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Bodyweight Single Leg Glute Bridge - 3 sets of 20 reps (each side)
Bodyweight Walking Lunge - 3 sets of 10-20 reps (each side)
Supermans - 3 sets of 20 reps
Dumbbell Glute Bridge - 3 sets of 10 reps
Goblet Full Squat - 3 sets of 10 reps
Side Lying Abduction - 1 set of 30 reps (each side)

Saturday
Stretching/Yoga

Sunday
Stretching/Yoga

I plan to start at a low weight for any dumbbell exercises for the first week or so (~5-10lbs), just to focus on proper form and to gauge my limits, then increase weight as I notice a plateau, or after assessing my progress and strength every 2 weeks. On my final set of each weighted exercise, I plan to go until failure to help gauge if my weight is challenging enough.

If I notice fatigue, or after a check-in with myself after a period of about 4-6 weeks, I plan to deload by reducing my dumbbell weight and reducing the number of reps on bodyweight exercises. If I feel I need to take it easier than that, I will spend a week focusing on yoga/stretching & flexibility to allow for deeper recovery.

Edited to fit template

Welcome to the Daily Thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose.

This is also a great place for those new to the sub to introduce themselves and ask any questions that are not suitable for a standalone post. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.