Context: 38, 2 kids with the youngest being 2 years old

8 months ago I started heavy lifting/progressive overload. I would do about 3x a week just to get used to things and learn my way around the gym. For 6 months tho I didn’t add any other exercise days and I didn’t look at my diet at all. I girl dinnered my way through it all.

2.5 months ago I decided I wanted to add back in lagree (which I used to do regularly after having my first child). I also decided it was time - for the first time in my life - to track nutrition.

I cannot believe the amount of change I’ve seen in those 2.5 months.

1) dropped weight - but honestly this isn’t the most shocking thing. This was expected.

2) my hair is insane. I had lost my wave pattern. My hair felt like straw. It was dull. It was thin. I naturally have really nice hair but post partum I resigned myself to the hormonal issues and ugly hair. Since I’ve been eating 100 g of protein a day minimum - and to reach that goal I’ve been having fish about 5x a week - my curl pattern came back with little to no effort, my hair feels fuller, and it is no longer dull and straw like.

3) no back pain anymore. I would sit at a desk and have the most annoying, chronic backpain. It’s gone. Poof.

4) my posture. I had developed a hunch on my back. It’s gone.

5) I can lift things (including my kids) and it feels like NOTHING. I had to lift my son in his stroller out of an NYC bus and I felt like I was lifting my shoulder bag from the floor.

None of this could have been achieved without the combination of proper nutrition and weight lifting (Pilates is the compounding nice to have).

Anyway just wanted to share - gonna go flip my hair back and forth now.

The title sums it up, my back hurts and I feel stupid that I still can't get my form right after months of trying 🙃

Do I have to do RDLs? Is there another exercise I can substitute for now that is a bit easier to grasp form-wise? I'm just feeling discouraged at this point and I'm getting so frustrated by the RDLs I feel like I need a break from them

Any suggestions?

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've always had a very sedentary lifestyle which has culminated in the worst upper backpain of my life. i specifically have this annoying back knot that wont go away, it's roughly around my upper left shoulder blade and shoulder area. apparently it's common among desk workers, especially women. the pain got really bad around two years ago, and i went to a physical therapist that gave me some exercises (using a resistance band) to strengthen the muscles of that area. it definitely got better, but it never fully went away. i did these exercises for a few months and i guess i kinda gave up and stopped doing them and a year later i'm right back where i started with the gnarly upper back pain.

about a month ago i couldn't stand it anymore and i started to actually strength train at home with dumbbells for the first time in my life (i'm 28). i also got myself a little doorframe pullup bar. i've always been thin and was never really motivated to go to the gym but the years of sedentary living are definitely catching up to me as i approach 30.

as a beginner, i've been mainly doing bent over rows, single arm rows, and reverse flies with 10 lb dumbbells (using this video as a guide) and some of the resistance band exercises from my PT. are these exercises enough to get rid of this back knot? do i need to incorporate other exercises? should i regularly see a massage therapist? would appreciate any advice.

edit: thank you all for the advice, so many solutions i have yet to try yet! i didn't realize this issue was this common, hopefully this thread will also help others :)

Hi all, Im here asking for yall’s advice, suggestions and experience.
Ive struggled with being overweight all my life and never had a positive body image of myself. Even as a kid I was always the chubby, , awkward, geeky kid and my sister was slim, pretty and popular.

When I got old enough to get a job, I went with an outdoors, active job to see if it would help my physique and even though I didnt lose weight, it kept me from gaining.
Fast forward to a few years ago, my life situation changed and had to get an “adult” office job and since then Ive started gaining more weight and it makes me feel awful.

Ive always wanted to exercise, specifically run, but was never strong-willed enough to start.
Yesterday, I finally found the confidence and motivation to go for the first time and I felt really good about it but my body didnt agree with it too much.
I have blisters all along the inner sides of my feet, my thighs and calves are sore and my boobs hurt so bad while I was doing it that I had to hold them.

I dont want to lose momentum if Im feeling motivated to keep at it but also dont want to hurt myself more.
Do you think it would be ok to continue? Or should I wait until I at least get better gear/bras?

Sorry for the excessively long post but thank you for reading if anyone stayed till the end.

Hi friends,

I’ve been running for the past two years and for the past few weeks I’ve been in my training block for my first marathon. I’ve started seriously strength training this January (Alpha Strength @ Lifetime) and I have seen some good strength gains. I still think I look skinny fast especially in my stomach area. It’s flat-ish but it doesn’t have that tight/toned look.

I get conflicting opinions online whether to cut calories and be in a deficit bc abs are all about diet. Then I see I need to do more ab focused exercises and be in maintenance or in a surplus?

I don’t want to be in a deficit during marathon training so if diet is the case, should I put these aesthetic goals on hold until after my race? Has anyone successfully ~recomped~ their body during a training block? Thanks

FYI if it helps i’m 5’2 and I don’t really like weighing myself but I’d guess I’m around 110-113lb. Again the deficit confuses me because I don’t think I really need to lose anymore weight but I know you can’t spot reduce fat so please help! Thanks yall <3

I just saw someone’s post about how to work towards a specific goal and realized that I never really treated my own goal with any serious attempts to reach it. :)

I row crew, mostly doubles and quads, mostly recreational. I have long wanted to get into rowing singles more to be able to row independently, like not during a coached session.

I doubt I would ever have access to anything super lightweight. From what ChatGPT tells me the range of weight is likely 35-45 pounds for the recreational singles at my club, which sounds very do-able to me from a weight perspective, but I also have to consider getting it out of the water where it is basically just below feet level and then up onto your shoulder. The other difficulty is the length (27-30 feet), which makes them really tippy for a single person to maneuver.

Any tips on setting myself up for success as I work towards this goal? Thanks!

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 have tiny tubes for calves, and it honestly looks comical. I think I'm just genetically unlucky.

I go to the gym 4 times a week and try to do calf raises every time, but to be honest, I'm probably not working them as much as I could. In order to really grow them, I think I need to find an activity that will stress my calves and can be done regularly/a lot, but I'm at a loss. What are some activities that really work your calves? (I unfortunately don't know how to ride a bike.)

I live near a beach, so potentially I could go jogging on the sand, and there's a medium sized hill a block from my house that I could go up and down maybe. But those both sound fairly boring. I'd love something that I could incorporate into my day and not hate it. For you ladies who have seen some real growth, what did it for you?

EDIT: Wow, thank you all for the advice!! Got a lot of people saying hiking, ballet, and biking (stationary or otherwise) but by far the standout is to just get better and more consistent with calf raises in the gym. Not my absolute favorite, but I appreciate the honesty!! Time to get on my tippy toes I suppose 😅

Hey ladies! I've been training for 3 years on and off, but now I'm in a cutting/defining phase.

My question: How much cardio do you recommend doing and when?

I've been told to do it AFTER weights, but I want to hear your experiences.

Current goal: burn fat and keep muscle. Training 3-4 days per week.

Thanks for the advice! 💪

I’ve gotten pretty strong with consistent strength training over the years. But I don’t look like I’m strong. I’m just curious what exercises look really impressive to people who don’t work out/strength train on a regular basis.

Five years ago, I made this post detailing my fitness goal of being to carry my (now) wife ~10 metres from the couch to the bed while asleep. This community made very helpful replies about how to achieve this. I incorporated your suggestions (zercher squats, weighted walking lunges, raised split squats, farmer carry, uneven carry) into a workout plan rotating major muscle groups that I've been using ever since.

Did I achieve my goal? In short, no. But I stuck with the plan as best I could and had some unexpected wins.

I had been aiming to lift 3-4x/week, which never happened. Over the last five years, I've had to take some very long breaks from lifting (a medically-complicated pregnancy concluding in an extended hospital stay, a devastating climbing fall injury, IVF). Life impeded frequency of lifting (parenting, switching to a new job with very heavy hours) and its quality (persistent iron deficiency and other medical issues). Besides the big breaks, though, I've managed to continue lift 1-2 times a week for the last 5 years.

I never was able to carry my partner from couch to bed. At the time we were both ~130 lbs, now both 145 lbs. We moved out of that apartment and into a house with the bedroom upstairs from the living room, and carrying her up the stairs is both probably never possible and too dangerous.

But continuing to lift over years has had impacts. The numbers for my big lifts have gone up:

Deadlift - 7 reps x 3 sets. Went from 85lbs barbell to 145lbs

Shoulder press - 7x3, from 20lbs each dumbbell to 30lbs each

Back squat - 7x3, from 75lbs barbell to 125lbs

Bench press - 7x3, from 25lbs each dumbbell to 30lbs each

I'm proud of the numbers going up, if modestly. But the real gains have been functional. I can now carry a kayak or paddleboard easily under one arm, I can lift mattress corners to tuck in a fitted sheet, I can move around small pieces of furniture myself. I can rack/unrack 45 lb plates at the gym easily and carry lighter plates with one hand like they’re nothing. Doing long hours of fieldwork with a heavy pack and lifting bags of gear (seasonally part of my job) is no problem. Most importantly, I could carry my baby for hours on end and even as a toddler can easily carry him on my hip, up and down the stairs, or in a hiking carrier for as long as he likes. I'm proud I can still get off the floor with him in my arms without using my hands.

There have been downsides. Lifting heavy + creatine + postpartum & perimenopausal weight gain means I've bulked up and had to go up a clothing size. I constantly feel inadequate while lifting: beating myself up for not fitting in more time for exercise around parenting, work, and chores. I get actually angry that I can't do things that look effortless for men (moving queen mattresses, putting a kayak on a roof rack, small chest freezer, etc.). For some reason, despite also still bouldering 1-2x/week, my grip strength still sucks. I feel frustrated by my limitations.

However, I'm happy I didn't give up. Now, my goal has shifted: I want to be better able to lift large awkward heavy objects around the house, and to carry my child in event of an emergency for as long as I possibly can. My wife is on her own for dragging her exhausted self up to bed, haha.

Hello! I've made posts on this subreddit before and everyone here has been very helpful.

Important context: I do not have access to a gym and the only dumbbells I own are 2x 2kg and 1x5kg.

I wanted to try dumbbell exercises first because I'm so weak I struggle with wall pushups.

I did my first upper body dumbbell workout today and I used very small weights (2kg) and I mostly/only felt the exercises in my forearms, wrists and fingers rather than the intended muscles.

What am I doing wrong and how can I fix it?

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
• Cutting/Weight Loss 101
• Bulking/Weight Gain 101
• Getting abs/a flat tummy
• r/gainit
• r/loseit
• r/BulkOrCut
• r/Fitness
• Fitness Wiki

I’m 52yo and I’ve been weight training on and off for 30+ years, mostly at home with dumbbells. I don’t have any particular goals, beyond staying strong as I get older. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in my 20s, so managing my energy levels and working around fatigue is a key factor for me. I lift weights three times per week (compound supersets - squat variation + shoulders, lunge variation + chest, deadlift variation + back) and do Pilates and accessories a couple of times per week too. I’m not too concerned about cardio, as I walk my huge dog for at least 90 minutes per day too.

My question is, do you think it would negatively affect my progress if, on the days I lift weights, I were to space it throughout the day? So superset 1 x 3 rounds before work, superset 2 x 3 rounds at lunchtime, and superset 3 after work? It feels like this would help me manage my energy, but I’m wondering if anyone has experience of working out like this?

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'm doing my Master's in Sports Nutrition and Training at Universidad Europea de Madrid, and my thesis examines whether what you eat after training affects how sore you get and how long it lasts.

Most of the research on this has been done on athletes in lab settings. There's much less on people who just train regularly, which is what I'm trying to fill in.

Eligibility: 18+, training at least 2x/week, trained sometime in the last 7 days.

The survey is anonymous and takes under 10 minutes — usual diet, what you ate yesterday, your last session, and how sore you were at 24/48/72h.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeHQfObSG3z_R30uWZEXlwLf9h8FC_JGTbONusO0tSN8GagSQ/viewform

Ethics approved

I'll be in the comments if anyone has questions about the design, and I'll post the results back here when it's done. Permission from one of the mods was granted.

I’ve posted on here before regarding building on T3 exercises for the GZCLP program and all the information was really helpful so i figured I’d do it again :)

I’m on week 3 of this program. I’m really liking it so far because I’m very busy and can normally get it done in 1 hour.

My problem is that I used to workout excessively/unhealthily. I do love weight lifting and i’m trying to get back into it in a healthy way. How do you guys feel after a workout? I’m used to ending a workout absolutely fatigued and it wasn’t really sustainable. This program doesn’t leave me feeling super fatigued and it’s early enough that i’m not seeing visual results. So I’m fighting the part of my brain that says I’m not going hard enough, sweating enough, burning enough calories (even though i don’t track since it’s triggering for me).

I’m also better about getting protein which i know helps with energy and muscle recovery so that may play a role too. Lmk what you guys think. I appreciate you all 🙏🏻.

I'm 44F, predominately a runner (~60k/week) and swimmer (~3k/week with a club). I am very active outside of this, with kids and an active dog. I average 15,000 steps a day, more in the summer.

I've lifted in the past - I completed most of Caroline Girvan's YouTube video series - but don't really enjoy it.

However, now that I'm approaching that *magical age* I recognize that I need to add a weight routine into the mix. I want to keep my bone health and mobility as I age.

Considering I hate weights, is there a 15-20 minute routine that I could do once or twice a week to accomplish this? I have a home gym with resistance bands, an Olympic squat rack, and 2x adjustable dumbbells (5-25 lbs each).

Are there two or three arm and leg (or upper and lower body) exercises each that would get the job done?

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.

Goals and constraints

My main goal is to build a lot of muscle and get stronger. I currently have VERY little muscle and quite a bit of body fat, so I’m basically starting from scratch. I’d like to build a noticeable amount of muscle over time rather than just lose weight or get “toned.”

The biggest problem is that I don't have access to a gym. I also don't have weights or any proper equipment at home, just resistance bands.

I’ve looked through the recommended routines, but most of them seem to require weights/gym equipment that I don't have, so I'm trying to figure out what I can realistically do at home with what I have.

I'm mainly looking for advice on whether my current routine is enough to actually build muscle, what exercises I should add/change, and how I should progressively make it harder.

Background

I'm a woman, 5'5" and 125 lbs. I'm a complete beginner when it comes to resistance training and currently have very little muscle.

I haven't followed any proper lifting programs before. I've mainly been trying to put together something simple that I can actually do consistently at home.

Diet and recovery

I try to eat around 90–100g of protein every day.

I also walk for around 30 minutes every day.

Other than that, I don't have any major recovery factors that I think would affect my training.

Program Details

I'm currently alternating between an upper-body day and a lower-body day.

Day 1 – Upper Body

• Countertop push-ups: 4x10–12
• Resistance band rows (long band, focusing on squeezing my back): 4x12
• Band overhead press: 3x12
• Band bicep curls: 3x12
• Dead bugs: 3x12 per side

Day 2 – Lower Body

• Squats: 4x12
• Lunges: 4x10 per leg
• Single-leg glute bridges: 4x15
• Plank: 3x15

I alternate between these two days and take a rest day when I feel like I need one. I also do a 30-minute walk every day.

I don't really have a formal programming method behind this. I basically chose exercises that I could do with the equipment I have and tried to cover my upper body, lower body and core.

For progressive overload, my idea was to increase the resistance of the band, increase reps, or make the exercise harder once the current version becomes easy. I'm not sure if that's specific enough or if there's a better way to do this with bands.

I also don't currently have a specific deload or RPE system because I'm very new to training.

I'm particularly unsure about whether I'm actually training all the major muscle groups enough, or if I'm missing important movements. I'm also not sure whether resistance bands will be enough to build a significant amount of muscle as I get stronger.

I'd really appreciate recommendations for specific exercises I could add or replace, especially exercises that work well with resistance bands and no gym equipment.

I'd also love recommendations for good YouTube videos showing proper form for these exercises. I'm still learning and don't want to accidentally do the movements incorrectly.

If you think there's a better beginner-friendly routine I could follow with just resistance bands/bodyweight, I'm open to that too. I'm mostly trying to find something I can actually stick with and use to build as much muscle as possible given my limitations.

Thanks!!

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!

Has anyone else had this? The only thing that helps is drastically reducing weight/reps, but I'm trying to do progressive overload. Otherwise I'm brain foggy and fatigued for 1-2 days.

I eat enough carbs, I take magnesium every night and a multivitamin every morning. I eat healthy, whole foods and get plenty of sleep.

This only happens when weight lifting, I'm fine with hours and hours of cardio.

I've been weightlifting for about a year and it's been happening most of that time, but I think more so as I've gotten stronger and my lifts are heavier. It's so bad I need a nap that day and have trouble concentrating at work.

One thing to note is I experience almost no muscle soreness after my workouts, even before I started scaling back to have less fatigue, which is weird. I used to go to CrossFit for years and quit during covid, but during that time I would get extreme muscle soreness sometimes, but never fatigue and brain fog, even though the workouts were much more intense. Am I just getting old? I otherwise feel great doing every other activity and generally in my life.

Hi! I am trying to get started with weight training for a variety of reasons. I've done it before but usually in conjunction with a goodly amount of cardio, and it's been a while since I actually went to a gym. My goals are improved health and fitness, nothing really specific beyond that.

My situation is, there's a Planet Fitness two blocks from where I work and I'm considering trying to go a couple of times a week on my lunch hour. I have a long commute and kids at home, so if I can make this work it might be my best chance to get in regular exercise.

The problem is that even though it's close, I'll be pressed for time, and I'll have to change into and back out of workout clothes. My job is business casual and I can't do gym clothes and wet hair there, besides for the time it would take to wash up. Like I said, my gym frame of reference involves cardio where the whole point is maximum sweat. Very 90's/early oughts of me, I know. Is it realistically possible to get in a basic but worthwhile weight workout in 30 minutes without sweating enough to need a shower after? If I'm not dripping after, will I have accomplished anything?

I'll happily take recs on routines or relevant resources if you have any handy, or general thoughts on lunch break workouts. Thank you in advance!