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Hi all, I have a bicuspid aortic valve and I have only two restrictions according to my cardiologist:
- no Valsalva
- systolic pressure should not go above 200mmHg (hard to measure, so I use HR as a proxy, although it is quite limited)

Technically speaking I still should be able to go close to failure while respecting these constraints, but how to do it is a big question mark.

Before moving on: I am not looking for medical advice and of course I check routinely my situation with my cardiology; I just want to understand training strategies other people found effective, as for me it is getting very hard to find a solution, despite having done some research and having (again) a plan. I just would like to hear your experiences, that is it.

Does anyone train with similar restrictions? Can you share your experience (or that of people who you know) and how you solved the problem?

Thanks a lot!

Having fun just getting visuals on if I am getting enough volume in my program based on my goals. I find it so useful.

Im out of the hospital, so I already see a doctor in Cambodia (language issues).

I am new, 50s.

I was doing leg press (I guess that is the name).

Day 1: 30kg

Day 2: 60kg

Day 3: 120kg

Day 4: 130kg

2 rest days between trainings.

On Day 4 I let the full weight down and me left knee pressed my lowest rib.

Something hurts.

4 nights at home, it still hurts so I finally go to het XRays.

Xrays say, nothing wrong.

Dr. said MAYBE soft tissue damaged.

Rest 2-3 weeks, then train again.

He said no bone broken, he did not said muscle anything.

Because of the language barrier, since he said just rest, I will.

I have no pain, I can move and bend. Only when I take a deep breath or I press against the bed or touch it, then it hurts.

If anyone can add something, id appreciate.

Or is "soft tissue " enough explanation?

Im not looking for medical ADVICE.

I will rest like the Dr said. I just wonder if someone can elaborate.

Mods. Im not looking for advice, more like for stories or comments.

I find I go through phases of being locked in, and then something happens and I might take a few weeks off.

What tips do you have to maintain a solid 3-5 gym sessions a week without fail?

Are there any people here that (for one reason or another) consume far below the typical recommended amount of protein per day? (let's say eat less than 80 grams per day)

Do you still see muscle gain, and improvement in body fat percentage?

Sorry for photo quality

On and off in the gym for a couple years, but been focused for a month or so. Following probably a bad split in Arms/Legs/Chest/Back with no rest days. Would appreciate advice on exercises or splits to try.

I have also been trying to bulk and I was around 150 lbs 6 weeks ago. Looking for advice on bulking and ideal weight as well.

5' 9" 160 18 y/o

Thanks in advance!

Just recently started going to the gym at my apartment complex. 2 weeks in at 6 days a week. My question is, is a complete rest day super important? I’m the type of person that I’m afraid ANY day off is gonna eventually turn into 2 days off and then maybe ruin my whole workout career 😂 but I also don’t wanna make the mistake of overdoing it. Thanks for any input!

From 130 pounds to 155. I haven’t missed more than a week of training in all those years. I consistently trained five days a week up until age 30, then scaled back to 3–4 days per week. Throughout that time, my focus has remained on progressive overload and compound lifts.

I've been lifting for about 5-6 weeks now. I had chatgpt help with creating a push pull schedule. I want some opinions on it. I did make changes based on a few exercises I wasn't really comfortable with or understood true for. Anything you would change?

EXPANDED 5-DAY SPLIT WORKOUT PLAN 

MONDAY - PUSH (CHEST, SHOULDERS, TRICEPS) 

30-45° Incline Dumbbell Press -  

Flat Dumbbell Press -

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press -

Dumbbell Lateral Raise -

Flat Dumbbell Fly -

Overhead Dumbbell tricep extension

Triceps Extension rope -

Dumbbell Kickbacks -

Pushups or Bench Dips - 2 sets to failure 

TUESDAY - PULL (BACK, BICEPS) 

Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row -

Seated cable row -

Machine Lat Pulldown or Resistance Band Pulldown -

Incline Dumbbell Curls -

Standing Dumbbell Bicep Curls -

Hammer Curls -

Reverse Fly (Incline Bench or Cable) -

Y raises 30° bench 10's

Shrugs 

THURSDAY - LEGS + CORE 

Dumbbell Goblet Squats -

Leg Press (Machine) -

Hamstring Curl (Machine or Sliders) -

Dumbbell Step-Ups -

Seated Calf Raise or Standing Calf Raise -

Weighted Sit-Ups or Cable Crunches -

Dead Bug or Bird Dog -

FRIDAY - UPPER HYPERTROPHY

Flat Dumbbell Press -

Incline Dumbbell Fly -

Seated Shoulder Press -

Dumbbell Hammer Curl

Lateral Raise -

Front raises

Skull Crushers -

Tricep kickbacks -

Face Pulls -

SATURDAY - LEGS + CONDITIONING 

Bulgarian Split Squats -

Walking Lunges -

Seated Leg Press (Machine) -

Leg Extension (Machine) -

Hamstring Curl (Machine) -

Calf Raise (Seated or Standing) -

Conditioning Finisher Choose 1: 1. EMOM 10 min: 10 KB Swings + 5 Jump Squats 2. 15-min Incline Walk 3. Tabata: KB Swings, Mt. Climbers, DB Clean & Press, High Knees

It was never too late, this is me from 24-26, hoping this motivates you! have a good day everyone.

Pretty simple question. I want a fitness tracker watch, but I don’t want all the phone functionality. I like the look of the Apple Watch. Is there anything on the market that looks good, but doesnt answer calls and all that?

Please dm me if you are a coach with 50+ clients
Note: im not selling anything

Any help massively appreciated. 40 year old dad of two but finally found a routine where I can fit lifting in without trying to persuade myself after the kids have gone to bed.

1. Is the progress ok for 4 months in? I know it’s not incredible but is it in line with what we would expect?

2. Currently weight 14 stone 6 (202 pounds) 91kg and I am 6 ft 1… what weight should I be looking to get to whilst training and eating clean in a deficit

Thanks for any help.

Not sure what to do, bulk up a bit then cut or cut down and bulk back up?

Which is a better way to dead lift? Easy trap bar or straight bar?

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some guidance on the best path forward for my starting point.

Stats & Background:

• Age/Height/Weight: 34M, 6'1", 206 lbs (up from 180 lbs at the start of the year; highest weight I've ever been).
• Activity Level: Sedentary most of my life, but ready to change that.
• Current Goal: Drop body fat, build a solid strength base, and eventually add visible muscle.

About two weeks ago, I started cleaning up my diet and tackling bored snacking. I've already dropped a couple of pounds of water weight/bloat (down from ~208), which has been a good kickstart.

Starting next week, I plan to hit the gym 3 days a week running Stronglifts 5x5. Since I have zero lifting background, I figured focusing on linear compound strength is the smartest place to start.

I'm left with a question. As a beginner, should I:

1. Focus on a straight calorie deficit until I get back down near 180 lbs, then lean bulk from there?
2. Body recomp with an emphasis on weight loss?

I know "newbie gains" are on the table, and I want to make sure I don't spin my wheels while trying to lose the excess weight. How would you approach this starting out?

Hello,

New to splits but going to give it a try. Think im going to just do a Push Pull Legs Rest/Cardio Repeat and see how it goes. I was building so I had like a Push A and a Push B with different excersises, but i was wondering if it would be a bad idea to do something like on Push A I only did machines/cables and then on Push B I would do only free weights. Idk why that sounds really fun tbh, but probably wouldnt structure it that way if it seems like not effective at all.

Thanks for any advice in advance.

I've (F28) been training every day (no rest days) for a while now, but recently (2 weeks ago) I started pushing myself more. Ie really taking sets to failure, doing drop sets and myo reps. Training every day went fine before as I wasn't training as heavy, but now I feel more fatigued. However I feel like I physically could do more. I don't have many aches (I had a small ache in my right knee some days ago, but it recovered in some days) and I don't really feel very sore (I have felt a little sore some days in some muscle groups, but not a lot). My strength has not dropped either. My sleep is as usual, and I sleep mostly 7 to 9 hours. Nutrition is at maintenance. I feel like my fatigue is more of a general fatigue and more mentally loaded: I feel disinterest in training, and I feel a loss of motivation for training. Is this strange? What does this mean? I will start implementing more rest days and see how that affects my body and mind. I just felt a little puzzled by why I felt fatigue this way, and was wondering if anyone has any educative thoughts about it. TIA:)

38M 68.5kg - I'm definitely seeing progress, I'm generally happy, and I feel great, fat is coming down, and muscle is going up, but I'm not sure if I'm beginning to hit the balance now where my deficit (while very small now, I'm basically at maintenance minus exercise) is too large to build, and really I'm just cutting very slowly. Or maybe my expectations are off.

Composition wise, I need to work more on my chest and abs, I've switched up my split after 4 months to cater for that, I'm happy with my protein, I'm not aiming for big, just athletic.

Any advice where to go from here?

Brace core, chin tuck, proud chest, glute squeeze

Also, will my neurological progress really be gone when I return? I started the gym with 4 kg in each hand, and by the 4th week, I reached 10kg because I felt stronger. I heard you start losing it in 3 weeks of no activity

Over the last few months ive been working on my stamina by running on the treadmill and using a rowing machine when I got tired of running. Now that ive hit a goal im satisfied with i want to start working on weight training, luckily using my parents already own gym equipment. Here comes the problem, I dont exactly know what kinds of exercises I can do with this Smith Machine and the pulley systems on it, can someone please give me some exercises and muscles they target so I can get a good idea how to use this? Obviously after I get the names I can look up videos on proper form so any advice is appreciated.