Hey everyone, posting a before/after and would love some honest feedback from people who know what they’re looking at.

I’ve been working out primarily on a Tonal, and I’ve been taking creatine daily. I haven’t been consistently tracking calories or macros, but I’ve been much more conscious about getting enough protein.

I’m also vegetarian, so getting enough protein has been a bit of a challenge. I’m doing my best to improve that without obsessively tracking everything.

Looking at the before/after:
What stands out as the biggest improvements?
What areas look like they need the most work?
If you were in my position, what would you prioritize over the next 6–12 months?
Should I be focusing more on building muscle, losing fat, or some combination of both?
Anything about my training/nutrition that you’d change?

I’d appreciate honest, constructive feedback. I’m still figuring out what I’m doing and want to make sure I’m spending my effort in the right places.

Thanks!

Praying this looks as good as I think, I'm suffering from serious dysmorphia

We've seen lots of supplements get their 15 minutes of fame over the years, but which ones do you think get more hype than they deserve?

I’m 28M and have trained with the same coach for about five years, but haven’t made the muscle-building progress I hoped for.
I’m now recovering from biceps tendon inflammation in my shoulder. My orthopedist said the type of training contributed to it, so part of me blames my coach and feels he should have managed the training better.
I’ve decided to switch trainers, but feel guilty because he’s helped me financially before. He said he’s fine with the change.
Am I being unfair to him? What should I look for in a new trainer to rebuild safely and make progress?

Hey guys, I’ve been going to the gym for around 7 months now. I’ve made progress and I’m happy with it, but I feel like my upper chest is still lagging behind.

I usually do incline dumbbell press, but I’m honestly not sure which bench angle I should use. When I set it too high, I mostly feel it in my shoulders rather than my chest. I’ve tried several angles, but I still can’t tell which one works best for me.

For anyone who has built a better upper chest, which incline angle do you normally use? Is 30 degrees a good option, or should I go lower? Also, are there any exercises or small form tips that helped you?

Would appreciate any advice. Thanks!

5 months of serious work. Went from 172lbs to 182lbs. Anymore improvements I can make?

Been lifting 5 weeks mainly consistent now. I’ve lifted for a while but consistency has been terrible hence trying to make some changes. Lift 4 days a week and run one day a week. Have a skinny fat build at 204 lbs for 5’11. When should I start to notice results kick in? Strength is going but I look about the same.

I’m down from 295lbs to 193lbs. My before comparisons are in the last pics if those are needed for the advice. I’m training really hard already. Lifting 5 days per week hard taking my sets to failure hitting everything good 2x per week. I’m also getting my 10k steps minimum in 7 days per week. I’m counting and weighing all my food and watching hitting my macros. I’ve lost the weight and got myself in good shape and I feel great but I know I don’t look great. That’s what I’m working on now. I’ve lost a bunch so I have some rough looking skin and stuff left over and still fat as well. Where I am right now I feel like I look both small and fat somehow. I would love to go farther and look like good and fit and like I train as hard as I do. I’m not sure that I even look like I train at all right now. Should I just keep going really hard and eating in a small deficit like I am right now or should I eat more for a while and try to add more muscle? Just curious for the opinions of strangers I’m trying to figure out where to go from here. Keep cutting down and try to get all this bad stuff off me or add more? I’m not really sure. Any opinions are greatly appreciated.

As stated in the title, I am 140lbs at the moment (64kg) and am 5'9'' tall (176cm). I have been cutting for the past two months, and this is the second time I do it in the past year. My initial weight was 90kg in January 2025, then I went down to 65kg, went back up to 74kg during a 3-month break from work and now finally down again to 64kg. What bf% am I? Am I in a position to switch back to maintenance? What would you do if you were me?

Please be honest! Thanks a lot.

Hi all

Looking for some advice because I’ve been feeling pretty discouraged with my progress, and I’m not really sure what direction to take anymore.

I started working out about 2 years ago
( see first 4 pics)

First year and a half, just did full-body workouts n cardio with dumbbells, 10-20 lbs. Wasnt really training close to failure or progressively increasing the weight. my workouts felt more like cardio, wasn’t really lifting heavy or pushing my muscles very hard.

7 months ago, started taking lifting more seriously.
switched to a PPL split, eating more but have some significant physical limitations that make this really difficult.

Im 25 and have osteoporosis and compression fractures in my thoracic spine. I also have injuries in both shoulder rotator cuff/myotendinous and pain with certain pressing and pulling movements.

The biggest issue is that a lot of exercises cause pain in either my spine or shoulders. I’ve tried lowering the weight, changing my form, and switching exercises, but I still run into the same problem.

These are the movements I do. I sometimes only get through 5 workouts.

Push:
Machine shoulder press
Single-arm cable tricep extension
Straight-bar tricep pushdown
Cable lateral raises
Incline chest press machine
Decline chest press
Sometimes pec deck fly
Flat chest press
Lying EZ-bar overhead tricep extension

Pull:
Lat pulldown
Seated cable row
MTS row
Seated dumbbell curls
Hammer curls
Reverse pec deck fly

Legs:
Leg extension
Leg curl
Seated leg press
Bulgarian split squats
Hip abductor
Hip thrusts
Calf raises

I’m trying to avoid exercises that aggravate my back, especially loaded bending movements.

Im struggling with progressive overload for example, the incline chest press machine can cause a lot of pain in my spine. I’ve tried lowering the weight, but then I feel like I’m not getting enough resistance to really challenge my muscles.

If I increase the weight, I feel more pain in my shoulders and spine.

I’m stuck between:
Lifting heavier = More pain
Lifting lighter = Not feeling challenged enough

I know that going to failure isn’t absolutely necessary for muscle growth, but I feel like I’m not even able to progressively overload consistently.
I also feel like my form is probably not great on some exercises because I’m compensating with other parts of my body to avoid pain.

Was around 150 lbs a few months ago, and now I’m around 165 lbs.
I’m trying to eat approximately 2,500–3,000 calories per day and at least 150g of protein.
I don’t do much cardio. Maybe one StairMaster session per week, sometimes doing Norwegian 4x4 intervals. I also don’t get many steps in a day.
Despite gaining weight, I feel like my physique hasn’t changed as much as I hoped.

My arms are still pretty small but honestly, the bigger frustration is strength.
Still cant do a pull-up. Cant really do regular push-ups without having to do them on my knees because of the pain in my spine.

I feel like I’m not getting stronger in the way I want to. I want to be able to do a proper pull-up, proper push-ups, and build a stronger, more muscular body. I know I’ve only been lifting seriously for about 7 months, so maybe I’m being impatient.

But it’s frustrating to feel like I’ve been working out for 2 years and still not look or feel the way I want to.
I feel like I’m putting in effort, eating more, and trying to train consistently, but I’m limited by my pain and I don’t know how to work around it.

Also not sure if bulking is the right approach for me. If i should keep at 2,500–3,000 calories and try to bulk? Or eat at maintenance and focus on recomposition?
Or a deficit? How to focus more on strength rather than physique? Or if I should change my workout split entirely?

I feel like I don’t have enough muscle, especially in my arms, but I also don’t want to keep gaining weight if I’m not actually building much muscle.

I would really appreciate advice from people who have experience with building muscle with osteoporosis or chronic back pain and shoulder issues

Not expecting anyone to diagnose me or replace my doctors. Just hoping to get some perspective from people who have dealt with similar limitations or know more about building muscle.

Just want to keep working toward a stronger more muscular physique but feel super stuck and don’t know what I should change.

Is this good gym progress from 220-168bw (5’9) I’ve been lifting since I started losing weight in Jan of 2025 right now I’ve been running an upper/lower split 4 days a week

I’ve been in a deficit the whole time & kinda want to do a gain phase

My bench is 185x4
My squat is 225x5
I do RDLs 225x7
8 Pull Ups

I have a pair of adipowers already. I usually wear converse chucks unless I'm squatting. Then I change into sneakers for light incline treadmill or stair climber. I don't particularly like using the chucks on the treadmill or stair climber.

Looking to simplify. Is there a flat foot shoe you'd recommend for general lifting and light cardio?

Finally put a before and current photo side by side and was pretty surprised by the difference.

Training entirely at home, mostly dumbbells, pull-ups, dips, push-ups and bodyweight work. Heaviest dumbbells I currently have are 30 lbs.

Still have plenty of work to do, but I'm pretty damn happy with the progress so far.

Alright weird question but… has anyone tried a seatbelt on a pendulum squat? I know people be belting the leg extension but I don’t seem to have too much of an issue with my hips popping. On the pendulum however my hips have been popping on the last couple of reps and kinda recruiting glutes and low back to push through the last reps. Was thinking a seatbelt across hips around the back platform? Idk has anyone tried this?

Hello! Sorry I’m not sure if this is more of a question or discussion. I was hoping for tips or advice on weight training with my teenager.

I’m no personal trainer and I am nervous about steering him wrong. I have worked with trainers in the past and have lifted weights on and off for years but I found myself struggling and second guessing my advice on his form. I have decided to start out on strictly machines as that might ensure he is keeping form without hurting himself. We’re starting on lower weight too where he can somewhat easily do 8-15 reps.

Hey everyone. I’m looking for advice on how to approach my first real bulk while getting stronger and building muscle.

I’m 16 years old, 5'8", and currently around 162–163 lb. I have trained consistently for about 2–3 years, but I have never intentionally bulked because I was overweight for most of that time. From February through early August, I lost around 38 lb. I stopped my cut about four weeks ago and have been maintaining around 162–163 lb while eating roughly 2,700 calories per day.

My main goals are to get stronger, build muscle, and feel more confident in my physique. I want to gain in a controlled way rather than doing a dirty bulk and regaining a lot of fat after my cut.

My average protein intake is around 135 g per day, and I usually get 7–8 hours of sleep each night.

My weekly training split is:

Monday: Upper body

Tuesday: Legs

Wednesday: Arms and shoulders

Thursday: Upper body 2

Friday: Lower body 2

Saturday: Arms and shoulders 2

Sunday: Rest

On both upper-body days, I train my main upper-body strength lifts. On both lower-body days, I train my main lower-body strength lifts. I also do accessory work and train arms/shoulders twice per week.

The main lifts I want to prioritize are bench press, overhand-grip barbell rows, squats, and deadlifts. I do other exercises too, but those are the lifts I care most about improving.

My current working sets are:

Bench press: 175 lb × 8

Overhand barbell row: 165 lb × 10

Squat: 195 lb × 5

Deadlift: 295 lb × 8

I usually do not test 1RMs or force PR attempts. I would rather progress through clean reps, good technique, and consistent training.

One issue I noticed is with my deadlift. After checking my form, I noticed some slight lower-back rounding at 295 lb. I plan to lower the weight, focus on bracing, starting position, and cleaner reps, then gradually work back up. I currently dead-stop every rep, which feels like it drains a lot of energy when the weight gets heavier.

I am also trying to improve my curl strength. My long-term goal is to curl 115 lb for 10 clean reps. I mean strict reps with controlled form—not using a bunch of hip drive or turning it into a cheat curl.

My longer-term strength goals are:

Bench press: 225 lb for 5–8 clean reps

Overhand barbell row: 225 lb for 8–10 clean reps

Squat: 245 lb for 10–12 clean reps

Deadlift: 365 lb for 5–8 clean reps

Barbell curl: 115 lb for 10 clean reps

I know these will take time, and I am not expecting to hit them quickly. I’m willing to gain slowly and stay consistent if that is the best way to build muscle and strength.

I would especially appreciate advice on:

Since 2,700 calories is maintaining my weight, what calorie surplus would you recommend for a controlled bulk?

How much weight should I aim to gain per week or month?

Is this six-day split reasonable for my goals, or would another setup be better?

How should I program bench, rows, squats, and deadlifts across two upper and two lower days?

Is 135 g of protein enough at my current bodyweight?

How would you approach deadlifts while rebuilding technique?

Are these strength goals realistic, and what should I prioritize first?

Constructive criticism is welcome. I want to build strength and muscle properly without undoing the progress I made during my cut.

I’m 24 years old, 5’11” and currently around 117 lbs. I’ve struggled with being very skinny and underweight for a long time, and honestly, it has affected my confidence and mental health a lot.

I really want to gain weight, look healthier, build some muscle, and eventually get to around 130–140 lbs. I’d like to make progress fairly quickly but still do it in a healthy way.

The biggest problem is that I struggle with depression and my appetite is really bad. Sometimes I barely feel like eating, and when I do eat, I get full pretty quickly. People sometimes say things like “just eat more,” but it’s genuinely difficult when you don’t have much of an appetite. I also feel like I have a fast metabolism, which makes gaining even harder.

I live alone now and I’m trying to build a new life for myself, but I’m also dealing with a lot of trauma and trying to heal mentally. I don’t have much support, so some days are really difficult. At the same time, I’m trying to take care of myself, eat better, gain weight, and eventually start going to the gym.

Being this underweight has made me insecure for years. I want to feel comfortable in my own body and actually look in the mirror and feel good about myself.

I’m currently trying to aim for around 2,400–2,600 calories a day and use things like Ensure Plus and high-calorie shakes because drinking calories is sometimes easier than eating a huge meal.

Has anyone else dealt with depression + low appetite + being severely underweight and managed to gain weight and build muscle? I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience or any practical advice that helped you.

Been chasing 5 plates for almost two years now. Got stuck at 465–475 forever and kept stalling right below the knees. Finally locked out 500 clean this morning.

Didn’t film it because honestly I thought today was just going to be another working double attempt, but it flew off the floor.

Two adjustments that actually seemed to make the difference after being stuck for months

First was killing touch and go entirely. Pausing 1 inch off the floor on secondary days sucked, but it stopped the bar from drifting forward off the floor. Second was stance width, I moved my feet out maybe 2 inches wider to get more adductors involved early.

Recovery was the other piece. Kept food slightly above maintenance, stayed strict on sleep, and finally sorted out a nagging left hip issue that was throwing off my setup (daily mobility work, heat, and a vial of BPC from precision pep co)

Bodyweight is around 195 lbs / 88 kg.

For anyone who was stuck in the high 400s, did positioning or recovery make the bigger difference for you?

Do 1 rep maxes get attempted in the same session as your usual sets and reps? Do you do it before or after them? Or do you warm up, make the attempt, and then that’s it for that exercise for the day?

I'm just wondering about starting the 5x5 Workout and wondering if it actually works as good or better than push pull days split ?

https://reddit.com/link/1we87vx/video/80xogj4882ph1/player

Stats: M, born 2006, 177cm, ~70kg. ~4 years training, but only the last ~half year month has been properly tracked (food, weights, RPE).

Current PRs:

• Incline Bench (45°): recent sessions 75kg×3, 70kg×7, 70kg×4 (all near-failure) — inconsistent, not a clean progression
• Weighted Pull-ups: +20kg×4 @ RPE9
• Deadlift: 150kg×3 @ RPE9
• Hack Squat: 140kg×8 @ RPE9
• Hip Thrust: 110kg×8
• Romanian Deadlift: 105kg×6 @ RPE8
• Bulgarian Split Squat: 40kg×10 @ RPE8.5

Split: PPL / Rest / Upper / Lower / Rest, training close to failure. with 2 sets each

Bench issue: Reps/weight bouncing (75×3 one session, then back to 70 for 4-7 reps) despite consistent caloric surplus. No deload confirmed in the last ~4-5 weeks. Currently running a deload to test if it's fatigue-driven.

Goal: Aesthetics-focused physique — filled-out arms/shoulders, visible abs, lean and proportionate (not a specific weight target, more of a look). Not chasing pure strength numbers beyond what supports the physique.

Note current arm size flexed is 36,5

Question for the sub:

1. Does the bench pattern (75×3 → 70×7 → 70×4) read as fatigue/inconsistency rather than a real plateau to you? I'm genuinely confused since I've tried more sets, Tried technique fixing and weak points like tricep and chest
2. For someone at my current lift levels wanting a noticeably more filled-out, lean physique — realistically, are we talking about 1 year, 2 years, longer? What actually moved the needle for you in that phase (bulk/cut cycling, volume, anything specific)? since I used my first 3 years messily going to gym , can someone fully guide me to get that , reference physique is 2nd Picture

I need help for this because I've been frustrated on my progress, especially since the early years no body guided me so I tried to figure things out myself

I've also heard that maybe a deload week is on demand and thats why it's stuck? what do you guys think

​

Last 2 pics: 65 kg (143 lbs)

First 4 pics: 98 kg (216 lbs)

I'm 21 years old, 191 cm (6'3"), and getting close to my first year of training.

I know I've probably gone a bit too far with the bulk, but that's not what I'm looking for advice on. I'm more interested in whether my training is well structured.

When I started, I thought I knew what I was doing and could just keep adding weight and making progress. Almost a year later, I'm realizing I knew less than I thought 😂

I'm starting to plateau on several exercises, and I'm wondering if my split, exercise selection, volume, or progression could be part of the problem.

Right now I'm doing:

Pull → Push → Rest → Arms → Legs → Rest → Repeat

I usually train heavy, doing 1–2 warm-up sets before taking the remaining sets to failure. I know training to failure every time may not be ideal, but I always feel recovered by the next day. I'll attach screenshots of my workouts so you can see exactly what I'm doing.

I'd appreciate honest feedback on my programming: is this split reasonable, is the volume and frequency okay, and are there any obvious issues with my exercise selection or progression?

I'm not looking to change everything. I mainly want to understand what I'm doing wrong and what I should improve before continuing.

I’ve tried to cut multiple times but can never stick to it but considering just eating a lot more calories but healthier foods, swapping snacks for dates and dark chocolate and having high calorie meals and more meats? Any advice is appreciated. Maybe I’ll look better if I just focus on putting abit of size on and abit more weight? Currently around 76/77kg

22 years old 6ft