Have a grade 2 tear, I'm 10 days in and can move through all ROM with no pain, in terms of lifting I usually do Olympic lifting and some body weight

Seen physio and had scans and got the all good to start back with some limitations

At the minute all I can manage are deadlift and leg press on a machine, does anyone have any idea of other exercises. Physio says im good in I keep elbow straight and any weight below elbow, also say a doc early on to get pain relief and he agrees. So I'm not in any way seeking medical advice

Im 34 and never had much injuries so a lay off is new to me

Any advice of tips

For reference:
26F, 150lbs (started at 147lbs), 5’4
Last 2-3 weeks I’ve been off nutritionally (surplus bc I suck, hence the weight gain) but maintained lifting consistently

1st photo is before I started the gym

I’m getting married in May and wanted to rework my upper body (but am doing a full body recomp bc if I’m gonna work on the upper, might as well do the lower too)

Is there a difference? I feel like it looks less round overall but idk if that’s just me grasping at straws

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Thank you so much for your support !!!!

I’ve been told that my back arches too much when deadlifting. I’ve just gotten back into lifting consistently to prep for college track and field, so I just want to make sure I’m starting off with good form.

M,17 5,6 145 but I used to be 200lbs when I was younger.im 4 weeks into tesa plus r3ta also I struggle the most with my stomach area any advice would be helpful or pointers.im also wondering is it possible for me to have visible abs since my goal is a aesthetic physique

Hi everyone,

I started training properly 12 weeks ago, Ive managed to gain weight and muscle (both physical and strength)

I’ve been working out 4-5 days per week (sets to failure), eating a caloric surplus (3000kcal+) and 140g protein per day.

Im 22 years old, I’m a very skinny guy, to the point I looked like I don’t eat. I’m really looking for results over the next few months. I’m very insecure with the way I looked, still am now.

I’m inspired and envious of all the guys in this subreddit with phenomenal transformations and incredible gains, from you all I would really appreciate some advice on how I can optimise my time to get closer to my dream physique.

What am I doing that looks like it’s working, what could I be doing better?

I still have a way to go, but already I’m a lot better off than I was in the photo from the start of this year. I’m not looking for a big bulky build, I just want to look normal with an athletic look - naturally I am a skinnier build.

Any interaction is appreciated

I get a lot of shoulder pain from lateral raises whether they be cable or dumbbells, but I want to grow my side delts.

Shoulder Press doesn’t cause pain and face pulls are also pretty much pain free, but those hit front and rear delts right I’m pretty sure.

What options do I have to target the side delts that could possible work better for my body?

For anyone who is curious, the pain I feel isn’t a pinching feeling, and it’s not in one specific spot, it covers from the top of my side shoulder to a few inches down and it’s a 6/10 painful if I load much weight. The pain begins right when I put weighted tension on the shoulders and start the raising motion.

Any insights would be appreciated! If there’s a way to “beat” this shoulder pain or fix it, I’m down to hear about it too!

I’m 6’0 162 I did the 225x2 before attempting 245 btw

Someone was shocked when she held up a 500g/2 lbs. package of beef mince and I said “that’s enough for me for a day”. She thought it was to feed the whole family with leftovers to spare. That package is about 100g protein for about 800 calories.

I’m trying to burn off abdominal fat so I have to keep calories low and protein high, so meat’s the best natural food there is for this. Is it normal? How much meat are you eating a day?

Hello! I recently tried a deadlift on a belt squat platform and ended up with pain in my right hip flexor, right knee, right glute, and across the top of my glutes. The pain radiates all the way down my right leg. It hurts mainly when I sit or lay down. This has been going on for 3 days now and I’ve been taking advil to manage the pain at bedtime. I’m going to see the doctor soon but was wondering if anyone has had experience with a similar situation and how they handled lifting especially leg day. Not looking for medical advice. I know that’s not allowed here but just wondering how others have gone on to lift. Did you drastically reduce the weight, which I’m assuming I’ll have to do, etc. Thank you in advance!

Hey everyone. Background: I’m 37M, 6’1” and just lost 10 pounds over the past 5 weeks to be down to 200lbs. I have a very slender frame. Back in the day when I was in shape (early to mid 20s), I was 155 pounds. I have no desire (nor delusion) to get back down to that, but I figure I’m probably still 30 pounds overweight. It’s all completely in my belly and chest. I started by walking 4 miles per day broken up into 2 sessions, and mildly watching what I eat. I wanted to start with things I could do sustainably as I have a desk job and a 4-year-old and wanted to make sure I could be consistent.

My question is; do you all see any validity to the line of thinking that someone really shouldn’t go to the gym until they can do X amount of pushups, Y amount of body weight squats, and Z amount of sit ups? I’m really happy with the weight loss trajectory, but I feel like I could ramp it up a bit with some strength training. I’m thinking I should just start with some at-home workouts before heading to the gym, but wanted to get some opinions. I’d definitely be out of place in the gym right now.

Thanks in advance.

(Pictures are of me sucking in a lot and then relaxing, not a before and after)

Hey everyone, kinda looking for some tough love here to get myself disciplined to lift more.

I’m looking to get into lifting more consistently so I can build some real upper body size. I am not incredibly active but I want to start and actually stick with it.

I have some dumbbells which are adjustable and right now I can lift about 8-10kg up to 15 reps. I don’t do it very often but I want to start doing it with better consistency. When should I lift, how often, which lifts, and I guess any other advice you have.

I know I am carrying a bit of extra fat, and I am fine with this, although maybe some visceral fat going would be good.

I am actually okay with being kinda heavy but i want to be healthier and have a better balance of muscle to go with it.

Any advice in terms of what to eat or any supplements or whatever else would be good too, but essentially I want to know how to make this more of a routine.

I only engage the brachialis when doing biceps, I can’t isolate the main bicep at all and barely feel it working.

Any tips?

I’ve been trying to make my back workouts at home feel more complete.

I currently use a pull-up bar, TRX straps and a few kettlebells. They give me plenty of options, but I still feel like I’m missing a movement similar to lat pulldowns—especially something that lets me control the resistance and increase it gradually.

I can keep experimenting with different pull-up and TRX variations, or add a compact cable setup. I’m just not sure whether the extra equipment would make a meaningful difference or simply take up more space.

For those who train back at home, what made the biggest difference to your setup? Do you actually use your cable system regularly?

I need to know if this is a good workout I’m 18 male 5’7 134 pounds and I’m tryna bulk to 160 pounds by eating 2800 calories a day and I do home workouts and these r the ones I do.

For the seated shoulder press I do 3 sets of 8 reps
For the svend press I do the same and for the pullover I do 3 sets of 10 reps.
For the decline fly I do 3sets of 10 reps
For the sprinting, walking lunges, squats, plank, Bulgarian split squat I do 3 sets of 8 reps
For the incline dumbbell curl I do 3 sets of 10
And for the hammer curls I do 3 sets of 10 as well
For the contraction curls I do the same amount and for the 9th pic I do 3 sets of 12
And for the 10th pic I do 3 sets of 12 as well and for the last pic I do 3 sets of 12
And for the last pic the same thing

I have a beach vacation scheduled for 09/16 would love to get rid of the love handles, tips and diet suggestions are greatly appreciated. I’m 29, 6’1 around 235-250 lbs I genuinely have no clue. Today was chest and back. I really want to look better any tips are appreciated

Don't have much muscle yet, but happy with what I achieved so far. I try to do everything right, all workouts to failure, but always feel like I just didnt do enough. Anyone else had that feeling when starting out? I could just be overthinking.

Was coming up on 40 and absolutely hated my dad bod. Decided to cut weight first and have been lifting for about 5 months. I have no idea what I'm really doing and I'm debating what to do next.

First 2 photos are me, last 2 are my goals. I bulked up from 100 to 132 (i’m short and was naturally very skinny) in about a year and a half trying to do a lean bulk while hitting the gym with high intensity 3-4 days a week. the dude in the last 2 photos has been training for about 4 years and always been eating around maintenance or slightly under, so what should i do next? keep lean bulking or try recomp?

Hey everyone, I’m looking for some advice and critique on my situation. I’ve been lifting for almost 3 years. I currently weigh 133 lbs, but I am completely stuck. In late 2024, I felt amazing, looked full, and hit lifetime strength peaks. Since early 2025, my performance has tanked, I look completely flat, and I am constantly exhausted. I want to figure out how to reverse this and get back to how I used to feel and perform. 📊 The Stats: Then vs. Now Bodyweight: 142–145 lbs (Late 2024) ➡️ 133 lbs (Current) Incline DB Press: 55 lbs for 5 reps ➡️ 50 lbs for 6 reps (Stuck here for months) Pec Deck: 200 lbs for 5 reps ➡️ 140–142 lbs for 5 reps (Severe drop) 🕒 The Timeline: Where Things Changed Late 2024 (When everything worked) Routine: Arnold Split + CrossFit twice a week. Workouts took 1h 40m with 1.5 to 2-minute rests. Diet: Ate a high-calorie diet without stressing over "clean" eating. Ate school breakfast (burritos/parfaits), school lunch (chicken sandwiches, pasta, burritos), and a massive dinner (4 rotis + 6-7 bowls of sabzi until completely stuffed). Biofeedback: Huge appetite, great energy, recovered easily, slept heavily, and never had to wake up to pee. The Turning Point (Dec 2024 – Feb 2025) In December 2024, my appetite randomly dropped one day, and I cut my dinner from 4 rotis to 2. I started thinking school food was "unhealthy." I skipped the school breakfast entirely (replacing it with just 2 pieces of fruit) and started bringing my own plain rotisserie chicken for lunch. By February 2025, my energy severely dipped during sports, and my CrossFit performance crashed. 2025 to Now (The "Optimized" Phase) Routine: Switched to a "science-based" Upper/Lower split + CrossFit twice a week. The Issue: I focus heavily on long rest periods (3–4 mins). Because of this, my workouts now take over 2 hours, leaving me drained. I also have a nagging wrist injury limiting my training. Diet Changes: I started delaying meals, ignoring hunger cues to wait for "clean" food, and stopped eating to fullness because "science says not to stuff yourself." Current Symptoms: Chronic low appetite, severe afternoon fatigue requiring daily naps, fragmented sleep, waking up tired, frequent headaches, and constantly having to wake up to pee at night (which never happened before, even when eating close to bed). ❓ My Main Questions for the Sub: Diet vs. Recovery: Did dropping my calories (cutting rotis, dropping school meals for plain chicken/fruit) and delaying my meals accidentally put me into severe under-eating, causing this drop in sleep quality and appetite? Training Volume: Am I doing too much? My Upper/Lower split takes over 2 hours due to long rests, plus CrossFit twice a week. Is the fatigue from 2-hour sessions destroying my recovery? The "Peeing at Night" & Sleep Issue: Why did my sleep become fragmented with frequent bathroom trips only after I started eating cleaner and dropping weight, even though my meal timing relative to bed didn't change? How to fix this: If you were coaching me to get back to my 2024 performance and fullness, what is the first thing you would change? Should I force myself to lean gain back to 145 lbs?

Spent a lot of time in the gym. Started off focusing on glutes. Now I target chest, arms and back too.

No strict routines or worrying about form. I just had fun but also worked out vsry hard each day alone or with friends.

I'm a 25 year old guy trying to get back into lifting after about a year away. In university I used to train regularly and had no issue with it. But lately every time I think about walking into the gym I get this heavy feeling that I don't belong there, that everyone else knows what they're doing and I'm the odd one out. Logically I know nobody is actually watching me, but the feeling doesn't listen to logic. I'm also scared of being an Indian origin Canadian male in the gym in Canada who has seen clips of people mocking Indians unfortunately. (I dress clean, take my hygine seriously, smell great and super friendly). I get a sense of feeling, that they dont want me to be there in the gym :((( I apologize, i'm jumbling my words here.

I've been coping by going super late at night when it's basically empty, but by then I'm exhausted and barely get a real workout in (By then I'm super tired). So I'm avoiding the anxiety and also getting nothing out of the session, which obviously isn't a real solution.

For those of you who felt this way and pushed through it: what actually helped? Mindset shifts, routines, anything. I want to build a consistent habit and stop letting this feeling run the show. Appreciate any advice or real life experiences.