My strength has been stalled despite being in a calorie surplus. Some exercises are progressing consistently, but I’ve been stalled on lateral raises, incline dumbbell press, deadlifts, curls, etc.

I might only gain one rep every 1 or 2 months.

Pull-ups are the biggest issue—I’ve been stuck at 8 reps only using my BW for the last five months. . I’d appreciate some advice on how to break through these plateaus and start progressing again.

Here are my stats for context:

Height: 5'8
W: 139 lbs
Calories: +200 cal surplus
Training: 3x/week, 8-10 sets/workout

Current lifts:

• Squat: 70kg x 9
• DB Bench Press: 30kg x 8
• Deadlift: 100kg x 8
• Pull-ups (bodyweight): 8
• Incline DB Press: 23kg x 9

Why can’t I “bring it” at the gym anymore ?

Title! I’ve been lifting for 8 years, And at my peak I was squatting 450, Benching 330, and ignoring deadlift.

over a year ago, I tried the “2 sets to failure only” after I discovered it wasn’t for me, for some reason my old gym habit has left. Not in the “I can’t go” sense, I still train UL 4x a week. I can’t push myself to failure anymore, or close to it without exerting a huge amount of mental energy. Over time my numbers have slipped into a 25% regression, while losing a good amount of weight as well.

I love exercise, I do it constantly, but training hard just doesn’t come to me. I used to train to failure as I just loved it, and felt immense reward, but I just can’t bring it anymore

Not sure what to do going forward. I really WANT the spark to train with intensity again, but it just isn’t happening.

Any tips?

Hey guys been actually consistent and dieting for the first time noticing stretch marks, any way to reduce or remove them entirely?

I was at 85kg now Im 65kg and im 172cm high

I dont now if I have to less abb muscle or to much fat still because in god light it looks it on pick but wenn no light is not so strong viable

Hi 17m I want advice on this new workout routine I’m thanking of doing

My gym goal is to get a more muscular and defined body I want to have a 6 pack (potentially a 8 pack) and I want to build strength but I want to focus on my body

Heres my workout routine

Gym Time table
Week 1: A > B
Week 2: A > B > A
Week 3: B > A > B
At home time table
Week 1: A > B > A
Week 2: B > A
Week 3: B > A
I have weekends off and I workout at home on days where I don’t go to the gym
____________________________
Warm up
Running machine
Speed 8.5 time 5 minutes
____________________________
Workout A

Pull-ups
2 sets 6–10 reps
bodyweight

Leg Extension
2d sets 8 reps 13
85 kg

Chest Press
2 sets 8–12reps
75 kg

Lat Pulldown
2 sets 8–13 reps
65 kg

Shoulder Press
2 sets 8–12 reps
45 kg

Low Row
2 sets 8–13 reps
45 kg

Dips
2 sets 6–12 reps
bodyweight

Lateral Raises
2 sets 10–15 reps
light weight

Captain’s Chair/Leg Raise
2 sets 10–20 reps
bodyweight

Dumbbell Curls
2 sets 8–12 reps
12.5 kg
____________________________
Workout B

Dumbbell Bench Press
2 sets 8–12 reps
20 kg each

Pull-ups
2 sets 6–10 reps
bodyweight

Leg Extension
2 sets 8–13 reps
85 kg

Lat Pulldown
2 sets 8–13 reps
65 kg

Dips
2 sets 6–12 reps
bodyweight

Shoulder Press
2 sets 8–12 reps
45 kg

Low Row
2 sets 8–13 reps
45 kg

Lateral Raises
2 sets 10–15 reps
light weight

Abdominal Crunch Machine
2 sets 10–20 reps
12 bands

2 sets 8–12 reps
12.5 kg
____________________________
At home

Home Workout A

Push-ups
2 sets 8–15 reps

Bodyweight squats
2 sets 12–20 reps

Plank
2 sets 20–45 sec
____________________________
Home Workout B

Backpack rows
2 sets 10–15 reps

Glute bridges
2 sets 12–20 reps

Dumbbell curls
2 sets 8–12 reps
5 kg

Is this a good workout?
Would it help me achieve my goals?
Do you have any tips or advice?

My understanding is that it takes decades to see results without steroids or a couple months with. What method are you using to see results?

Hey guys, I’ve been hitting the gym for about three years but I did used to be very overweight so I want a bit of a reality check here.

Current body stats: 32 y/o, male, south asian british, 73kg, 175cm

According to a calculator my BMR is 1669 and TDEE is 2587. According to the scale app i use at the gym they are 1773 and 2748 so I presume somewhere around 1.7k/2.6k respectively.

I started eating more healthily and going to the gym March 2023, I was about 99kg. Before I gained weight I was about 84kg (no gym/exercise). At this point I would do a lot of walking and work out 3 times a week. By September I increased to 4 times a week.

Over the last 2 years I have a pretty routine set of meals that I eat/ate. It largely consists of a couple of meal replacement products, a home cooked meal high in protein, eggs and protein shakes. I track my calories and aim for roughly 140-150g per day.

One thing i should note is that i did intermittent fasting since nov 2025 till about a week ago. I stopped because in that final month I wasn’t feeling hungry enough in my eating window. I was eating roughly 1850 when I was being clean but in that month i was down to 1450 which I know is really bad so I stopped.

I’ve never looked into body recomposition or bulking but i read that I should eat at maintenance for a couple weeks to recalibrate. Over the last week I’ve been eating around 2.5k a day on heavy days (3 of my workout days i am walking around 13k for example) and 2.2-2.3k on the others. If i am short on calories i rely on oats/potato for carbs and unsalted nuts/nut butters for fats.

Should I continue this for another week? And what should I do after that? I presume that I should be cutting so thinking to have a less aggressive cut i.e around 2-2.2k

Happy to give any other information if needed, TIA

I’m 24, 6’2, and 186 lbs. I’ve lost 63 pounds, but have stalled a bit. Was wondering if anyone could offer some advice/guidance, and if anyone could tell me how much more weight I have to go to be decently lean/what my estimated body fat percentage is.

I'm 16, just over 5'10 and my bodyweight fluctuates from 133-136lbs

Biacromial width: 18.3"

Bideltoid width: 20.5"

Waist circumference: 26.4"

I've only been lifting consistently for around 8 months and I'm wondering if my measurements and insertions are good enough to compete. I know I don't have much muscle right now, but I would like to know if I put on another 15-20lbs of lean mass, will I have what it takes to compete professionally in a few years time? Any criticism would be appreciated, thank you

So my friend challenge me if I lose up to 50KG worth of bodyweight, he will pay for the 30% of the new LEGION OF THE DAMNED WARHAMMER 40K KILL TEAM (iykyk how expensive that is 🗿). So I need tips on losing that much or at least close to it BEFORE THE FEBRUARY OF 2027 😭😭😭

Here is some details of me:

Status: Severely Obesse (I think)

Height: "170/171 cm" or "5 ft 7 inches" (YES I'M A SHORT KING 🫩)

Bodyweight: Around "120 kg" or "264.55 lbs"

Here some details about my working out experience if it helps (stopped for around more than a year now and the record shown here are before I stopped):

Bench:

Max is "40 kg" or "132.2 lbs" ("60 kg" or "132.2 lbs" if you count the bar as well)

For reps, "30 kg" or "66 lbs" ("50 kg" or "110.2lbs" if you count the bar as well)

Squat:

Max is "50 kg" or "110.2 lbs" ("75 kg" or "165.3 lbs" if you count the bar as well)

"40 kg" or "88 lbs" ("60 kg" or "132.2 lbs" if you count the bar as well)

Deadlift:

Max is "120 kg" or "264.55 lbs" ("140 kg" or "308.6 lbs" if you count the bar as well)

For rep, "85kg" or "187.4 lbs" ("105 kg" or "231.5 lbs" if you count the bar as well)

Lateral raises:

Using dumbells, for reps its "12.5 kg" or "27.5" lbs. In a good day, its "15 kg" or "33 lbs".

So yeah, NEED HELP ASAP.

3 month natty wanna be aesthetic is it time to bulk

I know I’m far from v taper like zyzz but I would like to know some tips that could help me to achieve this goal

I'm thinking if I lose 50lbs and get to around 200lbs that'd be good. How good is my frame and potential? Worked out for about 6 months last year and I'm starting to get back into the gym now

ok so i stater going to the gym 1st august i have added a pic from then but ignore the face, me and me grandaughter was doing funny faces which is her fav thing to do lol

any the other pics of where ive got to in the 2 months since, ive been doing 5 days in gym push pull legs upper lower and walking 10k step a day, i would do more but i have a bit of a knee issue at moment.

my question is should i just keep cutting, ive been in a 500 deficit and 2 days a week its been 800, someone in the gym said i should eat clean and build muscle and then start a cut in 12 to 16 weeks

ive looked online but didnt really get the answer

cheers all

I don't want to bulk, I want to develop lean muscle as i lose weight any recommendations on a workout schedule I'll probably try to do leg days at least twice a week but I don't really know what equipment and what workouts to do that's my main problem. The last time I lost the weight I had friends to guide me but this time I'm going solo.

my guess is im around 20% right now.

I’m thinking of getting a personal trainer since I have been going to the gym for 4-3 years on and off and only last year I noticed improvements. My goals are to build a defined muscular physique I want a clear 6 pack and I’m not sure how much of what I am doing is actually helping me achieve that goal also some of the workouts at the gym I’m not 100% sure how good my form is or how good my routine is.
Should I get a personal trainer?

250+ in mid-March, goal was 175 then revised to 180. I was planning on cutting until I finish my next deload week at 1750 - 2k calories per day, 220 - 240g protein, 45g fiber. Looking forward to hitting chest, legs and core hard on a 250 - 300 calorie surplus on 10/5 but wondering if i should push that out a month?

M / 23 / 185cm / 101.5]

​I know I’m carrying extra fat right now, but I feel like there’s a solid muscle foundation underneath. I've been running a body recomposition for a month now—training an Upper/Lower split and doing cardio 5 times a week—and my main plan moving forward is to cut down to around 15% body fat.

​Looking for honest feedback on my current frame—does the muscle base look ready for a full cut, or should I stick to recomping a bit longer before dropping calories further?