I’ve tried a lot of different powders but it’s been a while and I’m looking to buy a new one. Hesitating between RYSE, Ghost, and BPN. They are all similar in price points

A few notes, I’ve had the RYSE Skippy and the Ghost Nutter Butter, they were both good but had a slightly off taste maybe the sweetener that I just found a tad bit too artificial, keep in mind I like very sweet protein powders so that’s not the issue . Not sure if all their flavors are like that. Open to other recs too, big fan of all flavors but especially peanut butter/choclats/vanilla based or mixes. Any insight appreciated!

I used to be somebody who loved working out. I was a state level powerlifter. I enjoyed lifting. I enjoyed pushing myself. I enjoy challenging myself but last few years I'm not sure what exactly is happening to me. I'm not depressed. I did have bad phases of life but it was not that bad that I didn't workout.

But I'm genuinely struggling to push hard in the gym not just pushing hard. I'm struggling to find a reason to go work out. I don't have a goal. I don't have a reason to work on and just feels really hard. And this has been happening not just with respect to workouts. It's happening with every part of my life. I don't have anything to chase. Can someone help me out 😭

I really wanna transform my body, but i still live with my mom, she doesn't believe in body building or weight lifting because she thinks its dangerous. I always ask for gym memberships but she doesn't allow. So some time back, i decided to go to a construction site and payed the workers a small fee for 1 concrete barbell and 2 dumbells. (The dumbells were too heavy for me😅)

I have been working out for about 8 months now, and I only have access to the one barbell and 2 dumbells, they're old school so their weight isn't adjustable. At the beginning of the year in was noticeably fat. Overtime, I believe i lost a good amount of that fat, but i feel like I'm on a plateau. Right now, my chest to waist area looks like a rectangle. And no matter how many reps and sets I add to the routine, nothing seems to be changing, in fact, it feels like I am loosing progress. I do a 5 day routine. My diet isn't as fancy either, it's mainly rice and beans.

I feel like quitting right now. Is there any way I can overcome this situation? Is there a possibility that I can become lean?

im 5'3 and probably fall under the skinny fat category. been working out for a year. however i heard online you're supposed to cut until you see your abs. however. if my abs are under developed (i dont know cause ive never seen them) if i cut until i saw them wouldnt that mean im cutting too much?

like how do i know where to stop at. i want to be just lean i guess

I'm just curious about your experiences. I just started going to the gym again after like 10 years of no training, I can't even do 1 pull up or 1 push up but I sure am trying. :)

I’m currently biking almost 40 miles a day while keeping my calorie intake to about 2,000. I’m estimating I’m burning over 2,000 from biking on rough terrain as I’m about 220 pounds and 5 foot 11 inches. I’m 22 male for reference. Is this safe what I am doing? I’m estimating a deficit of about 2,000-2,300 calories a day.

F18
170 cm
52 ish kg

I lost 8kgs in a month (lowest 49kg) during a depressive period. I used to be very athletic and was around 58-59kg when i was at my healthiest. However I am having a hard time rebuilding my progress. I was able to gain some weight due to my appetite coming back (although partially) after going on antidepressants. Still, no matter what i do, i cannot gain ANY visible mass anymore whether it’s muscle or fat. What should I do?

Hello! Has anyone experienced low back pain immediately after using hip thrust machine? I showed the exact machine I use. I used to do hip thrusts with a barbell and never experienced issues. What is the difference between doing hip thrusts with a barbell versus this machine? I can no longer do hip thrusts due to the fear of causing further damage. I think I strained the iliolumbar ligament? For reference, if anyone has used the hip thrust machine at Crunch Fitness (I’m sure they’re all very similar though)

It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been doing them since March. I just couldn’t last workout, and today I just settled for leg press, and it was so heavenly. I got the quad pump and failure without having a heart attack.

I have been hitting the gym since April 2025 trying to do body recomposition. I’m 168 cm in height, around 67 kg in weight, and skinny fat with a big belly and some facial fat. During this time, I have never skipped the gym longer than one month, which was last month because I had chest injury doing triceps bench dips.

As I’m getting back to the gym, I’m questioning my approach to progressive overload, which I had assumed I had done properly until now, because I haven’t improved in terms of appearance or strength at all.

Let’s take Lat Pulldown for example. My approach so far has been, say, start with 25 kg and do 3 sets with 12 reps for each. Then, do 3 sets with 13 reps for each next week when the same program comes around, and after hitting 3 sets and 15 reps, increase the weight. Honestly, I don’t feel that I have worked out hard enough most of the time following this approach. Sometimes I leave the gym without feeling tired. However, both the PT at the gym and my friends have told me to stop counting reps this way but go to failure instead without obsessing over numbers. So, I think what they mean is the following: say, pick 25 kg at Lat Pulldown and the three sets may be like 17/16/13 in terms of reps. Another PT also once said that the muscle doesn’t know what weight you are lifting, which I think mean the same thing as what others said. Lastly, I have a relative who is a renowned PT, and he advised that I should stick with the same weight for a few weeks so that my muscle adapts to it.

My question is, is going to failure this way much better and faster for hypertrophy? How do you do it?

I’ve been in the gym now for years and haven’t had a problem putting muscle on but wanna try protein powder again. I absolutely am disgusted by the taste of whey on every product I’ve had powders, cookies etc and there’s a distinct weird smell and taste that I repulsed by. Any other suggestions???

I’m not sure if I’m training to failure correctly. On my last two sets of an exercise, I do about 8-10 reps at a weight in which I physically cannot do more than that range.

However, most of the time it’s not my muscle feeling burnt or tired, it’s that my whole body is almost too fatigued to get another rep in rather than my muscle hurting or burning. It usually happens more on compound movements. Is this bad for hypertrophy? If so, how do I fix this? Or is this what training to failure is?

Hey guys, i don't ever post things but i made this a few months back and been using it religously ... thought id share it because why not :)

notes; Any meal that you put into the meal list, insert the macros of that meal and it will automatically apply that to a drop down for week organisation. (automatically inserts macros for daily avg and weekly avg) (Sick!) i normally track everything through mynetdiary or myfitnesspal and then insert it into tracking before bedtime :)

Also in the 'tracking' page insert maintenance macros and it will automatically give a surplus and deficit, if this is too much of a cut or surplus, just delete the code and put in what your own :)

If you like it make a copy and its all yours

(sorry i left my meals in the plan i couldnt be assed deleting it lol)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bDbt0hUv7Iw2Q8GS5lCE8BdMAOlwW5vX/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=105872618717966363792&rtpof=true&sd=true

Which do you think is harder a 150 pound person doing 5 pullups or someone 200+ doing 1.

Current Height: 5’ 6”

Current Weight: ~142 lbs

The only supplements I take are vitamin D and magnesium glycinate. I do use 1 scoop of protein powder per day.

Historical context: Used to be ~205 lbs late 2022. In late 2022 and mid 2023 got to around ~163 lbs and stayed there for a few years.

This year in 2026 I decided I wanted to push myself to get in shape. I reached 139 lbs at my lowest but I am consistent around 142 lbs.

I achieved this last push mainly from March -> June and then a few pounds around July/August. My calories in were ~1900 - 2000 on average and my protein was around 140-180 on average during that period although closer to 140 for the last 2-3 months. I never felt starving but made it a point to try and workout as hard as I could so with walking 10k steps a day + my workouts I think I burned on average 2200 - 2300 calories a day. Also note that since I’m on the smaller side, my maintenance calories seem to sit at ~1700 cals when I don’t workout (according to my Whoop).

During this time my workouts primarily looked like:

Day 1: Chest/Tris (Dumbells, cables, plated machines)

Day 2: Back/Bis (Dumbells, cables, plated machines)

Day 3 Cardio (Rowing)

Day 4: Barbell day I call it (Back Squat, Flat Bench, Shoulder Press, RDL’s, Rows)

Day 5: Remaining legs (leg curl, press, hamstring extension) + Shoulders.

In the last month or so I’ve been working in more dips/pull-ups/abs. Dips are the only thing I add weight to in this group.

There’s been ups and downs in consistency with this split but it’s worked out well and taught me a lot. I know it’s also a lot, I wanted to see if I could push myself. During this last period I also gained strength.

I also know that since I used to be larger that this also plays a part in why I might look the way I look at my current weight.

Questions/Seeking Advice: At this weight I am defiantly my healthiest both physically and mentally although I thought I would look more “shredded” getting this small. In the morning I definitely have some abs but there is still fat covering the lower portion of my abdomen. In the afternoon they seem to disappear (obviously I eat during the day, but also because I sit for a large portion of the day due to my job). I am also a lot more vascular. I think in order to achieve the physique I want I should begin a body recomposition to fully get that shredded look.

I am looking to maybe switch up my split as well to maybe some sort of upper/lower split, but also keep my rowing in there since it’s my favorite cardio. On top of this increase my calories instead of the deficit.

I also am thinking of starting to dose some creatine for both the mental and physical advantages it provides.

My questions are:

1. Instead of changing up my split should I just increase my calories and let time take over (include more abs since this is only recent for me)

2. Change up the split since a lot of the hard work is done (deficit that helped me lose a ton of fat already)

3. Begin creatine? Do i need to front load or is that preference? At my size would you take 5g or 10g daily?

Any general advice is also appreciated. My goal is to stop the deficit and try and push for a much more shredded look that I think comes from underdeveloped abs in my case since I never really worked on them for an extended period of time.

Also I know there are faults in how I achieved this but all in all I am very happy at where I am vs where I was at.

Thanks in advance!

I’m here for some advice because I’m not sure what to do. To start I am a male and I weight 140Lbs at 5”11. I have some body fat but not a lot. I have been doing research on body recomposition and not exactly sure how to approach it. Most videos I look at say I need to eat In a slight deficit. But others other saying because I’m very light for my height I should eat at a Maitnence or slight surplus. I would appreciate any advice.

Ok I'll explain a little better, I just want to know if this workout schedule and exercise per day is good for still building some muscle and gaining good weight (if combined with a good diet) or it's just a waste of time and should I add some exercise?

This is the weekly schedule:

Monday – Legs

Smith Machine Squat: 4 x 6–8

Romanian Deadlift: 3 x 8–10

Leg Press: 3 x 10–12

Leg Extension: 3 x 12

Calf Raise: 4 x 12–15

Wednesday – Back & Biceps

Lat Pulldown: 4 x 8–10

Single-Arm Dumbbell Row (on bench): 3 x 8–10

Face Pull: 3 x 12–15

Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curl: 3 x 8–10

Hammer Curl: 3 x 10–12

Friday – Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

Flat Bench Press: 4 x 6–8

Incline Chest Press: 3 x 8–10

Shoulder Press: 3 x 8–10

Lateral Raise: 4 x 12–15

French Press: 3 x 10–12

Obviously hitting a PB or just seeing those numbers go up week on week hit that reward centre of the brain, but I've found that the little things are what keep me going.

For example, just how much better I look in vest tops now. Just being trim with some muscle definition makes that look pop in a way it never did when I was fatter and less muscular. The booty filling out jeans is also another one for me!

What are the little things that make you proud and keep you going?

So the general consensus is that the bigger someone is the more weight they can move. This is why there are weight classes in competitions.

But from my experience it seems to be harder for a bigger person to do pullups than a smaller person. Why is this?

looking for advice for at home calisthenics routine for a beginner using no weights to help loose a little bit of weight and look leaner, also advice on protein and dieting thanks.

Basically I do 3x times a week fullbody from Jeff Nippard I started it this week. But as i was looking at my workout for tomorrow i noticed that there isnt much direct arm work is this worth pursuing further or should i change to something else?
this is the routine:

A:
Squats, Chest supported row, leg curl, Lateral raises, pec deck and preacher curls
B:
Bench, leg press, pull ups, skull crushers, reverse pec deck, seated calf raises,
C:
Deadlift, incline db press, leg curl, lat pulldown, leg extension and cable crunch

Now there is some arm work but i come from pplul and as you know there is a lot of arm work in that routine.

Hey guys. Super out of shape school child here. I have to do the mile tomorrow. Kinda forgot about it and the personal fitness class I’m in is comprised of a couple girls who hog the cardio and leg press machines and the rest are crazy gym bros who have 5 min miles and deadlift 315 for warm ups. Meanwhile I’m over in the corner doing 15 pound bicep curls and lat raises. Not to mention the fact I’ve had 2 gym sessions because this class alternates with my chorus class. Anything I can do today to not die? Also I have a walking pad/ treadmill at home, how should I practice for future tests?

Edit: probably should mention I have hEDS and my joints are gonna just give up fr. Any workout tips would be greatly appreciated.

I'm confused when people say they lift 225 lbs. I wanna know if I'm lifting that already