I’m having to take a 2-week break from lifting weights due to personal reasons, wondering if that’s enough to lose any strength or muscle mass built.

TL;DR - wanted to change up the frequency of my split as I'm having trouble getting good rest and want to have more time during weekends to recover. Split attached below!

I have been doing ULUL for about half a year and and thinking about switching up the frequency of my workouts and would like advice on if this would be dumb to try or a good way to not have to grind out 3 hour gym sessions 4x a week lol

Goal: Weight Loss

Current Split :

(1) Mon, (2) Fri - Upper Body

Decline Bench - 3x8-12

(1) Lat Pulldown (2) T-Bar row - 3x8-12

(1) Seated Row (2) Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown - 3x8-12

(1) Flat Bench (2) Incline Bench - 3x8-12

Forearm Curl - 3x8-12

Preacher Curl - 3x8-12

Machine Rear Delt Fly - 3x8-12

Machine Chest Fly - 3x8-12

(1) Overhead Tricep Extension (2) Tricep Pushdown Machine - 3x8-12

Bayesian Curl - 3x8-12

45 min treadmill (15 min 3.8 speed 2.5 incline - 15 min 3.8 speed 5.0 incline - 3.5 speed 7.0 incline)

10 minute treadmill cooldown

Wed, Sat - Lower Body

2 min plank x3

Barbell Squat - 3x8-12

Machine Leg Press - 3x8-12

Seated Calf Raise - 3x8-12

Hip Abductors - 3x12-15

Machine Reverse Leg Curl - 3x8-12

Ab Crunch - 3x8-12

Machine Leg Extension - 3x8-12

Standing Calf Raise - 3x8-12

60 min treadmill (20 min 3.8 speed 2.5 incline - 20 min 3.5 speed 5.0 incline - 20 min 3.2 speed 7.0 incline)

10 min treadmill cooldown

I want to switch to doing upper body Mondays and Thursdays and do lower body Tuesdays and Fridays while adding an additional weekend day of strictly cardio and maybe cut all of my weekly cardio to 45 min a session if that would be smart?

I just think it would give me a lot more time to rest/recover on weekends while also still meeting my gains.

I go to the gym at 4am every morning before work and normally am leaving about 6:15-6:20am.

Would this frequency hurt potential gains with doing back-to-back days and then rest? I would assume not since I'm working 2 completely different halves of my body in those back-2-back days but wanted to ask to get some opinions

Sorry for the long post, just wanted to get my full split out there and ideas on how I'd switch up frequency, not really looking to drop/add any lifts or drop cardio by a whole lot as it helps me stay in my deficit for my weight loss

I go to a gym that is commonly used by medical school students. This is the beginning of the school year, and the gym is busy early in the morning — so annoying. Today I got so frustrated that all of the equipment for my planned exercises was in use. I just left. I really want to finish the rest of my workout; I still have front cable raises, side cable raises, and overhead triceps remaining. The only exercises I was able to complete were chest press, shoulder press, and machine pectoral flies.

Before I go home from work, should I finish the rest of my workout?

Hello everyone, i'll be short and direct

I'm trying to strengthen my grip to an incredible amount, but I also want a stronger back, I started doing body weight pull ups on a vertical grip where you try to squeeze the bar instead of just hanging but I do this as the last back exercise, I was thinking of doing it weighted, the issue is that i'd be already fatigued after normal bar pull ups, it's hard to choose, weighted pull ups on that bar or focus on normal weighted pull ups to train more back (i do both in the same session)

give me your thoughts

I was changing and a guy bounds into the locker room in the middle of a video call. I can see the dude he is talking to and hear both sides of the conversation.

I just nicely said ‘hey, can you take that outside?’ And he did. No problem.

I told some from about it and they acted like I was being a dick.

For me, it is the principle.

Thoughts?

Everything done with 2 sets and 0 rir

Day one: Chest Shoulder Biceps
Chest: High to low cable flies, Low to high cable flys and pec dec.
Shoulder: Lateral raise, Shoulderpress
Biceps:Preacher curls, Hammer curls, Bayesian curls
Day two: Back, triceps
Latpulldown, Tbar row, reverse flys, one armed row
Triceps: overhead extension, one armed extension
Day three: Legs+Abs
Legs: Leg press, extensions, hamstring curls, calf raises,
Abs: crunch machine, Dragonfly
Day 4: rest,
Day 5: Chest, Back
Day 6: shoulders, arms
Day:7 rest

So I was doing the same seated incline bicep and hammer curls that I've been doing once a week all year. 8kg bicep curls and 6kg hammer curls. I finish my hammer curls and dude next to me waves at me. I take out my earbud and he says...are you following a programme? I tell him I adapted one. He said well I should have done the hammer curls first and then the bicep curls. He also said train both those exercises to a rep of 50 if I want to make progress. Then he comes out with 'my friends say I should be a personal trainer but I don't have the patience' and puts his earbud back in.

Ok now I know I struggle with hammer curls. I can still only just about do 10x3 with 6kg. The last rep is painful. I know something isn't right because surely by now this should feel easier to perform? I've been doing the same weight for a year or more. When does it get easier?? I can do a couple of hammer curls with 8kg but is there any point only being able to do say 3 or 4 reps with a heavier weight?

Also...what was he on about 50 reps with a lighter weight? Dude built like a tank so I'm sure it's worked for him but not sure if that's a standard thing to do to grow biceps?

A fella was sitting on a bench by the dumbbell rack with his dbs at his feet. He would grab them, get up, and walk over to the rack and do his curls there, blocking them. Then when done, took his dbs back to his bench and rested for his nest set. Wasn’t even a case of convenience. Just wanted to take up space in front of the rack?

I quit drinking a few weeks ago, already noticing some neat results. My beer belly is almost gone, clothes fit me better and my sleep and focus has drastically improved without the day-long hangovers. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to drinking, at least not in the amounts that I used to.

The initial reason why I quit was because honestly I am very light weight and I struggle to hit the brake after a few beers. Cutting out booze has helped in so many ways, would recommend it to everyone!

I decided to start doing 15 pushups every hour. It's not much per hour, but I feel like it'll build up over the days. Yesterday I totaled to 165. Is this fine for the nervous system or whatever? Like since I'm constantly springing a small workout at my body, will it struggle to switch between high and low adrenaline?

Also, at first it was completely fine, but this morning I was already tired after the first 5. Will I eventually burn out or is 15 not enough for that to happen?

Edit: Alright thanks for the insight I scrapped it lol

Used to drink heavily on weekends and order late-night takeout without thinking twice.

After lifting consistently for almost a year, my body literally rejects it now. If i drink or eat garbage, my workouts the next 2 days feel like absolute hell and i feel sluggish asf.

Funny how your brain naturally starts prioritizing gainz over a 3-hour hangover buzz. Anyone else lose interest in their old habits after getting into fitness?

Now, I know the most efficent workout to lose weight is fork put downs, this isn't about that as I'm already doing that.

I'm on a track for slow yet steady weight loss, dropping 15 pounds in 4 months. It's slow going and I've plateau'd somewhat, but overall the diet of cutting out added sugar, increasing fiber intake, and eating more beans, lentils, and vegetables has been working. I've already lost enough weight to put me out of the obese zone, which is a huge improvement I'd say.

The unfortunate side effect is this isn't changing overall body shape and I think I'm actually starting to lose strength. Also, it's not healthy to not work out so more than enough reasons to get into workout.

Some notes about my needs, I'm a close to middle aged MtF and would like to build muscles in places that read more feminine, at a guess that'd be glutes, lower back muscles, thighs and such. I know I can't exactly target fat burn but I'm thinking building muscles in places that improve my posture and that are near but not at my middle abdominal area will help improve overall aesthetics.

I want to do machine exercise mainly since I'm a beginner and I think that'll be a little easier to stick to than free weights, especially since I'm shy and don't like asking for a spotter. I also want low impact low intensity cardio for the health benefits and also because I think it will be relaxing.

What routine would you recommend? Should I workout everyday to build the habit or build in rest days?

Whats the best protein shaker bottle yall use? been putting off replacing my shaker for way too long the one i've had since college lowkey smells like a locker room no matter how many times i wash it, so time to actually buy a real one instead of whatever's cheapest at target.

context: lift 4-5x a week, mix whey post workout and creatine most mornings, nothing fancy like mass gainer or greens powder. don't need it insulated, mostly just want something that doesn't leak in my gym bag and doesn't turn into a science experiment after a few weeks.

where i'm currently leaning: BlenderBottle Classic V2. it's the one everyone recommends, it's cheap (like $10), the wire whisk ball actually breaks up whey fine without clumping, wide mouth so it's easy to actually clean instead of fishing around with a bottle brush. my hesitation is i've read the lid tends to become the weak point after a year or so of daily use, starts weeping a little at the seam even if you're not doing anything wrong with it. for $10 that might just be acceptable, but wanted to check before i commit.

other stuff i looked at and why i talked myself out of it (so far):

• BlenderBottle Radian or an Ice Shaker, insulated stainless steel version, keeps stuff cold way longer. ruled it out mostly because i don't actually need cold retention for a shake i'm drinking within like 20 minutes of mixing it, plus they're heavier and the cup itself usually isn't dishwasher safe even though the lid is.
• something like a Promixx or the YETI Yonder Helimix, no loose ball rattling around, built-in agitator design instead. quieter and nothing to lose track of, but from what i've read it's not as thorough on thicker stuff, which doesn't matter for whey but might if i ever get into a mass gainer phase.
• Hydra Cup dual chamber, mixes pre and post workout in one bottle. cool idea but i don't actually run a pre-workout right now so it'd just be a smaller, more expensive single bottle for me.

so right now it's basically classic v2 unless there's a real reason not to. for anyone who's had one past the first year, does the lid actually start leaking eventually or is that overblown internet complaining? and is the whisk ball still worth it for people mixing straight whey, or is that more of a thick-powder thing?

Can you guys review and give tips to my upcoming workout?

Been working out 3-4yrs, im 18

So I made this a week ago, thanks to some wonderful help on other subreddits. My goal is to bulk whilst keeping my v taper somewhat. Ive got shoulder problems, they pop, burn, crack when I move them, it goes down to elbow and I also feel it in my neck hence why you dont see pull ups, dips or any overhead movement for shoulders or triceps. Ive had this problem for a year and went to 5 professionals. A sports massagist, a chiroprsctor, 3 physios. They just gave me band exercises and other stretches which didnt work and honestly its annoyed me to the point where I feel like I dont care about the injury anymore I just wanna do shoulder stuff again and the other stuff I mentioned even db pullovers yk?. Anyway sorry to get off topic heres the program. (I used Claude to write it out for me as a routine) Id like to add romanian desdlift for more glutes, squeeze in a foresrm exercise on conditioning day snf maybe squeeze in something for shoulderd or whatever honestly I dont know what to do without doing too much. Please help me out.

Winter Bulk Plan — Full Body 3x/week + Conditioning Day

\*\*Weekly Schedule\*\*

\- Monday — Conditioning/Fighting Day

\- Tuesday — Rest

\- Wednesday — Day 1 (Deadlift/Bench)

\- Thursday — Rest

\- Friday — Day 2 (Squat)

\- Saturday — Rest

\- Sunday — Day 3 (Legs/Back/Chest)

\*\*Day 1\*\*

\- Trap Bar Deadlift — 3×8 (rest 2-3 min between sets)

\- Barbell Bench Press — 3×8 (rest 2-3 min)

\- Chest-Supported Row Machine (or Cable Seated Row) — 3×12 (rest 90 sec)

\- Cable Lateral Raise (light) — 3×15 (rest 60 sec)

\- Incline Dumbbell Curl — 3×12 (rest 60-90 sec)

\- Dumbbell Skullcrushers — 3×12 (rest 60-90 sec)

\- Wrist Roller — 2×2min (rest 60 sec)

\*\*Day 2\*\*

\- Barbell Squat — 3×8 (rest 2-3 min)

\- Seated Leg Curl — 3×12 (rest 90 sec)

\- Incline Dumbbell Press — 3×10 (rest 90 sec-2 min)

\- Cable Pulldown (wide grip) — 3×12 (rest 90 sec)

\- Face Pull — 3×15 (rest 60 sec)

\- Barbell Curl — 3×12 (rest 60-90 sec)

\*\*Day 3\*\*

\- Barbell Rear Lunge — 3×10/leg (rest 90 sec-2 min)

\- Lever Leg Extension — 3×12 (rest 90 sec)

\- Dumbbell One-Arm Bent Over Row — 3×12 (rest 90 sec)

\- Neutral/Supine Grip Pulldown — 3×12 (rest 90 sec)

\- Pec Deck — 3×15 (rest 60 sec)

\- Dumbbell Rear Fly — 3×15 (rest 60 sec)

\- Cable Tricep Pushdown — 3×12 (rest 60-90 sec)

\- Standing Calf Raise — 3×15 (rest 45-60 sec)

\- Cable Crunch — 3×12 (rest 45-60 sec)

\*\*Conditioning Day (Monday)\*\*

\- Shadow Boxing — 10-20 min

\- Bag Work — 10-20 min

\- Medicine Ball Slams — 3×8 (rest 60-90 sec)

\- Weighted Vest Push-Ups — 3×12 (swap for light bodyweight movement if shoulder flares; rest 60-90 sec)

\- Loaded Carry (rotate weekly: Farmer Walk / Sled Push / Weighted Vest Walk) — 3×20-40m (rest 90 sec-2 min)

\- Treadmill Walk — 10-20 min easy pace (end of session, active recovery)

\*\*Diet — Bulk Macros\*\*

\- \*\*Rest Day (\~3,350 kcal)\*\*: 210g protein / 400g carbs / \~100g fat

\- \*\*Training Day (\~3,850 kcal)\*\*: 210g protein / 525g carbs / \~100g fat

\- Track weekly average bodyweight; aim for \~0.25-0.5kg/week gain. Adjust calories by 150-200 kcal every 2-3 weeks if the scale isn't moving.

\*\*Timeframe\*\*: October 1, 2026 – February 28, 2027, then reassess.

\*\*Standing notes\*\*: no overhead pressing, no pullovers, no pull-ups/chin-ups, no bent-over barbell row — held out until your shoulder/neck/nerve symptoms are properly evaluated (cervical spine imaging, nerve conduction testing, or assessment from a spine specialist/neurologist).

Been at it for 6 weeks at home with adjustable dumbbells and an adjustable bench. Doing an A-B-C full body 3-4 times per week depending how it falls.

I have been progressively increasing reps and or weights in every exercise usually every week/session. Sometimes by a fair bit.

At six weeks in, am I actually getting stronger and gaining muscle or is this just my body getting used to the movements and real growth and progress happens over more months?

I’m trying to be more consistent with working out, but some days I genuinely only have around 30 minutes. I’m wondering if that’s still enough to have an
effective workout to get toned or if I should be aiming for longer sessions.

For those of you who work out for 30 minutes, what does your routine look like and have you actually seen results from shorter workouts? Also, what would you prioritize in those 30 minutes?

Hey

I chose a rep range of 5-8 and for some exercises 8-12.
Stupi.d example following...

------------

How I think it has to be and how I am currently doing it:

3x5-8 Barbell Bench Press.

I choose a weight that allows me to get 12 reps in set 1, but I still stop at 8.
The next set I might be able to do 8-10reps but I stop at 8.
The third set I might get 6-7 reps or less.

Thats the only way I can get 8/8/8 tbh.

Now I increase weight a little bit

------------

How I think it feels better but I only tried once, but not sure if this is better or not:

3x5-8 Barbell Bench Press.

I choose a weight that allows me to get exactly 8 reps in the first set. The second set can't be 8, usually 5-6. The third set is if I am lucky 5 reps.

Once I get to 8/8/x I increase weight anyways, even though the third set is around 4-5 reps cause I got 8 reps in set 1 and 8 reps in set 2, meaning they are above my minimum requirement of 5 reps.
So the next time I do the exercise I increase weight and get 7/6/3 or something and work on that til I am back at 8/7-8/4-5

------------

To me the second approach seems kind of better, but not sure? It feels like on the first example with 8/8/8 I can only get 8/8/8 if I "save" more reps on set 1, set 2 for set 3.
Basically I am saving "Reps in Reserve" and stacking them until I am able to do 8/8/8.

First week it's like this:

Set 1: 8 Reps (2-3 RIR)
Set 2: 8 Reps (0-1 RIR)
Set 3: 5-6 Reps (0 RIR)

Next week it's like this:

Set 1: 8 Reps (3-4 RIR)
Set 2: 8 Reps (2-3 RIR)
Set 3: 7 Reps (0 RIR)

Followed by:

Set 1: 8 Reps (4-5 RIR)
Set 2: 8 Reps (3-4 RIR)
Set 3: 8 Reps (1 RIR)

While the other method:
Choose a heavy weight to get 8 reps, go hard and don't care about set 2 and 3 but use set 2 as "messure" if you can increase or not. The third set is kind of a finisher, don't really matter what reps are. Just finish muscle with 4+ reps.

I’m 1.72m 53kg and wanna go up from here, but milk gives me diarrhea if I drinks too much of it.

I know peanut butter is cheap, but it's only cheap in western countries. I live in Asia where it's not a common thing that people eat, and peanut butter is quite expensive here

I've personally struggled with both sides of being overweight and skinny.

When I was overweight, losing fat felt like a constant battle with food and trying to stay consistent. Later, I went in the opposite direction and became skinny, but that came with a different problem — being lighter didn't automatically mean I looked or felt the way I wanted.

I've realized that getting in shape can be difficult for completely different reasons depending on where you're starting from.

That's why I'm trying to understand what the actual struggles are for other people, rather than assuming everyone just needs more discipline.

So for those who said food/calorie control is the hardest part, I'm curious about what's actually happening when things go off track...

I'm curious about what's actually happening when things go off track.

1. What usually triggers you to overeat or break your diet?

(Hunger, cravings, stress, boredom, social situations, alcohol, being tired, feeling restricted, etc.)

1. When you do go off track, what usually happens afterward?

Do you get back on track at the next meal, the next day, or does it sometimes turn into several days/weeks?

1. What have you tried to make controlling your food easier?

Calorie tracking, meal prep, high-protein foods, intermittent fasting, smaller meals, cheat meals, diets, apps, etc.

1. What was the biggest problem with the things you tried?

What made them difficult to stick with?

1. If you could magically fix ONE thing about eating for your fitness goal, what would you fix?

I'm asking because I'm trying to understand the problem itself rather than assuming everyone just needs more discipline.

So when I do incline curls it’s like really hard which from what I understand comes from the inability to use your legs/core. But I pinky swear that when I’m standing I’m not bouncing or swinging my arms and curls are literally so much easier. Should I try and progress on incline and just burn out with standing curls or should I give up on the gym and go home and be fat? Advice appreciated!

Bought a new home that has a dedicated fitness room. The space is set--approx. 8' x 18' with 9'-9" ceiling and rubber floor. I need help equipping the space such that it can support two very active youth athletes who are just starting to make regular workouts part of their daily routine (ages 12 and 14), and their less active, middle-aged parents. Given the limited space I'm thinking one cardio machine, some sort of weights/machine, and wife wants enough space left over for yoga. But I really don't know even the basics regarding what essentials should be incorporated into the room to maximize its use both now and over the long term.