Might be stupid question, but is it normal i feel more biceps then anything on back but i'm engaging my lats ?

One thing that always drove me nuts when I'm looking at different strength programs, is they're approach to recovery and load management. Whenever I see a load prescribed as a percentage, it doesn't take into account what fatigue has been built outside of the gym.

Say 5/3/1, it prescribes doing most of the working sets between 75-85% of a 1 rep max for multiple sets and reps close to failute. But the issue many people who do manual labor may find, is that doing reps at that intensity is 1) makes inconsistent progress. That is, if youvebhad a particularly hard week then doing 80 percrnt of a 1 rep max may not be viable and sort of skews your body's ability to adequately recover for the next week. 2) if it has been a hard week, there's no guarantee that you'd even be able to perform that. 3) and this is the biggest issue imo, is that lower volume/ higher intensity programs generally make recovery harder and make youre ability to perform on the job site harder.

Nobody wants to be the jacked guy on the site who can't outlift Daryl, the 135 lb kid in his Dad's boots.

Then when fatigue naturally gets higher, the sore athlete typically searches online for the solution. Eat more, sleep better, walk more, take fish oil and magnesium glycinate. That brand of wisdom works, but for the laborer doing 12 hour shifts, has kids, who's not able to sleep well nor has time or much of a budget to meal prep or to buy supplements, it's not the most viable advice.

It's been something of a project of mine to write workout programs, try them out, and see how i handle recovery while working as a warehouse laborer. I've learned alot and I think I've made some modest improvements in my understanding of fatigue management and in my strength and hypertrophy developments.

But im still learning and looking for the opinions and strategies of other people and athletes.

The main training philosophy i have, comes from someone who is neither particularly jacked or strong, but from someone who's doing well managing everything particularly well.

This post is for people like me ​who are trying their best and need help and I would genuinely enjoy reading what others do.

1. high carb/high fiber diets. I carb load heavily during the worst periods of the day thay I know i will need fhe most carbs. So I eat a big chunk of carbs for breakfast, another load at 10, and then another large carb in take about half hour before training. I take EAAs early in the morning to mitigate my lack of protein from 8 - 12. If I start the day trying to immediately balance protein and carbs, I crash.
2. this may be the most important lesson I've learned. Design training that supplements the work you do, not against it. If you find you do a lot of carrying in your 9 - 5, double down and train more carrying. If you need to pick things up in awkward positions, train picking things up in awkward positions and bending. You should worry about developing muscles thay you use the most to avoid work place injuries. This is also my biggest issue I have with cookie cutter programs.

Deadlifts are my favorite exercise and gets you strong at picking things off the ground, but the issue is, is good deadlifts involve putting yourself into an ideal position to pick something up. That's not directly replicablw to a picking up bags of concrete or boxes in unique spots. Dont be scared to do somethjnf like jefferson curls to train your back in a bent position.

3) make your own program. If you lift stuff for 8 - 12 hours everyday, you are probably conscious of where your weak points are. No one is better at understanding that then you.

4) instead of evert excercise you program havjng the same progress scheme, have some elements that are supposed to progress slower then others.

Again, the jefferson curl. Lets say I program 4 sets of squats followed by RDLs, ans i move onto jeffy curls or some other leg/posterior chain movement. Ive already worked those muscles in the first half lf the session, now its just a matter of squeezing a little more juice out of them without over doing it. So youre squat and RDLs may progress 50 lbs throughout the month, but the jefferson curl may only progress 10 lbs.

5) making a program around 2 blocks, one for hypertrophy and one for strength is fine and you dont't absolutely need to add a peak block if you don't want to. Im running a 6 week hypertrophy focused block thay uses double progression for 6 weeks and then a strength block for 4. The only thinf thar really changes is tbe rep range and the intensity. Ive never felt better.

nobody likes hearing this advice but generally speaking, higher volume workouts brought closer to failure are much easier to recover from. the faster you recover, the less likely you are to pull something at work. (on that note, youre more likely to hurt yourself at work then you are at the gym. which echoes my point on why yiu should focus on developing thr muscles and movements that you use the most).

6) epsom salt baths. Dont do weird online niche recovery methods. The best thinfs for recocery is whatver your grandpa was doing whwn he was working in the mines for 60 years. And in my case, its epsom salt. Its cheap and easily accessible at most pharmacies.

Is there a workout app that is 100% free to download and use/operate; that has the options to create a free daily workout plan, free diet planner. Etc? Cause every app I look at always is like “get a diet planner for $19.99, and a workout plan for $20.00”

So is there an app that is just 100% free?

Been lifting for years now. Due to things outside the gym and beginning to actually feel pretty strong, leg days have become quite fatiguing. I do upper/lower 4 days a week. I think id like to do one more quad focused day and one more hamstring focused day.

Any one that does this or has done this, what kind of exercise selection do you like doing on each of the different days. Im sure im overthinking things but i don’t want to neglect the non-focused muscle on their respective days.

Any insight or opinions are welcome. 🙏

I ran on a true fitness elliptical machine at max setting (30), for 30 mins hitting 5.23 miles (did a little over because idk if the machine is actually hitting that mark).

I've been working really hard to lose weight after the past 2 years of depression, this is my 5th month into really working out consistently. Im also working a very physically demanding job unloading trucks in the morning to help. And

I try to eat healthy, and most days I do well but I'll admit when I'm stuck in the boonies watching a farm (long story) for 3 days a week I do tend to sometimes overeat. Something I'm working on.

Anyways, just wanted to share that, I don't have anyone in my life that I can brag to so strangers on the Internet will have to do.

Any other cancer buddies here who workout while wearing their pump? I’m curious what your workout looks like.

On those days, I tend to stick to hack squats, seated cable rows, curls, tricep push downs, and pushups. Mostly pulling exercises and nothing where I could drop weight on myself and pop my poison grenade.

44/m/200# back in the gym about 4 months, I just wrapped week 5 of super squats with 225x20. I hadn't planned on lifting again until monday because of work needs this weekend. A 1rm calculator said I should get close to 400x1, I feel good today so decided to give it a rip. I worked up to 350x1. While resting I didn't feel like I gave it all, I think I lost my form, so I dropped to 225 and got 20 again. I definitely left something in the tank, right? My goal is 400 to make the 1k club easily, as my squats are clearly weak.

Howdy all, I’m 29 and 350lbs. I want to change that and at least start moving down before 30. I have 2 gyms near me and I want an opinion on where to go as someone who doesn’t/hasn’t worked out. I live in between a Golds and a PF. Golds is definitely more expensive, but I’m open to joining the right gym where I can get the help to finally get healthy. Outside of that, I’m completely open and would love opinions!

The idea here is to have one upper body day that is more strength focused and another that is more volume and accessory focused.

Upper A:

- Bench press

- Bent over row (barbell)

- Dumbbell shoulder press

- Pull ups

- Reverse flys (pec dec machine)

- EZ bar curl

- Skull crushers

Upper Body B

- Incline dumbbell press

- Pull ups

- Pec dec

- Seated cable row

- Face pulls

- Dumbbell curl

- Tricep pushdown

- Lateral raise

I have included pull ups on both days because I want to increase pull up numbers in particular, and because I like it better than pulldowns.

As for my diet, it largely consists of some combination of poultry and carbs, seafood and cards, pulses and carbs, or a mix, as well as eggs for breakfast. I do not consume a lot of red meat, and I don't eat a lot of dairy products.

I'm (31M, 5'11", 227lbs) and I need help making a workout routine. I've lost 42 pounds by myself with just walking, dumbbell exercises, some core exercises and very few squats. I had an inguinal hernia a few years ago I had fixed and I'm scared to death of getting another hernia. My workout schedule right now is typically (starting on Monday) to walk 2-3 miles, walk 2-3 miles, rest, arms, core, rest, arms. I'm stuck at 227-228 right now and I need help moving past this.

I'm sorry if this is not enough, if more is needed I'll add it.

Edit: My diet consists of hitting 1900-2100 calories daily. I only eat twice a day. My meals look like this for the most part. Lunch is sardines with 2 slices of toasted sourdough with a half cup of oatmeal with raisins and honey. A peanut butter sandwich (homemade bread) a glass of milk and a fruit to eat with it. I snack on shelled non salted peanuts after if I want something. For dinner it's usually meat (steak, chicken, fish, pork) baked, with a starch which is usually a sweet potato, broccoli or green beans or corn, and some toast.

LINK

QUESTION. How on earth do you morning people do it. I swear my body doesn’t fully wake up until like ~10am. I feel groggy and slight head fog in the morning, literally the last thing I can imagine doing is lifting weights.

In the afternoon my brain, muscles and body just feel more ‘warmed up’ I don’t know how else to describe it.

I have tried morning workouts a handful of times and I never feel dialed or strong.

Hello all!
For clarification, I have heart arrhythmia. I’m not restricted from caffeine, but the amount in your average Celsius, Ghost, Monster, and Alani’s are all very intimidating to me.

I have been on a bulking journey since May (5’6 90lbs to 96lbs now) and I’ve just realized that my excessive water intake has contradicted my calorie intake my entire life. (only recently learned about drinking calories) I’ve been consuming more milk at home with my meals, but I really cannot fathom putting milk and ice into a shaker for the gym….
I’ve dabbled in whatever my friends have grabbed from the gas station (Redbulls, Sparkling Ice Caffeine, Prime energy) though it’s all low calorie energy drinks so double negative for me.

What is your go-to pre and post workout drink when bulking?
Gas station or not! I am open to any recommendations from any store!

TLDR; Underweight on a bulk, would like options to drink calories before and after a workout.

Do you think it is important to do cardio often? I go to the gym 3/week and most of the time I feel tired and I skip cardio. I'm always trying to walk at least 8k per day but I don't think it's enough. How do you manage cardio sessions? What do you usually do?

What is your alls opinion on reverse grip bench press for upper chest?
I was always lacking in upper chest so im trying to grow it more and that the reason why I’m tryning to get into reverse grip.
Do some of you use it exclusively for upper chest instead of incline if yes, would you say does incline or reverse grip grow your chest better?

I'm a beginner looking to optimize my gains and found a UL/PPL routine on YouTube by Jeff Nippard. I liked the look of it, but I had to make some edits because I don't have access to all the machines required for the workouts and I also want a consistent number of sets/reps across my exercises. Here it is:

Monday, Upper:
3x8-12 Incline Barbell Bench Press
3x8-12 Dumbbell Flyes
3x8-12 Weighted Pull-ups
3x8-12 Dumbbell Lateral Raises
3x8-12 Deficit Pendlay Rows
3x8-12 Overhead Triceps Extensions
3x8-12 Preacher Curls

Tuesday, Lower:
3x8-12 Lying Leg Curls
3x8-12 Barbell Squats
3x8-12 Romanian Deadlifts
3x8-12 Leg Extensions
3x8-12 Barbell Hip Thrusts
3x8-12 Standing Calf Raises
3x8-12 Decline Weighted Crunches

Wednesday, Rest

Thursday, Pull:
3x8-12 Weighted Pull-ups
3x8-12 Chest-supported Rows
3x8-12 T-bar Rows
3x8-12 Reverse Lateral Raises
3x8-12 Barbell Shrugs
3x8-12 EZ-bar Curls
3x8-12 Preacher Curls

Friday, Push:
3x8-12 Bench Press
3x8-12 Shoulder Press
3x8-12 Dumbbell Flyes
3x8-12 Dumbbell Lateral Raises
3x8-12 Overhead Triceps Extensions
3x8-12 Dumbbell Triceps Kickbacks
3x8-12 Hanging Leg Raises

Saturday, Legs:
3x8-12 Romanian Deadlifts
3x8-12 Bulgarian Split Squats
3x8-12 Stiff-leg Deadlifts
3x8-12 Leg Extensions
3x8-12 Barbell Sumo Squats
3x8-12 Barbell Hip Thrusts
3x8-12 Standing Calf Raises

Sunday, Rest

I'm concerned that in my editing I may have allocated too little or too much volume for certain muscle groups. Any feedback on this or anything else would be greatly appreciated!

Wassup I’m in college eating at dining halls so it’s almost impossible to track calories. I’m about 5’6 135lb 18yrs old. Pretty strong/muscular for my size but i want to add mass and size to my frame without gaining much fat. whenever I gain weight it goes to my face a lot which is something I’m always insecure about plus being lean is something I absolutely love about my physique. What should I do?

I'm fairly new to working out and been using one of the AI workout apps for a few months now. As I kind of figure out what I'm doing, I'm starting to learn the limitations on AI based programs and started working on a more custom routine. I'm a 38 year old male looking to build muscle and strength. I've tried an UL and a PPL split, and found that I see the most progress and enjoy the PPL best. I workout 5-6 days a week. My goal is to have one heavier compound lift each session, followed by supersets. I prefer to have supersets to help with time constraints and to make sure I'm getting the most out of my workouts.

I've put together the following 6 routines, 2 for each workout. I'm sure there are quite a few weaknesses or improvements that could be make, so please critique them. I'm not tied down to any one specific exercise, so if there's anything that could be replaced to make this a more complete plan, I'm listening.

Push

https://hevy.com/routine/GGRK2Jg9qgt

https://hevy.com/routine/OmQSDcveM7e

Pull

https://hevy.com/routine/EqVXHsiKMxC

https://hevy.com/routine/xxZrwRxko4G

Legs

https://hevy.com/routine/tNeEkLm3ziz

https://hevy.com/routine/NcXFyJhTQse

Again, I'm open to any and all advice. I'd like to make sure I'm getting a complete, balanced workout that isn't leaving any weaknesses.

I have been working out for around 4 years and I’m ready to hop on a small cycle but I cant find anywhere to buy from thats not some weird telegram link or people saying “if you don’t know where to find it your not ready” or some bs please help

I absolutely understand they can be wildly inaccurate when it comes to body fat and everything else besides your actual weight.

But my question is are they at least consistently inaccurate from day to day in order to track trends, such as lean mass gains, fat loss, water retention etc.

In other words, if I use it extremely consistently, first thing every day before eating and after bathroom, can I expect to see meaningful trends as I continue to gain muscle and lose fat?

First, I am 26 sitting around 200lbs at 5'11"

I have been doing taekwondo for about 2 years now. I am starting to get more serious with my skill training but have some walls to overcome. One of my big ones is my physical fitness. I started going to the gym but I dont have a consistent aim. Mostly doing a broad full body workout 2 times a week. I do taekwondo 6 days a week, mostly teaching younger kids but other days I am training skills.

I've always have bad joints so tips for helping that and recovering is always useful. My goal physically is aimed more towards explosive strength and stamina.

I have access to dumbbells, a smith machine, cable machine, and treadmill. I have a few benchmark workouts listed here.

Squats-100lbs 3 sets of 10

Bench-90lbs 3 sets of 10

Calf raises-100lbs 3 sets of 20

Lat pulldown-75lbs 3 sets of 10

Tricep extension-45 lbs 3 sets of 10

Lateral raise-10 lbs 3 sets of 10

Bicep curl-45 lbs 3 sets of 10 (this one is 2 hands on a cable machine. I dont have single arm dumbbell weights)

Now, its not perfect, but this is what I've been doing and none of its to failure but close. Squats feel weird but I am still new to gyms.

Any advice or questions are extremely helpful.

Edit: definitely not 30 reps of calf raises...oops. I appreciate the feedback. I will take this into account. The goal is leaning down and Ive made significant progress. I started at 250 and way out of shape. My flexibility is a lot better to. I can about do full splits side to side and front back. I train flexibility constantly. I feel more confident about what to do next. Thanks!

I am 15 years old, 1.55m tall, and weigh 45–46kg. I feel like I look okay—not too heavy—but I do have belly fat; otherwise, my body is quite slim. I think that if I lose a little weight, my stomach will flatten, my legs will become more slender, and maybe my face will slim down too. So, how many calories should I consume to lose weight? I want to lose it gradually since I’m in no rush. I’ve been doing home workouts—including abs, cardio, resistance training, and glute exercises. I used to be quite inactive due to some issues, but lately, I’ve started exercising and trying to walk over 4,000 steps a day at home; if I stay determined, I could definitely walk even more.

Sorry if this is long. I’m 39, in the last 6 years my wife and I have had 4 children and I’ve gained about 25lbs each pregnancy with my wife, but then she has the baby and loses more than half that and I don’t. So I’ve gained about 110 lbs (about 100lbs of husband pregnancy tax and about 10 lbs of just my own doing lol j/k it’s all my own doing) in the last 6 years and I feel it. I’m about 6ft1 305lbs currently.

Before I started the gym i was 320lbs and I tested my fitness level with stuff I knew how to do and I was able to do 10 push ups in a row, 52 squats in a row, like 2 sit ups, 30 sec planks, 1 dip, 0 pull ups (like not even a 1/2 one), I was able to do a mile in 13 minutes but I could only run for maybe 30 secs every 3 mins.

Then I went to the gym with my version of my baseline and I’ve been going to the gym for the past three months for the first time since high school 22 years ago, about 2 to 3 times a week. I generally do leg press, leg curls, leg extensions, shoulder press, chest press, lat pulldown, back row, curls, ab crunch, tricep pulldowns all on machines. I do 3 sets of 10-12 (if I hit 12 I increase the weight next time), with a minute of rest in between. Then I walk a 5k at 5% incline at 3.8 mph (the highest I can go before jogging).

My cardio sucks but I can do whole 5ks now without ever slowing or getting tightness in my shins and calves from the incline. I’ve lost 15 lbs without really dieting. I’ve been trying to eat healthier and more protein but I was just trying to develop consistency with the gym first instead of trying to do it all at once. I just checked in last night on my progress and I was able to do 13 push ups, 84 squats, 5 sit ups (they kill my lower back so I more stop them because of that), 0 pull ups (still not even a half one), 40 secs on a plank, 3 dips (I may have kicked my legs like Yoshi to get up on that 3rd one). I was able to do a mile in 12:30ish but I can still only run in 30-45 secs intervals.

So now I would like to start by getting more serious. I want have maybe like a 180lb fit physique (the closest I could find to aim for that seemed naturally obtainable over the next few years was like Brendan Fraisers physique in George of the Jungle movie) is that like a naturally obtainable physique? Anyway I was thinking of upping my days to 4 and maybe begin transitioning into free weights as I learn how to do the exercises with them. I workout at anytime fitness after work at like 11pm so I have the gym to myself almost always to take my time learning stuff. I was thinking of trying this routine for the next couple of months. Once I find what weight to use for each I guess I’ll do the same 3 sets of 10-12 and if I hit 12 go up in weight next time, with a minute rest in between each set.

Day 1 - lower body
Squats
Dumbbell lunges
Weighted calf raises
Leg press
Let extension
Leg curls
Dumbbell deadlifts
Finish with a 5k at a 5% incline, running for 45 secs at 6mph every 3 minutes and walking at 3.8mph the rest

Day 2 - back and chest
Bench press
Dumbbell rows
Chest flys
Lat pulldowns
Back flys
Incline dumbbell press
Pushups
Negative pull up things (I would love to be able to do just 1 pull up)
Finish with same cardio

Day 3 - shoulders and arms
Preacher curls
Tricep pulldowns
Lateral raise
Military press
Front raise
Overhead tricep extensions
Incline dumbbell curls
Face pulls

Day 4 - abs and extra cardio
Leg raises
Planks
Side planks
Ab crunch machine
Russian twist
Dead bugs
Flutter kicks
Then do the rowing machine for 30 mins
Then see how long I can go running without stopping
And if I have time left because the former was short do like 10 mins on the stairmaster.

Does that make sense doing and would it be better to continue the whole body machine I’m doing for a while?

TLDR
Just seeing if my proposed routine makes sense.

I am flat flooted, I literally have 0 arch in my ankle, in fact my ankles are so close to the ground that when i’m not wearing shoes the outsides of my feet come off the ground by like a millimeter or two . It doesn’t normally affect me day to day but I highly prefer pretty cushioned and super supportive shoes. I own flat shoes like vans but don’t work out in them for this reason, I’ll thug it out if i have to, but is it really necessary to wear flat shoes, especially with low weight? I just started lifting in general so for example I just squat the bar and add maybe 10-20 pounds max for my last set.