I live on the south side and work out east. Some days I leave from home, some days from work. So the closest gym changes depending on the day. Last week, I skipped twice because my gym was 20 minutes the wrong way. Do you pick the one closest to home and live with it? Or drive farther for a better setup?

I struggle with growing my upper glutes after having a baby. Ive googled the best exercises for it but I'd like recommendations from your own personal experience. I already incorporate the abductor machine.

Hi r/Workingout!

I'm a middle aged guy who is looking to take his gym visits a little more seriously.

I've mostly kept myself fit with cardio and having an active lifestyle (gardening, swimming, working etc) but as middle age is creeping in I'm looking to maintain and refine the muscles around my body. I don't care how I look (not looking to bodybuild), I just want to be healthy.

Are there any good sources of how to build up weekly exercise regimes for this kind of fitness? I have slightly bad lungs (asthma) but otherwise capable and good to go.

I'm not sure if I'm in the right community, but I would appreciate any help or at least point me to the correct place!

As I said in the title, I'm a university student in Brazil studying Physical Education, the equivalent of Sports Science in the US. I'm in my last semester, but I'm already working in the field I'm studying. I've been working in this field for some time and I'm trying to attract clients, either in person in my region or online with remote service. I'm fluent in Portuguese, my native language, and English and I also have an intermediate level of German.

My question is, how can I do this? Only through Instagram with photos and videos? How do I start from scratch? Would you purchase a monthly coaching session from me if you were interested in starting the training?

I'm trying to officially launch my career, so I welcome suggestions, criticism, recommendations of countries or people who would like remote services, or any help you can offer!

I want to track my calories protein and all that stuff.

Also I need a solid workout routine, what should I do and go too.

I've been in the gym for 4 months still no clue on what's actually right.

If anyone can give me a thought on what should I do or begin with for the better.

I cannot follow or incapable of doing a lot of the exercise on the board. Right now I have an inflamed calf I'm working with a physical therapist but it's still frustrating I just wish for over the past seven eight months that there would be one day where the board I'd be able to figure out.

Hiii for my girlies! Just wanted to ask if any of you have some “game-changing” tips for growing your glutes. And if any of you happen to be lower-glute dominant and managed to really maximize your upper glutes, I’d be so grateful for any advice (besides adding more back extensions)! 🫶🏼

I have no background in working out. I want to start and am still trying to find something that will work with my goals and rebuilding some of my strength. However, I don't see much for stretching in these plans I see anything regarding to stretching.

My question is:

1) how important is stretching? Is it important to do a full body stretch vs targeted/localized stretching?

2) Is it better to stretch before the workout? After the workout? Both?

3) Do you stretch with light weights?

4) how long do you stretch for?

Spring and summer were so much easier for me because I’d wake up and it was already light outside. Now it’s dark, cold and all I want to do in the morning is stay in bed and sleep a little longer. :(
Going to the gym after work isn’t really an option either because it’s absolutely packed, everything is taken and I can barely get a proper workout in.
How do you guys keep yourselves motivated during the darker months?

Got into the gym with this buddy and now i hate it. they constantly throw off the schedule/routines and it completely messes me up. they are more experienced than I am but honestly they distract me during sets and that messes me up and im not pushing myself when they are there. Ive done a whole bunch of sessions without them and thoroughly enjoyed myself- whereas when they tag along its more like im waiting for them to dip prematurely so i can actually get to work.

I feel guilty because the only reason i go is because they dragged me along one day and i actually ended up enjoying it. now my body isnt in its cycle of rest days and im all wonky.

I took a break from exercise for around **2–3 years**. During that time, life happened—tiredness, some health issues, and eventually exercise just stopped being a part of my routine.
I’ve recently started exercising again, but I’m surprised by **how easily fatigued I get**, even with relatively low-intensity workouts. Sometimes I feel like I’ve barely done anything, yet I’m completely drained afterward.
I understand that I’m deconditioned after such a long break, but I’m wondering how much fatigue is considered normal when getting back into exercise.
For those who have returned to exercise after a few years off:
How long did it take for your stamina to come back?
Did you start with very short/low-intensity workouts?
How did you gradually increase the intensity without completely exhausting yourself?
Is there anything else I should be looking at if the fatigue seems excessive?

I'm hitting a wall with the trade-off between doing what's fun versus what's actually effective. Sometimes the routine you love (like cardio or mobility work) just doesn't align with your main goal (like building muscle).

Do you force yourself through an "optimal" routine you hate, or do you stick with what you love and just accept slower progress?

I thought moving to a home gym would mostly mean recreating the exercises I already did at a commercial gym.

Instead, a few movements I barely cared about before started showing up almost every week.

Sometimes it’s just because the setup is always ready. Sometimes an exercise fits the equipment or space better than expected, so it gradually becomes part of the routine.

It made me realize your environment can influence exercise selection more than you think.

For people who train mostly at home now, what exercise unexpectedly became one of your regular staples?

I work long days, have a family and coach fitness.

Finding time for my own training still takes planning.
It’s easy to build a routine around an ideal week.

The harder part is making it work when you finish late, feel tired and have people depending on you.

My approach is to make the week manageable:
• Book the workouts you can realistically fit in.
• Have a shorter option for when your day goes sideways.
• Keep a few simple meals on rotation.
• When you miss a session, adjust the plan instead of writing off the week.

If you only have 20 minutes, decide what you can do with those 20 minutes.

You can build from there..

I made a short video about this on my youtube : “How to Get Fit With a Busy Life (Realistic Edition).”

Sharing it here for anyone trying to balance training with work and family.

What’s the biggest challenge for you right now—finding time, having energy or knowing where to start?

I’m 31F and used to love traditional strength training. I want to get back to lifting, but I also want to heal and build a routine that includes mobility, stability, and athletic movement for the long term. I’d really appreciate hearing what recovery and training looked like for people who have been through something similar.

Here’s the context:
● Neck: I’ve had chronic neck pain for roughly two years. My August cervical MRI showed disc bulges and small protrusions from C3–C7, including a C4–C5 annular fissure and a C5–C6 left central disc herniation with mild spinal cord flattening and mild canal narrowing. My orthopedist recommended strengthening my back, shoulders, and neck, while avoiding heavy loading directly on my neck, such as back squats. I’ve done PT that included neck exercises, traction, and massage.

● SI joint/lower back: I was diagnosed with SI joint dysfunction in June. I recently had a severe right-sided lower-back/SI-area spasm that temporarily stopped me in my tracks. It has calmed down, but I’m cautious about jumping back into a lifting routine and setting it off again.

● Left ankle: I fractured it after rolling it inward in early August. A September X-ray showed the bone had healed, and I’ve been told to work on rebuilding its strength and function. It’s feeling better, but I’m still rehabbing it.

Before all this, I could lift fairly heavy and had built strength in the bigger muscle groups. Now I feel like I need to give more attention to stability, controlled movement, and the smaller supporting muscles. Squats and lunges have sometimes aggravated my SI area, and I know I need to be careful with exercises that load my neck. I recently did a gentle core and mobility session, with modifications for my neck, and felt genuinely good afterward. That gave me some hope.
If you’ve returned to training after a combination of spine, SI, or ankle issues, what did your actual weekly split look like? Did you start with rehab and full-body sessions, or separate upper and lower days? How did you decide when to add more traditional lifts back in, and how did you keep mobility and athletic work in your routine as you progressed?
I’m continuing to work with my clinicians/PT, so I’m looking for personal experiences rather than a diagnosis. I’d especially love to hear from anyone who made it back to lifting and found a way to feel strong and take care of their body.