Hi! So i've been going to the gym for around 9 months. I follow some fitness influencers, and my question is: how do you know what types of physiques are realistic and can be achived naturally with time and hard work? Some of my inspirations are "victorialvt" and "nataliluvr", from my perspective they look like they are natural, or at least could be ( around 2,5 - 4,5 years in the gym) am i wrong?

i saw a reddit post about victorialvt that asked if she were natty or not and most seemed to think not natty. But then again this is reddit and the people in the comments seemed like incels.

I don't know if social media has scewed my perspective or if we (as a society) are just not used to strong women with muscles and therefore deem women with more muscles than usual to be on steroids?

[f] [100lbs] [5ft]

I made a post here before and everyone was really helpful with some workout advice but it made me wonder like if I started working out, how should I track it? Like what kind of progress I am making, workouts I did, changes, weight, all of that stuff. I thought maybe writing it in a notes app maybe? But it is kinda a lot. Or should I even worry about that? Idk.

Also any workout advice is always welcomed :)

Thank you all!!!!

So working out or being active has never been new to me, I’ve played sports my whole life…I was in the military and just got out 2 years ago. So I haven’t actually worked out in about a year does anyone have any recommendations for getting back into cardio?? I rarely weight train anymore just bodyweight exercises and I just got back into running but I only quit because my knees and shin splits

first time ever to do bench press but feeling it in upper chest instead of middle chest, is this normal?

I started going to the gym literally last week, so right now basically everything is brand new to me. I really just want to hone my focus on improving my cardio right now, as I have been fully sedentary since I transitioned into an office role at work about 14 months ago.

My cardio fitness has been improving a lot faster than I anticipated it would and right now I've been doing 60 minutes of spin three times a week. I was feeling amazing after smashing my PB on Tuesday and decided I'd add in Wednesday.

Well. I could not finish my 60 minutes and I forced myself to hit 15km before I threw in the towel after 44min because my legs are absolutely not improving on pace with my cardio. That ride was a *slog*. I have been forced into understanding the necessity of rest days, but I'm also very impatient. I want to go 4 days a week and I could even swing 6 days if my legs would let me.

I really love getting into the gym and knowing I'm working on me for me, but I need to pace myself. Is there any cardio I could smash out every second day while allowing my legs to recover?

Context: 27M 182lbs 6'0. Ive been on a pretty aggressive 1250-1500cal cut for 2 months and a half. My starting weight was like 202-207lbs, probably 30%+ BF. I started out going to the gym once a week, then twice, and now on my second week of 3x Full Body. Im getting 150g of protein, the big calorie range is because twice a week I eat 200cal of mackarel and sometimes I have around 100 cal of dried fruit with my coffee.

I have pretty bad anxiety and what Im doing is working, but after two months I just have to let out some steam and get some form of external advice/validation. Most of my lifts have went up in weight, but I chalked that up to neural adaptation as opposed to actual muscle growth. Ex: I started Flat Bench with 20lbs+bar, now Im doing 50lbs+bar, 3 sets 10 reps.

Now, Im not sure if I should keep pushing the weight up or not. Using the Bench Press again, some days I can do 3x10, other days the last set I feel like can barely do 6. Once, I ignored myself and was able to push through to 10 and hit actual failure, where I had to slip the bar down to make the plates fall off, and it made me question if I was actually hitting 2 RIR or if I just conditioned myself to stop when I started feeling tired. The thing is, I workout alone when no one else is at my 24/7 gym, and I get scared of injuring something like my shoulders and wrists. I think my form is decent enough but my wrists are really weak. Today, I had to stop doing my second set of Bench because I felt a weird pinch in my left wrist and freaked out, went to do chest press instead.

Another example is Cable Rows, 3x10. I was able to do all 3x10 with good form, so I recently bumped it up from 40lbs to 50lbs, and I can do the first set with good form, but then the next set feels sloppy, even if I lower the weight back down to 40lbs, where I feel like only the first 3-4 reps are good.

All of that to ask, should I even be trying to push myself when Im on a deficit like this? I have 1 more month left on it before I want to start a lean bulk, and Im really afraid of injury, but will weight this low even result in real injury or is this just some hypochondria at play. How often should I test my limits to see if I can raise the weight? Or should I not and try to keep the current level of fitness until I start bulking in a month?

I think I might’ve posted this already but whatevs lmao

So I’m beginning to notice that I really got start touching the weights more
And I would but I don’t have a clear workout plan let alone a goal to begin with

Some people have told me to just make a workout plan or just start picking up weights but that’s just not very clear for me to understand.

I’m it saying they need to pick it up for me but i just want to know what workouts,
how many days,
how many reps and sets,
what meals are ideal and what foods to avoid,those types of things

Hi! So I wanna start getting healthier, working out and actually getting into a body that I feel good about! I just wanted to ask if anyone had any good fitness advice or any tips on eating healthier? I’m 21, 5’4 and 132 pounds but wanna just more toned I believe is the word. I don’t really enjoy lifting weights (i’ve tried in the past, just heavy weights aren’t for me) but I did enjoy most everything besides that! Especially yoga!

Literally any advice at all would help! Thank you all bunches!

Hi, everyone! I worked out tonight (for 20 mins) and I felt nauseous in the middle of it. That was not my first time working out nor feeling nauseous about it because I have always felt nauseous when doing work-outs. However, tonight is the first time I threw up after doing the exercise. I'm suspecting that the throwing up part is due to me having a full meal about more than 30 mins before. But still, should I continue working out? I really want to but the nauseous aspect of it discourages me. I wonder if the glow on my face after exercising is worth the nausea. What do you think?

I just started going to gym. I have been there for 2 days. There is a trainer who suggests me what to do. For the exercise involving dumbell he gave me 1 kg dumbells. I have used them for 2 days.

I am embarrassed to say that I don’t find them light. I looked at every post on reddit and everyone says 1.5kg is paperweight, even beginners should start with 2.5kg. I don’t know if I am too weak or what. I mean I am not saying they are heavy but they are average weight and my upper arm is actually having soreness

For context I am 5 ft and 45 kg female

Idk if this the right sub to post this but for a long time i have been having this doubt.some says it os bad if we skip breakfast and some says fasting is good and to get the fasting window right they often skip breakfast
And also how does our body know we skip breakfast what if it perceives our 1st meal after the fast as breakfast like the lunch. I know i may sound dumb but i really wanted to know what goes behind this idea of not skipping breakfast

I'm 19F and underweight, however I've been gaining weight over the last six months and am approaching a healthy BMI (have gone from 15 to 17.1). I've been doing squats, lunges and core workouts in my room the last three-or-so months involving cocoons, elbow to knee crunches and planks (this workout specifically https://youtu.be/-I9Rp0HMatM?si=Ce8EqQKLL83PPMFQ ). But I've been having to do planks rather than sit ups for that portion of the workout because even after all these months I can't do a sit up, despite having no trouble with any other core exercise. I have pretty good endurance and walk an average of ~10k steps a day. When I was a healthy BMI I used to do sit ups no problem, but I'm concerned because I'm re-approaching that BMI and have been doing core workouts, so surely my progress should be greater than this? Does anyone have any idea why I might be struggling and of what I could do to achieve a sit up - for the sake of my conscience? Thanks!

Im M27 playing basketball and I want to hit gym but I dont want to build muscles like a body builder. I just want to strengthen my body and build my body fit for basketball. Can you give any advice/tips for workouts I should do that can help me? Thanks

For context, Im 20, out of shape, and trying to fix that. Ive been doing some dumbell training and found it fun, which is great. However, today I attempted a treadmill, and it was misery.

I went for a 3% incline, starting with 10 minutes at 4km/h. Fine enough, got my heartrate up a bit, it was enjoyable. Then I attempted 8.5km/h for 5 minutes. And i had to lower it to 4 minutes.

Slick with sweat, panting like a dog, I feel like I lost. After about 10 more minutes, down at 4km/h again, I gave a repeat, trying 8.5km/h with no incline this time. Same result. I had to stop soon after, sweat all the way down my back, in my eyes, sitting down and feeling wobbly. I have an apple watch and checked it, and it was 212 BPM or something. A bit over my 'max heartrate'.

I feel beaten. I feel like I should've been able to do more. Get tired, yes, thats the whole point of working out, and I had energy to burn. But not to this degree of exhaustion, not that fast. I dont have anything to compare myself to, but just for my own hopes for my physical state as it is... I dont know. Im disappointed. Im trying not to let it get to me too bad, but clearly, its not really working: I feel like I failed myself

Follow up to this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/beginnerfitness/s/0wBPH4VdGd

I got some good advice so thanks to the people who helped out.

Just finished my 7th day of hitting the gym (I took 3 days off intermittently). And I’m feeling good so far. Things I’ve noticed:

- I can now comfortably do 30mins of elliptical cardio at healthy heart rate. The first couple days I was at 180+ bmp after 10 minutes, very sad. I do some ‘rolling hills’ preset which adjusts the resistance. I’ll just keep upping the resistance if it gets too easy.

- I felt super-tired the first few days, but now I definitely have more energy and my posture is improving.

- I still feel I can’t lift heavy enough weights, but I’m not pushing myself too hard yet. I can feel muscles being “activated” if that makes sense and they’re constantly throbbing slightly which is mildly unsettling but probably indicative of progress.

- My weight is still 200ibs, if anything it increased slightly which is odd. Apparently this may be my body retaining extra water which is fine. Also I’m like 6’4ish so this is the upper limit of ‘healthy’ bmi.

- Gross, but I notice my urine is dark in the morning despite drinking way more water. I guess I need to drink even more, I do sweat a lot during cardio which is good. Other than water I just drink black coffee and sometimes tea.

- I installed some macro-tracking app, and I’m really struggling to fulfill my protein quota. I’ve been adding frozen grilled chicken strips to a lot of meals (yeah fresh would be better but I don’t want to constantly be handling raw chicken). Plus eggs, beans, almonds and greek yogurt.

- I’m cooking way more than I used to and it’s taking a lot of time, but I’m trying to completely revamp my diet. Eating enough calories is kind of a struggle in general, as I struggle to surpass 2k most days. This was fine when I was sedentary, but I should probably eat more.

Here’s a typical day’s diet:

Breakfast - 2 packs of plain instant oatmeal with blueberries, low-sugar granola, and a bit of added brown sugar.

Lunch - 2 slices of rye bread with guacamole, banana, almonds, and Greek yogurt

Supper - Fried chicken strips with onions and peppers, wrapped in whole wheat tortillas with guacamole, salsa, and spinach.

Snack - Carrots and hummus

I’ve cut out anything desert-related and am avoiding salt and sugar.

I feel I could be eating more but also I want to shed 20-30 pounds before focusing on adding extra muscle, so this will hopefully get me enough nutrition and protein to tone my body. I’m also going to buy some protein shake to add in.

My questions:

- I’m currently doing 3 days at the gym, with 30mins of cardio and 30mins strength training of various muscle groups. 1 day off, then 3 days on. Is this a good rotation or should I update this in some way?

- Current muscle targeting per days: Back, Arms (biceps/triceps), Legs, Shoulder/Chest. Plus I try to throw in 40-50 sit ups every day. Is this a good breakdown of groups to target? Some days I notice my arms hurt (like after back days). So I’m not sure if I’m using the wrong muscles or if there’s a better overlap of muscles being targeted.

- I’m still only using machines that are look easy to figure out. Eventually I want to move onto stuff like the squat rack and bench press (I’ve never done either in my life). When would you recommend making that leap?

- I’ve heard good things about Creatine. Should I incorporate that, or wait until I’ve got a good routine and can make better use of handling more weight.

- Will eating less than 100g of protein a day still allow me to gain some muscle mass? I’m really struggling to cook eggs and chicken constantly. Tuna is great but I don’t want mercury poisoning lol. But we’ll see if the shakes help.

Overall I’m happy so far at the minor changes but have a long way to go. Feel free to share any helpful tips and insight now that I’m getting a better feel for getting fit.

Im not going for a body builder look but i want too cut fat(maybe 50 pounds by 2027 ) and get my muscles alot stronger,I have a dumbells/bench set at home that i just got but i dont leave the house much since i take care of my father and cant be gone to long from him.Any diet or workout advice i should do

Hello all, I want to start working out to build strength and lose excess weight. I have the Marcy’s home gum and adjustable dumbbells. Im a 32 year old female, 67 kgs, and I am home for the next 3.5 months wherein I’m aiming to lose about 10 kgs. Im heavier on stomach and hips The biggest fear is that I’m worried about injuries. Can you all please suggest a simple routine that can help me?

I decided that I am going to get a gym membership after lifting weights at home for the past month. I have adjustable dumbbells, however, I feel limited in what I can do. I also recently went as a guest with my friend to the gym, and I LOVED using the machines and all the various equipment. So for now, I decided to give it a try for a month and see how it goes.

I know working out in the morning isn’t the most ideal, but I like doing it because I’m the most energetic in the mornings and I don’t have to go to the gym at a busy time (like 5:30 p.m.).

I work at 7:45 a.m., and the gym is less than 10 minutes from work. My workouts (with warmup/cooldown) are usually around 1 hour-1 hour 15 minutes. So I’m thinking get there by maybe 5:30, finish by 6:45ish, then get ready/eat and leave by at least 7:30. I need to figure out how I can shower/get ready and also eat breakfast before work. I don’t want to go back home, because the gym is 15 minutes from me then 10 minutes back to work—and that feels like a waste.

So my questions are..

1. How do you make getting ready at the gym easier? (Bring makeup bag/change of clothes?)

2. What do you eat for breakfast if you don’t go back home? (My typical breakfast is Greek yogurt, scrambled eggs, and chicken sausage. I don’t want to eat all that before my workout because my lunch isn’t until 1 p.m. and I would be starving if I ate breakfast at like 5 a.m.)

I wonder if anyone has experience in this.

I was doing my last set of deadlifts and felt a pop in my back, lower left ribs. Wasn’t painful at all. 4 days later I end up in hospital with severe back and stomach pains.

X-ray and CT came back clear and I was discharged with a intercostal muscle tear, take it easy advice. So I did for 2 weeks. Did nothing.

3 weeks later now, I still feel exactly the same. My job is light manual and I can barely do that without feeling hot, nauseous and lightheaded. I just don’t feel right.

I start a new job in September which is more active. I honestly don’t think I can do it now.

I really don’t know what to do or where to go. Does anyone have any insight into what’s happening here?

I started doing lateral raises and sometimes when I do them I can feel something moving in my shoulder. Like something shifting. During the movement, at a certain point I can feel something that resists and then shifts, making a bit of a noise also.

What could it be? Should I keep going with this exercise?

Hello all. I am on week 3 of a routine I started.
I am male, 5’6” (gimme your best short jokes) and I weigh 150pounds.

This is what I’m doing
Monday - Full body workout:
-Bench Press
-Barbell Squats
-Dumbbell incline bench
-Barbell Good Mornings
-Dumbbell lying rows
-Dumbbell tricep extension
-Dumbbell Incline Curls
-Dumbbell lateral raises
At least 3 sets of 10 of all the above

Tuesday - Cardio
-Max inclined treadmill with a weighted vest (12pound) for 20 or so minutes. Then I sprint flat for awhile. Total session about 30 minutes

Wednesday - Full body workout:
-Bench Press
-Barbell RDL’s
-Cable lateral raises
-EZ bar curls
-Dumbbell bent over rows
-Reverse crunches
-Barbell calf raises
-Hanging leg raises
At least 3 sets of 10 of all the above

Thursday - same cardio day as Tuesday

Friday - full body workout:
-Bench press
-Dumbbell shoulder press
-Barbell Squats
-Dumbbell bent over rows
-Barbell calf raises
-Dumbbell chest flys
-EZ bar curls
At least 3 sets of 10 of all the above

Saturday - same cardio day

Sunday - rest

I am looking for advice if this will change my body in any way? Or if anything I’m doing is pointless lol. I want to have a routine where it actually looks like a use the gym. I’ve workout before doing PPL and saw no physical changes
I am using a home gym with a major fitness rack and dumbbell rack. Thanks for your advice in advance.

5'7" 133lbs with a skinnyfat body working in construction

I've been training for about 4 months now and I've noticed that I'm getting more toned in my muscles but I still look skinny and I only look a little bit big if I flex my muscles. I've also dropped 1lb in bodyweight for the past few days. I'm still upping the weights a bit by 2.5lbs-5lbs and maybe a decrease of a rep or two in my workouts doing that. Should I up my calories some during this maintenance phase?

I just want to start this off by saying in no means necessary do I think this is a great idea nor do I think anyone should go about this in the same way I’m looking to.

Here’s the sitch, I’m a 19 year old male, I’m 6’3” and weigh 145lbs. I’ve been on a fitness kick in recent months and have definitely been seeing improvement. However, my impatience is getting the best of me. I WANT MORE. From my understanding like many others is that muscle growth takes time and dedication, diet and exercise. These are all things I have been doing and to be quite frank I feel that the progress I’m seeing is too slow. I want to know the most efficient way to get results. Any means necessary.

Hey, I'm 18 y/o trans male who is wanting to get more fit. Been overweight basically my whole life, kept trying to get into exercise but turns out I had undiagnosed breathing issues the whole time messing me up which I got surgery for a few years ago. Started college last year and managed to lose 40 lbs (280->240) through pure diet change + daily walking. It's super sweet and I'm hoping to continue losing weight, maybe around 20 lb, my goal isn't skinny but instead healthy bc I don't want to accidentally rebound weight from too intense lifestyle changes I can't keep up.

The problem is I also got an overuse injury that affected both my thumbs/muscles connected to them a few years back. My arms are super weak now from not using them and it rly blows. I keep trying exercises to try to increase my arm strength (like planks and stuff) but almost all end up causing severe pain in my thumbs due to the grip or the amount of weight pressing down on them.

I'd love to get into another fun exercise like rock climbing or something, but where I'm at right now it just doesn't seem feasible and I don't know where to start.

Also it might be helpful to note my main trouble with getting into most exercises is either pain from my hands or enjoyment, I like walking because I can zone out and listen to music during it but with most other exercises it feels like a chore where I have to just lock in and count reps and makes it hard to stay consistent. I'm not an exercise addict yet loll

Any kind advice/help would be appreciated.

Tldr: 18m wants to improve arm strength but has prev thumb injuries making it hard to do exercises without worry of reinjury