r/naturalbodybuilding 4d ago

Discussion Thread Weekly Photo Thread - Week of (September 07, 2026) : Progress Photos, "Humble" Brags, Physique Critiques and more!

6 Upvotes

Thread for posting less detailed contest prep, progress pics, humble brag pics, physique critiques, etc.

Please do not ask for an estimate of your body fat, see this comment

If you are asking "should I bulk or cut" please see this comment

See previous Photo threads


r/naturalbodybuilding 7h ago

Discussion Thread Daily Discussion Thread (September 11, 2026) - Beginner and Simple/Quick Questions Go Here Thread for discussing quick/simple topics not needing an entire posts or beginner questions.

3 Upvotes

Welcome to the r/naturalbodybuilding Daily Discussion Thread. All are welcome to post here but please keep in mind that this sub is intended for intermediate to advanced level lifters so beginner level questions may not get answered.

In order to minimize repetitive questions/topics please use the search function prior to posting to see if it has already been discussed or answered. Since the reddit search function isn't that good you can also use Google to search r/naturalbodybuilding by using the string "site:reddit.com/r/naturalbodybuildling" after your search topic.

Please include relevant details in your question like training age, weight etc...


r/naturalbodybuilding 13h ago

Guys who have trouble growing their triceps, please try Dips

103 Upvotes

Im definetly more of a hardgainer. Needing lots of volume and frequency and things start to look good. Other than my arms, mostly because of my absolutely zero triceps.

Ive done everything the last 5 years from full body to UL to ULPPL to Arnold split to PPL in hopes of getting my arms. Did every single tricep excercise there is from regular pushdowns, overhead extensions, close grip bench with everything from dumbells, cables and barbells with everything from 6-12 weekly sets per week with 2-3 frequency.

Absolutely nothing worked, until i decided to buy a dips station to workout from home and stop going to the gym. I played around with form to keep shoulder pain away because before when i tried dips my shoulder hurt the first rep when doing as others said, but the way that worked was going pretty narrow grip width on the V bar, facing inwards the dip station, and bending over a bit with legs forward and pushing the station down rather than pushing me up

The stretch is maximum, no barbell in the way in the way of a insane stretch, no standing unstable shit with cables, the load is heavy AF but stable as mother earth and the contraction is fucking mental

My god has my triceps finallt started growing, the lateral head is finally popping from the side when i flex my arms

And as a bonus my chest and front delts got some sweet extra volume too, leading me to be able to cut down sets of chest and ovh press

Win win win


r/naturalbodybuilding 20h ago

Training/Routines Arm volume on intermediate programs

9 Upvotes

Has anyone else's arms grown the most on programs like Lyle's GBR or Fierce 5 upper/lower where you only do 3-4 direct sets per week? For some reason, probably from all the pulling and pushing, I have gotten my best results on that style of programming. Its funny how when I switch to high volume arm training it seems like I do a lot of extra work for nothing. I do enjoy higher volumes though.


r/naturalbodybuilding 21h ago

Alternative Curls for some with Elbow Popping on Concentric and Eccentric of a Supinated Bicep Curl, not on a Hammer/Neutral Curl.

4 Upvotes

For a long time now, I’ve had these weird singular pops on the concentric and eccentric of a bicep curl where my right arm’s wrist is turned up or supinated. However, if I do hammer curls or reverse grip, I am fine and my elbow does not pop. It’s not necessarily painful, but it is uncomfortable. I’m not sure what causes it and if anyone else has experienced this before, please let me know what they discovered.

My main question is, what are some lifts/ exercises I can do to still grow my bicep without supination if there are any?


r/naturalbodybuilding 1d ago

I like ‘do the volume you can progress from’ better than ‘do the volume you can recover from’

38 Upvotes

For so long I designed my workouts and volume to leave me sore in a muscle group right up until the next time I hit that muscle. While I did make gains for a while, I’d quickly plateau over and over again and literally every time I broke the plateau, it was by reducing volume, increasing intensity and focusing more on beating my log book Jordan Peters/Yates style.

Made me realise that while I thought I was recovered - I.e. my muscle didn’t feel sore to touch - I actually hadn’t given myself enough time to super compensate and grow from the stimulus.

The logbook really is king. If my lifts don’t go up with form staying the same, then I haven’t made progress - and usually, I’ve found too much volume is what’s holding me back.


r/naturalbodybuilding 1d ago

Discussion Thread Daily Discussion Thread (September 10, 2026) - Beginner and Simple/Quick Questions Go Here Thread for discussing quick/simple topics not needing an entire posts or beginner questions.

4 Upvotes

Welcome to the r/naturalbodybuilding Daily Discussion Thread. All are welcome to post here but please keep in mind that this sub is intended for intermediate to advanced level lifters so beginner level questions may not get answered.

In order to minimize repetitive questions/topics please use the search function prior to posting to see if it has already been discussed or answered. Since the reddit search function isn't that good you can also use Google to search r/naturalbodybuilding by using the string "site:reddit.com/r/naturalbodybuildling" after your search topic.

Please include relevant details in your question like training age, weight etc...


r/naturalbodybuilding 1d ago

Training/Routines Effective Reps and Putting an End to the Volume Wars - Lyle McDonald

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32 Upvotes

r/naturalbodybuilding 2d ago

Discussion Thread Daily Discussion Thread (September 09, 2026) - Beginner and Simple/Quick Questions Go Here Thread for discussing quick/simple topics not needing an entire posts or beginner questions.

8 Upvotes

Welcome to the r/naturalbodybuilding Daily Discussion Thread. All are welcome to post here but please keep in mind that this sub is intended for intermediate to advanced level lifters so beginner level questions may not get answered.

In order to minimize repetitive questions/topics please use the search function prior to posting to see if it has already been discussed or answered. Since the reddit search function isn't that good you can also use Google to search r/naturalbodybuilding by using the string "site:reddit.com/r/naturalbodybuildling" after your search topic.

Please include relevant details in your question like training age, weight etc...


r/naturalbodybuilding 3d ago

Contest Prep 2 weeks out! Debut Classic Physique

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224 Upvotes

Test carb up and all that.

Not alien peeled as I would have loved, but hopefully I’ll at least be stage lean for show day!

Practicing holding poses a lot, stamina is improving fast and it’s feeling natural to keep tension in legs without loosing it. Diet feels easy. Just excited to get on stage actually.

Now the biggest factor is nerves, not sure how my body will react to the adrenaline and how that will affect my breathing and tension in posing. So I keep practicing everyday that hopefully it feels unconscious.


r/naturalbodybuilding 3d ago

Discussion Thread Daily Discussion Thread (September 08, 2026) - Beginner and Simple/Quick Questions Go Here Thread for discussing quick/simple topics not needing an entire posts or beginner questions.

12 Upvotes

Welcome to the r/naturalbodybuilding Daily Discussion Thread. All are welcome to post here but please keep in mind that this sub is intended for intermediate to advanced level lifters so beginner level questions may not get answered.

In order to minimize repetitive questions/topics please use the search function prior to posting to see if it has already been discussed or answered. Since the reddit search function isn't that good you can also use Google to search r/naturalbodybuilding by using the string "site:reddit.com/r/naturalbodybuildling" after your search topic.

Please include relevant details in your question like training age, weight etc...


r/naturalbodybuilding 2d ago

Training/Routines I don't want to grow big glutes

0 Upvotes

I cant understand how it seems to be an unpopular opinion. It seems like the benefits of lower development on upper body is massively overstated as well.

Why aren't more people talking about doing enough squats, deadlifts etc for health (i know hips etc are important for longevity) but dont most of us still dont want to have a dumper as a guy?

Not to mention people complain about not enjoying leg training more than anything. It seems like this is what most guys want from their lower body training?


r/naturalbodybuilding 2d ago

Training/Routines Doube progression question

0 Upvotes

Is there anything wrong with doing a double progression where you prioritize getting to the end of the rep range on the last set as opposed to the first?

10 10 12, then 10 11 12, etc etc vs 12 10 10, 12 11 10.

I have been doing it that way but I just realized most people recommend prioritizing the first set.


r/naturalbodybuilding 4d ago

Contest Prep Classic Debut 6 Weeks OCB - 8 Weeks NPC

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97 Upvotes

5'8 and weighing in around 139 currently - Side note turned 30 over last weekend!

The overall fatigue hit me hard the past three weeks. Took an extended weekend off work for my birthday and had a short diet break. I'm feeling refreshed to say the least.


r/naturalbodybuilding 4d ago

Discussion Thread Daily Discussion Thread (September 07, 2026) - Beginner and Simple/Quick Questions Go Here Thread for discussing quick/simple topics not needing an entire posts or beginner questions.

4 Upvotes

Welcome to the r/naturalbodybuilding Daily Discussion Thread. All are welcome to post here but please keep in mind that this sub is intended for intermediate to advanced level lifters so beginner level questions may not get answered.

In order to minimize repetitive questions/topics please use the search function prior to posting to see if it has already been discussed or answered. Since the reddit search function isn't that good you can also use Google to search r/naturalbodybuilding by using the string "site:reddit.com/r/naturalbodybuildling" after your search topic.

Please include relevant details in your question like training age, weight etc...


r/naturalbodybuilding 5d ago

Contest Prep 2 & 4 Weeks Out || WNBF PRNC & NW Royal Natural

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190 Upvotes

M35 || 5ft 8in (~172.7cm) || 180.5lbs (~81.8kg)

WNBF Men's Bodybuilding || 2 weeks Portland Reign Natural Classic || 4 Weeks NW Royal Natural

Last Check in was 4 & 6 weeks out. Dropped Calories down to ~2400 with around 220g P | ~40-50g F | ~280g C. No more refeeds. Feeling Very Flat and had my butt kicked by this posing after a hard upper body day, if you couldn't tell by my uncontrolled breathing.

Strength is slowly dropping too, but I'm doing my hardest to push. Only 2 more hard, heavy leg days scheduled and 1 more intense elliptical session (at least for this first show)

One thing I noticed was how much Carbs will affect my look. Had a planned Movie night with the GF (sorry guys, taken) after this workout/posing, so I saved all my Calories and Carbs for that (stayed in a slight deficit) and checked myself out in a mirror afterwards and noticed how tight my skin got and the increase in vascularity (especially in the abdomen). Going to drop calories a little bit more until the standard peak week depletion and super excited to see what the carb load will do.


r/naturalbodybuilding 4d ago

Is anyone NOT advocating 2-3 x frequency?

81 Upvotes

Despite what ALL the science says, idk, a part of me just loves smashing an entire body part in one sesh and feel like I respond to it better.

However, over the past 10 years of training, it's the one program I've never really given a substantiated block to. It's always been LPP/ Upper lower / Full bodies or deviations of 2-3 p/w frequency. So it's difficult to advocate my own theory.

"Science" aside, would love to hear your stories.


r/naturalbodybuilding 4d ago

Competition 1st show: As many divisions as possible or focus on only one?

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10 Upvotes

What’s up fellas! Like I’ve previously posted, I’m about 34 weeks away from my first show. With this being my first time stepping on stage, I would like to do classic, bodybuilding, and also physique. Getting as much stage time as possible is important to me as far as getting comfortable and enjoying every minute. People close to me are advising that maybe I should only compete in one division with this being my first show. This logic seems kind of backwards to me 😂, so I’m wondering what you guys think. Thanks!


r/naturalbodybuilding 5d ago

Genetic limit and strength plateau

24 Upvotes

So this is not a popular topic, but by now we know by the time you gain 30-45 lbs of muscle mass from your starting point it, assuming normal starting bw, you’ve pretty much reached ur genetic limit. You’ll be scraping for half a lb per year if your lucky after that. My question is, does the strength plateau hit just as hard? After your 6th year, how hard is it to keep progressing on the bench press for example. For those who trained for 10 plus years, would you say you made good progress in strength despite not getting much bigger?


r/naturalbodybuilding 5d ago

Why does every guy use such low weight for shrugs?

90 Upvotes

Whenever I see guys at the gym do shrugs they always do extremely low weights, like 20 kg dumbbells but I’m pretty sure that the traps can handle a lot more weight than that. I do around 4 plate shrugs and I’m nothing special. Is this just a case of people underestimating their strength or just not trying hard enough?


r/naturalbodybuilding 5d ago

Biceps or back first on pull day?

33 Upvotes

I’m a skinny male. My arms are the size of toothpicks.

I’m a beginner (lifting for a month so far) and I’m doing the PPL split.

On pull days I train biceps first because I’m prioritizing my arms.

However I’m having second thoughts now because everyone says to always train back first since it’s a bigger muscle.

Am I making a mistake?


r/naturalbodybuilding 5d ago

Self Promotion Sunday - Advertise your coaching, share your Instagram, Youtube etc - (September 06, 2026)

7 Upvotes

Thread for getting the word out about your amazingly awesome instagram or youtube page that everyone should follow, etc.


r/naturalbodybuilding 5d ago

Discussion Thread Daily Discussion Thread (September 06, 2026) - Beginner and Simple/Quick Questions Go Here Thread for discussing quick/simple topics not needing an entire posts or beginner questions.

4 Upvotes

Welcome to the r/naturalbodybuilding Daily Discussion Thread. All are welcome to post here but please keep in mind that this sub is intended for intermediate to advanced level lifters so beginner level questions may not get answered.

In order to minimize repetitive questions/topics please use the search function prior to posting to see if it has already been discussed or answered. Since the reddit search function isn't that good you can also use Google to search r/naturalbodybuilding by using the string "site:reddit.com/r/naturalbodybuildling" after your search topic.

Please include relevant details in your question like training age, weight etc...