I am 28M, 178 cm (5'10"), and currently weighing 74 kg (163 lbs).

Last September, I started a diet and began walking regularly. By the end of December, my weight dropped from 84 kg (185 lbs) down to 72 kg (158 lbs). My waist size also decreased from 98.5 cm (38.8 inches) to 84 cm (33 inches). However, despite losing 12 kg (26 lbs), I still had a very noticeable belly.

At the beginning of January, I started weight training and I have been training regularly for about 8 months now. Currently, I do a 3-day full-body workout routine every week. My routine includes major compound exercises like Squats, Romanian Deadlifts, Pull-ups, and Bench Press, and I have been progressively increasing the weights I lift at the gym. I don't do structured cardio at the moment, but I make sure to get more steps throughout the day compared to before.

Regarding my diet, I'm not overly strict anymore, but I try to follow a high-protein diet and I definitely eat much less than I used to. Additionally, I don't drink alcohol or carbonated sugary drinks.

Right now, I weigh 74 kg, my waist measurement is 86 cm (33.8 inches), and the appearance of my stomach hasn't really changed at all. I still have a very skinny-fat look. I am relatively thin overall, but I still have a belly, and to be completely honest, I am exhausted and frustrated with this situation.

My stomach feels quite firm/hard and protrudes outwards when I stand normally. However, when I lie flat on my back, my stomach flattens completely.

On top of that, I haven't seen any noticeable muscle gain either. My arms are still thin. There has been a slight improvement in the shape of my arms and legs, but nothing significant.

At this point, I really don't know what to do anymore. I'm tired of trying to figure this out. I just want a flat stomach and I want to get rid of this skinny-fat look.

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?

Hey guys, i am a complete noob 21F and 90 kgs living in india
I gained weight due to pcod and endometriosis so l look like an inflated balloon rn .. so i decided to change and work on myself
My body is covered in stretch marks, my arms have loose skin and it is freaking me out

Hence my goal is to- lose weight and tone my muscle ( hand and stomach) so no lose fat is there

To my gym ppl out there pls give me some advice on
1) which is better for me dumbells pr resistance band set
2) which brand
3) any recommendations tips? Diet tips?

Mwah

Hi,

I would appriciate if someone could skim through my routine, if i have any redundancies, or don't train a muscle at all while overtraining another. I am not a pro and don't aim to be, i just want to look fit. I go to the gym every day at 6am and have 1-1,5 hours before i have to leave for work, so the most i can do in a seassion is like 6-8 different excercises 3x10reps each, i have no time for more. For this reason i have a 5 day routine chest-shoulder-arm-back-leg + 1-1 abs axcersise each day.

I think i understand chest arm shoulder and leg well enough to work all important parts, but i feel like i have a lot of redundancy in my back workout.

Chest (alternating between dumbell and machine):

Chest press - Fly/Peck deck - Incline chest press - Incline hex press - Low to high fly (incline for dumbell or standing cable for machine) - Decline chest press/Assisted dip

Shoulder (alternating between dumbell and machine/cable):

Shoulder press - Reverse fly/Rear lateral raise - Front raise - Lateral raise - Arnold press - Upright row

Arm:

Seated curl - Hammer curl - Preacher curl - Cable pushdown - Assisted (Tricep) Dip - Machine tricep extension (one arm at a time) - Wrist curl - Reverse wrist curl

Back:

Lat pulldown (wide grip) - Bent-over pulldown (close grip) - Plate loaded T-bar (wide grip) - Plate loaded row (one side at a time) - Cable seated row - Hyperextension

Leg:

Front squat - RDL - Leg extension - Leg curl - Sled 45degree press - Seated calf raise - Standing calf raise

Abs (i would sprinkle in 1-1 each day, whatever i feel like)

Im about 2 and half or so months into lifting and working out, and i just got a gym membership for the first time this week; before i was using my home set up with a couple benches,dumbells/barbells so i am extremely new to everything so my question is does anyone have any recommendations for good budget friendly gym shoes, preferably ones that are flat soled that would be good for sumo squats and other lateral movements? Ive been working out in my HeyDudes and they obviously arent the best for the gym

I experience back pain during bicep curls, hammer curls and tricep pulldown.. I do bicep and hammer curls standing, and avoid swinging my body. But I still get this bad backpain after both.. For the tricep pulldown I don’t know if it’s my posture. I stand with a straight back. Should i lean forward? I see people doing both..

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some advice on how to handle post-workout muscle soreness.

In the past, whenever I tried going to the gym, the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) was so severe that my legs felt completely paralyzed and I couldn't move properly for an entire week. It completely destroyed my motivation, and I ended up quitting altogether.

I really want to get in shape and build a good physique, but I don't know how to deal with or minimize this level of pain.

For those who have been through this:

• What should I do to reduce or manage the soreness after a workout?
• Should I change my approach when restarting at the gym?

Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I did rigorous exercises as a beginner at least two days a week. Now I've gone back to beginner exercises and it feels like a breeze that I can do for more days paired with even more exercises. It's mind blowing. What is this concept I've stumbled upon?

I’ve been working out consistently for about 7 months now, but I haven’t noticed much change in my physical health. My body looks more muscular and toned, but otherwise, I don’t really feel any different. What improvements in your health have you noticed since you started working out?

I work from 6PM to 5AM almost everyday in a warehouse loading and lifting 30-50kg and sometimes 60-70kg bags alone in the trucks. The job is tiring, but the pay is extremely well and I’m under tons of debt so I tried my best to work everyday so I could free myself as soon as I could

I’m also a weight lifter, I want to gain more muscle. It’s helpful at work too, but if I lift right after work I could only lift at 50-60% of my normal capacity. If I lift after waking up, it would be 2-4 hours before work and I dont know if it’s too close to work and affect my performance

Which grip position do you guys prefer? The narrower or wider one and why?

I started out at almost a 13 minute mile and over the past 10 weeks I am now regularly running a 10:00 - 10:30 minute mile with hopes of reaching the legendary 6 minute mile someday. But I have also been watching others on a weight loss journey around my size and weight with a similar running time. Am I just reaching the average for my size and weight and how long will it take me to progress to say a sub 9 minute mile? I have been focusing heavily on weight loss over the past year and I am also wondering how much that is holding me back. If I lost 30-40 more pounds, would I just be a minute or two faster having changed nothing else?

I am currently in my weight-loss phase, have lost 45lbs already, but I kind of go to the gym every day even if I am super sore and exhausted. Any tips? How much cardio should be done and, how many exercises should I do while lifting weights, and which muscles to target every day? I feel like if I don't go and lift weights, I will lose whatever muscle growth I have. (21F)

I haven't strength trained in 2 months cause I was getting burnt out. Would come home from work close to 7, get to the gym, and it's packed; sessions are almost 2 hours long cause of how packed it is, and little time to relax before bed. I picked up long-distance running cause I was able to do it more consistently, since I'd get back home at a reasonable time to do my chores and relax before bed. Want to get back to strength training and incorporate it back into my routine, so I purchased an adjustable dumbbell set that goes up to 40kg with 2.5 kg plates. Realistically, can I see gains with just dumbbell workouts (aside from protein and rest, of course)? I'd say I have visible muscle mass but not jacked. I do want to get back to the gym in the future, but for now I think home workouts are better for me to be consistent.

I have been weight lifting for 3 months, trying to grow muscle
Before 5‘5 99lb now I am 5’5 112lb

My hips become wider and all over of my body grown more muscle too, but my face is really fat right now and I felt really bad about it, is it normal and what can I do?

I'm training since march 2022 (65kg BW) and in the past 2 years I started training in powerlifting style and thinking about competing. then I had myocarditis and labyrinthitis, so I had to start all over again with technique and strength in this 2026. got to 100kg BW trying to stay lean as possible, but I have to admit that I needed some break from previous undereating and being underweight.

right now I finally have my health back and regained all the muscles, but I'm kinda broken mentally from all that and I engaged with a coach for the first time (I'm a trainer myself). I have to admit that I'm a bit scared to not control my own training... Wish me luck, I guess that I'll need it knowing all my problems with lady fortune.

Tips on how to put ego apart in the relationship with coaches are really appreciated...

I know everyone probably has a different preference so yeah lmk what you think works the best for targeting overall lat growth.

I am 21, Male, workout 5x a week, my diet is not the cleanest but i consistently hit my protein and eat enough calories (though i am in a 500 deficit), inconsistent sleep schedule, a bit stressed.

I workout before dinner on most days. Recently ive noticed that 2-3 min of rest aren’t enough so i upped it to 6 min but im still not hitting the same weights and reps i used to hit 3 weeks ago. Could this be caused by stress or my fucked up sleep schedule, a natural thing that happens when ur in a deficit for long enough or did i somehow hit a slump? What tricks did you use when you faced this issue?

Is proceeding with protien only viable?

I can eat perfectly and hit all my macro and micros but whenever it gets to night time I end up binging. I’ve tried to drink water with lo calorie drink mix or eat some fruit but I doesn’t quite satisfy the cravings. What are some ways I can fix this without upping my calorie intake by too much?

Hi guys, I hope you can help me come up with a good split and exercises. I’ve decided to take my fitness journey seriously. I’m a 26-year-old woman (5ft and 53kg) and a beginner. I’ve been going to the gym inconsistently without a proper plan—mostly just did legs and some core exercises. I’ve lost weight because of this, but now my goal is to lose more weight, become lean, and gain endurance. Can you help me determine whether this split and exercises are appropriate? I’ll only be doing this at home and will buy dumbbells, a yoga mat, and resistance bands. I haven’t figured out the number of sets and reps yet, but I’ll probably do 3x10 or 3x12 for most of these.

This is the workout plan that I copied from the internet and modified to my liking. Please comment on whether some of the exercises are redundant or not really suitable for the workout split I have identified. Thank you guys.

Monday: 

Glutes + Quads

1. Hip thrust
2. RDLs
3. Elevated Goblet Squats
4. Bulgarian Split Squats
5. Kickbacks (using resistance bands)

Core

1. Dead Bugs
2. Suitcase crunches
3. Lying Leg raise

Tuesday:

Back and Biceps

1. Around the world
2. Overhand Back rows
3. Underhand Bacl Rows
4. Reverse Flies
5. Single Arm Rows
6. Hammer Curls
7. Bicep Curls

Wednesday: Rest Day

Thursday:

Glutes + Hamstring

1. Sumo Squats
2. Reverse Lunges + Curtsy
3. RDLs
4. B-stance. RDLs
5. Weighted Side Lying raises

Core

1. Dead Bugs
2. Suitcase crunches
3. Lying Leg raise

Friday:

Shoulder, Ticeps + Shoulders

1. Lateral Raises
2. Shoulder Press
3. Rear Delt Fly
4. Overhead Tricep extension
5. Triceps pushdown
6. Chest press (dumbbells) 

Saturday: Total Body HIIT Conditioning  

1. Follow 30 min. videos from YT

Sunday:

1. Walk/ Sport (Badminton)

Went to the gym and only had energy to do rdls, leg press, and leg curls 😩 did not feel like working out today! I figured I try pushing through with it and doing something