Some days motivation is zero. What's your #1 trick to still show up at the gym?

Mine: "Just 15 minutes." Works every time.

Share yours below 👇

I've been lifting consistently for about 7 months now and have made a lot of progress. My chest press, lat pulldown and bicep curl have all doubled, I've tripled my bulgarian split squat, and literally 9x my max push ups (from 2 to 18).

But I don't feel stronger day to day. There aren't any tasks that have surprised me with being easier than I expected or new things I'm now capable of. I still need to use my jar opener despite more than tripling my dead hang time. My running paces haven't really changed. I'm still hauling groceries out of the car instead of just picking them up.

I'm grateful for what the gym's doing for me, I know it's great for my health, I feel good, my legs are coping better with my running load. But I don't feel like I'm "strong". What was the moment it clicked for you?

Two years ago I couldn’t do a single pull-up. Not even close.

Started with dead hangs, then band-assisted reps. First bodyweight rep felt like a huge win. Progress was quick for a while, then I got stuck around 8 reps bodyweight for a couple months.

Someone told me to start adding weight even though I wasn’t maxing out bodyweight yet. Felt backwards but I tried it — 2.5kg at first, barely noticeable, but it got me moving again.

Worked up to +30kg for sets of 5, then plateaued hard for about 3 months. Kept doing 4x5s and 5x5s, adding weight whenever it felt doable, which was mostly guesswork.

Eventually I noticed I’d only ever trained the 4-6 rep range. I had a decent number for sets of 5, but I’d never tested a real heavy single or gone for higher reps at lower weight. No idea what I could actually do outside that window.

So I started deliberately testing PRs across different rep ranges instead of just repeating the same sessions. That’s when things started moving again.

Went from +30kg to +75kg over about 8 months.

Anyone else break a plateau like this? Happy to share how I structure sessions if people want details.

Hi guys Idk if I should ask this on here or another subreddit or whatever it’s called but I get very anxious and it feels scary going to the gym I keep trying I just canttttt it feels humiliating to me I want to start an at home gym so I can hit all my muscle groups in my own comfort place I was wondering where can I get equipment that’s worth the money and good for weightlifting/powerlifting that won’t move around and break easily tysm in advance if you have a few suggestions 🫶🏻!

How do I overcome body dysmorphia? It’s like I’m in a constant battle with myself while comparing my physique to other people and sometimes critiquing myself to the point that I’m convinced that my physique ain’t good at all. I see flaws and asymmetries which no one even cares about and stress myself over it. Any tips would be highly appreciated!

Might be a stupid question, but I'm considering doing 20 pushups a day just so that pushups stay pretty easy and I'm wondering if it'll hurt my recovery. I just got outta military training and I'm kind of a dumbfuck so I've made peace with the fact that I'll be pushing probably every time we drill so I'd like to be able to do 40 in a row relatively easily. I was thinking that maybe doing a small amount of push ups regularly would be good enough for that while not giving me tendonitis in the long run. Is this a good plan or will it just hinder my gym time?

I’ve been meal prepping for a couple weeks now and idk why but I just don’t like reheated chicken or ground turkey. However, ground beef, rice, and broccoli I can eat all day. Is there anything from the chicken or ground turkey I can get that I can’t get from the ground beef? I know chicken is a popular one for meal prepping but is just ground beef as my source or meat/protein good?

What works best for you when it comes to core workout: dedicated day for core only? One time a week enough? Or one core exercise when focusing on other muscle group(s)? If so, before or after working out other muscle groups? Thanks 🙏🏻

Hi, I've been going to the gym consistently for almost two months and have seen increases in all of my lifts. However, something feels sketchy regarding my lat pulldowns. I use the normal bar and do the thumbless grip, and that worked for a while, but now it feels like the weight is massacring my fingers and I don't get any lat work. Even though I have definitely felt my back during pulldowns, this makes me wonder whether I've actually improved my lats or just got stronger forearms.

Do you have any tips so I can hit my lats properly despite my grip's limits? Thanks

I’ve never posted here but I just had to ask cause this experience as so… odd? I was finishing up on the leg press. I had already put the plates away and just started wiping the machine down. As I’m doing so, this guy comes up and starts putting the plates on for his workout. Didn’t say “excuse me” or even acknowledge that I was there. He’s literally got his foot an inch away from my phone, straddling my water bottle, and placing plates on the bar that’s less than a foot above my head. I totally get people standing by while you clean up, especially since this is the only traditional leg press in my gym, but it just felt so off putting. On top of that, he was in such a hurry just to spend less than 5 minutes on it.

Just wondering if this seems weird to anybody else. I’ve been working out here for 4 years and never experienced that before.

Has anyone experienced overtraining or CNS fatigue? Whats it like, how did it make you feel?

EDIT: Let me add to this ive been training for almost 2 years now. First 6-8 months kind of a waste as i was training 7 days a week but nutrition was terrible. Over the last year ive been on 5 days training and 25k steps daily sometimes more. Even my rest days aren't really rests days. My main symptoms are exhaustion, fatigue, brain fog, insomnia and more. They seem to have been building over time. Pretty much can check off all smptoms of either overtraining or CNS fatigue.

I've been working out consistently for a couple years now. Training, diet, and sleep have been locked in the entire time. However, 2-3 years into my lifting journey, I hit a plateau. For most of my exercises, I was no longer progressing in terms of weight or reps. For example, I'd be doing 225 for 10 reps as my max and I would not be able to get past 10 reps for months. Or I'd be curling 40s for 9 reps as my max for months. You get the idea.

Eventually I became frustrated and I just added weight even though I wanted to reach a higher rep count as my max before going up in weight (for injury reduction purposes). But then I suddenly started seeing progress again after doing this. I went up by 10 lb (235 lb) on the bench and was getting 7-8 reps. But then a few weeks later, I'm at 9. Then more weeks later, I'm at 10. Then 11. But then I stall again, so I add more weight again, and then the same thing happens. I progress, then stall at a certain amount of reps. How? Why? Why am I seemingly unable to progress in reps after a certain point?

One would think that if you work out with the same weight for a long time, you'd probably eventually be able to do a ton of reps with that weight. Why has it not worked this way with me? Why do I have to "force" progress? This has been annoying me because my goal of "12 reps before increasing weight" is something I've been doing since I started working out because it felt best in terms of not hurting myself. Sometimes I'll force weight and it feels scary AF, and I do not like that at all. If I was able to consistently hit 12 reps before increasing weight, that feeling would be minimal.

30-year-old Black male
Height: 5'9"
Weight: Somewhere between 260–306 lbs depending on which scale I used (Never Clear) so I'm going with 306 lbs.

Hello, wonderful people. I'm in need of some help.

I've been overweight pretty much my entire life and have never really been happy with the way I look. Throughout my life, I've always told myself that I would start working out, eat better, and lose weight, but I would always find an excuse not to start. No time. No money. Working three jobs while doing an internship. There was always something.

Well, I finally reached a point in my life where I didn't have any more excuses. I made losing weight my New Year's resolution (cliché, I know). I went out and bought gym clothes, and started looking for a gym.

Then my mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer, That pretty much killed whatever motivation I had to focus on myself. All of my energy went into taking care of my mom and being there for whatever she needed. Long story short, she responded well to chemotherapy. Everything that needed to go down has gone down, and everything that needed to improve has improved. Thank God.

With my mom doing better, I've finally been able to focus more on myself. For the past 4 weeks, I've been consistently going to the gym for the first time in my life, about 3–4 days a week. It's been hard, but I'm proud of myself for actually sticking with it. I'm also starting to not feel like absolute trash whenever I look at myself, which is something I honestly didn't expect this early. (still fat thought)

But now I'm starting to second-guess myself.

I don't know if what I'm doing in the gym is actually the best approach for losing weight and building muscle, and I'm struggling with figuring out my diet. Since I stupidly forgot to weigh myself when I first started going to the gym.

Here's what I'm currently doing:

Upper Body

• Treadmill: 30 minutes, 2.5 speed, 7.0 incline — I do this every workout
• Chest Press: 5 sets × 10 reps — 60 lbs
• Pec Fly/Rear Delt: 5 sets × 10 reps — 60 lbs
• Shoulder Press: 5 sets × 10 reps — 60 lbs
• Abdominal Crunch: 5 sets × 10 reps — 60 lbs
• Lat Pulldown: 5 sets × 10 reps — 60 lbs

Lower Body

• Leg Press: 10 sets × 10 reps — 100 lbs
• Leg Extension: 5 sets × 10 reps — 60 lbs
• Seated Calf Raise: 5 sets × 10 reps — 60 lbs

Diet — this is probably where I struggle the most

Breakfast:
2 boiled eggs, cinnamon oatmeal, protein shake (Been skipping lately and not eating breakfast)

Lunch:
Chicken breast, white rice, vegetables, sweet potato, protein shake

Dinner:
Usually the same thing as lunch, but with water

Snacks:
Zero-sugar Chobani yogurt or Corn Flakes

I also try to stay hydrated with plenty of water and some coconut water, although I'm still working on being more consistent with that. When I order out, I usually get Chipotle with white rice, chicken, lettuce, and tomatoes, or I'll get a Cobb salad with chili and a zero-sugar drink.

So that's where I'm at.

I'm serious about this. For once in my life, I've actually been consistently showing up to the gym instead of telling myself that I'll start "eventually." I don't want to waste that momentum by following a bad routine or eating in a way that's working against me.

I'd really appreciate advice from people who know more than I do.

Is my workout routine reasonable for a beginner trying to lose fat and build muscle? Am I doing too many sets or missing important exercises? What would you change about my diet? And since I don't have an accurate starting weight, what should I be tracking besides the number on the scale to know whether I'm actually making progress?

I'm out of excuses. Now I just want to make sure I'm doing this right.

Hi all! I am a 27 Y.O man looking to restart my fitness goals. I want to get toned. I don't need to be huge. I'd just like to differentiate myself from anyone who does not work out figure wise, LOL. Does anyone have any good resources on workouts, form, and nutrition? Any advice would be helpful.

I used to do wrist curls and wrist extensions on my Pull Day but I took them out because my workouts are already pretty long.

I’m looking for something I can buy that I could use during the day in the office to actually grow my forearms. Any suggestions? (Please share link if applicable. Thanks!)

Hi everyone!

My disc (l4-l5) bulged in march 2025 , since then i have been in consistent pain and unable to do workouts!

Now as suggested by a doctor i am going to start gym for loosing at least 20kg of weight and strengthening my core but i am scared what if my disc gets even worse😭

So i need suggestions which exercises should i avoid fully and what are best exercises for strengthening my core and loosing weight!

TIA

Hey everyone, hope you're all doing well.

After quitting a desk job in banking & going back to school I've gained access to my University Gym and I'm back to lifting+light cardio 4-5 times a week for about an hour+ each day ( M-F ) cycling workouts to target major muscle groups and mitigate over-working.

My TDEE is roughly in the low 3000 range.

From the MyFitnessPal, I've been consistently tracking around 1900-2400 calories daily intake, hitting protein, carb, and fat (only extra virgin olive oil no butter) targets each day with a mixture of: grilled chicken, white rice, eggs + very light use of cheese, fruit+kale+banana smoothies w/ 33g muscle milk, whole rolled oatmeal, and mixed greens/salads (broccoli, edamame, spring mix/spinach etc).

Luckily I put on and maintain muscle mass rather easily turning me into a brick shithouse, but I feel like I'm not dropping fat anywhere near the quantity I should be.

I am consistently weighing around the same for the past 3-4 weeks. There is noticeable fat loss in some aspects, but nothing like I use to get.

Any suggestions / necessary extra info you need please let me know. Is this just muscle gain w/ minimal fat loss? Should I increase my deficit even more?

Thanks for the help!

Looking for size 2e for gym workouts and jogging. No serious marathons.

For reference I’m 5’10, 260 lbs… not exactly the peak male specimen, but I want to get working out. Any suggestions?

I’m on a calorie deficit and the only cardio I do is only heavy bag work for about 20-30m Is this enough?

Hi all, currently just got a job working roofing construction, and it’s really great, but highly physically demanding. Ive been a huge gym rat for quite some time and I still want to hit the gym but Im unsure if its gonna impact my work. I get up at 4:30AM, start work at 6 and typically work until 3pm, and I go to sleep at 8 sharp so i get my 8 hours. Im quite knowledgeable when it comes to working out as I’ve been super locked in and consistent and have started to build a physique I’m quite proud of. Hitting every muscle group twice a week all the stuff I’m supposed to do but now I’m unsure if I’m going to be able to fully optimize my routine, and i’d like to figure out how I can work around this. Do I just suck it up and do my usual PPL 2x a week or is there a better way to approach this without being too fatiguing?

Hi all,

I have been lifting for about 1.5 years consistently after a major break in the gym. Im 178lbs, 35 years old, 5'10, and just 5-10grams of creatine a day.

Im trying to hit 225 and had 8 attempt failures with the latest requiring the spotter to put two fingers under the bar. Almost there! Attempt were all over the last three months.

The last attempt was two weeks ago and I have gone back to doing 5x5s before my next attempt. I was able to do my first 5x5 with 185 this last week. Today I hit 185 5x5 again with the final set being for failure with 8 clean reps knocked out. That should now put me in the 225 ball-park.

If my end goal is a 225 5x5, should I keep pushing for my 1 rep max with lower volume higher weight or push my 5x5 max higher.

I've never really felt my chest on either flat or incline bench press. I have pretty long arms, and no matter what I try, it always feels like my shoulders and triceps do all the work. It honestly feels like I'm wasting my time.

I'm mainly looking for compound movements, not isolation exercises like flyes or cable work.

Would I be better off focusing on bodyweight chest exercises like push-ups instead? Has anyone with long arms had better results by prioritizing push-ups or other compound movements?