Hello! I’m not really new to the gym, but I am new to taking it seriously. In the last year I’ve made an effort to go as often as possible, and I’ve seen some slow but steady improvement in my muscles.
My frustration usually comes when I’m looking in the mirror and can see any imbalances. My friends tell me it’s not as noticeable as I think it is, but it drives me nuts. I’ve managed to level out my arms, but my quads seem to be developing so slowly, especially my left. I’ve tried doing independent reps with my left immediately after an exercise that uses both, but it feels like I still come out with more of a pump on my right. I have a noticeable shelf on my right quad and not on my left.
I’ve heard people suggest unilateral exercises, but am I supposed to just do a strictly left leg day? Has anyone had this issue and have good recommendations for unilateral exercises that target the quads? Is it one of those things that just takes time to fix? I’ve looked it up, but everyone suggests something different and I don’t want to completely leave my right behind. Sorry if these are silly questions, I just feel like I look lopsided and it’s making me so impatient about fixing it. I’m a solo gym goer, so I don’t have any real gym friends to ask.

Is Axe and Sledge a good protein powder? They have some amazing sounding flavors!

Looking for advice on my workout plan, is it good?
What improvements can I make.
I’m looking to get stronger for throwing discus

Monday — Upper Strength + Power
Bench press — 4 × 3–5
Push press — 3 × 3–5
Weighted pull-ups — 4 × 4–6
T-bar row — 3 × 5–8
Incline dumbbell press — 3 × 6–8
Triceps — 2 × 8–12
Bicep - 2 x 8-12

Tuesday — Lower Strength + Power
Hang clean — 4 × 2–3
Box jumps — 3 × 3
Back squat — 4 × 3–5
Romanian Deadlift- 3 x 5
Bulgarian split squat — 2 × 6 per leg
Hamstring curl — 3 × 8–12

Wednesday —
Abs
Medicine ball movements
Jumps

Thursday — Upper Strength + Volume
Bench press — 3 × 6
Incline dumbbell press — 3 × 8–10
T-bar or cable row — 4 × 6–10
Lat pulldown — 3 × 8–10
Overhead press — 2 × 6–8
Lateral raises — 3 × 12–15
Biceps and triceps — 2 sets each × 10–15

Friday — Lower Strength + Power
Broad jumps — 3 × 3
Trap bar deadlift — 3 × 3–5
Back squat - 3 x 3-5
Romanian deadlift — 2 × 6–8
Hamstring curl — 2 × 10–12

Saturday-
Abs
Medicine ball movements
Jumps

Hii guys! I'm 19F and looking into starting the gym and getting into fitness in general, but I have a hard time gaining weight. I love to eat a lot, but it never sticks 🥲I'd love any advice on eating (I'm a picky eater lol), gaining weight, and what workouts I should do to achieve my goals a bit quicker! From the last time i weighed myself i was 123 Ibs but I want to grow my glutes and legs, have a curvy physique, and have lightly toned abs. I'd also be down to make some gym friends who could help me along the way! Any advice is appreciated💕

I see a lot of gym people eating super healthy, but my cravings feel unbreakable, I ussually dont even feel hungry when i eat, and its been getting worse and worse, can anyone help? (im 13 btw)

Hey, i need some advice.

So about a week ago i did a leg day and i squated for high reps with headphones on(not focusing on breathing).

I got an awful pulsing headache after the set but still finished the leg day, i took 4 days of and did a leg day again focusing on my breathing and did just fine.

But today i was doing push ups not even close to failure and got the same shitty headache just a bit lighter on the pain scale.

Chatgpt says i might die and to see a doctor immediately.

What should i do?.

I've heard that lifting heavy weights can put a lot of stress on your heart. Is there any truth to that?Would it be healthier to focus on bodyweight exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and dips instead of lifting weights at the gym?I'm mainly interested in long-term health, not building huge muscles. What do you guys think? Is regular weight training safe for the heart, or is bodyweight training a better option?

I've been following programs & decided to make my own upper/lower. I'm loving it. I love big heavy compound lifts. Priority is strength & explosiveness, hypertrophy is still important but it's secondary.

Any advice or changes you'd make??

Monday: Upper A (back emphasis)

* Weighted Pull-Ups 3x 4-6

* Incline Bench 3x 8-12

* T-Bar Rows 3x 6-8

* Dips (bodyweight) 3x

* Lateral Raises 3x 8-12

* Curls 3x 8-12

Tuesday: Lower A

* Back Squat 3x 4-6

* Box Jumps 3x (progress with box height)

* Farmer Carries 3x 30-60 seconds

* Calf Raises 3x 8-12

Wednesday:

Zone 2 cardio 30-60 minutes

Thursday: Upper B (chest emphasis)

* Incline Bench Press 3x 3–5

* Weighted Dips 3x 4–6

* Pull-Ups (bodyweight) 3x

* Overhead Press 3x 6–8

* Lateral Raises 3x 8-12

* Curls 3x 8-12

Friday — Lower B

* Conventional Deadlift 3x 3-6

* Zercher Squat 3x 8–12

* Calf Raises 3x 8–12

Saturday

Zone 2 cardio 30-60 minutes

Sunday

Zone 2 cardio or complete rest day if needed

I'm an 18F, around 165-175lbs, but my fat is central around my stomach. I'm pretty comfortable with the way I look, but I want to define my curves a bit more, and lose some back/arm fat as well, but otherwise, I feel pretty confident with my body. The only problem is... I don't know how to start! I attend uni with a gym, but going in and seeing all the different types of machinery overwhelms me! Not to mention, almost every youtube/tiktok I've watched doesn't explain workouts very well to me. Any workout advice/workout routine advice on how to start?

I am planning to buy a mass gainer. I don't know much about mass gainers, and I am underweight for my age. Is taking a mass gainer a good decision? Also, opinion on GNC mass gainers?

Recently, I've decided to switch from weight lifting to calisthenics. I just want to know if it gets any easier because it feels almost impossible. With weight lifting, as long as you train consistently, you will be able to see progress in just a few weeks minimum, but calisthenics is another story. You can't really train hard like you would do with weight lifting because you get injured, which sets you back even further. Please give me the best advice.

I struggle a lot with gaining weight

For context: My maintenance is around 3200 im 6’4” and have soccer/football 5-7 days a week go to the gym and am very active. I try to eat as much as possible and either I get full to quick or don’t have much time throughout the day to get all of my calories. I also try to eat relatively clean because if I eat too much processed food or things like that I don’t feel great during the day.

30M, 167 cm, 68kgs.

I have significant fat around my waist. I am trying to body recomp with 10-15% deficit.

Waist 90 cm
Chest 89 cm
Bicep 29 cm
Neck 39 cm

Desk job. I workout 3 times a week. Is this a correct macros and calorie distribution?

Protein 173 g, carbs 172 g, fat 66 g. Total intake 1974 cal.

Also, i couldn’t exactly calculate my maintenance calories.

Thanks heaps.

I started my fitness journey this April (27M, 176cm). I was 115kg and have managed to drop down to 94kg so far, and my ultimate goal is to reach around 15% body fat.

However, I've been running into a mental wall lately. Because of some stress and emotional triggers, I sometimes find myself giving in at night and sneaking some nuts or other snacks. When that happens, seeing the scale fluctuate or feeling like my days of "clean eating" were wasted really messes with my head. It makes me feel super guilty and anxious.

Since I'm still relatively new to this, I wanted to ask the more experienced folks here:

1. How do you keep your mental health in check when the scale fluctuates or when you have a slip-up?

   1. How do you deal with night-time cravings or the guilt that comes after? Any advice or perspective would be hugely appreciated!

As the title says I am a very big runner and was wondering what the best split is that only incorporates upper body. I get plenty of leg development and work from running alone and don’t want too be fatigued from excessive lower body work. So far I have been running a double PPL split but was wondering if there is a better split to target specifically upper body and get each muscle group more intensively. My goal is to build strength and size, along with putting on some weight. Any advice is helpful, I have only been lifting for around a month.

I’ve been doing dips for months now and I was doing 40lb weighted dips at one point and was getting major momentary collarbone pain whenever I finished a set. I assumed it was my form so I went back down to weighted dips and really focused on my form and slowly I increased the weight again. Currently I’m back at 15lb weighted dips but I can feel the collarbone pain at the end of my set starting to come back.

I’ve tried recording my form and watching it while I do them and from what I can tell my shoulders stay in that lowered position their supposed to be in, I’ve tried leaning forward and I’ve tried doing them straight up. I also make sure my elbows don’t end up pointing out but that pain always seems to come back when I try adding weight.

Is it possible I’m still missing something in my form? Is this exercise just not meant for my body? Or do I have an injury I’m just completely unaware of?

F31 lactose intolerant and trying to stay on top of my protein intake. I'm obsessed with eating oatmeal with a scoop of protein powder in the mornings. Have been using dymatize iso100 which I tolerate with no problems. Tried Ghost for the first time, and while it has lactase in the ingredients, maybe not enough was added? It definitely affected me, and I had to take extra lactaid with breakfast to make it through the container 😅

Curious what other options are out there. Doesn't have to be vegan, i'm cool with animal products, but i'm obviously not opposed to anything plant-based if it helps me hit my goals without making me feel sick 😵‍💫 thanks in advance!

Hey everyone! I started working out at home 3 days ago, mainly doing ab exercises, push-ups, and bicep curls with 1.5L water bottles. During certain exercises, I get a really strange and sometimes quite painful sensation in my forearm, from my wrist to my elbow. It feels like something is stretching or pulling inside my arm, almost like a vein. The pain goes away when I rest, and I feel fine otherwise. I also noticed some faint brownish spots appearing on my arm, but they eventually disappear. I usually work out every other day, and Pilates doesn’t seem to cause any problems. Could this be a muscle contracture, or could it be something else? Also, I’ve had hypermobile knees since birth, so I’m wondering if that could be related in any way. Has anyone experienced something similar, or does anyone know what might be causing this?

I am 21M BW130 and have been training for 3 months. I've been having difficulties finding the time commitment with my current program which was basically PPL 1x/wk - 14~18 sets sessions.

I found it was just too many sets that even when I'd go to the gym by the time I got to set 8~10 I'd be low on energy. Most my sets are 0~1IR. So, I've devised my own program, and I've come to see what you guys all thought.

day1

• 2x benchpress
• 2x calf raises
• 2x lateral raise
• 2x cable crunch
• 2x bicep curl

day2

• 2x overhead tricep extension
• 2x squat
• 2x hip thrust
• 2x rear delt fly
• 2x lat pulldown

day3

• 3x incline benchpress
• 2x leg curl
• 3x lateral raise
• 2x reverse crunch

day4

• 2x squat (no leg extension machine)
• 2x lat cable row
• 2x rear delt fly
• 2x bicep curl

day5

• 2x benchpress
• 2x calf raises
• 2x lateral raise
• 2x cable crunch

day6

• 2x overhead tricep extension
• 2x rdl
• 2x lat pulldown
• 2x lateral raise
• 2x bicep curl

Day 7 would technically be a rest, but I'm probably just going to take it when I need it regardless of what day it is. My goal was to limit each session to 10 sets total. Two days are only 8 sets which makes It I can add more volume potentially.

I will be sprinkling in extra exercises to cover the rest I couldn't fit on days I have more energy (tibialis raises, forearm curls, abductors, etc.) Considering it optional in my head means I'll be more likely to even get in the gym even If I'll probably doing at least one extra.

I tried to have a one muscle group (sorta) per day, (I have lower back pain, so I "had" to move rdl's and squats to differing days), and tried giving each muscle a rest. Basically, a full-body split to my understanding.

With this new program I will hopefully be in the gym more and increase my volume at the same time. Also decrease burn-out as each day is different and short.

Here's my total working sets if that's more important:

• 4x Calves
• 0~2x Tibialis
• 4x Quads
• 4x Hamstrings
• 4~5x Glutes
• 0~2x Abductor
• 0~2x Adductor
• 0~8x Forearms (ant/post. very likely to do these as they are low fatigue and fun)
• 6x Bicep
• 11x Triceps (only 4x direct to long head, other 7x are indirect from presses. I'm unsure if this will be an issue, I'm not opposed to adding a pushdown if needed)
• 0x Anterior Delt (indirect from presses)
• 9x Lateral Delt
• 4x Posterior Delt
• 6x Abs
• 7x Pecs
• 6x Lats
• 0x Traps

Hi! I'm a 42M with 21% body fat. I've had over 30 people tell me that I don't need to lose any more weight and that "I look good now" to the point that it's so irritating that I wanted to post on here to see what everyone else's opinions are.

I lost 75 pounds since my heaviest and was pretty easy to drop the weight and then gained a lot of muscle. Then I went to 19% body fat but messed up my knee from lifting too heavy and doing too much cardio, so popped up to 21% body fat while recovering.

I'll go to parties with friends and they try to pressure me to eat their junk food or drink beer and I say "no thank you." Then they ask why and I tell them that I'm trying to hit 15% body fat, and then they keep trying to pressure me into eating and drinking.

I really want 15% body fat so my abs will pop but know it will always take sacrifice when going out.

Does this happen to everyone? Should I just ignore them? Or should I give in and just eat and drink whatever?

Body Recomposition Advice

I used to be really skinny with skinny arms and then my belly got big but my arms didn’t and now I’m carrying the dreaded Skinny Fat body type. I’m 6’3 and 220lb/100kg with a 29% body fat and from what I gathered from my research 50% people say that body recomposition is not efficient as you need to be in a deficit to drop body fat and surplus to gain muscle and trying to do both at the same time will be harder and more time consuming. And the other 50% say it will be fine since I’m new to the gym and newbie gains will help me a lot in the beginning. My goal is to lose body fat and gain muscle I don’t ever want to go under 200lbs again but I want to get rid of this belly and get to 15% body fat (I know that’s very optimistic but I think it will be a good goal to work towards) and also to gain muscle so my arms don’t look like twigs anymore .I know I sound like every generic newbie trying to do body recomposition with my goals but I just want to hear any advice people have got for me, that can range from tips, nutritional advice, reality checks.

Past few weeks Ive been progressing ez bar bicep curls and now im at 85 with those. Recently I bought the GMWD Bicep curl machine (one with that sundial like adjustment) and can barely do half reps of 65 lbs. I thought machine wouldve made it feel lighter. Just thought this was weird.

I'm a 200lbs 5'3 M that is new to lifting, I've always loved a good legs, so I love doing a squat or leg exercise. I recently tried to do weighted squats, I'm too scared to go to local gym, my first experience doing 24kg squat is that my throat feels tight and my ears have a popping sensation when I breath in, it goes away after 20-30 minutes. I don't think 24kg is heavy at least during the exercise, but is what I'm feeling means my body is not used yet to lifting with weights and I should go to lower weight?

This is not medical help by any means just feeling, I just want to know if the experience is normal or sign I should lower the weights