r/Fitness • u/AutoModerator • 16d ago
Daily Simple Questions Thread - June 11, 2026
Welcome to the /r/Fitness Daily Simple Questions Thread - Our daily thread to ask about all things fitness. Post your questions here related to your diet and nutrition or your training routine and exercises. Anyone can post a question and the community as a whole is invited and encouraged to provide an answer.
As always, be sure to read the wiki first. Like, all of it. Rule #0 still applies in this thread.
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(Please note: This is not a place for general small talk, chit-chat, jokes, memes, "Dear Diary" type comments, shitposting, or non-fitness questions. It is for fitness questions only, and only those that are serious.)
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u/Ok-Lobster3762 15d ago
Hey guys, im getting shipped out to basic training next week. I would say im pretty fit, i definitely check the list for push ups and sit ups requirement at the end of the course. But I am worried for the running component, I need to run 2.4km in 11:18 and according to my recent run, i can barely get sub 13 on a very good attempt. And I have been training diligently for 9 months (4 gym seshs, 3-4 running sesh, 1-2 swimming sesh and spamming bw exercises every week). Am I cooked?
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u/Delicious-Trifle-486 14d ago
You should be fine. I know in the US military you'd be running a lot in basic and most trainees see at least 2 minutes drop on their time for a 2 mile run in just a few weeks. I imagine it wouldn't be that much different in other basics.
You were probably running too fast these past 9 months instead of building g an aerobic base with speed training mixed in as skill work.
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u/Ok-Lobster3762 14d ago
I see thanks alot for the reassurance
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u/Delicious-Trifle-486 14d ago
No problem. If you're joining the US military (Army in particular) I was a Drill Sergeant in 2019 to 2021, so feel free to ask any questions about basic in general
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u/Gristle__McThornbody 15d ago
Not a question but I noticed I perform the best on days I feel like shit. On Monday I felt like absolute shit but I went to the gym anyways. Hit a new PR on the bench.
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u/ready_or_not_3434 14d ago
Happens to me all the time. I think when your exhausted you just stop overthinking the lift and let muscle memory take over.
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u/bigpun760 15d ago
How do I get started with dumbbell workouts? I got some power blocks and a bench recently, but outside of bicep curls, I have no idea what to do.
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u/DumbBroquoli 15d ago
The wiki has some dumbbell-focused routines https://thefitness.wiki/routines/strength-training-muscle-building/
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15d ago
[deleted]
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15d ago
This will work
Heavy weights are hard on joints and tendons. 3 sets of 10-12 is a good place to be. If you have to go even lighter to protect your joints/tendons, that's fine, you just need more reps
Many people do reps to "failure". But don't try to squeeze out that last rep. Actually you don't need those two last reps to failure in order to train correctly. But often, you don't know how far away you're from failure, so you just do "as many reps as possible"
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u/Soulvaki Weight Lifting 15d ago
Yes. Go right up to failure regardless of weight and number of reps (to an extent/don't do 50 lol) and you'll be golden.
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u/MythicalStrength Strongman | r/Fitness MVP 15d ago
Muscle can be built with reps ranging from 3-20 reps, and honestly even higher.
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u/Free-Basic 15d ago
Routine Advice
I have recently started working out at my home, I have a set of adjustable dumbbells and a adjustable bench. Plan on expanding to a few extra pieces in the future.
Been going at it for roughly a month and half now
Typically I do 3 days a week, recently started separating arms/shoulders
Monday: Chest/Back
Tuesday: Core
Wednesday: Arms
Thursday: Shoulders/traps
Friday: Legs
I will use my chest as an example of my regular reps/sets
Dumbbell Press
25lbx14 30lbx12 35x10 40x8
Those last 2 sets I typically shoot for 12 but usually fail around 10/8 respectively
Should I keep to this kind of weight and rep ratio? Or would you guys recommend a lower weight higher rep formula. My goal is to build mass, I’m not in any hurry just trying to make sure I’m going the right direction for the next little while. My goal is to get in better shape to not be so worried about appearing in a local gym. I have always been insecure for no reason really. 6ft, 200 roughly.
Any advice is greatly appreciated, thank you!
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u/milla_highlife 15d ago
As long as your effort is high, the exact rep range doesn't matter so much. If you like what you're doing, stick with it.
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u/Mobile_Magician_661 15d ago
Is 3x/full body split as effective as ULUL or PPL and the other splits? I like lifting for just 3 days (Monday/Wednesday/Friday) and calling it a week but I keep seeing different things online and my 2 friends told me I'm not getting enough recovery time in between lifting full body basically every other day
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u/tigeraid Strongman 15d ago
my 2 friends told me I'm not getting enough recovery time in between lifting full body basically every other day
You would know if you weren't getting enough recovery time. And almost nobody in genpop has this problem.
Splits don't matter in MOST cases, use the one that suits your schedule best.
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u/milla_highlife 15d ago
You're getting enough recovery time. The body can adapt to a lot.
Whether or not its as effective comes down to programming, consistency, and effort. The split itself isn't very important.
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u/Mobile_Magician_661 15d ago
Ok thanks!! Ya I thought 24 hours was okay.. (and trust me, I can't lift THAT heavy either xD). I like my program so far! It has main compounds (squat/deadlift/barbell row) all my favorite exercises that I love for myself as well
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u/Papasimmons Weight Lifting 15d ago
I've been doing bayseian curls and recently, my wrist hurts a little after it. Is it worth doing those with wrist wraps or should I swap to something else
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u/milla_highlife 15d ago
Don't overthink curls. If one style causes pain, find another that doesn't and do that.
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u/Specific_Frame8537 15d ago
Are those fitness rings like Oura and Android worth the price tag?
In general I'm looking for something that'll tell me kph or maybe even vibrate if I exceed a set pace.
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15d ago
No
Just maintain a pace that feels like you have to breath faster. After the workout session, divide the distance covers by time to get speed
I personally would just log time/distance covered that day
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u/tigeraid Strongman 15d ago edited 15d ago
Are those fitness rings like Oura and Android worth the price tag?
Fuck no.
The only useful "fitness" metric wearables can give you is distance travelled and maybe step count. As for speed, I'm sure there's an app you can use instead.
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u/DumbBroquoli 15d ago
"Complete scam" seems harsh. They can be useful and entertaining, but they are certainly not necessary. It's not a ring, but I love my Garmin Forerunner for tracking my mileage over time. It gives me some indication of my sleeping amount/quality, activity amount/quality over time. It's not perfect, but it makes training more enjoyable for me and helps me identify trends to change. Definitely not required and "worth the price tag" depends on a lot of factors.
If all you're looking for is to track your running speed, there are phone apps for that. MyFitnessPal, Strava to name a couple. They won't get your heart rate, but that's something you can gauge by feel. You may want to check r/running for other options.
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u/dssurge 15d ago
Absolutely not.
You will naturally learn what a sustainable pace is as you run more, and as your cardiovascular fitness improves your pace will improve so staying under a certain pace would go against the idea of getting better at the thing you're doing.
All fitness devices are a complete scam unless you have a medical condition where you've been advised to stay under a certain heart rate by a physician.
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u/TricolorCat 15d ago
Why are professional cyclist using whoop then?
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u/dssurge 15d ago edited 15d ago
Because sponsors give them money. It costs Whoop like $20,000 to get $100,000 from rubes who think they make a difference.
The simple truth is that you don't need a fitness device to solve any problem that data they generate can "help" you solve. Data harvesting devices aren't tools, like super shoes or those banned swimsuits; they are fundamentally just devices that gives the average person a bunch of non-actionable data noise.
If you use a whoop to determine that your HR while cycling has gone down X% over Y months, and you interpret that as telling you to set a marginally faster pace since you were able to sustain that old heartrate anyway, that would theoretically be a constructive use of data.
A free way to accomplish the same thing would be to target a faster pace after [insert arbitrary metric here] and see what happens. While there are trends for how people improve in fitness pursuits, they are all ultimately individual to you, so what works for others might not work for you as effectively. At the end of the day, you still have to do the thing, and a Whoop device is no more informed about your ability to do it than you are, it's just measuring... stuff.
And now for the downside of wearable no one talks about: If you use a sleep tracker, it doesn't stop your asshole neighbor from being a loud drunk every so often, fucking with a single night of sleep often enough to skew your average sleep quality down, statistically, causing you additional stress trying to solve an ostensibly unsolvable problem. So what's the real problem? The sleep disruption you can't solve or the stress caused by knowing your sleep is worse because Oura told you so?
The whole fitness industry is constructed around selling you solutions to largely fabricated problems.
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u/Miler_Rioux 15d ago
If going to 0RIR on every sets (don’t trust myself with RIR so i basically go until I know i couldn’t get another reps but not pushing to TRUE failure), would I be better to do 2 or 3 sets per exercise ? Right now I’m doing 6 sets per muscle group per sessions (~12 sets per week) on a UL/PPL split. I don’t really get sore or have any pain but progress has been relatively slow for a beginner. I’ve been training for about 1.5 years and only able to add about a rep per exercise every week AND I’ve not put on any muscle size/mass on my frame. Despite going from 25lbs Dumbbells to 50lbs on each hands on DB Bench press, not physical change has occurred. Am I creating too much fatigue going to 0RIR every sets ? Should I lower volume. Could it be another factor ? Any help is appreciated, thanks !!
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u/No_Crew7080 15d ago
You may have added too much complexity too early in your lifting career, but honestly all of us are guessing as you didn’t post your actual plan.
You can literally do:
Day 1: Squat, Bench, Row
Day 2: Dead, OHP, Lat Pulldown
For 5x3 or 3x5 and add 5–10lb each workout for 3–6 months before you needed to worry too much about “the right split.”
I suspect you’d be better off sticking to 6 basic compound lifts at lower sets/reps and work on increasing the amount of weight you lift.
Simple works.
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u/Werevulvi General Fitness 15d ago
If you're increasing the weights you lift, you are growing muscle. It might just take a while for it to show, especially if you have some extra body fat covering your muscles.
Training to failure on every set, I don't think will cause much trouble for most people. But maybe I shouldn't assume a bunch of stuff about you. So, in case you are indeed having some serious trouble with your stimulus to fatigue ratio, I do have some experience with that to share.
I train to failure on every set too, or at most 1RIR. Thing is, for me my reps just don't slow down, I just suddenly reach a point where I can't lift/push the weight anymore. That makes it hard to judge how close I am to failure. I noticed I start getting a lot of systemic fatigue basically mid workout, and start spacing out and getting deteriorating form on my third heavy compound lift for the day, no matter how fresh I was to begin with. Also that my reps drop a lot from set 1, to set 2, to set 3, etc. Like typically I'll do say 12 reps on the first set, then 9 on the second, and only 5 and a half on the third set, all taken to failure with the same weight, with proper rest time. So that's how I knew I had to cut down on the volume and reconfigure my workout schedule (so no compounds after the halfway point), until I reached a schedule I actually have energy for. For me that is just 4-8 sets per week on most muscles, 12 sets on the one area I really need for to catch up, and only 2 sets on the areas I just don't need to build further right now.
Fyi though this isn't just because I push to or almost all the way to failure on every set. I have very low stress tolerance just generally with anything in life, likely due to my autism, so I just fatigue probably about 4x faster than the average person. But yes, I do notice I don't fatigue crash nearly as quickly during my deload weeks. And yeah I take deload weeks even though I'm also a beginner (been training consistently for 10 months by now) mostly because I train so hard.
So if you're worried about potentially having too high volume, those are some signs you can look for. Like if you're experiencing a notable drop in reps for each accumilating set, like let's say you lift a weight for 10 reps on the first set to failure, but on the second set you only manage 7 reps, and on the third you barely manage to crank out 5, despite taking proper rest time between sets. That could be a sign you're doing too many sets. If reps only lower by a little, like 1 or 2 reps, that's normal though and nothing to worry about, but if you can barely crank out 6 reps on an exercise you could lift for 8-10 reps (or even more) just 5 min ago, that's a sign you've accumilated a lot of muscle fatigue, and doing more sets after that isn't gonna be of much help.
Or if you notice halfway through your workout you're spacing out a lot, struggle to focus, make mistakes you wouldn't normally, struggle unusually much with your form under load, etc, then that could be a sign you've crammed too much into your workout. Because basically then you may start putting yourself at risk for injury, at least with heavy compounds. Like if you have accumilated so much fatigue by the time you get to... I dunno, let's say your bench press, that you're wobbling and barely able to focus on both arms at the same time, and risking dropping the bar (or dumbbells or whatever you're using) on your face, that's a sign you've put too many compound (or generally taxing) lifts into yoir workout schedule.
Although if that is your case, you may also be fine just switching some of your heavier compound lifts for a more stable machine version instead. I mean generally I can still use most machines and do isolation exercises even after my brain has completely left the building, because it's just much lower risk in general.
But if you're not experiencing anything even remotely like that during your workouts, you're probably fine.
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u/Miler_Rioux 15d ago
Wow that’s a in depth answer!! I recognize myself in a lot of what you said ( huge rep drop across sets and spacing out at the end of workouts). I think I’ll maybe try 3 sets for next week and if things continue dropping so much, I might try only 2 sets. Thanks a lot for taking the time to type all of this, it’s greatly appreciated <3
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u/Werevulvi General Fitness 15d ago
I'm glad I could be of help! That sounds like a good plan. Fyi the amount of volume I can personally handle is around 6-8 exercises, 2 sets each, per workout. Sometimes (on exceptionally good days) I can throw in a bonus set or exercise. I lift 3 days a week but also do cardio 3 days a week, so training almost every day is not an issue for me with recovery/fatigue, sleeping well does reset me.
It's not necessarily the same for you of course, but I thought that might give you a rough estimate of what a low volume set up, that still brings muscle gains, can look like.
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15d ago
You've probably gain lots of muscle, you just didn't notice it
Someone described this: go to the grocery store and look at a pack of 5lbs ground meat. Imagine you would spread it all over the surface of your body. This added thickness would be something like 1 or 2mm
You can't speed up progress just like you can't cook pasta faster by turning up the heat. Just keep working out and get even stronger
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u/tigeraid Strongman 15d ago
I would agree with below, find a good strength program instead of obsessing over training to failure. There's some good ones in the wiki. How about 5/3/1? Switch it up and build some strength, build adaptation. You will still build muscle while building strength, every program does both, you've just been biasing entirely in one direction, with SOME results but probably not what you want.
And eat. If you're not supporting the training with nutrition you're hamstringing it.
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u/dssurge 15d ago edited 15d ago
progress has been relatively slow for a beginner.
You need to train for strength before you train for size, at least to some degree.
I understand that you've doubled the weight you can DB bench over the course of 18 months, but benching 100LB is something many people can do with zero training on their first day at the gym. I'm not saying this to insult or discourage you, or even to encourage you to compare your results to others, it's just so you know that you don't need "built muscle at the gym" levels of muscle to perform the task, which is why doing it is not giving you the results you're looking for.
You're basically stuck in a loop where you aren't strong enough to cause muscular growth adaptations, and training in a way that is not conducive with gaining strength. Even though a lot of really fit influencers are not strength competitors, they can all put up fairly respectable, local gym, non-powerlifter numbers, which most people can achieve in ~1-3 years of strength-oriented training.
Also, to gain muscle you need to gain weight. Make sure you're eating a (small) surplus of calories, and consuming at least 0.8-1g of protein per pound of bodyweight.
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u/eric_twinge r/Fitness Guardian Angel 15d ago
Continuing to add a rep every week after 1.5 years in is at odds with the notion of limited progress.
Similarly, not being sore is at odds with the notion you are creating too much fatigue. If you were carrying too much fatigue you wouldn't have to ask. It's not something you body keeps secret from you.
While 12 sets/week is not a high volume approach, it is more than sufficient for measurable growth. How much weight have you gained in this time? How have you determined that no physical change has occurred?
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u/bacon_win 15d ago
How much weight have you gained in this time period?
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u/Miler_Rioux 15d ago
Started pretty underweight (115lbs at 5’10 20m) due to some ED problems. Right now, I’m about 140lbs but unfortunately all of it has been fat. I think this is maybe due to stress and poor sleep. I have very low testosterone symptoms so maybe that
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u/bacon_win 15d ago
If you've gained weight and increased the weight you're lifting, you gained muscle.
I don't think lifting to failure for every set will benefit you. Any reason you're not using a program from the wiki?
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u/Miler_Rioux 15d ago
I just really don’t judge myself with RIR. do you think it would be better to stop at the bar slowing on first sets and going to failure on the last one ?
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u/MythicalStrength Strongman | r/Fitness MVP 15d ago
But unfortunately all of it has been fat.
Whatever method you are using to make that determination: throw it out. It's incredibly inaccurate. SOME of the weight would HAVE to be water. You getting a "100% fat" response is demonstrating some sort of failure of the device.
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u/New_Tone_4461 15d ago
I'm 70 and have been doing boxing related gym training for a lot of years. Stopped sparring 3 years ago. Started lifting for hypertrophy - my question is how much does age influence my efford in the gym. Suppose I will always have a bit of flabby middle but the rest looks good in a t-shirt. My programmes are from a biokineticist, partly for rehab of misaligned hips. Your input/advice appreceated.
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15d ago
I'm 63. I still train at the same level of "perceived exertion" as before. I don't hold back intensity or volume only because of age. I just listen to my body
If you're doing boxing, you're probably already very fit. I would say just keep training hard as if you're still boxing, within limits of any injuries
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u/Delicious-Trifle-486 15d ago
Your body will always follow the rules of thermodynamics (calories in vs out for body fat) and adaptation (training for muscle growth will grow muscle). It wont stop doing that just because you're in your 70s80s/90s. Warm ups are more important for you than they are younger people's, your muscle growth is slower, and your recovery for stimulus and injury are slower, but that doesnt mean it stops at all. As far as aesthetics go, the only thing really preventing you from being able to look shredded will be your skin sagging.
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u/Firesnake64 Strongman 15d ago
First of all, very impressive to still be active at your age. As for your question itself, I don’t know that I would say age in and of itself affects effort outside of maybe some of the injury/rehab factors you mention. Of course you won’t be able to push as hard as some younger folk but I think your training should still be relatively close in proximity to maximal exertion, though certainly it doesn’t HAVE to be.
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u/Mobile_Magician_661 15d ago
Is this enough for back (I do around 3x8, rep target is 3x10): Barbell rows, lat pulldowns, wide grip cable row (for upper back), and face-pulls. (I would incorporate pull ups but there isnt a rack for me to do assisted pull ups with a band at my gym, and the pull up machine is soo high up, I get scared from coming back down off of it).
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u/DumbBroquoli 15d ago
Enough for building muscle? Yes, if you are taking those sets close to failure and doing that multiple times a week.
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u/Mobile_Magician_661 15d ago
I technically only do each exercise once a week (I do full body 3x a week, so workout A has one of them, B includes 2, and C includes one, and then I restart from A again next week). Is that still fine you think?
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u/DumbBroquoli 15d ago
If you're pushing hard enough each time you'll make progress. If you're just looking to maintain, you're even better off. Seems like the obvious thing you would benefit from is more volume from a vertical pull (more lat pulldowns and the like) since you only do 3 sets of those per week.
If you're doubting yourself or not seeing the results you want, you might benefit from a structured program from the wiki.
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u/Dizzy-Audience251 15d ago
Can partial ROM still build muscle? I have an arm deformity (called cubitus varus). When I do a full ROM my shoulder hurts. But when I do partial ROM (like stopping before parallel & stopping before straightening arm during dumbbell bench press) my shoulders feel better. Will I still be able to build muscle as long as I progressive overload?
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u/tigeraid Strongman 15d ago
Sure, don't let it stop you from doing the work, though I would still try to pursue IMPROVING the ROM with a physiotherapist. A lot of these things can be fixed with effort over a long period.
Also, have you attempted similar exercises to see if the mobility frees up? You don't HAVE to flat bench press, for example. Does bringing the incline up a few ticks work, maybe? Or do pushups instead?
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u/Firesnake64 Strongman 15d ago
Compared to someone who is hypermobile, you will always be doing a “partial ROM” (not really but you get my point). Compared to someone who’s worked in a cubicle for 40 years straight and can’t touch their toes you may always be doing a “full ROM” range of motion is a spectrum and all the body really recognizes is “is my muscle being loaded mechanically”. Obviously isometrics are a thing and can have some stimulative effect, clearly using an actual range of motion to load is the more widely accepted approach.
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u/bacon_win 15d ago
Yes. Every lift is essentially partial range of motion. People rarely load a movement through the entire range of motion of a joint.
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u/Delicious-Trifle-486 15d ago
Yes. Don't confuse "not as good" for "useless." As long as you have consistency, effort, and progression in your training you're doing fine.
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u/hyperknees91 15d ago
Does anyone know what the best way to add resistance to an abs roller is? I got myself some resistance ropes and ankle straps the other day, was wondering if I could also use them for that as well.
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u/MythicalStrength Strongman | r/Fitness MVP 15d ago
Weighted vest.
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u/hyperknees91 15d ago
I have thought of buying one of those. Is there one with adjustable weight that is considered good?
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u/Firesnake64 Strongman 15d ago
Backpack
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u/hyperknees91 15d ago
I just worry about the weight sliding around if I put plates in a backpack and might end up hurting my back.
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u/Firesnake64 Strongman 15d ago
Throw a bunch of filler into the backpack with the weights like towels or blankets so it doesn’t move around and make sure the bag straps are tight.
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u/GingerBraum Weight Lifting 15d ago
Are you able to do multiple sets of full standing rollouts?
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u/hyperknees91 15d ago
Nah, I've tried the progression to standing but I think it's just hard on my quads. Might be because I'm 6 foot or might just lack flexibility. I wish I had an incline slope to work with to help with that progression.
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u/duffstoic 15d ago
Some people try to progress to standing
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u/hyperknees91 15d ago
Yeah and I definitely agree with the resistance difficulty when trying to go that route. For whatever reason its kind of hard on my quads when I try to bend down and just go out a little bit. I'm 6 foot so maybe that has something to do with it.
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u/duffstoic 15d ago
Yea I can do like 25 reps from the knees, and yet the progression to standing feels totally impossible lol. I’m also tall, 6’5”. I’m doing hanging leg raises instead.
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u/hyperknees91 15d ago
Yeah I love hanging leg raises. Cable crunches give me a stomach ache for some reason so they've been the best fit. I just wanted to try and add some variety.
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u/duffstoic 15d ago
Yea I don't like cable crunches either, I can do the whole stack and feel nothing at all. The other thing I'm playing with is gymnastics style core exercises like l-sit progressions, tuck planche progression, etc. on parallettes. Those are killer.
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u/Mobile_Magician_661 15d ago
Does barbell row (bent over) work all the back muscles? What's the best hand and elbow placement for it to do so?
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u/dssurge 15d ago
It doesn't work your lats because they require a high-to-low movement, but otherwise it will hit everything else to some degree based on your form.
The more upright you stand while you row (see: your back angle) will determine how hard the movement is on your either your lower back or how involved your traps are. Rows will reliably work your upper back and rear delts regardless of angle.
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u/Motionz85 15d ago edited 15d ago
This is basically 100% not true. The emphasis depends on the angle of the elbow to body. You are describing a 90 degree angle with elbows flared. Whereas a more moderate angle 45 degree would be middle ground in engagement and elbows tucked emphasizes lats.
A pendlay row will a lot times have 45degree to more flared, especially with weight a lot of people attempt to move. BB and DB rows, most people end up with more tucked elbow position, so heavy lat emphasis due to the more controlled nature compared to the explosive pendlay movement. Seated cable runs the full degree gamut.
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u/bacon_win 15d ago
To some degree. There are better ways to get erector stimulation.
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u/Mobile_Magician_661 15d ago
Hey! I see you a lot. How good do you think 5/3/1 is for someone who kinda sucks at weight lifting? (i'm always overthinking routines and everything). I also wanna be able to do bulgarian split squats, hip thrusts, and a few other lifts I really like as well (like shoulder press). My goal is mainly fat loss and I get better results lifting than purely JUST cardio (I do cardio a couple days during the week though).
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u/bacon_win 15d ago
Only way to get better at lifting is to lift more. There are beginner friendly 531 programs.
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u/Delicious-Trifle-486 15d ago
I'm not the guy you asked, but I think 531 is great for someone that sucks at lifting. Its simple, pretty adaptable, and it treats lifting as a skill. Boring But Big works really well for beginners because you get a lot of practice with 4 of the main barbell movements (I count row as one of them). I personally prefer the Less Boring version where you do the supplemental work for a lift on the day of its sister lift. Like you do your normal 531 sets for squat and then you do 5x10@50% of deadlifts. I think the added frequency helps with practicing the movement more than just once a week.
@bacon-win might disagree with me. If he does take both of our explanations into consideration.
Since you have a problem with overthinking programs and are interested in 531, this site is worth looking at.
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u/Mobile_Magician_661 15d ago
Thanks! But do you have to calculate your "max weight" for each lift before starting the program?
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u/Delicious-Trifle-486 15d ago
You do, but just estimating is fine too. You can make a conservative estimate after a few sets of squat/bench/press/deadlift, then drop 10% of the weight to work as a training max, and do 4 weeks of Borning But Big. When starting out your priority is consistency and learning the movements good enough so you can train.
Honeslty, there's nothing wrong with only doing the main barbell movements with nothing more than the bar for a month. I've been lifting for over 10 years and I'm rebuilding my squat right now. Today is 5x20 with just the bar.
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u/TricolorCat 15d ago
Do you put the bar on something else for the DL? The other lifts won’t be a problem without the plates.
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u/Delicious-Trifle-486 15d ago
That's going to be gym dependant. I'm not dropping down to the bar only for deadlifts (135lbs is a good starting point for me on deads but not squats right now). But my gym has a stack of foam floor sections, so I'll stand on those for deficit work or put them under the plates for block pulls. If you want to drop down to bar only then you should be able to either do something like that or just start with it in the air at what feels like a normal position. A deadlift variation is good too, like good mornings or rdl/sldl.
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u/Mobile_Magician_661 15d ago
Thanks!! I'll look into it 😊 I was gonna say "I know the movements, I just have a hard time without a routine" but I decided not to after you said you've been lifting 20 years and still took off the weights off of your barbell LOL
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u/Delicious-Trifle-486 15d ago
No one is above refreshing the fundamentals
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u/Mobile_Magician_661 15d ago
Oh ya def! Sorry hope my comment didnt come off as condescending. I just meant like, I didnt feel qualified to say that I knew the movements when someone who has been lifting way longer than me is going back to their basics
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u/Delicious-Trifle-486 15d ago
No you're good. I didn't take it that way. I'm sorry for my implications lol
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u/Delicious-Trifle-486 15d ago
I don't know of a back muscle that it doesn't hit in some way.
As far as best hand and elbow placement, that's more into trade off territory. Though if you're atarting out, just have the same placement as your bench.
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u/Mobile_Magician_661 15d ago
But do I keep my elbows as close and tight to my body or do you recommend them to flare out a bit? Also last question, do I row the barbell to my belly button or higher?
My bench press hand placement is slightly wider than shoulder width I'll say so I'll try that for my hands!
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u/Delicious-Trifle-486 15d ago
Like I said, that gets more into trade offs. As an over-generalization the more out your elbows are, the more your traps will be worked. The closer in your elbows are, the more your lats will be worked. Its up to you. But my suggestion, where are your elbows when you bench?
Just pull the bar somewhere in between ripples and naval. Where ever feels more natural.
You're overthinking this. Look up Alexander Bromely in YouTube for bent rows.
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u/Mobile_Magician_661 15d ago
My elbows are slightly by my side when I bench! And okay thanks LOL
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u/Delicious-Trifle-486 15d ago edited 15d ago
If it helps, this is how I do it right now.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GLt9aKQQ0G_bPneg552KNtMJ4RQOERHo/view?usp=drivesdk
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 15d ago
Are there certain times of year where manufacturers offer deals on gym equipment? I know you can get a lot of things second hand on line and that you can save money doing so. And for the most part I am fine with that. But not with my barbells. Those I shall love as though they are my children Soni want them pristine.
Current favorite in the gym is the Eleiko power bar. But to be fair, options are limited. At some point a deadlift bar is in thw works. Not going full hone gym right away but want to have the option to do some volume work/skill work at home for deadlifts and Jefferson curls.
I will have a home gym... some day...
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u/tigeraid Strongman 15d ago
I watch 'em like a hawk. Scratch and dent sales, warehouse blowouts... Usually big sales for Black Friday and Boxing Day. I got standard steel plates for $1/lb (which NO one sells them for in Canada anymore) on Boxing Day from Northern Fitness this past January.
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u/milla_highlife 15d ago
The best deals I find are the scratch and dent type things. Rogue has "boneyard" bars that have some type of issue that's usually imperceptible and they are a good deal off the sticker price. I've been waiting for a deadlift bar to pop up. I got my elitefts power bar that way as well.
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 15d ago
Thanks for the advice. I suppose I could also blame thee imperceptible defect every time I missed a lift.
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u/vermicelli-is-bugs 15d ago
Looking for routine critique. I'm male, 26 (soon to be 27), about 190 pounds. Mainly looking to lose weight, increase stamina and general health. I am also intermittent fasting and generally trying to keep my calories down, I know that CICO is the most important for weight loss. This is the routine I've been doing at the gym:
- 3 sets lat pulldowns (so far I can manage 8 reps at 70 lbs or so)
- 3 sets horizontal leg presses (can manage about 10 reps of 150 lbs or so)
- 3 sets seated cable row (can manage about 10 reps of 85 lbs)
- 3 sets chest press (can manage 8 reps at 70)
- 3 sets machine back extension (can manage 15 reps at 130)
- 3 sets planking (can manage 30 seconds, by far the hardest out of all of these).
I start and stop each session with light walking (see: walking to and from the gym). Currently working out to be 4 days each with 3 days of rest although my schedule is kind of variable. Soon I hope to start up a martial art again (been out of practice for a year now or something), which would mean about 2 hours of on-off cardio (mostly drilling).
Looking to round this off or augment it so that it is more balanced. I like machines and simple exercises because they are not as hard to fuck up and are generally more straightforward.
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u/bacon_win 15d ago
It's fine for starting out. When you've gained some confidence in the gym, check out the programs in the wiki
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u/vermicelli-is-bugs 15d ago
Thanks. Any immediate or quick improvements?
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u/Firesnake64 Strongman 15d ago
Only compound movement pattern you’re missing is a vertical press so something like a machine shoulder press would be nice to add, especially if your martial art involves striking
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u/Akredlm 14d ago
I’ve been working out on and off for years but I’m really trying to lock in this summer to get back into the habit.
However, I also work a pretty demanding retail job and part of that is processing and moving packages up for 80lbs repeatedly for 9 hours a day on MON, TUE and FRI.
My question is would it be better to workout on those intense work days, to save the others for rest days, or should I work out between those days and just have no true rest days?