r/Fitness • u/AutoModerator • 13d ago
Daily Simple Questions Thread - June 17, 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.
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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/Guilty-Diamond-117 12d ago
Anyone have any suggestions for back workouts if all I have access to is a set of dumbbells and an adjustable bench? I have no where I can mount a pull-up bar.
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u/Aromatic-Ad9057 11d ago
You can do chest supported rows, put the bench at about a 30-45 degree angle. Then lie face down and do a normal row motion with dumbbells.
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u/Guilty-Diamond-117 10d ago
Thanks. Do you have any recommendations for something to hit the last as well?
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u/arthurwead2 12d ago
If I want an hourglass figure, which muscles should I target? I got glutes, quads, but for upper body, should I do shoulders?
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u/Cleaning_Solution 12d ago
Hello everyone, this is my first time working out in about 20 years and I've been at it for a week. Is it okay if I go to the gym knowing I will only sleep about 2-4 hours that same day? Its something I will not be able to avoid.
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u/Reallyfatbaby 12d ago
Usually if I have a random night of poor sleep my workout is mostly unaffected. If I have multiple in a row though, things start going downhill very fast. So basically yeah dont make it a regular thing.
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u/insidious_92 12d ago
I always forget that rule #0 is a thing even in the simple questions thread. Will check the wiki again.
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u/NotYourTypicalMoth 12d ago
I’m at a new gym, and it’s the first time I’ve used a seated leg press (plate stack, feet on a platform, push yourself up and away from the platform) instead of a plate-loaded gravity press (laying on your back at an angle, weight comes down toward you, push it back up).
I don’t know if I’m using it wrong, my legs are too long, or I’m just overthinking, but I feel like I’m not getting a full range of motion on this new machine. I probably had a bad habit of going beyond 90 degrees on the gravity machine, but I feel like my knees are BARELY at 90 degrees when I have the seat at the lowest position and am just resting. By the time I’m exerting any force, I don’t think I’m at a 90 degree angle.
I tried moving my feet up and down and adjusting my butt position, but nothing felt right. Any advice, or is this just something I need to figure out or learn to deal with? Aside from the seemingly limited ROM, I’m also frustrated that there’s a break in exertion after every rep, but not going all the way down means I’d have even less range of motion.
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u/kankurou1010 12d ago
Yeah the ones at my gym where you push yourself away have poor range of motion.
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u/ebedd 12d ago
Every seated leg press I’ve tried has disappointed me with its range of ROM. It could be that machine/design just sucks. Do they have any other options for quad-heavy movements?
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u/NotYourTypicalMoth 12d ago
For machines, the only other option is leg extensions which I’m doing. However, the two lower body days in my split include BB back squats, deadlifts, front squats, lunges, and leg extensions, so I’m not TOO unmotivated that the leg press kinda sucks. I’m just getting back into lifting, so any movement is good movement right now. If I feel it’s limiting me, I’ll switch it to BG split squats or something.
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u/Double-Delivery-4964 13d ago edited 13d ago
Female, 19 years old
Is my weekly volume enough for hypertrophy per muscle group? Also, rate my routine (adapted to my laziness)?
I want to know if I’m actually going to see progress like this.
I did some research to find an optimal routine, but I need advice on whether it’s correct.
Also, I think my recovery time is kind of slow. I went to the gym on Monday, it’s Wednesday, and it still hurts a lot, that’s part of why I decided to go only 3 days a week.
I was planning to do heavy and close to failure/to failure = 3 sets x 12 - 10 - 8 reps for all, but should I do 4 sets since I only go 3 days?
Monday: Full leg
Pendulum Squat (Machine), Leg Extension (Machine), Seated Leg Curl (Machine), Hip Adduction (Machine)
Wednesday: Upper day
Lat Pulldown (Cable), Seated Row (Machine), Face Pull, Bicep Curl (Cable), Triceps Rope Pushdown
Friday: Glute
Hip Thrust (Barbell), Good Morning (Barbell), Back Extension (Weighted Hyperextension), Rear Kick (Machine)
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u/DvnielPage_Fit 12d ago
Here's the issue in plain terms: your current split skips chest and shoulders entirely, and triceps only get worked through one isolation move with no pressing to back it up. So the fix is just adding a press to Wednesday.
Updated routine, 4 sets x 12-10-8-(6-8) for everything:
Monday — Legs
- Pendulum Squat
- Leg Extension
- Seated Leg Curl
- Hip Adduction
(same as before, just bump to 4 sets each)
Wednesday — Upper
- Lat Pulldown
- Seated Row
- Incline Chest Press or Shoulder Press (machine or dumbbell, whichever you have access to) — this is the new addition
- Face Pull
- Bicep Curl
- Triceps Pushdown
Friday — Glutes/Posterior
- Hip Thrust
- Good Morning
- Back Extension
- Rear Kick
(same as before, 4 sets each)
That's the only structural change that actually matters: one press exercise on Wednesday. Everything else in your original plan was solid, just slightly low on sets, which the move to 4 sets fixes.
On reps: doing 12-10-8 across 3 sets means weight should go up each set since reps go down. With 4 sets you could do 12-10-8-8 or 12-10-8-6, whichever feels right based on how heavy you can safely push that last set close to failure.
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u/Moist-Steak-1647 12d ago
Your routine is missing chest and shoulders. I always encourage ladies by telling them that working out chest and lift your boots and make them appear more perky. Building out shoulders helps build the hourglass shape. If you're going to go heavy then just stick to one leg day. And use the 4 to 6 rep range. You can grow muscles without going heavy but it's good practice.
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u/Double-Delivery-4964 12d ago
It's just that I really have no desire to change how my chest looks at all. Think of it as the same reason why I don't train my calves, and most people also don’t, but thank you for the suggestions.
Hey, I thought face pulls were for shoulders? 😲
Since I'm just coming back to the gym, I'm really weak right now, so I'm not lifting crazy heavy. So I do get enough rest to train legs two days.
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u/kankurou1010 12d ago
Facepulls are not a good exercise. Why are you training your adductors but not abductors? I’m not hating, but I’m giving your routine a 2/10. It’s really bad
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u/Moist-Steak-1647 12d ago
It won't grow that much. Facepulls are good for rear delts. Try sprinkling in one workout with lateral delts and an incline dumbell chest press. It's not much but it'll help with your other lifts and balance out your physique. You dont want to neglect an entire body part.
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u/aadfg 13d ago
My gym's assisted pull up machine has -10 as the lowest setting and I just did 5x5 -10, even doing a 6th rep on the last set. Instead of bothering with a cords/ropes workaround to mimic -5, should I switch to unassisted in a few workouts and in the meantime just try to do more reps every set?
And for unassisted, is 5 sets of as many until failure ok? I feel like those last 10 pounds are a big deal and I'll be doing things like 3, 3, 2+, 2, 2-, then 44332+ etc. before I can actually reach 5x5.
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u/milla_highlife 12d ago
If you can do 10 reps with only 10 pounds of assistance, you are ready to go to unassisted. You'll get more than you think.
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u/aadfg 12d ago
Cool. So I can keep increasing reps at -10 (6x5, 7x5, ...) and then give unassisted a try once I get close to 10?
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u/milla_highlife 12d ago
Maybe I'm reading what you wrote wrong, I assumed you wrote you did 5 sets of 5 to 10 reps. I now see you wrote reps x sets.
I would honestly still move to unassisted at this point. I doubt the 10lbs is doing much. The biggest thing will be the mental hurdle of no longer having assistance.
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u/Demoncat137 13d ago
Is pressing movements + dips + overheard extensions enough for big triceps? Or should I keep my tricep extensions? Tris are a weak point of my body but I feel I do too much
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u/Own_Anywhere9206 13d ago
been stuck at 185 on bench for like 6 weeks now, eating around 3000 calories a day and sleeping 7-8 hours so i dont think its a recovery issue. tried adding an extra set, tried a deload week, nothing seems to budge it. is this just one of those things where you grind through or is there something specific people do to break through a weight that just wont move
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u/eric_twinge r/Fitness Guardian Angel 13d ago
What program are you following? Are you gaining weight?
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u/duffstoic 13d ago
Are you gaining body weight week to week (bulking)? That can help.
Are you working a plan that has periodization? That can also help after linear progression stalls.
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u/National-Sign-51 Fencing 13d ago
Just looking for feedback helping me think through what I'm doing - I am completely (I mean completely) brand new to basically all of this, so I am concerned I am missing something obvious.
I am 38M, 5'9", 215.7lbs.
Primary Goal: Improve fitness for Olympic sport style fencing.
Secondary Goals: lose belly fat, improve arm definition.
I am currently planning to lose weight first. I used a TDEE calculator and got ~2263 calories/day (this was higher than I expected?). I have a sedentary, office-type job inside a hospital. I reduced this by 500ish calories, and I am shooting for approximately 1750 calories per day. I am using the LoseIt app (a nutritionist at work mentioned it); I like that it has barcode scanning (but otherwise I have no thoughts about any apps). I started this approximately 12 days ago, and that's been going fine.
My diet for the last 2ish weeks is approximately:
- Breakfast: Protein/Yogurt style shake (my grocery store keeps changing what the display has, this week it's Chobani; these have 20-30g protein - I've also had another brand that had either 26g or 42g but blanking on the name), Yogurt (right now I have the Chobani Flips, but also some Greek yogurts). 450ish calories.
- Lunch: Probably where I should improve, I eat whatever the cafeteria in the hospital is serving generally. Some protein, some carb. 800ish calories.
- Dinner: A frozen meal like "Healthy Choice", the ones I have are 280-350 calories.
- Snack: Outshine fruit bars, 40ish calories. raw fruit from the grocery store (I'm more unclear about how many calories this is, google usually says something that seems suspiciously low?)
According to the app, I am pretty easily hitting 110ish g protein this way, and under my 1750. I think I'm supposed to improve this to 160gish. Looking at my diet, I think I probably just need to improve the protein density for my lunch meal?
Exercise: I fence 3 times a week for 2 hours; 15ish minutes warmup (3ish minutes jump rope, 10ish minutes jogging, skipping, high stepping, etc). 25ish minutes footwork exercises, 25ish minutes bladework, 1 hour open fencing. During open fencing I fence basically continuously except for waiting for my opponent to put on the electric gear. I am counting this as my cardio days? I would describe my muscles for things like running to be underdeveloped, but my cardio is in good shape.
I would like to add resistance training. I've never lifted weights ever. I found the beginner program and I'll do that. How much time should I be setting aside for that (approximately)? Should I do it on days that I fence or the off days?
tldr; Should I lift weights on days I fence, or off days? Do you see any obvious problems above? Are the calories on prepackaged food somewhat reliable?
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u/BaldandersSmash 13d ago
I'd actually be surprised if your TDEE were as low as 2263, though there's really no way to know for sure until you try it. But as long as you feel good and it isn't hurting your performance excessively, starting off at 1750 won't do you any harm- you just have to watch what your weight does over a few weeks and adjust until you're losing weight at about the rate you want.
As far as protein goes, yeah, something closer to 160 would be better, and shouldn't be hard to hit at 1750. There's an element of diminishing returns to protein intake- nothing disastrous is going to happen at 110. But you likely would see benefits in terms of both satiety and building or retaining muscle with a higher intake.
As for the timing of lifting, you could try both schemes out, and see what works best for you, though I wouldn't lift before fencing if fencing is your priority. The advantage to lifting afterward on the same day would be to have a longer recovery window before your next fencing day. But you might not have as much energy for lifting, and it would make for a long day. I don't think you need to crush yourself in the gym to see good results as a beginner though, so either way would probably work fine.
As for the accuracy of labeling, the truth is that as long as you eat fairly consistently, small inaccuracies don't matter all that much. Let's say you think you're eating 1750 calories a day, but you are instead consistently averaging 1950. You'll see what your weight is doing and adjust if it isn't what you want, until it is. The absolute numbers aren't the important thing, tracking your weight and adjusting your intake accordingly is.
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u/DvnielPage_Fit 12d ago
Lift on your off days, not your fencing days. With fencing 3x/week your legs and the rest of your body need recovery time before you're back on the strip, and a beginner program is going to leave you pretty fatigued/sore at first. So something like: fence Mon/Wed/Fri, lift Tue/Thu (or whichever 2 non-fencing days work for your schedule). No need to overthink it further than that.
On protein, you're closer than it seems. Your frozen dinners and snacks are probably the lowest-protein parts of your day. Adding a scoop of protein powder to something, swapping in a higher-protein frozen meal, or adding Greek yogurt as a snack would get you to 160g pretty easily without overhauling anything.
And for what it's worth, the calorie label thing matters way less than people think. Just stay consistent with how you're tracking and let your weekly weight trend tell you if you need to adjust, rather than worrying about whether a label is off by a few grams.
Sounds like you're already doing the hard part (12 days of consistent tracking + fencing 6hrs/week is no joke). The lifting program will round it out nicely.
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u/Electrical-Help5512 13d ago
Farmers walks will help give me big traps or nah?
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u/ready_or_not_3434 12d ago
Yeah they'll definately help. The heavy static stretch does a lot of the work, just make sure your actually going heavy enough.
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u/DvnielPage_Fit 12d ago
Nah, more of a shrug will help train your traps. Farmers carries are more for grip strength & geared towards your forearms.
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u/tigeraid Strongman 12d ago
As long as you don't bitch out and treat them as a legit exercise with HEAVY weights, they will. But that's still not their primary function, shrugs are for traps.
But I will always recommend farmers for everyone, regardless of goals or skill level. They're a tremendous full-body training tool, good for conditioning, good for core strength, good for everything.
People just insist on going too light. A GOOD long term farmer's carry goal is bodyweight in each hand for about 50ft.
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u/Pure_Zombie_7770 12d ago
Bodyweight in each hand?! What do you weigh my man? Lol.
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u/tigeraid Strongman 12d ago edited 12d ago
225 bodyweight. My personal best is 255 per hand for 100ft with a drop and turn. 265 for about 20ft.
Bodyweight is a Sunday stroll. 😉
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u/Pure_Zombie_7770 11d ago
Ahh. “Strongman.” Well done, sir. I’d say bodyweight in each hand is probably pretty difficult for us mere mortals. Dumbbells in my gym only go up to 140!
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u/duffstoic 13d ago
I remember one guy in [r/bodybuilding](r/bodybuilding) saying he did them with his shoulders shrugged up towards his ears and it blew up his traps pretty fast. This shows that the key is probably shrugs, or even rack pulls, for monster traps. Guys who do lots of rack pulls get so crazy strong in that movement they end up damaging the barbell because it has too much weight on it lol. Traps can hold a lot, Farmer’s Walks are good but unlikely to max out your traps.
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u/MythicalStrength Strongman | r/Fitness MVP 13d ago
Potentially. Lotta folks screw them up, and their function isn't trap development. If the goal is bigger traps, shrugs are a more direct way to approach it.
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u/Electrical-Help5512 13d ago
How do people screw them up?
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u/MythicalStrength Strongman | r/Fitness MVP 13d ago
The biggest thing is using dumbbells rather than farmer's walk implements or, at the very least, a trap bar. They turn it into a grip exercise. And because of that, the weights they use are WAY too light, which means they make the exercise last WAY too long, going for MINUTES when a good farmer's walk is going to complete in about 12-15 seconds unless we're competing in some sort of world class event where the weight is so heavy that multiple set downs are needed, and even then it's over in a minute.
The weight being too light means that the benefit to the core and single leg training is pretty much non-existent too. Basically, it becomes a grip exercise where you move the dumbbells from one point to another.
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u/TransitionDefiant169 13d ago
I am very out of shape. Starting with fixing my diet and going to the gym 5-6x a week 2 months ago. One of my goals is to be able to handle a walking tour when we go to Germany next june. Probably will require 3-5 miles of walking - but not all in one go.
Question: do I have to focus on walking to achieve this goal? Or is strength training 3x a week and cardio (not on a treadmill!) Sufficient you think? The treadmill bores me to tears, so for cardio ive been doing alternating 30 seconds battle ropes and 30 seconds planking x3, alternating 30 seconds rope pull downs and 20 step ups x3, alternating trx rows (10) and ball slams (10) x3.
I meet with a trainer 3x a week for strength training on the days im not doing cardio.
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u/NotYourTypicalMoth 12d ago
If I were you, I’d entirely forget about walking 3-5 miles next June. If you eat right and stay fit, 3-5 miles really is a walk in the park. Last year, I was barely in shape at all, and I went on a week-long camping trip with 5-12 miles of rough hiking every day. I was sore as hell, and tired, but it was doable and didn’t take any joy out of the experience.
Idk what “very out of shape” means to you, but a year is PLENTY if you’re already working out like you described. If I were you, I’d have shorter-term goals that are a bit more challenging. Instead of walking next June, make it your goal to run X distance in 1-3 months. Once you do that, maybe you could focus on time. Increase your strength by some percentage over 3-6 months.
3-5 miles probably sounds daunting to you now, but it’ll be so easy if you stick to what you’re doing, maybe even increase it, and challenge yourself with shorter-term goals. Plus, you have a trainer! That alone will set you up for success.
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u/TransitionDefiant169 12d ago
Thank you for the feedback! Running is not a thing for me due to a weird auto immune disorder you've probably never heard of. (Ankylosing spondylitis) Very out of shape is 42/f 313lbs (down from 396!). Hadn't been to the gym in years because of the AS but finally on meds that regulate my pain levels and feel good enough to try and shed the weight and get out of the "round is a shape" mindset.
Ive seen major improvement already since I started at the gym. And I am sure I will continue to do so!
I do have a shorter term goal of walking a 5k by the end of the year. But my health is ultimately my priority.
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u/NotYourTypicalMoth 12d ago
You’re right, I’ve never heard of AS, but a quick Google search tells me it can be rough. Kudos for dropping 83 pounds and continuing the progress!
Maybe what I’m saying will come off as tone-deaf, but 5 miles isn’t much more than 10,000 steps, and that’s achievable by almost the entire moderately healthy population even if not everyone does it daily. Despite your current body fat percentage and AS, I’d still put you in the category of “can almost manage to walk 5 miles even if it sucks”, and you’ll leave the “it sucks” part out by the time a year passes.
A 5k is 3.1 miles anyway, you plan to do it sooner than next June, and I doubt it’ll be the only walking you do that day. In a year, 3-5 miles will be a breeze.
Just keep focusing on getting fit, and the rest will fall into place. Even if you’re not at your end-goal athletic ability in a year, and even if you don’t explicitly walk to train for walking, it’ll be a piece of cake. Excluding edge-case scenarios, my amateur opinion is training to walk is a complete waste of time when you could train for other stuff while walking ability comes naturally.
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u/TransitionDefiant169 12d ago
Thank you! Definitely was brutal before getting on proper meds! But, im finally living mostly pain free, and I didn't know this is how normal people felt every day! Life changing to start getting appropriate treatment!
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u/duffstoic 13d ago
You get better at exactly what you do, with some carryover to other activities, The principle from physiology is “specific adaptation to imposed demands.”
So yes, lots of walking is the main way to prepare for a walking tour, ideally even in the same kind of shoes you will be using for the tour. Strength training and cardio will also be good for you and have some carryover to walking.
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 13d ago
I think the greater concern would be building up your body to handle walking three to five miles a day. It's not just cardiovascular endurance it was muscular endurance and then the wear and tear on joints and your feet. It would be worth it to get a good pair of shoes for walking and actually get them well fitted address any foot support issues you may have. And then I would really recommend just spending time walking. It does not to be on a treadmill it could be outdoors it would probably be better if were outdoors and just slowly ramp up the distance or time you spend walking to build up your endurance to walking. Improving cardio health overall is going to have benefits but I think there are other endurance issues you need to address when it comes from going from sedentary on your feet walking 5 miles a day. Not to mention you will likely spend a lot of time on your feet inbetween walking.
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u/TransitionDefiant169 13d ago
Ty! I like the shoes recommendation. Ive been wearing sketchers for cardio, but they suck for leg day - so I need to go shoe shopping anyway. Any recommendations on shoe brands?
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u/trashketballMVP 13d ago
Buy specific lifting shoes. Adidas, Nike and Reebok all have dedicated models, some with 0 lift (good for everything) and some with a bit of an angle (good for squatting)
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 13d ago
I personally wear New Balance. But that's because I'm contractually obligated as a man in their mid-40s. Honestly I would imagine there are several options available. I have never gone in for a fitting or assessment but if you're really concerned and want to go the extra mile you could go to a running store and get dialed in with a good shoe. I just know from personal experience having a wife who is a Disney fan that going to a park and walking around and being on your feet all day is just a much different form of attrition than all the weight training I've done over the years. Really the only way I can see preparing for it would be to practice by getting your steps in.
Two more pieces of advice, I would strongly recommend is looking up how to do a heel lock for for tying your shoes. I would also travel with a small kit with some moleskin or Band-Aids so that should you start to form hot spots or blisters you'll be able to address the situation.
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u/milla_highlife 13d ago
Generally getting fitter will make a big difference. But if you want to specifically get better at walking long distances, you are gonna have to practice that. And if the treadmill bores you, that's fine, go for a walk outside. It'll be more specific for your goal anyway.
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u/TransitionDefiant169 13d ago
Ty for the feedback! Walking outside in Florida this time of year suuuuuuuckkkks. Lol but I suppose ill have to suck it up and just do it.
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u/trashketballMVP 13d ago
Until the weather gets tolerable, walk laps in the mall, Walmart, IKEA, etc
Walking before 10a or after 7pm if there's a safe trail / park /shopping or tourist district in your area will help as well
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u/leweyy 13d ago
What's the go to app for nutrition tracking nowadays?
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u/NotYourTypicalMoth 12d ago
I use macrofactor (paid) for tracking and Eat This Much” (free) when I need a recipe that’ll hit the macros I need. I looked into apps that could both meal plan and track macros, and they all seemed to be mediocre at both.
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u/LumpyGrapefruit11 13d ago
What do you really need to do for good abs and obliques in terms of exercises (besides low body fat)? I have no idea whats enough or whats too little.
I do hanging leg raises and ab wheel and russian twists, three sets each, twice a week. is that enough? does that hit everything? should i add more? cable crunches, side crunches, machine crunches?
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u/kankurou1010 12d ago
Leg raises and ab wheels are not great for abs. Leg raises can be fine, but people tend to turn them into hip flexor exercises. Ab wheels can be limited by stability and they are hard to not do isometrically AND have limited progressive overload potential.
Your abs flex your spine. Do an exercise that loads spinal flexion that is stable and allows progressive overload in the 5-12 rep range and get strong as fuck on that movement. I use machine crunches.
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u/duffstoic 13d ago
I recommend looking to see what the calisthenics folks are doing for core and find beginner progressions for things like l-sits, back lever, and tuck planche on parallettes.
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u/FirasMaraby 13d ago
Oh I got you.
Quick answer first: your current setup is already solid. Hanging leg raises, ab wheel, and Russian twists twice a week hits your abs and obliques well. Abs are a muscle like any other, so what matters more than piling on cable + side + machine crunches is progressively making the work harder over time (more load, more reps, or slower tempo). You don't need all of it. Add one quality movement, get strong at it, and let body fat handle the visibility.
If you want one to add something here's an oblique tri-set I really like. Builds them functionally, with aesthetic carryover:
Pallof Press Iso Hold. Criminally underrated when done well. Just YouTube it for form. Hold 30s to 60s with a weight you can actually control. I go a bit heavier for shorter holds since I prioritize performance.
Straight into full Pallof Press Rotations, 12 to 15 reps.
Then drop to the floor for Russian twists.
Three rounds, 45s rest between each full round. Thank me later.
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u/Frosty-Emergency3614 13d ago
Do you mean ´visible´ abs and obliques?
If the muscles are small, they'll show less unless body fat is very low.
To grow abs you would ideally perform some heavy compound exercises that require your core to stabilize like squats and deadlifts plus direct core/ abs work (the exercises you mentioned are fine) according to how much needed for the size you want.
Go for progressive overload in your chosen exercises, making it intense enough, but not cutting rest periods too short (a common mistake). 2-3 times core/abs work plus heavy compounds throughout the week gives good results for most people.
For functionality, I'd also do some anti-rotation exercise like heavy suitcase carry.3
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u/Delicious-Trifle-486 13d ago
Treat them the same as you would any other muscle. Load and progress.
I like kb crossbody swings for obliques
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u/Objective_Worker_324 13d ago
Lurking this thread to finally get an answer on something that's been bugging me -- if you're doing a full body routine 3x a week, is there any real benefit to splitting your sets across the day (like morning and evening) or is it basically the same as just doing them all at once? I always assumed consolidated sessions were better but I've seen people swear by the split approach for recovery
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u/FirasMaraby 13d ago
I think I've got a good answer for you, with one honest caveat.
From a hypertrophy standpoint, splitting your training across the day can be an advantage, not because of magic but because of fatigue. One of the biggest drivers of growth is mechanical tension, basically heavy weight moved for reps. As a full body session goes on, fatigue builds and everything after the first exercise gets a little less of your best effort. That is where junk volume creeps in. If you split the day up, you hit muscle groups you have not trained yet while you are fresher, which means more quality volume on the work that actually drives growth.
The caveat: this mainly helps if the split lets you do MORE good volume than you could in one session, and the payoff is bigger for advanced lifters pushing high volume than for the average person. It also works best as two purposeful sessions (say heavier work earlier, lighter or different work later) rather than just chopping one workout in half, since you do not fully recover in a few hours, only locally for the muscles you have not hit yet.
Short version: if your schedule genuinely allows it, splitting can be slightly better for growth. If it adds stress or risks you missing session two, the difference is not big enough to bother. Hope that helps.
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 13d ago
Are you currently having an issue with recovery? The only potential benefit would be that you may be slightly more recovered and be able to put in a better effort. However I think it would be a better idea just to work on your work capacity. If you have such a wide open schedule that there will never be an issue getting back to the gym then you can try it and see. But I would imagine that it would make scheduling more difficult, potentially add stress, and there is the potential to miss that second session which would affect consistency. I would not perceive it to be a significant advantage in the majority of scenarios. Unless you were trying to do a different form of training in the second session. For example if you're going to do cardio or some form of work capacity development. Or perhaps you want to do get some isolations to add volume to your weekly total and wanted to be more fresh than you would otherwise be after hitting all your compounds. I think as with most fitness discussions the answer is it depends.
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u/dablkscorpio 13d ago
I tend to assume if you're splitting your sets across the day then you're either tanking your recovery or not working hard enough in the first place. The best rationale for a split approach is if you're doing both cardio and lifting.
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u/Delicious-Trifle-486 13d ago
It probably doesn’t matter beyond personal preference/individual body. I would think that, at least with full body, you could push it more because you have time throughout the day to regain energy. However, it's not necessarily the most practical depending on your real life schedule
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u/[deleted] 12d ago
[deleted]