Been chasing this for a while, finally got it this morning! I’ve been alternating Smolov with Hatch and only doing it twice a week because my joints don’t like more than that, I’m a little older. Accessories are front squats, barbell lunges, Bulgarian dumbbell squats, and RDLs. That’s it! It’s a mess of plates because I only have 2 of these 45s.
Decided to film my backdown set of 245lbs x 5 from an over- the-top angle to really see what needs tweaked in my technique. The verdict: all of it. It doesn't matter if I'm using 315lbs or 135lbs my form looks equally horrific. I can visually see and physically feel everything but my chest working and as you guys would expect I have massive shoulders but a baby chest.The angle could be exaggerating it some but I would appreciate some advice here especially from taller lifters before I tear my rotator cuff in half which I'm surprised I haven't yet. I am 6'1 185lbs with a 6'5 wingspan and train competition standard if that changes anything. I genuinely might have the ugliest form of any 315 bencher. I also have lots of side and diagonal view bench videos saved that I can send in DM if needed. 🤙
I've been training for about 9 months now and I've always heard that training to 0 rir is most effective, so i started doing it for every set on every excercise
It probably doesn't help that am also doing a full body split 3x a week so am pretty worried that I might get an injury from all the failure training I do
Any advice???
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Hey everyone,
I’m a 22M (60kg) looking to build a space-efficient home setup for strength and physique gains. I live in a rented house, so I need gear that is non-permanent and doesn't require drilling.
I want to invest in a few high-quality essential pieces rather than a room full of equipment.
My main focus is overall muscle growth and raw strength, though I’d eventually like to work toward skills like the planche.
I’m currently deciding between two main setups:
Option 1: Doorway Pull-Up Bar + Wooden Gymnastic Rings
Since I'm a beginner, is the instability of rings going to be a major hurdle for learning basic planche leans and holds? Also, at 60kg, is a high-quality telescopic bar reliable enough to hang rings from?
Option 2: Doorway Pull-Up Bar + Wooden Parallettes (Medium)
This seems like a more stable foundation for pushing movements and planche work.
Question: Would I be missing out on too much "physique-building" potential by skipping rings in favor of the stability of parallettes?
I’d rather buy two great things than five cheap ones. I prefer wood for the grip and feel.
Which combo would you recommend for a 60kg beginner looking to build a solid foundation?
TL;DR: Rented house, 60kg beginner. Seeking a space-efficient home setup for strength and physique (interest in planche). Deciding between Bar + Rings for max muscle or Bar + Parallettes for stability. What’s the move?
I’ve been consistently training for the past 3 months, PPL R PPL and have gained about 4KG since. I’m trying to progressively overload but I don’t seem to be getting strong enough to do meet my target rep range (10-12) with the increase in load - it’s only like 1-2kg increment. This is especially true when I’m doing db bench chest press. I’m not even lifting particularly heavy either it’s just 15kg db in each hand. I’m sure to maintain good form to maximise chest activation and definitely feel the effort in my chest.
Currently, I don’t have a particularly strict diet. Im trying to get in as many calories as possible. I will cook most of my meals which include chicken breast, mixed bag greens, rice, x4 eggs, ham and cheese sanga, almonds, instant noodles, and I’ll have the occasional mcDs twice a week.
Am I just being impatient? Does diet play that much of a role in performance even in the initial stages of lifting? Am I just totally going about this the wrong way?
It’s just a bit discouraging trying to increase the load only to find it’s actually too heavy and I have to go back to what I can originally lift.
My legs and calves have grown, and am now finding difficulty fitting my legs properly in the hole bit of decline benches.
I've always had big calves even before I started training, but now it is getting to a stage where it is very uncomfortable on the benches that my legs do fit into, and there are a couple that i don't fit in at all.
For the weighted crunches bench, I removed the padding from the bit you put your feet through so there's more space for my legs to fit through, but not all decline benches have removable padding.
With machines like those for leg extensions and hamstring curls, it isn't much of an issue yet, but we are approaching the same territory -_-
Did anyone else have this issue? If so, did you manage to find a solution?
Getting a vasectomy soon, it looks like most people are back to heavy lifting 4-5 weeks post op.
What can I do to try and keep strength and muscle mass loss minimal during that time?
A bit of a bummer cause I'm in the middle of a great run, feeling strong but don't want to risk anything getting back to it too early. Thanks.
I’ve been training for about 18 months and I’m trying to switch up my workout routine a bit to make it more efficient and well-rounded.
I am trying to work around a busy work ans family life so can really only manage to train 3x a week:
Tuesday
Thursday
Saturday
Current setup is:
Tuesday:
45–50 mins max, basic equipment only (dumbbells, barbells, squat rack etc.)
Thursday:
60–70 mins, same equipment setup
Saturday:
Up to 90 mins and access to a full gym
What do you guys think of this split?
Anything you’d add, remove, or structure differently given the time/equipment constraints?
TUESDAY
(45–50 mins)
* Warm-up sets as needed
* 3 working sets
* 5–8 reps
* Rest: 2 mins
* 3 sets
* 6–8 reps
* Rest: 2 mins
* 3 sets
* 6–10 reps
* Rest: 90 sec
* 3 sets
* 10–12 reps
* Rest: 90 sec
5A. Hammer Curl
* 2 sets
* 10–12 reps
5B. Dips OR Close-Grip Push-Ups
* 2 sets
* 10–15 reps
Superset these.
Rest:
* 30 sec between exercises
* 60 sec after superset
THURSDAY — Upper Hypertrophy + Arms
(60–70 mins)
Goal:
* 4 sets
* 8–12 reps
* Rest: 90 sec
* 4 sets
* 8–12 reps
* Rest: 75–90 sec
* 3 sets
* 8–10 reps
* Rest: 90 sec
* 3 sets
* 8–12 reps
* Rest: 75 sec
* 3 sets
* 15–20 reps
* Rest: 45 sec
6A. Incline DB Curl
* 3 sets
* 10–12 reps
6B. Overhead DB Tricep Extension
* 3 sets
* 10–12 reps
Superset.
Rest:
* 30 sec between exercises
* 60 sec after superset
SATURDAY — Lower + Full Hypertrophy
(75–90 mins)
* 4 sets
* 8–12 reps
* Rest: 2 mins
* 4 sets
* 8–10 reps
* Rest: 2 mins
* 3 sets
* 10–15 reps
* Rest: 75 sec
* 3 sets
* 8–12 reps
* Rest: 90 sec
* 4 sets
* 8–12 reps
* Rest: 90 sec
* 3 sets
* 15–20 reps
* Rest: 45 sec
7A. EZ Bar Curl
* 3 sets
* 10–12 reps
7B. Rope Pushdown OR Skullcrusher
* 3 sets
* 10–12 reps
Superset.
Rest:
* 30 sec between exercises
* 60 sec after superset
Just a hypothetical I thought of..
Say if I an doing a dumbbell bench press with a 10kg weights and reach failure. Then I drop down to 8 kg dumbbells and again reach failure. Then 6, 4, 2, 1, and zero. Is there any benefit in doing so many drop sets to build muscle? Or could this actually be bad for you.
24F, 63kg powerlifter here. I’ve been going gym for about 18 months adn training for around a year now and I pull conventional deadlift. I tried switching to sumo for a while, but it felt really awkward for me and I also noticed I leak urine a lot more during heavy sumo pulls and it felt little off , so I went back to conventional.
My conventional deadlift has been stuck at 145kg for about 5-6 months ]now and it feels like no matter what I do, it just won’t progress. My squat and bench are increasing at a normal rate, so it’s mainly my deadlift that’s lagging behind.
One more issue I keep running into: whenever I attempt a PR, the bar comes slightly off the floor but then my lower back just completely gives up and I have to drop it. My grip is actually fine, so that’s not the limiting factor it’s really my lower back strength that fails first. I also deal with a lot of lower back fatigue and pain after deadlift sessions in general, which makes me think something is off.
Now I’m confused whether:
my technique off the floor is wrong
my lower back is just very weak/endurance-limited
my programming is off
or maybe conventional just isn’t a good fit for me long-term
Has anyone dealt with a similar deadlift plateau where the bar moves but the back just gives out mid-lift? Also curious if other female lifters noticed sumo making the leakage issue worse.
Would really appreciate any advice because deadlift has become the most frustrating lift for me right now.
starting my first proper bulk after 2 years of just maintaining. i know the basics, calorie surplus, high protein, lift heavy. what i don't know is what foods actually make hitting those targets sustainable day to day without making eating feel like a second job.
i'm a naturally small eater so volume is my enemy. i need calorie and protein dense options that don't require me to eat massive portions. what did you actually eat when you were bulking that made the difference?
So, I've been going to the gym on and off for about 10 years. I had a bad injury last year (I fractured my spine falling from a bike), but I'm fully recovered and now I've started programming again, but taking it very easy. I'm completely natural, and always will be. I did think about competing for fun years ago, but I really don't care anymore and I'm just doing it to be fit, build muscle, stay sane and all the rest of it. I love the gym.
I asked a bot this morning what my potential ceiling is for main lifts given my age and current PRs (which were set years ago, like I can't even remember when). It came back with this:
Does this sound about right to you lot? I've always watched lifters on the internet doing so much more than this (obviously, they're always much younger than me), and while I don't want to compare myself to others, is this as far as I'm ever going to go?
I’m looking for recommendations for a REALLY good strength training app, not just something that logs workouts, but something that actually helps me progress intelligently.
What I’m looking for:
• A customized strength training plan based on my goals/experience
• Progressive overload built in, meaning the app tracks my lifts and tells me when it’s time to increase reps/weight
• Smart programming/workout splits so I’m not trying to figure out on my own if I should be doing upper/lower, full body, push/pull/legs, etc.
• Weekly scheduling that balances strength days with cardio, mobility, yoga/stretch/recovery
• Something that evolves as I get stronger instead of me repeating the same static workouts forever
Bonus if it also includes nutrition/macros, though I realize that may be better handled in a separate app.
Basically I’m looking for the closest thing possible to having a knowledgeable coach in app form, one that handles the programming/progression side, not just a notebook where I manually enter sets and reps.
I should preference, I have used Trainwell for two years. I really like it, I'm just bored and need something shiny and new to get me excited about working out again.
Has anyone found an app that truly does this well?
Hi guys, sorry if this isn't the ideal place to post this, but I need help. I'm new to intentional fitness but I've had a lot of active hobbies (kayaking, cycling, competitive dance, etc.)
I have been losing weight at a healthy pace for about 6 months now (now averaging about 2lbs per week), and I know that I need to do real strength training in order to not lose muscle mass. I already do some cardio (either 12,000 steps a day, an hour cycling, or an hour of Zumba), but I don't really know where to start with strength training. There are no gyms near enough to me that I would reliably go there when weight lifting is already something I hate doing as I find it quite boring.
So threefold question, I guess:
Should I buy weights to use at home? If so, how many do I need and/or what kind? I really don't want to buy a bunch of stuff I won't end up using as our apartment is quite small and budget is tight.
Would calisthenics help me retain muscle mass as effectively as weight lifting? My goal is not to get super strong but just to be healthy.
Any tips on how to enjoy strength training?
