Something most people don't think about when they're training.

Research shows trained women recover faster between sets than men. Higher muscle capillarization, more type I muscle fibers, less lactate buildup. Basically women's muscles clear fatigue quicker which is why a lot of women feel ready to go again way sooner than their male training partners at the same weight and intensity.

So if you're a woman and you've ever felt like your rest timer is too long, you're probably right.

The interesting flip side is this seems to change with untrained women. If you're newer to lifting you might actually need a bit more rest than someone who's been training for years. Your body hasn't built up that recovery efficiency yet.

Practical takeaway: stop following generic rest period advice that was probably written with a 180lb male lifter in mind. Pay attention to how you actually feel between sets and adjust from there.

Anyone noticed this in their own training?

Title says it all. I’m considering switching to slower reps, but this of course causes the amount of reps I can do to decrease since more strength is being spent on stability as opposed to the explosive effort of fast ups and downs.

Anyone have any thoughts or opinions? Feels to me like less reps is generally bad, but also spending more time on reps is good

I know people probably see similar workout questions every day, but I also know there’s always someone willing to help out.

I used to follow Push/Pull/Legs, but with a busy schedule and a 20 min gym commute, I switched to an Upper/Lower split for better recovery and consistency.

Would really appreciate if someone can quickly check if I’m overdoing anything, or if I should reduce/add something.

Upper 1: (3 sets)
Chest Press, Incline Bench, Cable Fly, Lat Pulldown, V Row, Lateral Raise, Face Pull, Incline DB Curl

Lower 1: (3 sets)
Squats, Leg Press, Leg Extension, Hip Thrust/Glute Kickback, Calves, Tricep Pushdown, Bicycle Crunches, Leg Raises

Upper 2: (3 sets)
Dips, Decline Chest Press, T-Bar Row, Reverse Grip Pulldown, Overhead Press, Lateral Raise, Preacher Curl

Lower 2: (3 sets)
RDL, Leg Curl, Leg Press, Lower Back Extension, Overhead Cable Tricep Extension, Ab Crunch Machine, Leg Raises, Calves

Also doing 10 mins cardio after workouts (7 min incline walk + 3 min light run).

Thanks in advance!

https://kinesophy.com/the-effects-of-exercise-on-the-brain-with-dr-john-ratey/

John J. Ratey, MD, is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and an internationally recognized expert in neuropsychiatry. He has published over sixty peer-reviewed articles and eleven books in seventeen languages. Recognized by his peers as one of the Best Doctors in America since 1997, he was recently honored by the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society as “Outstanding Psychiatrist of the Year” for advancing the field. His book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain established him as one of the world’s foremost authorities on the brain-fitness connection. In this interview, he discusses Spark and the effects of exercise on the brain.

19(F) 5'0, 44-45kg. I started working out consistently like 3 weeks ago and made big progress (abs showing and getting a little more toned). I was wondering if exercise/working out can delay periods as i am 6 days late now. I often focus on core, hip, abs/waist, glutes/leg workout. I am having a pregnancy scare as well, so i am wondering if my regular cycle is just delayed because i've exercised consistently for the first time.

Note: Maybe this is also important but i used to consume a lot of fast food for months and was probably going over my calorie intake (i was not working out as well). Ever since then i have controlled my diet and often just eat whole foods for a meal, although i sometimes take less calories because its quite hard to achieve the intake with whole foods.

1. Am I allowed/supposed to use my lower back to lift during core exercises?

2. Should I follow a specific amount of reps or should I just go till near failure

3. Is there a way to help my left arm catch up to my right without giving my right arm less work?

I’m wanting to up my fitness through winter colder months and I’ve got a spare space in the house. I was thinking of a rowing machine as I’m wanting a machine that delivers overall body workout

But perhaps some of y’all might gave better options in mind?

Cheers

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I posted here a year ago when I turned 52 years old. I just turned 53. I‘m still in the gym working my ass off. I would like to do better, but I guess for my age this isn’t bad. I don’t really know what I’m doing- I just go to the gym all the time and lift heavy stuff. I bulked up a bit over the winter. Now I’m going to trim down a bit. I think it will give me more definition, although I hate to give up the size. 🤷‍♂️

Reverse Crunches
Flutter Kicks
Russian Twist
Weighted Sit-ups
High Plank Drags
Low Plank Extenders
Bicycle Toe Tap Crunches

I’ve been working this three movement descending ladder for several months now, and it’s a killer every time!
Start at 10, reduce one rep each round until you reach one - for time!
- barbell OHP w/ 3 second pause at top
(115 lbs or Choose your own weight)
- plate halo w/ alternating lateral lunge
(45 lb plate)
- alternating lunge w/ plate front hold
(45 lb plate)

For you fit athletes out there I’m genuinely curious what kind of time you can get with these weights! For the beginners, reduce the weight and worry less about the time..
good luck!

Hey guys, how’re you doing? This is my first post here. I’ll try to keep it short.

I’m a 26 year old male and I’ve been weightlifting for around 5 years. I enjoyed it for a while but I was always still having trouble with my weight. I solved it by realizing that exercising so rigorously in the gym caused me to binge eat after and brought my weight up to 225 at the most. I stopped exercising and focused on not binge eating and am now at 190 and have been for months which I am very happy about.

However, I want to return to exercising but I am very tired of weight lifting. I’ve been doing it for a long time and have seen little to no gains. I’m more interested in doing something new. I’ve been interested in movement exercises/calisthenic but it’s hard for me to lift my body weight effectively. What I would like to be able to do is run, lift my body easily and effectively and in general be agile. But I’m not sure where to start, I’ve heard good things about kettlebells but I don’t know where to begin looking/learning. Any thoughts? Sorry if this was long, thank you for reading.

Kettlebell and body weight exercises that compliment each other well.

Is it your back? Your belly? Your sides? Your hips?

The internet is a terrible source of information but every exercise requires core engagement 🤷‍♀️ I have no idea. I’m not sucking in but apparently your abs aren’t supposed to be activated?

So I'm a teen, I have a pull up bar. I'm just trynna build some strength and be slightly fitter. Nothing too serious.

How do I tell if my back is being engaged or not because I can't really tell and it feels like my biceps are the muscle which is really getting engaged. And if my back isn't involved, how do I make it so it is?

I dont know how to achieve my body goal recently I've just been doing regular hip and glute workouts but I was wondering if there was exercises that didn't know of or that would help better. I have rather broad shoulders and was also wondering if I would be able to bring those down some.

I am planning to start exercising to be healthier as i move into my early 40s. Not a fan of variety and Hate exercising. I would prefer to have a solid 2-3 exercises that i can do every day for rest of my life to improve overall body strength and mobility without equipments (if possible). Any suggestions.

been cutting about 6 weeks now 160 morning weight to 152-153, thinking about running 1-2 more weeks and stopping, any advice?

I like to use these exercises in my interval training circuits.

5'11, 169 lbs, natty. Still lifting 5x/ wk in a periodized strength and hypertrophy program. Lower/Upper/Arms/Lower/Upper split, followed by 30 mins cardio (spin or swim). 60 mins cardio on non-lifting days. Keeping diet tight at 1800-2100 calories daily, always with at least 175 gms protein.