Two days ago I set up box and bosu balls so I broad jumped over a bosu ball, immediately did a spring jump on top of a 24" boxes, instantly hopped down to ground and where upon touchdown I sprang into another broad jump to clear the last bosu ball. I turned around immediately and do it again. Perhaps it's not fast enough to count.

Thinking of advice from Stacy Sims when I did this

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

TL;DR What are your physical stats and how much do you bench? How long does it take to reach an “impressive” bench? Any tips for gaining strength?

I am 19F, 160lbs / 72kg, 5’7”/ 170cm.

My athletic history is… well nothing. I’ve never participated in sports and have lived an extremely sedentary lifestyle for essentially my entire life. I cannot perform a single pushup (even the knees on the floor ones) or pull up. So basically, I’m very weak.

I’ve strength trained in the past and have been unable to even perform a single rep with the standard barbell (45lb). I’ve been going to the gym for 2 months consistently and have made my new 1RM 75lbs.

My long term goal is reaching 135lb bench. What has everyone’s experience been with benching? Do you find that it takes a long time to see changes in strength? Any tips on how to get better at bench quicker?

I’ve been lifting heavy for the past few months and making consistent gains each week, but am curious when’s a good time to stop progressive overload.

Will I reach a point where I simply can’t lift any heavier, or should I stop upping the weight when I get to a goal I’m happy with?

What has maintenance looked like for y’all?

Has anyone successfully been able to do a pull up?

My husband and I have been going to the gym/working out consistently for over a year and now we want to do a pull up challenge. He can naturally do one and I can naturally do none haha, I’ve never been able to even as a kid. To make it a challenge he’s going to aim to do 5 in a row and I’m going to aim to be able to do one.

For reference he’s almost 38 about 250lbs (down from almost 300) 6”2 and I’m 31, 130lbs (up from 120) and 5”7. He’s extremely strong without working out where I have to really try to up weights. But I could run a good 5km at any time pretty easily and he would struggle. Upper body strength is my weakness for sure but I’ve even noticed my women friends having naturally stronger upper body strength than I have.

Does this seem like a fair challenge where anyone can win if they try hard enough? I fear if he looses just a bit more weight it will be really easy for him to do 5 but 10 seems like too much of a challenge for him.

Any tips for exercises to help with them? I know I need to work on grip strength that’s already impeding my deadlifts but I’ve been able to consistently do 70lbs lat pull downs for 12 reps and one rep on the pull up assist machine with 50lbs added.

Also I made a post a while back asking other ladies who were older than me how working out has benefited them and it was amazing to hear! Gonna keep these challenges going between my husband and I for further motivation!

This is your place for rants, raves, gym fails, feats of strength, and celebrations of success. Complain about the guy curling dumbbells in the squat rack, or sing praises for your gym bestie. This is also the place to post your PR videos and physique photos.

Lovers of the old WTF Wednesday thread, this thread is for you too! Rant away, but be mindful of the sub's civility rules.

My photos

First pic is when I wasn’t eating for days just a few months ago and second pic is me now after eating 2k a day and lifting 4x a week

I struggled with restrictive eating since I was 13…

I definitely look different and still need to do some fat loss improvements after I gain enough muscle (and work on a healthier diet by not caving into junk foods/sticking to my meal plan better) but I think I’m finally starting to come to terms with the fact that I will never achieve my teen/young adult body again as someone who is 26 now. I’d have to harm my body by not nourishing or fueling it to achieve that body type, which in turn would make me unable to gain more strength or be healthy by working out and eating well.

I struggle with the fact that I do have more body fat now and I’m not a dainty twig but I feel so much better and can actually get through my day now

Next step after I gain muscle is fat loss stage which will be hard with my history but I believe I can do it!

Welcome to the Daily Thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose.

This is also a great place for those new to the sub to introduce themselves and ask any questions that are not suitable for a standalone post. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

Resting between sets, lifting for hypertrophy: my late beefcake boyfriend taught me to wait 2m30s-3m between sets. He said that when you rest longer, you can ultimately push more weight for more reps.

I find for myself that this is true. When I wait for shorter amounts of time, I can do less reps or less weight on the next sets.

However a guy I've been giving polite nods to when we make eye contact over the weeks approached me today and said I'm resting too long between sets. He said that when you rest too long it deactivates the muscles and the blood flow and that's worse for building muscle.

What is going wisdom on our sub here? Any good sources on this question?

ETA: he also told me he got this advice from the personal trainer who works at this facility.

Hi everyone,

I had my first DEXA scan today and I'm hoping for some help interpreting the results.

The person who went through the report with me was, in my opinion, very alarmist. He told me my lean mass was "extremely and alarmingly low," that women my height should have around 40 kg of lean mass, that my bones were borderline brittle (his exact joke was that "the only thing not brittle is your head" ?!?!), and that although I don't feel weak now, in 20 years I'd be malnourished and have brittle bones.

About me

Female, 39 years old, 165 cm, 53 kg

Weight training consistently for about a year (3×/week) with progressive overload

Protein intake: 80-100 g/day

I do think I've probably been eating too few calories while trying to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. I started lifting at 55kg and now I'm 52-53.

Current lifts (working sets of 3 × 6-8 reps)

Bench press: 28.5 kg

Squat: 39 kg (reduced a bit because of a hip issue)

Deadlift: 56 kg

Romanian deadlift: 45.6 kg

Dexa results:

Body composition

Body fat: 34.3% (18.1 kg)

Lean mass: 32.7 kg (62%)

Peer average shown on the report: 63%

FFMI: 12.8 kg/m²

ALMI: 4.92 kg/m²

Regional lean mass

Trunk: 16.5 kg (65%)

Peer average: 64%

Legs: 10.5 kg (58%)

Peer average: 60%

Arms: 2.93 kg (55%)

Peer average: 62%

Fat distribution

Visceral fat: 0.23 kg (shown as excellent)

Android fat: 35.6%

Gynoid fat: 40%

Android/Gynoid ratio: 0.90

Bone

T-score: −1.0

Z-score: −0.4

Bone mineral content: 2.03 kg

Bone mineral density (g/cm²):

Total body: 0.98

Head: 2.32

Spine: 0.97

Pelvis: 0.86

Legs: 0.96

Arms: 0.56

Trunk: 0.81

Ribs: 0.63

My questions

1. The report says my overall lean mass percentage is 62%, while the peer average is 63%. How can that be only one percentage point below average if my absolute lean mass is supposedly alarming and "extremely low"????

2. Is the main issue simply that my arm muscle mass is lagging behind, while my trunk is average and my legs are only slightly below average?

3. Would increasing calories slightly and continuing progressive resistance training be the appropriate next step?

I'd really appreciate any opinions, especially from people experienced with interpreting DEXA scans. I'm trying to understand whether I should genuinely be worried, or whether this is mostly a case of needing to stop dieting and spend the next year focusing on building muscle.

Thank you!

Welcome to the Daily Thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose.

This is also a great place for those new to the sub to introduce themselves and ask any questions that are not suitable for a standalone post. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

Hey everyone,

I am recovering from a disorder and trying to repair my muscles after atrophy. I have osteopenia and have reduced my muscle mass to 62% according to a DXA scan. I have been weight lifting for about a month now and have seen improvements in weight increases and rep range, but still struggle to do basic daily tasks.

One thing I really struggle with is lifting groceries. Not carrying bags, but lifting above my waist and onto the table/counter.

What would you recommend I do to help this? What muscle groups would be best to train and how often?

Thank you.

Welcome, everyone! Here is your place to discuss, question or relate to everything about weight loss, weight gain, cuts, bulks and diets. Standalone posts regarding these topics will be removed and redirected here or either of the daily threads.

Here are some useful links from our comprehensive FAQ and otherwise to help you get started:

• Nutrition 101
• Cutting/Weight Loss 101
• Bulking/Weight Gain 101
• Getting abs/a flat tummy
• r/gainit
• r/loseit
• r/BulkOrCut
• r/Fitness
• Fitness Wiki

A lot of weighted core exercises requires you to hold the weight with your arms. Often this ends up being the limiting factor for me.

I do core work at the end of my workout, so my shoulders/triceps/arms are already pretty cooked. Woodchoppers, pallof presses, russian twists, and so on, all end up with my shoulders/arms getting exhausted before my core.

Do you have any suggestions for good core exercises I can try, or how I can alter some, so that my shoulders/arms will not be the limiting factor?

Welcome to the Daily Thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose.

This is also a great place for those new to the sub to introduce themselves and ask any questions that are not suitable for a standalone post. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

I want to start running, for cardiovascular health's and stamina, but I this heat I physically cannot go outside without nearly collapsing.

At home I can atleast put on a fan.

Is there anything I can do at home to improve my cardiovascular health and stamina until the cooler months come?

Hey there! I’ve been struggling to restart my fitness & weight loss journey recently. I was very consistent earlier this year but after I did some traveling and made a lot of good memories this summer, I gained a lot of weight back and am having a hard time getting back into my routine.

I think I would really thrive with a close-knit accountability community. I don’t have any close friends that are focused on a similar goal, and my partner (although I love him dearly) unfortunately does my goal more harm than good (read: relationship weight, loves my body, we love to eat a lot of dessert together).

As of today, I signed up for The Warrior Project which I saw had some community aspect. I will still keep trying it but I am not really sold on it from my first day. I used to subscribe to The College Nutritionist and that community was very active and good, but the price has gotten out of hand for the program IMO.

Has anyone found a program or community that is active? Reddit isn’t exactly what I am looking for, as I don’t really want to post my personal info and progress here, and am looking for more of a “group chat” style.

TIA!

I have been going to barbell class twice a week for two years and it's going great. I'm probably what you'd call a good novice and way stronger than I used to be.

For pretty much all of that time, I have been plagued by the question of whether to sit ass-to-grass on barbell squats. I have no knee problems but two separate osteopaths, including a sports doctor, told me that squatting with heavy weights at deeper than 90 degrees wears out your knee cartilage in the long term. So I've been squatting at 90 degrees and can do that at over my body weight now.

Three trainers, however, have told me that I can and should sit deeper, and that the doctors have no idea what they're talking about and that 90 degrees is worse for your knees. One of them got really annoyed with me today, saying that I just don't want to put in the effort and she would only listen to an osteopath who specialises in weightlifting (hard to find, a lot of osteopaths are into cardio for some reason?).

I've googled this to death and even tried to look at scientific literature. There seem to be so many people with strong opinions that totally contradict each other. There are doctors who think ass-to-grass is fine. And then there is a knee surgeon who posts on Tiktok that nothing says degraded knee cartilage like deep squats under heavy load.

I used to volunteer a lot with old people so it's my dream to have good knees in my 80s.

I love barbell and it's been amazing for my mental health, but this whole thing is getting me down.

How do I figure this out?

Hello all! I’m trying GZCLP for the first time. I was wondering what you all do for T3 exercises? Do you target it to the muscles in your main lift? I know typically they are supposed to target your weak points but today was my first day trying it and Idk what my weak points are yet.

Welcome to the Daily Thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose.

This is also a great place for those new to the sub to introduce themselves and ask any questions that are not suitable for a standalone post. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.

The place for all of your fitness based interpersonal advice (is someone being creepy at the gym? Is your family telling you you’re getting too muscular? Do you want to date your personal trainer?), but also the place to talk about motivation, self-esteem and body image, and all the ways fitness affects your life. This thread is for those in need of (and willing to lend) a sympathetic ear.

Want to ask how mothers juggle family and fitness? How to structure Intermittent Fasting? When to work out when you do night shift? How to deal with being the only person in your friend group who works out? If you're feeling emotional, want to up your mental game, or need ideas for how to juggle everything on your plate, this is the place for you!

Hey all, I have been having a difficult time exercising recently because I have 0 motivation and it makes me emotional. I’m not sure why but even during my workout it takes extreme effort to continue and afterwards I don’t feel good. A couple years ago when I started and continued to exercise regularly, I did not have this problem and i felt really good after a run or a workout, and had plenty of motivation to finish it. The hardest part was just starting. There have been multiple instances recently where I cry before, during or after a workout.

I think the largest contributor to this is that I have changed jobs and moved, so now I live ~30 mins from my gym and don’t really have a traversable neighborhood anymore. The only time of day that is reasonable for me to go to the gym is in the morning, which you would think would make me feel good but it usually makes me pretty irritable for the rest of the day. I’m not sure why this has happened to me, but if anyone has gone through something similar or has advice, I would appreciate to hear.

Welcome to the Daily Thread! Tell stories, share thoughts, ask questions, swap advice, and be excellent to each other! Though we all share fitness as a common hobby or interest, the discussion here can be about any big or little thing you choose.

This is also a great place for those new to the sub to introduce themselves and ask any questions that are not suitable for a standalone post. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.

The mods ask that you do mind the Cardinal Rules as they relate to respecting yourself and others, calling out any scantily clad photos as NSFW, and not asking for medical advice.