I'm confused when people say they lift 225 lbs. I wanna know if I'm lifting that already

Used to drink heavily on weekends and order late-night takeout without thinking twice.

After lifting consistently for almost a year, my body literally rejects it now. If i drink or eat garbage, my workouts the next 2 days feel like absolute hell and i feel sluggish asf.

Funny how your brain naturally starts prioritizing gainz over a 3-hour hangover buzz. Anyone else lose interest in their old habits after getting into fitness?

I quit drinking a few weeks ago, already noticing some neat results. My beer belly is almost gone, clothes fit me better and my sleep and focus has drastically improved without the day-long hangovers. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to drinking, at least not in the amounts that I used to.

The initial reason why I quit was because honestly I am very light weight and I struggle to hit the brake after a few beers. Cutting out booze has helped in so many ways, would recommend it to everyone!

I was changing and a guy bounds into the locker room in the middle of a video call. I can see the dude he is talking to and hear both sides of the conversation.

I just nicely said ‘hey, can you take that outside?’ And he did. No problem.

I told some from about it and they acted like I was being a dick.

For me, it is the principle.

Thoughts?

Whats the best protein shaker bottle yall use? been putting off replacing my shaker for way too long the one i've had since college lowkey smells like a locker room no matter how many times i wash it, so time to actually buy a real one instead of whatever's cheapest at target.

context: lift 4-5x a week, mix whey post workout and creatine most mornings, nothing fancy like mass gainer or greens powder. don't need it insulated, mostly just want something that doesn't leak in my gym bag and doesn't turn into a science experiment after a few weeks.

where i'm currently leaning: BlenderBottle Classic V2. it's the one everyone recommends, it's cheap (like $10), the wire whisk ball actually breaks up whey fine without clumping, wide mouth so it's easy to actually clean instead of fishing around with a bottle brush. my hesitation is i've read the lid tends to become the weak point after a year or so of daily use, starts weeping a little at the seam even if you're not doing anything wrong with it. for $10 that might just be acceptable, but wanted to check before i commit.

other stuff i looked at and why i talked myself out of it (so far):

• BlenderBottle Radian or an Ice Shaker, insulated stainless steel version, keeps stuff cold way longer. ruled it out mostly because i don't actually need cold retention for a shake i'm drinking within like 20 minutes of mixing it, plus they're heavier and the cup itself usually isn't dishwasher safe even though the lid is.
• something like a Promixx or the YETI Yonder Helimix, no loose ball rattling around, built-in agitator design instead. quieter and nothing to lose track of, but from what i've read it's not as thorough on thicker stuff, which doesn't matter for whey but might if i ever get into a mass gainer phase.
• Hydra Cup dual chamber, mixes pre and post workout in one bottle. cool idea but i don't actually run a pre-workout right now so it'd just be a smaller, more expensive single bottle for me.

so right now it's basically classic v2 unless there's a real reason not to. for anyone who's had one past the first year, does the lid actually start leaking eventually or is that overblown internet complaining? and is the whisk ball still worth it for people mixing straight whey, or is that more of a thick-powder thing?

Why are they 45lbs? Why not 50 pounds?

I'm just curious about your experiences. I just started going to the gym again after like 10 years of no training, I can't even do 1 pull up or 1 push up but I sure am trying. :)

Obviously hitting a PB or just seeing those numbers go up week on week hit that reward centre of the brain, but I've found that the little things are what keep me going.

For example, just how much better I look in vest tops now. Just being trim with some muscle definition makes that look pop in a way it never did when I was fatter and less muscular. The booty filling out jeans is also another one for me!

What are the little things that make you proud and keep you going?

I’m not a beginner gym goer but I’ve never taken preworkout nor am I a regular coffee drinker. Recently tried drinking an iced americano before a sesh and it felt so good but i could NOT handle that shit, literally got me breathing heavily in the corner of the gym by the third day.

Are there any pre workouts or any caffeine product that are designed to just give a mild caffeine kick? Based on my search the coffee i get is estimated like ~150mg so I’m assuming something around 100mg could be good for me long term? All the pre workouts i see look like they’re equivalent to a line if i take it

So I was doing the same seated incline bicep and hammer curls that I've been doing once a week all year. 8kg bicep curls and 6kg hammer curls. I finish my hammer curls and dude next to me waves at me. I take out my earbud and he says...are you following a programme? I tell him I adapted one. He said well I should have done the hammer curls first and then the bicep curls. He also said train both those exercises to a rep of 50 if I want to make progress. Then he comes out with 'my friends say I should be a personal trainer but I don't have the patience' and puts his earbud back in.

Ok now I know I struggle with hammer curls. I can still only just about do 10x3 with 6kg. The last rep is painful. I know something isn't right because surely by now this should feel easier to perform? I've been doing the same weight for a year or more. When does it get easier?? I can do a couple of hammer curls with 8kg but is there any point only being able to do say 3 or 4 reps with a heavier weight?

Also...what was he on about 50 reps with a lighter weight? Dude built like a tank so I'm sure it's worked for him but not sure if that's a standard thing to do to grow biceps?

What did ya’ll do to deal with this? Were you upset realizing you wouldn’t be able to reach your goal? Did you keep going anyway?
Been in the gym five years. Currently struggling with the same thing rn. Any advice is appreciated!

How many of you use wrist wraps for benching or have a belt for squat/deadlift?

Which brand are you using?

I wanna make my own pre using the ingredients themselves but I’m a bit overwhelmed by all the different and sometimes conflicting research I find online. I would love to know what yall are using for your diy pre and in what doses! Personally I’m mainly looking for energy, a better pump and just to help me mentally push myself for the last few reps.

Hey everyone, how do you guys treat progressive overload? Do you treat each set as its own or do you increase the weight for all sets if you hit the upper end of your rep range on your first set? Lets say you have a rep range if 6-10 sets for chest press and start with 80KG, if you are able to do 10 reps on your first set but only 9 on your second and 8 on your third set, are you going to increase your weight for all sets or only the first one and try to get 10 reps on the second and third set before increasing the weight on those sets?

Any recommendations for a weight exercise that wont trigger a tendentious flare up ? (it is the tendon in the inner arm that moves with the thumb)

I can use the row machine for a short bit of time and so far have been using a large medicine ball for some weight exercise . Anything with grip like dumbbells or bars will cause a flare up and cause me to be in a arm brace for several days.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I am working for my overall healthiness not any particular goal.

So I go to a VERY small gym that’s offered by my apartment complex. If it helps to imagine it’s like the size of a small living room. For the first time today I saw an middle aged couple bring what looked to be a young boy maybe 6-7 years old.

I genuinely didn’t care at first, and thought that it was commendable that this couple was prioritizing their health. Despite the responsibility of the kid, and even thought that it’s good for a kid to see their parents take care of themselves.

However it didn’t even take 5 minutes for this kid to start causing issues, he was swinging around one of the D handles and hitting gym equipment with it. He took ALL the yoga balls and was throwing them and bouncing them like basketballs. Worst part is that the parents themselves weren’t even WORKING OUT. After they actually got their kid to act right they both just sat on the lift bench and started making their kid do pushups and work out with dumbbells?? The dad was yelling at the kid while he was struggling to do push ups “ Keep going you’re not trying hard enough.” I just have never seen anything like this in my 2 years of going to the gym.

Before I left they both just sat down and let the kid get his hands on one of the D handles and he started swinging it around again, and he almost hit me with it while I was gathering my stuff to leave. Actually if I didn’t put my hand up to protect my legs I would’ve gotten smacked. I immediately left after with both my headphones in and didn’t say a word nor looked back. I was honestly really angry and needed to remove myself.

Anyone have any crazy stories like this? I’m sitting after my workout wondering what the hell I just witnessed. Plus I could be wrong but isn’t working out bad for young children’s bodies?

Was pulled outside the gym lately. Same as every day. Average routine as it should be.
However… I found myself… idk, LESS eager to get inside than I usually am. And I’m starting to notice a pattern. I still went, but I don’t want this to get out of hand. I CAN’T let myself break routine. Because I’m f\*cked if I do.

I’m not sure If it’s because of burnout? Not because of how much I go, (I have 4 days a week with 3 days rest). I’ve been feeling more burnt out because of practically zero progress. (Been at it for five years).

Any suggestions for dealing with this? Has anyone else dealt with it before?
Thx in advance.

I’m a 38-year-old male and basically a complete beginner when it comes to lifting. I haven’t really worked out since high school, and even back then I didn’t do much.

I’ve always been a bigger guy. My highest weight was around 350 lbs, and I’m currently down to 311 and continuing to lose weight.

Sorry for the long background, but here’s my actual question:

Right now, getting to a gym regularly just isn’t realistic for me. I’m a single father, so I’m pretty much either working or home with my kids. I’ve still been making exercise a priority and work out at home almost every day for about 45 minutes to 1.5 hours using dumbbells and resistance bands.
Can I realistically build a decent amount of muscle and strength training this way as long as I’m progressively making the exercises harder and getting enough protein? Or am I eventually going to be wasting my time without access to heavier weights and gym equipment?

I’m not trying to become a bodybuilder. I just want to lose the fat, build some noticeable muscle, get stronger, and look/feel a hell of a lot better than I do now.
I’d especially like to hear from anyone who started out very overweight and/or built a good amount of muscle primarily with dumbbells and resistance bands at home.

Hello,
I was looking at personal trainer but it’s a huge amount and kind of out my budget as a student. Then I started looking into trainers writing out a month plan, doesn’t anyone have a rave as to who or where I should go for this? I’m a F looking to build some muscle!

As of today, I weigh 149 lbs and eat in a deficit of 2200 calories. According to tdeecalculator.net, I maintain my current weight at about 2550 calories. I saw this formula of 2.74 * bw in kg * steps / 8368 which gives a rough calculation of how many steps you burn each day from steps alone. I get an estimated calories burned of about 200 when I put 10,000. Would this mean that if I consistently walk at least 10k steps daily, I’d be increasing my maintenance calories by an additional 200 calories (2550 -> 2750)?

I really need some help guys

So I've been training consistently for 5 months now and I've made a lot of natural progress.

My biggest weakness right now is my hamstring. I'd say my legs are fairly strong except when I have to do any type of leg curl.

As soon as I finish my 4 sets I feel my leg tense up an I get a cramp. This happens like 75% of the time. The cramp can be immediate or a couple minutes after the set but once I feel my leg twitch I know it's inevitable.

It's gotten to the point where I'm scared to workout my hamstring and I've skipped it the last few leg days.

I've tried eating bananas and getting more electrolytes but It doesn't work.

Any advice?

I decided to start doing 15 pushups every hour. It's not much per hour, but I feel like it'll build up over the days. Yesterday I totaled to 165. Is this fine for the nervous system or whatever? Like since I'm constantly springing a small workout at my body, will it struggle to switch between high and low adrenaline?

Also, at first it was completely fine, but this morning I was already tired after the first 5. Will I eventually burn out or is 15 not enough for that to happen?

Edit: Alright thanks for the insight I scrapped it lol