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[ { "answer_id": 44342, "author": "James", "author_id": 37011, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37011", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Impossible to know.</p>\n<p>We are not copy and pasted, if you have brothers and sisters you might notice that even though you are genetically almost identical you still look completely different simply because the smallest dna difference can make the most absurd disparity.</p>\n<p>But I can tell you some factors to study your own upper limit.</p>\n<p>Your overtraining limit is based on :</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>Your DNA</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Your mothers hormonal balance and diet while you were still a fetus inside of her</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>How much your mother was rubbing and cuddling her belly while you were a fetus inside of her, this activity influences the feel good chemicals in her brain which in turn influence your brain and body development.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>How active you were growing up</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Your hormonal balance, which itself can go up and down drastically through the day and even more through your life. Something as simple as talking with someone you find attractive can send your hormones to the moon for a few hours.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Your diet, and everyone tends to react similarly to food but we all have some personal differences in how our bodies react. For example without glucose everyone dies, but without fiber some people live a hellish toilet life while some are fine.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Your training experience. For a world record holder 6000 pull ups in a few hours is not overtraining, for a beginner it's certain kidney failure and almost certain death. Your organs need to adapt too, not just your muscles.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>How warm your muscles are, warming up is not just a figure of speech, muscles perform better at higher body temperatures...with a limit ofcourse. Too cold and you underperform, get tired sooner.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44343, "author": "adamaero", "author_id": 7490, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/7490", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Duration, intensity or both?</p>\n<p>For either, adequate recovery and energy replenishment is needed.</p>\n<p>&quot;Can running, walking, etc. be harmful in the long term if you exercise too much?&quot;</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Regular physical activity can help in reducing the incidence of KOA [knee osteoarthritis] and its economic burden, in part because of its beneficial effects on weight control [3, 4]. In addition, physical activity and exercise have been widely recognized as essential components of clinical management of people with KOA [5, 6].</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0204872\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><em>What are the perceptions about running and knee joint health among the public and healthcare practitioners in Canada?</em></a></p>\n<p>Running causes joint stress. Any mechanical or biologically mechanical part will not function well if excessively stressed without enough recovery. Here are some studies to sift through: <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=running+knee&amp;filter=pubt.systematicreview&amp;size=100\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=running+knee&amp;filter=pubt.systematicreview&amp;size=100</a></p>\n<p>Here is one study outside of that search:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Conclusion: The injury incidence proportions by anatomic location between ultramarathoners and non-ultramarathoners were not significantly different (p = 0.798). The pathologies with the highest incidence proportion of injuries were anterior compartment tendinopathy (19.4%), patellofemoral pain syndrome (15.8%), and Achilles tendinopathy (13.7%). The interpretation of epidemiological data in RRMIs is limited due to several methodological issues encountered.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33862272/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><em>A systematic review of running-related musculoskeletal injuries in runners</em></a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44340", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44357, "author": "oskarryn", "author_id": 36891, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/36891", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Is doing squats with heels lifted up a bit is as effective as regular ones?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Yes.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Will my ankles loosen up overtime if I keep doing squats like this? If not, can this be a long-term solution?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Likely yes, but very slowly. You should consider doing ankle mobility drills to improve ankle dorsiflexion, there are many helpful videos on YT. Mobilizing your ankles will still take awhile, so maybe buy weightlifting shoes. They have elevated heels, similar effect to using small plates under the heels. Anyways, this could be a long-term solution if you don’t feel like targeting your ankle mobility, but not a great one. It's better to be able to squat without &quot;plate crutches&quot;.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44358, "author": "Jun", "author_id": 32901, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32901", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I’ll suggest seeing a physiotherapist to assess the issue because the issue may be due to somewhere else. Ankle is a rather small joint and usually issues there is a “by-product” of a bigger issue somewhere.</p>\n<p>In addition to ankle mobilisation, you can also try foam rolling your calves before your squats to see if it helps. Calves plantarflex your ankle, and tightness may limit dorsiflexion.</p>\n<p>You can also stop at a depth, just before your butt wink; or take a wider stance.</p>\n<p>Take a look at your videos and look at how you “atand up” during your squat (concentric phase). Are you leading that movement with your lumbar spine? Is your lumbar spine going into extension when you start to stand up?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44365, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Whether elevation of the heel is as <em>effective</em> as squatting with flat feet really comes back to definitions: <em>effective for what?</em> Let us look at the effect of the change.</p>\n<p>From a biomechanical perspective, by raising the heels, the knees are shifted further forward without a corresponding increase in ankle dorsiflexion. The load vector thereby becomes more normal to the femur, creating a greater moment at the knee and correspondingly smaller moment at the hip. The result is that the load is borne more by the knee extensors (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadriceps_femoris_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">quadriceps femoris</a>), and less by the hip extensors (particularly the gluteus <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluteus_maximus\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">maximus</a>, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluteus_medius\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">medius</a>, and <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluteus_minimus\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">minimus</a>) and uni-articular plantar flexors (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soleus_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">soleus</a>). Greater knee flexion relative to ankle dorsiflexion further limits activation of the bi-articular hamstrings, which &quot;exert a counter-regulatory pull on the tibia, helping to neutralize the anterior tibiofemoral shear imparted by the quadriceps and thus alleviating stress on the<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anterior_cruciate_ligament\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"> [anterior cruciate ligament]</a>&quot; (<a href=\"https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2010/12000/squatting_kinematics_and_kinetics_and_their.40.aspx\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">source</a>). Similarly, activation of the bi-articular <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastrocnemius_muscle\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">gastrocnemius</a> is also reduced, which has been <a href=\"https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2010/12000/squatting_kinematics_and_kinetics_and_their.40.aspx\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">shown</a> to be important in limiting knee valgus (internal translation).</p>\n<p>The theory suggests that elevation of the heel should (1) result in poorer muscular balance, with an emphasis on the size and strength of the knee extensors, at the cost of the hip extensors and ankle plantar flexors, (2) poorer strength potential as a consequence of those, and (3) greater risk of injury due to lower activation of the bi-articular muscles which limit knee valgus and anterior cruciate ligament tension.</p>\n<p>All of that said, provided that you apply the same considerations you would to the safe performance of <em>all</em> exercises, raising the heels slightly during the performance of squats is unlikely to cause you any injury. The technique is commonplace and, as another commentator mentioned, precisely what weightlifting shoes do.</p>\n<p>As a final note, however, ankle mobility is easily developed through static and dynamic mobility exercises. By squatting deeply with a low sub-maximal load and emphasis on the degree of ankle dorsiflexion, a functional angle (approximately 38°) can usually be achieved within a matter of weeks or months, depending on, of course, your current degree of mobility and other factors. Supplementary exercises—most notably the seated calf raise—can be an excellent means to practise contract-relax stretching.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44368, "author": "FenryrMKIII", "author_id": 25426, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25426", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>At the beginning, I was very poor at ankle mobility. So deep squat was a problem. I was of course even worse at overhead squat and snatch.</p>\n<p>I tried all the &quot;mainstream&quot; solutions : lifted heel, mobility, stretching, ... to no avail.</p>\n<p>What actually helped is doing non-specific work and actually getting stronger overall. So core (real, tough, sweaty) work, chest work, leg work. Along with actually keeping doing the movements (squat, overhead, ...) but in a sage way (so no &quot;at the edge&quot; loads). With time, I became better to the three movements without implementing specific mobility/stretching work.</p>\n<p>I am a strong believer (now, after personal experience) that lack of mobility can't be improved through &quot;mainstream&quot; mobility work. If you have a limitation, it means that somewhere there is a deep issue a play : weak muscle, muscle imbalances, ... And the &quot;somewhere&quot; can be pretty far remote the problematic area. If you read a bit about fascia you will understand the interconnections throughout the entire body and that you can't solve a local problem simply by looking locally.</p>\n<p>I guess you now think &quot;Ok but what do I do practically?&quot;. There isn't an easy answer. You have to know yourself, explore. Find positions in which you think &quot;is it normal that I struggle this much for such position&quot;.</p>\n<p>For example, myself, I found it weird that I was very weak to laterally raise my hip (like a dancer would do). So I worked on that. I also found it weard that I could deadlift/squat/... &quot;heavy&quot; weights but couldn't hold my newborn daughter in my arms for more than 5 minutes without my low back cramping. So I worked on that (activating the chest, the teres major, ...).\nAnd in the course of working on those &quot;side issues&quot;, everything else went better.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44355", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37015/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44378, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The only thing that's required to do Stronglifts is to be able to squat, deadlift, and bench with good form. Medhi even says that people can start with just the bar. People who physically can't perform these lifts would need to do basic rehab exercises to build themselves up to it.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Height: 5&quot;3, weight: 61kgs Bench Press: 60 kgs, Squats: 60kgs, Deadlift: 80 kgs</p>\n<p>These are stats where my form is relatively clean.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Then you've met the basic requirements! Do the sets at a weight you can do 5 sets of 5 reps. Add 2.5kg - 5 kg each workout just as the protocol states.</p>\n<p>So if you do 50kgs of squat today at 5x5 schema. Two days from now, do 52.5kgs of squats at a 5x5 schema. Two days after that, do 55kgs of squats at a 5x5 schema. Just keep progressing linearly. Do the same thing for bench, deadlift, and overhead press as well. After a few months of consistent work, you won't be able to advance linearly which is normal and expected. Once that happens, you can try to add weight every other workout. Once progress in that slows down, you can consider moving to another program or continue following Stronglift's intermediate program.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I can go +20-30kg on squats/deadlifts but my form breaks down. Eg: My knees start to cave in when doing squats, stiff-leg when doing deadlift.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This is normal for everyone, even advanced lifters. Everyone has a &quot;technical max&quot; in which you can perform the lift with good form. Adding 20-30kgs (which is a pretty big jump) will always cause some kind of form breakdown.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44381, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There's nothing in DeeV's answer that I disagree with.</p>\n<p>If you can lift the bar, you can do barbell movement's. Everyone started somewhere. In high-school I went to a buddy's place and needed a spot when I was benching just the bar. The &quot;big guy at the gym&quot; has probably forgotten where he started from, or is trying to give you some well-meaning advice that missed the target.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>[...] bad anterior pelvic tilt, hip shift, weak quads, and rounded shoulders. [...]</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>A lot of these can be fixed by working out. Strengthen your back to bring your shoulders back, keep push:pull in a 1:1 ratio (i.e. don't skip back day). Weak quads can be developed by squatting consistently (i.e. don't skip leg day). I say this because you're benching the same as your squat.</p>\n<p>The bar is 20 kg, so that's the minimum requirement for bench and squat. For deadlift you'd <em>ideally</em> like to start at the right height¹. So that can be 20 kg if you have blocks, or probably like 50 kg if you have two full-size 15 kg plates (maybe less if you have bumpers). Don't be afraid of failing the lifts. Squat with safeties. The worst thing that happens is you have to re-rack the weight.</p>\n<p>From a personal standpoint, I ran Stronglifts 5x5 for almost two years (?) before I really needed to search out a different program. Train hard, eat big, rest well, stay injury free, keep healthy, and you'll get strong. I'm a large advocate for <code>form-check</code>. If you're comfortable recording yourself and sharing it, it's easier to give tips on form or to tell you that you need to go lighter or heavier. Here's one of <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/41628/bench-press-form-check\">my own form-check questions</a> to get an idea. As another point, it's been 1y 6m since that post and I've added 35 lb to my 1RM. So pace your goals and expectations realistically.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>¹ There's no such this as a <em>right height</em>. Strongmen pick things up right off the ground. Real life won't place the weight 9&quot; symmetrically off the ground for you.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44391, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>I'm not so sure if it's suitable for me. Mainly because I suffer from bad anterior pelvic tilt, hip shift, weak quads, and rounded shoulders.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>None of these things are actually problems - either for lifting or otherwise.</p>\n<p>Anterior pelvic tilt is the normal human pelvis orientation, with 80% of healthy people exhibiting it.<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.math.2011.04.006\" rel=\"noreferrer\">¹</a> It does not correlate with low back pain.<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2474-15-229\" rel=\"noreferrer\">²</a> And despite claims you might hear, it's also not associated with hip flexor tightness or abdominal weakness.<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.1990.12.6.243\" rel=\"noreferrer\">³</a> It's also largely determined by the shape of your pelvis<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1179/106698108790818459\" rel=\"noreferrer\">⁴</a>, which is not something you can change. Here's an <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2KMrgUDFbI\" rel=\"noreferrer\">easily understandable video on the topic</a>.</p>\n<p>Hip shift is a concept that people have only started obsessing about in the last few years, but it's safe to say that there is absolutely no research or even mechanistic justification to suggest that it's harmful. At worst, it could possibly result in a slight loss of efficiency. It could be caused by one leg being a little stronger than the other, in which case focussing on keeping straight in the squat (possibly with vocal cueing coming from a coach or workout partner watching you) will likely fix it. Or it could just be a requirement of your skeletal structure, given that 90% of people have a leg-length discrepancy<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-1340-13-11\" rel=\"noreferrer\">⁵</a>, in which case all you can do is ignore it.</p>\n<p>Weak quads can only be said to be the result of a lack of strength training, and for obvious reasons, are an indication that you should be doing strength training, rather than avoiding it.</p>\n<p>Rounded shoulders are not associated with pain<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4154278/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">⁶</a> or risk of impingement<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jse.2004.08.007\" rel=\"noreferrer\">⁷</a>, but can be modified through exercise<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.29.1824\" rel=\"noreferrer\">⁸</a> if you're concerned about it aesthetically. The rows and (optional) chin-ups used in Stronglifts would very likely achieve this.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>A big guy at the gym told me I'm too weak to do the program, and should instead do more isolation to strengthen my body before getting on the Stronglifts program.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>He has no idea what he's talking about. Stronglifts is suitable, without modification, for anyone strong enough to be able to lift a barbell. And even those not strong enough to start the program with an empty barbell could still do the program just by starting with lighter dumbbells instead. Focussing on isolation exercises first would certainly leave gaps in your musculature and completely neglect training the balance and coordination of compound lifts, arguably leaving you in a worse position to learn the compound lifts.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I can go +20-30 kg on squats/deadlifts but my form breaks down. Eg: My knees start to cave in when doing squats</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This is normal. The hip adductors, which bring the knees together, also majorly help as hip extensors in the bottom of a squat, so it's very common for the knees to &quot;cave in&quot; when lifting near-maximal loads. For instance, see this <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erp9ySRAztw\" rel=\"noreferrer\">world record 193kg squat at a bodyweight of 63kg</a>.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>stiff-leg when doing deadlift.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This is a little more of a problem, and usually occurs due to the back rounding before the bar comes off the ground. Most people who continue the lift in this posture struggle to lock the shoulders back at the top of the lift, because even though they can straighten their legs, they don't have the back strength to finish the lift by raising their chest and pulling their shoulders back. They often then begin hitching, where they bend their knees again and push them forwards under the bar, in an attempt to jerk the weight up. A simple way to treat this is to consider the lift to be failed if you can't fully lock it out at the top without hitching, and proceed as you would if you had failed at any other point in the lift. Then you don't have any incentive to just try to continue the lift once you have moved into this problem posture, and instead you are forced to work with a lighter weight that you are able to lift properly. (Where &quot;properly&quot; is defined as within the rules of powerlifting.)</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I guess my question is: Is it ok to start Stronglifts even if you have imbalances in your body?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Emphatically, <strong>yes</strong>.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44377", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44383, "author": "Autofill", "author_id": 37038, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37038", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>When you don't lift and suddenly start lifting your muscles will still grow at normal pace, unless you change your hormones.</p>\n<p>But your brain adapts faster than muscles...you can increase your strength without much muscle gain, due to neural adaptations.</p>\n<p>As a beginner you will add 5 kilograms on the bar every week, this is an incredible amount of progressive overload which will indeed force an incredible amount of growth.</p>\n<p>As you get stronger, your neural adaptations start to reach a limit...and you put weight on the bar slower, which means you put weight on your muscles slower.</p>\n<p>No magic to it... Thats why people periodize their training in phases to still maintain a semi-beginner growth through the years.</p>\n<p>As a beginner your squat max can go from 45 kg to 110kg in one year....that's why your legs will grow fast...</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44388, "author": "Liisa", "author_id": 37053, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37053", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Why do astronauts lose muscle mass?</p>\n<p>Because every single time you breathe or do any movement, your muscles are damaged. They are continuously repaired through the day and at a faster rate through the night.</p>\n<p>If the stress that caused the damage get's easier every day, you will lose muscle, because the body isn't gonna waste resources for nothing. If the stress that caused the damage gets harder then the body will reinforce the muscle, because repairing it every day can cost more energy in the long run than reinforcing it now.</p>\n<p>The base of evolution is egoistical randomness.</p>\n<p>We get sore for the sole reason that our bodies want us to stop doing whatever stupid workout we decided to do for muscle growth, because it's energy inneficient to build muscle. When the body realises you are gonna train anyway even if sore, it stops sending the signal.</p>\n<p>Lions in the wild are never sore, even if they have to take down a half a ton wild animal, the same way endurance running hunter-gatherer villagers today don't get sore but villagers using traps and light bows get sore when doing hard work.</p>\n<p>Like everything in life, getting to baseline is the easiest part and as you progress it get's harder. Base arithmetics are easier than calculating if a bridge will collapse under the wind or not, so ofcour going from zero to learning divisions is easy and create faster adapatations in the brain of a child.</p>\n<p>In the same way, if you start from 0, the distance between you and baseline is infinite, which means there's a lot of growth for you.</p>\n<p>If you are a beginner and start training for the first time in your life, expect to grow easily until you reach a baseline.</p>\n<p>Baseline = what a human being was supposed to look like in the wild</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/jaGBt.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/jaGBt.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>The image above, is when you stop being a beginner.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44390, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I do not know or understand the details of protein synthesis but I have an idea about what may be happening at a mathematical level.\nSay a person has a max muscle mass creation ability of C=10 g/day.\nUnfortunately muscle mass is also destroyed and this is proportional to the amount of muscle mass: D = (0.1 g / day) / kg of muscle mass.\nNet change in muscle mass per day is: N = C - D</p>\n<p>Say the person is a newbie and has 40 kg of muscle mass:</p>\n<p>N = 10 g/day - (0.1 g / day)*40 = 6 g/day.</p>\n<p>After some time the person has 60 kg of muscle mass:</p>\n<p>N = 10 g/day - (0.1 g / day)*60 = 4 g/day.</p>\n<p>We see that as the amount of muscle mass increases the rate of change of muscle mass decreases.\nAs the person in this example trains his muscle mass will asymptotically approach 100 kg.</p>\n<p>The muscle mass creation ability is probably a function of hormone levels.\nIt may be 10 g/day for this person at 18 but declines with age.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44382", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31261/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44395, "author": "Jun", "author_id": 32901, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32901", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In a way, you work them isometrically if you can maintain a good “form”.</p>\n<p>If you want to train legs, you should perform exercises that specifically target them and involves concentric and eccentric contraction. In the case of calves, you can do exercises like calves raises or even squats with tip toe at the bottom or top of your squat.</p>\n<p>(<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/7yRQX.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://i.stack.imgur.com/7yRQX.jpg</a>)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44397, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The lower body muscles will be very slightly active in order to maintain balance in any standing exercise, however the calf muscles are very strong and the calf loading involved in a standing upper body exercise will be negligible compared to the loading that would occur in a deliberate calf exercise.</p>\n<p>In short, it's almost certainly fine, but if trying to avoid calf loading due to injury, just use pain as a guide. If and only if a standing exercise causes you calf or heel pain, then try to find a seated substitute exercise instead.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44394", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37070/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44395, "author": "Jun", "author_id": 32901, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32901", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In a way, you work them isometrically if you can maintain a good “form”.</p>\n<p>If you want to train legs, you should perform exercises that specifically target them and involves concentric and eccentric contraction. In the case of calves, you can do exercises like calves raises or even squats with tip toe at the bottom or top of your squat.</p>\n<p>(<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/7yRQX.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://i.stack.imgur.com/7yRQX.jpg</a>)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44397, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The lower body muscles will be very slightly active in order to maintain balance in any standing exercise, however the calf muscles are very strong and the calf loading involved in a standing upper body exercise will be negligible compared to the loading that would occur in a deliberate calf exercise.</p>\n<p>In short, it's almost certainly fine, but if trying to avoid calf loading due to injury, just use pain as a guide. If and only if a standing exercise causes you calf or heel pain, then try to find a seated substitute exercise instead.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44408", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34350/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44411, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It's <em>like</em> a standing leg press. In a leg press you're lying down and there's no load on your back; 100% of the load is on your legs. In the deadlift, although the movement is initiated <em>like</em> a leg press, if you didn't use your back at all your hips would just shoot up. You still use your back and core to keep tight and maintain the lifting angle before your &quot;hands reach the knees&quot; and you engage your back to finish the rep.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44439, "author": "AalHai", "author_id": 37113, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37113", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Mostly hips, hinge at the hip as much as you can, then let your knees slide forward as much as needed to grab the bar. Your back should be tight, and locked in place as much as possible; your legs mostly help get the bar moving the first few inches off the ground</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44440, "author": "Jun", "author_id": 32901, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32901", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You shouldn’t be feeling your back much. Your back muscles, together with your core, should act as stabilisers to keep your back in a neutral position. A deadlift is not an exercise for your back muscles.</p>\n<p>Your torso should “stand upright” by pivoting about your hip joint (there is a bony protrusion below your hip bone / pelvis, that’s the hip joint. You move from there to do a hip hinge, and also to stand up.)</p>\n<p>If you’re feeling your back muscles working, chances are, you’re standing up by pivoting about your lumbar spine instead. That’s where your back extensors got to do the work of the glutes to help you stand up, and that’s alot of work for them.</p>\n<p>Your glutes and quads are the main driver for deadlift. But deadlift should have more glute involvement as it is a hip hinge movement, rather than a knee extension movement like squats. You should try filming down how you deadlift and maybe share here for us to help you take a look.</p>\n<p>Some tips that worked for me (I used to extend from my lumbar spine, and always feel them overworking compared to my glutes):</p>\n<ul>\n<li>I try to go into more anterior pelvic tilt as I’m preparing to lift off. This will eccentrically load my glutes</li>\n<li>Pushing through my mid foot to heels area</li>\n<li>Thinking of standing tall and towards the ceiling (no leaning back, which will then make you go into lumbar extension)</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Edit: For people who thinks deadlift works the back primarily, please do yourself a favour; stop doing it. If you’re in the fitness industry, please relearn your biomechanics and stop telling people things you learn in the gym. Any debates, please comment below</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44409", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44411, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It's <em>like</em> a standing leg press. In a leg press you're lying down and there's no load on your back; 100% of the load is on your legs. In the deadlift, although the movement is initiated <em>like</em> a leg press, if you didn't use your back at all your hips would just shoot up. You still use your back and core to keep tight and maintain the lifting angle before your &quot;hands reach the knees&quot; and you engage your back to finish the rep.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44439, "author": "AalHai", "author_id": 37113, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37113", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Mostly hips, hinge at the hip as much as you can, then let your knees slide forward as much as needed to grab the bar. Your back should be tight, and locked in place as much as possible; your legs mostly help get the bar moving the first few inches off the ground</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44440, "author": "Jun", "author_id": 32901, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32901", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You shouldn’t be feeling your back much. Your back muscles, together with your core, should act as stabilisers to keep your back in a neutral position. A deadlift is not an exercise for your back muscles.</p>\n<p>Your torso should “stand upright” by pivoting about your hip joint (there is a bony protrusion below your hip bone / pelvis, that’s the hip joint. You move from there to do a hip hinge, and also to stand up.)</p>\n<p>If you’re feeling your back muscles working, chances are, you’re standing up by pivoting about your lumbar spine instead. That’s where your back extensors got to do the work of the glutes to help you stand up, and that’s alot of work for them.</p>\n<p>Your glutes and quads are the main driver for deadlift. But deadlift should have more glute involvement as it is a hip hinge movement, rather than a knee extension movement like squats. You should try filming down how you deadlift and maybe share here for us to help you take a look.</p>\n<p>Some tips that worked for me (I used to extend from my lumbar spine, and always feel them overworking compared to my glutes):</p>\n<ul>\n<li>I try to go into more anterior pelvic tilt as I’m preparing to lift off. This will eccentrically load my glutes</li>\n<li>Pushing through my mid foot to heels area</li>\n<li>Thinking of standing tall and towards the ceiling (no leaning back, which will then make you go into lumbar extension)</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Edit: For people who thinks deadlift works the back primarily, please do yourself a favour; stop doing it. If you’re in the fitness industry, please relearn your biomechanics and stop telling people things you learn in the gym. Any debates, please comment below</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44419", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34413/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44431, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>He mentions that you shouldn't be working on absolute strength and power simultaneously. Is this correct?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>A reasonable way of interpreting this would be to take it as merely meaning that his specific program doesn't aim to train absolute strength and power simultaneously.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Can I work on Strength on Monday &amp; Wednesday, then work on Power on Friday? Or can I even work on strength &amp; power in the same workout?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Yes, both of these are very common. Training for different adaptations on different days of the week is often referred to as daily undulating periodisation (DUP), and typically incorporates separate strength, power, and hypertrophy/endurance days. Training for different adaptations within the same workout is often known as 'pyramid' (hypertrophy first, strength last) or 'reverse pyramid' (strength first, hypertrophy last) training.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44432, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>From what I read (1) Dietz advocates French contrast training, which consists of 4 exercises performed one after another:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Heavy compound (80-90% 1RM)</li>\n<li>A plyometric jump</li>\n<li>A drop set or weighted jump (30% 1RM)</li>\n<li>Plyometric or accelerated plyometric</li>\n</ul>\n<p>There is another simpler variation of this which uses only the two first exercises called complex training. From what I understand French contrast is best suited for advanced athletes and complex training best suited for medium advanced athletes.\nI am guessing your athletes are not advanced but high school age kids?\nIf so complex training, that is pairing one heavy exercise with a plyometric variation of the same movement pattern, may be more appropriate (2), (4).</p>\n<p>An example of such a complex pair (2) may be:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>5 heavy back squats</li>\n<li>3 minutes rest</li>\n<li>10 box jumps</li>\n<li>2 minutes rest</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Repeat for a total of 3 sets (pairs).</p>\n<p>Cal Dietz himself seems to be in favour of complex training:\n&quot;The complex and French contrast training is some of the most effective transfer from weight room methods to the field.&quot; (3).</p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"https://rugbystrengthcoach.com/french-contrast-training-rapid-gains-speed-power/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">French contrast training for rapid gains in speed and power</a></p>\n<p>(2) <a href=\"http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.sports.20170702.05.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">The Effects of Complex Training in Male High School Athletes on the Back Squat and Vertical Jump</a></p>\n<p>(3) <a href=\"https://www.just-fly-sports.com/interview-with-cal-dietz-complex-training-and-accelerated-plyometrics/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Interview with Cal Dietz: Complex Training and Accelerated Plyometrics</a></p>\n<p>(4) <a href=\"https://blogs.gopherperformance.com/2019/05/complex-training/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">How to Increase Power with Complex Training</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44430", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34350/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44434, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Forty minutes is an absolutely acceptable amount of time to occupy a squat rack. (In the interest of changing your baseline: I know powerlifters who take a station for two hours because that's just how long it takes to get the work done.)</p>\n<p>However, gym capacity and rules must be taken into account. If there aren't many stations and people are waiting, it's polite to let someone &quot;work in&quot; so they do their sets during your rest periods and vice versa.</p>\n<p>Another point to consider, especially if other athletes are bugging you to use the rack, is whether you rrrrrreally need the squat rack for a given set or exercise. I don't say this to encourage being a doormat -- I am ruthless with maintaining one's workout &quot;flow&quot;. But curls have zero place in the squat rack. Go do those somewhere else. And deadlifts require a bar, but not the rack. Overhead press, depending on your skills, can be done without a rack by power cleaning the bar to the shoulders. It sounds like you won't do that, which is fine. But for the curls? C'mon.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44442, "author": "Wouter Adolfsen", "author_id": 37117, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37117", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I mostly concur with the answers above.</p>\n<p>Squats and OHP are absolutely fine in a squat rack.\nDeadlifts in the squat rack are a gray area. I used to not be flexible enough to deadlift from the floor, so then you do stiff legged deadlifts where you usually pick it up from the rack. BUT, while you use the rack you train your flexibility to be able to pick it up from the floor. Both for your own sake because full range of motion is better and everyone else's because you won't hog the squat rack.</p>\n<p>However, as Dave has already pointed out... curls are absolutely unacceptable in a squat rack. It makes your question sound almost trollish. Even bicep freaks like Lee Priest (who could curl the bar with a plate on each side mind you) will get annoyed at someone who's curling in a squat rack.</p>\n<p>To close off, if your workout takes an hour to complete and you need a squat rack for the full duration: &quot;Just do it!&quot;. But don't use it unnecessarily and maybe let other people alternate sets with you when you're resting.</p>\n<p>PS: Happy training bro.\nAnd remember: RERACK YOUR WEIGHTS!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44433", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44461, "author": "Jun", "author_id": 32901, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32901", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Just body weight will do. Try this:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Lie down on your back. Legs straight</li>\n<li>Make sure your back is neutral</li>\n<li>While keeping your legs on the ground, curl yourself up (trying to bring your chest to your legs)</li>\n<li>Do not use momentum to curl up. Curl up for say 10-15 degrees, pause, and then continue. This is done to remove the momentum due to the weight of your head</li>\n<li>As you are curling to 45-60 degrees, think of posteriorly tilting your pelvis, to engage your lower abs to help you</li>\n<li>If doing right, 4-5 reps should burn you out</li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44463, "author": "Dave Newton", "author_id": 2217, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/2217", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There's two separate issues here: definition and strength.</p>\n<p>Definition is primarily diet.</p>\n<p>Searching the web for ab/core exercises provides a wealth of options. Without equipment:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Strict crunches</li>\n<li>Crunch variations (heel taps, bicycle crunches, etc.)</li>\n<li>Planks (and their variations, moving and static)</li>\n<li>Mountain climbers</li>\n<li>Hollow holds</li>\n<li>Flutter kicks (and leg lifts etc., mind the back though)</li>\n<li>Bird dogs</li>\n<li>Dead bugs</li>\n</ul>\n<p>There's dozens of options. With equipment, cable crunches, which can also be done banded.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44450", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44467, "author": "Jun", "author_id": 32901, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32901", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Most bang for your buck. But it also depends on which muscles you’re building strength for. If you want to build strength for your biceps, do biceps curl. If you want to develop your quad strength, do squats.</p>\n<p>Free weights are “harder” because it requires dynamic stability. A chest press on a smith machine is easier because all you got to think about is moving the bar up and down. Compared to bench press with a barbell and weights, you need to actively “make sure” that the barbell comes down and up. Same goes for squats vs knee extension machines.</p>\n<p>On a side note, compound exercises work involves more muscles, and also a to go for those wanting hypertrophy.</p>\n<p>I also prefer compound exercises as it helps with developing your kinetic chain, giving a more “functional” translation to actions you do daily (the term functional can be interpreted differently according to context)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44478, "author": "Justin Hehli", "author_id": 37057, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37057", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Strength is usually defined as &quot;the ability of a muscle to apply force and overcome resistance or the amount of force a muscle can exert&quot;. The question is, how is this strength measured?</p>\n<p>The typical strength sports are olympic weightlifting (snatch / clean and jerk), powerlifting (squat / bench press / deadlift) or strongman (many disciplines, mostly free weight). As you can see, these measure strength using (mostly) free weights. Considering this, it makes sense to use free weights in programs with a strength training focus.</p>\n<p>Most strength focused programs therefore revolve around the three powerlifting lifts, plus often the OHP. This is definitely more accessible for most people than weightlifting or strongman. If you want to advance in those lifts and therefore improve your strength, it makes sense to mostly train them plus some accessories. This is why the programs focus on the four compound lifts you mentioned and mostly leave out machines.</p>\n<p>So that's that about those lifts mentioned. In general, &quot;why compounds for strength?&quot;: compound exercises are multi-joint movements that work several muscles or muscle groups at one time , while isolations exercices and machines target specific muscles and don't require much stabilizing muscles. That's where I have to agree with first answer, you'll just get more &quot;bang for your buck&quot; doing these. E.g., bench pressing will automatically strengthen your triceps, too.</p>\n<p>All that being said, of course you can train to specifically get stronger at bicep curls, tricep extencsions, etc. It will just not do too much to increase your overall strength, since these exercices target smaller muscles that can be worked with compounds. As for machines, you will get stronger muscles of course, but lack stabilisation strength and strength sport specific skills. The question here is, can you really be considered as what is generally perceived as &quot;strong&quot; if you leg press 300kg but can't squat 100kg?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44506, "author": "gustafc", "author_id": 32817, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32817", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>My question is, why are are most strength training programs limited to ohp, deadlifts, squat, benchpress? Why is there no use of machine?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Apart from time efficiency aspect - compound exercises train a lot of muscles at the same time - there are a few arguments for free weights and against machines (but note that machines can offer compound exercises, too!).</p>\n<p>But first, let's be honest about the fact that there's a varying degree of chauvinism and prejudice against machines - &quot;real men use free weights&quot;, y'know. Free weights are great, but machines do have advantages, too.</p>\n<p>More importantly, though, there's the consistency argument. A barbell is a barbell, and a 100 kg barbell squat is pretty much the same regardless of what equipment you're using. Machines are much less consistent. Different models have different leverage, different pulleys, different angles etc. If you have two leg press machines loaded with the same weight, the actual resistance can be very different (and the relative difference may even change depending on where in the movement you are). It's not really a blocker if you're always using the same machine - you can still do progressive overloading - but if you have to go to a another gym or someone is hogging your favorite machine, knowing how to load another machine of a different make gets trickier.</p>\n<p>A barbell is also very reusable. Along with some plates, a rack, and a bench, you can train your whole body, and this is equipment you'll find at pretty much every gym. If you write a machine-only whole-body program, regardless of which you machines you choose, a lot of gyms won't have all the machines.</p>\n<p>A third argument for free weights is that they require a bit of balance, stability and coordination, so they don't only build strength. Machines are a lot more forgiving, so you do get stronger muscles (and more importantly, BIGGER muscles), but you do not necessarily get better at applying this strength in an everyday situation.</p>\n<p>I do however think that if you are a very new to resistance training, machines are pretty good to get used to exerting yourself and building some basic strength/muscle. Once you've done that, you can move on to the somewhat more technically challenging free weight exercises. (Which isn't to say you should ditch machines altogether at this point - they can be great to add some extra volume when you're halfway spent!)</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>In other words, does it make sense to tricep extensions, or bicep curls, for low reps to build strength? If not, why not?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Yes, you can use isolation exercises to become stronger in that specific movement. How much this will transfer to other exercises will vary, so becoming stronger in, say, triceps extensions might not help you very much in other pushing exercises, such as bench press, or any triceps-using movements in your everyday life.</p>\n<p>To sum this up:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Compound exercises will make you stronger and build more muscle per time spent, so prioritize them</li>\n<li>Isolation exercises are best thrown in after the compounds to give prioritized muscles some additional training volume</li>\n<li>Machines are...\n<ul>\n<li>...bad, because they give you less balance, stability, and coordination training.</li>\n<li>...good, because they require less balance, stability, and coordination, so you can focus on just working your muscles.</li>\n<li>... hard to use in general strength-training programs, since machines which are ostensibly &quot;the same&quot;, such as leg press, can be very different between different makes.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44466", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44467, "author": "Jun", "author_id": 32901, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32901", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Most bang for your buck. But it also depends on which muscles you’re building strength for. If you want to build strength for your biceps, do biceps curl. If you want to develop your quad strength, do squats.</p>\n<p>Free weights are “harder” because it requires dynamic stability. A chest press on a smith machine is easier because all you got to think about is moving the bar up and down. Compared to bench press with a barbell and weights, you need to actively “make sure” that the barbell comes down and up. Same goes for squats vs knee extension machines.</p>\n<p>On a side note, compound exercises work involves more muscles, and also a to go for those wanting hypertrophy.</p>\n<p>I also prefer compound exercises as it helps with developing your kinetic chain, giving a more “functional” translation to actions you do daily (the term functional can be interpreted differently according to context)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44478, "author": "Justin Hehli", "author_id": 37057, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37057", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Strength is usually defined as &quot;the ability of a muscle to apply force and overcome resistance or the amount of force a muscle can exert&quot;. The question is, how is this strength measured?</p>\n<p>The typical strength sports are olympic weightlifting (snatch / clean and jerk), powerlifting (squat / bench press / deadlift) or strongman (many disciplines, mostly free weight). As you can see, these measure strength using (mostly) free weights. Considering this, it makes sense to use free weights in programs with a strength training focus.</p>\n<p>Most strength focused programs therefore revolve around the three powerlifting lifts, plus often the OHP. This is definitely more accessible for most people than weightlifting or strongman. If you want to advance in those lifts and therefore improve your strength, it makes sense to mostly train them plus some accessories. This is why the programs focus on the four compound lifts you mentioned and mostly leave out machines.</p>\n<p>So that's that about those lifts mentioned. In general, &quot;why compounds for strength?&quot;: compound exercises are multi-joint movements that work several muscles or muscle groups at one time , while isolations exercices and machines target specific muscles and don't require much stabilizing muscles. That's where I have to agree with first answer, you'll just get more &quot;bang for your buck&quot; doing these. E.g., bench pressing will automatically strengthen your triceps, too.</p>\n<p>All that being said, of course you can train to specifically get stronger at bicep curls, tricep extencsions, etc. It will just not do too much to increase your overall strength, since these exercices target smaller muscles that can be worked with compounds. As for machines, you will get stronger muscles of course, but lack stabilisation strength and strength sport specific skills. The question here is, can you really be considered as what is generally perceived as &quot;strong&quot; if you leg press 300kg but can't squat 100kg?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44506, "author": "gustafc", "author_id": 32817, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32817", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>My question is, why are are most strength training programs limited to ohp, deadlifts, squat, benchpress? Why is there no use of machine?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Apart from time efficiency aspect - compound exercises train a lot of muscles at the same time - there are a few arguments for free weights and against machines (but note that machines can offer compound exercises, too!).</p>\n<p>But first, let's be honest about the fact that there's a varying degree of chauvinism and prejudice against machines - &quot;real men use free weights&quot;, y'know. Free weights are great, but machines do have advantages, too.</p>\n<p>More importantly, though, there's the consistency argument. A barbell is a barbell, and a 100 kg barbell squat is pretty much the same regardless of what equipment you're using. Machines are much less consistent. Different models have different leverage, different pulleys, different angles etc. If you have two leg press machines loaded with the same weight, the actual resistance can be very different (and the relative difference may even change depending on where in the movement you are). It's not really a blocker if you're always using the same machine - you can still do progressive overloading - but if you have to go to a another gym or someone is hogging your favorite machine, knowing how to load another machine of a different make gets trickier.</p>\n<p>A barbell is also very reusable. Along with some plates, a rack, and a bench, you can train your whole body, and this is equipment you'll find at pretty much every gym. If you write a machine-only whole-body program, regardless of which you machines you choose, a lot of gyms won't have all the machines.</p>\n<p>A third argument for free weights is that they require a bit of balance, stability and coordination, so they don't only build strength. Machines are a lot more forgiving, so you do get stronger muscles (and more importantly, BIGGER muscles), but you do not necessarily get better at applying this strength in an everyday situation.</p>\n<p>I do however think that if you are a very new to resistance training, machines are pretty good to get used to exerting yourself and building some basic strength/muscle. Once you've done that, you can move on to the somewhat more technically challenging free weight exercises. (Which isn't to say you should ditch machines altogether at this point - they can be great to add some extra volume when you're halfway spent!)</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>In other words, does it make sense to tricep extensions, or bicep curls, for low reps to build strength? If not, why not?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Yes, you can use isolation exercises to become stronger in that specific movement. How much this will transfer to other exercises will vary, so becoming stronger in, say, triceps extensions might not help you very much in other pushing exercises, such as bench press, or any triceps-using movements in your everyday life.</p>\n<p>To sum this up:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Compound exercises will make you stronger and build more muscle per time spent, so prioritize them</li>\n<li>Isolation exercises are best thrown in after the compounds to give prioritized muscles some additional training volume</li>\n<li>Machines are...\n<ul>\n<li>...bad, because they give you less balance, stability, and coordination training.</li>\n<li>...good, because they require less balance, stability, and coordination, so you can focus on just working your muscles.</li>\n<li>... hard to use in general strength-training programs, since machines which are ostensibly &quot;the same&quot;, such as leg press, can be very different between different makes.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44469", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37033/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44471, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Is there just as much benefit to doing exercises &quot;at random times throughout the day&quot; as there is to doing them all in a single workout?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Yes, as long as the exercises are similarly difficult.</p>\n<p>I.e. Say you were working with a weight that you could lift for an absolutely maximum of 10 reps before complete failure.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you did sets of 8 with that weight, resting for 3 minutes between each set and pretty much fully recovering, then it would not matter whether you did your sets in a single workout vs spaced out throughout the day, because the sets are individually challenging.</li>\n<li>If you would normally train almost to failure, with a moderately short 1 minute rest between sets, reducing the number of reps each set as fatigue build such that you might do a set of 9, then a set of 8, then 7, then only 5, then when splitting these sets out across a day, you would probably find that you could instead do 4 sets of 9 due to the increased rest opportunity.</li>\n<li>Whereas if you were doing a large number of sets of 4 reps with the same weight and only 30 seconds rest between sets, so that the individual sets are easy but you are relying on fatigue to accumulate between sets in order to make the later sets difficult, then spacing them out throughout the day would be completely different, because then you're missing the accumulating fatigue and instead it's just a bunch of easy sets.</li>\n</ul>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Perhaps something about the shorter rest times contributes to greater muscle damage/hypertrophy.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Metabolite buildup is a driver of hypertrophy (though only secondary to muscle tension), and shorter rest times contribute to this, but really only if the individual sets are not sufficiently challenging if you take long rest periods between them.</p>\n<p>That said...</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Often I find I can't fit in everything I want to do in my workouts given my time constraints - I can work out at most 5 times a week for about 2.5 hours</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>If five 2.5 hour sessions per week are not enough for you to fit in everything you want to do, then you are doing something egregiously wrong.</p>\n<p>From the small amount of your program described, it sounds like you're doing a tonne of junk volume (volume that generates so much fatigue so a significant part of the workout you're no longer capable of moving enough weight to actually drive progress), and also trying to isolate body parts in an impractical way (given that your &quot;chest&quot; training is fatiguing your triceps). From this description it seems as though you're trying to cram both a once-per-week chest day and a once-per-week arm day from a traditional &quot;bro split&quot; program into a single workout, so you can train chest and arms twice in a week. That's not how higher frequency training (working muscle groups multiple times per week) works. If, as a starting point, you had a bro split which had you doing 16 sets of chest on Monday, 16 sets of arms on Tuesday, and other body parts the other days of the week, then an equivalent program that would train your chest and arms twice weekly would have you doing 8 sets of chest work and 8 sets of arm work on Monday, and then another 8 sets of each on another day during the week. You definitely don't try to cram 16 sets of chest and 16 sets of arms into Monday.</p>\n<p>I'd strongly recommend hiring a coach to write a proper program for you, or failing that then at the very least reducing the volume of your workouts by 50% and not aiming to complete all the exercises aimed at a single body part before moving on to another body part.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44472, "author": "AalHai", "author_id": 37113, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37113", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There's really no relevant time constraints here, 5 times per week, 2.5 hrs is more than enough time to train, if you can't fit in all your sets in that time you need to take a long hard look at your routine.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44470", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/36816/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44474, "author": "Amadeus", "author_id": 37164, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37164", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Mike isreatel suggests that 20% to 25% of your usual working voume is enough to <strong>maintain</strong> your gains.</p>\n<p>so if you are used to do 10 weekly sets of chest exercises, 2 or 3 will suffice to maintain muscle mass and strength.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44475, "author": "Justin Hehli", "author_id": 37057, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37057", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Check <a href=\"https://www.hevyapp.com/3-day-split-workout-complete-guide/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this</a> article out, it gives a pretty good overview of different 3-day splits. <a href=\"https://legionathletics.com/full-body-workout-routine/#1-fullbody-workouts-may-make-it-easier-to-do-highquality-volume\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This article/section</a> mentions that 10-20 sets per major muscle group per week is enough to build muscle, 10-12 should suffice for beginners (which you definitely still are). So I would say either approach in the first article can get you some more gains, a lot of it will come down to exercise selection and training intensity (less training days = less volume, so you might wanna up the intensity a little).</p>\n<p>Whichever split you chose, I would suggest that you do a lot of compound / free weight movements. They offer a great &quot;bang for your buck&quot; and will enable you to fit more into a single session, compared to implementing tons of isolation exercises.</p>\n<p>In my experience, full body works pretty well because of the high frequency. Plus, training like this makes me feel more athletic and is fun to do (also important, gotta enjoy training as well).</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44473", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37163/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44514, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>There isn't that much difference between horizontal and vertical pulling movements. Horizontal pulling will require more work from the scapular adductors (trapezius and rhomboids) and less from the latissimus dorsi, while vertical pulling is the opposite, but there's still huge overlap between the two. So I wouldn't consider them distinct in the way that upper vs lower body, or push vs pull exercises are distinct.</p>\n<p>Whether or not 6 days per week of back training is overkill depends on how much total weekly volume you're doing, and how much you're accustomed to. Alternating two sets of rows with two sets of pull-ups would not be any more fatiguing than doing a single back day per week in which you do six sets of rows and six sets of pull-ups. However if you're accustomed to doing six sets of each per week and then you decide to change that to six sets per workout, six days per week, that would be an issue in terms of both absolute volume and a sudden increase in volume.</p>\n<p>Alternating horizontal and vertical pulling exercises 6 days per week would be a perfectly reasonably way of programming back exercises in the context of a six-day full body program, alongside which you'd probably do something like one of squatting or hip-hinging, and one of horizontal or vertical pushing each workout.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44517, "author": "Autofill", "author_id": 37228, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37228", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Common science suggests that 24 hours should be enough rest for s muscle.</p>\n<p>Some scientific studies suggest that more than 12 hard sets per muscle per DAY can be overkill for the <strong>average</strong> individual.</p>\n<p>Conventional wisdom suggests that you can train your body to recover faster and handle more work, also diet seems to help.</p>\n<p>Everything I said comes from the website called strongerbyscience.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44513", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44524, "author": "Dave Newton", "author_id": 2217, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/2217", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I don't know if the sumo stance has <em>less</em> ROM, but it's a <em>different</em> ROM because of the angles.</p>\n<p>For powerlifting the goal is maximum weight. Keeping the knees in line with the feet reduces knee joint stress.</p>\n<p>The muscles are also used differently, particularly as the lift begins, e.g., regular deadlift doesn't engage the adductors or quads as much.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://barbend.com/sumo-versus-conventional-deadlift/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://barbend.com/sumo-versus-conventional-deadlift/</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://powerliftingtechnique.com/deadlift-stance-width/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://powerliftingtechnique.com/deadlift-stance-width/</a></li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44528, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>How does the stance change the force transmission and the maximum strength one can have?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Force transmission isn't really a useful concept here. When lifting weights, the body is generating the force needed to move the bar, it isn't merely transmitting force from the ground to the bar. So while the body can almost effortlessly transmit force between the bar and ground when the knees and hips are both fully extended, such as in the top position of a squat or deadlift, you can't actually move the weight in this position.</p>\n<p>Or if you want to consider just the shins, shins that are perfectly aligned to the direction of ground reaction force just means that the muscles crossing the joints of the shin (i.e. the quads at the knee and the calf muscles at the ankle) don't need to do anything. This is not an advantage, because by eliminating any contribution of these muscles, other muscles (such as the hips and back) must be doing all of the work by themselves, which probably means you won't be able to lift as much weight. (As a practical example, this is why you can't lift as much in a stiff-leg deadlift as you can in a conventional deadlift.)</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Why does the sumo stance has less glutes rom and hence let us have more force?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Sumo and conventional deadlift actually have very similar hip ROM.^{<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1097/00005768-200007000-00013\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">1</a>} It's just that the wide stance of sumo allows the hips to be brought in closer to the bar before the shins touch the bar, and this brings the torso more upright, while also making the thighs more horizontal, so the overall angle between torso and thighs doesn't change significantly. Sumo probably just allows many lifters to exert more force because it allows more muscles to contribute to generating force.</p>\n<p>In a conventional deadlift, the quadriceps cannot really contribute to the lift once the bar has reached the knees, because at this point, the weight is in front of the knees, and straightening the knees without a lot of hip extension would just cause the weight to tip forwards rather than move up. (Strictly speaking, I'm talking about net knee torque here. The quadriceps could act to oppose the hamstrings, which would provide a little bit of hip torque without any associated knee torque.) This is why when people are struggling to complete a deadlift, they will very often bring their knees forwards under the the bar (&quot;hitching&quot;), a technique which, while illegal in powerlifting competition, allows them to redistribute some of the load back onto their quadriceps.</p>\n<p>In contract, because the legs are turned outwards in a sumo stance, the quadriceps can work with the hip external rotators to push the feet away from each other, like you're standing on a rug and you're trying to pull it tight between your feet. This allows the quadriceps to continue working to straighten the knees throughout the lift. Additionally, in sumo, the adductors can also act to bring the thighs together.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Why do many powerlifters prefer a narrow stance?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Powerlifters will generally just lift in whatever style they personally find allows them to lift the most weight. This will depend on their body proportions, what they are most practiced in, and individual preference.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44522", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34413/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44543, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Note// My answer specifically to you is farmers walks with any equipment available, anything laying around your house would work fine that weights something. my answer is made for the hundreds of people that might come across this and might have equipment, but research has shown farmers walks are the best at what you are describing TO A 100% PERFECT T!</p>\n<p>Any and all workouts you do will help to some extent, but I wouldn't recommend calisthenics, as it is more about moving your body not heavy equipment. If you're concerned about longevity, these exercises not only will help you in your field but might extend your life<code>https://www.t-nation.com/training/news-bodybuilding-longevity-workout/</code>. These are the PERFECT exercises for your field, and I'd recommend them over anything. If you don't have access to a gym at least do the below(note, if you don't have the equipment then just do the two below, the rest is extra):</p>\n<ol>\n<li><p>Farmer's walks - Hold dumbbells in each hand and walk, for you I'd\nrecommend endurance so 2 minutes, and add weight to challenge\nyourself. you can also use sandbags for a more realistic application to real life</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>offset farmers walks - Carry just one dumbbell in one hand and after\n2 minutes, switch hands and repeat</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p>Here are additional exercises that might assist you(meaning this is extra, supplementary work if you have the resources)</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Deadlifts -you have to pick up heavy objects</li>\n<li>Squats - picking up heavy objects</li>\n<li>zercher squat - strengthen your thoracic extension and legs(helps\nupper spine, corem and stabilizer muscles)</li>\n<li>Core workout - a solid core should be a mainstay of any fitness goal</li>\n<li>back extensions -strengthen your lower back and helps lower spine</li>\n<li>Meadow Rows,bent over rows, seal rows, etc.. --Build strong back\nmuscles to protect your spine</li>\n</ol>\n<p>The list below will also make your job easier or improve life longevity. You might already be doing these so you may not need to include them in a workout:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>get 10k-12k steps a day</li>\n<li>do cardio, and not just jogging but sprinting as well</li>\n<li>hammer swings and hammer workouts(striking a tire with a sledgehammer,working out with loaded hammers)</li>\n<li>do whole body workouts every other day rather than one body part a day</li>\n<li>do conditioning such as workout circuits where you dont rest a lot in between sets.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>Here is a sample workout:</p>\n<p>Workout day -you could also do the first 4 as a circuit, rest 1 minute, and repeat</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Deadlift 4 sets 6</li>\n<li>Squat 4x6</li>\n<li>Zercher 4x8</li>\n<li>Seal row 4x8</li>\n<li>deadbugs(core exercise) 3x12</li>\n<li>farmers walk 3 rounds of 2 minutes (these can double as a core workout, especially if doing one handed)</li>\n</ul>\n<p>cardio day(pick your poison):</p>\n<ul>\n<li>6 rounds of 60M sprints with 3 minutes of rest</li>\n<li>jogging</li>\n<li>jump rope</li>\n<li>tire/hammer strikes (if you're doing these, do your cardio 8-10 hours after your weightlifting day as they can be taxing)</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44713, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>You should workout what you don't through work.</p>\n<p><em>An example</em>: People walk. This uses the calf. The shin is not utilized to a similar degree. Thus a person that walks should workout the shins.</p>\n<p><em>Another</em>: A person pushes a cart. Thus they should pull it too. This is conducive to health and fitness.</p>\n<p><em>Another</em>: A person pushes and pulls a cart for 10 hours a day. They should push and pull something much heavier for a short period of time to get their strength up (and exercise in more athletic ways that hit each part of the muscle but that's not the point).</p>\n<p><em>Everyday do 1 set of each to failure. After a month do 1 set to near-failure then 1 set to failure. After another month go ahead and do 3 sets to failure. After another month add the second part of the program</em>:</p>\n<p><strong>Sit- ups</strong> because lifting involves your back not your abs and hips. Put hands on shoulders not head.</p>\n<p><strong>Shin lifts.</strong> With your butt against the wall, legs straight, put your feet out a couple feet away and lift your toes. Just look up shin lifts against a wall.</p>\n<p><strong>Squats.</strong> Keep your heels off the ground and track your knees past your toes with torso vertical.</p>\n<p><strong>Pull ups.</strong> Vertical pull is not usual in your work.</p>\n<p><strong>Dips.</strong> Not usual in your work either to push down and get a stretch in the shoulder.</p>\n<p><strong>Second part,</strong> <em>do 1 set to failure the first month of doing this, 1 set to near failure and 1 set to failure the second month of doing this, and 3 sets to failure the third month of doing this.</em></p>\n<p><strong>Neck curls, extensions, side bends and twists</strong>. A bench helps you stretch or support torso whilst doing these across the short end. Place hands on head for added resistance; interlock fingers behind head for neck extensions, in front of head for neck curls, on side of head for lateral bends. Do a head turning motion at the end of sets for each kind of bend to round the exercise out.</p>\n<p><strong>Calf extensions</strong>. Toes turned in toes turned out. Go ahead and do 1 calf at a time.</p>\n<p><strong>Wrist bends with sledgehammer</strong>. 4 directions, including the lateral bends, and 2 twist motions with weight on thumb side or pinky side.</p>\n<p><strong>Finger extensions with a weight plate sliding across the ground</strong> is good. Starting with heaviest weight then getting down to 25% and going going going is great. So you just stick your finger in the hole and slide it forward, getting a stretch in the knuckle, then pull it back and just keep going going for each individual digit. Circular slide motion is great and rounds it out.</p>\n<p><strong>Horizontal sledgehammer swing</strong>. Take it easy starting out and don't worry if it hurts. You want to get a decent stretch so things don't crack and squeeze into place and cause too much pain. Just swing an 8 lb hammer like a baseball bat pretty slowly and stop the swing at the end instead of hitting something. More difficult than hitting something. Do both sides.</p>\n<p><strong>Back bridge</strong>. A wrestling bridge but not on your neck. Not a hold, repetitions of getting into the back bridge.</p>\n<p>The reason I suggest 1 set to failure is that you can develop the routine of things and put in your willpower to get the 1 set done for each exercise, making sure you give it your all. After a month you add another set near-failure to help progress the physical training. On the third month you should be accustomed to training the movements and the exertion required, so I suggest 3 sets to failure. Instead of more sets more exercises are added to completely hit every body part that isn't trained by work. These exercises go from 1 set to 3 in a few months as well. This is designed to be a lifelong program you can do in your 90s. I would suggest doing even more if you stop working a physically demanding job.</p>\n<p>If you get into easy work, add 1 set to each exercise and start doing Jeffersion Curls. Look them up. You just need some sort of box and some sort of weight. Start with 1 set and 5 lbs then add another set and weight each month until you reach at least 25% body weight and 4 sets.</p>\n<p>You could incorporate more into this entire program but fundamentally what is there is a complete health and fitness routine. Many dissuade others from training everyday but that's ridiculous. It's 15 minutes of working out to start. How many people have had to dig ditches for a living? As long as the work is balanced and you get nutrition you're good to go.</p>\n<p>If the routine is missing anything it's cardio and some dynamic power. 30 second sprints with 1 minute rest for 4 sets followed by a mile jog will take care of that.</p>\n<p>Good luck work hard.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44541", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/35235/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44554, "author": "Dave Newton", "author_id": 2217, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/2217", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Closest to what you're asking for are basically &quot;bars with hooks&quot;.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.fitbarstrong.com/ocr-ninja-warrior-equipment/pull-up-handles\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Here's a pair from FitBar</a>:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/TQFwwm.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/TQFwwm.jpg\" alt=\"Image of small bars with hooks to hang from a pullup bar\" /></a></p>\n<p>Depending on your needs/goals something like a <a href=\"https://www.metoliusclimbing.com/rock_rings.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Metolius Rock Ring</a> might end up being more versatile:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/15ecLm.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/15ecLm.jpg\" alt=\"Image of Metolius Rock Rings, climbing training equipment\" /></a></p>\n<p>There are a lot of companies that make similar items; if these don't meet your needs, searching for &quot;obstacle course racing training equipment&quot; or &quot;climbing training gear&quot; or something should turn up more options.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>There's a lot of options for the make-y inclined, some easier than others. The only caution is that over-engineering/-speccing here is recommended. Nothing with under ~500lb/220kg-ish specs. Use abrasion-resistant cord (like Spectra) or webbing.</p>\n<p>I know more than one person (ok, two, but still) people that were <em>seriously</em> injured on make-shift equipment (one paralyzed). Just because we're talking about door-jamb-level heights doesn't mean Really Bad Things can't happen.</p>\n<p>Disclaimer-y rant over, but srsly, be careful.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44555, "author": "David", "author_id": 37318, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37318", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Gymnastic rings. They come with straps so you can adjust them to any height. Insanely adaptable.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44553", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/36768/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44581, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Strength is faster and easier to measure than muscle growth. Especially starting out, you can notice changes day-to-day or week-to-week. To measure muscle composition, you need to take a measuring tape and measure different points of your body and record over time. This can be tedious and most people don't do it. You can also take progress photos which is less tedious, but gives you less data.</p>\n<p>Muscle growth is done slowly over time so you get used to your look. Similar to how you don't notice a child growing taller if you see them every day. You see yourself every day when you look in the mirror or look down, so you don't notice changes. If you took pictures of yourself six months ago and compared to now, you'd probably notice <em>some</em> changes.</p>\n<p>Muscle growth is obscured by body fat. Lean people can typically see changes in muscle composition. People with moderate body fat levels (greater than 13% in men) will need to lose the body fat to see the muscle definition.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44635, "author": "rreng", "author_id": 37424, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37424", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Adding on to what DeeV said in the prior answer, remember to focus on the eccentric phase of the lift if you want to maximize size growth.</p>\n<p>For example, doing a deadlift and dropping the bar from a locked out position is the wrong way to go about getting growth gains. You lose more than half of the potential growth by doing this.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44580", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37355/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44594, "author": "Neil Meyer", "author_id": 25074, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25074", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>2 hours a week seems more than adequate in a week given the correct intensity. I typically do no more than three half hour sessions a week.</p>\n<p>The easiest exercise I have found is just walking with weights in your hand. I currently go up a flight of stairs with two 5kg dumbells in my hand. 20 minutes of this and I find my lounges in my throat.</p>\n<p>Maybe flights of stairs is a bit much depending on the state of your bones and joints but even just walking with a couple of pounds in your hand is great.</p>\n<p>If the intensity of your workout is high then the time spent can decrease dramatically.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44596, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Muscles need 48-72 hours of rest. So doing the same exercises every day would be a bad idea.\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/68Llv.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/68Llv.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>Strength training twice a week should be sufficient.</p>\n<p>It sounds like you are doing a lot of &quot;stuff&quot; with not so heavy weights.\nMost likely you get sweaty but your body does not <a href=\"https://startingstrength.com/article/training_vs_exercise\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">adapt and get stronger</a>.\nSince gaining muscle mass only gets more difficult as we age I think you should be a bit more ambitious now and try to build up a physiological reserve of strength and muscle mass.\nThat way you will not become frail as you get older.\nGaining and maintaining muscle mass burns a lot of calories so strength training is a good way to shed fat.\nAlso heavy strength training increases bone density and increases tendon strength.</p>\n<p>In order to achieve this I think you should do fewer exercises but with heavier weights, at least part of the time (more focus and intensity).\nDon't bother doing isolation exercises such as biceps curls. They are a waste of time since they involve little muscle mass.\nInstead do one exercise from each <a href=\"https://www.functionalmovementclub.com/blog/movement-patterns-the-6-fundamentals/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Fundamental Movement Pattern</a>.\nYou should aim for 5-10 reps (and 3-5 sets excluding warm up, except for the deadlift which is 1-2 sets).\nFurther in order to get stronger you need to increase the resistance gradually but consistently. <a href=\"https://agileleanlife.com/the-milo-of-croton-story/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">The legend of Milo of Croton</a> illustrates this principle of <em>progressive overload</em>: gradually but consistently increasing the intensity allows the body to adapt over time.</p>\n<p>This video: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp_7rTIKGa8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Mike Matthews on LIVE with Kelly and Ryan - Workout for Strength Training at Any Age</a> shows a whole body workout using dumbells.\nInstead of bench press you may do push-ups.\nThe core will be sufficiently trained indirectly by the deadlift, squat and push-ups. The arms will be sufficiently trained indirectly by the rows and the push-ups.\nEvery week you should try to increase the weight used a little.</p>\n<p>Ordinary strength training does not train the heart and lungs sufficiently.\nTwice a week you should do some sort of cardio to get your heart rate up repeatedly. Same thing applies here as for strength training (the heart is after all a muscle):\nslow but consistent and gradual increase of intensity is safe and provides results.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44598, "author": "Christina Rider", "author_id": 37379, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37379", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For maintenance, I don't think you need to change anything aside from maybe adding a bit of cardio into the mix. It really is underrated how good cardio is for your body within the fitness industry. I'd stick to steady-state cardio (I'm doing 150 minutes a week, which is also said to be the best amount of steady-state cardio per week), and it's doing wonders for me. You might not have enough time to do 150 minutes per week since that would add more than your current training duration, but maybe add 15-20 minutes into your two weekly workouts, and only after your workout.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44589", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37365/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44604, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Active flexibility is the combination of static flexibility in the muscle being stretched, and isometric strength at short muscle lengths in the antagonist of that muscle.</p>\n<p>So if you have the required static flexibility, then antagonist strength is what's limiting you. I'd suggest two forms of training for this:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Attempting to perform the leg raises, and just holding your leg at whatever height you can reach, aiming to gradually increase that height.</li>\n<li>Attempting to strengthen the antagonist in its fully shortened position, by putting the leg in the stretched position and then attempting to use the antagonist to further stretch it. E.g. raise your leg up onto a wall or sufficiently tall object so that the object, rather than your own muscular strength, is holding your leg up. Then use your muscles to try to raise your leg even higher and lift it off the object. (Your leg won't actually move, but hopefully you'll feel less pressure between it and the object supporting it as you try to raise it.)</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44611, "author": "mary", "author_id": 37393, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37393", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Problems with your Iliopsoas muscle\nThe muscle that brings your foot closer to your pelvis\nA few simple exercises will help you achieve the desired result</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Navasana state</li>\n<li>supta padangusthasana 1</li>\n</ol>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44603", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/36768/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44610, "author": "mary", "author_id": 37393, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37393", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The best thing about standing exercises first is to strengthen the abdominal muscles and then focus and create contraction on those muscles when doing standing exercises. Reverse movements of a different world and having mental focus is the most important thing</p>\n<p>The photo you took shows that you left the pelvis and the bottom of the spine. Concentrate on standing on the ball and take it (like Dandasana or Virabadrasana) and after learning this, use it in reverse movements. namaste</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44622, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The amount of info is very minimal so this is all I can give you: the only conclusion I make based on this picture is that you mainly need to work on mobility and form. It seems like you already have the strength. I think working on form will help you get more reps or more added weight.</p>\n<p>The things that I would work on is;</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Shoulder mobility</strong>, you want to be 1 straight line when you stand on your hands.</li>\n<li><strong>Core and glute engagement</strong>, again to do with being straight and having full control over your handstand. It seems like your core and glutes are not engaged fully, which makes your handstand slightly sloppy. This also has to do with the previous point.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>You can see an example in the picture below. You want your hands, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles to be in a straight line to have full control over your handstand. If for example your hips aren't in line with your hands, your knees and feet also won't be.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/MpfLZ.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/MpfLZ.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>Having full control over your handstand will help tremendously towards doing more HPU reps.</p>\n<p>If for what ever reason you really just want to increase power, simply doing HPUs against a wall will help. This eliminates the balance part out of the movement, so you can fully focus on getting the reps in. After you have comfortably increased reps against a wall, you'll notice that you can also do more reps without a wall.</p>\n<p>I hope this helps!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44609", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/36768/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44626, "author": "zigzag", "author_id": 25386, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25386", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Swimming is so versatile as an exercise that it can really be whatever you choose. You can use it as high intensity training, as an off day recovery activity, or you can target muscle groups with different drills. If your pool has anyone giving lessons (beyond just how-to-swim type stuff) they could show you different approaches to swimming workouts, so that if you want to push it on upper body weights one day and try to target core and legs in the pool the next, you absolutely can.</p>\n<p>This may sounds like a pretty generic answer, but the question is fairly vague so it’s hard for me to be more specific. Because of course some folks are doing extremely high volume, high intensity swimming <em>and</em> cross train with weightlifting and such. Without knowing you, your limits, your goals etc it’s hard to give advice like this.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44627, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>If you're swimming for exercise purposes and not, say, national or international level competition, then I don't think you should worry about it at all, and just do your swimming and strength training on whatever schedule is most convenient for you. The reasons for this are twofold:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>If you're only swimming three days per week, there shouldn't be much difficulty in scheduling strength workouts to be on different days to your swimming. (Whereas a competitive athlete doing 6-8 swim sessions per week would not be able to always schedule strength training on non-swimming days.) With any sensible strength training program, you shouldn't be so sore or fatigued that it would significantly affect your swimming workouts a day later.</li>\n<li>Even if a strength workout does adverse affect your swimming ability, what's the consequence of that? Having a swim session where you're 2% slower than your usual speed might cost you a gold medal if you're competing in the Olympics, but if you're just exercising for fitness then it's inconsequential.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>I'll also note that further exercise &quot;hindering&quot; recovery isn't really a thing. Lack of sleep or nutrition can hinder recovery, but it's not like your body needs to fully recover in between bouts of exercise. The second bout of exercise (as in another exercise session when not fully recovered) will add an additional training stimulus and additional fatigue, but it doesn't stop the body recovering from the fatigue of the first session, nor does it interrupt the training stimulus that the first session provided.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44634, "author": "rreng", "author_id": 37424, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37424", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Almost all competitive swimmers incorporate some form of dryland/weight training in their program. I competed at the D1 college level and can say it was 9 swims, 3 lifts, and 1 dryland session a week. If you have a competitive event approaching that matters, the lifting gets cut out 2-4 weeks prior to competition so the athlete can fully recover.</p>\n<p>Our weight program was obviously the secondary focus of training, so load and volume were kept on the lower side. We did a lot of front and back squats, lat pulls from various angles, tricep work, and dumbbell work.</p>\n<p>Without knowing much about the OP and their goals or physical statistics, I would recommend adding in a weight session or two for 45-60 minutes and see how it goes. Don't be afraid to try a movement, and if it doesn't work, change it up.</p>\n<p>Remember that some soreness is a good thing when exercising. The first time you do something new will be rough, but your body will adapt quickly to the new stimuli. Give movements a couple weeks before you determine they don't work for your body. Pain caused from a movement should be treated differently than soreness.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44623", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37417/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44625, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p><strong>If I was experiencing pain in the bench press, I would aim to fix the problem, while only temporarily employing alternative exercises for chest hypertrophy.</strong></p>\n<p>Firstly, to answer your question, alternative exercises for chest hypertrophy would include chest flies (with dumbbells or cables), plus the push-ups and dips that you've already mentioned. However if you can do 30+ repetitions of pushups, then you would likely benefit from a more difficult, and ideally externally loadable, exercise choice.</p>\n<p>However I wouldn't just abandon the bench press and seek to replace it with one of the above. I'd suggest reading up on strategies for managing pain in the gym, such as those published by Barbell Medicine (<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdwj5ORPmX0\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">video</a>, <a href=\"https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/pain-in-training-what-do/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">article</a>), in which you would aim to find a way to complete the exercise without pain, and work back towards normality from there. Procedurally, this would look like:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Try to find a lighter load that you can tolerate without pain.</li>\n<li>If the pain occurs at all loads, then try to find a reduced range of motion that you can perform without pain.</li>\n<li>If the pain occurs through all ranges of motion at all loads, only then consider alternate exercises to substitute. This would include firstly variations on the exercise that produces the pain, such as experimenting with flat-back vs arched-back benching, moving to an incline press, or failing those then moving to dips or pushups.</li>\n<li>Gradually attempt to work back towards being able to bench press at challenging loads. Reassess if the pain comes back.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>If you know that you can perform pushups or dips without pain, then I'd be included to hugely reduce your load on the bench press, add in some pushups or dips to preserve strength, and then spend a month or two working back up to your original bench press weights, while gradually removing the dips as bench press became more challenging. I'd also ensure I was doing some direct work on the area where the pain occurred, such as one-arm DB rows, if it could be done without pain.</p>\n<p>E.g. If you were benching 60kg for 10 reps for 3 sets, twice per week, and felt pain with any load heavier than 50kg, then an 8-week recovery program might look like this:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Bench press 40kg 2x10, 1 set dips (gradually introducing the dips to give your shoulders a break and avoid DOMS from a sudden introduction of a new exercise)</li>\n<li>Bench press 42.5kg 2x10, 2 sets dips</li>\n<li>Bench press 45kg 2x10, 3 sets dips</li>\n<li>Bench press 47.5kg 2x10, 3 sets dips</li>\n<li>Bench press 50kg 3x10, 2 sets dips</li>\n<li>Bench press 52.5kg 3x10, 2 sets dips</li>\n<li>Bench press 55kg 3x10, 1 set dips</li>\n<li>Bench press 57.5kg 3x10</li>\n<li>Bench press 60kg 3x10</li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44697, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Such pain usually indicates weak links are being strengthened. There is in all likelihood nothing to worry about. A cramp most likely haha. Especially between scapula, since they brace for bench it's quite common to get pain there. Just work it out with some dynamic and active resistance stretching. <strong>Do pulls like DB row and get a good stretch and row it out. The pain will disappear on bench.</strong>\n60% of max is good for the rows but do whatever. Sets to failure. 3x a week at least.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44624", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34413/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44631, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, you do need a new program, because Starting Strength is not intended to be run for any more than 3 months, and if you've been doing it for longer then you're not actually doing the program. Anyone who does SS for a year is doing it wrong.</p>\n<p>That said, it's clear from your posts that what you would benefit the most from is not a change of training program, but rather (or additionally) from seeing a psychologist and working out the insecurities that you have around your perceived crappy genetics, because those seem to holding you back far more than your actual genetics. And I'm not trying to insult you or be condescending here - perceptions matter, to the extent that believing you have crappy genetics has such a strong placebo/nocebo effect that it can alter your physiology independent of your actual genetics.^{(<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0483-4\" rel=\"noreferrer\">study</a>, <a href=\"https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324020#The-influence-of-imaginary-genes\" rel=\"noreferrer\">article</a>)} Dealing with this will likely have a greater effect than just changing programs while still being burdened by the same harmful beliefs.</p>\n<p>And how accurate are your beliefs? Well, let's look at your numbers. You've previously stated that your 60-63kg, can do 12 pull-ups, a 1RM squat of 100kg, deadlift 120kg for 5 reps, and have a max bench of 65kg. So you can squat over 1.5 times bodyweight, probably deadlift in the order of 2.4 times bodyweight, and can bench just over your bodyweight. Those are not bad numbers, at all. Far better than most people will ever achieve in their entire lives.</p>\n<p>You can't expect to have huge absolute numbers if you're got a small frame, especially in the bench press, where having a small rib cage increases the range of motion of the lift and makes it a whole lot harder. I'm betting you've also got pretty long arms, based on your good deadlift numbers. Those will also make it hard to ever bench a lot of weight.</p>\n<p>Hell, you're barely behind me. I can only bench around 1.15 times bodyweight, and I'm doing 30 sets per week of benching and overhead pressing, plus regular heavy singles in addition to that. For someone who isn't built like a barrel with T-rex arms, it's just unlikely to ever be possible to bench huge amounts of weight, and it's a harmfully unrealistic expectation to compare yourself to people who are just built to bench.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I can't move to an intermediate program because my bench is something an average 14-year-old girl could do with that amount of training</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Firstly, I've never met a 14 year old girl who could bench more than her bodyweight. I think most could only bench half their bodyweight with training.</p>\n<p>Secondly, I've never seen an intermediate program that prescribed minimum strength levels as a prerequisite. The normal prerequisite for beginning an intermediate program is that you're no longer making progress on a beginner program despite good effort, nutrition and sleep.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>bench (which is what really matters for most men, let's face it)</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>The only men for whom bench is all that really matters are the paraplegics competing in the bench-press only powerlifting competition at the Special Olympics. This sounds like you're just cherry-picking your weakest lift in order to allow yourself to self-sabotage.</p>\n<p>In summary, start going to therapy first (maybe even a sports psychologist), and then get a decent intermediate program second. (Hint: &quot;Decent&quot; means not Texas Method. It also means something with a higher per-exercise training frequency than the 3 day PPL split that your <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44628/is-it-possible-to-get-weaker-despite-weight-gain\">other current question</a> says that you're doing.)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44632, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I've got a couple points to add and I didn't want to tack them onto David's answer as comments. For the record, I believe David has hit quite a few great points. I do believe the mental game in lifting has a massive impact; so much so that I've seen coaches not tell athletes the weight on the bar just so they don't psyche themselves out.</p>\n<p>To my additional points, my bench is my weakest lift, and when I say that I mean below what I believe it should be, proportionally. I'm currently at 1.9x / 1.2x / 2.3x for squat / bench / and deadlift. If we compare, <em>you deadlift more than me proportionally</em> even if my numbers are &quot;higher&quot;. There's a reason powerlifting is split by gender, age, and weight class. You can't compare apples to watermelons to oranges. I mean, they try, and that's what WILKS, DOT, and GLP try to do.</p>\n<p>When I was working with my coach, we identified that bench press has always been my weakest lift and it is something that I wanted to improve. My program now looks something like this:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mo: Squat + Bench (Competition)</li>\n<li>Tu: Bench (Close-grip Paused) + Deadlift</li>\n<li>Th: Squat + Bench (3-0-0 Tempo)</li>\n<li>Fr: Bench (Slingshot) + Deadlift</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Where before I used to do squat monday, bench press wednesday, and deadlift friday, I am now hitting bench press <em>four times a week</em> and squat and deadlift each twice a week. It has been <strong>23 weeks</strong> of this, and I am <em>now</em> starting to see some major improvements. At first, it took me a while to adapt to the lift. I actually realized that my technique was wrong, this required a deload and restart. Then I realized that I was really never even using my chest, rather being heavily tricep dependent. So made some change, and that's another restart. I'm happy with the journey though and I believe it will pay off. If you're still doing SS you're likely hitting bench press 1.5 times per week, and squat/deadlift three times per week. It makes sense that you're not seeing as much progress in your bench press.</p>\n<p>These past four weeks have been a shift. Work is stressful, sleep is down to 4-5h a night, eating is off. I've been struggling to hit even 80% of my 1RMs. External factors can play a major role. When work and life are getting tough, I move away from heavy singles and triples and starting work back to hypertrophy. Sets of 8s are good. Sometimes even drop the weight. Just got to keep at it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44633, "author": "rreng", "author_id": 37424, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37424", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would not look at your hormone levels and immediately write yourself off as being doomed to be weak right off the bat. I know a lot of people, myself included, with levels right around yours who have been able to add weight to the bar in all three lifts despite being &quot;below optimal.&quot;</p>\n<p>I came from an endurance sport background, and switching to powerlifting three years ago took a lot of time. You need to train your central nervous system to be able to handle the weights as much as you need to build muscle tissue. This takes time.</p>\n<p>I would asses your sleep quality and duration each night. I would look at your diet to make sure you have adequate micro nutrients in addition to hitting macros. I would look at your mental approach to training - do you get scared of the weight, are you just going through the motions?</p>\n<p>There are a lot of programs out there and at the end of the day 95% of them will work. You need to find what works for you and find something you will stick with long term.</p>\n<p>For me, I run straight conjugate for my lower body but found that style of training does nothing for my bench. For bench, I keep the dynamic speed bench in once a week for explosiveness then add 2 more days with more volume and loading up to around 80%.</p>\n<p>I would recommend reading the works of Louie Simmons, Dave Tate, Mark Rippetoe, Josh Bryant, Matt Wenning, etc. to get an idea of different programs. Find something you like, stick with it for 12 weeks, measure improvement, and reassess.</p>\n<p>I wouldn't get lost in the whole &quot;beginner, intermediate, advanced&quot; programming lingo. That really just defines the complexity of the program with the idea being that you want to do the least amount of complexity/work to get improvement so there is something to add later when you inevitably hit a plateau. If your goal is just to get a respectable bench press, whatever that means to you, most of that likely will not make a difference.</p>\n<p>Lastly, don't care what anyone thinks. You are in the gym working to make yourself better. Do it for yourself and not to appease some external observer.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44629", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44649, "author": "Eric Warburton", "author_id": 31261, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31261", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yeah, you are free to spread out the activity however you want and it will give you similar benefits. Keep in mind that 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise is a recommendation to keep the general population at a bare minimum level of fitness that people need, to stay out of hospitals. I would advise if you want to actually be healthy, find something that you enjoy which includes some level of activity. Doing something you hate for some benefits is often not sustainable over the long term.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44650, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity comes from the <a href=\"https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">World Health Organization's 2020 Adult Physical Activity Guidelines</a>. These guidelines more precisely state that adults ages 18-64 years:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>should do at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity;</li>\n<li>or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week</li>\n<li>should also do muscle-strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these provide additional health benefits.</li>\n<li>may increase moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity to more than 300 minutes; or do more than 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week for additional health benefits.</li>\n<li>should limit the amount of time spent being sedentary. Replacing sedentary time with physical activity of any intensity (including light intensity) provides health benefits, and</li>\n<li>to help reduce the detrimental effects of high levels of sedentary behaviour on health, all adults and older adults should aim to do more than the recommended levels of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity</li>\n</ul>\n<p>It should be noted that while these guidelines do not prescribe any restrictions on the duration or organisation of individual bouts of exercise, the <a href=\"https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/44399\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">2010 guidelines</a> that were superseded by the 2020 guidelines were very similar, but also stating that &quot;Aerobic activity should be performed in bouts of at least 10 minutes duration&quot;. It seems reasonable to assume from the fact that this recommendation was removed from the guidelines, that the W.H.O. determined that such a restriction was not beneficial. Therefore I would recommend splitting up your physical activity in whatever way is most convenient for you.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44648", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44657, "author": "Matteo Giuntoni", "author_id": 37451, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37451", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For my opinion there isn't a good or bad suggestion. The mental strength begin inside each of us. You must found a powerful reason to train and it depends on your priorities. The only thing I can suggestion, for training, is try different methods, not exists only 5x5 or sets of 100, if you search online you can found many bodybuilding training methods that you can apply. For example FST-7 method, Heavy Duty, Milos Sarcev method, 8x8 Gironda training and many other.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44668, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I have two ways of answering this, take either depending on your disposition.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>The first answer:</p>\n<p>Motivation does wax and wane fairly frequently when it comes to training, especially if you're not seeing the results you want, the trick is to make training a habit instead of something you have to really push yourself to do.</p>\n<p>Training as a habit trumps motivation every time.</p>\n<p>For the training itself, what are you training for? To paraphrase Viktor Frankl (though I believe it was originally said by Nietzsche):</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>With a why, man can endure any how.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Over the past several years I've watched a lot of my family and friends suffer health issues due to their being overweight and out of shape. My why is that I refuse to be like them, while they're sitting in an old persons home, I'm planning to still be hiking the hills and pulling deadlifts.</p>\n<p>Find your why.</p>\n<p>The other option is to find something you enjoy and do that. I'm a passionate rock climber, so I do that which helps keep me in shape (and due to my love of rock climbing, I train to become better at it). Swimming, walking, paddle boarding, running, gymnastics, powerlifting, strongman, there are so many options there will be something you enjoy. When you find it, find a community around it and make it part of your life.</p>\n<p>For your actual training, if you didn't get on with the 5x5 program, then look pick another one and stick with that for 6 months or so. Jim Wendler's 5/3/1, Dan John's Easy Strength, DeFranco's Westside for Skinny Bastard, a basic PPL program, there are countless options out there.</p>\n<p>If you're not progressing on a well established program, then the issue is very likely not the program itself, but your nutrition / sleep / stress management or implementation of the program.</p>\n<p>If you've got the money, hire a personal trainer to give you someone to keep you accountable. If not, join an online community and start posting your training sessions online and find accountability like that.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>The second answer:</p>\n<p>Man the f**k up.</p>\n<p>Lazy is a state of mind. If it's due to something like depression, then that's a completely different issue, if you're just not finishing your training sessions because you're getting bored, then stop acting like a delicate little snow flake and just do the damn work.</p>\n<p>You think world champions have endless motivation and love every training session? Hell no. I've had the privilege of training alongside some, and I've seen them sitting before a session moaning and bitching about not wanting to do it, being tired, kids having kept them up all night, not feeling 100%, then they go and do it anyway. Why? Because they know it's what they need to do. They embrace the suck.</p>\n<p>Assuming a session is about 60 minutes and you have a few sessions a week, that's 180 - 240 minutes out of 10080 minutes in a week. That's around 2% of your week. Are you seriously saying you can't knuckle down and do the damn work for that short period of time? If so, I got news for you, you're in for a rough ride the rest of your life.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44651", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37164/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44665, "author": "Eric Warburton", "author_id": 31261, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31261", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>If I am interpreting your question correctly, it boils down to something like</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&quot;If someone has a muscle that can be stretched further, would it have\nless explosive potential?&quot;</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>TLDR:</strong>\nProbably not. Even if it does, the effect is likely minimal, and the injury protection benefits you get from staying flexible are worth the slight performance decrease. Dynamic stretching has been shown to have the greatest increases on explosive performance out of the different types of stretching.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>the leg will automatically spring recoil back to original position, since the lack of flexibility will pull it back. This allows body to work like a elastic spring coil.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This is a response called the myotatic/stretch reflex. It is a protection against tearing muscles and is involuntary. It is commonly used in powerlifting during the squat to help them change direction at the bottom of the lift. This is why it is so much easier to &quot;bounce&quot; at the bottom of a squat even though there isn't anything it is physically bouncing off of. I haven't ever heard of it being used in sprinting, but I suppose it is the same concept, confirmed by <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11394561/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this 2001 study</a>, showing enhanced stretch reflex contribution to force production in sprint trained athletes.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>When training for Active Flexibility, like cheerleader picture below,\nThe leg will not retract back fast enough since the flexibility\nexists.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>If the cheerleader would quickly extend the leg to that position without warming up first, she would experience the myotatic stretch reflex similar to anyone else. The main difference is simply that it would happen at a different location, but it would still happen. I can't find any evidence that it would be a stronger or weaker contraction just because she is more flexible.</p>\n<p>There is a <a href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.01468/full#ref28\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">2019 meta-analysis</a> attempting to clear up some previous research on different types of stretching before muscle strength and power performances. In this article, it talks about how static stretching has been shown to decrease performances slightly (1-2%), but that it can still be useful to prevent musculotendinous injuries, so they recommend that static stretching should cautiously be applied. Dynamic stretching on the other hand, has been shown to improve explosive performance by up to 10% and decrease injury rates.</p>\n<p>The idea behind dynamic stretching is to warm up your muscles, and increase flexibility so you can perform the exercise with full range of motion easily. In this <a href=\"https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jpfsm/3/1/3_121/_article\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">2014 study</a> they explored what the optimal protocol for dynamic stretching is. These stretches should simulate the exercise you are looking to do. Ideally you should be doing 10-15 reps or 10 yards 1-2 times to get blood pumping and the muscles ready.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44677, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>No having active flexibility will not slow you down. It strengthens relevant muscles in the lower body (all of them).</p>\n<p>Active flexibility is like weight lifting. Your dynamic stretch is plyometrics. They're complimentary and you will get more results together than individually.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.01026/full\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.01026/full</a></p>\n<p>Here is a study showing that 5 meter times and torque improved significantly in the combined weight lifting-plyometric group versus the plyometric group which did not improve significantly there.</p>\n<p>To be clear, active stretching requires strength to resist the stretch. Hence the strength loss that follows long intense stretching. This is also strength building. <strong>Passive stretching does not create the same training effect.</strong></p>\n<p>Look into Kneesovertoesguy if you want to be athletic. You need strength in as large a range of motion as possible. If anything you want both active and dynamic stretches since one is strength and the other is athleticism, to put it simply.</p>\n<p>Here is the beginner routine in short:</p>\n<pre><code>Walk backwards\nShin lift\nSplit squat (lunge)\n</code></pre>\n<p>and</p>\n<pre><code>Deep push ups\nDumbbell rows with hold at top\n</code></pre>\n<p>In-depth: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pEpIc9MYuk\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Knees Over Toes Guy's Beginner Workout</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB9qNK29-eA\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">How to Restore Athletic &amp; Resilient Shoulders</a></p>\n<p>Programming involves 12 weeks of slowly developing strength and flexibility generally, so go ahead and spend 12 weeks on these three. You can do them daily and go by feel. No pain. 3 sets with 5 - 15 reps is good. Focus on the muscles and getting a stretch, improve your form. Take a video or get a mirror.</p>\n<p>After reaching the standards in that video go ahead and add these to your routine:</p>\n<pre><code>Calf raises w/ flexion of tibialis anterior\nIncline hamstring stretch/Jefferson curl\nBodyweight leg extensions (knee against wall stretch)\nPiriformus good mornings (Pigeon stretch)\nLoaded butterflies (Lying leg extended wall stretch)\nWide leg loaded groin stretch (standing wide groin stretch)\nATG Split Squat with weight\nIncline hip/oblique weighted raises\n</code></pre>\n<p>This is the video describing the exercises and strength standards to reach:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nhuBzBjWzQ\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Knees Over Toes Guy's Mobility Checklist</a></p>\n<p>After reaching 25% BW on the relevant exercises and mobility and repetition goals with no pain besides whatever soreness from other workouts, go ahead and add the next exercises to your routine.</p>\n<p>Add Nordic Curls and Foot Lifts.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipUHK1n3gsg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">10 Reasons to Lift Weights With Your Feet</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NCN6kOagfY\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Nordic Hamstring Curl Tutorial From The Standards Program</a></p>\n<p>Make sure to watch all the videos. After reaching the standards described in the videos, increase repetitions and slow down the movement to as slow as possible -- go for 1 minute ultra slow reps each exercise before doing your sport. Don't worry about progressing with these though, just stay consistent and make slight progress simple and easy.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44652", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/36768/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44656, "author": "Justin Hehli", "author_id": 37057, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37057", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There's a lot going on in that question, but I'll try answering everything one by one:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Compound lifts: include more than one muscle group at a time, there is not much more to it definition-wise. The most common compound exercises are: squat, bench press, deadlift, shoulder press, pull up, row. Implementing these in your workouts is definitely a good idea, since you get the most bang for your buck out of them. As for properly performing them, if you look up the proper technique online and start with manageable weights you can learn them by yourself. Film yourself or use a mirror to objectively look at your form and you'll get there.</li>\n<li>PPL: stands for Push/Pull/Legs as you already mentioned. You'd have a push (chest / shoulders / triceps), pull (back / biceps, maybe hamstrings / glutes if you're deadlifting) and a legs (quads / hamstrings / glutes / calves) workout. Usually PPL is performed as a 6 days/week routine, so you'd do Push/Pull/Legs/Push/Pull/Legs/Rest in one week.</li>\n<li>3 days/week routine for you: As you can see, PPL might not be ideal for you. You can do a 3 day PPL, so only one workout for push / pull / legs per week each. It will be hard getting enough quality volume in like this though (around 10-12 sets per muscle group per week for beginners is recommended). You'd be better of going with a full body routine, where you could get enough volume and frequency in 3 days. If you google something like &quot;3 days full body routine&quot; I'm sure you'll find a good program, or if you're up for it buy one, maybe from Jeff Nippard or so (his program comes with a lot of general explanation/infos so it might help you a lot). Another alternative is an Upper/Lower split, which would have you in the gym 4 days/week.</li>\n<li>Categorizing your first routine: it doesn't really fit into any standard split category, and it doesn't matter that much either. The layout doesn't look optimal to me though.</li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44679, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Well if you have a sport you want to perform in then there are athleticism programs that prevent injury and develop said athleticism. I have posted one put together from Kneesovertoesguy material and that material aligns with my experience of what increases athleticism and strength.</p>\n<p>I'll repost it here. Many weight lifters can benefit from it since it hits weak points, strengthen ligaments and tendons, improves recovery, and does not take much time or effort. Think of it as therapeutic work. The more you put in the more results in sports and in weight lifting. You can perform the program daily but 3x a week BEFORE you go do a sport is the best time if you want to keep it to 3x a week.</p>\n<p>Since these exercises are on your sport days you can take it easy with them, just put in a little work.</p>\n<p>Here is the sports day program; my post is flagged as spam if I repost it. I've made additions though:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://pastebin.com/nePq0uKN\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">KNEES OVER TOES ATHLETICISM BUILDING</a></p>\n<p><strong>The Knees over toes program is here on stack exchange:</strong>\n<a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44652/does-active-flexibility-reduce-speed-and-quickness/44677#44677\">Does Active Flexibility Reduce Speed and Quickness?</a></p>\n<p>On your powerlifting days you want to train full body. You should be hitting the same body parts 3x a week.\nThe only tricky bit is picking Weight, Sets, and Reps, and which exercises you do first and last.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://pastebin.com/WCkPkMxX\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">POWERLIFTING PROGRAM 3x A WEEK</a></p>\n<p>The links are pastebin which is just a text document repository. It's text only.</p>\n<p><strong>Here is the complete power lifting program so I can keep linking within stack exchange in case pastebin dies:</strong></p>\n<p><em><strong>Pull ups</strong></em> are a staple that you want to hit every workout for 3 sets to failure. They're bread and butter. Do them at the beginning of every workout. Keeping rest times down is best so 1 minute is good; you want to lower this number as you progress over the years.</p>\n<p>You want to use slow as possible repetitions, so 5 second ascent and descent on the pull ups is good and you can probably only do 1 or 2 at this speed. If you can't do a pull up at a slow speed then speed it up until you can, but try and do it as slow as possible.</p>\n<p>After the last set hold onto the bar for a deadhang with &quot;shoulder blade reps&quot;. This is where you lengthen the body by relaxing into a passive stretch, then retract your shoulder blades to lift yourself up out of that passive back and shoulder stretch and then repeat the process until your strength fails.</p>\n<p>Every 9 workouts add a set or decrease rest times by 10 seconds down to 20 seconds. Don't kip up, look up kipping; don't kip up. Use pull up variations. Behind the neck, chin ups, ultra wide. You want to get to the point where you can do 100 pull ups no problem if going at a quicker speed of repetition.</p>\n<p>At that point add 10 lbs such as a DB between your feet and reduce the sets by 1. So if you're doing 12 sets of pull ups to failure and you test your pull up repetition max with normal or quick speed and it's 100+ repetitions, go ahead and reduce the sets to 11 and add 10 lbs. When you test and hit 100 pull ups again go ahead and reduce the sets by 1. You want to do at least 5 sets no matter what though, and at most 20 sets.</p>\n<p>For a while sets will be increasing but eventually you hit 100 reps and you can hit 100 reps with +10 lbs pretty quickly if you can do 100+ reps with bodyweight, so the set count will shrink.</p>\n<p><em><strong>I'm going to jump right into squats and deadlifts now</strong>.</em></p>\n<p>The big squat and deadlift should be placed at the end of your workout. They're difficult. You won't have the stamina to put much into the rest of your workout if you do them first. You want to alternate between doing squat and deadlift each workout, and alternate whether you do a front squat or a back squat, and alternate whether you do a conventional deadlift and a power clean.</p>\n<p>Practice EACH of these 4 barbell exercises; The Back Squat, The Conventional Deadlift, The Front Squat, and the Power Clean; with <strong>JUST the bar</strong> for 6 workouts <em>EACH</em>. That's 24 workouts which is 2 months.</p>\n<p>Get a great burn painful burn in the muscles and focus on form. 5 - 15+ minutes of this is good. Use <strong>ULTRA SLOW REPS</strong> meaning as slow as possible. Yes you want to slow down the power clean. I am not saying it will be incredibly slow but with 45 lbs it can be, and you will most definitely benefit from this.</p>\n<p>Look in the mirror or take a video. Go hard. Perform them a bit quicker or as quick as possible if you need to.</p>\n<p>Go ahead and take very limited rests when it becomes unbearable. 30 seconds. Just do as much as possible in those 5 - 15+ minutes without letting up.</p>\n<p>You will make easy progress and have great mobility. You WILL increase strength as well, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You probably have no clue how many literal farm hands walk into the gym in high school or in their 20s and squat over 400 lbs and bench over 200 lbs their first day. <strong>Endurance and Work Capacity will build up your strength and muscle size, do not believe otherwise.</strong> Relative, subjective intensity is in fact intensity.</p>\n<p>Fact is that many strong weightlifters cannot perform quick body weight squats for more than 50 - 100 repetitions in one set. The only reason they're large is because they take steroids. If they were natural they would be much slimmer. You don't want that if you want smooth and rapid progress, and you don't want that in general. Your recovery is much poorer without endurance; you can't finish hard workouts and you can't recover before the next one without endurance in these big movements so you need to go 5 - 15+ minutes. Your legs and such will explode.</p>\n<p>After those 6 workouts of each movement (24 workouts total) if your form has been good for at least 2 workouts you want to add 25 lbs to each side. Keep going with just the bar if you don't have 2 workouts with great form for pretty much all of those 5- 15+ minutes. You NEED mobility for the front squat and you need to develop that by doing your best to use good form and go for 5+ minutes.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vVSGITznQk\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">How to Power Clean (Olympic Weightlifting 101)</a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pyxT5hqmQY\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">How to Front Squat (WAYS TO KEEP YOUR CHEST UP!)</a></p>\n<p>Check the rest of Squat University for the Back Squat and Conventional Deadlift. Martins Licis features on a Back Squat and Deadlift tutorial, an internation Strongman Competition winner.</p>\n<p>Once you have 25 lbs on the bar on these movements go another 2 months, 6 workouts each exercise. After those 6 workouts test for your 1 Repetition Maximum Load at normal speed on the descent and explosive speed on the concentric &quot;up&quot; portion, <strong>WITH GOOD FORM</strong>, for whichever movement is up on that given day. So if you back squat that day, test your back squat max. If you conventional deadlift, test your conventional deadlift max. And so on. Slowly add weight to the bar until you feel you can't do more weight without form breaking down. That's your max.</p>\n<p>TAKE A VIDEO OF YOUR MAX. You will break down in form here and it's important to know where.</p>\n<p>After testing your 1 repetition maximum, rest 3 minutes then perform 2 working sets at 60% of your max with repetitions as slow as possible (will not be very easy to go over 5 seconds) going until you know your next repetition would be with bad form or you would be muscularly unable to lift it. Rest 1.5 minutes between these sets.</p>\n<p>Then drop the weight to 135 lbs (45 lb plate on each side) for back squats and conventional deadlift, 95 lbs (25 lb plates) for front squat and 65 lbs for power cleans, and do 5 - 15+ minutes of the lift <strong>ULTRA SLOW</strong>. It's your last exercise of the day so go hard.</p>\n<p>The 2 sets at 60% and the 5 - 15+ minutes of conditioning with the set weight will be your workout for these 4 movements for the next 6 workouts.</p>\n<p>After 6 workouts of each individual movement (24 total) you want to retest your max again, and do 3 working sets at 70% of your max <strong>slow if possible</strong> after resting from your max for 3 minutes. You should rest 1.5 minutes between 'working sets'. After doing these working sets drop the weight to 185 lbs for back squats and deadlifts, 135 lbs for front squats, and 115 lbs for power cleans and go for 5 - 15+ minutes ultra slow.</p>\n<p>Don't let anyone tell you this is slow progress. Every weight lifter reaches a point where progress is slow slow slow because they have no solid foundation of conditioning. Don't listen to them at all. Your progress should be pretty quick anywho, but don't let anyone mess with your programming. Defend your program. Keep hands out of the pot.</p>\n<p>Every 6 workouts (24 total) you want to test your max and increase the number of work sets you do OR decrease the rest time between sets by 15 seconds, down to 30 seconds after a couple years. You can also increase the % of max you use but that should remain the same until you are doing 8 sets with 30 seconds of rest -- then you can increase the % by 10% up to 80% and cut the sets down to 5 and increase the rest by 30 seconds to 60 seconds of rest. Get up to 10 sets with 30 seconds of rest at 80% of your max and you will be over 220 lbs of muscle, no doubt.</p>\n<p>The amount of repetitions will always be &quot;to failure&quot; and the conditioning weight should go up very slowly; 10 lb increases for back squat and deadlift every 6 workouts, and 5 lb increases for front squat and power clean every 6 workouts. If you can go past 15 minutes of conditioning with the weight then do it.</p>\n<p>Okay now everything between pull ups and the big movements.</p>\n<p><em><strong>Push ups.</strong></em> Yes push ups, not bench. Weight is weight. Your abs aren't used when doing bench though and so you should do push ups. Same routine as pull ups in fact, but elevate your hands so you can sink your chest into the movement. You can use 2 platforms or the end of large flat dumbbells or a stack of plates for each hand. You want your chest to reach past your hands eventually. ULTRA SLOW as possible.</p>\n<p>3 sets to failure and every workout. Always go as hard as possible on the last set. After 9 workouts add a set or decrease rest time. When you reach 100 repetitions when you test them at normal speed go ahead and take a set off and add 10 lbs. Get a weight vest or place the weight on your low back. You want to do at least 5 sets, no more than 20 sets, and have at least 20 seconds of rest time between sets.</p>\n<p>on SQUAT days you want to do a horizontal pull. In particular you want to do <em><strong>1 hand Dumbbell Rows</strong></em>. Test your max on each side. Base the % numbers on the stronger side.\nPerform 2 work sets at 60% each side going as slow as possible for as many reps as possible. Make sure to use full range of motion and hold at the top. Use 1.5 minutes of rest.</p>\n<p>Every 9 workouts of this movement retest your max and increase the set count by 1, or decrease the rest time by 15 seconds. At 8 sets and 30 seconds of rest decrease the sets to 5, increase the rest to 1 minute, and increase the % to 70% of your max.</p>\n<p>After performing your work sets drop the weight to 40% of your max and perform 5 - 15+ minutes as slow as possible as much as possible.</p>\n<p>If it is a deadlift or powerclean day, you want to perform a vertical push motion. <em><strong>That means overhead press.</strong></em> Use an empty barbell or some sort of bicep curl bar if your gym is busy for 5 - 15+ minutes. Slow as possible. <em>Elbows out to the side.</em></p>\n<p>After 9 workouts of this movement test your max. Go ahead and use 60% for 2 sets, slow as possible, 1.5 minutes of rest between. Then drop the weight to 40% and perform 5 - 15+ minutes of ultra slow repetitions. When you're done with the 5 - 15+ minutes, put the 40% back up to lock out and do scapula extensions and retractions. Pack the shoulder then extend it for reps. Do this until you lose strength.</p>\n<p>Don't bend your back too much when performing overhead presses. You can lean back a bit but you've already done a horizontal push in this workout so keep it vertical. Drop the bar ALL THE WAY DOWN every repetition and ALL THE WAY UP. Also, you should start with the bar on your shoulders but bring it behind the neck for half or so of your reps once you start.</p>\n<p>You need to practice going behind the neck with the bar though for those 9 workouts.</p>\n<p>AFTER YOU SQUAT OR DEADLIFT there is still 2 more things for you to do. <em>Grip work and Arms.</em> That means taking some small amount of weight and performing <em><strong>wrist extensions, wrist curls, and wrist 'twists'</strong></em> for 6 - 20+ minutes; and Doing 2 sets of <em><strong>bicep curls and tricep extensions</strong></em> using 70% of your max, reps to failure. Slowest is best.</p>\n<p>For wrist twists you want to hold the dumbbell handle closer to one end so it's heavier on one side. Use 5 lb dumbbells for each movement and burn. Note that whether the heavier side is on the thumb side or pinky side changes the movement. That's about 4 different grip exercises so perform each exercise for 1.5 minutes each hand starting out and work up to 5 minutes each. After hitting 5 minutes increase the weight by 5 lbs.</p>\n<p>Every 4 weeks test your bicep and tricep cable extension max. 2 sets to failure with 70% every workout. Go slow as possible.</p>\n<p>Buy some finger extensor training bands as well, to use at home for 5 minutes each hand.</p>\n<p>That's the whole workout. If you aren't progressing then try harder or set rep goals so you know when you need to try harder. Get more reps out. The weight progression is programmed in. Good luck.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44655", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37450/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44664, "author": "Amadeus", "author_id": 37164, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37164", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My pull up bar = shutters + brass tube cut with a saw held by a belt.\nit can hold me doing chin ups with a 40kg back pack on my back, totalling 110kg or 242lbs. As you can see from the decoloration and imprints of my hands on the brass bar, I have been using it for a lot of time now and never broke or failed me. I advice using different materials noteless since I'm worried myself about copper toxicity, though it is a good anti-bacterial, so it cleans your hands as you use it.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/UfdcC.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/UfdcC.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>Door sized shutters are preferred.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/pNr6Z.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/pNr6Z.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>Alernativelly, just use a fence/wall and pull yourself over the fence/wall... expect your knees to be scratched.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44666, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Gymnastic rings are a great way to do pull-ups. Because they are hung from straps (perhaps long ones), they can often be mounted in places where a pull-up bar cannot. I take my rings on vacations and am often (but not always) able to find rafters to hang them from. Failing that, they're portable enough to take to a park to provide a better grip than a swing set.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44667, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Have you considered <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBLmEdj7r6w\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">towel door pull ups</a>? (for those who don't want to follow the link, you basically put a knot in the end of a couple of hand towels, trap the knot in the top of a closed door and use those).</p>\n<p>The other alternative that I have seen before, which I don't recommend if you're on the heavier side, or live in rented accommodation, is pull ups using the door itself, <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADnoyLFVDcc\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">as demonstrated by Steve Maxwell</a>.</p>\n<p>I haven't personally used either of these, but I'm close to 2m tall and nearly 100kg, so doors aren't really tall enough (plus I don't want to have to replace my doors!), but I know people who did during lock down when equipment was unavailable.</p>\n<p>Another option, which doesn't exactly address your question, is something like a suspension trainer (I believe TRX are the most popular brand) that comes with a door anchor (it works like the towel pull ups).</p>\n<p>Inverted rows that you can do with a suspension trainer aren't exactly pull ups, but they're a good substitute until you find something better, they still work the pulling muscles (lats, rhomboids, etc) and if you get strong at them, when you switch, you'll find pull ups come easier.</p>\n<p>If you go with the towel or door anchor idea, a very important safety point, make sure you have them rigged up so the door closes towards you, so the door frame itself helps support the door. Also make sure anyone else in the house knows what you're doing; as funny as it would be to have someone open the door mid-pull up, unless you film it and post it online, the rest of us won't get to enjoy the ensuing chaos.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44663", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/36971/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44688, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes every exercise involves muscle isometrics or extremely limited range of motion. Bicep curls uses your back and shoulder for instance, and of course your forearm muscles and hand muscles.</p>\n<p>Isometrics are good for recovery and conditioning. With heavy weights or going to an extreme level of strength failure with low weight, of course strength and muscle mass will increase in the muscles working isometrically.</p>\n<p>Isometrics above 70% of your max boost recovery, especially in tendons, and it's great for bone development.</p>\n<p>Bringing your elbows in requires the pecs though, yes.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44693, "author": "Amadeus", "author_id": 37164, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37164", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The chest also pulls the the elbow from overhead position down to your belly, hence why dips, Iron crosses and Pullovers or Front levers and pull ups work your chest.</p>\n<p>Muscles have no precise function, they are just elastic ropes of cells that can pull in varied directions based on how you position yourself.</p>\n<p>so yes, the chest can get sore from exercises that weren't supposed to get the chest sore.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/JcH3r.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/JcH3r.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>As you can see, yes the chest is being used in a skull crusher but not because you are squizing the pecs, but because without the chest pulling the elbows away from your face, then your arms would just crash over your head.</p>\n<p>Another drawing to show the relation on how the chest works, same position as the above drawing, just rotated the gravity.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/vHqCd.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/vHqCd.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44685", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34413/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44710, "author": "Beautymedi", "author_id": 37347, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37347", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It's more about how you shift your weight. If your weight shifts beyond your mid foot into your toes / the ball of your foot, you will be putting a lot of pressure on your knees and hips.\nYou can test it by doing a bodyweight squat and shifting all your weight into your toes rather than your heels. I guarantee you will feel the difference! <a href=\"https://www.fitnesseducation.edu.au/blog/education/should-your-knees-go-past-your-toes-during-a-squat/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This article</a> describes it pretty well.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44714, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>To simplify matters let us ignore the weight of the body.\nIn this case the barbell must be placed directly over the pressure point of the groundforces on the foot.\nThe groundforces are in fact distributed over the feet with varying pressure (red: high pressure):</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/i2cmz.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/i2cmz.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>However in a mechanical analysis these distributed forces may be replaced by a single force applied in the pressure weighted centre of the foot (black in figure): <em>the pressure point</em>.</p>\n<p>Further let us model the lower leg as a fixed rod, T, and the upper leg as a fixed rod, F.\nLet us model the knee extensors as an electrical engine placed inside the knee opening up the knee angle with a moment Mk and the hip extensors as an electrical engine placed inside the hip opening up the hip angle with a moment Mh:\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/LcJR4.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/LcJR4.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>First let us analyze the moments working on the knee.\nConsidering the static case the sum of these must be 0.\nWhich means that:\nMk = Fg * dk + Fb * dk\nBut in the static case Fg = Fb = F =&gt;</p>\n<p>Mk = 2 * F * dk</p>\n<p>Next let us analyze the moments working on the hip.\nConsidering the static case the sum of these must be 0.\nWhich means that:</p>\n<p>Mh = 2 * F * dh</p>\n<p>As we see from these equations:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p>the hip momentum is proportional to the horizontal distance from the\nhip to the pressure point on the foot</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>the knee momentum is proportional to the horizontal distance from the knee to the pressure point on the foot</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>And the pressure point on the foot is roughly midfoot.</p>\n<p>The above is a first order approximation.\nThe hamstrings cross both the hip and the knee.\nThey therefore produce both hip extension torque and knee flexion torque.\nLikewise the rectus femoris cross both the knee and the hip.\nThey therefore produce both knee extension torque and hip flexion torque.\nHowever due to where the insertions are placed when the hamstrings contract, the amount of hip extension torque they produce is considerably greater than the amount of knee flexion torque they produce. The opposite is true for the rectus femoris: It produces much more knee extension torque than hip flexion torque. (1)</p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"https://www.strongerbyscience.com/squats-are-not-hip-dominant-or-knee-dominant-3/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Squats Are Not Hip Dominant Or Knee Dominant. </a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44699", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34413/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44701, "author": "Eric Warburton", "author_id": 31261, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31261", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First of all, well done losing so much weight, that takes a lot of hard work and dedication!</p>\n<p>It is completely normal to be nervous and have anxiety about training. It is one of the main reasons the new years crowd in the gym only lasts a month or so. Going to the gym is hard, often leaves you sore, and it is easy to feel judged. All of us at one point were newbies, and should applaud every new gym member. I've noticed it gets better as you make more progress, and even enjoyable when you get to a certain level of fitness or when you make a couple friends with the regulars at the gym.</p>\n<p>I'm not sure much of this question applies to you, but the answer provides some good gym etiquette : <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/a/32781/31261\">How do I beat gym anxiety?</a></p>\n<p>Something I would add to that answer, perhaps try going to the gym in off hours. I went at the least busy hours for years until I felt more comfortable in the gym. Maybe bring a friend with you to the gym, it will help you stay consistent and will likely remove some of the dread.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>My workouts are fine but I always have moments (for some minutes now as my muscles have grown and adjusted and longer time before it, i.e. I have not decreased my load but my hardship decreased because muscle growth and adaptation) when my load is not enjoyable. From the one hand - maybe the training schedule is bad, such hardships should not be experienced. From the other side - how can you grow your muscles if some stress is not put on them?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Mechanical tension is believed to be the leading cause of muscle growth. Our bodies are very good at adapting, when you put stress on them, they will adapt to the challenge and make it easier over time provided you are giving it the right materials (food) and time (recovery) to do so. You should always be looking to improve a little bit, even if it is difficult to do so.</p>\n<p>As far as the testosterone part: Testosterone levels generally improve with your activity level, sleep quality, and diet. If you are really concerned about it though, you should seek advice from qualified medical professionals. Make sure you get more than one doctors opinion before you hop on anything though.</p>\n<p>As with everything fitness, it takes time and consistency. I'm betting with some more patience, the anxiety will decrease.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44705, "author": "Klaudia", "author_id": 37477, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37477", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It will sound very trivial but bear with me. I think your fear might be something very simple. I personally often have the fear of even starting exercising. This happens because I want to perform <strong>PERFECTLY</strong> - I want to give it my best (which takes time) and I'm afraid I won't. Let's be honest, doing something perfectly is a very high bar to set for yourself. If this is what you're experiencing, try setting a small goal. For example, exercising for 20 minutes and giving your 200% during this time doesn't seem like a hard thing to do, right? Make your workout a challenge you are able to complete right away. Try setting an <strong>easily achievable goal</strong> for yourself. That should make it seem a lot easier so you won't be so <strong>afraid of failing</strong>.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44706, "author": "CodeNovice", "author_id": 37479, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37479", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Not wanting to go because of lack of motivation or because you have more interesting things to do is one thing, but if your whole day is affected and your concentration is lost because you're stressing over your trip to the gym then something is wrong.</p>\n<p>First you should determine if it's the physical activity that you're worried about or being in the gym itself. You said you need to lose weight so perhaps you're self-conscious about being around people in good shape. On the other hand, being in the gym can be very boring and monotonous. Maybe a different form of exercise would suit your mind better. Crossfit, rockclimbing, athletics, olympic lifting etc.</p>\n<p>Remember that people of all fitness levels participate in these sports - you won't be out of place at any of them. And losing 50kg already makes you a hero!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44708, "author": "AmateurDotCounter", "author_id": 37485, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37485", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>Is it weird to be exercise-reluctant rather than exercise-eager?</strong></p>\n<p>No! From a biological perspective all creatures are evolutionarily adapted to try to spend as little energy as possible to keep surviving. The &quot;as little as possible&quot; bit will often tend to involve short bursts of major activity when hunting (or fleeing) but &quot;running for fun&quot; (or other strenuous activity) is generally counterproductive when you're trying to build fat stores to overcome the challenge posed by potential future lean months.</p>\n<p>As such, it is perfectly natural that we humans are predisposed to not generally <em>want</em> to exercise for the sake of exercising. That being said, our modern environment where calories have become cheaper while strenuous work (hunting, fleeing, etc.) has become rarer basically sets us up for a major caloric imbalance compared to what our ancestors would have faced. This means that although our software (brains, knowledge, etc.) know that we <em>need</em> exercise to overcome our current caloric abundance, our hardware (bodies, genetics, etc.) is still lagging behind as if it were the stone-age with hard times just around the corner, and so most of us require some amount of &quot;mind over matter&quot; to get into the gym with any regularity. (And adding &quot;pain/discomfort avoidance&quot; on top of that only makes things harder.)</p>\n<p>However, that isn't the only quirk of our biology at play because our bodies also release endorphins when we exercise. You can think of it as a built-in consolation prize meant to cheer us up even if a hunt is unsuccesful or to make a successful fleeing feel like more of an accomplishment. This is the mechanism by which people get that &quot;<em>runners' high</em>&quot; that is often talked about.</p>\n<p>So, <strong>TLDR</strong>, don't worry about feeling exercise-reluctant rather than exercise-eager. It is likely the case that you are simply at a stage in your fitness progression where you still need a lot of &quot;mind over matter&quot; to overcome your hardware's pain/work avoidance, whereas the gym-bros you overheard are at a stage where their hardware is giving them enough runner's high to (greatly) outweigh it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44709, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I keep trying to write this answer and get in everything I want to say without it turning into a thesis length essay, so here goes with the short version.</p>\n<p>I used to get really bad pre-training anxiety, PT was worse because I knew how hard I'd be pushed, group training wasn't so bad as I could let myself slack a little. It's only recently I've run back through old training logs and really looked at my training over the past 20 years and figured out what causes it.</p>\n<p>There's two reasons, one easily solvable, and another unfortunately not quite as easy to work around.</p>\n<p>The first reason is uncertainty. I'm also a programmer, so I love structure and organisation, so going into a training session where I don't know what to mentally prepare for, where I'm at the whim of someone else, was very anxiety inducing for me. I managed to cope with it for a long time, then when the first lockdown happened last year (I'm in the UK), I started a very simple kettlebell training program where I did the same thing every day, and thrived on it (Simple and Sinister).</p>\n<p>The second reason, which took me a while to figure out; my father died nearly 8 years ago of a progressive lung disease, which took him from tirelessly walking miles, to getting out of breath standing up out of his chair, and since then, I've always trained strength over conditioning because of a fear of getting out of breath and gasping for air (the irony is, the more I avoided conditioning, the more easily I'd get out of breath).</p>\n<p>The first issue was solved by adhering to a routine where I knew in advance what I'd be doing.</p>\n<p>For the second, I started training in a specific way that helped me progress towards my goals without feeling like I wanted to throw up in the shower afterwards (that is NOT the sign of a good session by the way). I started training using the <a href=\"https://www.strongfirst.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">StrongFirst</a> principles, looking at training as a daily skill practice rather than an attempt to destroy myself each session, and I started doing more slow cardio (rowing machine and walking) using <a href=\"https://philmaffetone.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Phil Maffetone's MAF</a> method.</p>\n<p>I don't enjoy, or particularly agree with, constant balls to the wall training; I think it's detremental over time for the majority of the population. I've seen the accumulated stress on the body of months of intense training cause a lot of issues, both physical (injuries) and more general (hormonal issues, particularly in women; sleep issues; constant fatigue; etc).</p>\n<p>I've personally responded much better to more frequent, less intense sessions. If you're finding you're dreading hardcore sessions, then try and change it up. Look up <a href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=anti-glycolytic%20training\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">anti-glycolytic training</a>, <a href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=dan%20john%20easy%20strength\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Dan John's Easy Strength</a>, <a href=\"https://philmaffetone.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Maffetone's MAF method</a>, <a href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=strength%20ladders\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">strength ladders</a>, there are a lot of different training philosophies that don't rely on you having to leave yourself in a pool of sweat afterwards.</p>\n<p>Is it good to occasionally push yourself? Definitely! Do you need to do it on a daily basis to see results? Absolutely not.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44700", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33216/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44719, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you enjoy this programming concept, go for it. However, keep in mind that in the fitness world, the gurus are under constant pressure to produce new tricks. How about squat jumps with a kettlebell swing? How about a squat jump and then you grab on to a pull bar and do fifteen pull ups (which I saw recently)? How about a squat jump and in the air you throw a medicine ball to a friend who catches it and throws it back? How about a squat jump with a resistance band around your knees? Anyone can make this stuff up.</p>\n<p>As far as scientific research, I can pretty much guarantee that no one has done research on this type of &quot;explosive isometrics&quot; (or whatever you call it). The reason I can say this is that it would take a year or two to produce a research paper on the topic, and by that time the fitness world will have moved on to something new. Researchers can't possibly keep up with the latest bells and whistles that the Youtube gurus come up with. My point is don't expect anyone to have solid information about this topic.</p>\n<p>So, have fun with it. I predict you'll try it for a few weeks and then move on. Let us know how it goes!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44720, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If it feels like it works it probably does.</p>\n<p>Do it often and get the most out of it. A static demand leads to adaptations biased towards static strength, which should directly oppose explosive movement, thus your body develops more of the ability to overcome its own rigidity. Doing the opposite sequence should require the body to get control of the dynamic stuff going on in the body.</p>\n<p>If it works it works. Give it a month and do it 6x a week ha. See how your performance improves right after and a week after this leg intensive training. Test before and after training it diligently with a few agility tests such as the 5 - 0 - 5, strength test for 1 rep max, and an endurance test for body weight ATG squat count within 10 minutes or something.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44722, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Based on the question provided, I can't really tell what the stated goal is, but <em>what it sounds like to me</em> is a form of <a href=\"https://www.slt-leisure.co.uk/news/pre%20exhaust%20training%20for%20quicker%20progress%20in%20the%20gym/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pre-exhaustion training</a>.</p>\n<p>Pre-exhaustion training is basically doing an isolation movement of some kind to weaken (pre-exhaust) a targeted set of muscle groups before moving on to a compound muscle group, or in this case a static movement used to pre-exhaust before moving to the dynamic movement. The end result is the secondary movement itself is more difficult, and in some cases, weaker muscle groups will be more utilized because the dominating muscle group is now too weak to compensate. In theory, this will maximize muscle recruitment while simultaneously making the exercise safer because you'd be using less weight and/or less reps.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://barbend.com/pre-exhaust-training/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">It is a common technique used in advanced lifters</a> to make a compound movements more effective with less weight. It's also used to weaken dominant muscle groups so the targeted muscle groups can be better used. For example, I've been training in powerlifting for many years, so my traps have a tendency to take over when doing something like dumbell lateral raises. I want to do lateral raises to target my shoulders, so I can do really high-volume shrugs to &quot;pre-exhaust&quot; my traps so I'm forced to use my shoulders during the lateral raises.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>In this specific case, in mixing wall-sits with squat jumps, it could be the coach that wrote the program is wanting you to pre-exhaust your legs and glutes with the wall-sits. Then it would require more muscle recruitment to get the same kind of force during the squat jumps.</p>\n<p>Or (s)he simply wanted to add more volume to the set so you only have to do half the amount of squat jumps.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44716", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37493/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44734, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The first is a dumbbell deadlift. This should be considered to be analogous to a trap bar deadlift, since the absence of a bar in front of the shins means that forward knee travel is unrestricted, as opposed to a barbell deadlift where the bar limits how far forward the knees can travel. Compared to a barbell deadlift, this exercise will allow more of the load to be shifted from the back and glutes to the quadriceps.</p>\n<p>The second is a dumbbell RDL (Romanian Deadlift). Unlike other deadlift variations, this exercise begins with the weight being lowered from a standing position, rather than picked up off the floor. Because the knees travel backwards rather than forwards as the weight is lowered, this exercise recruits the hamstrings rather than the quadriceps, and is considered to primarily be a hamstrings exercise.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44735, "author": "Chris ", "author_id": 30383, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30383", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The top one with the male is called, &quot;Doing a dumbell deadlift with terrible form&quot;. The bottom one, with the woman, is called &quot;A dumbell deadlift with decent form&quot;. Notice that the woman is keeping her lumbar spine in almost a neutral position (though not quite), while the man is letting his lumbar totally flex. You will find the beautiful people on Youtube, such as this hunky dude, who will say that it is beneficial to let your lumbar spine flex. However, anyone who has been coaching for a few decades will tell you to keep your spine in neutral. Here are some names for you too look up: Stuart McGill, Mike Boyle, and Brent Brookbrush. McGill and Boyle were coaching when the guy in this picture was in diapers. Brushbook is younger. McGill has published two hundred research papers and three books. There is a long list of professional athletes who have gone to McGill for their back pain. Point is, any coach with a long track record will tell you that letting your spine flex in a deadlift is a bad idea. So you can take your advise from a guy with an expensive haircut, or from people with experience.</p>\n<p>Michel, here is more: Your lumbar spine is most stable when it has a lordotic (or inward) curve. This lordotic curve is built into the bones of your lumbar spine, so it is also referred to as &quot;neutral&quot;. A flat back is when you lose your lordotic curve. Unfortunately, our lumbar spine tends to flatten as we age, which might be a bit counterintuitive. If you practice watching older people in the grocery store, you will be able to identify the flatness of the lumbar spine with aging.</p>\n<p>&quot;Flexion&quot; refers to a movement, while &quot;lordotic&quot; is a shape, which can be confusing. When you flex your lumbar spine, you decrease the lordotic angle, if you extend your back you increase the lordotic angle. A recent study &quot;Lower Back Injury Prevention and Sensitization of Hip Hinge with Neutral Spine Using Wearable Sensors during Lifting Exercises&quot; found that over half of male weight lifters let their lumbar spine flex too much during deadlifts, so be careful.</p>\n<p>I urge you to study anatomy so you know this terminology. Sam Webster makes very approachable and even entertaining anatomy videos on youtube.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44732", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/5886/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44741, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Creatine supplementation typically causes weight gain of around 1-2kg. ^{<a href=\"https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-4-6\" rel=\"noreferrer\">1</a>} It also takes about 30 days to completely clear from one's system.^{<a href=\"https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/jappl.1996.81.1.232\" rel=\"noreferrer\">2</a>}</p>\n<p>So if you think carrying an extra 1-2kg of water weight will be detrimental to your skiing ability, you could stop taking creatine 2-4 weeks before your trip (depending on whether you'd be happy only getting rid of most of the water weight, or want to get rid of all of it), and then resume creatine supplementation after the trip. It's going to be a trade off in which ceasing creatine supplementation earlier will result in being lighter for your ski trip, but possibly also experiencing reduced performance in the gym in the weeks leading up to the trip.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44743, "author": "nimmi", "author_id": 37249, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37249", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Creatine isn't going to help a lot, but it wouldn't hurt either.</p>\n<p>The improvement in muscle endurance due to creatine is minor, and it confers no improvement in prolonged cardiovascular exercise. Creatine increases strength and power output, but I doubt you'll be doing any high weight-low rep movements while skiing. The increase in water weight should not make a big difference, think of it as getting compensated for by the minor increase in endurance.</p>\n<p>Creatine also has a myriad of non-strength benefits, like reduction in fatigue and depression symptoms, so I would suggest you continue taking it irrespective of your ski vacation.</p>\n<p>Reference:\n<a href=\"https://examine.com/supplements/creatine/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://examine.com/supplements/creatine/</a></p>\n<p>P.S.: Regarding your opening statement, you sound to be giving too much importance to the the number on the scale (calling creatine &quot;the culprit&quot;). Improving body composition and reducing body fat is a healthier goal, irrespective of what the scale says. Weight gain due to creating is unlikely to be unhealthy.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44738", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/2094/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44787, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Without knowing your weak points specifically since turkish get-up is a whole body exercise, here is a list of exercises you can do with a kettlebell that will target every part of your body(you can pick and choose). The bolded ones are the most important, especially for snatch but they will all help contribute:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>kettlebell swing</strong></li>\n<li><strong>glute bridges</strong> (use a kettlebell or don't depending on what you can physically do)</li>\n<li>floor press/ bench press with kettlebell</li>\n<li><strong>shoulder press(one arm)</strong></li>\n<li>arnold press (one arm)</li>\n<li>one arm row</li>\n<li>goblet squat (both regular and wide stance)</li>\n<li><strong>one arm RDL with kettlebell</strong>(if you're weak you can use both hands or hold onto something)</li>\n<li>renegade row (one arm at a time)</li>\n<li>triceps one arm extension</li>\n<li>pushups</li>\n<li>planks</li>\n<li>one arm farmer carries with kettlebell</li>\n<li>waiter's carry with kettlebell(if not too heavy)</li>\n<li>zercher carry with kettlebell</li>\n<li>kettlebell biceps curl (might be difficult if you dont have the strength, so you could substitute with an hammer -to-curl exercise where you start out in the hammer position.)</li>\n<li>two handed kettlebell biceps curl (works different bicep muscles)</li>\n<li>hammer curl with kettle bell</li>\n<li>reverse curl one arm</li>\n<li>forearm wrist curls</li>\n<li>two handed kettlebell press (if you cant do the one arm shoulder press)</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Extra exercises if you have stability ball,sliders, pull-up bar</p>\n<ul>\n<li>stability ball crunch / jackknife</li>\n<li>Hamstring slider curl</li>\n<li>slider crawls</li>\n<li>Leg abduction lunges with sliders</li>\n<li>pullup</li>\n</ul>\n<p>I'd advise you to get resistance bands as well, you can get a full starter set that'll allow you to progressively overload.</p>\n<p>A turkish getup requires strength in multiple muscle groups, so you're limited to really just adding reps and trying to do more and more reps each workout. Strength is best when using high weight and low reps, so I'd advise trying to make each exercise more difficult in some way or adding bands. Because even if you build up your muscular endurance, it doesn't make your body suddenly capable of lifting a 35lb kettlebell overhead if you cant do a kettlebell press above 20, even if you can do 15 reps of 20 lbs. So in the above exercises, if you cant do a shoulder press with 35 lbs, you have limited means to increase shoulder strength unless you can slowly build up to 35 by doing a set of 10 with 20, then 25, than 30, etc.. The floor press will build shoulders but not to a great extent. so while the workout above will help you, I think you'd reach your goal faster with resistance bands, and they are much cheaper than buying a full set of kettlebells. You can also just buy a kettlebell handle with freeweights for a cheaper kettlebell option, but this is more expensive.</p>\n<p>Also for those exercises, I believe there are easier versions for a turkish get-up that could also be done until you've mastered themm.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44790, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is a great puzzle to solve, and I think it is solvable. The basic recipe I would follow is: do what you can until you can do a &quot;reverse&quot; Turkish get-up, starting from the top -- a &quot;Turkish lie-down&quot;? With that in hand, the get-up is not far behind.</p>\n<p>You'll want to prioritize a few specific areas:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>general strength</li>\n<li>overhead stability</li>\n<li>each component element of the get-up</li>\n</ol>\n<p>To me, the highest return-on-investment exercises would be:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>swings</strong> (for general strength)</li>\n<li>goblet squats (for general strength)</li>\n<li>clean and jerks (for overhead stability)</li>\n<li>windmills (for overhead stability, and to work towards the middle steps of the get-up) (this might have to be unweighted for a while)</li>\n<li>ab work (to work towards the first step of the get-up)</li>\n<li><strong>reverse get-ups</strong> (for everything)</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44796, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Given lack of information in your question, I'm going to make a couple of assumptions; a 40lbs kettlebell isn't a significant portion of your bodyweight, it's the initial roll to elbow that you're struggling with for the TGU and you can do a set of 10 single arm swings with it.</p>\n<p>For the Turkish Get Up, this is almost certainly a technique issue. A lot of people misunderstand the driving force when trying to do the roll to elbow portion of the TGU; they imagine it as a crunch with a kettlebell held overhead, whereas it's actually a combination of a push from the bent leg and pull from the elbow of the non-weight bearing arm.</p>\n<p>The way to think of it is that the bent leg is pushing to roll you onto your side, while at the same time, the non-weight bearing arm is pulling to lift your body up until you're on your elbow (<a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jCvQpYsW4I\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">you can drill this later part by having something to pull on with the non-weight bearing arm</a>). <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDS7Grx3mLc\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Mark Wildman has a pretty good video on this first part of the movement</a>.</p>\n<p>For the snatch, my first question would actually be why do you want to snatch? You can get a lot of benefit with the humble kettlebell swing (given that you're a cyclist, the glute strength from the swing will really help) without adding in the learning jump for the snatch. But, that wasn't your question, so...</p>\n<p>The teaching for the snatch has actually changed over the past few years; whereas it used to be taught as a swing that finishes overhead, it's now taught as a clean that finishes overhead, the main difference between the two movements being that with a swing, you keep your arm straight, with the clean, you keep it tucked by your side.</p>\n<p>The kettlebell movements all kind of build on one another, so your single arm swing will help you with your clean. A solid clean gets the weight in position to learn the press, and once you've got a solid clean and press, the snatch is only a small jump away.</p>\n<p>That is how I'd suggest learning, and building the strength up to snatch a 40lbs kettlebell. Get your 1 arm swings solid, to the point you almost find them boring. Then concentrate on the clean and press until you're completely comfortable with the weight in the overhead position (I can highly recommend ladders for this).</p>\n<p>Once you've got those two movements down, then you should be ready to try snatching. If you still don't feel ready, then you can break it down into two different movements (half snatches), either snatch the weight overhead and lower it as you would in a clean and press, or clean and press the weight overhead and lower it as you would a snatch.</p>\n<p>(Note: I train hardstyle, there is a difference if you're looking at more of a kettlebell sport style snatch, but I don't yet have enough experience to talk about that sport style snatch technique)</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44757", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37555/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44759, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>In this scenario, I would look at approaching linear progression with a different metric, perhaps with reps instead of weight. The following is an example of implementing the &quot;Double Progression Method&quot;.</p>\n<p>You're moving from 30 lb x 10 to 35 lb x 10 but that's too big of a jump, you can try 30 lb x 11. If you compare total volume, you're at 300, wanting to move to 350, but you can try 330 instead. Alternately, 35 lb x 9 is going to be 315 which would still be progress when comparing volume.</p>\n<p>So, my suggestion would be to progress with 35x9 or 30x11, and once those are easier move to 35x10 or 30x12. My preference is to 35x9 since I feel there's value in just handling the heavier dumbbells.</p>\n<p>This approach doesn't hold true for everything. You can't compare 30x10 to 300x1. In this scenario though, I think it can help to push through.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44768, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>When the weights don't come in small enough increments, one good option is to vary the reps. I particularly like this approach with weighted dips, but it works for all sorts of exercises, especially upper body pressing.</p>\n<p>A program aiming for &quot;medium weight, 3 sets of 10 reps a few times a week&quot; depends on sets of 10 and changes the weight to progressively challenge the athlete. Ten reps is roughly equivalent to eight or 12, so one way to work around big weight jumps is to start with 3 sets of 8, then the next workout is 3 sets of 9, then 3x10, then 3x11, then 3x12, then add weight and drop back down to 3x8. Adding sets is another way to stretch out the usefulness of the weight on the lighter side of the jump: after 3x12 do 4x12, then 5x12, then add weight and do 3x8.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44758", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/36787/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44776, "author": "Luciano", "author_id": 33822, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33822", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>At 19 years old you're FAR from reaching your peak growth potential.</p>\n<p>Train your calves like any other muscle: train it hard, give it enough time for recovery, keep consistent.</p>\n<p>You already walk every day, which uses your calf muscles. I'd reduce the training sessions to 3 or 4 times per week, to allow for at least 24-48h recovery time - remember: growth doesn't happen in the gym but during recovery!</p>\n<p>Not training it every day also means you can introduce progressive overload, adding more weight whenever you can do all reps and still have some fuel for more (maybe weekly, just a couple of kg every time you increase).</p>\n<p>You could also introduce some variation: instead of doing standing calf raises all the time you could do it 2x week and machine seated raises 1x week. There's no need to have much more than 2 different exercises at this point.</p>\n<p>As stated <a href=\"https://renaissanceperiodization.com/calves-training-tips-hypertrophy/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">in this article by Dr Mike Israetel</a> (emphasis mine):</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>If you are still hitting PRs on the exercise, it’s not causing any undue pains, you’re getting a good mind-muscle connection, and there’s no other need to change it, then don’t change it! <strong>If this means you keep an exercise around for up to a year or more, so be it</strong>!</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Also you could benefit from doing around 10-20 reps per set:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Because the moderate (10-20 rep) range often offers the best tradeoff between stimulus, fatigue, injury risk, and slow/fast fiber specificity, and mind-muscle connection, an argument can be made that a first-time program design could have most weekly working sets for the calves in this range...</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>In short, don't overthink. Train hard, train often, don't get injured, keep eating, you'll see your muscles grow.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44780, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Please do not listen to anyone that tells you to do less. Laughable.</p>\n<p>From your comment on your answer, it seems you are using 9kg plates dropping to 5kg going until you can't do 3 reps.</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Make sure you're going to failure every set.</li>\n<li>Why the hell do you stop at 5 kg. Go until you hit no-weight then stop doing 1 leg calf raises and do 2 leg calf raises. When you can't do 2 leg calf raises anymore rest 30s then go again with 2 leg calf raises for 3 more sets with 30s rests.</li>\n<li>Keep training every day.</li>\n<li>Walk with weights or a vest for 30 minutes every day.</li>\n<li>Always use full calf range of motion. Use a platform for calf raises so the heel can sink down and use your calfs for more vertical height when walking.</li>\n<li>When walking walk more on the outside of the foot stepping off the pinky toe, and lift through your 4 toes rather than your big toe when doing calf raises for balanced development.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>That will do it. You're not using enough volume AT ALL. You are doing what, 20 reps total? 30 maybe? Not going to work.</p>\n<p>Good luck work hard.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44769", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/36828/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44775, "author": "Thomas Markov", "author_id": 34721, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34721", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<h3>You have to find a compromise between how often you want to train, and how quickly you can recover.</h3>\n<p>There is nothing magic about a 3/week full body program. 3/week just happens to be a good frequency for managing fatigue and recovery on a full body program. It gives you one, one, and two days off between workouts, which allows for adequate workout-to-workout recovery. But there's nothing special about it.</p>\n<p>When planning a six day PPL split, you just have to be mindful to allow for adequate recovery between days, which PPL does just fine - you have two and three days between each push workout, two and three days between each pull workout, and two and three days between each leg workout.</p>\n<p>I've had great success adapting a traditional 5x5 3/week program to six days. The traditional 3/week 5x5 follows a ABA-BAB two week protocol, with workouts looking like:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>A: Squat, Bench, Row</p>\n<p>B: Squat, Overhead Press, Deadlift</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This has you squatting three times a week, and everything else thrice every two weeks. This is easily altered to be a feasible 6/week plan:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Mon: Squat, Bench</p>\n<p>Tue: OHP, Row</p>\n<p>Wed: Squat, Other Accessories</p>\n<p>Thu: Bench, Row</p>\n<p>Fri: Squat, OHP</p>\n<p>Sat: Deadlift, Other Accessories</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This gets you the same movements with similar frequency as a traditional 3/week full body split, but spread over six days with some room for accessory work.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44777, "author": "Sean Duggan", "author_id": 8039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8039", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As well as physical burnout, as addressed in Thomas's answer, a 3/week routine helps deal with mental burnout. I believe <a href=\"http://gmb.io\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">the GMB people</a> wrote an article that's a bit more detailed (I can't access it on this computer/network), but essentially, doing three workouts a week not only gives you a chance to do other things on your off evenings, but it makes it less likely that you'll wind up quitting, or taking a long break, because you miss a session. If you're set up to work out Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and you wind up visiting your mother-in-law on Wednesday and don't get the workout in, it's easy to shift the exercise to Thursday and Saturday. It doesn't <em>feel</em> like you missed a workout at the end of the week. On the other hand, if you're exercising six days a week, every shifted workout is a reminder that you <strong>missed</strong> one, and if you miss twice in a week, then you're behind more long-term. As a result, you're more likely to drop into avoidant behavior — not wanting to be reminded that you're behind, you just don't do it at all and then one day, you realize it's been a whole week — and maybe stop completely.</p>\n<p>When you've developed more of a solid habit, then exercise becomes the norm, and so you're less likely to fall off that sharply with a single miss, both because the exercise is an ingrained habit and because you feel more comfortable missing one session, feeling that it won't leave you behind.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44784, "author": "AnoE", "author_id": 25048, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25048", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>If a novice wants to do more than 3x/week, is it detrimental to his progress?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Possibly, yes. The main factor is not whether 6x/week hurts, but that 3x/week <em>works</em>. Nothing is as proven in the amateur sports field as 3x/week training plans, be it in the space of weight training, running, or basically everything.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>If so, why?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Doing a physical activity once per week is usually too little to have noticeable gains (which are important for a newbie, for motivation - why do it at all if it serves little perceived benefits). Twice per week is great for things like martial art training, where it's not only about the physical aspects, but where there's also a big mental part (i.e., learning a lot of new terms and techniques and so on).</p>\n<p>Three per week is magical because it's the highest number that can be distributed over 7 days in a way that gives you a rest day inbetween each session.</p>\n<p>Rest days are important because all the growth (muscles, endurance etc.) <a href=\"https://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-tips/rest-your-body-grow-your-muscles/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">happens in the resting period</a>, not during exercise. The exercises damage your muscles and other systems; in the rest periods the body overcompensates when repairing (by building a little more &quot;stuff&quot; in your physical systems, making you stronger).</p>\n<p>There are also other factors at work. The <a href=\"https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/how-to-combat-cns-overtraining.html\" rel=\"noreferrer\">central nervous system is often brought up together with overtraining</a> - while it may seem that your muscles can take it, at some point all the other little bits and pieces of your body may fall apart if you do high intensity training daily, even though you are spacing individual muscle regions such that they get enough breaks.</p>\n<p>Going a bit more into the mental side, newbies often start out hugely motivated. During the first days and weeks, success is immediate and super pronounced. Soon, this tends to taper off a bit, you get used to all the new activity, it becomes routine. At this point, often real life rears its ugly head - changes in the family, at work etc., and it may become harder to actually go for 6 days a week. While this may be alleviated with high motivation (at the beginning) and general discipline, it can get <em>hard</em>. 3 days a week is usually quite manageable.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>And of course, is it wise to start with 6x/week?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I would start with 3. There are tons of proven, well-working, training plans. Something like <a href=\"https://stronglifts.com/5x5/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Stronglift 5x5</a> (all relevant info is free, so don't take this as advertisement; some of the texts are a little opinionated but the 5 exercises employed are timeless standards) is tuned for exactly the newbie who wants to get results soon, with lots of experience on how the plan works for both well-trained and fresh people.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44785, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This has been answered already but I haven't seen anyone mention this...</p>\n<p>I'd like to add that beginner's bodies are not adapted physically yet to training stimulus, so you only want to train just enough to cause muscular damage/stress and recover, allowing for strength/hypertrophy, etc.. Working out by using one compound movement for each functional plane of movement (bench press, squat, RDL, Rows, etc.) is plenty to workout the entire body enough to cause muscle damage. You only want to do just enough so where your body can recover and grow; doing too much training when your body hasn't adapted yet can lead to overtraining or DOMS, and will jut slow down your progress. Frequency doesn't affect a newbie, in fact newbies recover quickly because they aren't lifting incredibly heavy weights yet, and so lifting very frequently(each muscle gets stimulated 3x a week which is optimum) is key. Full body workouts allow you to build a foundation to your body, and after a year, you'll have to add more work to breakdown your muscles, which also allows you to specialize different muscle group exercises such as accessory work, or to even focus on for example, the short head of the biceps versus training the entire biceps. Advanced workouts such as 6 day workouts or one muscle group a day workouts are more geared towards people with 3-5 years of experience, as they need to do many exercises just to breakdown the muscle. You may see workouts where some people are doing 5-6 exercises for chest for example one day a week. The workout is so intense with heavy weights and volume on the chest that it takes about 3-4 days to recover, which is why generally old school workouts train just one muscle group a day.</p>\n<p>An important tip, train for the body you have, not the body you want. Don't look up a celebrity workout or something intense and try it, start out nice and slow with just enough exercises to workout your body. you can add volume and exercises as your body gets more accustomed.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44792, "author": "EvilSnack", "author_id": 28542, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28542", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The other thing that newbies can do is to do weight training on a M-W-F basis, and then do cardio on three of the remaining days, with one final day to completely relax.</p>\n<p>For best results, the cardio should not rely heavily on muscles that were worked on the previous day; just get the heart up to 80%-85% of your max, keep it there for 20 minutes, and then cool down with light cardio.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44774", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33727/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44854, "author": "cinderashes", "author_id": 37693, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37693", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Moderate exercise in most studies has shown improvements of health markers concerning the cardiovascular system. The 12km bicycling is definitely giving you a lot of improvements concerning overall health.</p>\n<p>A high heart rate when exercising without underlying conditions isn't that bad. I would be more concerned about irregular stressful activities such as a 3 hour bicycle ride when you're ill prepared for it. That is because the benefit you get from this on a weight loss perspective is minimal but the chance of overall burnout is high. That's because these sessions are very stressful overall. If you're interested in HIIT training which is typically seen as very beneficial for weight loss overall you will spike your heart rate to 90% capacity frequently.</p>\n<p>You would benefit more from reducing the bicycle ride to 1 hour and using the 2 other hours for anaerobic exercise. This can be either weight training or high intensity interval training. Best weight loss plan remains a good diet plan, but a mix of consistent aerobic and anaerobic exercises helps you reach weight loss goals in a better way.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44859, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A lot of people confuse what's not good for weight loss must not be good for the body. Cycling that much will definitely improve your health and cardiovascular system tremendously. There's two main issues I can think of when doing cycling and losing weight:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><p>cardio exercises lasting longer than an hour and more than low intensity seem to plateau your results and burn more glycogen than actual fat after the first hour, which is why you'll never see &quot;go for a 3 hour walk&quot; as part of a fat loss diet, but &quot;go for an hour walk&quot; or an hour bike ride is fine. This just means it's burning carbs and possibly a little muscle more than it is pure fat.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Doing the same cardio exercise multiple times a week will cause your body to adapt to that exercise, making it not lose weight as efficiently. Your body is built for survival, so if it sees that you are cycling every day, it'll adapt and find a way to store fat or energy better and burn less energy doing so. The end result is that you quit losing as much weight.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p>My advice? If you're making progress, don't worry about it too much. if you aren't, you can cycle your cardio exercises and try to choose a healthy mix of low, medium, and high intensity exercises throughout the week, keeping in mind the higher intensity, the shorter the exercise should be. Try not to do cardio every single day of the week either, a low, medium, and high intensity cardio exercise each week should be plenty.. the goal really is just to burn extra calories that you don't burn from dieting. You could also add weightlifting if you have access into the mix. If you love cycling, then keep doing it, it just might not be the most efficient way to burn fat, but it's definitely heart healthy.</p>\n<p>I also like to cycle between eat less, exercise less - and eat more, exercise more. Spend a few weeks mostly dieting, than a few weeks mostly exercising. But this is up to you</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44863, "author": "Michael", "author_id": 21796, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21796", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The main problem with long and intense exercise is that it requires a lot of recovery afterwards. Even somebody in fairly good shape will feel an all-out 3 hour ride the next day and probably even the day after that.</p>\n<p>It also increases the risk of over-use injuries. On a bicycle an exhausted state also increases the risk of traffic accidents.</p>\n<p>Recovery gets even harder on a calorie deficit.</p>\n<p>Most good professional training programs limit long all-out sessions to a few times a year (often in the form of races). Normal training is either long&amp;easy or short (&lt;1 hour) but hard. The goal of long easy sessions is usually to build endurance (for which low intensity is good enough). The short but hard sessions (often interval training) improve your muscles’ maximum strength, VO2max, anaerobic capacity and so on.</p>\n<p>That being said, if you can manage it recovery-wise and injury-wise there is nothing inherently bad about doing long rides at a higher intensity.</p>\n<p>A single-speed bike is probably sub-optimal for good, structured training since you can only adjust intensity in a limited range.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44853", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37692/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44875, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you're a man, your belly is your body's primary fat storage location. Quite literally, the only way to get rid of it is to reduce your body fat levels. Eating different types of food will make no difference if your total calorie intake is the same. Exercise also can't specifically reduce belly fat, in the sense that that sit-ups will only increase muscle volume in the belly, they won't reduce belly fat.</p>\n<p>I'd suggest measuring your waist circumference and comparing it to <a href=\"https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/waist-circumference-guidelines-for-different-ethnic-groups/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">the guidelines</a> for your ethnicity. If you're over the recommended maximum waist circumference, then it may be worth considering deliberate efforts to lose weight. If you're well under the recommendations, then losing additional body fat is likely to be extremely difficult, and probably isn't worth bothering with. It may instead just be that you hold unrealistic expectations about how much belly fat a person should have.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44927, "author": "Luciano", "author_id": 33822, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33822", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As mentioned in David's answer, to have a flat belly you have to lose body fat. Tracking your calories will definitely help with that.</p>\n<p>Counter-intuitively, you might need to eat more instead of eating less. Reason: if you don't have enough muscle mass you'll need to lose a lot of body fat to get a flat belly, by which point you'll look emaciated (which I don't believe is anyone's objective).</p>\n<p>In that case, you're better off building some extra muscle first, then losing some of the fat you'll gain. People with high enough muscle mass don't need extremely low fat % to have visible ab muscles.</p>\n<p>Make sure you eat enough protein in the process - you can't build muscle if you don't.</p>\n<p>Try to keep your diet composed mostly of whole foods, avoid excessive processed food. Those can also cause water retention and bloat. Drink enough water to stay hydrated - something around 1 liter per 20kg of body weight.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44873", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37755/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44884, "author": "Gyrfalcon", "author_id": 19117, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/19117", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I agree claims in miracle programs make no sense as they typical not even are based on the athlete's physics or technical abilities. You have realized this, so let us skip that part.</p>\n<p>Squat is a technically demanding exercise, and if you learn to master the technique you do not need to be young nor strong nor 7 ft high to squat a completely insane weight.\n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Hatfield#:%7E:text=Frederick%20C.%20Hatfield%20%28October%2021%2C%201942%20%E2%80%93%20May,certifies%20personal%20fitness%20trainers%20from%20around%20the%20world.\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Dr. Squat</a> aka Frederick Hatfield was not much taller than you. Take a look at his shocking world record he set at an age of 45.</p>\n<p>Now, which progress should you expect?\nI suggest you consider which progresses you should avoid.\nIf you are training, eating, sleeping etc correctly, then your muscles easily gains strength even you do not live in <a href=\"https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/the-colorado-experiment-fact-or-fiction\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Colorado</a>, but what about your <a href=\"https://legendarystrength.com/joint-strength/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">joints?</a> And your technique? <strong>You do not want injuries.</strong>\nConsider not to increase the load more than 5-10% per week, and bear in mind that people react to training in different <a href=\"https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/body-types-ectomorph-mesomorph-endomorph.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">ways.</a> What is good for one athlete is not always optimal for another one. Reasonable training is not just like following a simple recipe.</p>\n<p>Scientific literature is full of reports like those tables you are asking for. But, as you almost have realized, parameters are endless and unsure or unknown.</p>\n<p>If you exercise using a high load and a low number of reps as suggested by Mehdi then you will improve <a href=\"https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170710091652.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">rate of voluntary activation.</a> This means even to measure your actual progress is not a simple task.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44886, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>How I should measure <em>my</em> progress[?]</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>The only way you should measure and/or gauge your progress is by tracking and comparing against yourself. To be clear, <strong>the best metric is your own individual progress</strong>. What did you lift yesterday, last week, last month, or last year? How do you compare against that? That's the <em>best</em> measure.</p>\n<p><em>Why?</em> Ultimately, there is no way to compare two individuals in their journey through fitness. People don't have the same height, weight, hormone levels, stress levels, nutrition, leverages, training plans, technique, support, money, or time. The list could go on. If I were to look at every Gymshark 16-year-old-upcoming-powerlifting-star who out lifts me on every lift and ask myself why I'm not that good, I'd go insane.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>With that said -- I get wanting to know how you stand. I'm in powerlifting. That's literally the sport. The best way to make sure you're not setting unrealistic goals is by keeping your strength expectations relative. <a href=\"https://www.strongerbyscience.com/objective-strength-standards/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This article from StrongerByScience</a> talks about objective strength standards and also links to a very popular <a href=\"https://exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Strength Standards Table</a>. Specifically, <a href=\"https://exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/SquatStandardsKg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Squat</a>, <a href=\"https://exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/BenchStandardsKg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Bench Press</a>, and <a href=\"https://exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/DeadliftStandardsKg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Deadlift</a> in kg. Remember, when you're looking at these tables you should be using your 1RM for the lift. If you've done a 3RM you'd want to convert it to an e1RM using something like <a href=\"https://www.rpecalculator.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this calculator</a>. For example, if you can Squat 60 kg for 3 reps, and you think you still could've done <em>3 more reps</em> to absolute failure you'd enter:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Weight: 60<br />\nReps: 3<br />\nRPE: 7**<br />\nView your Estimated 1 Rep Max: 72.5</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Based on the website's definitions, if we accept them, then we'd be saying that we are to reach the intermediate level, for a given body-weight, within a couple of years of training that specific lift, with intention, nutrition, and support.</p>\n<p>September 2021 you hit 60/60/80 kg on SBD but with +20-30 kg on squat and deadlift with form breakdown. I don't advocate for bad form and form breakdown is not good for training or long-term health, but unless it's severe, I'd count it. A 90 kg squat, 60 kg bench, 110 kg deadlift at 61 kg BW puts you around ~Intermediate/Novice/Intermediate. If September was a month, that makes February six months, and I'd say you're making excellent progress.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>** Quick RPE breakdown: If you did a rep and you absolutely could not have done any more reps or weight, that's a 10. Could've done more weight but not another rep? 9.5. Another rep? 9. Two reps? 8. Three reps? 7. Four reps? Your training weight isn't heavy enough.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44883", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44884, "author": "Gyrfalcon", "author_id": 19117, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/19117", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I agree claims in miracle programs make no sense as they typical not even are based on the athlete's physics or technical abilities. You have realized this, so let us skip that part.</p>\n<p>Squat is a technically demanding exercise, and if you learn to master the technique you do not need to be young nor strong nor 7 ft high to squat a completely insane weight.\n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Hatfield#:%7E:text=Frederick%20C.%20Hatfield%20%28October%2021%2C%201942%20%E2%80%93%20May,certifies%20personal%20fitness%20trainers%20from%20around%20the%20world.\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Dr. Squat</a> aka Frederick Hatfield was not much taller than you. Take a look at his shocking world record he set at an age of 45.</p>\n<p>Now, which progress should you expect?\nI suggest you consider which progresses you should avoid.\nIf you are training, eating, sleeping etc correctly, then your muscles easily gains strength even you do not live in <a href=\"https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/the-colorado-experiment-fact-or-fiction\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Colorado</a>, but what about your <a href=\"https://legendarystrength.com/joint-strength/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">joints?</a> And your technique? <strong>You do not want injuries.</strong>\nConsider not to increase the load more than 5-10% per week, and bear in mind that people react to training in different <a href=\"https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/body-types-ectomorph-mesomorph-endomorph.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">ways.</a> What is good for one athlete is not always optimal for another one. Reasonable training is not just like following a simple recipe.</p>\n<p>Scientific literature is full of reports like those tables you are asking for. But, as you almost have realized, parameters are endless and unsure or unknown.</p>\n<p>If you exercise using a high load and a low number of reps as suggested by Mehdi then you will improve <a href=\"https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170710091652.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">rate of voluntary activation.</a> This means even to measure your actual progress is not a simple task.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44886, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>How I should measure <em>my</em> progress[?]</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>The only way you should measure and/or gauge your progress is by tracking and comparing against yourself. To be clear, <strong>the best metric is your own individual progress</strong>. What did you lift yesterday, last week, last month, or last year? How do you compare against that? That's the <em>best</em> measure.</p>\n<p><em>Why?</em> Ultimately, there is no way to compare two individuals in their journey through fitness. People don't have the same height, weight, hormone levels, stress levels, nutrition, leverages, training plans, technique, support, money, or time. The list could go on. If I were to look at every Gymshark 16-year-old-upcoming-powerlifting-star who out lifts me on every lift and ask myself why I'm not that good, I'd go insane.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>With that said -- I get wanting to know how you stand. I'm in powerlifting. That's literally the sport. The best way to make sure you're not setting unrealistic goals is by keeping your strength expectations relative. <a href=\"https://www.strongerbyscience.com/objective-strength-standards/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">This article from StrongerByScience</a> talks about objective strength standards and also links to a very popular <a href=\"https://exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Strength Standards Table</a>. Specifically, <a href=\"https://exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/SquatStandardsKg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Squat</a>, <a href=\"https://exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/BenchStandardsKg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Bench Press</a>, and <a href=\"https://exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/DeadliftStandardsKg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Deadlift</a> in kg. Remember, when you're looking at these tables you should be using your 1RM for the lift. If you've done a 3RM you'd want to convert it to an e1RM using something like <a href=\"https://www.rpecalculator.com/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">this calculator</a>. For example, if you can Squat 60 kg for 3 reps, and you think you still could've done <em>3 more reps</em> to absolute failure you'd enter:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Weight: 60<br />\nReps: 3<br />\nRPE: 7**<br />\nView your Estimated 1 Rep Max: 72.5</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Based on the website's definitions, if we accept them, then we'd be saying that we are to reach the intermediate level, for a given body-weight, within a couple of years of training that specific lift, with intention, nutrition, and support.</p>\n<p>September 2021 you hit 60/60/80 kg on SBD but with +20-30 kg on squat and deadlift with form breakdown. I don't advocate for bad form and form breakdown is not good for training or long-term health, but unless it's severe, I'd count it. A 90 kg squat, 60 kg bench, 110 kg deadlift at 61 kg BW puts you around ~Intermediate/Novice/Intermediate. If September was a month, that makes February six months, and I'd say you're making excellent progress.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>** Quick RPE breakdown: If you did a rep and you absolutely could not have done any more reps or weight, that's a 10. Could've done more weight but not another rep? 9.5. Another rep? 9. Two reps? 8. Three reps? 7. Four reps? Your training weight isn't heavy enough.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44887", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/36768/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44903, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>(I'm going to ignore the fact that the nutrition side of things is much much more complex than calories in vs calories out and focus on the exercise part).</p>\n<p>If your main concern is burning calories (exercise for weight loss), then your friend is right, you want to do exercises that you are very inefficient at. You see this all the time in people who take up jogging in an attempt to lose weight, they hit a point where they've become so efficient at jogging that they have to continually jog for longer to get the same weight loss effect.</p>\n<p>Cardiovascular endurance also falls into this efficiency concern; you are going to be more cardiovascularly &quot;fit&quot; at activities and movement patterns that you're more efficient at than those you aren't. If you can bike faster for longer than I can, but I can row faster for longer, who has more cardiovascular endurance?</p>\n<p>For muscle growth, honestly, lift weights. You might see some muscular growth on your legs from using an exercise bike, but it'll be dependent on your level of exertion. If you use the bike on it's easiest difficulty, you'll see less muscular growth than using it at a much tougher difficulty. Plus, there's no upper body stimulus on an exercise bike (unless you're using it in a way I'm unfamiliar with).</p>\n<p>Having said all that, there are a few different schools of thought on all of this. Phil Maffetone, from my limited reading, suggests longer sessions at a limited heart rate (I believe 180 - age, with a little wiggle room) to enable the body to use fat stores as an energy source. StrongFirst combines this with their antiglycolytic approach. CrossFit seems to want you to work until you collapse and almost drown in a puddle of your own sweat, then keep going.</p>\n<p>If you do want to stick to using an exercise bike, there's no reason you can't mix up different modalities, do some sessions as longer, slower, lower heart rate sessions and some as high intensity interval training (HIIT, <strong>NOT HIT</strong>, that's something different).</p>\n<p>Motivation also plays a massive part of this. If I tell you you'll get much better results running than biking, but you hate running, you're less likely to actually go for a run. People think that they can keep pushing themselves to do something they don't enjoy in order to get results, and it may well be true for a while, but at some point motivation is going to fade away, so I'd suggest that whatever you do, make sure you enjoy at least part of it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44912, "author": "the_endian", "author_id": 35426, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/35426", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p><em>Is there any reason that using just a bike, stationary or not, for all of my cardio workouts would be detrimental to my goal of increasing cardiovascular endurance, lung health, muscle growth/health and losing weight?</em></p>\n<p>Yes for the following reasons:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Boredom</li>\n<li>Overuse injuries</li>\n<li>Safety</li>\n<li>Well-rounded fitness</li>\n</ol>\n<h1>Boredom</h1>\n<p>You stated that you currently enjoy bicycling the most. While this may be true, it may not be after you've been bicyling non-stop as your only form of cardio over the next 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, etc... Eventually, the excitement and hype of bicycling may die down, and this may not even be entirely in your control. For example, you may have to move to a different area that has roads that are not as conducive to cycling, the gym you use to cycle indoors may switch to bikes you don't enjoy etc...</p>\n<p>In any of those (or other) circumstances, it's beneficial to have some alternative means of cardio exercise.</p>\n<h1>Overuse Injuries</h1>\n<p>Overuse injuries generally occur when parts of the body repetitively perform the same motions over and over either for too many repetitions, bearing too much load, or when some combination of too many repetitions and too much load are present. While overuse injuries can be limited by &quot;working one's way up slowly&quot; (such as increasing mileage on the bicycle a couple miles per week), in my experience, just doing one form of exercise indefinitely always leads to overuse injuries at some point.</p>\n<p>Perhaps most importantly, when you do suffer from a cycling-related overuse injury, you can potentially continue to get the benefits of exercise by doing another activity that allows the injury to rest and recover. If cycling is your only form, you may have to cease exercise completely or try something entirely new.</p>\n<h1>Safety</h1>\n<p>There are other physical safety reasons why I choose to run rather than bike. For example, if my cardio day lands on a rainy day I usually run. Why? Because I don't want to risk riding over some slick surface on the asphalt, losing my traction, and crashing. I also don't want to deal with lousy automobile drivers losing control of their vehicles and hitting me. It seems they are already bad enough when it's sunny and dry.</p>\n<h1>Well-rounded fitness</h1>\n<p>You may notice other positive effects of engaging in other forms of cardio (and strength training) that will offer a more well-rounded fitness regimen. For example, bicycling works a finite group of muscles and supportive tissue - running and swimming works other groups and aspects of muscles and connective tissues. I've actually seen muscle tone develop independently different by all of these exercises. Additionally, <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3554602/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">studies have shown</a> that bicycling actually decreases bone mineral density beyond not working out at all. However, exercises such as weightlifting, running, and jumprope - basically exercises that are either weightbearing or high-impact - increase bone mineral density.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44896", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37582/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44902, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>I'm mostly interested in strength and endurance gains, if that matters\nto the question.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Strength and endurance are both skills, and as such, both respond much better to frequent rather than occasional practice.</p>\n<p>Given your example and the question of how different their gains would be, unfortunately it's not really that easy to give a quantifiable answer. The person doing more frequent press ups would definitely see an improvement in their ability to do press ups as they become more efficient at the movement. I would also imagine they'd see more muscular hypertrophy (muscle growth), though diet can play a big part of that.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44904, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>It's not the total amount of work you do that matters, it's the volume, or the total amount of work per unit of time.</p>\n<p>Compare the two people over a year - person A would have done approximately 7,000 pushups, while person B would have only done 1,300. Person A is doing over five times more exercise. Only if their volumes (number of sets or reps per week) were matched despite their different training frequencies (numbers of times exercising per week), such as if person A were doing a set of 25 pushups on four days of each week, and person B were doing four sets of 25 pushups on one day per week, would you expect them to have similar results.</p>\n<p>Even with your comparison of person A after 50 days to person B after 280 days, when both have done 1,000 pushups in total, person A is still likely to have made greater progress. This is because muscle is in a state of near continuous breakdown, and it takes an ongoing training stimulus in order to prevent net muscle loss by ensuring that the amount of muscle being built is at least as the amount that is being lost. So while both people will have experienced the same training stimulus of 1,000 pushups, and hence the same stimulus for muscle growth, this needs to be offset by the fact that person B has experienced 280 days' of muscle breakdown, while person A has only experienced 50 days' worth. So person A will definitely have more muscle at that point (assuming they respond equally to training).</p>\n<p>Consider muscle gain to be like a leaky bucket. You can still fill the bucket, but only if you're adding water (doing training) at a rate faster than that at which water is leaking from the bucket (muscle breakdown).</p>\n<p>Finally, it should be noted that because neither person is incorporating any form of progressive loading (often called &quot;progressive overload&quot;) into their training, neither is actually likely to make much progress. If every workout you do 25 pushups and never try to increase that number or add extra resistance, then you will very quickly get to the point where 25 pushups isn't enough to make you stronger, and you'll stop making any progress.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44897", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37785/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44939, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I can't speak with certainty to McGill's intentions for these exercises, other than to point out that in his book Low Back Disorders 2e (2007), they are listed as beginner's remedial exercises, which suggests they are intended to be used by those suffering debilitating back pain. It's not surprising then that a healthy person would find them pointlessly easy.</p>\n<p>I've similarly found them to not be at all challenging, and so I just don't bother doing them. If they're so easy as to provide no challenge at all, then I think it's reasonable to conclude that doing them would just be a waste of time.</p>\n<p>The only variant of these exercises that McGill lists in the advanced exercises section of the book it a bird-dog made more challenging by the addition of wrist and ankle weights, and/or explosive movements.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44944, "author": "JohnP", "author_id": 3736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3736", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It all really depends on you and what you want to be getting out of the workout.</p>\n<p>A warmup should be around five to ten minutes of activity to raise your body temperature a bit, prep the muscles that you will be working in your workout and get mentally ready for the workout. An effective warmup will help minimize injuries and increase the effectiveness of your exercises. It can include cardio, muscle activation activities, foam rolling, light load exercise (So if you are doing chest, light/no load bar presses and similar).</p>\n<p>So you can make the warmup more challenging, but then is it a warmup or is it part of your lifting?</p>\n<p>With regards to the Big 3, if they are going to part of the workout then make them more challenging. If not, evaluate if they are serving the purpose of the warmup. If they are, keep them. If not, then either change them slightly or drop them in favor of specific activity to facilitate the purpose of the ensuing workout.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44953, "author": "John M", "author_id": 23984, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/23984", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I agree with JohnP regarding the purpose of a warm-up. Also, you don't state what else you're doing in your workout but consider that it's really not a good idea to be fatiguing your core muscles too much before any heavy lifting, particularly for exercises such as squats and deadlifts.</p>\n<p>If you do wish to progress the exercises I would suggest doing this towards the end of your workout, there are several options:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Curl-up - move arms from under your back to behind or above your head. You could also hold a weight directly above your head.</li>\n<li>Bird-dog - Progress from doing this on your hands/knees to elbows/knees (with torso and thighs in a straight line) and then to hands/elbows and feet (with torso and legs in a straight line)</li>\n<li>Side plank - progress from bent knees to straight knees. To progress further you can try lifting your upper leg slightly or clutch a small weight plate to your chest.</li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44936", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44939, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I can't speak with certainty to McGill's intentions for these exercises, other than to point out that in his book Low Back Disorders 2e (2007), they are listed as beginner's remedial exercises, which suggests they are intended to be used by those suffering debilitating back pain. It's not surprising then that a healthy person would find them pointlessly easy.</p>\n<p>I've similarly found them to not be at all challenging, and so I just don't bother doing them. If they're so easy as to provide no challenge at all, then I think it's reasonable to conclude that doing them would just be a waste of time.</p>\n<p>The only variant of these exercises that McGill lists in the advanced exercises section of the book it a bird-dog made more challenging by the addition of wrist and ankle weights, and/or explosive movements.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44944, "author": "JohnP", "author_id": 3736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3736", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It all really depends on you and what you want to be getting out of the workout.</p>\n<p>A warmup should be around five to ten minutes of activity to raise your body temperature a bit, prep the muscles that you will be working in your workout and get mentally ready for the workout. An effective warmup will help minimize injuries and increase the effectiveness of your exercises. It can include cardio, muscle activation activities, foam rolling, light load exercise (So if you are doing chest, light/no load bar presses and similar).</p>\n<p>So you can make the warmup more challenging, but then is it a warmup or is it part of your lifting?</p>\n<p>With regards to the Big 3, if they are going to part of the workout then make them more challenging. If not, evaluate if they are serving the purpose of the warmup. If they are, keep them. If not, then either change them slightly or drop them in favor of specific activity to facilitate the purpose of the ensuing workout.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44953, "author": "John M", "author_id": 23984, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/23984", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I agree with JohnP regarding the purpose of a warm-up. Also, you don't state what else you're doing in your workout but consider that it's really not a good idea to be fatiguing your core muscles too much before any heavy lifting, particularly for exercises such as squats and deadlifts.</p>\n<p>If you do wish to progress the exercises I would suggest doing this towards the end of your workout, there are several options:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Curl-up - move arms from under your back to behind or above your head. You could also hold a weight directly above your head.</li>\n<li>Bird-dog - Progress from doing this on your hands/knees to elbows/knees (with torso and thighs in a straight line) and then to hands/elbows and feet (with torso and legs in a straight line)</li>\n<li>Side plank - progress from bent knees to straight knees. To progress further you can try lifting your upper leg slightly or clutch a small weight plate to your chest.</li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44967", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37872/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44985, "author": "Zack The Coach", "author_id": 37882, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37882", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>When it comes to losing fat, both less calorie intake and more cardio can be effective. However, which one is more effective depends on the individual. For some people, reducing their calorie intake may be more effective for fat loss. For others, doing more cardio may be more effective. Ultimately, the best way to determine what works best for you is to experiment with both and see what gives you the best results.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44990, "author": "gustafc", "author_id": 32817, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32817", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There's been a <a href=\"https://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11518804/weight-loss-exercise-myth-burn-calories\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">lot of research</a> done on this subject, and the conclusion is that trying to lose weight just by working out doesn't, uh, <em>work out</em>. There are three main reasons why this is the case:</p>\n<p><strong>Eating is easier than working out.</strong> Eating X calories is a lot quicker and easier than exercising away X calories. There's a lot of <a href=\"https://www.coachmag.co.uk/running/8065/how-many-calories-does-running-burn\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">inherent trickiness of knowing how much you burn</a> (pro tip: whatever your fitness tracker says, it's probably way more than you actually burn), but if we say it's somewhere between 50-100 kcal/km, it means you have to run somewhere between 5.5-11 km (≈ 3.4-6.8 miles) to burn off the <a href=\"https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/big-mac.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">550 kcal in a Big Mac</a>. Oh, and if you had <a href=\"https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/coca-cola-medium.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">soda (210 kcal)</a> and <a href=\"https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/medium-french-fries.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">fries (320 kcal)</a> with your burger, you'd basically have to double the workout.</p>\n<p><strong>Working out makes you hungrier.</strong> Your body will notice the energy expenditure and try to replenish its reserves. If you just eat until you're not hungry (i.e. no calorie restriction), you'll likely eat enough to compensate (or maybe even over-compensate) for whatever you lost during workout. (If you're an elite-level athlete this may not be true, but they are exercising for several hours per day, on average.)</p>\n<p><strong>Working out lowers your non-exercise energy expenditure.</strong> Contrary to popular belief, exercise does not make you burn more during the rest of the day - you'll burn less. This could be because of conscious actions (taking the elevator instead of the stairs because your legs are really tired after that long run), by unconsciously reducing activity (you get up out of your chair fewer times during the day because your body doesn't tell it wants to move since it already did), and even through fully involuntary mechanisms (i.e., your basal metabolic rate dropping).</p>\n<p>(This is called the <strong>constrained energy model</strong>.)</p>\n<p>If you want to lose weight, or more specifically lose body fat, these should be your priorities, in order of importance:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Restricting calorie intake, since a calorie deficit is the only way you'll actually lose body mass</li>\n<li>Strength training and a high protein intake, since they both <a href=\"https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpendo.00590.2013\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">improve the ratio of fat to muscle lost</a> (not much point in losing weight if it's mostly muscles - relatively speaking, you'd be fatter afterwards!)</li>\n<li>Cardio, but more for the general positive health effects than for the calories it burns (although it may give you a little more wiggle-room with the calories)</li>\n</ol>\n<h2><strong>Edit to address OP's edit:</strong></h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>What I faced in while I restricted my calorie intake(even by keeping high amount of protein intake) was more muscle pain, lateق recovery and having not enough energy to workout as before, by the end I felt I am loosing muscle even more than fat!</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Why do you think you were losing muscle? It's perfectly normal to feel weaker than usual when cutting; I mean, you <em>are</em> basically starving yourself. A cut isn't something you do for its inherent fun, I'm sorry to say.</p>\n<p>You have to consider that when you're on a calorie deficit that the maximum training volume you can tolerate decreases, so you might need to lower it a bit (decreasing weights, doing fewer sets and/or reps). Sounds like this might've been the case for you.</p>\n<p>However - since you wrote in a comment to a <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/q/44975/32817\">recent post on a similar subject</a> that you had lost 2-3 lbs, you may have lost neither muscle nor fat - 2 lbs can easily be accounted for by hydration, how much and what type of food you have in your guts, how much glycogen you have stored in liver and muscles, and probably more that I forgot.</p>\n<p>Personally, I've noticed that my own weight can easily vary about 1% from day to day when I'm in calorie balance. If I recall my bro-science correctly, the recommended rate of weight loss is roughly about 0.5%/week (so 1 lb/week if you're 200 lbs; more than that and you'll start losing more muscle), so even if you're doing things right it'll be hard to tell if you really lost weight any for the first two weeks, or if it's just the usual fluctuation. My advice is to weigh yourself often (every day in the morning, after any toilet visits but before breakfast), plot the results, and look at the <em>trend</em> rather than what the scales happen to say this particular morning.</p>\n<p>The only thing that will see you losing <em>weight</em> is a calorie deficit. This is the hard, cold, nonnegotiable truth. You can certainly try to achieve that by lots of cardio and unrestricted eating. If you're like most people, it won't work because your body will trick you into compensating for the calorie loss, through a combination of eating more, doing less non-exercise activity, and lowering your metabolism. If it does work for you, well, congratulations, you achieved a calorie deficit without a conscious calorie restriction.</p>\n<p>As for losing <em>fat</em>, I guess that if you are in calorie balance and you do proper strength training, your body should slowly recomposition to less fat and more muscle. Might take a while though (and it will likely be slower the less flabby you get), so don't count on sixpack abs this summer if you start now.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44977", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/30696/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44988, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 6, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Gyms need to have pull-up bars that are high enough that even their tallest members can use them without their knees hitting the ground. They may prefer to have them even higher, so that tall people can even use them without needing to bend their knees, which is possibly beneficial for CrossFit-style swinging pull-ups, though this will then mean that most people will need a box or step to get up to the bar. Hence they'll typically be at a height of 2m or higher.</p>\n<p>If you're mounting a pull-up bar for your personal use only, then you can definitely set it at whatever height is most comfortable or convenient for you.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44989, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>What most people disregard when it comes to pull-ups is that during an actual proper pull-up, your legs and core should be engaged and tensed. You want to be able to hold this throughout the entire range of motion. To do a proper controlled pull-up, you don't want to have bent knees or legs that are rotated back at the hips.</p>\n<p>If you can reach the bar easily while standing on the floor, you won't be able to have your legs straight at the lowest point of the motion.</p>\n<p>Furthermore as mentioned before, the gym has to take into account that there are people of many different shapes and sizes, which includes height.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44987", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/11931/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44992, "author": "gustafc", "author_id": 32817, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32817", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>i heard that i should not run after a meal coz of appendicitis...</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>If someone says something like this, they should back up their claims with scientific studies. If they can't, they're either lying (this is most often the case if they are also selling something), or at best repeating a myth they once heard. Trusting their advice &quot;out of precaution&quot; may sound reasonable, but if you follow every piece of advice strangers on the Internet give you &quot;out of precaution&quot;, you'll pretty soon end up not being able to do anything.</p>\n<p>Having said that, there are many good reasons not exercise directly after eating. You'll likely be a bit sluggish, as your body is busy processing the food. It also happens at powerlifting competitions (and I assume, in gyms outside of competitions) that people vomit when doing heavy lifts (especially deadlifts), which sometimes is attributed to eating and/or drinking too much too close before your lift. (Nope, no citation for this, but my own empirical data say that a full stomach and high intra-abdominal pressure is not a great combination.)</p>\n<p>But no, there doesn't seem to be any reasons to be concerned for physiological safety. (Vomiting on a roid-rage kind of guy at the gym may be very bad for your personal safety, though.)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45000, "author": "Dude", "author_id": 32346, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32346", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I wouldn't worry about this. Nothing about eating before lifting will cause appendicitis. In fact you should have a meal preferably one with a good carbohydrate source 30-45 minutes before training. I've even eaten entire meals or drank a gallon of milk while I've lifted. Rest periods after sets are a good place to get extra calories in if you need them. If this is a sport and not just lifting then you don't want to be overly full b/c you won't feel good but nothing to do with appendicitis. Best of success. Don't worry, be happy, have a donut, and go deadlift.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44991", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37673/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44996, "author": "MJB", "author_id": 20039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20039", "pm_score": 6, "selected": true, "text": "<p><strong>Yes, the other 8kcal will come from the body.</strong> I am not sure if it will only purely be fat, the body can break down other tissue such as muscle tissue if it needs to. But yes it will come from burning tissue such as fat.</p>\n<p>You could (I would even say you should) in fact consume a lot more calories than 3000 during a 20 hour bike ride, though you need to train your body to be able to do so. <strong>It shouldn't be too hard to eat about 400kcal an hour, which results in 8000 over the entire 20 hours.</strong> The important part here is that you simply have to eat, whether you're hungry or not. You will need to practice this during shorter training rides. Pro cyclists actually train their body to consume up to 100 grams of carbs an hour during a 6-7 hour race.</p>\n<p>When your body burns fat storage <strong>the majority of this is exhaled as carbon dioxide. About 85% of burned calories is exhaled</strong>, the last 15% leaves the body in liquid form (through your skin as you sweat, through urinating, etc).</p>\n<p>Your multi-day endurance is limited by a number of factors which includes the amount of glycogen and bodyfat you have stored. This is not the only limiting factor though. Things like you VO2max and aerobic threshold are factors also you need to take into account. (on top of replenishing stores outside of the workout)</p>\n<p>EDIT: A great video that explains how the burning of calories works <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuIlsN32WaE\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">can be found here</a></p>\n<p>Other sources, <a href=\"https://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g7257\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">When somebody loses weight, where does the fat go?</a> and <a href=\"https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/26/health/lose-weight-where-does-it-go-partner/index.html#:%7E:text=The%20correct%20answer%20is%20that,lost%20as%20urine%20or%20sweat.&amp;text=If%20you%20lose%2010%20pounds,1.6%20pounds%20turns%20into%20water.\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Where fat goes when you lose weight</a>.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44998, "author": "Michael", "author_id": 21796, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21796", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Regarding this bit:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I typically find that my appetite is elevated for a couple of days\nafter such a ride, but not during or immediately after.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>It’s not just your appetite or calorie deficit from the ride itself. Resting Energy Expenditure is increased in the hours after exercise. See for example this study: <a href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1038/oby.2006.236\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1038/oby.2006.236</a></p>\n<p>It’s unclear which mechanism is exactly causing it. The Discussion in the study is interesting, for example they mention:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The increased REE in the untrained subjects was accompanied by\nsignificantly higher serum creatine kinase levels at 24, 48, and 72\nhours post-exercise, suggesting that significant muscle damage had\noccurred as a consequence of the training.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Interestingly enough after injuries or surgery REE is also increased. Kind of shows that inflammation and repairs in general seem to required food and energy.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45003, "author": "AnoE", "author_id": 25048, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25048", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, the kcal that do not come from the food you consume or the glycogen stored in your muscles comes from &quot;your body&quot;.</p>\n<p>The most of it will come from fat; I do not know how large of a percentage (if at all) would come from muscle mass (i.e. protein) if you have plenty of fat in storage.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>What happens to that 1 kg of fat?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Within your fat storage cells, which are always there, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatty_acid\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">fatty acids</a> are stored whenever you have enough (or rather too much) nutrients floating around in your bloodstream.</p>\n<p>The cells are always there and do not get created or destroyed; think of them like fuel tanks where the fatty acids can be or - if depleted - not be in store.</p>\n<p>When the conditions are right (i.e., low amounts of fuel in the form of carbs, fatty acids or proteins floating in the blood stream), fatty acids get released from storage and float around... to be consumed in whatever places they are needed; in this case your legs pumping your bicycle around.</p>\n<p>In the muscle cells, the fatty acids are used up, i.e. <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26474213/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">split into their constituents</a>, the process of which releases energy. You'll have to check that article or other sources for the slightly complex process, but basically everything gets converted into much simpler products like CO2 (which you breathe out), and probably water and other side products which get filtered out in the liver or kidneys and eventually excreted in some manner. Other bits and pieces go into further biochemical cycles, and all of it is directed by a not completely trivial smorgasboard of hormones and complicated subsystems...</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45004, "author": "Sean Duggan", "author_id": 8039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8039", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As a deleted answer stated (albeit with a falsehood and in a slightly puerile manner), one of the explanations for where the weight goes is indeed in excrement. As your body breaks down food, fat, and other bodily tissues, it produces waste products that must be removed from the body, and one of the ways in which that is done is through fecal matter and urine (other aspects of the <a href=\"https://flexbooks.ck12.org/cbook/ck-12-middle-school-life-science-2.0/section/11.36/primary/lesson/excretion-ms-ls/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">excretory system</a> include sweating, which is one of the ways your body gets rid of salts, and exhalation, which removes carbon dioxide).</p>\n<p>So unless you've been taking bathroom breaks, some of the weight of the calories that you have burned off in that marathon 20 hour cycling session is in your lower intestine, and bladder, waiting to be removed from the body. This is, of course, why the general advice is to use the bathroom before weighing yourself, to get a more accurate measure.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45026, "author": "melvio", "author_id": 37962, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37962", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<h2>Where does energy come from during ultra-endurance events?</h2>\n<p>Ultra-endurance athletes burn a small amount (about 5-10%) of the required kcal in proteins_Knechtle2018. (If you are interested, you can look into <em>glucose-alanine cycle</em>).\nFurthermore, over such long distances, they'll deplete all their available glycogen. This can be approximately 3000 kcal worth.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>A typical 70-kg human has up to ~700g of glycogen. Thus, the total energy stored in the body in the form of glycogen can be nearly 3000 kcal_boron1171</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>The remaining required energy will come from fats.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Most stored energy is in the form of triacylglycerols. In the prototypical 70-kg person, adipocytes store ~132,000 kcal of potential energy_boron1211</p>\n</blockquote>\n<h2>What happens to a burned kilogram of fat?</h2>\n<h4>releasing fatty acids from adipocytes</h4>\n<p>Adipocytes (fat cells) store triacylglycerols (TAGs), which are the main constituent of body fat.\nTAGs consist of glycerol and three fatty acids. Fatty acids make up around 95% of the available energy in TAGs_boron1182.<br />\nAdipocytes release fatty acids into the bloodstream such that they can be used by muscles.</p>\n<h4>Turning fatty acids into ATP</h4>\n<p>Now let's see what happens to one of these fatty acids.For example, let's completely oxidate the fatty acid palmitic acid (CH₃(CH₂)₁₄COOH):</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>CH₃(CH₂)₁₄COOH + 23 O₂ + 106 ADP + 106 P_i --&gt; 16 CO₂ + 16 H₂O + 106 ATP + heat</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>So during the lipolysis of palmitic acid you'll create <strong>CO₂</strong>, which you will expire.\nThe <strong>H₂O</strong> you might lose through sweating, urination, or your body might retain it, especially if you are not drinking loads.\nPart of the chemical energy of the fatty acid will be turned into thermal energy (i.e. <strong>heat</strong>).</p>\n<p>Finally, after 'burning' our fatty acids, we are left over with the cool stuff, ATP.</p>\n<h4>Using ATP</h4>\n<p>ATP is the reason we're burning all these fatty acids (and other forms of chemical energy):</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The cross-bridge cycle that underlies contraction of skeletal muscle requires energy in the form of ATP.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>By turning ATP back into ADP, we get energy:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>ATP -&gt; ADP + P_i + ∆G _boron1209</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>ΔG is the ~11.5 kcal per mole of ATP of free energy released under physiological conditions.\nThe body uses this energy as follows:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Skeletal muscle converts only ~25% of the energy stored ... into mechanical work. The rest appears as heat, due to the inefficiencies of the biochemical reactions_boron1204</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Thus, the energy liberated from the fatty acid creates <strong>kinetic energy</strong> and more <strong>heat</strong>.</p>\n<h4>TLDR</h4>\n<p>So, to summarize, this is what fat turns into during exercise:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>It is chemically converted into CO₂.</li>\n<li>It is chemically converted into H₂O.</li>\n<li>It is converted into thermal energy.</li>\n<li>It is converted into kinetic energy.</li>\n</ol>\n<hr />\n<h2>Citations</h2>\n<p>[Knechtle2018] <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5992463/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5992463/</a><br />\n[boron1171] Boron and Boulpaep, Medical Physiology - 3rd edition - page 1171<br />\n[boron1182] Boron and Boulpaep, Medical Physiology - 3rd edition - page 1182<br />\n[boron1204] Boron and Boulpaep, Medical Physiology - 3rd edition - page 1204<br />\n[boron1209] Boron and Boulpaep, Medical Physiology - 3rd edition - page 1209<br />\n[boron1211] Boron and Boulpaep, Medical Physiology - 3rd edition - page 1211</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/44995", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/247/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45006, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Without knowing the load intensity (If youre pushing the weights to the max you can do your sets with, or you're if you're using 50% of your 1RM), I would assume you are a beginner based on your weight, and your workout routine seems like there are way too many exercises. I think cutting 2-4 exercises a day would help. Bodybuilding is to try to do as little as possible to achieve maximum muscle damage. Even if you feel like you could do more, if you can grow using half the volume, then do that, and just increase the volume later on in your bodybuilding career. Other than that, the workout seems great, as long as you are adjusting it every 4-6 weeks, and swapping exercises out once you lose progress in them. Make sure you arent doing the same workout forever, or the same rep schemes(in your case mostly 3x10) for weeks on end, it is important to change variables. I personally went from 120 to 200 lbs, not knowing hardly anything in my early days of exercise, but it took me 8 years with a little extra bodyfat(Learning more early on I could've greatly reduced this). My biggest caveat was not eating enough food, I could've been eating a lot more calories and could've shaved off a lot of time in my 20's. There are a lot of things I would do to increase your muscle mass faster based on your beginner status, such as the below:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>eat enough clean food to be gaining weight each week</li>\n<li>Focus on a full body workout every other day (14 x a month) or 3 times a week(12 x a month) using compound movements and focusing each exercise on a body movement such as upper pull, upper push, lower push(squat), lower pull(deadlift variation), and a shoulder exercise if you have the energy. core work or accessory work can be added lightly such as a set of curls or ab raises.</li>\n<li>Set up a 3-4 month plan, and research periodization. workouts seem to be more effective when you do linear or reverse periodization, or undulating periodization. Linear for example might have you using 10 reps for 2 weeks, then 8 reps, then 6 reps, as you increase the weight you are using. you could also look into hypertrophy specific training. base this off what you want your goals to be.</li>\n<li>If you aren't already, track your progress, weight used, reps, etc.</li>\n<li>Make sure to not get stuck within 3x10 rep scheme. Each muscle may correspond better to different reps, so it's important to test different ones out, but more importantly, to not adapt. It also helps you focus on strength or muscular endurance which all aid in your muscle gain.</li>\n<li>Swap exercises out every 12 weeks at minimum, or when you are no longer making progress.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>Granted the first few years of my journey were just working on glory muscles, hardly eating, stress fueled, and always chasing celebrity workouts, I eventually got to my goal after fixing all the other variables. You will also more and more slowly gain muscle as time goes on. It can be normal to gain 10-15 LBs of muscle in a year, but then only gain 5 each year after. Depending on your genetics this could take a while. I am predestined to be skinny and weak, but exercising got me to my goals, it just took me longer than it does the average person. Don't compare yourself to others or achievements</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45009, "author": "Floyd", "author_id": 37941, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37941", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<h2>So far, so good</h2>\n<p>For only having worked out for a year, you definitely have an impressive plan in place that will train your body as well as your mind – especially the challenge of consistency.</p>\n<p>As a foundation, it is important to know that the exercising, itself, is always and only <em>catabolic</em>: it tears you down. Then your diet, rest, and habits of posture and movement – these, at their best, are <em>anabolic</em>: they build you up. So you need to spend at least as much time – and ideally much more time – paying attention to your diet, your rest, and your habits of posture and movement. Only then will get the best anabolic pay off for your catabolic work. And by the way: you can definitely go from 140 to 175 in a year or even less, if you are dedicated, consistent, and focused on working out <em>smart</em>, not just <em>hard</em>.</p>\n<p>If you do not already know, then learn about the differences between <em>eccentric</em> movement and <em>concentric</em> movement. Without a strong grasp of this knowledge, you will only ever reach a fraction of your potential.</p>\n<h2>Specific to Bulking Up</h2>\n<p><strong>1. Drop the training to failure</strong>.</p>\n<p>Yes: all of it. Including your abs. Guaranteed.</p>\n<p><strong>2. Get a spotter whom you can trust, and train heavy</strong>.</p>\n<p>Above all: have your spotter add weight on the negative of a movement: we can handle <strong>much more</strong> weight through resistance than through exertion.</p>\n<p>Use weight that you can only handle for 6-8 reps – for <em><strong>two</strong></em> sets. Four sets of 5 reps is no good: if you can handle 4 sets – then you can handle significantly more weight for 2 sets (especially once you add weight to the negative reps).</p>\n<p>When you feel yourself not refreshing (especially in your joints) or plateauing, then train for a few weeks with weight that you can handle for 15-20 reps. This helps you to stay active while letting your body recover and adapt.</p>\n<p>Then, for a few weeks, use weight that you can do for 8-12 reps.</p>\n<p>Then get back to weight that you can only do for 6-8 reps (and if you really think that you need 25 reps on your quads, then just significantly up the weight, and significantly <em>slow down</em> the reps – then watch what happens).</p>\n<p><strong>3. Drop the two-on, one-off</strong>.</p>\n<p>You need days off to build your body. Resting builds. Overtraining does not.</p>\n<p>You can be as active as you want on your days off – but take your days off.</p>\n<p>Train M-W-F or T-Th-Sat (by the way: you can – and ideally should – train your <em>calves</em> on every gym day).</p>\n<p><strong>4. Bulking Requires <em>Stability</em></strong>.</p>\n<p>The absolute biggest obstacle for thin people to bulk up is that it is too easy for you to always move really fast, bend around a lot, hold yourself in exaggerated postures, and walk with much too wide a step.</p>\n<p>Bulking requires stability. Be who you are – but be sure somewhat to &quot;fake it to make it&quot; with the stable posture and movement that you see from large people – very muscular people and also very fat people: they move more methodically and stably than a thin person because it is too hard not to. You can mimic their stability to build a more solid frame which will allow you to bulk up faster than if you are zipping around and bending all over the place in a way that only thin people can manage. Again: fake it to make it.</p>\n<p><strong>5. Ignore fads</strong>.</p>\n<p>I started training in 1994, at 15 years old. I am now 43. Years back, at my peak, I was the strongest person in nearly any gym I went to. The way I got there was <em>not</em> by following any fads – at all – and certainly not by any &quot;no pain, no gain&quot; nonsense. Rather, when I eventually became a personal trainer, I would always tell my clients:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>It is not &quot;no pain, no gain&quot; – it is &quot;no pain, no strain; and no strain, no injury; and no injury – then no long, unproductive breaks to training.&quot;</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Pay attention to your body; listen to advice that works; and ignore people who are paid – at least with attention – to tailor their advice to certain products or philosophies.</p>\n<p><strong>6. Ask Around</strong>.</p>\n<p>My dad introduced me to exercise back in the 90s. He was always strong, knew a ton, and always answered anything I asked him. However, eventually, I was mostly not training around my dad. But I always – always – asked others for advice.</p>\n<p>By the description of your workouts, I assume you are exercising at a gym. At the gym, it does not matter if someone is stronger than you, weaker than you, fatter, thinner, whatever – nothing: if they have any aesthetic that you want – or can do something that you want to be able to do, then ask them how they got there (then take their advice with a grain of salt, since plenty of this stuff has a lot to do with genetics). Some gym people are zoned out and impatient (or simply rude narcissists); but plenty are not, and will be happy to help you with whatever questions you have. Just be sure to learn a bit about gym etiquette (if you do not already know). For example, usually do not approach someone right after their set, so they can recover. And, with few exceptions, definitely do not approach them during their set (yeah: some people need to be told that).</p>\n<p><strong>7. Take My Advice With a Grain of Salt (if at all)</strong></p>\n<p>Obviously ;)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45020, "author": "user37955", "author_id": 37955, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37955", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The whole thing seems a little overly complicated.</p>\n<p>If you want to gain mass, stick to basic, compound movements like squats and deadlifts. A simple workout of 4-5 exercises would provide a better benefit in terms of strength and mass.</p>\n<p>Some of your rep ranges seem kind of low. 5 reps is more for strength than mass. You gain mass by calling up additional muscle fibers. 5 reps is only going to be using the same muscle fibers over and over. If you want to get big you need to pick a higher rep range.</p>\n<p>I'm not a big fan of certain exercises like the decline bench. Most people don't really need to gain in their lower chest.</p>\n<p>Overall, though, I do like the structure. You seem to have a decent understanding of how to put a workout together. I especially like the skull crushers followed by pushups to failure. I might start doing that myself.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45001", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37919/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45012, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 6, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Resistance training is the primary preserver of muscle mass while in a caloric deficit. Eating protein alone isn't enough, you need resistance training plus protein. The pushups will be effective at preserving chest muscle, but you're still going to lose muscle from every other part of your body. If you want to preserve muscle mass as much as possible, you need to be training all of your muscles.</p>\n<p>Also, you should not trust a Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis body fat measurement such as that provided by your scale. They are notoriously inaccurate, and their reading will change on the basis of a huge number of factors, including how hydrated you are, and how much salt you're eaten recently.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45014, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you're losing weight too fast, more than a couple lb's (1 KG) a week, you'll definitely burn more muscle. Having macros cutting out a lot of carbs will also reduce muscle, because low carb is ok for losing weight, it still causes muscle loss; but, the more you reduce your carbs the more muscle loss may occur. Both protein and carb help to maintain muscle, so for a 200lb if you're lowering your carbs to 100, your protein should be 200-300, and healthy fats should be relatively high to fill in the gap until you get to your daily calorie value.</p>\n<p>Strength training or using low reps in weight training has been shown to maintain muscle better than endurance exercises as well such as your 80 push ups. Weight training is essential to maintaining muscle mass as well, especially with lower reps in 6-8 range, because if you aren't using your muscle, your body is going to cut that before fat, because its more calorie expensive (Our bodies are meant for survival, not to look aesthetically pleasing). It's also nearly impossible to not lose any muscle during a cut, the goal being to hold onto as much as possible. Even Schwarzeneggar lost muscle during a cut.</p>\n<p>When measuring fat and muscle be sure to use body fat calipers, unless you have resources for a DEXA scan. Try the 7 point test - <a href=\"https://www.trainermetrics.com/fitness-assessment-calculations/body-fat-7-site-skinfold-jackson-pollock/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Click Here</a>, and use a scale to get your weight. The test will show you what bodyfat percentage you are and how much of your weight is fat vs muscle. Track every week at the same time, preferably morning, and measure again. This will show you a much more accurate picture of muscle loss vs fat loss. The scales that show you that can be inaccurate because it may mistake water and bone density or other factors for muscle. Don't be concerned if your numbers arent 100% accurate, as if you measure at night or in the middle of the week it might be off. the important thing is that over time, you show progress over a month or two and can see where you land.</p>\n<p>I also personally don't think you need creatine for a cut, as it will make you retain body water and its purpose for energy and muscle gain aren't really being used, but some people online have experimented with it with success so that's up to you. L-arginine and CLA have mixed research or don't show significant enough results where you'll take these. These are more if you're competing and just throwing everything at the wall.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45017, "author": "Cathal Mc Loughlin", "author_id": 37948, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37948", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your scales cannot accurately measure muscles mass. It might be getting an estimate of lean mass, but you can expect lean mass to decrease on a diet. Its not a loss of muscles fibres but rather a loss of muscle volume due reduction in for example glycogen, water retention etc, things that are a consequence of being on a diet.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45027, "author": "Floyd", "author_id": 37941, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37941", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<h2>Exercise does not build muscle. At all.</h2>\n<p>At most, exercise can create the conditions to build muscle. But exercise, itself, is catabolic: it only breaks down muscle. Building muscle requires anabolic processes: proper sleep, nutrition, and efficient posture and movement–things that help the body to recover and rebuild. So everyone loses muscle from exercise–that is what exercise does. But if someone is not sustaining their weight, or losing weight: this means that their body is not building back enough from the breakdown by exercise.</p>\n<p>Here are three key points to consider:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><p>If poor posture and movement add excessive stress to the body: that can prevent muscle from building back.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>If someone does not sleep well or eat well: that can prevent muscle from building back.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>Low-carb diet works well for some people and not for others. Specifically, low-carb diets are notorious for reducing some people's muscle mass.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45011", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/35209/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45031, "author": "melvio", "author_id": 37962, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37962", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>How important is it to train glute medius?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I would say, follow the advice of your physiotherapist. You say you run into trouble when you don't stick to your exercise, so these seem to be working for you.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>does everyone else still train their gluteus medius and just not talk about it or something?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>The gluteus medius is kinda like the subscapular, spinalis, and piriformis muscle. Most people never heard of them, that is, until they start hurting. These smaller muscles often are important for joint stabilization when the bigger muscles do the hard work. Many of these smaller muscles are invisible on the outside because they lay deep to these primary movers. Some of these muscle can be worth training explicitly to prevent or treat injuries (e.g. rotator cuff muscles). However, many muscles you don't have to worry about training, you'll train them even if you don't know they exist.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45034, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Coming from someone who has injured their Glute medius by having chronically weak muscles and sitting at a desk job----</p>\n<p>It's essentially the equivalent of a rotator cuff shoulder muscle. It is a very important muscle that helps externally rotate the hips and stabilize your body during walking or just standing on one leg.</p>\n<p>At bare minimum, a lot of people should at least do stretches with bands for rotator cuff and glute medius, such as clamshells, band stretches, piriformis stretches, and maybe some lateral walks. Strengthening this muscle will lead to huge increases in your squat and deadlifting capabilities. From personal experience if you sit down all day, I found it amazing to get up every hour and do a quick set of 20-50 body squats, or at bare minimum walk around for 5 minutes(but the squats are a lot quicker if you're busy).</p>\n<p>I've had glute medius injuries before, like Melvio said in his answer, no one hears about it or does anything until they injure themselves. If you have a sedentary job or desk job, I think it's a necessity to also work it out, probably a few times a week. It'll become very weak and eventually you'll get injured doing something incredibly easy that you never thought you would get injured doing. These muscles can take a long time to recover, and it put me out of the gym for my quads for a year, because a few months was just healing, and the rest was stretching and working back to where I was. The muscle prevented me from doing deadlifts or squats but I could do leg extensions, RDL's, and leg curls.</p>\n<p>You can target your glute medius specifically while also building the rest of your body by the way. A favorite of mine is bulgarian split-squats, and at the end of each set at 3/4 of the way up I hold the position for 10 seconds. I also make sure my shin is more vertical and my torso is vertical. These two tricks blasted my glute medius. Lunges are also great, any one-legged squat variation. You can also do glute hip thrusts with a band around your knees to force external rotation. Doing these tricks will train your GM without you having to specifically make a GM workout, you can just add a couple hip abduction/adduction exercises and be on your way.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45030", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45048, "author": "Sean Duggan", "author_id": 8039, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8039", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Yes. Every time I have seen the suggestion of that breathing pattern with pushups, with demonstration provided (such as videos), the breathing pattern is per pushup. Personally, I find that, unless I am doing very slow pushups, I am breathing more shallowly when those regular breaths since fully (as fully as you can) filling and emptying the lungs is time-consuming, and doing so rapidly can lead to hyperventilation effects.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45056, "author": "Enivid", "author_id": 5804, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/5804", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For me, it is strictly &quot;inhale on the way down, exhale on the way down, one breath per one rep&quot;. I cannot support this scheme with any scientific evidence, but it works great for me personally as it creates rhythm for my push ups while allowing me to get enough oxygen to avoid getting tired too soon.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45047", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/35507/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45051, "author": "Thomas Markov", "author_id": 34721, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34721", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<h3>You really are not that far off of average.</h3>\n<p>Back in 2011 an article was published on Leangains that made its way around fitness circles called <a href=\"https://leangains.com/fuckarounditis/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Fuckarounditis</a>. It gives a good perspective on strength training, going somewhat against the grain of popular takes on fitness. Inside, the author suggests some milestones that in my experience correlate pretty well to general population expectations:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Within two years of consistent training on a decent routine, the average male should be able to progress to the following levels of strength (1RM):</p>\n<p>Strength Goals: Intermediate</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bench press: body weight x 1.2</li>\n<li>Chin-ups or pull-ups: body weight x 1.2 or 8 reps with body weight.</li>\n<li>Squat: body weight x 1.6</li>\n<li>Deadlift: body weight x 2\nThese numbers are for a raw (no straps, belt or knee wraps) single repetition.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>The progress towards the intermediate strength goals should be fairly linear, meaning that there should be no plateaus that cannot be solved in an uncomplicated manner. By “consistent” training I do not mean never missing a training day, nor do I consider taking 2-3 months off from training consistent.</p>\n<p>By “decent training routine”, I mean “not doing blatantly stupid shit” (training 5-6 days/week, 20-25 sets for chest and arms, etc.). I do not mean optimal and flawless.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Looking at your numbers, you are a bit, but not much, below these suggestions for your training age on Bench, Squat, and Deadlift, and a bit ahead of the curve on pull-ups.</p>\n<p>Now, you mentioned you were doing a 3-day PPL split. While I certainly wouldn't call that &quot;blatantly stupid&quot; as mentioned in the article, I also wouldn't call it &quot;generally a good idea&quot; either. The trouble with a three day PPL split is that it shakes out to working each muscle group only once per week. While this was the big fad perpetuated by the anabolically gifted gym bros and popular muscle magazines in the 80s and 90s, we know enough now that once per week is not a great general recommendation to make. Basically, if you manage your loads, sets, and reps intelligently, you can hit most muscle groups reasonably hard three or more times per week, which allows for a much larger hypertrophic stimulus through increased weekly volume.</p>\n<p>Your T-levels are fine. They are on the low end of the so called &quot;reference rage&quot; (300-1000 ng/dL), and testosterone levels within the reference range don't really matter for strength and hypertrophy outcomes.</p>\n<p>I think your progress is far better than you think it is. It's maybe a little slower than average, and I feel pretty confident blaming suboptimal programming for that. I recommend hopping on a barbell-based linear progression program such as Starting Strength or Stronglifts for your base, then adding some extra days of accessory work or adding additional volume to the base program, and seeing how you fare for 6 months or so.</p>\n<p>Alternatively, maybe you've reached the limit of what you stand to gain from a linear progression type program. If this is the case, maybe try moving on to intermediate programming, such as 5/3/1, Texas Method, or (my personal recommendation), Barbell Medicine's The Bridge. You often see recommendations for these types of programs given in terms of weight lifted, i.e. &quot;you're an intermediate when you can squat 315&quot;. This is kind of dumb. You're an &quot;intermediate&quot; when a novice linear progression no longer works and you need more periodized training, which may be where you are.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45052, "author": "C. Lange", "author_id": 31284, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your diet should be good. 3000 calories per day, assuming 0.8-1.2g of protein per pound of lean body weight, should be more than enough. Too much even. So I don't think that will be your issue. Six hours of sleep per night is less than ideal. Seven to eight total is not as bad, so there's room for improvement there. Since you're working with a PT I'd like to assume you've got good form, but that is something that can be reviewed.</p>\n<p>I can't assume your diet, rest, <em>and</em> training are on-point because then we wouldn't be here. So, assuming diet and rest are on-point, but your training could use some improvement, I would check the following:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><p><em>Control.</em> For any exercise, you need to be in control. Whether it is explosive/hold/slow-release or a slow-up/hold/slow-down tempo, it should be controlled. When a trainer will prescribe a tempo for a lift it looks like &quot;2/0/2&quot; and it reads as two seconds on the way up/down, no hold, two seconds on the way up/down. So a 3/2/0 squat would be three seconds on the way down, hold for two seconds, explode back up. My suggestion is for any accessory work you do to apply a 2/2/2 tempo and see how that feels. The idea here is to fight against using momentum to move more weight.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p><em>Technique.</em> Bench press, squat, and deadlift are all highly technique-driven movements. If you're willing and able I would suggest a form review for bench press if you'd like some pointers. I do know you're working with a PT but not everyone know everything. Regardless of the movement, checking your technique is extremely helpful. I would also suggest recording your lifts and reviewing them.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p><em>Frequency.</em> For me, the bench press was my weakest relative lift, and what has worked so far is increasing the frequency. A 3 day PPL split means you're only hitting your chest once a week, actually anything once per week. This isn't enough. I would suggest both moving toward a four-day plan and looking at hitting more muscle groups per day. You can look at this with your trainer but I would consider PPL a very novice program to be used when your chest is still sore on pull-day. For reference, my frequency right now is: D1 Squat/bench, D2 Bench/Deadlift, D3 Squat/Bench, D4 Bench/Deadlift. So Squat and deadlift are done twice per week and bench press is four times per week.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p><em>Variations.</em> What kind of variations on movements do you do? For the bench press, I would strongly consider doing a paused bench press. The weakest point of bench press is off the chest and pausing pushes that.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p><em>Junk volume.</em> This is just a thought really. I think a lot of programs have too many exercises in them. For example, if you're running bench press at an RPE 9, why do you need to do, say, tricep pushdowns? If you find you're doing an exercise and just going through the motions and you weren't challenged by it, either drop it or make it harder.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p><em>RPE.</em> Lastly, are you training hard enough? Having your 1RM's is fantastic. I would suggest tracking another data point which is the rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Basically, once you finish a set ask yourself &quot;how many more reps do I think I could have done?&quot; If you think you could have done 3 or more reps, that weight is too light for the rep range.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Ultimately, if you're feeling well-rested, I would say that it's time to ditch the 3-day PPL program. Try filming some sets, get some lifting feedback, and focus on heavy controlled lifting. If getting a high squat, bench press, and deadlift 1RM are important to you I would suggest a peaking program. Search the tag <code>[form-check]</code> to get an idea of what a form-check on Fitness.SE could look like.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45050", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45058, "author": "Alec", "author_id": 8828, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/8828", "pm_score": 6, "selected": true, "text": "<p>There are no secret workouts.</p>\n<p>The beautiful demigod beefcakes known as Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans (and for that matter, Chris Pratt) have personal trainers who tailor their every workout to their exact needs. No program. Just different workouts depending on the current short-term goals.</p>\n<p>Need a bigger chest? We're adding this exercise to the plan.</p>\n<p>Need bigger arms? We're adding that exercise to the plan.</p>\n<p>Need to adjust the shoulder-to-bicep ratio? We're adding this exercise to the plan.</p>\n<p>Need to do a photo shoot in three days? We're removing these items from your diet.</p>\n<p>Need to shoot a topless combat scene next week? We're doing these workouts until then.</p>\n<p>Again, they don't have a workout program. They have a group of trainers telling them what to do every single day based on a series of ever-changing short-term goals.</p>\n<p><strong>The secret plans</strong></p>\n<p>...are bullshit. There are no secret workouts. We know all the exercises. Unless you hire a trainer, you're on your own in the task of putting them together in a way that makes sense for your specific body, and your specific goals. And with some experience, you'll be able to do that for yourself by testing different things and seeing what works <em>for you</em>.</p>\n<p>Anyone claiming they have a secret training program is trying to sell you something. Even worse, they're trying to sell you a bog-standard training program that you could have gotten for free by googling &quot;how to [my goals] for people with [my body type]&quot;. There are gonna be some bad apples in those Google results too, but every now and then you'll find something that doesn't immediately ask for your credit card info and the deed to your house.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45063, "author": "Criggie", "author_id": 26080, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/26080", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<h2>Start, and don't stop.</h2>\n<p>That is one magic secret that is so blatantly obvious, no-one really notices.</p>\n<p>You won't improve if you don't begin something. It doesn't have to be a highly focused program.</p>\n<p>Some people are blessed, some are cursed, but every single person has to do work to improve. Once you have formed that good habit of working on yourself, improvements will come.</p>\n<p>You can suffer from choice overload, or &quot;shopping paralysis&quot; where there are too many options and the desire to choose the &quot;best&quot; option stops you from doing anything.</p>\n<p>You generally can't go wrong with improvements to your core - that is a good foundation for hanging more specific work off later. A weaker core makes more-targetted exercise less beneficial.</p>\n<p>Of course rest days and light days are fine, as part of your habit. A rest day is not an excuse to undo the previous work, its a &quot;go for a walk&quot; day instead of a gym day.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>Stopping is to be avoided where possible. Personal note - the two significant C19 lockdowns in my country lasted 6-8 weeks and that put me back. Getting going again was difficult, if I'd maintained some level of &quot;doing something&quot; it wouldn't be such a challenge.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45067, "author": "ti7", "author_id": 38030, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38030", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are actually 42 magic workout secrets, but if they're revealed, there'll be less and your count will be off!</p>\n<p>That said, take a look at Wim Hof's work, which has at least been replicated by others, if hotly debated and dangerous<br />\n<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wim_Hof\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wim_Hof</a></p>\n<p>The essence is that systems responsible for preventing death in a healthy body can be both trained and carefully used to get more work out of the applicable systems (practically, the muscles, lungs, and temperature control loop) .. but at a cost of leading one closer to over-straining the body than is otherwise possible, potentially with dire consequences, such as blackout during activity, drowning, extreme frostbite, breakage of bone-muscle connections, excessive damage to muscles, etc.</p>\n<p>However, this is not magic, and mostly adrenaline response</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45057", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38003/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45072, "author": "AalHai", "author_id": 37113, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37113", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Professional bodybuilders/fitness models etc. usually do not follow publicly available cookie cutter training templates/programs.\nEspecially pro bodybuilders usually work with a dedicated coach who plans out their training to fit their individual needs (preferred exercises, access to equipment, weak points etc.) and can make adjustments based on the trainee's progress and feedback.\nVery often they will even have separate coaches for their training, nutrition, and PED regimen.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45077, "author": "gustafc", "author_id": 32817, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32817", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>This is actually for a paper for school but I was wondering what type of workout routines professional bodybuilders/fitness models use?</p>\n<p>Do people use routines that are commonly recommended like phul/phat/gcdlz for years all the way until they look like this? <a href=\"https://imgur.com/a/84LCUgx\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://imgur.com/a/84LCUgx</a></p>\n<p>Or what do they use to actually get to that point? (aside from probably a fair amount of substances) Thanks!</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>TL;DR:</strong> Exactly how they train is personalized, but they do a lot of it; also, diet is just as important as the training.</p>\n<p>Competitive bodybuilders (the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Olympia\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Mr. Olympia</a> kind) tend to use some variation of the &quot;bro split&quot; where you train one or two muscle groups per day, 4-6 days a week, so that you hit all muscle groups every week (and equally important, they get 1-3 rest days per week, because muscles are built during recovery).</p>\n<p>Their exact workouts will be adapted over time depending on a lot of things, including injuries, visual asymmetries, weak points, current trends, how their substances affect them, if they are on a diet or a calorie surplus, etc. (This is also the reason why you generally shouldn't take a famous bodybuilder's current training program, use it for yourself, and expect to look like them - that program is designed not for you to get where they are, but for them to get from where they are to where they want to be. Also, they probably do a lot more PEDs than you do.) <a href=\"https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/a-tried-and-true-bodybuilding-program-template/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">T-Nation has an article on how to make a bodybuilding program</a> which might be helpful to understand how these folks work out.</p>\n<p>However, to look like the guy in the photo, you should be more concerned with your diet than with your exercise (or which substances to use). He's certainly well-trained and good-looking, but not particularly massive - except his abs. Visible abs like that are more reliant on having a low body fat percentage (and likely, good genes) rather than exercising for muscle mass. (&quot;Abs are built in the kitchen&quot;, which has <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/14663/exercises-for-building-strong-and-well-defined-abs\">been</a> <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/2752/exercise-for-six-pack-abs\">discussed</a> <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/8268/abs-are-built-in-the-kitchen-but-what-about-obliques-and-lower-abs\">before</a> on this site.)</p>\n<p>The guy's name, by the way, is <a href=\"https://models.com/models/matthew-terry\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Matthew Terry</a> unless my google-fu fails me, and <a href=\"https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2273864/Calvin-Kleins-Super-Bowl-hunk-Matthew-Terry-reveals-secret-THOSE-abs.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">according to a tabloid</a> &quot;his ripped physique is down to a combination of daily gym sessions and clean eating&quot;, and &quot;to maintain his washboard stomach he likes to hold the plank position&quot;. That's not much detail (although there may be more in the <a href=\"https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/super-bowl-2013-commercials-calvin-klein-underwear-model-18408585\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">linked video</a> interview), but clean eating and a good amount of workout with extra focus on the parts you're most concerned with sounds familiar from when we looked at how bodybuilders train.</p>\n<p>There's also an <a href=\"https://www.menshealth.com/style/a19555217/matthew-terry/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">interview on Men's Health</a> which gives more detail:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>MH:</strong> What is your regular exercise regimen and what areas do you primarily focus on?</p>\n<p><strong>MT:</strong> I generally try to work out four to five days a week, along with any\nother small workouts that I do at home during my spare time. Some days I do a full body workout at the gym and other days target specific muscles. I like to focus the most on my core. I try to incorporate it into my workouts every time I exercise.</p>\n<p><strong>MH:</strong> What did you do to get in shape specifically for the campaign?</p>\n<p><strong>MT:</strong> For the campaign, I really focused on my diet and exercising. I pushed myself harder than I normally would and I switched my workouts to consistent circuit training and isometric training, but still did full body and targeted muscle workouts.</p>\n</blockquote>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45071", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38009/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45122, "author": "JohnP", "author_id": 3736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3736", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is a known thing called detraining. After a short period which is generally recognized as around a week (But can vary depending on other activity, the prior training of the individual, a host of other factors), you start losing the gains that you have made in training.</p>\n<p>Again, general lore is that you lose two days for every one that you are out past your initial week. So, if you took a complete two week break in training, then you have lost approximately three weeks worth of training.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45123, "author": "Isaac Robertson", "author_id": 38135, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38135", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>When you take a break from exercise, your muscles atrophy and they lose some of their strength. This is because when you're not using them, your muscles aren't getting the blood flow and oxygen they need to stay healthy. So when you start working out again, it takes a while for your muscles to build back up to their previous strength.</p>\n<p>You can help prevent muscle atrophy by doing some light exercises (like walking) even when you're not doing your full set of workouts. This will help keep your muscles healthy and strong so that they don't deteriorate too much when you're taking a break from exercise.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45120", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38130/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45196, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First, it is worth noting that non-exercise tests are especially inaccurate at determining both VO₂max and changes thereto. One <a href=\"https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.119.015117\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">study</a> examining a host of different methods, including that described by Jackson (1990), concluded:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&quot;changes to [estimated cardiorespiratory fitness] (eCRF), as\ndetermined using non-exercise prediction equations, were significantly\nassociated with changes in directly measured [cardiorespiratory\nfitness] (CRF). However, changes in eCRF values from most of the\nprediction equations were significantly different from the changes in\ndirectly measured CRF. Furthermore, all of the prediction equations\nhad a low degree of accuracy when identifying even the directional\nchange of CRF. These findings highlight the errors associated with\nnon-exercise prediction equations, especially related to monitoring\nlongitudinal changes, and suggest limited prognostic utility of eCRF\nwithin a clinical setting.&quot;</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Exercise VO₂max tests are therefore more accurate, but without knowledge of the precise method employed by your stationary bicycle, it is impossible to assess its accuracy and/or limitations.</p>\n<p>In sporting circles, VO₂max is typically tested directly with a multi-stage maximal test, but this requires specialised equipment and tester expertise. In the field, this can be replaced with a multi-stage submaximal test, such as the <a href=\"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0163278707300628\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">YMCA Submaximal Cycle Ergometer Test</a>, which estimates VO₂max through extrapolation from submaximal efforts. Intervals are typically three to five minutes, since a maximal three-minute effort is around 95% aerobic and a four-minute effort around 99% aerobic.</p>\n<p>I hope that helps, even though I can not give you more information about your particular stationary bicycle.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45752, "author": "longradix", "author_id": 38131, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38131", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The method that I will work with for the time being is <code>VO2max = 190*calories per second</code> when done on a stationary bike for at least 10 minutes. Level of resistance does not matter. Neither is heartrate, age or weight. I am a male.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45121", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38131/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45196, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First, it is worth noting that non-exercise tests are especially inaccurate at determining both VO₂max and changes thereto. One <a href=\"https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.119.015117\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">study</a> examining a host of different methods, including that described by Jackson (1990), concluded:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&quot;changes to [estimated cardiorespiratory fitness] (eCRF), as\ndetermined using non-exercise prediction equations, were significantly\nassociated with changes in directly measured [cardiorespiratory\nfitness] (CRF). However, changes in eCRF values from most of the\nprediction equations were significantly different from the changes in\ndirectly measured CRF. Furthermore, all of the prediction equations\nhad a low degree of accuracy when identifying even the directional\nchange of CRF. These findings highlight the errors associated with\nnon-exercise prediction equations, especially related to monitoring\nlongitudinal changes, and suggest limited prognostic utility of eCRF\nwithin a clinical setting.&quot;</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Exercise VO₂max tests are therefore more accurate, but without knowledge of the precise method employed by your stationary bicycle, it is impossible to assess its accuracy and/or limitations.</p>\n<p>In sporting circles, VO₂max is typically tested directly with a multi-stage maximal test, but this requires specialised equipment and tester expertise. In the field, this can be replaced with a multi-stage submaximal test, such as the <a href=\"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0163278707300628\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">YMCA Submaximal Cycle Ergometer Test</a>, which estimates VO₂max through extrapolation from submaximal efforts. Intervals are typically three to five minutes, since a maximal three-minute effort is around 95% aerobic and a four-minute effort around 99% aerobic.</p>\n<p>I hope that helps, even though I can not give you more information about your particular stationary bicycle.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45752, "author": "longradix", "author_id": 38131, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38131", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The method that I will work with for the time being is <code>VO2max = 190*calories per second</code> when done on a stationary bike for at least 10 minutes. Level of resistance does not matter. Neither is heartrate, age or weight. I am a male.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45139", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/4592/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45148, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In order to do many push-ups you need both strength and muscular endurance.\nTraining daily and with more than 12 reps is good for endurance but bad for strength.\nYou need to get stronger. This is your limiting factor. Once you can do more than say 40 push-ups muscular endurance becomes the limiting factor. You do this by training more seldom, so that your muscles can recover, but heavier.</p>\n<p>2 months a go I did I did 5 set of push-ups 2 x a week and was stalling at 14 push-ups for weeks. If anything my number of push-ups was decreasing.\nThen I stopped doing push-ups.\nInstead I switched to 3 sets of narrow grip bench press 1 x a week and 3 sets of overhead press 1 x a week.\nWhen I started I could benchpress 5 x 62.5 kg.\nNow I can do 5 x 75 kg.\nYesterday I tried how many push-ups I could do: 19. And that is without doing any push-ups in the 2 months.\nBut I have gotten 20 % stronger by doing mostly sets of 5 (sometimes 4, 6 or 7 also).</p>\n<p>Instead of doing bench press here is something else that I think should work:</p>\n<p>do 3 sets of push-ups 2 or 3 days a week (you need to experiment to find what works best for you, start with 2 days a week).\nOne day you do ordinary push-ups. The other day(s) you make the push-ups heavier.\nYou can do this in several ways:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>putting your feet up on a sofa</li>\n<li>wearing a weight vest</li>\n<li>wearing a backpack with a weight plate or books</li>\n<li>using resistance band</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Your goal should be to make the push-ups so heavy that you can only do 3 sets of 5 reps. 4-8 reps is ok, but 5 is best.</p>\n<p>Also make sure that you eat enough protein: 1.6 g / kg bodyweight each day and ideally spread out trough the day.</p>\n<p>Also so that you do not develop muscular imbalances and poor posture you should also train your back.\nFor instance by doing inverted rows (you can even do them under a dinner table) or 1 arm dumbell rows.\nFor each set of a push exercise you should do at least 1 set of a pull exercise (rows, pull-ups, chin-ups etc).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45150, "author": "Dan", "author_id": 38167, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38167", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Quit working out completely. Rest. No exercise beyond walking for perhaps two weeks. Drink water, eat a well-rounded diet. If you normally restrict your caloric intake, give it a break and eat an average amount of calories for a person of your gender and age.</p>\n<p>Take a vacation from work or school, or plan this break to correspond with your next vacation.</p>\n<p>Don't even THINK about pushups or exercise. Don't think about how great you're going to do pushups when your break is over. If you start to think about working out, gently nudge the thought out of your head and think about music or a movie you really like, or something else that is pleasant but not adrenaline-inducing.</p>\n<p>Sleep and sleep extra. If you ever get out of bed and still feel a little tired, sleep more.</p>\n<p>Sit, relax, do things you enjoy. Have a meal with a loved one. Play a board game with some friends. When you're sitting or lying down, periodically take stock from foot to head, and try to relax all of your muscles. Let gravity pull them down and let your chair or couch or bed do its job.</p>\n<p>You have already banked an improvement, you need to rest to collect, there is no other way. You never get stronger during exercise, but always during the rest period after exercise, and sometimes (once or twice a year, maybe) you need to double down on the rest for a bit of time.</p>\n<p>When your break is over, return to your exercises, but don't bash into them. Ease in -- do 60% of the stuff you usually do, work your way back to 100% over a few days -- there is NO hurry.</p>\n<p>You will be able to do more pushups and it won't even be very difficult.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45151, "author": "Rishabh Jain", "author_id": 38097, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38097", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you can do 12-13 push ups, it's already good enough. Sometimes, doing a lot of reps for a exercise becomes more about stamina and will power and less about muscles.</p>\n<p>You might want to put a 2.5 kg plate on your back and try to do some pushups again. You'll probably still be able to do 10 pushups.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45152, "author": "Isaac Robertson", "author_id": 38135, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38135", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>By increasing the number of repetitions that you can do in a row.\nFor example, if you can currently only do 10 pushups in a row, try to do 11 or 12 the next time you work out. Once you can do 12 without difficulty, move on to 13, and so on. If you're having trouble progressing beyond a certain number, try doing <a href=\"https://totalshape.com/training/incline-push-ups/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">inclined pushups</a> (on your knees instead of your toes) or decline pushups (with your feet elevated on a chair or bench). This will increase the resistance and make it harder to do more repetitions.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45147", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38137/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45154, "author": "JohnP", "author_id": 3736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3736", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Depending on your context, this pose is a half straddle. Straddle splits are with both legs spread outward, a half straddle is with one leg tucked in. The above pose in <a href=\"https://www.bodywindow.com/half-dragonfly-pose.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Yin yoga is called Dragonfly</a>, and the half straddle is called a half dragonfly.</p>\n<p>This may have other names in other variations of yoga.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/l4c9c.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/l4c9c.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45156, "author": "Prakash", "author_id": 38179, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38179", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Cross-legged posture called swastikasana. Main difference between Swastikasana and Padmasana is, in Swastikasana, foot will be on the ground(ie. outer edge of your foot). and in Padmasana, foot will be on your thighs.\nWhen you keep one leg straight and other leg folded, then that can be called as ardha swastikasana.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45153", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38176/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45183, "author": "gwaigh", "author_id": 10872, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/10872", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>A few points about your situation.</p>\n<ol>\n<li><p>The sites you linked to (as is common practice,) are providing 1 rep max lift numbers. You have to <a href=\"https://exrx.net/Calculators/OneRepMax\" rel=\"noreferrer\">derate</a> your lift ability when doing more than 1 repetition in a set.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>20 reps in a single set of deadlifts is very high, and probably not advisable for strength training as fatigue leads to bad form which leads to injuries. <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/25645/deadlift-weight-reps-too-light-too-many?rq=1\">Some advice</a> on deadlift volume.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>The websites you are referencing are not looking at unbiased statistics. strengthlevel.com is compiling every self-reported lift from it's inception which will overweight the purported abilities of frequent users compared to the larger population of people who use their site seldom if at all. The power lifting federation data is from judged events so avoids the perils of self-reporting, but is only looking at people who are engaged in competitive power-lifting and thus likely to have been training for their lifts.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p>So, all told, while your deadlift capacity is on the light side, it is not as far off as you thought. The answers under point 2 above provide some guidance to better training.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45193, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The first thing to note, and perhaps the most important, is that our ability is naturally variant. Averages can be informative, but they have to be understood within the context of considerable variation in physical geometry, muscle size, and muscle composition—as well as, obviously, physical conditioning. These play an enormous role in the expression of physical strength. Distinct lifts may vary greatly within one individual, too.</p>\n<p>As someone who has trained thousands of novices and tens of professional athletes, I can say categorically that a 'novice' 80-kilogram athlete can <em>not</em> typically dead lift 120 kilograms. A glaring question, of course, is <em>what is our definition of 'novice'?</em> But 120 kilograms is an accomplished lift.</p>\n<p>That said, if you are squatting 80 kilograms, we might typically expect you to be able to dead lift 90 or 100 kilograms. (Depending both on your physical characteristics and the style of your squat—<em>Do you squat to your ankles? Parallel? Half way?</em>)</p>\n<p>By your own description, the greatest limiting factor for you is your lower back. This suggests that either (1) your <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erector_spinae_muscles\" rel=\"noreferrer\">erector spinae</a> muscles are relatively weak, which is unlikely given your squat performance, (2) your 'core' (<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transverse_abdominal_muscle\" rel=\"noreferrer\">transversus abdominis</a>, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoracic_diaphragm\" rel=\"noreferrer\">diaphragm</a>, <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelvic_floor\" rel=\"noreferrer\">pelvic diaphragm</a>) is weak or you are using a <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/42121/do-weightlifting-belts-improve-or-hurt-long-term-development-of-core-strength\">lifting belt</a>, or (3) your lifting technique is fundamentally flawed.</p>\n<p>Without more information, it is impossible to determine which of these factors is (or are) at play, but we can fairly say that your deadlift should probably be greater than it is, and that it should certainly be progressing with training.</p>\n<p>I hope that gives you somewhere to start.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45182", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/13410/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45195, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Whilst I have never seen a machine that specialises in isolating that movement, there probably is somewhere. There are literally hundreds of distinct designs built for various purposes, and for the preferences and biases of the users or designers.</p>\n<p>However, the reason we do not see such a machine in a typical gymnasium is probably because there already exist various permutations of cable machine that can train adduction in isolation. The cable cross-over, for example, is a standard feature of any well equipped gymnasium, as are many machines or apparatus for compound movements—pull-down, pull-up, dip, and so on.</p>\n<p>We might reasonably question why, then, we occasionally see machines that isolate humeral abduction, since the same rationale can be applied to those. But they are not common, and where they do exist, it is probably the consequence of commercial interests and the disproportionate focus (real or perceived) that gym-goers give to shoulder development.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45197, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Pure shoulder adduction is just a pretty mechanically difficult movement to design exercises or machines around, so what you see more often are shoulder extension exercises (i.e. the lat pullover and straight-arm pulldown), or shoulder adduction combined with elbow flexion (i.e. lat pulldown or pull-ups). The muscles used for shoulder extension are almost exactly the same as those used for shoulder adduction.</p>\n<p>Arthur Jones, creator of Nautilus Equipment, did invent a shoulder adduction machine which he called the “Behind the Neck Torso” machine, however it never gained the popularity of his lat pullover machine, which utilised shoulder extension instead of adduction.^{<a href=\"https://www.ironathleteclinics.com/the-pullover/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">1</a>}</p>\n<p>Other options for training pure shoulder adduction would be sitting or kneeling under a cable machine and pulling down on the cables, or hanging upside down and doing inverted lateral raises. However I don't think these would offer any unique benefit over lat pulldown or pullover type movements.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45194", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38235/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45215, "author": "John M", "author_id": 23984, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/23984", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>From the <a href=\"https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">British Cycling</a> website:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Carbohydrates need to be consumed early, in small amounts and frequently. Thirty minutes into a ride might seem too early but you are not eating for that moment, but for 15-30 kilometres down the road. You will need 0.5-1g of carbohydrates per kg of bodyweight each hour depending on intensity, and you should aim to spread that over 2-3 micro feeds every 20-30 minutes.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This is a fairly standard recommendation. A couple of things to note:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>The amount of carbohydrates that you can process will depend on the exact form and composition of your energy drink/gel/snack. For example some modern gels use a maltodextrin/fructose mix which is supposed to aid absorption and enable you to take in more carbohydrates per hour</li>\n<li>The amount of energy that you can take in is limited by your body's ability to process carbohydrates, regardless of your energy output, hence the .5-1g/kg/hour recommendation</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45218, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you consume adequate carbohydrate (<a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6019055/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">8-12 grams per kilogram of body mass per day</a> is currently recommended, but studies have found that professional athletes often consume as little as 4.5-6 grams without trouble), your muscles and liver hold approximately 500 grams of glycogen, of which <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3248697/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">around 80% (400 grams) of that is stored in the muscles</a>. In highly-trained and carbohydrate-loaded athletes, <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5872716/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">total glycogen stores can be as high as 700 grams</a>.</p>\n<p>Whether or not you have been carbohydrate loading, a carbohydrate-rich pre-exercise meal 3-4 hours can further elevate muscle glycogen content, as well as restoring liver glycogen depleted after an overnight fast. Current recommendations are <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5872716/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">1.4 grams per kilogram of body mass</a>. In addition to that, evidence suggests that the <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5793265/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">ingestion of a minimum of around 0.5 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram per hour is required to improve performance</a>.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3248697/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Glycogen is the main substrate for exercise intensities over around 70% VO₂max</a>, while <a href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0899900704000966\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">maximal fat metabolism occurs at intensities of around 65% and 50% for athletes and the normal population</a>, respectively. And from 65% to around 85% of VO₂max, muscle glycogenolysis, liver glycogenolysis and glucose uptake increase such that carbohydrate metabolism is predominant. In practical terms, this correlates with approximately 80-90 minutes of continuous high intensity (80-85% VO₂max) effort, or between two and four hours' at a lower intensity.</p>\n<p>In conclusion, therefore, you can certainly ride for three hours without eating. It is entirely safe and healthful. However, carbohydrate consumption during the ride will improve your performance.</p>\n<p>Personally, I have regularly ridden for over 12 hours without ingesting anything other than water. Muscle and liver glycogen is entirely depleted by that time, of course, and performance is greatly reduced. However, it has seldom presented any problems, except in the high mountains during which time higher power and torque output is unavoidable. In such cases, I have found myself prone to cramping. For my regular three-hour training rides, I do not ingest carbohydrate.</p>\n<p>I hope that helps.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45203", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/36896/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45219, "author": "POD", "author_id": 33195, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33195", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It is normal to have an increased appetite in response to increasing our physical workload. However, most people will never consume more energy than their combined Exercise Energy Consumption and augmented metabolic rate.</p>\n<p>However, if we tend to binge eat or otherwise make poor food choices, it is prudent to change our choice of food: to eat 'clean' nutrient-dense foods, unrefined rather than refined foods, carbohydrates instead of sugar, and foods high in protein. Protein not only improves muscle growth and recovery, but it also <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4258944/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">increases diet-induced energy expenditure whilst also increasing our satiety</a>, thereby making us less likely to overeat.</p>\n<p>It is important, also, to consider longer-term trends. Long endurance training, be it running, cycling, swimming, or whatever, increases our cardiovascular fitness and power output. Whilst a recreational 75-kilogram (165-pound) cyclist, for example, may average an output of 80-90 Watts for a two-hour training ride, if well-trained, that same cyclist may average 250 Watts for the same time. The perceived effort would be identical, but with two to two-and-a-half times the power output, and therefore energy consumption.</p>\n<p>Simply put, the fitter and more active we become, the more difficult it is to overeat. We should always make good choices for our health, but energy intake becomes something that is difficult to overdo and easy to curb.</p>\n<p>I hope that helps.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45233, "author": "Someone", "author_id": 38308, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38308", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, running is benefitial for you even if you are not in a caloric deficit. Yes it is true that to lose fat one needs to be in a caloric deficit and if your calories remain the same you won't lose fat. However, you shouldn't run just for the sake of burning calories. Running is also a great exercise to work your heart. Keep in mind that the most important muscle in your body is your heart. Doing cardiovascular activity is the best exercise you can do for longevity and overall health. Also the best your cardiovascular system is, the best your workouts for building muscle will be, hence you can actually have better workouts and build more muscle.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45217", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/4592/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45237, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Heels raising at the bottom of a squat indicates that you are unable to get into the bottom position without more forward knee travel than your ankle mobility allows. However, this does not indicate that ankle mobility is necessarily the problem. In your case, where you have a history of back pain, the problem is almost certainly an unwillingness to lean forwards.</p>\n<p>Here's what's happening: As you descend, your knees move forwards and your hips move back. If you try to keep your torso upright, then most of your bodyweight is shifting backwards, with your hips. As soon as you get to the point where your centre of mass if over your heels, you can't squat any deeper, as doing so would cause your weight to shift further back, and you would fall backwards. So you raise your heels and push your knees further forwards, bringing your hips and torso forwards too, and you're then able to continue squatting deeper. But the amount of forward knee travel required to keep your hips over your feet like this is ridiculous, and not something that could be achieved through ankle stretching. You're trying to do a deep knee bend rather than a squat.</p>\n<p>This is what a deep knee bend looks like:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/TNP8o.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/TNP8o.jpg\" alt=\"deep knee bend\" /></a></p>\n<p>Whereas this is what a squat looks like:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/oC6wL.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/oC6wL.jpg\" alt=\"bodyweight squat\" /></a></p>\n<p>You need to learn to lean forwards when squatting, as this is necessary in order to maintain forward-backward balance. Hopefully doing so isn't a sciatica trigger for you, but if it is, then it would be something to gently and gradually work towards, perhaps also incorporating squat variations that require less forward lean, such as squatting in weightlifting shoes that have raised heels, and trying goblet squats, front squats, or safety-squat-bar squats.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>would - in my situation - even an incorrect squat provide some relief to the major issue of sciatica, vs just abandoning the attempt?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>It's not clear here whether by an 'incorrect' squat you mean a squat with the heels leaving the ground, or a partial depth squat which stops just before your heels leave the ground. In either case though, any exercise that you can tolerate without causing a flare-up is good for sciatica, particularly if it is something that lets you gently push the limits of what you can tolerate.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45240, "author": "John M", "author_id": 23984, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/23984", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Here is one more tip, from McGill himself, which I have personally found very useful, whether someone has back issues or not - it may be that your stance width is in need of adjustment:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>In order to find the optimal hip width (...) have the athlete adopt a 4-point kneeling stance. From neutral, rock or drop the buttocks back to the heels. Mark the angle at which first spine flexion occurs. Then repeat with varying amount of space between the knees. Look for the optimal knee width that allows the buttocks to get closest to the ankles without any spine motion. This is the hip angle that will produce the deepest, and ultimately the highest performance squat. <strong>It is much wider than most people think</strong>.</p>\n</blockquote>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45236", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38315/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45241, "author": "rrirower", "author_id": 7242, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/7242", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There's no simple concrete answer since each of us react to training stimulus differently. Additionally, genetics, proper nutrition, and recovery will play a part in how long it takes to build <strong>noticeable</strong> muscle mass. Keep in mind, that if you train naturally without drugs, muscle growth occurs incrementally. That means if you are new to resistance training, gains may seem to appear quickly. However, most of us reach a plateau where muscle gains are harder to achieve. That's why it's more important to find out what works for you, take notes, and stick to a lifelong plan.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45483, "author": "Kris Heeren", "author_id": 38660, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38660", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>During a workout, the muscle fibers are damaged. This damage is what triggers the muscle to repair and grow back larger and stronger. The process of repairing and growing the muscles actually takes several days, so you won't see any noticeable change in size immediately after a workout. In fact, if you worked out really hard, your muscles may even appear smaller after a few days because they're taking some time to heal!</p>\n<p>It typically takes about 48 hours for the muscle fibers to start repairing themselves after a workout. And it can take up to 72 hours for new muscle protein synthesis to occur (the process of building new muscle tissue). So if you're working out multiple times per week, you may not see much change in muscle size until after a few weeks or even a month or two of consistent training.</p>\n<p>Of course, <a href=\"https://gymposts.com/how-to-gain-muscle-fast/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">there are many other factors that affect muscle growth, that could speed up or slow down the process</a>, such as genetics, age, hormones, and diet. But the main thing to remember is that it takes time for muscles to grow, so be patient and consistent with your workouts!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45239", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38150/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45251, "author": "Luciano", "author_id": 33822, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33822", "pm_score": 1, "selected": true, "text": "<p>First, these calculations are an estimate and might not be accurate. But ok, you got a starting point. Let's go from there.</p>\n<p><s>If you're really 23% body fat at 13 years old you won't see abs until you get much leaner first, no matter what ab exercises you do.</s> (I'm editing my answer according to the new edited question)</p>\n<p>What I'd suggest:</p>\n<p><strong>Calculate your daily caloric needs and get into a small deficit</strong> (eat less than you burn). There are plenty of online calculators, <a href=\"https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">for example this one</a>. Check how many kg do you need to lose to drop around 1% body fat and go from there. There's no need to go extreme.</p>\n<p><strong>Track what you eat</strong> (at least for now). Use a food scale if you have one. Log your food on something like MyFitnessPal or similar apps. That will help greatly making sure you're not gaining fat for the next month.</p>\n<p><strong>Do some resistance training exercises</strong>. You want to lose fat, not get weaker, so you should incorporate resistance training to be able to keep the rest of your muscle mass during your deficit. Lifting weights or calysthenics, full body workouts, regularly (3-5 times per week, depending on the intensity).</p>\n<p><strong>Progressive overload</strong>. It will be easier to see your abs if the muscles are bigger, otherwise you'll have to get even leaner. But your body adapts, so you need to increase the load over time, be it by adding weights or adding reps. I believe you don't need all 6 ab exercises right away, you could start with less variation (crunches, reverse crunches and leg raises) and add more reps or add weight every week (just holding a heavy bag while doing crunches, for example). Planks and static holds just take too much time.</p>\n<p>Treat your abs like any other muscle, train them again once they recover and are not too sore, perhaps every other day at first.</p>\n<p><strong>Don't forget rest and recovery.</strong> Try to get 8h of sleep daily, recovery is important for both fat loss and muscle growth.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45256, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Recently, I had an idea of training to get six-pack abs.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This is not a good idea. Having a six-pack is mainly just an indicator that you have extremely low body fat, possibly even to the extend of it being unsustainable or unhealthy. How much muscle you have doesn't have much to do with it.</p>\n<p>At your age, deliberately trying to reduce your body fat to the point where your abs are visible could be especially harmful, and could even stunt your growth.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The question is, when I searched for them one by one on the Internet, there started to be different opinions.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>That's because everyone is lying. Unfortunately it's an extremely common for fitness influencers to want to make themselves appear unique by promoting ideas that are different to everyone else, and the easiest way to do this is to just lie.</p>\n<p>For example, sit ups are a common way of strengthening the abs that have been well accepted for almost as long as deliberate, planned exercise has existed. They are undeniably safe and effective. But if a fitness influencer makes up a story about sit-ups being either dangerous or ineffective, many people will react to this by believing that the influencer possesses some knowledge about ab training that no one else does. It's a very effective way of manipulating people into following you and giving you money.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>So there are many different voices about those training, so instead of risking to try only one or two of them, I decided to try all of them [at the same time].</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This is not a good idea. By combining so many different workouts into a single workout, you will create one of two possible scenarios:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>You are doing the exercises hard enough for them to be effective, but now it is impossible for you to complete the workout because you become completely fatigued when you're only 25% of the way through the workout.</li>\n<li>You are making the exercises too easy, so you can complete the extremely long workout, but it isn't effective because all your exercises were too easy.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>If you want to train abs, here's a simple but effective program: Just pick a few (3-4) exercises, whichever ones you like best. Exercise selection really doesn't matter that much, and you're likely to get similar results no matter what you choose. Though it's best if the exercises aren't so easy that you can do more than 50 reps in a single set, because you tend to get less hypertrophy when the resistance from an exercise is so low that you can do that many reps. Also, the rectus abdominis is all one muscle, so you don't need different exercises to train different parts of it. There are no distinct &quot;lower ups&quot; and &quot;upper abs&quot; exercises.</p>\n<p>Then, do these exercises 2-5 days per week, with any workout scheduling that results in you doing 10-20 total sets per week. Each set should not have a specific rep target, but should instead be done until you feel like you can barely complete another rep. Rest 2-3 minutes before the next set. If you end up doing more than 50 reps, maybe think about changing to a different, harder exercise.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I want to get it in a month, because I'm attending a swimming camp next month, and I really want to get abs before that.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>But if you want to impress people at a swimming camp, surely a better way of doing that is to work hard on getting better at swimming, rather than training your abs?</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45250", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45265, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>If you're eating at maintenance calories, it's to be expected that you're only maintaining, rather than gaining strength.</strong></p>\n<p>There could be other factors, such as insufficient training volume or intensity, but you won't know whether your training is sufficient until you actually start eating enough to make gains. (And you'll be able to tell when you start eating more, because if your training is inadequate, then eating more will primarily cause you to gain fat, so your bodyweight will go up more than your strength levels.)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45269, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>You should do some sets in a lower rep range</strong></p>\n<p>&quot;From a science standpoint, there's actually not a lot that we know about muscle growth. One thing that we do know based on research and decades of anecdotal reports from bodybuilders is that rep ranges of about 8-12 reps per set seem to be the sweet spot for building muscle. Reps of 6 or less also seem to be best for building strength.&quot; (4)<br />\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/VgcTL.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/VgcTL.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a>\nAll your sets are in the hypertrophy range.\nIf you want to increase strength you should do some sets in the strength rep range.</p>\n<p>You could for instance do 2 sets of 5 reps followed by 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps.</p>\n<p>For an even better spread across intensities you could use a reverse pyramid by taking weight off the bar in between sets. E.g 1st set: 4 reps, 2nd set: 8 reps, 3rd set: 12 reps. (1),(2)</p>\n<p>Or you could alternate strength and hypertrophy days.</p>\n<p><strong>You may be doing too many sets</strong></p>\n<p>It sounds like you are doing 10 sets for chest each upper workout.\nAssuming you do this twice a week that is 20 sets.\nThe common advice is 10-15 sets per muscle group per week.</p>\n<p>It could be that you are not really pushing yourself in each set, making each set not very effective.\nYou should use long rest periods: &gt;= 3 minutes and be close to failure on each set.</p>\n<p>Alternatively it could be that you are not able to recover from all this volume. Eating more should help with this.</p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"https://leangains.com/reverse-pyramid-training-guide/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">THE REVERSE PYRAMID TRAINING GUIDE</a></p>\n<p>(2) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6zceIyem9Q\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Reverse Pyramid Training with Greg O'Gallagher</a></p>\n<p>(3) <a href=\"https://us.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpt/neuromuscular-adaptations-to-strength-training\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">STRENGTH TRAINING AND NEUROMUSCULAR ADAPTATIONS</a></p>\n<p>(4) <a href=\"https://www.jimstoppani.com/training/rep-range\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Rethink Your Rep Range</a></p>\n<p>(5) <a href=\"https://biolayne.com/articles/training/repetition-ranges-work-best/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Which Repetition Ranges Work Best?</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45263", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38362/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45279, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, absolutely. Body fat is essential, and not just a form of stored energy. Symptoms of excessively low body fat include hormonal disruption (low testosterone in men, amenorrhea in women), loss of bone mineral density [10], loss of muscle, weakening of the immune system [10], and cognitive impairment. [11]</p>\n<p>Quoting Dr Eric Helms, in 'The Muscle and Strength Pyramid: Nutrition':</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Make no mistake, there are substantial and important differences\nbetween being a recreational bodybuilder or lifter, and a physique\ncompetitor or strength athlete. A competitive physique athlete has to\nachieve a level of leanness in order to get on stage that often results\nin the loss of a normal menstrual cycle among women, a decline in\ntestosterone in men, disrupted sleep, higher levels of stress hormones,\nhunger hormones, a decline in satiety hormones, a reduction in total\ndaily energy expenditure disproportionate to weight loss, decreases\nin lean body mass and strength, higher levels of fatigue, and is often\nassociated with a diet that carries a higher risk of micronutrient\ndeficiencies [1-9].</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>References:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Helms, E.R., A.A. Aragon, and P.J. Fitschen, Evidence-based recommendations\nfor natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation.\nJ Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2014. 11: p. 20.</li>\n<li>Halliday, T.M., J.P. Loenneke, and B.M. Davy, Dietary Intake, Body Composition,\nand Menstrual Cycle Changes during Competition Preparation and Recovery\nin a Drug-Free Figure Competitor: A Case Study. Nutrients, 2016. 8(11).</li>\n<li>Fagerberg, P., Negative consequences of low energy availability in natural\nmale bodybuilding: a review. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2018. 28(4): p.\n385–402.</li>\n<li>Hulmi, J.J., et al., The effects of intensive weight reduction on body\ncomposition and serum hormones in female fitness competitors. Frontiers\nin Physiology, 2017. 10(7): p. 689.</li>\n<li>Rohrig, B.J., et al., Psychophysiological Tracking of a Female Physique\nCompetitor through Competition Preparation. Int J Exerc Sci, 2017. 10(2):\np. 301–311.</li>\n<li>Petrizzo, J., et al., Case Study: The Effect of 32 Weeks of Figure-Contest\nPreparation on a Self-Proclaimed Drug-free Female’s Lean Body and Bone\nMass. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2017. 27(6): p. 543–9.</li>\n<li>Rossow, L.M., et al., Natural bodybuilding competition preparation and recovery:\na 12-month case study. Int J Sports Physiol Perform, 2013. 8(5): p. 582–92.</li>\n<li>van der Ploeg, G.E., et al., Body composition changes in female bodybuilders\nduring preparation for competition. Eur J Clin Nutr, 2001. 55(4): p. 268–77.</li>\n<li>Maestu, J., et al., Anabolic and catabolic hormones and energy balance of the\nmale bodybuilders during the preparation for the competition. J Strength\nCond Res, 2010. 24(4): p. 1074–81.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.healthline.com/health/underweight-health-risks\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.healthline.com/health/underweight-health-risks</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/can-not-enough-nutrients-cause-brain-fog#undereating-and-brain-fog\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/can-not-enough-nutrients-cause-brain-fog#undereating-and-brain-fog</a></li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45281, "author": "Not Entirely Serious", "author_id": 38379, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38379", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Body fat <a href=\"https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/why-we-need-body-fat/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pads and insulates</a> vital organs:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Among its many functions, fat surrounds and cushions vital organs like the kidneys\nand insulates us against the cold.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>It also serves as the longer-term store for needed calories. The same article talks about how the brain uses an extremely high percentage of the body's daily caloric intake (up to 1/3). It's not difficult to understand why having too low body fat would impair thinking.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45282, "author": "Tangurena", "author_id": 118, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/118", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>Yes</strong>. Bodybuilders frequently aim for <a href=\"https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/a759234/what-body-fat-percentage-should-i-be-to-see-abs/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">body fat percentages</a> in the single digits in order to look &quot;ripped&quot;. While it is acceptable for short term (such as a competition), body fat under 5% (for men, and about 8-9% for women) can lead to long-term health problems (<em>below 3% is fatal for humans</em>). One such problem is bradycardia (too slow of a heart beat) leads to dizziness, syncope, passing out and cardiac arrest. <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK218749/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Vitamins A, D, E &amp; K are fat soluble vitamins</a>. The sort of diet necessary to reach sub-10% body fat will be extremely low in fat and by necessity will be <a href=\"https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fat-soluble-vitamins\" rel=\"noreferrer\">deficient in those vitamins</a>. Since D is necessary for calcium absorption, brittle bones are an effect of very low body fat. <a href=\"https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/15-negative-effects-having-low-body-fat-percentage/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Other negative effects</a> include &quot;<a href=\"https://inbodyusa.com/blogs/inbodyblog/is-it-healthy-to-have-a-low-body-fat-percentage/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">brain fog</a>&quot; due to insufficient <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_fatty_acid\" rel=\"noreferrer\">essential fatty acids</a> that our brains require for proper functioning.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>Percent body fat declined from 14.8% to 4.5% during preparation and returned to 14.6% during recovery. Strength decreased during preparation and did not fully recover during 6 months of recovery. Testosterone declined from 9.22 to 2.27 ng/mL during preparation and returned back to the baseline level, 9.91 ng/mL, after competition. Total mood disturbance increased from 6 to 43 units during preparation and recovered to 4 units 6 mo[nths] after competition.</em></p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23412685/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Studies of longer term effects</a> of very low body fat have shown depression, loss of strength and lower testosterone levels that can take months to recover. The &quot;super ripped&quot; appearance of body builders is no longer appealing to me (it was in my 20s).</p>\n<p>My advice (for cis-gender men) would be to stay between 10 &amp; 15 percent body fat. Very few people are willing and able to maintain the effort necessary to get lower. <a href=\"https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/anatomy-of-the-brain#:%7E:text=Weighing%20about%203%20pounds%20in,including%20neurons%20and%20glial%20cells.\" rel=\"noreferrer\">The human brain is about 60% fat</a>. I'm a software developer and my brain is my most important body part.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45283, "author": "MonkeyZeus", "author_id": 28228, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28228", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Can you have too little body fat?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Yes.</p>\n<p>&quot;<a href=\"https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/what-is-body-composition\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, there are healthy body fat percentages based on your age. For people aged 20 to 39, women should aim for 21% to 32% of body fat. Men should have 8% to 19%. For people 40 to 59, women should fall between 23% to 33% and men should fall around 11% to 21%. If you’re aged 60 to 79, women should have 24% to 35% body fat and men should have 13% to 24%.</a>&quot;</p>\n<p>Also a good read, <a href=\"https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2019-05-01/bodybuilding-health-effects-dehydration-starvation-hormones/10971608\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Bodybuilders can go to extremes to compete on stage — and it's not always healthy</a>.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45295, "author": "SomeGuy", "author_id": 38395, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38395", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes. Lack of fat can kill you. This is sometimes known as &quot;<a href=\"https://theprepared.com/blog/rabbit-starvation-why-you-can-die-even-with-a-stomach-full-of-lean-meat/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">rabbit starvation</a>&quot; (also known as &quot;<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_poisoning\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Protein Poisoning</a>&quot;) because in some cases people whose only source of food was rabbit meat (which is very lean and lacks sufficient fat for a human to support themselves on) became sick and ultimately died.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45278", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/4592/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45279, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, absolutely. Body fat is essential, and not just a form of stored energy. Symptoms of excessively low body fat include hormonal disruption (low testosterone in men, amenorrhea in women), loss of bone mineral density [10], loss of muscle, weakening of the immune system [10], and cognitive impairment. [11]</p>\n<p>Quoting Dr Eric Helms, in 'The Muscle and Strength Pyramid: Nutrition':</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Make no mistake, there are substantial and important differences\nbetween being a recreational bodybuilder or lifter, and a physique\ncompetitor or strength athlete. A competitive physique athlete has to\nachieve a level of leanness in order to get on stage that often results\nin the loss of a normal menstrual cycle among women, a decline in\ntestosterone in men, disrupted sleep, higher levels of stress hormones,\nhunger hormones, a decline in satiety hormones, a reduction in total\ndaily energy expenditure disproportionate to weight loss, decreases\nin lean body mass and strength, higher levels of fatigue, and is often\nassociated with a diet that carries a higher risk of micronutrient\ndeficiencies [1-9].</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>References:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Helms, E.R., A.A. Aragon, and P.J. Fitschen, Evidence-based recommendations\nfor natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation.\nJ Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2014. 11: p. 20.</li>\n<li>Halliday, T.M., J.P. Loenneke, and B.M. Davy, Dietary Intake, Body Composition,\nand Menstrual Cycle Changes during Competition Preparation and Recovery\nin a Drug-Free Figure Competitor: A Case Study. Nutrients, 2016. 8(11).</li>\n<li>Fagerberg, P., Negative consequences of low energy availability in natural\nmale bodybuilding: a review. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2018. 28(4): p.\n385–402.</li>\n<li>Hulmi, J.J., et al., The effects of intensive weight reduction on body\ncomposition and serum hormones in female fitness competitors. Frontiers\nin Physiology, 2017. 10(7): p. 689.</li>\n<li>Rohrig, B.J., et al., Psychophysiological Tracking of a Female Physique\nCompetitor through Competition Preparation. Int J Exerc Sci, 2017. 10(2):\np. 301–311.</li>\n<li>Petrizzo, J., et al., Case Study: The Effect of 32 Weeks of Figure-Contest\nPreparation on a Self-Proclaimed Drug-free Female’s Lean Body and Bone\nMass. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2017. 27(6): p. 543–9.</li>\n<li>Rossow, L.M., et al., Natural bodybuilding competition preparation and recovery:\na 12-month case study. Int J Sports Physiol Perform, 2013. 8(5): p. 582–92.</li>\n<li>van der Ploeg, G.E., et al., Body composition changes in female bodybuilders\nduring preparation for competition. Eur J Clin Nutr, 2001. 55(4): p. 268–77.</li>\n<li>Maestu, J., et al., Anabolic and catabolic hormones and energy balance of the\nmale bodybuilders during the preparation for the competition. J Strength\nCond Res, 2010. 24(4): p. 1074–81.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.healthline.com/health/underweight-health-risks\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.healthline.com/health/underweight-health-risks</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/can-not-enough-nutrients-cause-brain-fog#undereating-and-brain-fog\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/can-not-enough-nutrients-cause-brain-fog#undereating-and-brain-fog</a></li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45281, "author": "Not Entirely Serious", "author_id": 38379, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38379", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Body fat <a href=\"https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/why-we-need-body-fat/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">pads and insulates</a> vital organs:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Among its many functions, fat surrounds and cushions vital organs like the kidneys\nand insulates us against the cold.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>It also serves as the longer-term store for needed calories. The same article talks about how the brain uses an extremely high percentage of the body's daily caloric intake (up to 1/3). It's not difficult to understand why having too low body fat would impair thinking.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45282, "author": "Tangurena", "author_id": 118, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/118", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>Yes</strong>. Bodybuilders frequently aim for <a href=\"https://www.menshealth.com/uk/building-muscle/a759234/what-body-fat-percentage-should-i-be-to-see-abs/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">body fat percentages</a> in the single digits in order to look &quot;ripped&quot;. While it is acceptable for short term (such as a competition), body fat under 5% (for men, and about 8-9% for women) can lead to long-term health problems (<em>below 3% is fatal for humans</em>). One such problem is bradycardia (too slow of a heart beat) leads to dizziness, syncope, passing out and cardiac arrest. <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK218749/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Vitamins A, D, E &amp; K are fat soluble vitamins</a>. The sort of diet necessary to reach sub-10% body fat will be extremely low in fat and by necessity will be <a href=\"https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fat-soluble-vitamins\" rel=\"noreferrer\">deficient in those vitamins</a>. Since D is necessary for calcium absorption, brittle bones are an effect of very low body fat. <a href=\"https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/15-negative-effects-having-low-body-fat-percentage/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Other negative effects</a> include &quot;<a href=\"https://inbodyusa.com/blogs/inbodyblog/is-it-healthy-to-have-a-low-body-fat-percentage/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">brain fog</a>&quot; due to insufficient <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_fatty_acid\" rel=\"noreferrer\">essential fatty acids</a> that our brains require for proper functioning.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>Percent body fat declined from 14.8% to 4.5% during preparation and returned to 14.6% during recovery. Strength decreased during preparation and did not fully recover during 6 months of recovery. Testosterone declined from 9.22 to 2.27 ng/mL during preparation and returned back to the baseline level, 9.91 ng/mL, after competition. Total mood disturbance increased from 6 to 43 units during preparation and recovered to 4 units 6 mo[nths] after competition.</em></p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23412685/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Studies of longer term effects</a> of very low body fat have shown depression, loss of strength and lower testosterone levels that can take months to recover. The &quot;super ripped&quot; appearance of body builders is no longer appealing to me (it was in my 20s).</p>\n<p>My advice (for cis-gender men) would be to stay between 10 &amp; 15 percent body fat. Very few people are willing and able to maintain the effort necessary to get lower. <a href=\"https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/anatomy-of-the-brain#:%7E:text=Weighing%20about%203%20pounds%20in,including%20neurons%20and%20glial%20cells.\" rel=\"noreferrer\">The human brain is about 60% fat</a>. I'm a software developer and my brain is my most important body part.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45283, "author": "MonkeyZeus", "author_id": 28228, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/28228", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Can you have too little body fat?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Yes.</p>\n<p>&quot;<a href=\"https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/what-is-body-composition\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, there are healthy body fat percentages based on your age. For people aged 20 to 39, women should aim for 21% to 32% of body fat. Men should have 8% to 19%. For people 40 to 59, women should fall between 23% to 33% and men should fall around 11% to 21%. If you’re aged 60 to 79, women should have 24% to 35% body fat and men should have 13% to 24%.</a>&quot;</p>\n<p>Also a good read, <a href=\"https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2019-05-01/bodybuilding-health-effects-dehydration-starvation-hormones/10971608\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Bodybuilders can go to extremes to compete on stage — and it's not always healthy</a>.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45295, "author": "SomeGuy", "author_id": 38395, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38395", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes. Lack of fat can kill you. This is sometimes known as &quot;<a href=\"https://theprepared.com/blog/rabbit-starvation-why-you-can-die-even-with-a-stomach-full-of-lean-meat/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">rabbit starvation</a>&quot; (also known as &quot;<a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_poisoning\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Protein Poisoning</a>&quot;) because in some cases people whose only source of food was rabbit meat (which is very lean and lacks sufficient fat for a human to support themselves on) became sick and ultimately died.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45285", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38384/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45294, "author": "Dave Liepmann", "author_id": 1771, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/1771", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There's a simple cause for your problem: you can't do enough chin-ups to have a steady target number of chin-ups to do in each set.</p>\n<p>This is good news, because it means it's simple to fix. Stop aiming for a specific number of reps per set. It's too dependent on moment-to-moment fluctuations in your energy. Instead, pick a total number of reps for the workout, and get there using as many sets as necessary. That might end up being a bunch of sets of 1 or 2 reps -- that's fine.</p>\n<p>Also consider negatives and static holds to develop positional strength after you exhaust your ability to do normal reps.</p>\n<p>For the weighted exercises, find a progression in which you start a little lighter and make slow, consistent improvement.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45300, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>According to the fitness-fatigue model:\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/vBrO2.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/vBrO2.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a>\nObserved strength (Performance) = Strength (Fitness) - Fatigue</p>\n<p>As a result of your chin-up training your strength has increased, but you have accumulated even more fatigue and as a result your performance is dropping.</p>\n<p>From the &quot;The Art of Lifting&quot;:\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/dpCZq.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/dpCZq.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>You can do 6 reps of chin-ups, which means that when you do a chin-up you are working at the high intensity of 85 % of 1 Rep Max. This training produces a high strength (neurological muscle fiber recruitment) stimuli but the fatigue contribution is also high.</p>\n<p>Further the last rep before failure increases the fatigue significantly and especially at high intensities (1). Instead leave 1 or 2 reps in reserve for each set. With this in mind your adjusted routine of doing 3 reps per set seems sensible. However the first day you probably acummulated a lot of fatigue going to failure on every set.\nI would think that with your new less fatiguing approach your fatigue will subside and your performance will increase in the coming weeks. If not try a deload week where you 1/2 the volume of all exercises.</p>\n<p>Consider the many factors that determine strength (5):\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/DFOm9.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/DFOm9.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a>\nGreen box around means that the factor can be trained.\nDoing sets of 3 of chin-ups does a good job at training the skill of doing chin-ups (technique) and neurological muscle fiber recruitment (motor skill).\nHowever as can be seen from the Fatigue and Intensity figure above it does a less than optimal job at increasing muscle size (hypertrophy) which is another factor of strength.<br />\nI think it could be beneficial to also train your lats, rectus abdominis (4), biceps and traps by doing bodybuilding style work (3).\nBy that I mean slow controlled sets of 12 reps with max stretch.\nI think these sets could be done as a warm-up to your chin-ups.</p>\n<p>Another thing you could try is to do neutral grip pull-ups instead of chin-ups. These should be a bit easier than chin-ups.\nThat should make it easier to accumulate volume and move you more into hypertrophy zone.</p>\n<p>Further I think chin-ups benefits from a high frequency of training.\nI would think every 2nd day would be ideal.\nFor benchpress (chest) on the other hand I think every 3rd day would be ideal. This is because the back muscles have a higher percentage of slow twitch muscle fibers than the chest (2).</p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"https://thibarmy.com/should-you-train-to-failure/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Should You Train To Failure?</a></p>\n<p>(2) <a href=\"https://breakingmuscle.com/optimal-frequency-training-for-hypertrophy/#:%7E:text=The%20evidence%20clearly%20illustrates%20that,week%20are%20optimal%20for%20hypertrophy.\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Optimal Frequency Training For Hypertrophy</a></p>\n<p>(3) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btFgKx_mQro\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Do More Pullups Now</a></p>\n<p>(4) <a href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331402880_A_Comparison_of_Muscle_Activation_during_the_Pull-up_and_Three_Alternative_Pulling_Exercises\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Muscle Activation during the Pull-up</a></p>\n<p>(5) <a href=\"https://www.strongerbyscience.com/size-vs-strength/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Size Vs. Strength: How Important Is Muscle Growth For Strength Gains?</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45289", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38385/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45292, "author": "DeeV", "author_id": 21868, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21868", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Bodypump workouts aren't the only thing you're doing all day right?</p>\n<p>You walking around your home consumes calories.</p>\n<p>You cleaning your house consumes calories.</p>\n<p>You sitting on the computer typing out a question consumes calories.</p>\n<p>You sleeping consumes calories.</p>\n<p>A &quot;calorie&quot; is a unit of measurement for energy similar to how a &quot;kilometer&quot; is a unit of measurement for distance. In this case, it's the amount of energy that is required to raise 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. Food, muscle, glycogen, and body fat hold calories. Moving and living uses calories. All of these are rated in &quot;kilocalories&quot; or &quot;kcal&quot; or sometimes with a big &quot;C&quot;. When people mention a &quot;calorie&quot;, it's almost <em>always</em> referring to a &quot;kilocalorie&quot;. The Bodypump is actually claiming it burns 600 kilocalories which is 33% of the total 1800 kcal consumed (Bodypump is also probably greatly exaggerating the number just fyi).</p>\n<p>The biggest consumption of calories for most people is the &quot;Resting Metabolic Rate&quot; which is the amount of calories you use to &quot;just survive&quot;. Breathing, thinking, heart beating, and so on. The things your body needs to do in order to continue living.</p>\n<p>The second biggest consumption is your NEAT or &quot;Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis&quot;. These include activities that you do throughout the day. These include cleaning, typing, walking, talking, writing, shopping, and much, much more.</p>\n<p>The third biggest consumption is exercise. As you have seen, it's not actually as much as you would think. Although it does help significantly.</p>\n<p>The fourth biggest consumption is the Thermogenic Effect of Food which is how much energy it takes to digest the food you consume.</p>\n<p>All four of these things combined make your Total Daily Energy Expenditure which is your TDEE. If you eat equivalent to your TDEE, then you will not gain or lose weight. If you eat above it, you will gain weight. If you eat below it, you will lose weight.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZeEBZ.png\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZeEBZ.png\" alt=\"Image depicting the distribution of calories throughout the day\" /></a></p>\n<p>*Note: This distribution is different for everyone so don't think this is set in stone. It's just an example.</p>\n<p>If you would like an estimate of what your BMR/RMR is, there are a variety of calculators on the web.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html\" rel=\"noreferrer\">This website mentions three</a> of the most popular ones: Mifflin-St Jeor Equation, Harris-Benedict Equation, and Katch-McArdle Formula. Each are described respectively as:</p>\n<p>Mifflin-St Jeor Equation:</p>\n<p>For men: <code>BMR = 10 x &lt;weight_in_kg&gt; + 6.25 x &lt;height_in_cm&gt; - 5 x &lt;age&gt; + 5</code></p>\n<p>For women: <code>BMR = 10 x &lt;weight_in_kg&gt; + 6.25H - 5A - 161</code></p>\n<p>Revised Harris-Benedict Equation:</p>\n<p>For men: <code>BMR = 13.397 x &lt;weight_in_kg&gt; + 4.799H - 5.677A + 88.362</code></p>\n<p>For women: <code>BMR = 9.247 x &lt;weight_in_kg&gt; + 3.098H - 4.330A + 447.593</code></p>\n<p>Katch-McArdle Formula:</p>\n<p>BMR = <code>370 + 21.6 x (1 - &lt;bodyfat_percentage&gt;) x &lt;weight_in_kg&gt;</code></p>\n<p>And then to <em>estimate</em> your TDEE, you'd multiply the BMR with a coefficient that depends on your activity level.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sedentary (little to no exercise): <code>TDEE = BMR x 1.2</code></li>\n<li>Lightly active (light activity or sports 1-3 times a week): <code>TDEE = BMR x 1.35</code></li>\n<li>Moderately active (moderate activity or sports 3-5 times a week): <code>TDEE = BMR x 1.5</code></li>\n<li>Very active (high activity or sports 5-7 times a week): <code>TDEE = BMR x 1.7</code></li>\n<li>Professional athlete (Physically demanding activity is your job): <code>TDEE = BMR x 1.9</code></li>\n</ul>\n<p>Though it should be stressed that these are <em>estimates</em> and your actual TDEE is going to be different.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45299, "author": "Tanner Swett", "author_id": 5736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/5736", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Confusingly, in nutrition, the words “calorie” and “kilocalorie” mean the same thing. So if someone says that a Bodypump session burns 600 calories, that’s the same as saying that a Bodypump session burns 600 kcal.</p>\n<p>So, if we assume that a Bodypump session burns 600 kcal, and a person eats 1,800 kcal a day, then that workout actually consumes 33% of their daily calories, not 0.033%.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45602, "author": "Raj Patel", "author_id": 38782, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38782", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Calories are a unit of measurement for the energy content of food and beverages. When we consume more calories from food and drink than we burn off, our systems store the extra as body fat.</p>\n<p>Checkout how many calories per day your body requires to maintain your weight.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://allinonecalculators.com/calorie-calculator\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Calorie Calculator</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45291", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38394/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45315, "author": "Eric Nolan", "author_id": 34929, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34929", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If I was running next to a street in a situation where I needed to cross roads and stop at lights I wouldn't be overly concerned about pace. I think it is more important to be aware of hazards (eg: cars) and I would be worried that my concerns about pace might encourage me to take risks I wouldn't otherwise.</p>\n<p>When cycling I sometimes stop the clock when I stop for a rest but I generally don't because I found I had a hard time doing so consistently. Sometimes I would forget to stop the clock and sometimes I would forget to restart it afterwards which was worse. This would also encourage me not to bother doing this.</p>\n<p>I don't know what type of device you use but some have the ability to automatically stop tracking when they detect you have stopped moving and will show you your overall pace as well as your 'moving' pace. With a Garmin you can use the settings for the Run activity to turn on Auto Pause. In the stats for an individual activity the headline pace will be the overall pace but if you scroll down to the bottom you can see the Avg Pace and the Avg Moving Pace.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45320, "author": "LShaver", "author_id": 21918, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/21918", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If your main concern is tracking your pace over the time while moving, I would recommend using Strava to track your workouts.</p>\n<p>Here's a recent run of mine where I stopped twice to do some quick errands:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/grw4f.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/grw4f.png\" alt=\"Strava activity summary\" /></a></p>\n<p>You can see that elapsed time and moving time are tracked separately, and the pace is calculated based on moving time. I do not pause my watch at all during runs.</p>\n<p>You can use the <a href=\"https://www.strava.com/mobile\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Strava app</a> directly on your phone, or if you're already using a different app or fitness watch, you can upload those activities to Strava (I use a Garmin watch, for example). <a href=\"https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/223297187-How-to-get-your-Activities-to-Strava\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Here's a list of watches and apps</a> that are compatible with Strava.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45306", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/16476/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45337, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Accepted knowledge in these communities and with most trainers is recovery days are when the body grows.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Yes, but not by necessity. The days following a bout of resistance training are when muscular growth occurs. Most people don't train the same muscle group multiple days in a row, so as a result of their scheduling, the growth is happening when the muscle is being rested. But that doesn't mean that muscle growth can only occur at rest.</p>\n<p>While there is evidence that excessive training volumes are detrimental to muscle growth, there is no evidence to suggest that training during the muscle growth period interrupts muscle growth. So, consider the following three training programs:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>You do pushups twice per week, doing seven sets to failure per session, for a total of 14 sets per week.</li>\n<li>You do pushups every day, doing two sets to failure per session, for a total of 14 sets per week.</li>\n<li>You do pushups every day, doing seven sets to failure per session, for a total of 49 sets per week.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>Training programs 1 and 2 have the same volume, so there's no reason to believe that program 2 would give worse results, even though it has no rest days. Training program 3 also has no rest days, but it has drastically excessive volume, and so could result in reduced performance and increased injury risk.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>And that sans recovery days you're only breaking down muscle fibers without letting them grow back, eventually leading to negative results.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>You don't damage all of your muscle fibers in a training session, and you don't use 100% of your muscle fibers when a muscle contracts, so the body still has plenty to work with and isn't likely to re-damage the same muscle fibers again.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45338, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As I see it there are two separate issues in your question:</p>\n<p><strong>High frequency</strong></p>\n<p>Is doing 2 sets 5 x a week better or worse than 5 set 2 x a week?</p>\n<p>The answer seems to be: for advanced trainees higher frequency is better.\nFor beginners to intermediate trainees it does not matter. Only total volume matters.\nHowever doing 10 sets 1 x a week is probably not as good as doing 5 sets 2 x a week since there seems to be a limit on how many useful set you can do per workout. (1)</p>\n<p><strong>High repetition</strong></p>\n<p>Is doing 25 push-ups as efficient as doing 5 reps of bench press?</p>\n<p>A study has found that if both are taken to failure they should be equal.\nHowever that fails to take into account that higher repetitions leads to more cortisol produced. &quot;Excessive volume is the #1 enemy of the natural trainee.&quot; (2)</p>\n<p>In conclusion I think that doing push-ups 5 x a week may work if you take each set close to failure and especially if you add weight or use harder variations of push-ups and do not do too many sets each day.\nHowever I still think this style of training is less effective than heavy barbell training.</p>\n<p>For a program that uses this style of training: 3).</p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTxO5ZMxcsc\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Full Body 5x Per Week: Why High Frequency Training Is So Effective</a></p>\n<p>(2) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN093VKwVHc\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Why high volume is not the answer for hypertrophy</a></p>\n<p>(3) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFFf3QVaU9Y\" rel=\"noreferrer\">My Foolproof Calisthenics Template</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45340, "author": "AnoE", "author_id": 25048, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25048", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Don't forget that the people in question are young, healthy and their <em>goal</em> is not optimal muscle gain.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Young bodies repair damage faster. Presumably that's the most relevant reason.</li>\n<li>Their goal is to survive the bootcamp, not to optimize growth. The goal of their superiors probably is not to have them develop thick arms, but to train discipline and the ability to suffer through hard times. So even though they end up with thick arms, doing it differently might get the same result quicker.</li>\n<li>One part why we (normal, non-military bootcamp people) care about recovery is that it just feels awful to be always in a non-recovered state, even if it's not so bad that the body is breaking down. This presumably is also not high on the scale of motivation in the army setting.</li>\n<li>Training and recovery works on a scale, it's not an &quot;on/off&quot; thing. Assume your body is like a battery - it has a capability going from 0% to 100%, with 0% being where you fall over in a coma, and 100% where you are bristling with energy. All activities either increase or decrease the capacity. As a normal human, it feels great to be in the upper parts - regular folks, even avid weight practicioners, would probably structure their load to always be more energetic than not. Again, in an army setting, this just does not apply - bootcamps are amongst others designed to weed out the unfit; people who cannot stomach weeks of existing in the lower ranges of capacity are not the best to send into a war...</li>\n<li>With load, the risk of injury increases. For someone training with a goal of muscle gain, getting injured is by far the worst that can happen, as it forces you to take a break for weeks or even months, in which your body will slowly lose those precious gains. Again, in a selective bootcamp setting, running the load very high spits out those folks who are prone to injury, or oppositely confirms those that are &quot;tough&quot; and likely to not get a simple muscle strain when on the battlefield...</li>\n</ul>\n<p>I am not saying that all of this is great, but I can pretty well imagine that it is the thinking that leads to the practice. I do not know whether there is actual, publicly available army doctrine which formalizes this in regards to <em>training</em> their soldiers to be stronger. But you easily do find doctrine on using this as <a href=\"https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/08/27/army-oks-push-ups-pt-punishment-minor-infractions.html\" rel=\"noreferrer\">punishment</a>, so it just seems to go with the territory...</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45336", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27070/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45348, "author": "Thomas Markov", "author_id": 34721, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34721", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<h3><a href=\"https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/bursitis?amp=true\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">The most common causes of bursitis are overuse and acute injury</a>.</h3>\n<p>Since you don’t describe any sort of acute trauma to the knee that could lead to bursitis, overuse is the obvious culprit. Your body adapts to the stress you put it under, but too much too soon can lead to overuse conditions, such as bursitis.</p>\n<p>If you develop bursitis from hiking, this is likely indicating that <em>the dose of hiking is too great for your current level of fitness</em>. The obvious solution then is to keep training, but reduce the intensity, allow your body to adapt to the stress you put it through, and slowly increase the dose as your level of fitness improves.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45353, "author": "Jon Conley", "author_id": 2072, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/2072", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>To answer about the technique, look into hiking or trekking poles. While you see people use them for ascent, they can play an important role on the descent.</p>\n<p>As you step down, you put that momentum and weight of your body on your knees.</p>\n<p>With trekking poles, you extend them and allow them to find solid ground and your arms to bear some of the weight your knees were taking.</p>\n<p>Here is an <a href=\"https://www.cooperinstitute.org/2011/02/do-trekking-poles-make-a-difference/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">article</a> (Cooper Institute) that has references specific studies regarding these poles minimizing impact and injury.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45346", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38484/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45578, "author": "Fralle", "author_id": 38708, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38708", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>Is a progress from 20 kg to 32 kg too extreme, or I'm still on the\nsafe side (so that I don't risk damage by switching to too heavy\nweight too soon)?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Since you can do 40-50 swings with 20kg, which is a lot, that increase seems ok. Focus more on warmup and take it easy until your body gets used to the increased weight.</p>\n<p>Heavier weights demand longer rest times, so use a low-rep long rest in the first two weeks.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45583, "author": "Steve V", "author_id": 38671, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38671", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>All things being equal, if you are looking for which weight to progress to with similar reps, I would opt for the 28kg. Swings require explosiveness and technique, and if you err on too heavy then you could find yourself not able to get enough explosive action out of your hips, and becoming fatigued early on in your high rep workout, leading to bad form and potential injury. This has happened to me during functional fitness workouts where the instructor suggested too much weight compared to what I was able to execute with kb swings, and he had me step back down.</p>\n<p>However, an alternative to consider is getting the 32kg and using both regularly, with the 32kg at way lower reps with an intense focus on technique and the 20kg at higher reps.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45352", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/4097/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45367, "author": "BKE", "author_id": 5752, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/5752", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes.</p>\n<p>Get a 3 kg macebell (or a hammer, or a longer stick etc.) and use it for moving your wrist in all directions under load. Given the torque, it is also very good for isometric holds. A good demonstration can be seen <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjYdOaWhnTk\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">here</a>. The idea here is not going extremely heavy, but to gain control with reasonable load.</p>\n<p>A more standard way is to get an approx. 50 cm long stick with a rope and a few 5 and 2 kg weight plates and do wrist rolls. The eccentric part of the wrist roll is especially important.</p>\n<p>In my experience, both approaches are good and I prefer to mix them. Both are also very space efficient and can be easily done in an apartment.</p>\n<p>That said, almost every upper body exercise where you grip something also trains the forearms. Say, for example pull ups, if you want to make it more difficult for the forearms, you can get e.g. cannonball grips or hanging grips. These will keep your forearms challenged for a long time.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45378, "author": "Kevin Liberty", "author_id": 38516, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38516", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Reverse curls (curls with palm-down) help with grip and forearm strength and are easily done with dumbbells.</p>\n<p>Alternatively, if you aren't COMPLETELY limited to what you currently have on you, a grip strengthener would improve your forearms. The linked set also includes rubber bands that provide resistance in the opposite way (you force them open instead of grippers that you force them closed) to even it out.</p>\n<p>I struggled with grip strength in my deadlifts until I started using one of these during the workday and have already noticed an improvement in both the appearance and functional use of my forearms.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45354", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32851/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45357, "author": "Thomas Markov", "author_id": 34721, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34721", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<h3>Your goals will be achieved in the kitchen, not the gym.</h3>\n<p>From what I can tell, your primary goal is weight loss. You mention that you want to generally improve your cardio-respiratory fitness, and your exercise plan will achieve that just fine. But weight loss? That’s going to be achieved through managing your energy intake in the kitchen.</p>\n<p>It is much easier to achieve a calorie deficit by removing things from your daily food consumption than it is to exercise your way into a deficit. Exercise helps, but unless you are training an endurance sport at a fairly high level, you just aren’t going to be burning a huge amount of calories. Most of your weight loss has to come from managing your diet.</p>\n<p>To me, your program you present is mostly consistent with your fitness related goals - you seem to just want to be generally active and healthy, without an sport specific goals. That said, there are a couple things I would like to see added to your exercise selection:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>a squat pattern</li>\n<li>a hip hinge</li>\n</ul>\n<p>You have sixteen exercise slots per week moving dumbbells around with your arms. I would throw in body weight squats, Bulgarian split squats, dumbbell RDLs, and Nordic hamstring curls, just to put a little bit of resistance training on your legs too.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45358, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Curls and arm extensions are <em>isolation</em> movements,\nthey target only 1 muscle (the biceps and the triceps respectively).\nIt is a better use of time to only use <em>compound</em> movements.\nThese train several muscles at the same time.\nFurther the biceps is trained indirectly by doing pulls (e.g. chin-ups) and the triceps is trained indirectly by doing push, e.g. push-ups.\nSo I would suggest you ditch the curls and arm extensions.</p>\n<p>Arnold presses and bent over rows are good exercises. Dumbell presses are also OK but the push-up is even better.\nHowever it sounds like your dumbells are way too light to be useful.\nYou do 15 reps of dumbell bench press. I am guessing that if your life depended on it you could do maybe 80 reps with that weight. That mean you should do between 75 and 79 reps. Otherwise the training effect is low. This is of course impractical.\nIdeally you should use a dumbell so heavy that you could only do 5-14 repetitions.<br />\nI would ditch the dumbells completely and only do bodyweight exercises:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>(jack knife) pull-ups</li>\n<li>push-ups</li>\n<li>squats</li>\n</ul>\n<p>A program that uses these exercises: <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFFf3QVaU9Y\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">My Foolproof Calisthenics Template</a>.</p>\n<p>Personally I prefer to do pull one day, push the next day and legs the 3rd day and repeat this 3 day sequence 2 x a week.</p>\n<p>If you get 1 heavier dumbell (10-25 kg ca) you could do one arm overhead presses, rows and goblet squats instead of bodyweight squats.\nI would choose the heaviest dumbell that you could do at least 5 reps of one arm overhead presses and bent over rows with.</p>\n<p>Getting a kettlebell and doing kettlebell swings (hip hinge) on the leg day may also be a good idea. The kettlebell may also be used for goblet squats and bent over rows.</p>\n<p>Doing some ab exercises is nice, but not essential since they are trained indirectly by the 3 main exercises above.</p>\n<p>Doing slow steady cardio is fine but you should also get your pulse up 2 x a week. For instance by doing some moderate sprint intervals on your exercise bike.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45356", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38465/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45364, "author": "BKE", "author_id": 5752, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/5752", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The most important for <em>hypertrophy</em> is to train close enough to failure. &quot;Time under tension&quot; is not the driver of hypertrophy, but it is doing the exercise close to failure that is the main reason for muscle growth. For now I won't go into the details of the different types of hypertrophy and different types of &quot;failure&quot;, it is enough to say that, as you get closer to your max number of reps, more and more muscle fibers get activated, and therefore stimulated for growth. In this sense, it is not so important how much total time was spent &quot;under tension&quot; because in the beginning reps, only some share of the muscle fibers are actually activated.</p>\n<p>All this means, that there is a wide rep range that is effective for hypertrophy, as long as you get close to failure. The rep range is usually given between 5-30 reps. Most common is around 10-12 reps or less, because more than that becomes quite painful and is not more efficient for muscle growth. In any case, it is possible for an exercise to effectively induce building muscle with 5 reps, or 10 reps, or 20 reps, it is really a matter of personal preference.</p>\n<p>&quot;Close to failure&quot; usually means no more, than 1-2 reps in reserve. So no need to go to actual failure every time. However, from time to time, it might be useful to go to actual failure to get a feeling of where you are.</p>\n<p>Assuming your 80% of 1rm is roughly accurate, I would assume you can do a bit more than 5 reps, let's say your max at 80% 1rm is 8 reps. So I would either try to do at least 6-7 reps with 80%, or stay with 5 reps but increase the intensity to 85%. The reason why people don't often do 10+ reps of compound exercises like deadlifts for hypertrophy, is because with lots of reps it becomes very challenging for cardio, so you might actually have to stop way before muscular failure because you're out of breath. On the other hand, for isolation exercises eg. a barbell curl, people usually do more reps for hypertrophy eg. 10-20, because with few reps technique is more likely to break down before muscular failure.</p>\n<p>In any case, I think the most important &quot;skill&quot; to have for hypertrophy is to be able to accurately judge the number of reps in reserve. One way is, as already mentioned, occasionally doing your set to actual failure, if you can do it safely, and try to remember how the last 1-2 reps felt. I usually avoid that though to reduce risk of injury. Another way is to film yourself and analyze the rep speed. Once the time you need to complete a rep starts to increase significantly, you know you are close to failure.</p>\n<p>Another important consideration is volume. It is usually recommended to do at least 10 sets per week per muscle group, all of them close to failure, to induce hypertrophy. So the rest of your program should be designed to have enough sets to cover each body part enough times.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45366, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>See my answer to a previous question, which also answers your question: <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43366/confusion-about-reps-vs-time-under-tension-arent-these-two-things-contradictor#43368\">Confusion about reps vs time under tension: aren't these two things contradictory?</a></p>\n<p>In short, the idea of long times under tension being important is nonsense, made up by Charles Poliquin. You can achieve hypertrophy over a huge range of relative loadings, as long as you're working similarly close to failure. 80% of 1RM isn't even close to being too heavy to be useful for hypertrophy. It's really only at 90+% of 1RM that you're getting to the point where you're practicing maximal strength more than you are working on hypertrophy.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45363", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38503/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45364, "author": "BKE", "author_id": 5752, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/5752", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The most important for <em>hypertrophy</em> is to train close enough to failure. &quot;Time under tension&quot; is not the driver of hypertrophy, but it is doing the exercise close to failure that is the main reason for muscle growth. For now I won't go into the details of the different types of hypertrophy and different types of &quot;failure&quot;, it is enough to say that, as you get closer to your max number of reps, more and more muscle fibers get activated, and therefore stimulated for growth. In this sense, it is not so important how much total time was spent &quot;under tension&quot; because in the beginning reps, only some share of the muscle fibers are actually activated.</p>\n<p>All this means, that there is a wide rep range that is effective for hypertrophy, as long as you get close to failure. The rep range is usually given between 5-30 reps. Most common is around 10-12 reps or less, because more than that becomes quite painful and is not more efficient for muscle growth. In any case, it is possible for an exercise to effectively induce building muscle with 5 reps, or 10 reps, or 20 reps, it is really a matter of personal preference.</p>\n<p>&quot;Close to failure&quot; usually means no more, than 1-2 reps in reserve. So no need to go to actual failure every time. However, from time to time, it might be useful to go to actual failure to get a feeling of where you are.</p>\n<p>Assuming your 80% of 1rm is roughly accurate, I would assume you can do a bit more than 5 reps, let's say your max at 80% 1rm is 8 reps. So I would either try to do at least 6-7 reps with 80%, or stay with 5 reps but increase the intensity to 85%. The reason why people don't often do 10+ reps of compound exercises like deadlifts for hypertrophy, is because with lots of reps it becomes very challenging for cardio, so you might actually have to stop way before muscular failure because you're out of breath. On the other hand, for isolation exercises eg. a barbell curl, people usually do more reps for hypertrophy eg. 10-20, because with few reps technique is more likely to break down before muscular failure.</p>\n<p>In any case, I think the most important &quot;skill&quot; to have for hypertrophy is to be able to accurately judge the number of reps in reserve. One way is, as already mentioned, occasionally doing your set to actual failure, if you can do it safely, and try to remember how the last 1-2 reps felt. I usually avoid that though to reduce risk of injury. Another way is to film yourself and analyze the rep speed. Once the time you need to complete a rep starts to increase significantly, you know you are close to failure.</p>\n<p>Another important consideration is volume. It is usually recommended to do at least 10 sets per week per muscle group, all of them close to failure, to induce hypertrophy. So the rest of your program should be designed to have enough sets to cover each body part enough times.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45366, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>See my answer to a previous question, which also answers your question: <a href=\"https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/43366/confusion-about-reps-vs-time-under-tension-arent-these-two-things-contradictor#43368\">Confusion about reps vs time under tension: aren't these two things contradictory?</a></p>\n<p>In short, the idea of long times under tension being important is nonsense, made up by Charles Poliquin. You can achieve hypertrophy over a huge range of relative loadings, as long as you're working similarly close to failure. 80% of 1RM isn't even close to being too heavy to be useful for hypertrophy. It's really only at 90+% of 1RM that you're getting to the point where you're practicing maximal strength more than you are working on hypertrophy.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45374", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38519/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45376, "author": "Kevin Liberty", "author_id": 38516, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38516", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Most routines, even if they are 6 days per week, separate body parts to avoid over-training. This could be anything like:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Upper body/lower body</li>\n<li>Push/Pull/Legs</li>\n<li>Legs/Chest/Back/Shoulders/Arms</li>\n</ol>\n<p>That way, even if you were to do Upper Body on Monday, and Lower Body on Tuesday, you could work Upper Body again on Wednesday because you let it rest a day and allowed the muscle to heal some.</p>\n<p>Certain muscle groups (abs &amp; calves) tend to take less time to recover and can be repeated quickly, but most usually take a couple of days if not a week (depending on how intense your workouts are)</p>\n<p>You might want to try giving your back a rest day and try after that, to see if you're able to do more!</p>\n<p>I workout 5 days a week and aim to have the weekend as my rest days, but it doesn't hurt if I switch one of my rest days to Wednesday. In fact, when I did 4 days per week, I would workout M/T then Th/F.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45380, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Congratulations on your great progress using grease the groove (GtG)!</p>\n<p>However from what I read GtG only works for 1 month ca.\nWhy is that? Normally when one lift weights one can progress for years.</p>\n<p>As a mental model I use:<br>\nStrength = Hypertrophy * Neural efficiency * Skill<br>\nHypertrophy: muscle size.<br>\nNeural efficiency: brain and nervous systems ability to engage max amount of muscle fibers in a muscle simultaneously.<br>\nSkill: brain and nervous systems ability to engange the correct muscles at the correct time.</p>\n<p>I think your fast progress is due to that you have been working on the neural efficiency and skill components. Progress here is much faster than on the hypertrophy component. However the ceiling is also much lower. In one months time you can max out on these factors, which I suspect you have done.</p>\n<p>I think the solution is to switch to working on the hypertrophy component of strength (1).</p>\n<p>Take a look at the following mental model from the &quot;The Art of Lifting&quot;:\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/iL7bo.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/iL7bo.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>It shows that doing pull-ups when you can only do 2, is very fatiguing (negatives: &gt; 100 % even more so).</p>\n<p>Also the muscle building effect (hypertrophy) is very low.</p>\n<p>I think you should stop doing negatives and switch back to chin-ups at least for some of the sets.\nHopefully this allows you to do between 6 and 12 reps each set (while keeping 1-2 reps in the &quot;tank&quot;) which is ideal for both building muscle and strength. Doing that you can also do far less sets.</p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btFgKx_mQro&amp;t=1718s\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Do More Pullups Now</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45381, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I've found that following the <a href=\"https://www.strongfirst.com/the-fighter-pullup-program-revisited/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">StrongFirst Fighter Pullup Program</a> has worked wonders for me and others that I've recommended it to.</p>\n<p>Although it's not a true greasing the groove program, you can use it as such. The rest between sets is the interesting thing here, if you're able to, then you're better off stretching the sets throughout the day so your body is fully recovered between them. If you don't have that capability, then I'd suggest a minimum of 10 minutes between sets to allow CNS and muscular recovery before the next set (making it more like a GtG program).</p>\n<p>Since you currently max out at 2 reps, if you're able, I'd add a band into the mix to bring up your reps more to a rep max of 3 or 4 reps.</p>\n<p>This program has you doing pull ups for 5 days, taking day 6 off, then starting again.</p>\n<p>If you're going to stick with a GtG program that has you doing 50% of your rep max (so, 1 rep) for multiple sets throughout the day (I have a pull up bar on my stairs, so I knock out a couple of reps every time I walk into the kitchen), then you'll probably find that the ebb and flow of everyday life means you'll take a day off on occasion anyway. For me, when I go to visit my partner at the weekend, there's no pull up bar, so obviously I can't train pull ups GtG style.</p>\n<p>If you've been training GtG style non-stop for a few weeks, then don't be afraid to take a few days off and see how you're progressing.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45375", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38520/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45389, "author": "David Scarlett", "author_id": 25681, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/25681", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It's not actually that uncommon to train them. Most ab exercises work the hip flexors as much as they do the abs. There probably isn't a huge benefit to having them be extremely strong, but powerful hip flexors (i.e. able to exert force at high speed) would be beneficial for sports that involve kicking,.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45391, "author": "jayhendren", "author_id": 38538, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38538", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I am active in aerial arts and gymnastics communities. In these disciplines, we train hipflexors all the time (although most exercises that use hipflexors hit abs and/or quads as well), since powerful hipflexors are necessary for a fast and tight pike fold, as well as some other similar body shapes which are frequently used in these disciplines.</p>\n<p>Most of the hipflexor exercises we do are variations on hanging or supine leg lifts.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45392, "author": "Landak", "author_id": 38539, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38539", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I have a set of spinal injuries and one of the things I cannot do is flex my left hip well – it is innervated by the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myotome\" rel=\"noreferrer\">L1/L2 Myotome</a>.</p>\n<p>Trust me, if you can't flex your hips, walking becomes very difficult in very odd ways – and almost every exercise you can do that remotely relates to either walking, holding your legs out straight, raising your bottom from a flat surface while lying on a bed, or doing a sit-up uses the hip flexors as part of a complex movement. I think fitness people don't train them specifically because there is a lot of cross-over from other activities. A lot of leg-specific exercises (like the clams) work them extensively (and I can only really do those exercises on one side as a result).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45394, "author": "Garrett Beebe", "author_id": 38542, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38542", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Having done a bit of powerlifting, I've found training them, especially in isolation to be useful in strengthening squats.</p>\n<p>It helped me be better about keeping knees over toes and driving straight down rather than knees caving in slightly. Most of the stronger people I've talked to (other powerlifters, strongmen, etc) tend to concur.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45388", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38235/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45579, "author": "Fralle", "author_id": 38708, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38708", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You can use straps that will remove the focus from your palm to your wrist. Low cost and are helpful if you experience hand pain or if grip strength limits you. The strap wraps around the bar in the opposite direction of your hand. So if you have an over hand grip, the straps wrap under, and vice versa.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/UkjXB.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/UkjXB.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45648, "author": "George Chond", "author_id": 38803, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38803", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<h2>Two Options</h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Grip-specific weightlifting exercises</li>\n<li>Resistance bands</li>\n</ol>\n<p><strong>Grip-specific weightlifting exercises</strong></p>\n<p>You can use weightlifting exercises to strengthen your grip, but be sure to increase weight gradually and not ego-lift. Any of the following will help:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5MNNosenJc\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Farmer's Carry</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIRUI6Pr_X8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Pinch Grip Carry</a></li>\n<li>Vertical Dumbbell Carry</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7JsvdG9sSo\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Sled Drag (preferably with rope handle)</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERx1ROl72ZY\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Towel T-bar Row</a></li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Resistance Bands</strong></p>\n<p>You can use different resistance bands to assist you in a pull-up bar hang. This will probably help you more than anything, since you will be doing exactly the exercise you need to get better at but with reduced bodyweight.</p>\n<p>Apart from using bands on the pull-up bar you can also use them directly for <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73ObTtrhLt0\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">grip training</a>.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45660, "author": "jp2code", "author_id": 2713, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/2713", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You should try stretching your hand ligaments before you hang.</p>\n<p>Push your fingers back, twist them around in the sockets, etc. before grabbing the bar.</p>\n<p>You will be surprised at the results.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45390", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38535/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45579, "author": "Fralle", "author_id": 38708, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38708", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You can use straps that will remove the focus from your palm to your wrist. Low cost and are helpful if you experience hand pain or if grip strength limits you. The strap wraps around the bar in the opposite direction of your hand. So if you have an over hand grip, the straps wrap under, and vice versa.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/UkjXB.png\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/UkjXB.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45648, "author": "George Chond", "author_id": 38803, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38803", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<h2>Two Options</h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Grip-specific weightlifting exercises</li>\n<li>Resistance bands</li>\n</ol>\n<p><strong>Grip-specific weightlifting exercises</strong></p>\n<p>You can use weightlifting exercises to strengthen your grip, but be sure to increase weight gradually and not ego-lift. Any of the following will help:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5MNNosenJc\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Farmer's Carry</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIRUI6Pr_X8\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Pinch Grip Carry</a></li>\n<li>Vertical Dumbbell Carry</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7JsvdG9sSo\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Sled Drag (preferably with rope handle)</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERx1ROl72ZY\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Towel T-bar Row</a></li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Resistance Bands</strong></p>\n<p>You can use different resistance bands to assist you in a pull-up bar hang. This will probably help you more than anything, since you will be doing exactly the exercise you need to get better at but with reduced bodyweight.</p>\n<p>Apart from using bands on the pull-up bar you can also use them directly for <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73ObTtrhLt0\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">grip training</a>.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45660, "author": "jp2code", "author_id": 2713, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/2713", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You should try stretching your hand ligaments before you hang.</p>\n<p>Push your fingers back, twist them around in the sockets, etc. before grabbing the bar.</p>\n<p>You will be surprised at the results.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45400", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/31284/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45409, "author": "Thomas Markov", "author_id": 34721, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34721", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The dietary pattern you give in the question is very ill conceived. I’m neither a doctor, nor a dietician, but the diet you give is woefully incomplete. Will it take the weight off? Most definitely. But it could also lead to anemia, significant loss of muscle tissue, vitamin deficiencies, and a host of other complications associated from a severe calorie and nutrient deficit. <em>Please</em> consult with a doctor or dietician for some guidance on establishing a healthy dietary pattern with an appropriate calorie deficit. This will look like a good daily dose of lean protein (100+ g daily), modest fat intake coming from mostly <em>unsaturated</em> sources (nuts and legumes are great for this), modest carb intake coming from sources other than simple sugars (think whole grains and again, legumes), and piles and piles and fruits and fibrous vegetables of all different colors for their rich vitamin and mineral content, digestive health benefits, and great satiety management.</p>\n<p>Also don’t drink coffee at 9 pm. Caffeine negatively affects sleep, and poor sleep quality is a <em>strong</em> correlate with loss of appetite control, impaired weight loss, and weight gain.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45415, "author": "JohnP", "author_id": 3736, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/3736", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>One question about your goals that will help refine the program(s) you look at, what do you want? Just to lose weight? Or build towards a specific body or sport? And Tl; DR; - Attention to diet and a good basic strength program such as Stronglifts or Starting Strength. Now see below.</p>\n<p>There is only one thing that you absolutely need to lose weight.</p>\n<p>Discipline.</p>\n<p>The magic formula to lose weight is very simple. Eat less calories than you expend in activity. That's it. But it takes the one thing I noted above.</p>\n<p>To start - You will need to be absolutely honest with yourself, get an accurate weighing, and then plug your values into a few different BMR calculators (Find ones that use Harris Benedict, Mifflin St Jeor, etc) and get the average. Be very honest about your daily activity, and add in activity calories. That's your daily limit. Eat less than that, or exercise more, and you will lose weight.</p>\n<p>To begin, you will need a food diary. Record everything you eat or drink. Look at <em>actual</em> portion sizes and compare that to how much you eat. Do that for three to seven days and see where your calories sinks are. Then start making changes to your diet. Don't do it all at once, or you will backslide. The first week, don't each Chips Ahoy cookies at night (50 calories PER COOKIE. I say that because that is my weakness :D). Then the next week, swap out a sugar snack for carrots and hummus. And so forth. Aim for a couple hundred calories deficit a day. (Oh, and ignore 3500 calories = 1 lb of weight loss. That's a badly equated myth). Ignore the &quot;name&quot; diets, many of them were created for a different medical need (Keto) or to sell books (almost any other diet). Shop the edges of the store, eat mostly foods you actually have to prepare, and aim for 50% carbs, 30-35% protein and 15-20% healthy fats.</p>\n<p>Next pick a strength program to start. You will need to build basic muscle mass, and muscle burns more calories than fat, so as you build muscle you are creating more calorie deficits. Also be honest here, work a full body, not just the trophy muscles.</p>\n<p>In the beginning, you may lose a lot of weight quickly. Some of that will be water weight, but you will inevitably slow down. Don't get discouraged, you didn't gain your fat mass in three months, you probably won't lose it in three months. Ignore the scale for the most part, as muscle also weighs more than the equivalent amount of fat mass. If you changed all your fat for muscle, you would actually gain weight.</p>\n<p>You will have ups and downs, weeks where you do everything right and still gain weight, and so forth. Don't be discouraged, it's a long journey. I don't like the term diet, because that (a lot of the time) indicates a closed end process, rather look at it as a body shaping plan.</p>\n<p>You've taken the first step, wanting to change. Now take the next steps, and keep us updated on your progress.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45408", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38566/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45419, "author": "Dill-Pickle", "author_id": 38575, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38575", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If your goal is to exercise to improve your cycling on days you will not cycle, it is best to do some aerobic work. I am usually a runner so my choice of cross training is biking because it is a lower impact on my joints, but because you want an alternative to biking, I would recommend swimming, or an easy short run. You can do laps in the pool, or do an &quot;aqua jog&quot;. This will help maintain your aerobic fitness on off days while not being as hard on your legs. Another option would be to do rowing, or really any type of cardio that is fun for you. As long as you aren't pushing too hard, almost any exercise can be a good substitute to give your body a break. If you want to do strength work, doing push-ups, lunges, jump squats etc is useful because it improves coordination and general strength which will help you from getting injured\nAnother important factor is what kind of volume you are doing on the bike. If you don't build up your volume slowly you will feel tired and slow after a couple of weeks.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45421, "author": "Max Jasper", "author_id": 26539, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/26539", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Many rivers and canals have cycling tracks or narrow roads one or both sides. These are the most joyful and refreshing cycling routes especially starting in morning. Usually both sides of river/canal there are farms with various plants growing. Nature's fragrance combined with sounds of birds and beauty of nature makes me forgetful of being tired and I cherish by best times riding such routes along rivers and canals.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45417", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38574/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45443, "author": "Michael C.", "author_id": 13772, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/13772", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Well, not a runner here but in weight training; testing strength and building strength are two different things. I believe it is similar here as well. You should build your strength and your training should be geared towards it. In races, you generally go &quot;all out&quot;. We don't want this to be our training.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45445, "author": "Thomas Markov", "author_id": 34721, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34721", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<h3>All physical activity generates some level of fatigue.</h3>\n<p>In <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17370370/#:%7E:text=Fatigue%20may%20be%20defined%20as,a%20resultant%20deterioration%20in%20performance.\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">&quot;Physiological Basis of Fatigue&quot;</a>, Evans and Lambert give us a definition of fatigue (that is used throughout exercise science, emphasis mine):</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Fatigue may be defined as physical and/or mental weariness resulting from exertion, that is, <strong>an inability to continue exercise at the same intensity with a resultant deterioration in performance.</strong></p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>So fatigue is a deterioration of exercise performance. The goal of training is to <em>intentionally</em> accrue some measure of fatigue, in order to induce some desired physiological adaptations.</p>\n<h3>Generating too much fatigue in a single session negatively impacts fitness adaptations <em>in the short term.</em></h3>\n<p>One of the challenges of effective training is to find the right balance of fatigue accumulation and recovery ability. If we train too hard in a given session, we find that we cannot adequately recover from that session in time for our next session; our performance in the next training session is worse, and we receive an inadequate training stimulus for generating the adaptation we want.</p>\n<p><em>This is what a race does to you</em>.</p>\n<p>When you put forth a maximal effort for a race, you will typically be reaching <em>well beyond</em> the level of exertion experienced in training. The fatigue incurred by a race is more than you will typically incur during a training session, and it naturally takes your body longer to recover from the race than it does from a regular training session. This is okay, especially if performing well in the race is one of the goals of your training.</p>\n<p>I want to emphasize, <em>aside from injury, the greater recovery demands of the race impose a short term impairment of performance.</em> Just give your body a few extra days to rest after the race, and you should be just fine to resume training. So no, you do not have to run one race per year. Just manage your training schedule around race times to allow for adequate post-race recovery; a few extra days to a week should be plenty. If it takes you longer than that to recover from the race, <em>then it is likely you were not adequately prepared for that distance or intensity.</em> It is certainly possible to &quot;go too hard&quot; as it were.</p>\n<p>To answer the question directly, as long as you maintain realistic expectations about what sort of race you are prepared for, even frequent racing should not represent any sort of hindrance to training and improvement. But undertaking distances or intensities you are not prepared for too often can lead to injury or overtraining (chronically elevated fatigue characterized by marked decrease in performance and sensitivity to injury).</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45441", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38603/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45458, "author": "Thomas Markov", "author_id": 34721, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34721", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<h3>Extension, abduction, and external rotation.</h3>\n<p>The posterior deltoid assists in three movement patterns of the shoulder: extension, abduction, and external rotation. The extent to which they function for shoulder abduction is highly dependent on the angle of extension, with greater angles of extension yielding greater activation during abduction. However, for shoulder extension and external rotation, the rear delt is the primary mover.</p>\n<p>It isn't a matter of consciously activating your muscles. Just do the movement pattern the muscle is built to do, and your brain will handle the activation of the muscle to facilitate the movement. Movements like reverse flies and facepulls are good for hitting the rear delts because they both use extension and external rotation.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45481, "author": "David Leslie Smith", "author_id": 38655, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38655", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It’s pretty impossible not to activate the rear delt if your carrying out the bent over row , in fact the strength curve is more favorable, as the resistance tails off a bit on the completion of the movement , (the term is ‘insufficiency ‘ I believe when a muscle contracts to the point where no more movement is possible simply because it has no more room to contract . As might be the case with Bent over raises . The results after that is largely limited bu your DNA .</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45453", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32851/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45458, "author": "Thomas Markov", "author_id": 34721, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34721", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<h3>Extension, abduction, and external rotation.</h3>\n<p>The posterior deltoid assists in three movement patterns of the shoulder: extension, abduction, and external rotation. The extent to which they function for shoulder abduction is highly dependent on the angle of extension, with greater angles of extension yielding greater activation during abduction. However, for shoulder extension and external rotation, the rear delt is the primary mover.</p>\n<p>It isn't a matter of consciously activating your muscles. Just do the movement pattern the muscle is built to do, and your brain will handle the activation of the muscle to facilitate the movement. Movements like reverse flies and facepulls are good for hitting the rear delts because they both use extension and external rotation.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45481, "author": "David Leslie Smith", "author_id": 38655, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38655", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It’s pretty impossible not to activate the rear delt if your carrying out the bent over row , in fact the strength curve is more favorable, as the resistance tails off a bit on the completion of the movement , (the term is ‘insufficiency ‘ I believe when a muscle contracts to the point where no more movement is possible simply because it has no more room to contract . As might be the case with Bent over raises . The results after that is largely limited bu your DNA .</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45459", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32851/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45466, "author": "Jurgen Rutten", "author_id": 38638, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38638", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You halfway answered your own question: isolation exercises use single muscles and thus your body only needs to replenish the glycogen and ATP for one muscle. For compound exercises it are multiple, so indeed it might take a bit longer. Also there is a load on the central nervous system which requires some recovery.</p>\n<p>I tried to find some relevant resources on it, but sadly most research only seems to focus on the big picture. And I can't find any proper correlation on the time to recovery vs the amount of muscles used.</p>\n<p>tl,dr is: More muscles require more resources for recovery.</p>\n<p>From personal experience for compound exercises I like to take 3-4 minutes (depending on how I feel) and for isolation exercises I like to take 1-2 minutes. So the same as you actually. I've been training for more than 15 years and except the last few years dealing with some injuries this has always worked very well for me!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45467, "author": "AalHai", "author_id": 37113, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37113", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your Assumption is pretty much spot on, rest times should be longer on compound movements.\nthis is not only because compounds involve multiple muscles that need to recover, but for that reason they are usually also more taxing on the cardiovascular system, so it takes your heartrate longer to return to baseline.\nas for your final paragraph, this is definitely something you could to to be more efficient with your time at the gym, the performance on your secondary exercise should not drop drastically provided you are using an isolation exercise that works a different muscle than the first exercise, however this is not something i have ever implemented in my training so i can't really speak from experience here.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45464", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/29354/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45466, "author": "Jurgen Rutten", "author_id": 38638, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38638", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You halfway answered your own question: isolation exercises use single muscles and thus your body only needs to replenish the glycogen and ATP for one muscle. For compound exercises it are multiple, so indeed it might take a bit longer. Also there is a load on the central nervous system which requires some recovery.</p>\n<p>I tried to find some relevant resources on it, but sadly most research only seems to focus on the big picture. And I can't find any proper correlation on the time to recovery vs the amount of muscles used.</p>\n<p>tl,dr is: More muscles require more resources for recovery.</p>\n<p>From personal experience for compound exercises I like to take 3-4 minutes (depending on how I feel) and for isolation exercises I like to take 1-2 minutes. So the same as you actually. I've been training for more than 15 years and except the last few years dealing with some injuries this has always worked very well for me!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45467, "author": "AalHai", "author_id": 37113, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/37113", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your Assumption is pretty much spot on, rest times should be longer on compound movements.\nthis is not only because compounds involve multiple muscles that need to recover, but for that reason they are usually also more taxing on the cardiovascular system, so it takes your heartrate longer to return to baseline.\nas for your final paragraph, this is definitely something you could to to be more efficient with your time at the gym, the performance on your secondary exercise should not drop drastically provided you are using an isolation exercise that works a different muscle than the first exercise, however this is not something i have ever implemented in my training so i can't really speak from experience here.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45470", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/35559/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45497, "author": "Piper", "author_id": 33473, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/33473", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It's important to remember that abs are also a muscle that deserve as much rest as you would give every other muscle group. Would you do a leg workout 5 days a week?</p>\n<p>In order for muscles to grow, they must recover and repair the fibers that you have ripped while working them. This is the same for your core muscles. A post from FitBod specifically regarding giving rest to abdominal muscles says:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Your muscles don’t grow in the gym, rather they grow when you’re not in the gym and giving your body a break. If you don’t have regular rest and recovery days, then you’re actually hindering your bodybuilding process. You’re neglecting your body, particularly your abs, of the chance to repair and recover and get you the results you want</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>It's also important to remember that you also work your core in other movements. Shoulder press? You are stabilizing your core for a safe press. Squat? You wouldn't be able to safely move weight up and down without stabilizing your core.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.brickbodies.com/importance-of-resting-your-abs/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Brickbodies</a> does state that your abs don't need <em>as much</em> rest because they are used for the stabilization previously and used to be worked more often, but rest is still important.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45498, "author": "Thomas Markov", "author_id": 34721, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34721", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In <a href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17370370/#:%7E:text=Fatigue%20may%20be%20defined%20as,a%20resultant%20deterioration%20in%20performance.\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">&quot;Physiological Basis of Fatigue&quot;</a>, Evans and Lambert give us a definition of fatigue (that is used throughout exercise science, emphasis mine):</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Fatigue may be defined as physical and/or mental weariness resulting from exertion, that is, <strong>an inability to continue exercise at the same intensity with a resultant deterioration in performance.</strong></p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>So fatigue is a deterioration of exercise performance. The goal of training is to <em>intentionally</em> accrue some measure of fatigue, in order to induce some desired physiological adaptations.</p>\n<p>So we exercise and recover, and if our performance on those exercises has deteriorated significantly, we need to adjust training variables because we have generated excessive fatigue. So if your goal is to be really good at ab exercises, adjust your frequency/volume/intensity however you like until you find your recoverable limit. The volume and intensity you do with five days a week will probably be lower than what you could handle doing only three days a week.</p>\n<p>That said, unless &quot;good at ab exercises&quot; is what you are trying to achieve, spending large quantities of time doing abs is probably not particularly useful. One of the few things AthleanX has right is &quot;six minute abs&quot; - six minutes a day is probably adequate for people who don't have ab training related goals.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45539, "author": "Chloe Lanese", "author_id": 38705, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38705", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is just my personal routine, I do abs at the end of my workouts every other day so roughly 2-3 times a week.</p>\n<p>Some weeks I don't actually do &quot;abs&quot; since I work my abdominal muscles during my regular lifting (i.e. Squats, Hip Thrusts, RDLs, Bench Press). If you engage your core during all these types of workouts when using weights you will be working out your abdominal muscles without even having to do &quot;abs&quot;.</p>\n<p>I would recommend not doing five days in a row since your abdominal muscles need a break too and may become very sore. Every other day is usually a good rule of thumb. I hope this helps or gives some insight!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45496", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38669/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45505, "author": "Thomas Markov", "author_id": 34721, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/34721", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<h3>Hand width: wide enough to get good external rotation at the shoulder.</h3>\n<p>The point of this exercise is good external rotation at your shoulders. Jeff actually highlights this really well in the video you linked. Worrying about the minutia of your hand width probably isn't necessary here. As Jeff suggests, keeping finishing the movement with your forearms perpendicular to the floor is probably going to be the best place. In my personal experience doing facepulls, it is seems to be the most natural end point for the movement, and allows a good amount of external rotation, which is what you want. Keeping your hand closer to your head at the end range limits the amount of external rotation you can get, and having a large obtuse angle at the elbow turns the movement into more of a reverse fly than an external rotation movement.</p>\n<h3>Resistance band face pulls: the resistance curve is the opposite of the strength curve.</h3>\n<p>Jeff mentions this briefly in the linked video, but I'll give some further thoughts. Unfortunately, a resistance band is a really poor piece of equipment for doing face pulls. The resistance curve of the band and the strength curve of the movement are inverses. As the length of the band increases, the tension on the band increases. However, with a face pull, you are strongest at the beginning of the movement, and weakest at the end of the range of motion. This means that it's much too easy at the start, and gets much too hard at the end. It just isn't a great modality for the movement pattern, but if you can find a combination of band tension and starting position that seems to work through the full range of motion, then you're fine. I tried this morning with my bands and was just unable to find a position that really worked.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45506, "author": "J.S", "author_id": 38669, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38669", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This might be better explained with images or a video so here is a youtube video I found with good instructions for a face pull with a resistance band. However you do need some sort of column around your place to wrap the band around.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/kyfUu.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/kyfUu.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a>\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/1QPPl.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/1QPPl.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a>\n<a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/S7RxF.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/S7RxF.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IndIttUTNMU\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IndIttUTNMU</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45500", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32851/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45502, "author": "Dark Hippo", "author_id": 20219, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/20219", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My general training philosophy, one that I've picked up from a myriad of different authors and coaches, is that the only time you go to failure is during competition, otherwise there's a high risk of injury and depending on what your training looks like, you burn out really quickly.</p>\n<p>Certain modalities of training may differ (I don't have that much experience with bodyweight training), but for things like back squats, deadlifts, kettlebell snatches, etc, I'd never go to failure (failure with kettlebell swings is likely to result in a very large dent in the wall or floor).</p>\n<p>I much prefer frequent training sessions, and I don't like the idea that my training is going to leave me so sore it disrupts other things in my life. I've trained like that before, but found much more enjoyment and benefit from more frequent, properly programmed training sessions.</p>\n<p>That all being said, I don't train for aesthetics and don't do the traditional &quot;bro split&quot; type training; my training is based around compound lifts 3 - 4 times a week primarily for strength.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45507, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Experiments have found that training to failure and training close to failure produces the same hypertrophy when the volume is the same. The strength however had increased more in the close to failure group.\nThis seems to indicate that the close to failure group had less fatigue and could have done more volume in which case they should have gained more hypertrophy than the to failure group.(1)</p>\n<p>Further when doing compund movements such as the squat you can train further away from failure than when doing isolation exercises.(1)</p>\n<p>So for isolation exercises you should have 2-3 Reps In Reserve (RIR) except for the last set where you go to failure. For isolation exercises with lighter weights in the context of bodybuilding pretty much every set should be to failure (2).</p>\n<p>For compund movements you can have higher RIR. You can start with a high RIR (say 10) and decrease this as you work up to your top (heaviest) set where you have 1-3 RIR.</p>\n<p>Finally there are probably individual differences. Many respond well to volume whereas some respond better to high intensity and training to failure.</p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En2j0BK3IJQ\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Why Training to Failure Might be Limiting Your Gains</a></p>\n<p>(2) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50kJ8HdLxs4\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Why You have Little Biceps ( Intensity )</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45515, "author": "Andy", "author_id": 27402, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/27402", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your exercise selection seems wrong if the goal is general health, strength and athletisism.</p>\n<p>I saw a favourable review of an Athlean-x program(1). It contained a lot of compund movements that I liked: weighted chin-ups, overhead press, dips, step-ups and lunges.</p>\n<p>However a big problem is that Jeff Cavaliere puts out a lot of <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umhtvWOznrI\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">clickbait in his youtube videos</a>.</p>\n<p>An even bigger problem seems to be you picking and matching exercises from Jeffs +1300 videos on youtube without any big picture understanding.</p>\n<p>One solution could be that you shell out the money for one of his programs. Considering all his clickbait content; please do not do this.\nThe book Maximum Strength by Cressey is a lot cheaper and contains a program I suspect is very similar to Jeff's programs.</p>\n<p>Alternatively you can start getting an overall understanding by reading below.</p>\n<h1>Exercise selection</h1>\n<p>There are 100s of strength training exercises,\nso which should we use?</p>\n<p>There are also about 600 muscles in the human body.\nClearly all are not equally important.\nWe should put more effort into training the bigger muscles than the small ones, but also try to train as many muscles as possible.</p>\n<p>One way we could do this is by creating a list of muscles sorted by their size:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Quadriceps femoris</li>\n<li>Gluteus maximus</li>\n<li>Deltoid</li>\n<li>Triceps Brachii</li>\n<li>Iliopsoas</li>\n<li>Pectoralis major</li>\n<li>Biceps femoris</li>\n<li>Latissimus Dorsi</li>\n<li>Biceps Brachii</li>\n<li>Sartorius¨</li>\n</ol>\n<p>We could then try to pick one exercise per muscle. However this is impractical. First it will involve a lot of exercises and take a lot of time.\nSecond it may be difficult to isolate muscles. For instance both the biceps femoris and the sartorius as well as many other muscles flex the knee.\nAnd that is the way it is with human motion. Most movements involve many muscles working together.</p>\n<p>A more reasonable approach seems to be to pick the exercises that train the largest and most muscles first. That way we would only need to do a few exercises.\nBut how do we know which exercises this is?</p>\n<p>Consider two exercises:\nA 75 kg benchpress and a shoulder shrug with a 15kg dumbell in each hand.\nLet us calculate the work (force x distance) done in each exercise.</p>\n<p><strong>Benchpress</strong></p>\n<p>75 kg x 9.81 m/s^2 x 1 m = 736 Nm.</p>\n<p><strong>Shoulder shrug</strong></p>\n<p>30kg x 9.81 m/s^2 x 0.1 m = 29 Nm.</p>\n<p>And what is performing this work? Our muscles! And that is the way muscles get stronger; by performing (heavy) work.\nSo clearly we should pick the benchpress before the shoulder shrug.\nBut does that mean that we should not train the shoulder shrug? Not necessarily. We may find after having selected several other exercises that none of these train the same muscles as the shoulder shrug and therefore decide to add it to our selection.</p>\n<p>One thing we have to take into consideration is that our selection of exercises should not overlap too much.\nFor instance we would find that benchpress, narrow bench press and paused bench press all involve a lot of muscle mass. However it is the same muscle mass.</p>\n<p>Luckily someone has already solved the above problem for us.\nThere exist a sport where the sole intention is to decide who is strongest across the most muscle mass, and that sport is powerlifting.\nAnd they have found that only 3 exercises: the deadlift, the squat and the benchpress test ca. 90% of the muscle mass in the body.</p>\n<p>And the reason that these exercises are so great for testing strength also makes them great for building strength.</p>\n<p>In addition to these there are two other exercises that involve a lot of muscle mass and complement the ones above: the pull-up and the overhead press.</p>\n<p>So our strength training program should be centered around these 5 exercises or variants.</p>\n<p>For instance instead of benchpress we can do dips or (weighted) push-ups.\nInstead of back squat we can do goblet squat or front squat.</p>\n<p>It is also a good idea to sometimes do some of the exercises unilaterally. This takes more time but on the other builds more stabilizer musculature.\nFor instance we can do sets of squats and finish with a few sets of lunges.</p>\n<p>There may also be exercises that trains smaller muscles that are important for our wellbeing. In particular ones related to posture.\nPersonally I find facepulls and TRX y pulls to be vital for my posture and wellbeing.</p>\n<p>We can also do a bit of direct ab work.</p>\n<p>When we have finished doing the above important exercises we can do a few exercises for aesthetics. For instance for bigger arms we could choose to do a few sets of barbell curls and triceps pushdowns.</p>\n<p>(1) <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyiVVHuYCX0\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">I Paid $100 For An ATHLEAN X Program | WASTE OF MONEY??</a></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45501", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/32851/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 45504, "author": "J.S", "author_id": 38669, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38669", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Put simply, creatine needs water to help maintain, build, and restore muscles when you work out. Alcohol does the opposite as it dehydrates you. Drinking alcohol and creatine might not get the best out of it.</p>\n<p>I do not believe occasional drinking will be an issue as long as you stay hydrated and make sure you drink lots of water. I would recommend however not to drink alcohol right after your workout and give yourself some recovery time.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 45517, "author": "Chloe Lanese", "author_id": 38705, "author_profile": "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38705", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>No problem with having 1 or 2 drinks, just make sure you are drinking enough water.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/45503", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com", "https://fitness.stackexchange.com/users/38675/" ]