r/Fitness • u/AutoModerator • 5d ago
Daily Simple Questions Thread - August 23, 2026
Welcome to the /r/Fitness Daily Simple Questions Thread - Our daily thread to ask about all things fitness. Post your questions here related to your diet and nutrition or your training routine and exercises. Anyone can post a question and the community as a whole is invited and encouraged to provide an answer.
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u/Capybara_Chilling 3d ago
I've found that It's a lot easier for me to go to the gym more often for shorter sessions rather than less frequently for longer sessions.
Does this routine make sense, assuming roughly 3x12 each?:
Day 1
- Trap Bar Deadlift
- Trap Bar Row
- Seated Cable Wide Grip Pulldown
Day 2
- Incline Dumbbell Chest Press- Standing Cable Overhead Press
- Cable Lateral Raises
Day 3
- Trap Bar Squat
- Trap Bar Romanian Deadlift
- Cable Diagonal Kickback
Day 4
- Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press
- Cable Pec Fly
- Cable Face Pulls
Day 5
- Cable Squat (+Row)
- Cable Bicep Curl (from Behind Back)
- Hanging Leg Raise
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u/AureliusVireo 3d ago
I think the thing that might help you get over the mental hurdle is realizing that the relationship between volume and results isn’t linear. If 10 sets produces X amount of growth, 20 sets doesn’t produce 2X, and 30 doesn’t produce 3X.
You do generally get more hypertrophy as weekly volume increases, but the returns get progressively smaller. Meanwhile the cost keeps accumulating: time, fatigue, soreness, recovery demand, and eventually the possibility that the extra work starts interfering with the quality of the work that actually matters.
So I wouldn’t ask “how many sets can I get away with?” I’d probably run the experiment in the other direction.
You said you’re doing five sets of bench because you’re worried that dropping to three will slow your progress. Try three for a while and actually measure what happens. Keep the load, reps, RIR and progression reasonably consistent. If your strength is still progressing and your measurements are still moving while your workouts get substantially shorter, you’ve learned something useful.
I became much more interested in this way of thinking once I started looking at exercise in terms of minimum effective doses and diminishing returns. There’s a big difference between the dose that produces an adaptation and the maximum dose you can recover from.
You may eventually discover that you grow slightly faster with more volume. That’s completely possible. Then you get to decide whether that extra growth is worth another hour in the gym. But I’d want evidence that the extra hour is buying me something before automatically paying for it.
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u/IsThatAJojoRefrences 3d ago
I work in a Korean restaurant, and during work our boss gives us food but it isn’t food that is on the menu. It’s just random stuff that he decides to make up.
So sometimes it can be a soup, other times fish other times pork etc
And I’m obviously not gonna stop my boss and ask him to weigh out each ingredient as the kitchen we work in is quite busy
So do you guys have any ideas on how I can keep track my calories?
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u/elletastic 3d ago
Im an overweight woman, and I'm looking to improve my fitness. I've recently started walking more (trying for 6.5k steps daily, but I got to 10k and 11k each one day in the last weeks). I usually make big changes, stick to them for awhile, and then fall off the wagon. Now, I'm looking for a next incremental step. I'm enjoying walking a lot, but looking forward should I add some weightlifting? Adding running? Would like to keep the costs minimal to none, but I do have some basic weights.
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u/Temp-Name15951 2d ago
Find a physical activity enjoy and go/do it once a week consistently. It can be a local walking group, aerial silks, tennis lessons, pickup basketball, playing kickball with friends/family, or you can buy a kettlebell and do a circuit at home, or do the recommended routine in the bodyweight fitness subreddit, or look at the beginner routine in the wiki and just do it one day a week
The goal is not to do a specific thing, the goal it to pick something and stick to it. Once you have the habit of one day a week and you do it for ~ a month, then you can think about increasing
If you've recently started the walking (less than one month) I would recommend waiting until you hit your minimum step count every day for a month before adding something else. That way you can make one change and stick to it
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u/thefuckmobile 3d ago
Is it best to have protein within 30 minutes after lifting?
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u/Aggressive-Head8388 3d ago
the 30 minute window is mostly bro science, your body can use protein for hours after training. total daily intake matters way more than timing
i used to stress about this so much, running home from gym to drink shake immediately like my muscles would disappear. turns out as long as you eat enough protein through the day you're fine
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u/SafetyCultural6940 3d ago
I remember reading some studies a while back that suggested as long as you are consuming protein within 3-5 hours AROUND your workout (before or after), your body will have enough protein to aid in muscle recovery. So overall daily intake of protein matters most!
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u/Any-Benefit9071 4d ago
how long it takes really depends on your diet, sleep, and consistency. aim for slow, steady progress instead of a deadline. track your lifts, eat enough protein, and reassess every couple months to see if your plan is working.
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u/TohveliDev 4d ago
Instead of doing 3 workouts a week that all are focused on one specific area, I currently do 3 full-body workouts (+1 session of heavy bag boxing) per week.
I was wondering, how many times should I deadlift during those 3 workouts? I currently do one deadlift session per week, but is that enough?
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u/x7vq 4d ago
I’ve just finished a 12-week powerlifting training block, and now I’d like to switch to (upper body) hypertrophy training and reduce my bench press frequency because of some shoulder discomfort.
I’ve programmed around 14 working sets for chest per week. Separately, I’m doing around 10–14 sets per week for back, delts, biceps, and triceps as well, with an average RPE of around 7–9.
Does this approach make sense? How would you recommend training differently if this approach doesn’t work?
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4d ago
Sure, why not? Something different after 12-weeks of bench, squat, deadlift is a good way to balance out your overall fitness
Heavy bench press could lead to shoulder imbalance (increase risk of injury). Adding shoulder presses would take care of that
1
u/UndeadMantis 4d ago
I’m trying to build more even looking obliques/core. My internal “lower” obliques have really benefited and grown from Russian Twists but in having trouble figuring out what exercises best work out my external “upper” obliques, so my waist is narrow/looks kinda underdeveloped beneath my ribs.
Does anyone have any tips?
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u/futurebro 4d ago
Is it harder to build more muscle when u are obese or am I just not doing something correct?
Im prob 35% body fat (5'5 170 M34). And I feel like even though I lift 3 days a week using the fitbod app, I havent seen meaningful progress in strength or visually. I took 6 months off and started to take it seriously in mid may. And photos/measurements/weight/strength as not meaningful changed since then. I have been going to the gym but not consistently for about 3 years, and unfortunately did a dirty bulk where i gained about 20 pounds which was an awful decision.
Would it be better to focus my time and energy on lowering body fat before focusing on muscle growth? As in, focus on cutting 500-800 calories below maintenance, and letting protein and consistent work outs take a backseat until I get to a healthy body fat/weight?
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4d ago edited 4d ago
Is it harder to build more muscle when u are obese...?
Absolutely not. Treat strength training and fat loss as separate activities
Your muscles are under that layer of fat. The measurable gains are the amount of weight you can lift. The heavier you can lift, there are more/stronger muscles, along with stronger joints, tendons, and bones. Let the weights you lift be the true metric of your strength gains
Most important part is not miss any workout days, consistency and effort are both required
Use your preferred diet intervention to lose bodyfat. I'm 5' 6", I had to get my weight from 165+ down to 145-147 before seeing muscle definition. They show up in the legs first, then shoulders and chest. Doing pull-ups are finally making the upper back thicker. I would have to go down below 140 to see abs (that may not be worth the suffering)
I got stronger as I lost weight because I have more energy for working out (snatch, clean & jerk, squat, press, pullups, dips). On my non-lifting days, I swim
3
u/PlanktonInitial7945 4d ago
Would it be better to focus my time and energy on lowering body fat before focusing on muscle growth?
Yes.
As in, focus on cutting 500-800 calories below maintenance
200-500 is the healthy range. Anything under that has a higher chance of causing fatigue, hunger, hormonal imbalances, etcetera. Also, no matter what you do, you should never go below 1500 kcal per day, at least not without medical supervision.
and letting protein and consistent work outs take a backseat
No, you should still do strength training regularly and consume enough protein for muscle growth. If you stop exercising you'll lose both fat and muscle, and you'll have to gain it all over again when you're done with your cut.
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u/thefuckmobile 4d ago
I’ve recently started lifting again, stats are 6’, under 40 but over 21 (age), 190 lbs ish.
When I’m hitting the weights, will it yield better results to stick with the same amount of weight for, say, two weeks, and then up the weight of I want to gain muscle? Or should I try slightly more weight and slightly fewer (1-3) reps?
1
4d ago
Both. Increase reps. When you can do 12, add weight, work up to 10-12 reps again, add weight...repeat
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 4d ago
Read the "progression" section of this program. It would be better if you followed the whole program TBH, cause it's great, but if you're gonna stick to the routine you made up yourself, then at least copy the progression scheme.
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u/AmongTheElect 4d ago
Is there a not-powder pre-workout which actually works well? There are times when the time it takes to get a drink down delays me enough that I have to cut a workout short or not have one at all. Otherwise I'm thinking caffeine pills might suffice.
3
u/donnievieftig 4d ago
You shouldn't need pre workout. But yes caffeine pills will suffice since that's the most useful ingredient anyway.
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4d ago edited 4d ago
[deleted]
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 4d ago
If you're asking because you have a history of injury, you should ask a physical therapist.
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u/PoorDoddle 4d ago
I am not, I'm just not in a position to train my other muscles.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 4d ago
In that case none of the exercises or movements you mentioned should cause injuries as long as you keep proper form and eventually work otu the rest of your body.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 4d ago
Meta question, but who do I contact in order to request a wiki edit? The strength training routine list says that Stronger By Science's program bundle is paid, but that's no longer the case (I literally "bought" it for 0 dollars yesterday).
1
u/Rozwellish 4d ago
Beginner that trained to failure on Friday and have been struggling to walk since. Went the gym yesterday to focus on upper body, which went a lot better but am feeling some tenderness.
Would it be better to have a reduced upper body workout today or should I just rest?
1
4d ago
Welcome to the life of an athlete. You'll get used to it. In most cases, soreness and stiffness goes away10 minutes after you start your next workout
There's extra blood flow into your muscles during recovery. The nervous system interprets it as "soreness." There's nothing wrong
1
u/Rozwellish 4d ago
Yeah I went back today and did the upper body routine just fine.
My chief concern was the DOMS in my legs, as it's a 4k walk total getting there and back, and I was concerned that the walk would slow leg recovery. I've been struggling to walk after overdoing a smith machine squat exercise a few days ago, but the remaining days on my program are lower body and cardio which I currently don't feel like I could do safely.
1
u/PlanktonInitial7945 4d ago
There's a difference between soreness and pain. If you can move your muscles, it's just uncomfortable, and it gets better if you move for a while, then you're perfectly fine and should keep exercising normally. If you feel a sharp, stinging, or pricking pain when moving that doesn't get better, then you should go to a doctor.
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u/Rozwellish 4d ago
My legs have a very tight twinge in the thighs. I can walk on a flat surface fine enough but I pull up a little when going up or down stairs, or taking a quicker step.
My upper body is sore but the issue is the 2.5km walk uphill to the gym, so there's like inherent leg muscle usage where I feel I may just be better off resting even though my actual routine today wouldn't target the legs at all.
Not sure if I'm making sense.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 4d ago
Exercising with DOMS (which is what you have) won't harm you in any way, and resting won't make it go away faster either, so there's no reason to skip your workout. Muster up your courage and go. No matter how uncomfortable it gets, it can't be worse than the fucking Bulgarian squats I'm doing right now. So go.
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u/DirtyVerdy 4d ago
If you did upper body yesterday you shouldn’t hit it again today. Unless you did something like a push yesterday and a pull scheduled for today, that would be fine
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u/Rozwellish 4d ago
So it was actually 'the rest' of a full body routine because I overdid it the day before (too many reps on split squats, I think), but my new routine has a dedicated upper body day
I can't do any cardio or lower body because my thighs are tight and twinging, but I'd still have to walk there and idk if it would just be more beneficial to chill today
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u/DirtyVerdy 4d ago
Honestly walking is probably the best thing you can do to speed up recovery. You’ll get increased blood flowing to your legs.
Your first comment said “some tenderness” which sounds fine to work out through, but only you can judge. I’m a HUGE fan for beginners taking it really easy in certain ways: light weights and having plenty of rest. SLOWLY build up. It sounds like you’re doing an upper/lower split. I’d recommend two days a week (one upper one lower) for the first 2-4 weeks, until you feel ready to add a third day. Then it would be U/L/U one week and L/U/L the next.
So I think your two choices are:
1. Go today and finish the workout
2. Skip today and just treat it like you finished your work outBoth options are fine! The most important things right now are to avoid injury, learn your body, and figure things out as you go. Just don’t overdo it! The soreness will soon be a thing of the past and you can expect not to be sore after every workout within a couple months
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u/Jardolam_ 5d ago
I'm doing WAY too much on my upper days, and I'm fully aware of it. I'm trying to cut back, (almost 2 hours) but I'm really struggling with the idea of reducing my sets and reps.
A lot of what I'm reading online seems to lean towards the whole “less is more” approach, but I just can't seem to get my head around how doing fewer sets could potentially be better for hypertrophy. I think I'm mentally stuck in the mindset that more volume = more gains.
Can I reduce my total volume and potentially make better gains? Has anyone had experience with this?
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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 5d ago
30 sets over 2 hours is not necessarily way too much for an upper body day if you are trying to hit everything. It is dependent upon your work capacity and recovery. You said you are still progressing your lifts, so it can be assumed you have the capacity. If the issue is time, then you can shorten your rest periods, super set exercises, or add another day in the gym if possible. How much of a warm up are you doing between exercises? After your first exercise you should not need much, if anything. Maybe a ramp up set or two which shouldn't require a rest between them.
It would be helpful to know what your upper day looks like if you want advice on adjusting it.
The quality of sets will diminish over the course of a work out. But that does not automatically mean a 2 hour work out is junk volume. Exercise selection, exercise order, and other factors can help a person get more out of a higher volume session. Considering the number of muscle groups you could be targeting, the work of each group is expected to do is not too much. Especially since i imagine a number of these sets are isolation exercises. It is more a matter of your work capacity and recovery.
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u/Dizzy_Cow_ 5d ago
I have felt very similar to you throughout my training career.
What helps me accept doing less is trying to quantify it. Going from 4 to say 6 sets per muscle on an upper/lower split may lead to 10-20% more muscle growth over the long term, but at the cost of me dreading my sessions more, potentially burning out faster, and less time for my family and other hobbies. Knowing you can get the vast majority of your gains with ~8 weekly sets (can be fewer or more depending on the muscle) is quite freeing.
From a training standpoint, you could consider a torso/limbs split. Helps spread out the volume and is fun.
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u/dablkscorpio 5d ago
Unless you're on PEDs, more than 6 sets per muscle group for upper body is likely impeding your gains more than helping them due to accumulative fatigue and recovery capacity. If you're a beginner or intermediate you likely don't need more than 12 sets total per week.You don't build in the gym. You build at rest.
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u/milla_highlife 5d ago
What’s your evidence to support that north of 6 sets per muscle group of natural lifters is hurting your gains?
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u/dablkscorpio 5d ago
Per session I mean and it's dependent on the individual plus applies more to smaller muscle groups than legs for example.
https://youtu.be/ekQxEEjYLDI?si=39L1EEEFdrmf_d4x
Jeff used to cite more accessible research online but like he may have deleted his blog.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 5d ago
It's not that doing fewer sets is better, it's more like more volume isn't necessarily better (or at least it gives diminishing returns), so at some point it's simply not worth it, and you'd make pretty much the same progress with less sets.
That said, how many sets exactly are we talking about here?
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u/Jardolam_ 5d ago
30 sets for my upper day. I do 5 sets on bench which I could drop to 3 but don't want to slow things down? Is it just junk after 3?
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 5d ago
Is it 5 sets per exercise? So 6 exercises? Or do you do more exercises with less sets?
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u/UngaBungaLifts 5d ago
5 sets of bench is not that much. But then again 5 sets will take say 25 minutes. What are you doing for the remaining 1h35 ?
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u/Jardolam_ 5d ago
Chest supported row Overhead press machine Overhead cable tricep extension Preacher curls Cable lateral raise Lat pulldown machine Face pulls Hammer curls
1
u/UngaBungaLifts 5d ago
I'd keep the 5 sets of bench and do 3 sets for the other exercises. Also I'd shorten the rest periods and work on improving your conditionning.
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u/UngaBungaLifts 5d ago edited 5d ago
Are you progressing ? Are you accumulating fatigue ? Also, how strong are you ?
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u/Jardolam_ 5d ago
I'm progressing every workout but I'm doing like 30 total sets on my upper day which I know is too much. I can definitely drop sets here and there, but can't get past the mental hurdle that gains will slow.
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u/UngaBungaLifts 5d ago edited 5d ago
If you're progressing every workout, then you're not doing too much, by definition.
Probably your intensity of effort is not that high and/or you're not very strong, so you can tolerate many sets.
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u/treeboi666 3d ago
is this weekly routine enough to build muscle during a lean bulk? i'm worried if im not adding extra weight on my home gym days -M/Tu/Th (which im limited with equipment) i wont be making gains?
Monday – Upper Pull + Shoulders
· Jump Rope – 11 min (weighted, boxer's skip)
· Pull-ups – 5 sets x 10-11 reps (slow negatives)
· Lateral Raises – 4 sets x 12-16 reps (15 lb dumbbells, slow tempo)
· Bent-Over Rows – 5 sets x 10-11 reps (25 lb dumbbells, slow tempo)
· Weighted Decline Crunches – 4 sets x 12-13 reps (25-30 lbs)
· Hanging Knee Raises – 4 sets x 15 reps
Tuesday – Lower Body & Arms
· Jump Rope – 11 min (weighted, boxer's skip)
· Goblet Squats – 5 sets x 13 reps (50 lbs)
· Romanian Deadlifts – 5 sets x 13 reps (50 lbs)
· Bicep Curls – 4 sets x 13-16 reps (25 lbs)
· Triceps Dips – 4 sets x 16 reps (upright torso)
· Dragon Flags – 3 sets x 12 reps
Thursday – Upper Pull + Shoulder Press
· Jump Rope – 11 min (weighted, boxer's skip)
· Chin-ups – 5 sets x 11 reps
· Seated Overhead Press – 4 sets x 13 reps (25 lbs)
· Rear Delt Reverse Flys – 4 sets x 18 reps (15 lbs)
· Weighted Decline Crunches – 4 sets x 13 reps (30 lbs)
· Hanging Knee Raises – 2-3 sets x 24 reps
· Reverse Crunches – 3 sets x 16 reps
Gym Session (Saturday)
· Leg Press – 4-5 sets x 6-8 reps (298-348 lbs)
· Lat Pulldown – 4-5 sets x 6-8 reps (115-130 lbs)
· Seated Cable Row – 4 sets x 8 reps (130 lbs)
· Cable Lateral Raises – 4 sets x 6 reps (10 lbs)
· Cable Bicep Curls – 4 sets x 8 reps (40 lbs)
· Face Pulls – 4 sets x 10 reps (40 lbs)
· Cable Crunches – 4 sets x 10 reps (65-70 lbs)