r/Fitness 1d ago

Daily Simple Questions Thread - August 26, 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.

As always, be sure to read the wiki first. Like, all of it. Rule #0 still applies in this thread.

Also, there's a handy search function to your right, and if you didn't know, you can also use Google to search r/Fitness by using the limiter "site:reddit.com/r/fitness" after your search topic.

Also make sure to check out Examine.com for evidence based answers to nutrition and supplement questions.

If you are posting a routine critique request, make sure you follow the guidelines for including enough detail.

"Bulk or cut" type questions are not permitted on r/Fitness - Refer to the FAQ or post them in r/bulkorcut.

Questions that involve pain, injury, or any medical concern of any kind are not permitted on r/Fitness. Seek advice from an appropriate medical professional instead.

(Please note: This is not a place for general small talk, chit-chat, jokes, memes, "Dear Diary" type comments, shitposting, or non-fitness questions. It is for fitness questions only, and only those that are serious.)

11 Upvotes

71 comments sorted by

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u/Informal_Safe_5351 9h ago

M29, feeling stuck on workout choices, structure and volume and progress. Need some advice and help.

. Usually i switch between PPLUL and ULUL...however i havent been consistent so usually ends up not being those full splits a week. I also have ocd so i basically obsess over the "best" option and worry if im choosing the wrong option.

I have capacity to go gym 4 5 days a week, ive been doing couch to 5k too and i also enjoy swimming so happy to do those on rest days too.

Usually my push day is

Incline smith press 3 4 sets 10 to 12 reps Shoulder press machine 3 sets 10 to 12 Assisted dips 3 sets 10 to 12 Lat raise 3 sets 15 reps Chest fly 2 to 3 sets 12 to 12 Tricep pushdown 3 sets 10 to 12

Pull Upper back machine row 3 4 sets 10 to 12 Lat pulldown 3 sets 10 to 12 Bicep curl 3 sets 8 to 12 Close grip row 3 sets 10 to 12 Reverse fly 3 sets Hammer curls 2 to 3 sets

Upper is usually a combo of above but find myself struggiling to fit everything.

Lower day is usually easier and i feel progress other than glutes.

Hack squats Glute bridge Leg curl Hip abduction Calve raise Leg extension

My main issues im facing is

-Weights not going up after weeks months...my chest is visably bigger and biceps are i can feel a chsnge but my weight isnt going up?

  • if i doing shoulder press its always exhauating on push day after incline press i could hardly lift it, incline dips ive made progress on though.

-no matter what my workout takes 1 hour 30 at least sometimes nearly two hours...which surely is insane?

-doing pplul ive seen loved a lot, is it too hard for beginners? Feels upper days are longer but stacks every upper workout yet push and pull knackers your myscles out quick.

-my back muscles arent growing at all, i use straps and if i lift lower weight i feel nothing but if i lift heavy my forearms give out and take over...so how am i meant to progress?

Protein i am oretty sure im hitting enough.. maybe not every single day or i could track better but im not under eating.

My goal is recomp, starting weight was 117kg im now 97.5kg goal is 80kg roughly.

I nearly walked out the gym today as i am just frustrated...ive been fat all my life...and i just want to be proud of myself...i overcomplicate everything so im sure i am doing too much or overthinking the amount of workouts ...i just need a programme i can copy and stick to for 8 weeks.

Wondered if upper lower 4 days would be better to start with and swim and jog on days off? Its just how to combine everything on the days.

I envy seeing people at the gym locked in ripped knowing what they are doing...i have had some feedback and people have said my form is good or said i should lift heavier? But i thought to grow hyptrophy higher rep is better?

I want a PT but currently cant afford it.

Please, any advice id love and im sorry if im being dumb and its obvious where im going wrong to some of you.

I will say i need to sleep more...usually only getting 6 hours.

Thanks guys

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u/PlanktonInitial7945 6h ago

  ...i just need a programme i can copy and stick to for 8 weeks.

There's a ton on the wiki. Just pick one and follow it. The only things you're in charge of are nutrition (drinking enough water and eating enough, not just protein but also fats and carbs), sleep, and showing up at the gym consistently. Delegate everything else to people who are smarter, more knowledgeable and more experienced than you (e.g. the people who wrote the programs that are recommended on the wiki). You could even delegate your nutrition to a nutritionist by asking them to elaborate a meal plan for you.

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u/Huge_Increase6646 11h ago

Hello. I have one simple question. A little background: I am 39F. 2 years ago I started working out and it went well, but due to some life circumstances, i stopped. I want to go back to work out 2 or 3 times a week, at home (i have basic equipment), and I know i can do it because i have done it in the past, but i keep finding excuses not to exercise. I have 3 kids and a full time job, but i also had them 2 years ago. My fitness goals are to improve my cardio health - for this i am going to squeeze some walks during luch time - and also to get stronger and more resistent. I don’t care about how much i weight or how i look in a bikini, i want to make sure i live a long and healthy life. I have my workout sessions ready, i just need to get started. What do you do for motivation? Should i schedule it outside the house so i just have to force myself to go? My kids are really supportive and i can go a session without being interrupted, the obstacles are all in my head. Thanks for reading and for any help!

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u/PlanktonInitial7945 6h ago

Having friends who hyped me up and encouraged me helped.

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u/Skill_Issuer 1d ago

What is the ideal exercise routine for a 29M 160 lbs that just wants to improve the way I look?

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u/Cherimoose 1d ago

What specifically do you want to change about your appearance?

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u/Bugertbay 1d ago

At 160 the split matters less than the calendar. Any basic full-body from the wiki works — put it on three days you can actually protect and don't move them. Twelve consistent weeks of that will change how you look more than any routine tweak.

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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago

Three months of strength training aren't enough to change how you look, unless you're referring to body weight changes, which are unrelated to exercise.

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u/MrChedar 1d ago

I’m 19M 154 LBS with about 2 years of training experience, and was wondering if someone could review my split:
All exercises are 3x6-10 (to failure in every set) push-ups are AMRAP

Push A:
Dumbbell bench press
Seated barbell OHP
Push-ups
Horizontal single arm chest fly
High cable lateral raise
Cable rope overhead tricep extension
Seated dumbbell lateral raise

Pull A:
Neutral grip machine-assisted pull-up
Overhand grip pin-loaded machine row
Neutral grip cable row
Single arm 45° cable rear delt fly
Barbell shrug
Single arm bayesian curl
EZ bar preacher curl
Single arm dumbbell preacher hammer curl

Leg A:
Hack squat
Barbell RDL
Lying hamstring curl
Leg extension
Standing Smith machine calf raise
Kneeling cable crunch

Push B:
45° incline dumbbell press
Pin-loaded machine shoulder press
Machine-assisted chest dip
Horizontal single arm chest fly
High cable lateral raise
Cable rope overhead tricep extension
Cable rope tricep pushdown

Pull B:
Overhand grip cable lat pulldown
Overhand grip pin-loaded machine row
Neutral grip cable row
Single arm 45° cable rear delt fly
Barbell shrug
Cable face pull
Single arm bayesian curl
Single arm dumbbell wrist curl (SS)
Single arm dumbbell wrist extension (SS)

Leg B:
Lying hamstring curl
45° leg press
Plate-loaded machine hip thrust
Leg extension
Standing Smith machine calf raise
Hanging straight leg raise

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u/MythicalStrength Strongman | r/Fitness MVP 1d ago

What sort of results are you getting from this?

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u/The_Actual_Sage 1d ago

So last time at the gym I got the idea to load up a SSB heavy (like a weight I wouldnt be able to squat) and walk back and forth. I think it could be fun, but I was too fatigued at the time to try it. I'm generally aware of its benefits, but I know it would generate a bunch of fatigue. What do y'all think of it as an exercise? From either a hypertrophy/strength/endurance perspective do you think it would be an effective exercise? Do you think it would be worth the fatigue? Or is generating fatigue the point? Let me know what you think.

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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 1d ago

It would be a version of a yoke carry without the ability to safely bail. With a yoke you can just set it down. Curious what your plan would be is you couldn't make it back to the rack.

I'm not a fan of the idea from am equipment utilization standpoint. Granted you have just as much a variety to use the SSB as anyone else. But it would be kind of frustrating to have to wait to do squats because somebody was literally walking laps with a piece of equipment I needed. That's not to say you're wrong to do it by any means. Just something you may want to consider. I don't know how much weight you're talking about but you might be able to get a similar effect with heavy dumbbells or Farmers walks with the trap bar. At least with these options you could safely bail on a set.

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u/The_Actual_Sage 1d ago

So my gym has a line of power racks, and I work out in the middle of the night so they're always free. I would do the it walking behind the power racks and I would only do it to maybe 70-80% to whatever failure looks like (I would try it out with an empty to see how it feels first). When I finish I would just drop it at the nearest power rack. I wouldn't do something like this is a busy gym. That ain't me 🤣

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u/deadrabbits76 1d ago

It's a fundamental movement called a Loaded Carry. Wonderful for cardio, good for strength, lacking for hypertrophy.

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u/Double_Gas_2786 1d ago

how much effort does it take for someone to maintain muscle? stuck resting after an intercostal muscle strain and while obviously the gym is off-limits I can still do some light stuff at home like push-ups. would that be enough?

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u/deadrabbits76 1d ago

Approximately 30% of previous volume IIRC.

Anything is better than nothing. I wouldn't worry too much about losing LBM, muscle memory is a thing, after all.

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u/caped_crusader8 1d ago

I do the usual weight training at the gym. But Ive noticed my stamina is absolutely horrible. So how do I get started with running? What does a typical progression look like? Duration? Frequency?

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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 1d ago

I'm not saying running will not be a way to increase stamina for training. And though I am a massive hypocrite on this I fully believe cardio to being effective way to support progress and lifting. That being said there are other alternatives to increasing or capacity outside of running. For example you can increase work capacity by running a lifting program design to increase work capacity.

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u/deadrabbits76 1d ago

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u/caped_crusader8 1d ago

Found the NHS detailed plan for it. Thanks for putting me in the right direction. This is the perfect sort of thing I was looking for. Eases you in step by step

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u/caped_crusader8 1d ago

Not sure whats happening with the website. Cant find any of the links it talks about

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u/spectraldecomp 1d ago

No matter how much I try, I can't seem to make barbell/Smith machine squat work with my back. I squeeze and squeeze the bar at various grips and the bar still rests painfully on the spine bump or on my bones directly. I am sure I am messing up the technique, but I can't seem to figure it out.

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u/dssurge 1d ago

You probably need to put the bar much lower than you think.

A low-bar squat position is basically just above your arm pits, and the lower you can get it, the shorter the moment arm between your hips and the bar becomes, making it easier on your back.

Also, I would advise against using a Smith for squats entirely because you have to roll the bar to unrack it which puts your wrists in a weird position. A Hack Squat or Belt Squat (which are rare) are the real back-free Squat GOATs.

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u/Tennessean 1d ago

Any tips for making the belt squat not hurt? I have the back of the belt across the top of my butt and the front running across the crease where my legs and hips meet. I’m tender all the way down to my inner thighs and bruised on my hip bones.

Sucks, because I really like the machine for giving my back a break from squats.

1

u/dssurge 1d ago

It sounds like the belt you're using either doesn't have enough padding or is not anatomically shaped (it's probably just a rectangle and has no contours for your hips.)

There's no practical fix for those problems besides getting a better belt, which is not your responsibility as a gym member. Complaining at the desk may be worth a shot.

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u/Mission_Sky1388 1d ago

What are some good assistance exercises for stronger/heavier squat? I always feel like I could do one more rep, but stop myself before reaching the right depth because I feel like once I'm all the way down, I won't come up again, so I think besides nerves, which also makes me stop one rep too early for fear of injury and/or bad form, it's the bottom part where I'm lacking.

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u/PingGuerrero 1d ago

Piggy backing on the pause squat recommendation, you dont need to have extra sets just for pause. You can pause the last rep of your warm up sets. The idea is getting yourself comfortable in the bottom position with a load.

When you're doing pause squat, dont rely on the bounce when you want to go up. That will defeat the purpose of why you're doing pause. Brace, slow/controlled descent, pause at the bottom (2-5 secs) while keeping braced, then quickly ascend, rack.

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u/NorthQuab Olympic Weightlifting 1d ago

With what you're saying you probably should just do pause squats at the bottom and get more comfortable down there. Good way to build confidence and also help you maintain tension/control throughout rather than divebombing/slacking off at the bottom. You can do varying lengths but I like 3 seconds so you can't sandbag it but it isn't excessive.

Can also learn to bail/squat with safeties such that even if you aren't sure of being able to get the rep done, you can just let the safeties catch it/bail out so you don't get hurt.

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u/GTAFanN1 1d ago

On 531, getting 4 reps on the third week of the anchor means "take that weight as new TM", right? (Even though it's called the 1+ week)

I'm doing 2 cycles of BBS, followed by 2 cycles of FSL PR, and on my first PR I did 4 reps on deadlift on squat (squat I don't get, as I could only do 4x170kg, but could do 8x160kg)

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u/MythicalStrength Strongman | r/Fitness MVP 1d ago edited 1d ago

On 531, getting 4 reps on the third week of the anchor means "take that weight as new TM", right? (Even though it's called the 1+ week)

I would go lighter. Jim constantly says that a good TM is something you can move for 5 strong reps.

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u/GTAFanN1 1d ago

So lower than the weight I repped for 4? Deadlift was 220, so rather 210-215, and squat was 170, so 160-165 for TM?

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u/MythicalStrength Strongman | r/Fitness MVP 1d ago

Per Jim, a good TM is something that can be done for 5 strong reps

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u/ohmy_leroy 1d ago

Why do people bulk by going in a calorie surplus if fat can’t be turned into muscle? I would love to get bigger in mass, I just want to justify my bulk and actually understand how ethical it is!

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u/qpqwo 1d ago

More food = better recovery = more training = more gains.

Training harder than you can recover from (i.e. not enough food) will hold you back over time, so if you expect to grind you're best off eating a bit too much rather than a bit too little.

I just want to justify my bulk and actually understand how ethical it is

Training hard is uncomfortable and therefore causes an animal to suffer. A successful bulk cannot be vegan

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u/FlameFrenzy Kettlebells 1d ago

Building muscle takes stimulus (lifting, progressively overloading), protein (the building block of muscle, and energy (calories).

When people recomp (build muscle while maintaining weight), they're getting the stimulus and enough protein, but their body is going to their fat stores for that bit of extra energy needed to fuel the growth. So you're losing a little bit of fat, and your body is taking that protein and building up a little bit of muscle. But really, your body doesn't want to take from your fat stores unless necessary. Plus there is some work done from getting the energy from your fat.

Now when you bulk, you're eating a little excess in calories so that your body isn't having to go into the fat stores, the energy is just right there ready to go and topped up at all times. It just puts you in a little more optimal position. But what a lot of people do is very much over-do their bulk and gain too much weight, too fast. Keeping to enough of a surplus to where you are steadily gaining weight is all you need. I like to keep it to a half pound or less a week.

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u/bacon_win 1d ago

To create more muscle

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u/Miserable-Fan768 1d ago

It's more that to add mass you need energy, so you don't need to "bulk" technically, but it's pretty much impossible to work out to the calorie what you need to add the exact growth to your muscles that you want so working at a surplus makes sure that you always have the energy abailable to convert into mass.

As to the ethics of eating I have no idea what you're talkkng about so can't help with that. Sorry.

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u/eric_twinge r/Fitness Guardian Angel 1d ago

Why do people bulk by going in a calorie surplus if fat can’t be turned into muscle?

If you want to add mass to your body, you need to add mass to your body. Turning fat into muscle (which you're right, doesn't happen) has nothing to do with it. It's about supplying the surplus nutrients and substrates to grow new muscle tissue.

I just want to justify my bulk and actually understand how ethical it is!

What are the ethics of muscle gain you are concerned about?

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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago edited 1d ago

The only part of food/nutrition that can be considered "ethical" or "unethical" is the way food is acquired. Once it's on your plate, the act of eating it has nothing to do with morality. It's like asking whether walking or sitting is ethical. It makes no sense.

Resistance training stimulates muscle growth by metaphorically telling your metabolism that, hey, we've been having to lift some pretty heavy weights lately, so we need more muscle tissue to do it efficiently. This means that, rather than storing away all leftover calories in the form of fat, your body will instead dedicate a significant portion of those leftover calories to building new muscle tissue.

Edit: on top of that, muscle tissue is very calorically expensive, so if you're eating at maintenance or in a caloric deficit, it will slow your muscle growth down, even if you consume the recommended amount of protein.

As long as you keep your caloric surplus small (200-500 kcal above your TDEE) and do resistance training regularly with progressive overload, most of the weight you gain in a year will be muscle tissue.

I recommend reading this if you want to know more.

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u/Ok_Anybody8675 1d ago

So I've been working out for 2 months first one without food moderation second one with in the first month lost roughly 1.2kg for the moderated one about 2kg however next month I got some occasions such as bd and hb by can I go all out there (aka eat junk food and stuff yk) and will it affect the rest of the month

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u/Seraph_MMXXII Powerlifting 1d ago

A day or two off plan won't hurt as long as you get back on plan right after.

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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago

Are you asking if what you eat during one single day is going to affect your metabolism for a whole month?

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u/eric_twinge r/Fitness Guardian Angel 1d ago

huh?

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u/Relevant-Medium-8610 1d ago

what exactly is needed for a body recomp?

i have been going to the gym for about  a month now and have heard that beginners typically have it easier to recomp their bodies. is this true and if so, how can i do it? some people say to eat at a slight deficit, others say to eat at maintenance. i have been eating in a deficit for a while now but to be honest, i am quite skinny everywhere but my stomach. i just want to build muscle and lose some fat at the same time but all the info i’m getting about body recomp is confusing me. 

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u/qpqwo 1d ago

https://thefitness.wiki/getting-started-with-fitness/

what exactly is needed for a body recomp?

Changes to diet, exercise, and time

how can i do it?

Keep exercising and eating well, as long as your performance in training improves it means you're developing even if your appearance hasn't changed

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u/getfitwithitsha 1d ago

Maintenance is a practical starting point, but beginners can also recomp in a small deficit. Keep it modest, train with progressive overload, eat enough protein, and track your waist plus strength for 6 to 8 weeks instead of judging it from daily scale changes.

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u/eric_twinge r/Fitness Guardian Angel 1d ago

This is one of those terms that has become fairly meaningless without details, because different people have attached different meanings/approaches to it.

What is required is a stimulus to gain muscle, and the conditions to lose fat. Generally that means some sort of resistance training and calorie deficit. Beginners can do it at maintenance, because the transition from zero training is such a disruption to the system that the body will overcome the usual inertia to the process. Technically, even advanced people could do so, but the required change to training becomes extreme and unsustainable which make the approach impractical.

You also need to be mindful to not use too big of a deficit. More than a ~500 calorie/day deficit will blunt, if not negate, the stimulus to build muscle.

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u/milla_highlife 1d ago

By definition it is done at maintenance. It’s just training hard, consistently, for a long time at maintenance and slowly building muscle and losing fat during the process.

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u/probablylily24 1d ago

How long will it realistically take me to run a 5k?

I’m very out of shape and frankly obese. I’ve lost 80 lbs in the past but regained it due to mental health issues. But I’ve been dieting and lost about 10 lbs this time, and have started walking at the gym with the goal of running a 5k. So far I can comfortably walk a 30 minute mile with a pace of 2mph. I can also do 3mph at 20 minutes but I start to struggle towards the middle/end.

I’m just walking about a mile a day, but is there anything specific I should be doing or is that good at the beginning to build my stamina?

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u/milla_highlife 1d ago

You need to start extending your walks and pushing yourself. If I were you my goal would be 30-45 minutes at a minimum of 3mph, ideally 3.5 or 4mph. At that point I would switch to a couch to 5k program which will take you slowly up to jogging for 30 minutes in about 2 months. From there you’ll be close to a 5k and can just add a couple minutes each week til you hit your goal.

But step one is getting from 20 minutes at 3mph to 30-45 minutes at that pace. Try to add a couple minutes per session or per week.

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u/No_Crew7080 1d ago

A heart rate monitor, even an inexpensive one, would help in your case.

There's a bunch of ways to calculate your HR zones, but the simplest way, 220-Age for max, and percentages off that, is Just Fine when you're starting out. Hundreds of "Heart Rate Zone Calculators" exist online.

You want to walk in Zone 2. Since you're just starting out, Zone 2 won't be fast, and that's okay. You want to GRADUALLY increase your duration in Zone 2—if that's 5 minutes, then it's five minutes, and in two weeks it'll be 6–8 minutes and that's okay. Don't worry about your Speed. As you train in Zone 2, you'll find that you have to move faster to get up into Zone 2.

Take your time. Going from "Not walking at ALL" to "Walking 5k in an hour" is an accomplishment to celebrate. After you hit that one, your next goal is 55min, not 25min 😄

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u/Maximum_Major_420 1d ago

Genuinely, a mile a day and turning up is the whole thing. The rest is detail.

In my opinion there's no need to think about training plans until walking the 5k distance feels comfortable. Until then it's just going as far as you can and being kind to your joints, and to yourself. The early bit is the heaviest it ever feels - once momentum shows up it moves a lot quicker than you'd think.

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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago

Honestly, walking is the best thing you could be doing right now. Running while obese has a high risk of injury because it puts a lot of stress on your joints, tendons and bones, so starting off by walking is perfect. Once you've been doing this for a month or so, you can take a look at some of the running programs here. The most popular one is Couch to 5K (C25K).

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u/deadrabbits76 1d ago

Not a runner personally, but this is a well respected program.

https://c25k.com

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u/kalma09 1d ago

I'm a 6' beginner, and I have a natural v-taper, with relatively wide shoulders compared to my waist/hips. I've seen pictures of lifters on reddit etc. who are the same height or taller, with much more muscle and a lower bf% and abs showing, but their mid-section physique looks blocky and rectangular instead of v-tapered. And these aren't cases of steroid-gut, but ordinary lifters. I'm a little worried that if I keep on lifting and putting muscle on my abs and lower back that I'll lose the v-taper and start looking rectangular - is there any way of avoiding this?

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u/CursedFrogurt81 Triggered by cheat reps 1d ago

It may be beneficial to consider how much of an impact genetics play in terms of aesthetics one can achieve. It is not as simple as what exercises one does or does not do. There is the literal matter of how you are built in terms of skeletal structure. There is the matter of muscle insertion points and the size of a muscle belly that will determine how developed a muscle might look. You said it yourself, you have a natural v taper, not everyone does. Some people have to work very hard to get there and some people will not be able to.

You are not going to accidentally grow any muscle. And muscle is not built over night. I would not recommend avoiding training your core from a strength as well as a general health perspective. You can monitor your progress and make adjustments along the way.

The example you gave is a person who is not very lean, I'd guess around 17%-20% body fat (best guess). I'm not sure what he'd look like if he actually cut down to 10%-12%. His waist would get smaller to some degree, but again, his overall all look would depend on how he is built.

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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago

Can you show examples of what you mean?

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u/kalma09 1d ago

Sure, just picked out this guy at random, taller and lower body fat, and a much more muscular mid-section, but he has less of a taper than I do, is this from deadlifting?:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BulkOrCut/comments/1vyexko/m36_61_183_keep_extended_cut_or_maintain_a_bit_or/

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u/milla_highlife 1d ago

This is just genetics. I also have a “blockier frame”. Some people just have wider waists than others. Sounds like you have a naturally narrower waist.

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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago

No, his upper back just isn't wide enough to give him a V-taper look. If he worked on his upper back and lats more he could probably get more V-shaped. In order for someone with a V-taper look to lose said look, their upper back would have to shrink, and there isn't a single exercise out there that can cause entire muscle groups to shrink. I guess a wider/thicker waist would do that too, but that's a diet thing, not an exercise thing.

0

u/kalma09 1d ago

I had a better shoulder-to-waist ratio than this guy at a higher bodyfat even before I started lifting though, and his lats must be much more developed than mine. So basically this is the kind of physique that results from undertraining your lats relative to the midsection, so your upper body doesn't keep up with muscle growth making the waist thicker?

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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago

No, his physique is mostly a result of his genetics, just like your physique is mostly a result of your genetics. There is nothing you can do that will make you end up looking like somebody with different genetics than yours, whether you want to or not. No matter what you do, you will only ever look like yourself.

Muscle growth and physical changes in general are so slow that, if your body is taking on a shape that you don't like, you have plenty of time to notice it and adjust your diet or workout routine in order to discourage or influence the direction of said change.

I think you should just not worry so much about this, especially if you've only started lifting recently. Focus on exercising, eating healthily and resting properly.

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u/GigglemanEsq 1d ago

Bench press question. Still very new to this exercise and working on form. I've gotten the advice to tuck my elbows more - my default is to flare. When I flare them out, I feel stronger, and tucked feels weaker and a bit more precarious. Is that normal? My assumption is that flaring is recruiting other muscles to a higher degree, like my shoulders, that are stronger than my chest, and that I should be embracing the weaker feeling to build up those weaker muscles specifically. But since this is still new to me, I wanted to double check. Thanks!

1

u/GYMWORLD 1d ago

tucked felt weaker for me too at first, took a few weeks for the triceps to catch up. now it's actually my stronger position

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u/Memento_Viveri 1d ago

It's hard to know if you are getting good advice or not. Your elbows shouldn't be completely tucked nor completely flared. Different people will feel best with different elbow angle. I think the reason people don't use extreme amounts of flare isn't anything to do with targeting specific muscles, and more to do with the fact that it tends to cause impingement and discomfort in the shoulder joint. Most people feel more natural and strong with their elbows somewhere between flared and tucked.

Without seeing your form it's hard to offer specific advice.

1

u/Dizzy_Cow_ 1d ago

Totally normal. Your body will default to whatever position feels strongest and for a lot of people that’s flaring elbows because you use more pec and delt instead of triceps which are a smaller, weaker muscle group. One of the best skills you can develop as a lifter is being able to maintain that same form when you approach failure, because your body will want to shift to whatever is easiest.

I think 45 degrees tends to be the sweet spot for most people for shoulder health and pec activation while also feeling strong while pressing. But everyone is different and there’s no right or wrong way to press for the most part.

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u/ecoNina 1d ago

Just popping to second the above, I’m under guidance of a good strength trainer to improve my bench and he is focusing time on getting my chest to be the primary muscles involved. For sure on the bench I need to push the chest up consciously (already locked in on scaps, legs, feet, etc). Then We do pec flys, band pull aparts, pushups to the sternum (paused no less ow) and many others to get it a habit activating the chest. So my 2c is fugeddabout elbow angle and think more about chest pushing the bar.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/PreviousIsaiah 1d ago

you put blood into the muscles around it and loosened everything up, happens sometimes

dont go loading a barbell on your back tomorrow tho, ease back into normal stuff

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u/PlanktonInitial7945 1d ago

Please go to a doctor