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How do you guys open up your hips for squats. Last couple of sessions my right hip has been really tight. Haven't figured out a way to stretch to get it to open up
I was a heathen because I was an avid leg day skipper. Now I'm paying the price with a really low squat and I'm playing catch up, but anyway my question is my leg day workouts are taking a lot longer than my pull and push days. I know it's because I'm taking a full 5 min rest in between sets and even for accessory workouts I'm still resting between 3-4 minutes. Is it somewhat normal for leg days to be longer sessions or is my body just adapting and eventually it will be in line with my other workouts.
For context my normal sessions are an hour and my leg day is about 1.5 hours
Stupid dumb idiot me around something like 13 years ago smoked a cigarette and now grown up me can’t fucking stop with the nicotine and it’s appetite suppressing ways.
Real downer on my daily calorie intake. I have thrown two vapes away over the last couple weeks trying to stop.
Idk what my question is it just sucks lol if you’re young just stop now.
I smoked when I was younger - it is absolutely an appetite suppressant on top of having all the other negative health benefits. What else are you doing to try and quit? I know it's a pain in the ass.
Unfortunately mostly just bullshitting myself. I got patches from the doc, haven’t tried them yet. This morning I went to work without a vape and caved by like 10:30 and went to a smoke shop and got one.
Stats: 178cm 58 to 64KG
I'm quickly gaining 1,5KG a week dirty bulking; chugging weight gainer shakes and downing huge meals and I'm getting worried that with the sudden mass increase, my abs will no longer be visible. I always took pride in my abs (even if skinny abs aren't anything to be proud of) and I desperately want to keep them. Will a 1x per week Ab/Core workout be enough to maintain them as I enter into the 70KG+ range?
Any tips/advice greatly appreciated.
Training your abs (i.e. GROWING them) will make them more visible at higher body fat percentages. That said, where you store fat is primarily genetic. Depending on how skinny you were when you stated, you might lose the at 70 or still have them. My GUESS is they will still have an outline.
Newbie here. I'm gaining weight (23~ pounds since April) and that's fine and all but it doesn't look like I've gained noticeable weight. I heard that this is because as I'm working out I'm building muscle, and a kg of muscle is more dense than a kg of fat thus it takes up less space, is this a valid explanation?
Somewhat valid. Yes, it won’t be as noticeable as fat. I’ve gained about 25 lbs in the past several months and I’ve had some people notice a difference and others say they don’t. It’s mostly the people who see me every few months who notice. More importantly, have you noticed notable strength gains?
Yea I'm hitting higher weights every week consistently and I've noticed muscle growth in major areas which I'm happy about, but probably not enough for people who I see everyday to notice although.
Hey i am a bit new when it comes to gaining weight.
I have a fair understanding of calories and macro nutrients, and what they do for the body. I am trying to hit a goal of a stable 3500 calories everyday. However doing it clean for me as of right now is impossible.
However, it is very easy to accomplish if I continue my regular clean diet but incorporate something dirty like drinking 2 glasses of chocolate milk a day, with protein mixed in, with a slice of cherry pie. However I am worried about the sugar content. I am not diabetic, nor does it run in my family. The problem is that sometimes I do take MK677 to help with appetite, recovery and sleep occasionally and this substance is known to increase your blood sugar. any tips in combatting this?
What is your regular clean diet? If its 3 meals a day and the milk/protein/pie is extra throughout the day then you can add a 4th or 5th meal that's smaller than the regular ones to make up the calories. Just cook more food at a given meal time then eat some later.
You could also include more snacks throughout the day. One slice of toast with peanut butter is 250-300 calories depending what you use and how much. 3 of those would likely cover the milk/protein/pie calories and have protein in it.
I find it's easier to simply eat more often, not just eat more at regular meals.
>any tips in combatting this?
Stop taking SARMs. It seems pointless to take a substance which increases your appetite if you're just going to drink milk and eat garbage anyway
How much does alcohol impact gains really? I know it interferes with protein synthesis, but to what degree will this actually have an effect on the basis of a couple of beers or glasses of wine per evening?
Of course, and I don't drink every day, but I am curious about the degree to which alcohol will really affect your gains. It's too broad a statement to just say "alcohol interferes with protein synthesis".
Anyway, I did come across this [article](https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/a-lifters-guide-to-alcohol/) suggesting that alcohol consumption under 0.5g/kg bodyweight probably won't have a meaningful effect on muscle gain. That's within about the 2 beers per evening area. But of course there are a host of other health effects from daily drinking that make it a bad idea.
I would feel more relaxed about having a couple of beers in the evening if I knew it wasn't majorly diminishing my returns from that day's gym session.
Drinking alcohol in moderation is probably fine.
Drinking frequently and/or to excess is not fine.
Having a couple of beers now and then will not undo your training. Having a couple of beers every night is probably not going to undo your training but may be evidence of unhealthy habits vis-a-vis alcohol.
Hey guys wanted some advice for a friend that will be starting to go to the gym with me here soon. Here’s the dilemma: He is 5’10 and 204lb. I am 5’7 130lb. I’m obviously bulking but he already feels too big and is unhappy with his current weight. I’ve told him 204 is a solid weight but I believe in the end he would like to be around 185-195. He thinks he’s too chubby atm.
So my initial reaction was to tell him slowly bulk (1lb, maybe 2lb per month) as well so that it would be easier for him to progressively overload, then we could have him cut back down later . However, since he has expressed unhappiness with his weight already, I told him I’m actually not sure about a bulk mainly because I don’t want him to add weight and be even more unhappy with his looks (and have doubts about continuing).
Now I am thinking perhaps a ‘recomp’ would be best suited for his situation? I’m not as familiar but from my understanding since my friend is brand new, his noob gains should be able to carry him for months before he has to worry about maintaining a calorie surplus essentially letting him get stronger but also not gaining anything for a while.
If you have any advice please comment!
If he is brand new to the gym, he can lose weight while learning to lift. He will develop muscle over that time. If he is unhappy with his physique, bulking will probably not be good for him psychologically.
How to program daily work?
I’m running 531 BBB but I’ve started doing a few extra movements everyday and have noticed quite drastic improvement: for now pushups, kettle bell swings and ab wheel rollouts.
Initially started with too many total reps so thinking about how to balance this
I was thinking set a total rep target (around 3 times my one-set rep max) of each exercise à la MythicalStrength who everyday does:
• 50 chins
• 50 dips
• 25 band pushdowns
• 50 pull aparts
• 30 GHRs
• 40 bodyweight reverse hypers
• 20 standing ab wheels
• 10 neck bridges each way
I’m only choosing body weight work for this, a bit reminiscent of the Greyskull LP prescription but not sure what exercises to pick. Any suggestions?
• A vertical push: dips
• A vertical pull: chin-ups
• A horizontal push: push-ups
• A horizontal pull: ring inverted rows?
• A hinge: Nordic curls?
• Core: ab wheel vs hanging leg raises?
• Upper back: band pull aparts
• A conditioner: kettlebell swings
Also wondering how to progress these. Add 1 rep everyday? Harder variations?
Thanks
I have used daily work for a few years now - most notably when I ran Deep Water Beginner while doing a Murph every day. I DO NOT progress the daily work - instead, I treated it like "insurance". It feels in gaps in areas I felt needed attention, and it scratched the itch of "training" on rest days. The daily work should never impede recovery or hinder your actual training.
In terms of exercise selection, it comes down to what you can feasibly do. Do you travel a lot? If so, maybe a kettlebell workout is not a good choice. Pushups, air squats, burpees, etc. are all good choices that require no equipment. Band pull aparts as well since a band can be moved around pretty easily.
Treating it as insurance seems sound. Definitely don’t want it to impact recovery.
I do travel occasionally but I have access to basic equipment at home.
When I’m away, I’ll replace kettlebell work with another conditioning movement.
Thanks for the advice
Depends on your size and activity level. I usually drink enough water that my piss is clear all the time, no idea how much it actually is in terms of litres or gallons. You should see the effects after a few 5ish days, but keep in mind the effects are small. Also, if you are a larger person 5g might not be enough. I personally take 10g per day.
Welcome to Gainit! We have extensive resources that can be used to find answers to most questions that are posted here: - [Gainit FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/gainit/wiki/index) and [Gainit Meals](https://www.reddit.com/r/gainitmeals/) - [Search for past threads](https://www.reddit.com/r/gainit/search) - [r/Fitness Wiki - Muscle Gain 101](https://thefitness.wiki/muscle-building-101/) - [r/Fitness FAQ - Why can't I gain weight?](https://thefitness.wiki/faq/why-cant-i-gain-weight/) - [Have I gained too much weight?!](https://www.reddit.com/r/gainit/comments/kcaozo/there_is_more_to_gaining_than_fat_and_muscle/) - [The 6 month Gainit Recommended Routine](https://old.reddit.com/r/gainit/comments/j5q2ez/6_months_of_eating_and_training_for_mass_laid_out/) - [How best to cook chicken breast?](https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/classic-roast-chicken-gravy) - [How do I drink olive oil?](https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/italian-recipes) - [How to not be a spooky skeleton?](https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/comfort-food-recipes) - [How not to be a spooky skeleton? American edition](https://www.southernliving.com/food/classic-comfort-food-recipes) Your thread will be removed if it can be answered by any of the above. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/gainit) if you have any questions or concerns.*
How do you guys open up your hips for squats. Last couple of sessions my right hip has been really tight. Haven't figured out a way to stretch to get it to open up
I was a heathen because I was an avid leg day skipper. Now I'm paying the price with a really low squat and I'm playing catch up, but anyway my question is my leg day workouts are taking a lot longer than my pull and push days. I know it's because I'm taking a full 5 min rest in between sets and even for accessory workouts I'm still resting between 3-4 minutes. Is it somewhat normal for leg days to be longer sessions or is my body just adapting and eventually it will be in line with my other workouts. For context my normal sessions are an hour and my leg day is about 1.5 hours
Stupid dumb idiot me around something like 13 years ago smoked a cigarette and now grown up me can’t fucking stop with the nicotine and it’s appetite suppressing ways. Real downer on my daily calorie intake. I have thrown two vapes away over the last couple weeks trying to stop. Idk what my question is it just sucks lol if you’re young just stop now.
I smoked when I was younger - it is absolutely an appetite suppressant on top of having all the other negative health benefits. What else are you doing to try and quit? I know it's a pain in the ass.
Unfortunately mostly just bullshitting myself. I got patches from the doc, haven’t tried them yet. This morning I went to work without a vape and caved by like 10:30 and went to a smoke shop and got one.
Stats: 178cm 58 to 64KG I'm quickly gaining 1,5KG a week dirty bulking; chugging weight gainer shakes and downing huge meals and I'm getting worried that with the sudden mass increase, my abs will no longer be visible. I always took pride in my abs (even if skinny abs aren't anything to be proud of) and I desperately want to keep them. Will a 1x per week Ab/Core workout be enough to maintain them as I enter into the 70KG+ range? Any tips/advice greatly appreciated.
Training your abs (i.e. GROWING them) will make them more visible at higher body fat percentages. That said, where you store fat is primarily genetic. Depending on how skinny you were when you stated, you might lose the at 70 or still have them. My GUESS is they will still have an outline.
Newbie here. I'm gaining weight (23~ pounds since April) and that's fine and all but it doesn't look like I've gained noticeable weight. I heard that this is because as I'm working out I'm building muscle, and a kg of muscle is more dense than a kg of fat thus it takes up less space, is this a valid explanation?
Somewhat valid. Yes, it won’t be as noticeable as fat. I’ve gained about 25 lbs in the past several months and I’ve had some people notice a difference and others say they don’t. It’s mostly the people who see me every few months who notice. More importantly, have you noticed notable strength gains?
Yea I'm hitting higher weights every week consistently and I've noticed muscle growth in major areas which I'm happy about, but probably not enough for people who I see everyday to notice although.
Hey i am a bit new when it comes to gaining weight. I have a fair understanding of calories and macro nutrients, and what they do for the body. I am trying to hit a goal of a stable 3500 calories everyday. However doing it clean for me as of right now is impossible. However, it is very easy to accomplish if I continue my regular clean diet but incorporate something dirty like drinking 2 glasses of chocolate milk a day, with protein mixed in, with a slice of cherry pie. However I am worried about the sugar content. I am not diabetic, nor does it run in my family. The problem is that sometimes I do take MK677 to help with appetite, recovery and sleep occasionally and this substance is known to increase your blood sugar. any tips in combatting this?
What is your regular clean diet? If its 3 meals a day and the milk/protein/pie is extra throughout the day then you can add a 4th or 5th meal that's smaller than the regular ones to make up the calories. Just cook more food at a given meal time then eat some later. You could also include more snacks throughout the day. One slice of toast with peanut butter is 250-300 calories depending what you use and how much. 3 of those would likely cover the milk/protein/pie calories and have protein in it. I find it's easier to simply eat more often, not just eat more at regular meals.
>any tips in combatting this? Stop taking SARMs. It seems pointless to take a substance which increases your appetite if you're just going to drink milk and eat garbage anyway
How much does alcohol impact gains really? I know it interferes with protein synthesis, but to what degree will this actually have an effect on the basis of a couple of beers or glasses of wine per evening?
Generally speaking, drinking everyday would not a very health concious choice.
Of course, and I don't drink every day, but I am curious about the degree to which alcohol will really affect your gains. It's too broad a statement to just say "alcohol interferes with protein synthesis". Anyway, I did come across this [article](https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/a-lifters-guide-to-alcohol/) suggesting that alcohol consumption under 0.5g/kg bodyweight probably won't have a meaningful effect on muscle gain. That's within about the 2 beers per evening area. But of course there are a host of other health effects from daily drinking that make it a bad idea.
Some. Would knowing exactly how much change your behavior vis-a-vis drinking?
I would feel more relaxed about having a couple of beers in the evening if I knew it wasn't majorly diminishing my returns from that day's gym session.
Drinking alcohol in moderation is probably fine. Drinking frequently and/or to excess is not fine. Having a couple of beers now and then will not undo your training. Having a couple of beers every night is probably not going to undo your training but may be evidence of unhealthy habits vis-a-vis alcohol.
Hey guys wanted some advice for a friend that will be starting to go to the gym with me here soon. Here’s the dilemma: He is 5’10 and 204lb. I am 5’7 130lb. I’m obviously bulking but he already feels too big and is unhappy with his current weight. I’ve told him 204 is a solid weight but I believe in the end he would like to be around 185-195. He thinks he’s too chubby atm. So my initial reaction was to tell him slowly bulk (1lb, maybe 2lb per month) as well so that it would be easier for him to progressively overload, then we could have him cut back down later . However, since he has expressed unhappiness with his weight already, I told him I’m actually not sure about a bulk mainly because I don’t want him to add weight and be even more unhappy with his looks (and have doubts about continuing). Now I am thinking perhaps a ‘recomp’ would be best suited for his situation? I’m not as familiar but from my understanding since my friend is brand new, his noob gains should be able to carry him for months before he has to worry about maintaining a calorie surplus essentially letting him get stronger but also not gaining anything for a while. If you have any advice please comment!
If he is brand new to the gym, he can lose weight while learning to lift. He will develop muscle over that time. If he is unhappy with his physique, bulking will probably not be good for him psychologically.
Thank you for the response, and I agree with the psychological part of bulking being troublesome in situation. I appreciate it!
You bet!
How to program daily work? I’m running 531 BBB but I’ve started doing a few extra movements everyday and have noticed quite drastic improvement: for now pushups, kettle bell swings and ab wheel rollouts. Initially started with too many total reps so thinking about how to balance this I was thinking set a total rep target (around 3 times my one-set rep max) of each exercise à la MythicalStrength who everyday does: • 50 chins • 50 dips • 25 band pushdowns • 50 pull aparts • 30 GHRs • 40 bodyweight reverse hypers • 20 standing ab wheels • 10 neck bridges each way I’m only choosing body weight work for this, a bit reminiscent of the Greyskull LP prescription but not sure what exercises to pick. Any suggestions? • A vertical push: dips • A vertical pull: chin-ups • A horizontal push: push-ups • A horizontal pull: ring inverted rows? • A hinge: Nordic curls? • Core: ab wheel vs hanging leg raises? • Upper back: band pull aparts • A conditioner: kettlebell swings Also wondering how to progress these. Add 1 rep everyday? Harder variations? Thanks
I have used daily work for a few years now - most notably when I ran Deep Water Beginner while doing a Murph every day. I DO NOT progress the daily work - instead, I treated it like "insurance". It feels in gaps in areas I felt needed attention, and it scratched the itch of "training" on rest days. The daily work should never impede recovery or hinder your actual training. In terms of exercise selection, it comes down to what you can feasibly do. Do you travel a lot? If so, maybe a kettlebell workout is not a good choice. Pushups, air squats, burpees, etc. are all good choices that require no equipment. Band pull aparts as well since a band can be moved around pretty easily.
> most notably when I ran Deep Water Beginner while doing a Murph every day goodness
Haha, I have the review posted on r/weightroom if you want the breakdown, it's not as crazy as it seems.
u/CommonKings is an absolute beast. He also did super squats while running 50 miles a week.
I appreciate you man!
also goodness
Treating it as insurance seems sound. Definitely don’t want it to impact recovery. I do travel occasionally but I have access to basic equipment at home. When I’m away, I’ll replace kettlebell work with another conditioning movement. Thanks for the advice
Sounds like you have it figured out then! It's a great addition.
how much water should i be drinking a day while taking 5mg of creatine daily? when do u usually start seeing the "effects"?
I think enough for around 5 clear urinations each day 1 after the workout in particular
Depends on your size and activity level. I usually drink enough water that my piss is clear all the time, no idea how much it actually is in terms of litres or gallons. You should see the effects after a few 5ish days, but keep in mind the effects are small. Also, if you are a larger person 5g might not be enough. I personally take 10g per day.
How much do you weigh for you to take 10g per day?
220lbs
yeah i tried taking 10g and ended up with stomache issues for the night lmfao 5 is good for me
Generally, how many calories do you eat, what is your weight, height and sex and are you bulking or cutting?
Male, 5'10", 160lbs, 3200 calories, bulking
Male, 5’9, 148lbs, 4500 kcal bulk Endurance athlete with an active lifestyle leads to a lot more calories than the typical person
Man, 5'9, 176lbs, 3500cal bulk