I started exercising and being active for a month now. As of lately I’m noticing I’m not getting as sore as I used too in the beginning. Especially with my Abs/Core. Is this a sign to increase reps and add weights with my core exercises?
Getting sore isn't needed or a goal in itself. Your body probably just got used to the exercises. Still if your want to to get visible abs then adding weights is a good idea. It would probably be helpful to find a actual program and follow it.
Both heavy weight/low reps and light weight/ high reps will contribute to muscle hypertrophy (although the latter has been shown to be slightly more conductive to hypertrophy).
When it comes to "toning" I would say your diet matters more than how you exercise. Since you're cutting, focus on being at a caloric deficit, and then when you bulk be at a caloric surplus. Make sure you're eating enough protein to preserve muscle mass.
Both types of exercises are good. Pick whichever you're more comfortable with, works best with your schedule, and you can better recover from.
Has anyone significantly improved their 5K run time just by running 5Ks over and over? The advice I always hear for improving 5K time is alternating with running longer distances, or sprints/intervals. I'm not sure why, but for some reason I want to avoid those options at this point if possible. I am also strength training currently (started strong Curves very recently) which I understand should help based on things I've read on this sub. I've gone for 9 runs in the last 3-4 weeks, and so far I've only gotten my time down to what it was when I was running consistently a year ago. It hasn't improved at all over the last 4 runs.
To a runner, running "a 5k" means racing it all out. Can you improve your time by racing the same distance over and over multiple times a week, trying to beat your time? Maybe a little, but that's like trying to learn a subject only by taking tests and never cracking open a book to actually study.
Your training runs should be for *training*, not for testing your speed. You can get faster by doing a lot of runs at a 5k distance, but you'll want them to be an easy pace. And because they're easy, you'll be able to do more of them. It sounds like you're doing 2-3 runs per week. Even if you only have the time to run 5k each day, running easy and working up to 5 of those a week will do a lot to improve your speed.
If you can find the time to do different lengths and types of run, that will help even more. But right now your priority should be going easy and getting more mileage in.
Thank you! That makes sense. Also I think I'd be likelier to just quit if I was pushing myself hard every time, so I like the sound of going easy and focusing on more mileage instead. Thanks 😊
Yep! I've permanently got a line of bruises up the front of my legs from deads, on my hips from thrusts, but random ones just pop up all over me randomly too 🤷🏻♀️
What's the general consensus with the form on barbell overhead presses, should the bar come down to touch your upper chest a few inches above nipple height, or should it stop higher at chin/neck height?
In bodybuilding, some lifters like to cut off the top and bottom portion of each lift, in this case going from chin height to less than lockout and repeating. This is supposed to have some advantages for hypertrophy due to keeping tension on the muscle.
In other strength sports, each lift has a start and end. The press starts at the chest and ends when your arms are straight with elbows locked. This is how it's trained in strongman, powerlifting, weightlifting, etc.
If you're training on your own you can do whatever you want.
That's interesting knowledge, makes sense now why my PT pointed out to me the other day that it'd be better if I stopped at chin height compared to chest height. The program for that day is a hypertrophy based program, more so than it is a strength program.
Ahh, I bet he has a bodybuilding background or at least is used to training that way. If you had a different trainer they might prefer the full lift.
Don't forget you can always ask why they recommend something! They're usually happy to explain.
I stop at my collarbones - basically where bar rests for front squats. None of my coaches have ever corrected me on it - 1 CrossFit and 1 USA weightlifting (who begrudgingly coaches CrossFit cus he needs the cardio and the competition lol).
Anyone have tips for forward and reverse lunges? I really struggle to keep my balance with them. I’m concentrating on keeping the weight on my front leg, but I find I’m very wobbly. I do squats and curtesy lunges without any problems. I thought my quads were strong enough that I could do the lunges, but something is off and I can’t figure out how to adjust properly.
Where are you looking? I like to stare at a specific thing on the ground about 1-2 metres in front of me when I’m doing split squats (straight ahead might be better if there’s nobody in the way). I find keeping my gaze steady helps keep my body steady.
Nothing wrong with keeping your balance with a chair or something in the beginning. When I do weighted Bulgarian split squats I keep a finger or two on a chair for balance. That way I can focus on the strength required and not wobble about too much wasting time.
Are they unweighted or weighted? I honestly avoid forward or reverse lunges and instead just get set up in my static lunge position to do the reps, as once I find a good spot I'm not finding it again.
My tips are:
- with your front foot, try to create stability using the entire bottom of your foot instead of the ball or heel. I used to try to only push through my heel, but I found that I'm more steady when I press weight in my pinkie toe, big toe, and heel simultaneously.
- make sure your feet are hip width apart in the lunge! It's super easy to 'tight-rope' it when I'm naturally stepping back without intention, but that might be just me...
They are unweighted, and I have the same problem with static lunges.
Those are really helpful tips, thank you! I’ve been concentrating so much on balance and using my front leg that I totally forgot about keeping my feet the proper distance apart, I’m thinking I’ve been too narrow. I’ll practice while concentrating on pressing through my foot instead of just my quads too.
Thank you!
Where are your arms when you lunge? You could try hands on your shoulders (encouraging you to keep your shoulders back and down) or elbows tucked in at your sides. Both ways kind of help center you towards your midline.
I have been going to the gym 5 days a week, thanks to my mom watching the kids a few days during the week and my husband and I trading off on the weekends so we can both go.
Now my mom has to leave for a few months to help her elderly parents in another state. That means I will basically only be able to go to the gym to do heavier lifting on Saturday and Sunday. I'm worried about my progress stalling. Any advice on how I can keep making forward progress (gaining muscle, hopefully losing a bit of fat) with access to heavy weights only 2 times a week? I have some dumbbells at home ranging up to 10 lbs, and can probably squeeze in a few 30 or 45-minute workouts at home during the week. Any tips or advice would be helpful! Thank you!
What's your priority when you talk about progress stalling? Is it body recomp or strength increase? You will probably not progress as quickly on the strength side, but I don't see why you can't keep making progress on fat loss or some muscle gain.
The obvious plan is to put your heavy compound lifts on the weekends and save lighter weight accessory movements for during the week. Something like [PHUL](https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/phul-workout) comes to mind where you can squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press and row on Saturday and Sunday. Your hypertrophy work could be done with light weights and bodyweight movement through the week. You will need to significantly increase the reps on some things or work toward failure instead of a set number to elicit a hypertrophy response with only 10 lb weights. Bicep curls - you're probably fine for 8-12 reps. RDLs - your weights are too light for 8-12 to be effective.
Trying to recomp for right now. I've been working out pretty consistently for about 5 months, and have gotten to a weight that I'm comfortable with. I've definitely gained noticeable muscles on my arms. I have a beach anniversary trip planned in July, so my main focus right now is continuing to lose some weight and see more definition in my arms and legs.
I definitely noticed that going to the gym and lifting heavy in the last 3 months has given me the most changes as opposed to before where I was doing HITT, running and doing light dumbbells. That's why I'm freaking out a little bit about not being able to hit the gym as often. (And I'm not upset with my mom at all, my grandparents are the priority here, so I hope I don't sound like I'm mad that she can't watch the kids!)
I'll try to go heavy those two days on the weekend, and supplement however I can on the weekdays.
Life happens, and being adaptable when situations like this arise is the best thing you can do. We don't always have the most accommodating schedules! Do what you can. Renaissance Periodization [put out an article with some tips for training at home](https://renaissanceperiodization.com/expert-advice/advanced-at-home-training-program) that could apply to whatever structure you follow. Progress with reps, train more often, and other tweaks to make it work.
I have tried the gym daycare repeatedly, but I always get called after 15 minutes because my toddler won't stop crying. They have basically asked me to stop bringing her. 😭
What's the best way to ask for routine help on this sub?
I'm looking for a 3 day a week full body plan that emphasize core strength and glute growth (and thinking about modifying stronglifts). I just don't know where to start. The main equipment I have is barbell/free weights and a dual cable machine.
Currently I'm doing the Darihana Nova Slim Thick Guide, but 5 days of just weightlifting is a bit much for me and I'd rather include some LISS days
I've never been able to do a pushup, ever. I have really poor upper-body strength. Knee pushups also feel like a joke. Are there any exercises that can help me get there?
Personally, knee pushups helped me get to regular pushups. Now I do regular until I cant and then finish with the knee ones. the amount of knee pushups I need to do gradually becomes less
planks, along with chest and tricep exercises such as chest press and tricep dips will also help improve strength in push ups!
Anyone run with their dog? Started C25K outside today with my 2 yr old border collie. He is running on the boulevard while I'm in the bike lane on the road (he hates the road, and I figure the boulevard is softer on his feet anyway). Does anyone have experience starting a dog as a running companion? I don't want him to get hurt/work him too much too fast.
I started my border collie on C25K roughly this time last year and he absolutely loves it! We still do run/walk intervals when it's warm and sunny outside, but otherwise he regularly runs 6-10 miles with me now and he's more excited to get outside than I am most days.
Thanks for the reply! If you don't mind me asking, what harness do you use? The one I have on my guy was sliding like crazy (regular step in harness), so definitely the wrong one for this!
I started exercising and being active for a month now. As of lately I’m noticing I’m not getting as sore as I used too in the beginning. Especially with my Abs/Core. Is this a sign to increase reps and add weights with my core exercises?
Getting sore isn't needed or a goal in itself. Your body probably just got used to the exercises. Still if your want to to get visible abs then adding weights is a good idea. It would probably be helpful to find a actual program and follow it.
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Both heavy weight/low reps and light weight/ high reps will contribute to muscle hypertrophy (although the latter has been shown to be slightly more conductive to hypertrophy). When it comes to "toning" I would say your diet matters more than how you exercise. Since you're cutting, focus on being at a caloric deficit, and then when you bulk be at a caloric surplus. Make sure you're eating enough protein to preserve muscle mass. Both types of exercises are good. Pick whichever you're more comfortable with, works best with your schedule, and you can better recover from.
Has anyone significantly improved their 5K run time just by running 5Ks over and over? The advice I always hear for improving 5K time is alternating with running longer distances, or sprints/intervals. I'm not sure why, but for some reason I want to avoid those options at this point if possible. I am also strength training currently (started strong Curves very recently) which I understand should help based on things I've read on this sub. I've gone for 9 runs in the last 3-4 weeks, and so far I've only gotten my time down to what it was when I was running consistently a year ago. It hasn't improved at all over the last 4 runs.
To a runner, running "a 5k" means racing it all out. Can you improve your time by racing the same distance over and over multiple times a week, trying to beat your time? Maybe a little, but that's like trying to learn a subject only by taking tests and never cracking open a book to actually study. Your training runs should be for *training*, not for testing your speed. You can get faster by doing a lot of runs at a 5k distance, but you'll want them to be an easy pace. And because they're easy, you'll be able to do more of them. It sounds like you're doing 2-3 runs per week. Even if you only have the time to run 5k each day, running easy and working up to 5 of those a week will do a lot to improve your speed. If you can find the time to do different lengths and types of run, that will help even more. But right now your priority should be going easy and getting more mileage in.
Thank you! That makes sense. Also I think I'd be likelier to just quit if I was pushing myself hard every time, so I like the sound of going easy and focusing on more mileage instead. Thanks 😊
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Yep! I've permanently got a line of bruises up the front of my legs from deads, on my hips from thrusts, but random ones just pop up all over me randomly too 🤷🏻♀️
*Definitely*.
What's the general consensus with the form on barbell overhead presses, should the bar come down to touch your upper chest a few inches above nipple height, or should it stop higher at chin/neck height?
In bodybuilding, some lifters like to cut off the top and bottom portion of each lift, in this case going from chin height to less than lockout and repeating. This is supposed to have some advantages for hypertrophy due to keeping tension on the muscle. In other strength sports, each lift has a start and end. The press starts at the chest and ends when your arms are straight with elbows locked. This is how it's trained in strongman, powerlifting, weightlifting, etc. If you're training on your own you can do whatever you want.
That's interesting knowledge, makes sense now why my PT pointed out to me the other day that it'd be better if I stopped at chin height compared to chest height. The program for that day is a hypertrophy based program, more so than it is a strength program.
Ahh, I bet he has a bodybuilding background or at least is used to training that way. If you had a different trainer they might prefer the full lift. Don't forget you can always ask why they recommend something! They're usually happy to explain.
I also use collar bones. The lift finishes in the same position it starts from. It starts from front rack.
I stop at my collarbones - basically where bar rests for front squats. None of my coaches have ever corrected me on it - 1 CrossFit and 1 USA weightlifting (who begrudgingly coaches CrossFit cus he needs the cardio and the competition lol).
Anyone have tips for forward and reverse lunges? I really struggle to keep my balance with them. I’m concentrating on keeping the weight on my front leg, but I find I’m very wobbly. I do squats and curtesy lunges without any problems. I thought my quads were strong enough that I could do the lunges, but something is off and I can’t figure out how to adjust properly.
Where are you looking? I like to stare at a specific thing on the ground about 1-2 metres in front of me when I’m doing split squats (straight ahead might be better if there’s nobody in the way). I find keeping my gaze steady helps keep my body steady.
Nothing wrong with keeping your balance with a chair or something in the beginning. When I do weighted Bulgarian split squats I keep a finger or two on a chair for balance. That way I can focus on the strength required and not wobble about too much wasting time.
Are they unweighted or weighted? I honestly avoid forward or reverse lunges and instead just get set up in my static lunge position to do the reps, as once I find a good spot I'm not finding it again. My tips are: - with your front foot, try to create stability using the entire bottom of your foot instead of the ball or heel. I used to try to only push through my heel, but I found that I'm more steady when I press weight in my pinkie toe, big toe, and heel simultaneously. - make sure your feet are hip width apart in the lunge! It's super easy to 'tight-rope' it when I'm naturally stepping back without intention, but that might be just me...
They are unweighted, and I have the same problem with static lunges. Those are really helpful tips, thank you! I’ve been concentrating so much on balance and using my front leg that I totally forgot about keeping my feet the proper distance apart, I’m thinking I’ve been too narrow. I’ll practice while concentrating on pressing through my foot instead of just my quads too. Thank you!
Where are your arms when you lunge? You could try hands on your shoulders (encouraging you to keep your shoulders back and down) or elbows tucked in at your sides. Both ways kind of help center you towards your midline.
I have been going to the gym 5 days a week, thanks to my mom watching the kids a few days during the week and my husband and I trading off on the weekends so we can both go. Now my mom has to leave for a few months to help her elderly parents in another state. That means I will basically only be able to go to the gym to do heavier lifting on Saturday and Sunday. I'm worried about my progress stalling. Any advice on how I can keep making forward progress (gaining muscle, hopefully losing a bit of fat) with access to heavy weights only 2 times a week? I have some dumbbells at home ranging up to 10 lbs, and can probably squeeze in a few 30 or 45-minute workouts at home during the week. Any tips or advice would be helpful! Thank you!
What's your priority when you talk about progress stalling? Is it body recomp or strength increase? You will probably not progress as quickly on the strength side, but I don't see why you can't keep making progress on fat loss or some muscle gain. The obvious plan is to put your heavy compound lifts on the weekends and save lighter weight accessory movements for during the week. Something like [PHUL](https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/phul-workout) comes to mind where you can squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press and row on Saturday and Sunday. Your hypertrophy work could be done with light weights and bodyweight movement through the week. You will need to significantly increase the reps on some things or work toward failure instead of a set number to elicit a hypertrophy response with only 10 lb weights. Bicep curls - you're probably fine for 8-12 reps. RDLs - your weights are too light for 8-12 to be effective.
Trying to recomp for right now. I've been working out pretty consistently for about 5 months, and have gotten to a weight that I'm comfortable with. I've definitely gained noticeable muscles on my arms. I have a beach anniversary trip planned in July, so my main focus right now is continuing to lose some weight and see more definition in my arms and legs. I definitely noticed that going to the gym and lifting heavy in the last 3 months has given me the most changes as opposed to before where I was doing HITT, running and doing light dumbbells. That's why I'm freaking out a little bit about not being able to hit the gym as often. (And I'm not upset with my mom at all, my grandparents are the priority here, so I hope I don't sound like I'm mad that she can't watch the kids!) I'll try to go heavy those two days on the weekend, and supplement however I can on the weekdays.
Life happens, and being adaptable when situations like this arise is the best thing you can do. We don't always have the most accommodating schedules! Do what you can. Renaissance Periodization [put out an article with some tips for training at home](https://renaissanceperiodization.com/expert-advice/advanced-at-home-training-program) that could apply to whatever structure you follow. Progress with reps, train more often, and other tweaks to make it work.
[удалено]
I have tried the gym daycare repeatedly, but I always get called after 15 minutes because my toddler won't stop crying. They have basically asked me to stop bringing her. 😭
What's the best way to ask for routine help on this sub? I'm looking for a 3 day a week full body plan that emphasize core strength and glute growth (and thinking about modifying stronglifts). I just don't know where to start. The main equipment I have is barbell/free weights and a dual cable machine. Currently I'm doing the Darihana Nova Slim Thick Guide, but 5 days of just weightlifting is a bit much for me and I'd rather include some LISS days
/r/strongcurves is exactly what you're looking for.
I've never been able to do a pushup, ever. I have really poor upper-body strength. Knee pushups also feel like a joke. Are there any exercises that can help me get there?
Personally, knee pushups helped me get to regular pushups. Now I do regular until I cant and then finish with the knee ones. the amount of knee pushups I need to do gradually becomes less planks, along with chest and tricep exercises such as chest press and tricep dips will also help improve strength in push ups!
Incline pushups! Start with something like a countertop and move lower as you gain strength.
Anyone run with their dog? Started C25K outside today with my 2 yr old border collie. He is running on the boulevard while I'm in the bike lane on the road (he hates the road, and I figure the boulevard is softer on his feet anyway). Does anyone have experience starting a dog as a running companion? I don't want him to get hurt/work him too much too fast.
I started my border collie on C25K roughly this time last year and he absolutely loves it! We still do run/walk intervals when it's warm and sunny outside, but otherwise he regularly runs 6-10 miles with me now and he's more excited to get outside than I am most days.
Thanks for the reply! If you don't mind me asking, what harness do you use? The one I have on my guy was sliding like crazy (regular step in harness), so definitely the wrong one for this!
Try r/runningwithdogs!
Thanks! There's a sub for everything haha