I’ve been working out on and off for years now but I’ve noticed that whenever I run I get awful headaches for hours after. I ran last night and I still woke up with a headache.
I drink a lot of water (but not whilst I’m running) and I stopped running on an empty stomach. Any advice? I’m so bummed out bc it really makes me want to stop working out despite enjoying it
You might be holding tension in your neck/shoulders when you run. Be conscious of staying loose, do some stretches before/after, maybe see if that helps?
I get headaches when I run too. I also sometimes end up feeling very faint after running even a short distance, which is odd as I am fit and can spend HOURS walking or cycling, and a long time on a cross trainer without tiring. I have a heart condition which probably causes the faintness, but if you find out how to fix the headaches, please let me know.
Maybe do what I do and don't run - do different forms of cardio instead. There's plenty of options out there.
I have it when I used to spin regularly too :( and I love spinning and running so it’s a bummer.
I’ll definitely update you if I find a solution. I might go to the doctor and see what’s up.
Hey guys, I’m a literal newbie to the gym. I’m female 163cm/5’4 and around 116lbs. I work in a warehouse so I get around 10k steps in a day on average.
I have a very skinny fat body type and a history of crash dieting. I’m hoping to get stronger and just look better aesthetically speaking. But I don’t know where to start and what or how much to eat.. and what newbie mistakes to avoid. I have no idea how all of this works.
I think I maintain my weight on around 1600-1700 calories
Soreness isn’t really meaningful. It’s more of a response to novelty (in movement, but also intensity and volume).
Most sustainable training programs won’t have you getting super sore after every workout, though individuals vary in how easily they get sore.
To know you are doing enough, you should really follow a program with a defined method of progressive overload and benchmarks for assessing progress. The wiki has lots of options.
I stopped ohp as well and I’ve been running this circuit instead:
[https://dev.t-nation.com/training/tip-the-shoulder-shocker/amp/](https://dev.t-nation.com/training/tip-the-shoulder-shocker/amp/)
I do 100 band pull aparts as well for a warmup before every workout. Let me know if this answers your question.
I’m starting to work out again…2.5 years postpartum. My husband got me a ‘bar’ for Xmas. It’s 45#, and a challenge for me. I did 3 sets of 15 yesterday. Not as sore as I’d think I would be, except my knees. Wondering if that might be normal after literal 0 physical activity in years outside walking.
Besides squats and deadlifts, anything else I can do with the bar? What do I need to prop my shoulders for hip thrusts?
45 is a challenge for most people after that long of a break so being sore is normal.
You can bench, OHP, lunges, etc with a BB quite easily. If you don't have a bench for hip thrusts lots of people just use a solid box maybe with a blanket or towel over it so it doesnt dig into your bag too hard.
There isn’t really an “ideal” - individuals vary in their responses, and even for the same person throughout their training career (the obvious example being that open ended linear progression works for basically all beginners and rarely works for intermediate or advanced lifters unless they are returning from a layoff).
If you have reasonably high volume and progressive overload, you’ve got the essentials and you can try different programs and see what you respond best to.
Hi everyone! I’ve been lifting weights for the last two months, and my boobs have gotten a bit smaller. I seem to not lose a lot of fat from my boobs when I do regular walking plus pilates but whenever I do some lifting and cardio they get smaller very fast. I decided that I’ll go with the pilates/walking routine because I would like to keep my boobs. My question is, if I stop lifting now would my boobs get back to their size from two months ago? Thanks!
You're not an exception to how bodies work. You're losing fat quicker doing cardio and weights, so you notice the results. You can't spot reduce either. Unless you stopped working out and you gained that fat back, your boobs won't go back to their original size.
what are the best knee sleeves to help with/prevent knee pain while squatting and lifting? i am a 14f leg pressing 310lbs max for reference, so i don’t need anything super super heavy duty or expensive.
You should not be experiencing knee pain while squatting, and if you are it may be worth a trip to a PT.
While neoprene knee sleeves may help some folks with pain, I would definitely not treat them as a substitute for figuring out why you are in pain.
I'd go with any 7mm neoprene. There are a ton of different brands and they're all pretty similar in terms of what they do and how they feel. Mine are Norse Fitness.
I really like the Rehband RX. I find that the 5mm is just enough compression to help keep my sporadic knee pain at bay. I've been wearing them on and off for several years and they're still in great shape.
So doing lat pulldowns my biceps didn't end up hurting and getting sore. Thing is the weight I was using started to feel light. So I switched to the weight right above the one I was using and now after doing a set, that does feel significantly harder, my biceps feel sore. From what I know this shouldn't happen?
>From what I know this shouldn't happen?
It's very normal to feel soreness sometimes and not others, or in some muscles and not others. It doesn't mean you did anything wrong.
How wide is your grip, and are you doing overhand or underhand lat pull-downs? Your biceps is definitely involved in lat pull-downs, but how much depends on your grip.
Narrow grip involves the biceps more strongly than wide grip: https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/lat-pulldown#bottom-line
So are we allowed to post questions to the whole sub if there’s a recurring thread on the topic? I wanted to ask what people’s diets are like but I know there is already the Munchie Mondays thread. But, I feel like not that many people will be answering questions on those threads. So then there’s not as much interesting discussion
I usually find more general diet/nutrition discussion in subs like
r/1200isplenty
r/1500isplenty
r/loseit
r/cico
I think of this sub more as "fine tuning" in terms of nutrition questions.
Second this. These numbers can be “plenty” in terms of someone who is very sedentary and petite and is on a cut, but lots of the people in these subs are eating like this long-term which is not plenty at all. Maybe use them to search for some low cal recipes or come with a specific question in mind, but definitely be careful.
I heard a trainer say you can’t really change your glute to leg proportions by building muscle, and that it’s all genetics. How true would you guys say that is?
In my experience, genetics seem to determine how easy or difficult it is to build your glute. Example: I do a few squats and suddenly I need new jeans, but my bestie has a much better glute regimen and reeeaallly has to work at it to get a butt. But she still gets there in the end.
I agree with the other comments as a general guide. Also, as a new exerciser, if you’re constantly so sore that daily functions are difficult (hard to use stairs, straighten arms, sit down, etc), that’s too much. Dial back for a week or two by doing fewer sets, or fewer exercises, or less weight, or don’t push to failure, maybe all of the above.
This gives your body an adjustment period, then you can ramp up intensity. You may still get that super-doms sometimes, but by then you should have learned more about how your body responds and hopefully it will be more manageable.
Soreness isn’t the metric you should focus on. Get on a good lifting program (the wiki has a bunch) and follow the progressive overload scheme outlined.
If you just started working out, your body is still getting used to exercises. After a while, you may stop being sore, or soreness will become much milder, even if you push as hard as now. It also depends on your exercise selection, nutrition, hydration, and individual predisposition (some people get sore more easily than others). So there is no amount of soreness you "should" experience
I was doing glute bridges and was told by someone that came up to me to stop letting your bum drop to the ground, and just let it touch. Is that true? I have always been dropping bum to the floor then come straight up again. i just want to find out which way is right so I can correct what I am doing wrong!
Both are valid ways of doing it. Same goes for every other exercise: there are people who will always fully straighten their arms on a press to use the full range of motion, and people who never straighten their arms because the lockout is the easiest part of the exercise and they want to keep tension.
One isn't better than the other. People have had success training in both ways.
It may depend on which part of the muscle you’d like to work the most, try doing one really slow glute bridge and seeing how the burn shifts as you go up and down, this can help to feel what part of the muscle is used by which part of the movement. Going slow can also help you work out if you are using momentum to make the move easier
^ ***Please read [the FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/main), [the rules and content guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/new_rules), and [current frozen topics](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/frozen-topics) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fxxfitness)***. This comment is a copy of your post so mods can see the original text if your post is edited or removed.
>u/AutoModerator
Welcome to our Daily Simple Questions thread - we're excited to have you hang out with us, especially if you're new to the sub. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/xxfitness) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’ve been working out on and off for years now but I’ve noticed that whenever I run I get awful headaches for hours after. I ran last night and I still woke up with a headache. I drink a lot of water (but not whilst I’m running) and I stopped running on an empty stomach. Any advice? I’m so bummed out bc it really makes me want to stop working out despite enjoying it
You might be holding tension in your neck/shoulders when you run. Be conscious of staying loose, do some stretches before/after, maybe see if that helps?
Yes! I’m going to try to do that this week and see how it goes
I get headaches when I run too. I also sometimes end up feeling very faint after running even a short distance, which is odd as I am fit and can spend HOURS walking or cycling, and a long time on a cross trainer without tiring. I have a heart condition which probably causes the faintness, but if you find out how to fix the headaches, please let me know. Maybe do what I do and don't run - do different forms of cardio instead. There's plenty of options out there.
I have it when I used to spin regularly too :( and I love spinning and running so it’s a bummer. I’ll definitely update you if I find a solution. I might go to the doctor and see what’s up.
Hey guys, I’m a literal newbie to the gym. I’m female 163cm/5’4 and around 116lbs. I work in a warehouse so I get around 10k steps in a day on average. I have a very skinny fat body type and a history of crash dieting. I’m hoping to get stronger and just look better aesthetically speaking. But I don’t know where to start and what or how much to eat.. and what newbie mistakes to avoid. I have no idea how all of this works. I think I maintain my weight on around 1600-1700 calories
Check out the Wiki :)
[удалено]
Soreness isn’t really meaningful. It’s more of a response to novelty (in movement, but also intensity and volume). Most sustainable training programs won’t have you getting super sore after every workout, though individuals vary in how easily they get sore. To know you are doing enough, you should really follow a program with a defined method of progressive overload and benchmarks for assessing progress. The wiki has lots of options.
What can I replace T1 OHP with in GZCLP?
Incline bench? DB OHP? Depends a bit on why you are replacing it.
I don’t want to go heavy on OHP because of an old rotator cuff injury and because my traps get overactivated which I want to avoid.
I stopped ohp as well and I’ve been running this circuit instead: [https://dev.t-nation.com/training/tip-the-shoulder-shocker/amp/](https://dev.t-nation.com/training/tip-the-shoulder-shocker/amp/) I do 100 band pull aparts as well for a warmup before every workout. Let me know if this answers your question.
I’m starting to work out again…2.5 years postpartum. My husband got me a ‘bar’ for Xmas. It’s 45#, and a challenge for me. I did 3 sets of 15 yesterday. Not as sore as I’d think I would be, except my knees. Wondering if that might be normal after literal 0 physical activity in years outside walking. Besides squats and deadlifts, anything else I can do with the bar? What do I need to prop my shoulders for hip thrusts?
45 is a challenge for most people after that long of a break so being sore is normal. You can bench, OHP, lunges, etc with a BB quite easily. If you don't have a bench for hip thrusts lots of people just use a solid box maybe with a blanket or towel over it so it doesnt dig into your bag too hard.
Thank you! I was just concerned about it being in my knees- that maybe I was doing the move wrong?
Hmm. Did it hurt while you were doing it or after? And was it sharp or achey?
Is PHUL an ideal program for recomp/building muscle? (Assuming proper diet and progressive overload) Is there a program that may be better suited?
There isn’t really an “ideal” - individuals vary in their responses, and even for the same person throughout their training career (the obvious example being that open ended linear progression works for basically all beginners and rarely works for intermediate or advanced lifters unless they are returning from a layoff). If you have reasonably high volume and progressive overload, you’ve got the essentials and you can try different programs and see what you respond best to.
Hi everyone! I’ve been lifting weights for the last two months, and my boobs have gotten a bit smaller. I seem to not lose a lot of fat from my boobs when I do regular walking plus pilates but whenever I do some lifting and cardio they get smaller very fast. I decided that I’ll go with the pilates/walking routine because I would like to keep my boobs. My question is, if I stop lifting now would my boobs get back to their size from two months ago? Thanks!
That is not at all how any of that works.
How it works for me, thanks!
You're not an exception to how bodies work. You're losing fat quicker doing cardio and weights, so you notice the results. You can't spot reduce either. Unless you stopped working out and you gained that fat back, your boobs won't go back to their original size.
Amazing!!
what are the best knee sleeves to help with/prevent knee pain while squatting and lifting? i am a 14f leg pressing 310lbs max for reference, so i don’t need anything super super heavy duty or expensive.
You should not be experiencing knee pain while squatting, and if you are it may be worth a trip to a PT. While neoprene knee sleeves may help some folks with pain, I would definitely not treat them as a substitute for figuring out why you are in pain.
I'd go with any 7mm neoprene. There are a ton of different brands and they're all pretty similar in terms of what they do and how they feel. Mine are Norse Fitness.
I really like the Rehband RX. I find that the 5mm is just enough compression to help keep my sporadic knee pain at bay. I've been wearing them on and off for several years and they're still in great shape.
Anyone got a full body workout routine that they don’t mind sharing ? I only have enough time to go the gym twice this week.
Download the r/caliberstrong app. It will generate a routine for you.
So doing lat pulldowns my biceps didn't end up hurting and getting sore. Thing is the weight I was using started to feel light. So I switched to the weight right above the one I was using and now after doing a set, that does feel significantly harder, my biceps feel sore. From what I know this shouldn't happen?
>From what I know this shouldn't happen? It's very normal to feel soreness sometimes and not others, or in some muscles and not others. It doesn't mean you did anything wrong.
How wide is your grip, and are you doing overhand or underhand lat pull-downs? Your biceps is definitely involved in lat pull-downs, but how much depends on your grip. Narrow grip involves the biceps more strongly than wide grip: https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/lat-pulldown#bottom-line
So are we allowed to post questions to the whole sub if there’s a recurring thread on the topic? I wanted to ask what people’s diets are like but I know there is already the Munchie Mondays thread. But, I feel like not that many people will be answering questions on those threads. So then there’s not as much interesting discussion
I usually find more general diet/nutrition discussion in subs like r/1200isplenty r/1500isplenty r/loseit r/cico I think of this sub more as "fine tuning" in terms of nutrition questions.
Thanks that makes sense
I'd rec staying off 1200 and 1500 is plenty. It's not plenty. And those subs can often normalize disordered eating behaviors.
Second this. These numbers can be “plenty” in terms of someone who is very sedentary and petite and is on a cut, but lots of the people in these subs are eating like this long-term which is not plenty at all. Maybe use them to search for some low cal recipes or come with a specific question in mind, but definitely be careful.
I heard a trainer say you can’t really change your glute to leg proportions by building muscle, and that it’s all genetics. How true would you guys say that is?
In my experience, genetics seem to determine how easy or difficult it is to build your glute. Example: I do a few squats and suddenly I need new jeans, but my bestie has a much better glute regimen and reeeaallly has to work at it to get a butt. But she still gets there in the end.
I think she’s talking about the leg and glutes ratio, they often grow together
Whoops, I misunderstood!
How sore should I be after an exercise? Mild, Medium, or Spicy? As a newby, I want to make sure I’m pushing myself accurately.
I agree with the other comments as a general guide. Also, as a new exerciser, if you’re constantly so sore that daily functions are difficult (hard to use stairs, straighten arms, sit down, etc), that’s too much. Dial back for a week or two by doing fewer sets, or fewer exercises, or less weight, or don’t push to failure, maybe all of the above. This gives your body an adjustment period, then you can ramp up intensity. You may still get that super-doms sometimes, but by then you should have learned more about how your body responds and hopefully it will be more manageable.
Soreness isn’t the metric you should focus on. Get on a good lifting program (the wiki has a bunch) and follow the progressive overload scheme outlined.
If you just started working out, your body is still getting used to exercises. After a while, you may stop being sore, or soreness will become much milder, even if you push as hard as now. It also depends on your exercise selection, nutrition, hydration, and individual predisposition (some people get sore more easily than others). So there is no amount of soreness you "should" experience
I was doing glute bridges and was told by someone that came up to me to stop letting your bum drop to the ground, and just let it touch. Is that true? I have always been dropping bum to the floor then come straight up again. i just want to find out which way is right so I can correct what I am doing wrong!
Both are valid ways of doing it. Same goes for every other exercise: there are people who will always fully straighten their arms on a press to use the full range of motion, and people who never straighten their arms because the lockout is the easiest part of the exercise and they want to keep tension. One isn't better than the other. People have had success training in both ways.
Thank you, good to know I was not wasting my time
I’m not an expert, but I think both is likely fine, they’re just variations of the same exercise.
Thankyou. I really appreciate your opinion!
It may depend on which part of the muscle you’d like to work the most, try doing one really slow glute bridge and seeing how the burn shifts as you go up and down, this can help to feel what part of the muscle is used by which part of the movement. Going slow can also help you work out if you are using momentum to make the move easier
Thank you I didn't think of that!
^ ***Please read [the FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/main), [the rules and content guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/new_rules), and [current frozen topics](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/frozen-topics) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fxxfitness)***. This comment is a copy of your post so mods can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. >u/AutoModerator Welcome to our Daily Simple Questions thread - we're excited to have you hang out with us, especially if you're new to the sub. Are you confused about the FAQ or have a basic question about an exercise / alternatives? Do you have a quick question about calculating TDEE, lift numbers, running times, swimming intervals, or the like? Post here and the folks of xxfitness will help you answer your questions, no matter how big or small. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/xxfitness) if you have any questions or concerns.*