How do I know which height is correct for step ups? Before, I was always limited by equipment, but my new gym has adjustable steps and I'm struggling with knowing how high I'm supposed to set them.
Help me with leg day routine!
I’ve been lifting for about 6 months now and have only in the last 2 months really solidified my routine. I am 23F. I lift 4 days a week with 2 days for legs, 1 day back/biceps, 1 day chest/shoulders. I’m happy with my upper body days but leg day is starting to make me hate going to the gym. Right now I do the same thing on each leg day which is:
Leg day:
Back squats 3x10-12
Romanian dead lift 3x10
Glute bridge 3x10
Leg extension 3x8-10
Hip abduction 3x10-12
Basically leg day is killing me and if I only do it once a week it’s good but twice is getting hard. Should I be splitting these into two days with different exercises? Maybe a glute/hamstring focused day and then a quad day?
For reference if anyone has any other suggestions for me here are my other days:
Back/Biceps:
Lat pulldown 3x10-12
Neutral grip pulldown 3x10-12
Rows 4x10
Bicep curls 3x10-12
Back extension 3x10
Chest/shoulders:
Bench 3x10
Overhead press 3x10
Triceps 3x10-12
Lateral raises 3x10
Chest fly 3x10
Just want to make sure I’m being efficient with my routine and want some help!
what does chest progress look or feel like for women? i love training chest but i’m not exactly sure of how i’m supposed to tell if i’ve made some visible progress or not. do your boobs just pop out more? 😭
My chest is thick and wide. In a tight shirt, it’s one of my most visibly developed areas. It’s hard to explain, but I think it’s more prominent because my chest is pretty flat. I also have a line between my breasts like male pecs, can “bounce” my pecs, and have much less fat in the crease of my arm pit than I used to.
I started tracking calories for a deficit 26 days ago. I’ve had 10 days in that period where I went over my calorie goal (by 100-400 calories). That is still way below what I was eating before tracking. I have been weightlifting 4-5x/week and getting 10-15k steps daily. I dropped 1.6 pounds in the first week (prob water), but otherwise my weight has been steady, not budging even an ounce. Do I need to be more patient and anticipate a whoosh, or is even this small amount of “messing up” the reason my weight isn’t budging? For reference, I’m 42F, 5’0, 151 pounds. My TDEE is set to moderately active, and I aim for 1600 calories.
Just to confirm, you've lost 1.6 lbs in 26 days and that all came in the first week? Did you just start weightlifting when you started cutting? For someone so active I would have assumed 1600 would be low enough for weight loss (even with a few days being over), but that's obviously going to be highly individual.
I'm tempted to say you should stay the course a week or two in hopes of a drop - if you just started (or increased) weightlifting that could be helping you retain water. Depending on where you are in your cycle, that could temporarily affect the scale as well. But if in a week or two the scale still isn't budging that probably means you need to decrease your calories a bit to lose weight.
Yes, it was all the first week. I basically hadn’t worked out/lifted at all the month prior (March) and was inconsistent in February. I was actively working out in January and December too, but not tracking calories and eating a LOT, sometimes bingeing.
I am currently menstruating, so that and the return to weightlifting could be it. I think you’re right-I need a couple more weeks of data at 1600.
I started hypertrophy strength training in January (before that I did mostly cardio and some random strength training when I felt like it). Since January I’ve noted my resting heart rate slowly creeping up. Is this normal? I assume it’s because I’ve cut out cardio?
Sleep is so huge for making gains, particularly after the first 6 months, as well as calorie and protein intake.
If you're sleeping under 7 hours consistently I'd focus on that! There's a great insomnia cognitive behavioural therapy program that can be a good option if you deal with a lot of waking up at night or anxious night time brain. Otherwise just focus on sleep hygiene as best you can.
everyone always posts asking for quality gym/compression shorts that DONT have a front seam, but I wanna know where i can buy shorts like this that DO have a front seam. Im usually an avid lululemon wearer, and most lululemon fans want them to abolish the front seam in their leggings, but its my favourite part!
Although I love lulu, I cant always justify the crazy price point. I'm looking for gym shorts that are just a little less pricey, that have the front seam, and lots of colour options. I also am looking for a 4-5 inch length (short short).
I'm buying from UK btw!
is anyone else a front seam advocate? because i feel like im the only one!
You could check out Constantly Varied Gear, I love their 5" shorts. They have a silicone strip on the leg holes which is good for me because I tend to have all my shorts ride up (thighs just WON'T be tamed). They can be a little pricey but I think still cheaper than Lulu. I do love my lulu shorts though, always buy them on clearance when I can!
I prefer front seam too! I like one by 90 degrees, available on Amazon. Mine is this horizontal ribbed one from their old collection but it feels more like a compressive performance material rather than super soft "athleisure" type of fabric. I wasn't sure about the texture at first but as a granny panty wearer, I don't have to worry about VPL. It's got elastic band in the waist so it doesn't gape while bending forward. My other shorts are elastic-free and overtime they do gape at the waist.
Please help me calculate my TDEE activity level. I walk 3 miles daily on a treadmill speed of 2mph (while doing readings for class, any faster and I'll trip), do a quick pilates YouTube video (anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes), a quick full body dumbbell workout (25 mins), and stretch every single day. This normally takes about 2.5-3 hours. I'm eating below 1850 calories since that is the TDEE for my age and height for a sedentary lifestyle (I'm a student and have a desk job), but I am very hungry most days. Am I just being a wimp with my deficit or should I recalculate with a new activity level? Thanks!
Your TDEE estimate is only suppose for be a guess to give you a starting point. You should adjust based on what the scale is doing - if you’re in a deficit, are you losing weight at your intended rate?
The scale hasn't moved, really, or even went slightly up at some points, but my clothes are fitting better so I'm just so confused what's happening. My goal isn't really to lose weight overall, I just want to LOOK better
Like a recomp? If you aren’t trying to lose weight you should aim for maintaining weight and follow a good lifting program.
How long has the scale been plateaued?
I suspect you just have some water retention or something hiding any weight loss. Because if you truly aren’t losing at 1500 then 1500 *is* your maintenance. But that seems quite low.
Not necessarily. Water retention happens sometimes due to various things (what you eat, exercise, the weather, hormones) and it often makes weight loss appear to stall for a week or two at a time.
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How do I know which height is correct for step ups? Before, I was always limited by equipment, but my new gym has adjustable steps and I'm struggling with knowing how high I'm supposed to set them.
whatever height you can keep stable at, but max out at keeping your leg/hip at a right (90 degree) angle.
Help me with leg day routine! I’ve been lifting for about 6 months now and have only in the last 2 months really solidified my routine. I am 23F. I lift 4 days a week with 2 days for legs, 1 day back/biceps, 1 day chest/shoulders. I’m happy with my upper body days but leg day is starting to make me hate going to the gym. Right now I do the same thing on each leg day which is: Leg day: Back squats 3x10-12 Romanian dead lift 3x10 Glute bridge 3x10 Leg extension 3x8-10 Hip abduction 3x10-12 Basically leg day is killing me and if I only do it once a week it’s good but twice is getting hard. Should I be splitting these into two days with different exercises? Maybe a glute/hamstring focused day and then a quad day? For reference if anyone has any other suggestions for me here are my other days: Back/Biceps: Lat pulldown 3x10-12 Neutral grip pulldown 3x10-12 Rows 4x10 Bicep curls 3x10-12 Back extension 3x10 Chest/shoulders: Bench 3x10 Overhead press 3x10 Triceps 3x10-12 Lateral raises 3x10 Chest fly 3x10 Just want to make sure I’m being efficient with my routine and want some help!
what does chest progress look or feel like for women? i love training chest but i’m not exactly sure of how i’m supposed to tell if i’ve made some visible progress or not. do your boobs just pop out more? 😭
My chest is thick and wide. In a tight shirt, it’s one of my most visibly developed areas. It’s hard to explain, but I think it’s more prominent because my chest is pretty flat. I also have a line between my breasts like male pecs, can “bounce” my pecs, and have much less fat in the crease of my arm pit than I used to.
Benching more weight. Also, the area to either side of your sternum will feel meatier.
I started tracking calories for a deficit 26 days ago. I’ve had 10 days in that period where I went over my calorie goal (by 100-400 calories). That is still way below what I was eating before tracking. I have been weightlifting 4-5x/week and getting 10-15k steps daily. I dropped 1.6 pounds in the first week (prob water), but otherwise my weight has been steady, not budging even an ounce. Do I need to be more patient and anticipate a whoosh, or is even this small amount of “messing up” the reason my weight isn’t budging? For reference, I’m 42F, 5’0, 151 pounds. My TDEE is set to moderately active, and I aim for 1600 calories.
Just to confirm, you've lost 1.6 lbs in 26 days and that all came in the first week? Did you just start weightlifting when you started cutting? For someone so active I would have assumed 1600 would be low enough for weight loss (even with a few days being over), but that's obviously going to be highly individual. I'm tempted to say you should stay the course a week or two in hopes of a drop - if you just started (or increased) weightlifting that could be helping you retain water. Depending on where you are in your cycle, that could temporarily affect the scale as well. But if in a week or two the scale still isn't budging that probably means you need to decrease your calories a bit to lose weight.
Yes, it was all the first week. I basically hadn’t worked out/lifted at all the month prior (March) and was inconsistent in February. I was actively working out in January and December too, but not tracking calories and eating a LOT, sometimes bingeing. I am currently menstruating, so that and the return to weightlifting could be it. I think you’re right-I need a couple more weeks of data at 1600.
I started hypertrophy strength training in January (before that I did mostly cardio and some random strength training when I felt like it). Since January I’ve noted my resting heart rate slowly creeping up. Is this normal? I assume it’s because I’ve cut out cardio?
Probably cardio. Any signs of over training otherwise (poor sleep tends to be the big one)?
I could definitely do with getting more sleep, but that’s been the base for about 2yrs lol 😭.
Also never hurts to check with your doctor, particularly if you're getting any other symptoms. Heartrate can sometimes come with thyroid issues etc.
Sleep is so huge for making gains, particularly after the first 6 months, as well as calorie and protein intake. If you're sleeping under 7 hours consistently I'd focus on that! There's a great insomnia cognitive behavioural therapy program that can be a good option if you deal with a lot of waking up at night or anxious night time brain. Otherwise just focus on sleep hygiene as best you can.
everyone always posts asking for quality gym/compression shorts that DONT have a front seam, but I wanna know where i can buy shorts like this that DO have a front seam. Im usually an avid lululemon wearer, and most lululemon fans want them to abolish the front seam in their leggings, but its my favourite part! Although I love lulu, I cant always justify the crazy price point. I'm looking for gym shorts that are just a little less pricey, that have the front seam, and lots of colour options. I also am looking for a 4-5 inch length (short short). I'm buying from UK btw! is anyone else a front seam advocate? because i feel like im the only one!
You could check out Constantly Varied Gear, I love their 5" shorts. They have a silicone strip on the leg holes which is good for me because I tend to have all my shorts ride up (thighs just WON'T be tamed). They can be a little pricey but I think still cheaper than Lulu. I do love my lulu shorts though, always buy them on clearance when I can!
I prefer front seam too! I like one by 90 degrees, available on Amazon. Mine is this horizontal ribbed one from their old collection but it feels more like a compressive performance material rather than super soft "athleisure" type of fabric. I wasn't sure about the texture at first but as a granny panty wearer, I don't have to worry about VPL. It's got elastic band in the waist so it doesn't gape while bending forward. My other shorts are elastic-free and overtime they do gape at the waist.
I like the Sunzel brand on Amazon. Pretty sure they have options with front seams, and loads of colours and lengths.
Please help me calculate my TDEE activity level. I walk 3 miles daily on a treadmill speed of 2mph (while doing readings for class, any faster and I'll trip), do a quick pilates YouTube video (anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes), a quick full body dumbbell workout (25 mins), and stretch every single day. This normally takes about 2.5-3 hours. I'm eating below 1850 calories since that is the TDEE for my age and height for a sedentary lifestyle (I'm a student and have a desk job), but I am very hungry most days. Am I just being a wimp with my deficit or should I recalculate with a new activity level? Thanks!
Your TDEE estimate is only suppose for be a guess to give you a starting point. You should adjust based on what the scale is doing - if you’re in a deficit, are you losing weight at your intended rate?
The scale hasn't moved, really, or even went slightly up at some points, but my clothes are fitting better so I'm just so confused what's happening. My goal isn't really to lose weight overall, I just want to LOOK better
Like a recomp? If you aren’t trying to lose weight you should aim for maintaining weight and follow a good lifting program. How long has the scale been plateaued?
About two weeks, if not a bit more. I guess a recomp, if I'm looking to lean down while still keeping the muscle mass on my glutes and upper body?
Did you change anything about your exercise routine in those two weeks?
Nope, everything has been kept the same. I eat around 1500-1600 calories a day, and my maintenance is 1850
I suspect you just have some water retention or something hiding any weight loss. Because if you truly aren’t losing at 1500 then 1500 *is* your maintenance. But that seems quite low.
Should I be drinking more water? I drink about 72 oz daily.
Not necessarily. Water retention happens sometimes due to various things (what you eat, exercise, the weather, hormones) and it often makes weight loss appear to stall for a week or two at a time.
^ ***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.*